Twilight stared down at the human she had known for years now, Jonathan, her eyes filled with nothing but sadness. His eyes, however, stared at her with pure venom. “Please, Jonathan, don’t do this!” she begged for the countless time.

“I want to go home,” he said, barely audible from the distance and the wind that raged past them.

It’s not that Twilight didn’t understand his feelings, on the contrary, she understood them quite well. For years she and her friends had journeyed around the world with Jonathan, going on more adventures than she could count. They were happy times, filled with laughter and friendship, until they finally found the secret they had been searching for – how to send Jonathan home. The answer was not what they wanted, as the spell to send him home would destroy all of Equestria in the process. Knowing this spell could never be cast, Twilight tried to make Jonathan’s life in Equestria as comfortable as possible.

Jonathan changed after that. Not all at once, slowly enough that no one saw it happen. Twilight herself never thought she would be standing with her friends ready to use the Elements of Harmony against him, but there they were.

“Come on big fella,” Applejack called out, trying to keep her voice from breaking. “Ya said it yourself, we’re like a second family for you, so why do this?”

“I will go home!” Jonathan cried. His burning eyes speaking far more than his few words.

More of Twilight’s friends tried to step forward but stopped as she spread out her wings. Words would not get through to him. Twilight feared that what they were about to do would break her, because she knew this pain would be with her for the rest of her life, but she would defend her homeland, even from a dear friend.

6762943
As someone who doesn't like it that human stuck in Equestria fics usually have the "happy ending" at the end either be they can't go home, so they give up, or they find the way back, but suddenly choose to stay in Equestria, I like this.

Now, I'd prefer a way of going home where the parting is hard, they beg the human to stay, but the human manages to say goodbye, and go home.

(I also don't like those fics that insert a foalified pony into another story. I thought I'd like them, until I got to the end, and the hero was taken to Equestria at the end, which technically doomed their universe because it needed them as the one hero who could keep evil from winning. (I'd prefer either the pony never learns they're from Equestria because they lost all memory, or if they return, when they say, "come with me", the hero says, "I'd love to, but I can't. They need me. My place is here.)

But yeah, all these fics with humans stuck in Equestria, and then they give up or change their mind when the whole goal up to that point was to find a way home, really rubs me the wrong way, so, no offense to the ponies in what you put, but I'm rooting for Jonathan! They may be your second family, but your first family is more important! Remember your parents! Any siblings you have! Remember your home, your mother's cooking, your friends, everyone who you knew and want to get home to so badly! Equestria is but a mere shadow of that! Were I in his shoes, I'd do the same thing. I'd move the cosmos themselves to get home, and if that makes me a villain, so be it. I wouldn't belong there, anyway.

(Now, I was considering my own want to go home fic, but it'd be more of a comedy. I have a title, too, but if I say it here, Someone'll steal it.)

make this dude it would make a great story does he stay or do they have to stop him find out?

day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day

6762963
I hope he wins. I don't care that Equestria dies, because just this once, the Human goes home. Downer ending for the ponies, happily ever after for the human. A nice reversal of how it usually goes.

6762966

i seen a story where the human goes home and the ponies didn't die

6762943
turns out Jonathan didn't want to come home because he missed his family, but it's because he wanted to watch the 11th season of Rupaul's Drag Race

6762969
I know they exist, but they're rare. Since so many have the downer ending for the human and a "happy" ending for the ponies where they get to "keep their human friend", I'd just like to see that turned on its head just once, where the Human gets the happy ending, and the ponies get the downer one. I want there to be more where the human returns home, or can even go back-and-forth at will after everything's resolved, but those are extremely rare.
A different kind of reversal would be pony gets stuck on Earth, and after searching and searching, find there's no way back to Equestria. I could accept that as an acceptable reversal, but I doubt one exists.

6762962
Yeah, I know what you mean. I normally don't have a problem with humans wanting to stay in Equestria if they have a good enough reason for it, however, I hate the ones that spend so much time having to the human search for a way to get home only for them to stay because "friendship!"

