The Last Descendant

by Cup of Coffee

Chapter 29 - The Element Bearers (Edited by JBL 11.25.2017)

The steam whistle on the train’s engine released a deafening shrill as it slowly pulled out of Ponyville’s station. Passengers leaned out of the windows, bidding farewell to friends and family. Among them was Applejack, who waved goodbye to Big McIntosh, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom. The energetic youngster ran along the platform, eagerly trying to keep up with the train.

“Bye, Applejack! Come home soon!” the filly yelled at the top of her lungs.

“Ah will, ‘Bloom! You be good now!” Applejack shouted over the cacophony of the chugging train.

“No promises!” Apple Bloom called back, a devious grin on her face.

Applejack laughed and leaned back in her seat. “I think mah sister’s up to no good. Rarity, did Sweetie Belle act weird this morning?”

“Yes.” Rarity adjusted her wide-brimmed sunhat specially made for the trip to Canterlot. “She actually managed to make toast without making a huge mess. Granted, she did make a mess, but only a small one. I suppose that counts as weird.”

Applejack chuckled. She had heard of Sweetie Belle’s talent for cooking, and figured that the filly had finally learned a few things around the kitchen. Still, she wondered if Ponyville would be in one piece when they returned.

“Rainbow, did Scootaloo tell you about their plans?” she asked the pegasus across the corridor. The only response she got was a loud snore. Rainbow Dash was fast asleep and drooling on the seat.

“Rainbow has been so busy lately. With all the nice weather we’ve had, she and the rest of the weather team had to pull in extra rainclouds from Cloudsdale so that the farms around Ponyville wouldn’t dry up,” Fluttershy explained from her seat next to the snoring pegasus. She gently lifted up Rainbow’s head and tucked a pillow underneath, ensuring that her childhood friend was comfortable.

“Well, maybe Ah’m just being a too cautious.”

That was when Pinkie, having been sitting next to Applejack, fell off her seat onto the floor and landed on her back. Her right ear began flapping back and forth rapidly while one of her forelegs began shaking. She began laughing loudly before ending the entire display with a ten second raspberry.

“Blblblblprrrrttrrtttrrrrttrrrrrrrrrrrrtttpthpth!”

“Pinkie! That is not proper behaviour among strangers!” Rarity chastised, her eyes darting to the passengers who had taken in Pinkie’s impromptu performance with confusion, though the fillies and colts in the cab were giggling.

“It’s my Pinkie Sense. I’ve been having combos ever since Twilight came to see me last night.” Pinkie got up and brushed away some dust before sighing, looking befuddled as she clambered onto her seat. “I’ve never had one like that. First I thought something had happened with Mr and Mrs Cake, but they were just fine. Then I decided to see if Pound and Pumpkin were okay, but they were sleeping. Then I thought that maybe Gummy was hurt, but he explained to me in vivid detail how happy he was. He even wrote me a song about it.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, then leaned out the window to see what was ahead. Nothing was on the tracks, and the train engine looked and sounded fine.

“So, you don’t know what this combo means?” Fluttershy asked, feeling a bit intrigued, but not so much that she seemed adventurous.

“No, but I know it’s a doozy. Not a doozy like a ‘Twilight-believes’ doozy, but a bigger doozy! A doozy king, maybe even an alicorn with a doozy for a cutie mark!” She gasped dramatically. “That means I get to throw a party for him!” Pinkie’s confusion vanished and she grinned widely. “An alicorn party with cakes and streamers and confetti and music and games and punch and—Is it a he or a she?”

Twilight felt the first prickle of trepidation as she listened to Pinkie ramble on. Even though Pinkie couldn’t interpret it, somehow her Pinkie Sense knew about Magnus. As astonishing and strange as the Pinkie Sense was, it had never been wrong before.

While her friends discussed the Pinkie Sense, Twilight looked out the window. Even as the landscape rapidly passed by, Canterlot stood like a beacon in the distance. The single mountain peak towered in the middle of a vast plain, the city like a tower in a sea of green. Every minute drew her closer to meeting Magnus again, and introducing her friends to him for the first time.

