WELCOME TO EARTH
As Stormy stepped out of the portal he gasped, inhaling a large gulp of air. It wasn’t that he was out of breath, quite the contrary; his deep breath before entering the portal had done its job. The gasp was just an automatic feature of going through the portal; he exited and had to breathe in. It definitely wasn’t due to the ‘stunning’ room he had stepped into.
The room was a light grey; everything seemed to be made out of cement. Cement was rarely used in Equestria, and never for buildings due to it looking bland. Is this what standard buildings look like? He wondered, his education had only stated that the buildings were impressive, he had yet to see any proof. The four walls were bland but the ceiling was tall by Equestrian standards at fifteen feet high. The fluorescent lighting on the ceiling was harsh on his eyes. The rest of the ceiling was a series of squares. Stormy was not impressed.
There were metal poles with some sort of blue rope against the far wall to his left and was the most colorful thing in the room outside the ‘WELCOME TO EARTH’ sign visible from the gate exit. There were grey booths against the wall opposite to the portal, a total of six. Each booth came up to his eye level, what would be the waist on most humans and had little white banners with a number on either half and said the words ‘US Customs and Border Protection’ across a sign on the ceiling. The only booth that occupied was number 7 by a female with a long poofy mane down to its shoulders accompanied by black and white clothing.
Hair, not mane. Stormy corrected himself. So many new words to memorize. The pony lamented, afraid of making a gaffe like that in public.
The human itself looked strange, but he could only see the top half of it. The nose and eyes were both incredibly small but that had been expected based upon what he’d read. There was no way to know how it compared to other humans except that this one was looking at him. He could barely see that its eyes were a somber blue next to its creamy face, all things you could tell about a pony easily from this distance.
Knowing what the female would ask, Stormy pulled his paperwork out again as he got to the booth. Stormy had to put his front hooves on the counter just to see over the lip. Yep, he thought, everything is definitely smaller. The eyes only took up small slivers of their face unlike the half on a standard pony and their shape was more of a slender oval that came to a point than his more oblong eyes. The ears were lower down and smaller, not even coming to a point and appeared stationary. The nose didn’t connect to the mouth in a muzzle; each was separate with the nose still protruding in a straight line and the mouth farther down with pink lips. They were bipedal but this one was sitting at just the appropriate level to see him eye to eye. She also smelled, not like an animal though, she smelled like flowers. He took a deep breath, she smelled of lilacs, it was soothing and filled the entire area it was on so thick.
“Thank you, gentlecolt.” She kindly offered, taking the information and scanning it over. The passport; a weird small ice-blue booklet with the Equestrian flag, a deep-blue alicorn and a pearly white alicorn flying in a circle around an image of the sun and the moon. She then ran it over some flat looking ‘device’ and a screen he didn’t notice to his right lit up. The human looked between the screen and his passport several times before handing the papers back to the pegasus.
“Enjoy your stay in the US.” She smiled. “If you will follow this path, they just need to run one or two tests.”
Stormy followed instructions and went past the booth which turned into another hallway. But he was rather disappointed in this new land so far, especially after seeing the Statue Garden before coming here. What happened to their myriad ways of living? Their astonishing machines? He had only seen one human and a standard computer screen which was older than even the models in Equestria.
A white door frame without a door stood at the end of the hallway, a human in black with a small golden badge stood on the other side. As the pegasus got closer he noticed a small conveyer belt that led through a box next to the door frame. Stormy had no clue what he was looking at but continued forward.
The guard raised a hand, it was what Stormy had learned was a general sign of ‘stop’ to humans. “Please place your bag on the conveyer and step on through he ordered.”
This was odd, but neither one seemed threatening. So Stormy removed the saddle bag off his flank and placed it gently on the conveyer belt. The bag slowly moved away from its owner.
“What’s all this for?” Stormy Skies asked, slightly confused as he stepped through the doorless door frame. A small beep issued from the frame and his bag appeared out the other end of the box.
“Just checking for illegal items or magical constructs.” The human offered as he lowered a hand out to the pony. “Can I see your hoof for a moment? We have one last test and you are free to go.”
Stormy agreed easily, the ‘tests’ weren’t anything like he was used to and a lot gentler than his initial screening weeks ago at Canterlot Castle. So he lifted his hoof up to the guard who lowered a small metal tube to the pegasus’ hoof. The guard pressed a small button, it released an audible click and something pierced his skin.