6762943
Don't worry, i have an fic in the way and it's about spaceships and travel across worlds *Grinned*

The concept I like here is that returning to his home irrevocably changes his relationship with the ponies and with Equestria. What would be interesting is a scenario with the human returning the Equestria, but as an antagonist or outcast with a specific goal in mind.

6762988
Oh, I like that. Go away as friends, return as enemies.

Would the friendships even be genuine? Or did the main 6 befriend him out of a sense of obligation or guilt? I'd try to leave even harder if I was in his shoes.

6762996
Enemies would work, but simply introducing distance or walls into the relationships would also do the trick. Perhaps his return does in fact hurt Equestria or other ponies in some way (imagine if he had to kill a pony to get home), or perhaps the ponies merely interpret his departure as a rejection of their love and friendship.

The important thing is to give the human a definitive reason to return to Equestria. No matter how bad things could be back home, it would still be among humans and a world slightly more familiar than pony land. If he went through all that trouble to leave, he isn't going to return on a whim.

6762976
Agreed. If they were searching for a way home, then they have a reason to go back. Often family, friends, other loved ones, things they miss about Earth that doesn't exist in Equestria, etc. And after spending all this time finding a way back to all they miss, to decide to suddenly turn your back on everything you've worked so hard for needs a really good reason. And to some people, if they're homesick enough, no reason for staying is good enough.
I prefer tearful goodbye to "Please stay, we're you're friends!" "Okay, Let's forget my number one piece of motivation for this entire story and ruin all my character development."
Here's a better example of how such fics should end:

This was it, as soon as the portal opened, Billy could finally go home. To hear his mother's voice, his father's sagely advice, and even the sibling rivalry with Sally. He missed it all, and it would be so good to finally see and hear it all again.
He could envision the interior of his home, picture every single inch: the pool table in the basement, the fireplace in the den, his twin-sized bed, actually fitted for a human being. The smell of barbecues in the summer, burning leaves in the fall, the nearby private farm stinking up the neighborhood with manure in the spring, and even the chilled pure smell in winter. Cars beeping, people walking their dogs, the purring of his cat, all of this and more, both good and bad, that was home, and he missed it all.
But just as the portal opened, and he took his first step forward, he felt a tug on his leg. He looked down and saw that it was Pinkie Pie, and she was crying.
"P-please don't go!" the mare begged, gazing up at him with a quivering chin and very moist eyes. "We can have so many more parties! And fun! I'll make you all the treats you want if you don't go! I'll even throw you a party every day, if that's what it takes! Just please don't go!"
Billy moved to pull Pinkie off so he could explain to her that he had to go, only for Applejack to step up next.
"C'mon, Big Feller, please don' leave us," the farmpony pleaded, holding her hat to one side and gazing at him hopefully. "Ya had a real blast helpin' out at the orchard! We could use yer tricks more often! An' what abou' us bein' yer second family? Was that just a load of horseapples?"
Starting to second-guess himself slightly, Billy focused on the memories, reminding himself of why he traveled every inch of the planet with these mares, only for Rarity to interrupt him.
"Darling, please, you mustn't go!" The Fashionista begged, staring up at the human boy with tear-filled eyes, her mascara running from just how much she was crying. "Your insights into how your people live have opened my eyes to new ideas, ideas that have improved my work tremendously. And not only that, didn't we have such fun at the boutique when I tried to make outfits for you? And even more than that! What about all the culture we've discovered while traveling the world together? And Sweetie Belle! She'd be heartbroken to see you leave! In fact, your whole class at Ponyville Elementary! How can you leave all these wonderful friends you've made here?"
In what seemed to be a lull in the moment, Billy tried to formulate his response. They had some good points, and some part of him did want to stay, but he just couldn't. But before he could think of something, he was startled by a certain yellow Pegasus speaking up from right next to his leg that Pinkie wasn't clinging to.
"Um, please don't leave…" Fluttershy mumbled. "I-if you don't mind, the animals all love you, and I don't want to break the news to the poor dears. You've protected me on that journey multiple times, and I've helped in kind. The bonds between you and all of us may not be blood, but isn't it just as strong?"
Then Dash cut in, even the tough multi-hued Pegasus was crying, and she flew right up in Billy's face.
"You're just going to leave us?" she demanded, her voice shaky. "Why? We're your friends! I thought we meant something to you! But no, you intend to just leave us here, move on with your life as if you were never here, and leave all of us missing you! What is wrong with you?"
And finally, Twilight herself spoke, seemingly even more desperate to get Billy to stay no matter what.
"Billy, please don't leave us," the Alicorn princess begged, her own eyes brimming with tears as she approached him. "So what if you can't fly, use magic, or even work wonders with plants! Celestia said your human mind has greater potential than any pony, even her. We could use a brain like yours here! All of the advancements we could accomplish with you directing us, think of it!" Coughing for a second, she then embraced Billy in a hug, nuzzling him, her hot tears running down his own cheeks.
"You think you have to leave because there's no place for you here," she said gently, running a hoof through his hair, "that's what you've told us. Maybe there wasn't when you got here, but just like each and every one of us, you've carved out a place in our society. You say you want to go home, well, now this can be home! Don't you see?" She pulled back a little, allowing Billy a view of his six best friends in Equestria gathered around him, all with tears in their eyes, but smiling now, looking at him hopefully. "We'd love you to stay, and we'll do everything possible to make your life here as enjoyable as the one you had in your world. Please, don't leave us. You're as much of our circle after the time we've spent together as any of the rest of us. Our circle of closest friends may number six, but we'd be honored if you'd be our number seven."
Looking around, Billy saw each mare nod her agreement, smiles growing wider. Maybe he could stay.
But what about his family? Surely, they'd miss him. They're likely worried sick about him, had filed a missing person's report, or even written him off as dead! His friends back home, his family back home, if he stayed, he'd break their hearts. And it had been his mission from the beginning to return home.
Sighing, Billy gently pushed Twilight off him, her settling back to all fours, still gazing at him with that expectant smile. It was going to be hard, it was going to hurt him to hurt them, but it had to be done.
"I thank you for the offer, I really do," he began, "But, although I may enjoy staying, I don't belong here."
Several mares screamed "What?" at the same time, but before they could dogpile him, he backed up towards the portal, where he could now smell something he hadn't smelled in too long: his mother's meatloaf, and smiled for a second.
"I know I could have a happy life here, but my loved ones back on Earth have no idea what's happened to me." Now it was Billy's turn to shed tears, and all the mares simply watched, with varying expressions of pity and understanding. "They could be worried sick, or even assumed I'm dead," he blubbered. "Th-this isn't just about homesickness, n-not anymore." He explained. "If I leave, you'll know that I'm happy and alive. If I stay, my loved ones back home will never know my fate. I have to go back."
After taking a deep, calming sigh, he looked at each of them with a big grin, although he was also still slightly crying.
"I'll always remember each and every one of you," Billy said fondly, hugging each mare in turn. "It's been fun, and I'll miss you, but I'll keep every single one of you in my heart forever. As long as we remember each other fondly, we're still friends, even if we're universes apart. You really were my second family, caring for me when my first one wasn't here to do so. And if I had to pick one as second Mom…"
After finishing embracing all the mares by hugging Twilight, Billy returned to Fluttershy and hugged her again, harder this time, earning an "Eep!" of surprise from her before she returned the embrace.
"Thanks for everything… Mom Number Two," he whispered, nuzzling her as she returned the gesture.
"I guess you kind of were like a son for that time," Fluttershy admitted with a giggle, "So, You'll always be in my heart… son."
Although it still hurt, all loose ends were tied up. After one final group hug and an exchange of more tearful goodbyes, Billy and the mares finally broke the embrace, and all six waved goodbye as the human boy stepped through the gate, and in an instant, Equestria was gone.

After blinking a few times to clear his vision, Billy found he was back in the chamber hidden in the roots of the tree in the backyard. The smell of his mother's meatloaf reached his nose again, wafting from the open kitchen window, and his stomach growled.
Grumbling and grunting, he managed to pull himself out of the tangle of roots after a few minutes, and ran his way to the house, suitcase from Equestria in hand, not even noticing he was wearing one of the outfits Rarity made for him. It was time to tell his family the good news.

Probably then have an epilogue to show what happens after he leaves in Equestria, and what happens after he comes home on Earth.