Twilight knew Magnus was at least somewhat comfortable around ponies by now. He had guards following him everywhere, he shared meals with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna almost every day, and he was fluent in Equish. Unfortunately, he had scant knowledge of Equestria itself, ponies in general, and social norms. He had a lot of learning ahead of him, and Twilight and her friends would be there to facilitate such knowledge. She had no doubt whatsoever that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would be involved as well.

Still, she couldn’t shake the thought that an unforeseen event could impact that learning process, even up to the point where it damaged his integration into Equestria. Spike, having noticed Twilight gazing out the window and not participating in their friends’ discussion, deduced that something was weighing on her mind. Knowing it had probably involved with their upcoming meeting, he decided to take action.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?” he whispered so that the others couldn’t hear him.

Turning away from the window, Twilight turned to Spike and sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m being silly and overthinking things, but… What if we give the wrong impression to Magnus?” she whispered back.

“Wrong how exactly?” Spike asked.

“I don’t know, just… something.” Twilight looked up at her friends. “What if Pinkie breaks some kind of social taboo that humans have? She might cause an incident. What if humans hate apples? Applejack won’t take that lying down. What if he hates clothes? Rarity will be so insulted that she might never talk to him again! What if he hates animals? Fluttershy will think he’s a monster! And what about Rainbow Dash? She’ll talk about flying and how she’s the fastest pony in Equestria! What if speed is the greatest insult to exist to humans? And—” Twilight’s brain screeched to a halt, her increasing panic assuming control. “What if he hates alicorns! And magic!” She turned to Spike, a wild glint in her eyes. “And dragons!”

The conversation around her instantly halted, her friend’s attention switched firmly onto her. Even Rainbow Dash jerked awake with a yelp.

“Darling, who’s afraid of dragons?” Rarity asked, her gossip sense tingling.

“And who the hay’s afraid of alicorns?” Rainbow demanded, yawning expansively.

Twilight began sweating as the realization dawned on her that she had almost uttered Magnus’ name. She grounded her teeth, angry at herself for being so careless, but that soon grew to desperation as she futilely tried to think of a way to answer her friends’ queries, even as the silence stretched on.

She cast a pleading look to Spike, who quickly discerned what she wanted. “Ahuizotl!”

Rainbow raised a brow at Spike. “What?”

“Ahuizotl, Daring Do’s arch nemesis.”

Rainbow shook her head and sat up, staring down at Spike. “Spike, I know who Ahuizotl is. I’ve read every single Daring Do book four times. I’ve pre-ordered the four next books in the series. I can tell you that Ahuizotl is not afraid of dragons. In fact, he managed to get a dragon working for him in Daring Do and the Diamond Dog King’s Collar. He’s not afraid of magic either; he’s used magical talismans and amulets a few times. I don’t know about alicorns since none have made an appearance in any of the books, and I personally doubt we'll ever see an alicorn in the books. I think Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and our very own egghead over here have the word ‘alicorn’ copyrighted,” Rainbow stated matter-of-factly.

There was a moment of silence before Spike turned back to Twilight and innocently asked, “Is Rainbow right?”

He finished his sentence by giving Twilight a wink. She looked at him, befuddled for a moment, before picking up on his hint.

“O-Oh, of course,” she stuttered, grinning at Spike. “I wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but I believe Rainbow is correct. Ahuizotl managed to convince a dragon to work for him by promising him the diamond dog king's treasury. I forgot about the time when we actually met Daring Do and helped her foil Ahuizotl’s plot of using the Rings of Scorchero to create a heat wave that would last eight hundred years.” She gently tapped her chin, adjusting to her impromptu role. “I’m not sure about the alicorns, though. I’ll ask Princess Celestia when we get to Canterlot.”

“See?” Rainbow proclaimed loudly. “Twilight isn’t the only one here who knows a lot about Daring Do. And me knowing this isn’t because I’m an egghead; it’s because I’m Daring Do’s biggest fan. As for you, Spike, I think Power Ponies might be more your style.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Spike muttered, feigned defeat in his voice.

Realizing the conversation concerned a trivial matter, they began to discuss what they wanted to do in Canterlot after their meeting with the princesses.