“Celestia’s Sweet Grace!” He yelled as he moved back as quickly as his legs would carry him, until he ran into the door frame. Small drops of blood were left wherever his hoof touched the ground. His eyes were wide. “What the buck was that?!” Was this some sort of attack? Where could he run? The only place for him to go was back through the portal to Equestria. He looked left to right but the guard didn’t move forward. In fact he took several steps back.
“Sorry.” The human apologized. “Simple blood test. The metal detector looked for any geass or other thaumaturgy while this checks to make sure you aren’t a changeling or carrying major diseases. The results only take a few seconds. You should have been informed beforehand.” The human did look apologetic.
A small chime issued from the tube. The human turned it around so Stormy could see the little green light on it. Wait, green? Like a changeling’s magic? The pegasus started to freak out again.
“Okay. Everything checks out. You are free to go. Enjoy your stay.” The human seemed remorseful, although it was hard to tell even if they telegraphed their emotions due to their smaller features.
Stormy grabbed his saddlebag off the conveyer, ignoring the rather large human sitting behind the machine that he had never spotted as he trotted for the solid wood doors that led to the outside. Ignoring the human he had dealt with as it asked if he needed a cab. All stormy wanted was to get out of that building before they decided on another test to run.
The natural light blinded the pegasus for a few moments as he stepped out into the early morning sun. Which is why he didn’t stop until his eyes cleared. What he saw caused his rear end to drop as he stared in wonder at what was before him. How do I even describe this? He questioned. It’s wonderful!
The mass of greenery around was shocking after the solid grey of the earlier building. It wasn’t the vibrant green from Equestria, but it stretched farther than he expected from a human city. The obelisk that stood in the middle of a stone circle was even more impressive. The structure reached at least 500 feet into the air, almost straight up. The design should have been simple and boring in how plain it was. But he could only stare in awe, that simplicity was an aspect of the design itself.
As he walked closer, small concentric walkways spread about the area, leading to what Stormy assumed were roads. The thing looked to be made out of a white marble; the circle it stood on was surrounded by the red, white, and blue of the American flag. The four sides stretched up and up, becoming narrower as they did, ending in a sort of abrupt pyramid at the top. There were a few people milling about, but neither group paid any attention to the other.
Music played, loud and raucous. Stormy looked around to see a human put a small lump of plastic up to their ear and start talking. For a moment the pegasus thought it had been a bell…
He ran over to the nearest human, a male by the looks of it and quickly asked his question. “What time is it?”
“Uh,” The human started and looked down at the mustard yellow pony then at a watch strapped to his wrist. “10:18” He said, unfazed by the talking pony, this was where the portal was after all, the natives had gotten used to it pretty quickly. The human walked off having answered the question and with the pegasus taking to the air.
Stormy went straight up about 40 feet, trying to figure out where the nearest road was, he had an airport to get to in a hurry. But which road to I take? Where do I even find transportation? He questioned.
There were two roads nearby, one looked busier than the other so he went off in that direction. Stormy landed first, flight rules tended to be pretty harsh on Earth with steep fines for any pony caught over 25 feet in the air, and some places banned it entirely as a safety hazard. Besides, Stormy knew he could never fly those 40 miles, especially in a hurry or less than the 30 minutes he felt he had to get there in. The distance would be like traveling from Ponyville to Canterlot Castle; you just didn’t do it.
He galloped to the street, avoiding the occasional human. After approximately a minute he found the street, and there were cars streaming past. It was hard to study humans and not come across their primary means of conveyance. But why any society would want to rely on such things was currently beyond the still young pegasus. Why would any society make it an obstacle to get where you need to go?
Occasionally he would spot a yellow car with the word ‘TAXI’ on the top, but they wouldn’t stop for him. Unless he wanted to fly out in front of one and hope it stopped, he had no clue how to flag a taxi down.
One of the yellow vehicles pulled to the side of the road 50 feet in front of the pegasus, a human male was headed towards it. Stormy spread his wings to increase his speed and give himself a little boost. But he failed to see the human standing off the side of the street. Stormy’s left wing hit the human’s side, sending him careening into her back as both creatures fell to the concrete sidewalk. He landed on top of the human and quickly got off as the human made her way to a sitting position.