Or use those for a sequel idea.

6763008
Wow good job!

6763010
Why thank you! I put a lot of thought and effort into that.

6762965
Day yo

6763008
Like others said, that was pretty good. Now all we need is an epic adventure tale to precede this scene.

6762971
I didn't think those kind of stories, where the human goes back home, were rare. I even thought it'll be the other way around to be honest. I am thinking about eventually writing a story like this with a OC human character I'm already writing about. At the end of a 16-chapter story I already wrote, and still writing stories about what happened after it, he's stuck in Equestria, but he's able to talk to his family, so it's not like they don't know what happened to him, so he didn't exactly give up on seeing/talking to them again since he was depressed before he could talk to them.

Though in my OC character's case, the way I wrote his stories so far could actually reverse his character development if he did go back just because he's homesick, and for no other reason than that. He's the type of character that puts others before him, but I do already have a couple ways to get around it, if I write the story.

6763008
In fact, if you want a story when things end happily for the human like that, and they're that rare, at the risk of sounding like "please read my story" I say to consider reading my "A Giant Adventure to Equestria" story, or just jump to chapter 15 if you don't want to go through the trouble of reading a 16-chapter story, or just read what I wrote in the spoiler tag in my earlier comment which says what happened if you didn't already. I will say in this comment that it doesn't have the "human accepts being in Equestria forever and that's it" type of story.

It has a nice like-dislike ratio, so going from that it's a good story, and it would probably have more likes if I released all the chapters one a day after I finished them all.

6763112
And a great big thank you to you, too! I wasn't really thinking of actually using this, as it was a proof of concept, but now that you mention it, maybe I can! I have other fics on my plate right now, but I may be able to work with this some time in the future.

6763112
Sorry for the double-post, but I kinda had to get your attention with a second comment in case you read the preceding one already.

I've decided to at least stuff it in my gdocs for now until I have time to make it into a full fic. But, I could use some help with the name. I'd most definitely credit you for the name, though.

The ideas I've got are "Homesick in Paradise", "It's Not Heaven Without Your Family", "To Go Home", "I Can't Stay", "The Homesick Human", and a couple others, but I don't really think any of them really fit the idea of boy winds up in Equestria, immediately misses his family, and once he gets settled in and calmed down, the Mane 6 assist him in finding a way home, inadvertently bonding with him as a close friend along the way, and doesn't spoil much of the concept beyond a couple chapters.

6763241
I think the name should reflex more of the journey of them trying to get home, rather than the human being homesick, though Homesick in Paradise isn't too bad. I've crap with names myself so I don't have many Ideas. I tend to just go with whatever my fist idea was.

6763247
I guess I'll go with "Homesick in Paradise", at least for now. The journey would be a while in, as a lot of the things they mention would be from before it, except for the mentioning of what happened on it. But a name reflecting the journey might not be a bad idea, either. But, I'll give the gdocs folder the name you selected for now. Thanks again!

(Although I may change the name of the MC, that's not certain yet.)

6763257

If the goal is for him to go home, and he might have to choose either that to stay in Equestria, here's a name to think if you want. Maybe "Home or Paradise"

6763275
Hmm… I'll consider it, at least. I'll decide on a final name before I get around to getting the first chapter written and posted. I'll just leave it where it is for now as a placeholder name.

6763007 6762996
I have another possible reason for a human who basically moved the cosmos just to go home might return without becoming a villain:

Even if (s)he managed to convince his/her family and swear them to secrecy. What if some "agency" detected the event that sent him/her to Equestria in the first place, s well as the one used to get back, and even worse, figured out how to open a portal either way on a whim? Then, there'd be motivation to go back one last time: to save his/her friends who sacrificed so much just so (s)he could return home from whatever malevolent intent this "agency" has for Equestria.

But other than that, I can't see a good reason for the human to go back for benevolent reasons after having worked so hard to return to Earth.

(In fact, that clip that I may turn into a fic, I may use the premise I just gave as the precedent for a sequel.)

6763320
It really depends on the kind of story you are going for. If you just want something about a homesick human trying to get home, than this may not work that well. But *shrugs* it's all about the execution really.