Fluttershy wanted to see the animals in the castle garden again. Although she had a rocky start last time, she wanted to apologize to the animals and try again. Rainbow Dash decided on hunting down new goggles, and maybe grab some Wonderbolt paraphernalia. Rarity wanted to go fabric hunting when time allowed, and of course spy on what her competitors had in store for the autumn season. Applejack hadn’t really planned anything, but wanted to mill around a few stores to see if something caught her eye. The first thing on Pinkie’s literal list was to find party supplies since she was running low on streamers. Again. And confetti. Always low on confetti.

Twilight remained silent for a moment. When she was sure it was safe to talk again, she nudged Spike. “Thanks, Spike. You really saved my tail,” she whispered.

“Eh, don’t mention it—one of my duties as assistant.” Spike struck his chest with a claw. “As for Magnus… you're thinking of the worst case scenarios. He’s already spending time with the princesses, so that means he’s not afraid of them. We know he thinks magic is awesome, and he’s already met me and wasn’t that afraid. I know I’m just a baby dragon and—I’m getting off track here. Just… let things happen. Magnus has gotta learn, right? It’s not like we can interrogate him.”

“Yeah… you’re right.” Twilight nodded slowly. “We have to let Magnus get acquainted with the girls, and we’ll work on things from there.”

Twilight returned to staring out the window. Canterlot was fast approaching, and with it, the meeting.

***

It was currently noon. Luna had decided on a short nap so that she could greet Twilight and her friends when they arrived. Being in charge of the night meant a different sleep schedule than the rest of us, a schedule she had disturbed today. She had stayed awake for quite a few days since I had arrived in Equestria as well.

I had milled about the garden for a while, then spent some time in my room until Celestia came to see me. Twilight and her friends were about to arrive.

“Can you see it?”

I looked towards the direction Celestia pointed her hoof, then turned the telescope so that it pointed in the same direction.

I had expressed some concerns to Celestia regarding Twilight’s friends, feeling anxious about meeting ponies who had been unaware of my presence. Though she reassured me that they wouldn’t react violently, since it wasn’t in their nature, I still managed to convince her to take me to the tower so that I could get a first glimpse at them.

I adjusted the telescope until I could view the train itself, mildly surprised that Equestria already had steam engines. Despite possessing modern medical devices, the guards still wore metal armour and used spears, and their trains ran on steam power. It was just another reminder of the strange way technology evolved on this planet.

It resembled an old-fashioned locomotive, with six cars, a caboose, and the engine itself. True to pony style, every part of the train was painted in pastel colours. A crowd had gathered at the platform. Most of the ponies waited for the train to empty so that they could board. Suddenly, several ponies backed away and bowed. I adjusted the telescope and spotted Twilight Sparkle and Spike.

“I see her.” I chuckled briefly. “Twilight isn’t used to ponies bowing, is she?” Twilight seemed uncomfortable as she smiled and waved awkwardly, her moving lips indicating that she was talking to someone.

“She is young and hasn’t been a princess for long.” I glanced at Celestia and found her smiling, her eyes focusing on the direction of the train station. I wondered if her eyesight was so keen that she could see Twilight without the telescope. The distance from us to the train station was easily a kilometre and a half. “In time, she will get used to it, just as Cadence did, and just as Luna and I did. Bowing is simple protocol, a remnant from the era before the unification that carried onto Equestria. The Council of Nobles, the old rulers of Equestria, was treated as royalty, and bowing was demanded in those days.” Celestia sighed and looked wistfully towards Twilight’s direction. “Some days, I wish they could stop bowing, for at least one day.”

At that moment, I realized that being the ruler of Equestria might not be everything it was hyped up to be. It seemed as if it separated Celestia and Luna from their subjects. The burden they bore might be beneficial to Equestria, but I couldn’t help but wonder how much it benefitted Celestia and Luna.

‘For your sake, I hope they could stop for a week,’ I thought as I returned to the telescope.

Twilight and Spike had moved away from the train station, and it took me a while to find them in the streets of Canterlot. It wasn’t hard—I just had to find the ponies that waved, bowed, and stared. Twilight had stopped in the middle of the street and was talking to a filly and a colt, and whatever she was telling the two youngsters certainly had an effect on them. They seemed captivated by Twilight, and it looked to me as if she was enjoying herself.

“I think foals are made to look cute,” I told Celestia.