The human was older than the others Stormy had seen with wrinkles under her eyes and around the mouth, but her eyes were bright and intelligent. Her hair was a dull red, dull by pony standards; it may have been bright by human standards. She was wearing a black suit, clothing that covered the whole body instead of just the collar like with ponies. The human’s suit was accented with red fabric that complimented her hair. Stormy expected the human to be angry but she looked at who had knocked her down and it turned into a genteel smile.
“S-s-sorry.” Stormy muttered. “I was trying to catch a taxi to the airport and…” He trailed off, realizing he had just made a gaffe, the thing he had most wanted to avoid. He quickly hurried over to the human. “I should help you up.” He offered, standing beside the human so she could use his back to gain leverage to pull herself up.
The human female smiled. “Why thank you.” She replied, and put her hands on his back to get back onto her feet. The weight wasn’t much to the pony who had four limbs to disperse the pressure on. “You said you were trying to get to the airport?” She queried.
“Yes.” Stormy replied a little more confidently, humans so far were nicer than he thought they would be. “I have to get to the airport. School orientation is tomorrow and I have to get there tonight.” He tried explaining, even though he felt like he was falling flat.
“Well, I am waiting for a ride. If you like we can drop you off at the airport.” The human extended with a wry smile. “I’ll just have my receptionist reschedule some meetings.” She said as she pulled out a small plastic device like the other human had and started touching it. “Done.” She finished just as a black vehicle pulled up.
The vehicle was a shiny black car that seemed longer than the others he had seen. It had four windows which were so dark the pegasus couldn’t see inside the vehicle. A human male quickly came around and opened up the door. Inside was fancy fabric and four chairs, two on either side and more than enough room for human legs.
The male human held the door open and looked towards the female. “Madam Sen-“ He was cut off by the female as she gave him a sideways look.
“We have a detour. This pegasus needs to get… Dulles?” She asked, turning back towards the pony.
“Yes.” He replied, Wishing he understood what was going on here.
“Yes Madam Tow.” The male human replied stoically, still holding open the door.
The female human got in and motioned for the pegasus to follow. Stormy hesitated a moment, he had been told to be careful and not just enter a random vehicle, but she had been nice and he really needed to get to the airport. So he hopped into the seat unoccupied by the door, directly across from the human. The door closed and within moments the sound of another door closing reached his ears as the car rumbled to life.
“I should introduce myself.” The female offered, trying to start a conversation. “My name is Margarette Tow. I work around the Hill, trying to keep things from falling apart.” Tow smiled, she seemed sincere but stopped there, giving Stormy a chance to introduce himself.
Where have I heard that name before.
“I’m Stormy Skies. I work at the weather factory in Canterlot.” He replied, but Tow stayed quiet and just looked at him so he went on. “At least for the next two months, then I start school at UCLA. This is my first time on Earth.” He chuckled nervously, she was very quiet.
“Nice to meet you Stormy Skies.” Tow finally responded. “We should be there shortly. Don’t worry; you’ll make your flight.” She soothed as she repositioned to look at him in a more casual posture as he sat with four hooves on the seat. “Is there something specific that you want to study?”
This is where I have to admit it to others. “No.” He said sheepishly. “I was just curious. I saw reports of what happened in Japan, and it showed there was this world beyond the clouds and a single city. It showed the potential of what the two races can do when working together.” He said, with some passion, the first thing he felt sure about since leaving his home.
“Don’t worry, everybody finds what they want with time.” Her face turned down towards the floor. “Sometimes you just can’t see it at first. But, something in you knows.” Her tone seemed dour to the pony, like this had caused her some pain in the past.
What someone wants to do with their lives wasn’t typically a problem in Equestria. A young pony would get their cutie between the ages of seven and ten, it would tell them what they were skilled in or what they felt passionate about and they never had to think about it again. But humans didn’t have that, but what Tow was saying seemed a lot like what his father would tell a young Stormy when he went off to find his own destiny. ‘It will find you with time.’ Were the two races the same in how they thought? Was the pony version really better? Stormy had just given up his job, the role his cutie mark said was for him; what if it wasn’t really for him?
“You know.” Margarette Tow spoke again. “I heard the roles for ponies have increased on Earth just as the need for humans has increased in Equestria. That emergency services and even the President have started using the unique capabilities of Equestrians.”
This was news to Stormy; he hadn’t heard anything about ponies, Equestria or many humans entering. As far as he knew, few even wanted to leave to attain new knowledge. But to leave just for a job when you already have one? It seemed crazy to him. “What kind of jobs?” He asked, never able to keep hide his own curiosity or hopes.