6763340
But those still in Equestria would still be his friends. Yes, home comes first, but he couldn't just leave them to their fate if some evil group from Earth decided to use the way he was sent there to invade and do unspeakable things to the pony populace! There could even be something similar to the first ending at the end. This time, there's a bridge connecting the two words, now, but although it pains them all, they must destroy it for the good of Equestria. I believe it could work.

He leaves the first time as a dear friend wanting to go home, but he returns later as a hero, to save his friends, but in the end, he still must choose between Home and Equestria again.

6762943
I have to see this start him off as a 4 or 5 year old kid in meeting the ponys

6763351
That could work too, although you'd need to explain why he's able to effectively oppose the evil entity threatening Equestria.

I suppose the theme I'd be going for is that returning home, much like leaving it, comes at a cost. It would be so much easier to just accept your fate and settle in Equestria. What would drive you to take the more difficult path? What would you be willing to sacrifice in order to return?

6763441
It's not if he knows he can, it's more of a brash decision to try and help his friends without even knowing if he can. Equestria cared for him while he was lost and away from home. Though the ties with home are stronger, that doesn't mean that his ties with the world that took him in for that time can't be also strong (just not as strong).

I was thinking that all he really has is knowledge of the nature of this shady syndicate (like maybe they're a well-known company on Earth that seemed good at the front, but their incursion into Equestria is totally malevolent, and as the phenomena that sent him to Equestria and back were both in his backyard, he'd gain some knowledge of what they're up to as they had to come over to study it.

Armed with that tiny bit of knowledge, he'd grab the closest thing he can think of that may help somehow (like a golf club, pool cue, steal his father's gun, a baseball bat, maybe some souvenirs from his visit to Equestria in the hopes that one might be a magical artifact that could help him), and without knowing whether he could really aid them, use the new portal made by the villains while they aren't watching, and find his old friends in the hopes that together, he can help them save their home.

I wasn't trying to turn him into a Gary Stu in a possible sequel, but more of a child desperate to save his friends, even if he doesn't know a thing about doing so. (I know I've been in that situation multiple times, not knowing how to help those I care about, but trying to think of anything that could be of even the slightest help.) More of a tale of him returning to his friends to see them again, and slowly shaping himself into the hero Equestria needs through trial and error, close calls and even defeats. Through blood, sweat, and tears, forge himself into what his home away from home needs to stave off its destruction, while fighting to not forget the bonds with all of his friends in the progress.

That's the kind of thing I meant.

6763340
(I forgot to add you to the reply in the above message, so since adding you after the post is up wouldn't alert you, I'm doing it here. Sorry about the double post.)

6763467
Ah, I see. Classic hero's tale. Sounds good.

6762943
This is really good. Just needs a story behind it. Though, if done right the "I want to stay" cliche CAN work- you just need a more sturdy reason than the crap of "Forget your family, we're your FRIENDS~!" How I see it, good reasons to stay would be:

A- They have nothing to return to back home
B- Their family treated them poorly
C- They've come to despise the world they came from
D- They want a fresh start after mucking up everything back home

I could go on, but I won't.

6763727
The one you're replying to has it where the Mane 6 helped the human find out how to get home, only to discover the only way to send him back to Earth would destroy their world. They agreed that they couldn't pay such a price, and tried to make him as comfortable as he could be.
But, apparently, he never got over his homesickness. It's grown and festered within him, slowly consuming all else within him until all that remains is his desire to go home, and how much he obviously misses what he had there. He's willing to wipe the pony world from existence just to see Earth again.
So…
He obviously has something to go back to.
He doesn't have memories of familial abuse, or if he does, he misses home enough to trump that pain.
He obviously doesn't despise Earth, or he wouldn't be so desperate to go home, that he'd willingly kill every inhabitant of the pony world just to go home.
He wants to return to what he had back home, so his life there can't be ruined.

I think you meant to reply to a different post.

Still, you make some good points as to what counts as having a very good reason to stay, but those kind of reasons would be reasons to not even look for a way back in the first place, not to change his mind after finding the way back after spending the whole story searching for it.