Celestia laughed in response. “Foals are delightful. They are young and innocent, and their only worries are whether or not their parents have dessert planned, and perhaps homework.” She paused for a second. “What about human foals? What are they like?”

“Well, for the first six months of their lives, they look like huge pink raisins that cry and poop. You guys look like kittens in comparison.”

“That… is an interesting image.”

I spotted Spike keeping close to Twilight’s hooves, and this time, I made out the five mares who were accompanying her to the castle. With a pink mane and coat, a poofy mane and tail, and a wide grin that didn’t exactly make her blend into the crowd, Pinkie was the easiest to identify. She was jumping in place, all the while looking around the scenery. Her head suddenly swivelled, and I swore she stared right at me and even winked.

I sighed and muttered, “Pinkie Pie.”

“What did she do?”

“She winked at me.”

“Just remember not to question her actions. Try and you will fail. Accept that some of her actions cannot be explained,” Celestia warned.

“Right…”

I gazed at the other ponies and found them looking nothing like the heroes I had expected. There was an orange earth pony with blonde hair and tail, a cowboy’s hat settled on her head. I could even make out her apple-themed cutie mark. Floating next to her was a light-blue pegasus whose rainbow mane and tail resembled the end result of a crash into a paint factory. Her cutie mark was a multi-coloured lightning bolt shooting out of a cloud.

There was an alabaster unicorn with meticulously curled purple hair and tail, the former covered by a large sunhat. Whoever she was, she didn’t travel with just a few essentials, judging by the sag on the baggage cart. Her cutie mark consisted of three light-blue diamonds. Next to her stood a butter-yellow pegasus with a lengthy pink mane and tail, the latter of which dragged on the ground. Her cutie mark seemed to consist of butterflies. For some reason, she seemed antsier than the rest, her eyes constantly darting around.

These were the heroes of Equestria? Six girls that seemed to barely have reached adulthood, yet somehow they’d defeated eldritch creatures, overpowered unicorns, bug ponies that fed on love, and one raging centaur? I had expected grizzled war heroes with scars and medals.

I stood up and casually rested my arms on the telescope, gazing at approaching mares. At the very least, I was no longer nervous about meeting them. Then the idea came to me. It was a simple straightforward plan, and even though it would be pointless, I just wanted to test it.

“Celestia, I have an idea I want to try out…”

***

Twilight and her friends walked through the large castle doors held open by two unicorn guards. They bowed to the group as they passed, as was tradition by the guards, both for greeting a princess, but also for the heroes of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, in Spike’s case.

“Here we are, girls, Canterlot Castle,” Twilight announced as they came to a halt in the large entrance hall.

“We’ve kinda been here before, Twi,” Rainbow deadpanned. “You even gave us a tour once. Three hours around the castle, two of which we spent in the library because you wanted to show us all the books.”

“Wasn’t it educational?” Twilight marvelled.

Rainbow chose not to reply. This was not the time or place to start debating literature. Besides, that was way before she became a Daring Do fan, and the library had every single book. First edition.

From one of the hallways, Princesses Celestia and Luna emerged, regal and elegant with welcoming smiles on their faces. The entire group bowed, except for Twilight, who simply nodded.

“Welcome,” Celestia greeted them. “We are glad you decided to accept our invitation.”

“Greetings, friends. I hope we did not tear you away from anything important. We are aware of the harvest season, Applejack, though we believe that is still at least two weeks away,” Luna added, her eyes on the farmpony.

“Thank you kindly, Your Highness. Ah reckon’ mah family can handle the farm for a few days without mah help,” Applejack replied with a bow.

Celestia eyed their luggage, especially Rarity’s. “You may leave your luggage here. I will see to it that they are taken to your rooms.”

Rarity bowed elegantly. “Thank you, Princess. Although we are only staying for a few days, I decided to pack for whatever occasion may occur.”

“I can see that,” Celestia murmured. She nodded to two staff members, who immediately sprang into action and began carrying the bags towards a hallway.

While Celestia spoke with the Element Bearers, Luna saw the opportunity to relay some important information. “Twilight, Spike, a word please.” Twilight and Spike followed her until they were out of earshot from the rest. “I trust Magnus still remains a secret to our friends?”