“Well,” Tow put a finger up to her lips in thought. “Pegasi are brought in to scout or find people trapped by disasters or to try and curb the most severe weather. Unicorns have been used to move debris and help rescue people from buildings. Earth ponies have been used on construction crews and to introduce new means of farming. Humans have been creating a technological infrastructure and new methods of thought.”
“But, I haven’t heard of any?” Stormy tried to clarify, not wanting to argue.
“They are very few so far.” Tow elaborated. “The two races still don’t always trust each other. The beginning was rough on both sides, and neither truly likes something new. But with time and patience you will.” A coy smile covered her face and a glint appeared in her eye. “Who knows, maybe one day you will be an advisor to the president if you study hard enough.”
Stormy sat back a little, that was something he hadn’t really given any thought to. What was he going to do? Could he actually get a position like that? A position where he could affect both worlds, or maybe create things using aspects from each race like combining magic with technology.
A genuine smile graced Tow’s features. “I’m sure you will figure something out.” She took a look outside the windows, at the houses they passed that looked so similar to each other. “Since I know you have so many questions, do you have any for me before we drop you off at the airport?”
Stormy had to stop and think, he screwed his eyes shut in thought. This was a unique opportunity; she was offering a chance to ask whatever he wanted to and seemed very knowledgeable. But he couldn’t think of anything, and he didn’t want to waste it without knowing why her name rang a bell.
Stormy gave a sheepish grin. “Can I get some recommendations on living here?”
Tow laughed. “Of course. I am always impressed by Celestia’s ponies, we get to see the best, the ones willing to try or help. But you won’t get that luxury, you will see humanity for what it is, both the good and the bad, you will have to decide for yourself what you think of us. It may not be pretty, it may even hurt like you wouldn’t believe. But stay strong, you have support and will have those that look to you for support. You will also be looked at by humans for what Equestria truly is and what they stand for. People who have yet to make up their mind may decide based off your actions and those that hate ponies will look to you for any excuse they can to buttress their own beliefs.” Her eyes seemed heavy after that speech, like they weight of too many problems stemmed from that issue.
The frown dissipated into a warmer smile. “No pressure. Just keep sight of who you are and what you hold precious.”
“Thank you.” Was the only thing the pegasus could think of as a reply. Never noticing that the care had stopped and surprised by the degree at which his life had changed already. For two years he worked at the weather factory, ever since he turned fifteen. And never had his day been filled with this much thought, excitement, or awe and his day wasn’t even halfway over.
“Is there anything else you want to know?” Tow asked, concerned for a creature she wasn’t even connected to and barely even knew.
Stormy just shook his head, still thinking about what she had said before.
“Then, unfortunately, I must take my leave.” Tow informed her passenger. “I would love to continue this chat, but some appointments can’t be put off.”
The door opened and Stormy saw the hulking male that he had seen earlier. But beyond the human he saw something else, a giant structure of glass and concrete. Giant supports rose into the air, supporting a large curved roof. The supports weren’t the columns he was used to seeing, these were more of a slanted rectangle that got smaller as they rose at least thirty feet into the air. The ceiling was only curved to the back of the building, completely flat if looked at from the front. All the walls were made of glass, letting the light of day stream in. This was Dulled International Airport. This was the kind of architectural marvel he expected to see.
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So... I gather pony magic works on Earth? I also assume that from the Senator's chat, our pony will find out quick what racism/xenophobia is like? Kinda hoping he'll also find more people that will be accepting. It wouldn't surprise me if the college girls found him adorable, getting touchy-feelly, like they would around a cute puppy. (heh, awkwardness ahoy!)
More please?
One typo at the end: "Dulled International Airport" instead of "Dulles International Airport".
Anyways, this could be an entire universe if you built it up.
Humans and Equestrinians allied to make the world a better place.
2829113
That is why edits should not be done at 2am. But it will be a whole universe, if he ever freakin' makes it to school. (these several chapters of the 'journey' were originally one. When finished it will cover all four years and maybe beyond.
2827855
NAH. Isn't three enough?
2826990
not sure he would like the attention. I would be more worried about the little kids running around the airport.
As for xenophobia, what has he seen so far?
As for college girls
2830619 Three is a milestone for Valve. For a fanfic like this, it's not a good ending point.
2830619
The only xenophobia in the show was Zecora coming to Ponyville. In a big city, I suppose it's almost a daily scene to see zebras and pretty much every other species. Now for racism (in a broad sense), that would be far more common in a big city. If not by type (Unicorn versus Earth pony) then by social and financial status.