I think it's a little too morally straightforward if the return spell destroys Equestria -- that's hundreds of thousands of sentient lives destroyed. I would prefer to shift that a little where they don't *want* to let him go home because there's some prophecy saying that he is somehow needed to prevent some great harm from Equestria, but it's vague and nonspecific. He accepts this at first, but over time it wears on him and he starts feeling that it's unreasonably vague and surely the last five or six villains he helped stop satisfied the damn thing?

6763797
I think this example works. It doesn't detract from the possibility of others, but it's equally-valid as them.

The way to go home would erase the entire pony realm, so he reluctantly agrees it's for the good of all that he remain. To console him, to ease the pain that he'll never see those he loves on Earth again, the Mane 6 do everything they can to at least make him comfortable, in the hopes that he'll be able to get over his desperate desire to go home, and live happily with them.

But it doesn't work. Blood and love are far stronger than friendship and liking each other. His heart demands to see his real family again, to hear their voices, to feel their embraces, and to end any worrying they might be doing by showing them he's still alive and okay.

The pain twists inside him, and the mane 6 don't notice, for he doesn't let any of them know, either out of fear they'll try to stop him, or that he doesn't want to worry them, sure, he'll deal with these feelings in time, on his own!

But at last, it all comes to a head: his heart is telling him it's time to go home. His loved ones need him. But his friends in Equestria no longer see him as their friend, at least, not enough to hear him out, to comfort him, to help him to let it all out, cry out his anger until he can see clearly. No, there's not enough time for that. He knows how to do it himself, his heart has weighed the lives of the entire pony universe against returning home, and his heart says it's a fair trade. They are right to try to stop him. What he plans to do would kill them all, every single friend he made there, snuffed out in an instant. But to him, he's living in misery, and while some commit suicide to end the misery when they think there's no way out, he's grasping for the only way he feels he can ever be happy again: home.

He's not just another villain. He's a very relatable one. His motivations are extremely human, we can understand his pain, but we can also understand that he's not the hero. He may have been once, maybe even been the Mane Six's Number Seven, But every second he stays in Equestria, the pain continues, nay, it grows, gnawing at him, and to make it go away, all he has to do is wipe out one measly universe. It's not his home, this isn't his world. It's destruction is their problem, not his. This whole time, he's had to choose between Earth and Equestria, and the whole time, he thought Equestria was the right answer. But after breaking from the pain, he now knows the real answer is Earth. That's where the majority of his memories were. Where he had a life, people he loved, who loved him in return. It's where he was born, it was going to be where he grew old and died before he got thrown into Equestria. It's where he belongs.

Twilight may be in pain, over having to stop this human who had become one of her best friends, but it's possible she's not the only one, perhaps, he hurts as well, for Equestria took care of him while he was trying to find the way back, and even after blinking it away to return, he'll always remember. Maybe, one day, he could convince himself that it was all some wondrous dream, but in spite of how much it will hurt to erase all of his friends in Equestria, the pain of missing Earth tears at him much more, and he can't go on another day like this.

Two dear friends, forced on opposite sides. Each about to do what they feel they must. It's tragic, and I love it.

6763841
I wish I had good writing skills to do a story like that justice. It's a neat concept

6762943
The destruction of an entire nation/world just return home. I consider myself a rather selfish person, but this guy is a monster plain and simple.

Doesn't matter if your human, Pony or visceroid, if you condemn countless innocent people just to return home, you are a monster.

Now to be fair, if I was on a real cruddy world like a tyrranid/zerg world or Disney world, then it might be understandable.

6763964

Maybe this way could work: have the human not just want to go home badly, but also have to that, if he DOESN'T, his/her world, or at the very least his family would die, forcing them to choose between either Equestria being destroyed, or his "first family" dying. Because of the usual feeling is that you'll do anything for your family, this would make making Equestria to die or otherwise be destroyed be relatable to anyone that cares about their family at all. But it might not work as good if it's only to go home.

If it was me, and especially if I can be happy in Equestria, I would never let Equestria and my friends there die, just so I can return home, since I would knew that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did. It just wouldn't be worth living the rest of my life in my own world feeling like I'm a killer. I just couldn't do it. But, if I was in a spot where I had to choose who lives, Equestria or my family, or for that matter, my home world...that makes my choice WAY harder to do, even if I know I'll be a killer to go home, since I would really be one no matter what choice I made.

And even better, when the Mane 6, and especially Twilight sees him/her in front of them to stop them, they see themselves, because if they were in their shoes, they really might be doing the same thing. That person don't only want to go home, and they're not really turning on his/her friends, but their family's lives must come first, and will do whatever it takes for them, just like the Mane 6 themselves were about to do.

Though, if I was to go the route that he/she only did it to go home, I'd write it in a way to make it seem like no one in Equestria truly cares about them, or have things happen to truly justify the urge to do it, not just because I want him/her to be like that. They can be like "You know what? These ponies and this world don't really care about me at all, so why would I have to give up my happiness for them?" I think that could be better than to just have feeling of homesickness be the reason to do it.

But, that's just me, though.

6763964
Yes, no one will deny that he's a villain, but he was once their best friend. He even agreed to stay at first, after discovering that going home would blink Equestria out of existence. But he still missed his home, his family, everyone he loved back home, and after traveling the world to find the way home, he had to just not do it to avoid destroying his friends.

To ease his pain, his new friends did everything they could to make him comfortable in Equestria, maybe even happy enough to get over the pain, but for all the friendship and liking each other, blood and love have always been much stronger. Earth raised him. It's where he was born, where most of his memories lie. The pain grew and grew. He didn't tell anypony about it because either he was already agreeing with the pain and was afraid they'd try to stop him, or he was trying to fight the pain and didn't want to worry his friends.

Either way, the pain pushes him to his breaking point. It consumes him. Not your typical evil, born from rage, jealously, malice, or just plain malevolence, but an evil born from the pain of never seeing those he loves again. But there is one way to see them again. It would spell disaster for the friends and the world that took him in, but his torment is so great, no cost is too high anymore.

This is what is beautiful about this: the tragedy of the scene. Jonathan can't go on living without the world and people he knows and loves, but the Mane 6 can't allow him to succeed, either, or they'll be blinked from existence. Both sides are in so much pain, and the tragedy is of Shakespearean levels of beauty.

The concept intrigues me, but I'd probably give it a Vonnegut-style ending where no one ends up happy.

Considering some of the questionable things Twilight has done in canon (Lesson Zero, massacring the Pinkie Clones, stealing the magic trinket in the Movie, etc.) I can see her trying to reason with her friend, but when it came down to it, she'd probably grease him if he chose returning home over the survival of Equestria.

If you were really cruel, they could later find out that the destroy Equestria part was to keep ponies from using the spell to leave Equestria (either ponies leaving would destroy Equestria or the threat is a lie, nothing would be destroyed.)

6764114
That second one is downright mean. All this conflict and drama, his pain driving him to the point where he feels getting home is worth sacrificing everypony he's come to know in the pony realm, and Twilight and her friends preparing to stop this human they'd once called friend, all this pain on both sides, all for nothing, as it turns out he could've gone home as soon as they found the way back, and nothing would die? Man, that's cold.

6764114
That would be an interesting set-up for the second human to arrive in Equestria, who learns that his predecessor was killed while attempting to leave.

6763964
You're assuming that the human values pony lives as much as his human relationships (and possibly lives as well). If the human never became fully adjusted to ponies and Equestria, he could get to the point where the ponies just don't matter as much to him as his human family. It becomes a "one or the other" choice, and picking one doesn't make you inherently evil.

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You all seemed interested in the idea I posted, so I'd like to know if you, or anyone else in this thread, would like to keep in touch for when I get around to writing it.

I am an admin in another group for writers finding other writers to assist them in all the big things that a lot of the other "assistance" groups think are taboo to ask for help with (such as asking for a coauthor, someone to read your unfinished and unposted work to go over it piece by piece, world building. as well as for throwing around ideas and see if others like the idea, etc.

If interested, please reply to this post in the affirmative, and I'll get to you with an invite (I forget how to post mass-invites in a post).

EDIT: actually, maybe just send me a DM. I think leaving it as is might be breaking a rule or two.

6764368
Sure