Yeah, little kids might be the bane of ponies. To think their wishes have finally come true and wanting a ride or to just cuddle, pet, and/or dress up the helpless visitor. I mean, let's face it. Equestrian ponies do look like walking toys. Their impossible colors, possible wing/horn appendages, and body proportions do little to alleviate the "omg, it's so cute" reaction in most every human. Rarity might pull off a more sexy/adult aspect to it but Fluttershy would have people keeling over from Dawww'abities with an *eep* at twenty paces. The poor girl would be hounded here on Earth as she was during that Photo Finish fiasco.
I just thought of something else not seen yet. Human diet. I'm fairly certain that's been part of the Earth orientation packet all ponies get, right? Not to spaz out because that beef burger was an Earth cow and not someone you might know back in Equestria? What other differences are their that could sneak up and bite the pony on the flank? Are there certain spices or additives humans pay no mind to but might cause a reaction in ponies? While it probably won't mean ponies go into grand mal seizures after consuming sodium hexametaphosphate (protects the flavor), that and all the high-fructose corn syrup and caffeine in a bottle of Mt.Dew might pack a far more powerful punch than they were expecting from the innocuous fizzy drink not available in all of Equestria. (Unless ponies somehow figured out how to carbonate punch I wonder if soda could be considered a rare/expensive delicacy in Canterlot? Ha! Well, rare until they get their hooves on a Sodastream unit and start crafting a ponified version of it for the masses)
Mmm! So much world building (comparing the differences) to be had! Ooooh, I can't wait to see what happens next.
2831978
expectations. 
But he won't be completely naive.
Nah, thought of that. And there won't be any hamburger thing, spam maybe because who would brief a pony on something humans don't eat.
Hope there's no Starbuck's in the airport and he gets thirsty.
If you have any other ideas please tell me. The comments on this one help to motivate me and might catch something I miss. I can't convey how much this is appreciated.
2858588
Why do you say that?
2973276
that is an occupational hazard. Yeah... Japanese things slip in from time to time. 
Please elaborate. "higher priority?"
As for the language thing between English (Latin and German) and Equestrian, who says they aren't related? As for Japanese, maybe they have translation spells or translators... Oh, the name.
Glad you like it. That is an interesting review though. Happy to have it.
Funny thing is that this story made it in the 'humans aren't bastards' group before it involved a single human.
2973550
update?
3102496
These are supposed to update?
Sorry, too much going on, been mostly MIA or AFK depending on your preferences. Also a little burnt out on writing. My prereaders and editors have been on holiday, as have I. Its summer lol
Have three more just about done with their rough drafts. Didn't realize it had been almost two months.
2973276
One other thing: ponies lie just like humans do. What was one of the first countries they interacted with? Who was sent over? Can ponies change their names? Actions and words are how you judge, but 'all the worlds a stage'
Should have asked that before, but tend to leave that up to the reader.
Wait wait wait wait. Did I just see them check for Geass?
MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED! THANK YOU SANTA CHRIST!!!
... In horses (actually the vast majority of quadrupeds iirc) height is measured to the withers, or the highest point of the back/front shoulders.
Either Stormy is particularly small and hasn't seen many Equestrian interiors, or this story is going to be hella disappointing.
Average pony height is ~4' (Hearth's Warming Eve), and the average ceiling height is ~15-16' (Celestia is ~2x the size of an average pony, and in A Bird In The Hoof there's about enough room for another her between her back and the ceiling of Sugarcube Corner.)
Next you're going to have ponies be totally confused about potato chips (Applebuck Season) paper cups (Swarm of the Century) movie theaters (first Babs Seed episode) video games (Hearts and Hooves Day) orbital physics (frequently found on chalkboards) nuclear theory (Trade Ya!) hydroelectric power (Mysterious Mare Do Well) internal combustion engines (Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, Apple Family Reunion, Rarity Takes Manehatten), or the dangers of nuclear radiation (Cutie Pox).
Nice cross over xD
When i first started to read this i almost stopped but now that i am further in i cant wait to finish this story
Human Architecturrrre
Quotation mark in the wrong place. The grammar needs a LOT of work, but so far the character seems completely believable. The premise is not the first of its kind, but it is a very good one. So far, I like it a lot.