“He is, although I nearly blew it on the train.” Twilight smiled sheepishly.

“I managed to steer the conversation onto something else,” Spike added.

“Yes you did, and I owe you. You’ve more than earned a few crunchy gems.” Twilight wrapped her wing around Spike.

Spike’s proud smile grew wider the moment gem were mentioned. “Can I have sapphires? Maybe some lapis lazuli? What was it the buffaloes had? That was delicious!”

“How about a mixed bag of goodies?” Spike grinned in anticipation. Canterlot being the capital, and the centre of trade in Equestria, meant that the finest gems in the kingdom could be acquired.

Luna cleared her throat, realizing the conversation had somewhat derailed. “Rewards and snacks aside, I must inform you of a slight change in plans.”

“Change?” Twilight asked. She already had a list in her saddlebags with questions and information they would go through when meeting Magnus. This change was not part of it.

“Indeed. Magnus has a plan and believes his idea may give him clues about our mutual friends’ personalities. Seeing that they are five of Equestria’s greatest heroes, he wishes to test them.”

“Test them how, exactly?” Spike asked.

“You will see.” Luna smiled knowingly. “Personally, I find Magnus’ test to be quite intriguing. When we meet, simply greet him and act normal.”

With the information relayed, they returned to the others. Twilight especially was confused at hearing about the test, having no idea of its purpose. She had scant knowledge of humanity’s rituals when it came to greeting others, but remembered Magnus telling her that a handshake, or in the case of ponies, hoofshake, was quite normal. The mention of a test made her apprehensive.

“Now then, I believe you might be famished after your train ride. Perhaps we can all have lunch together.” Celestia began walking down a hallway, with the rest following her. Twilight and Spike slowed their pace until they walked abreast with Fluttershy. With the timid pegasus so shy, Twilight felt that she could use a helping hoof when they met Magnus.

Pinkie, exuberant as always, pronked up to Celestia and matched her pace by jumping sideways. “Ooh, do you have cookies? Do you have chocolate milk? I brought some cupcakes in case you wanted some specials from Sugarcube Corner.” She opened her saddlebag and produced a box with two dozen differently coloured cupcakes.

“They look delicious, Pinkie Pie. I believe these will be perfect for our meal. Thank you.” Celestia eyed the cupcakes with the intent of a predator.

The group chatted amongst themselves, turning around a corner and making their way down a long hallway. Halfway down the hall, another figure rounded the corner at the other end and came walking towards them. Twilight and Spike immediately recognized him.

Dressed in one of his tailor-made T-shirts and shorts, Magnus casually headed towards them, his gait relaxed and his arms swinging slightly at his sides. He looked straight ahead with a neutral expression on his face, seemingly not intending on slowing or stopping.

Applejack was the first to notice him, freezing mid-step at the sight of the strange creature. Then Rainbow Dash grounded to a halt as well, her wings rising ever so slightly, though Twilight didn’t know if it was due to fright or preparation for an attack. Pinkie screeched to a halt and gasped loudly. Fluttershy released a barely audible squeak and quickly hid behind Twilight, trying to make herself as small as possible. Rarity herself was engaged in conversation with Princess Luna and didn’t notice anything wrong until she turned at the approaching sound of Magnus’ heavy hooves upon the marble floor, at which point she stopped and stared.

When he was just a few steps from Celestia and Luna, he slowed and bowed politely to them. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Magnus,” Celestia returned his greeting warmly, not slowing her pace.

Luna gave Magnus a courteous nod. “Hello, Magnus.”

When he was next to Twilight’s friends, he nodded to them. “Ladies,” he casually said before moving on. They didn’t respond, bewilderment written on most of their faces. Pinkie was the only one who grinned, then released a loud squeal.

Upon seeing Twilight and Spike, he smiled as he passed them. “Hey, Twilight, Spike.”

“Hey, Magnus,” the dragon eagerly responded. It took a moment for Twilight to react.

“Uh, h-hi, Magnus. How are you?”

“Just fine, thanks for asking.” Magnus then left them, heading down the corridor before disappearing around a corner.

Twilight and Spike slowly turned, remembering Luna’s words to act normally. Their friends, however, were a different story. They had all turned to stare at Magnus as he passed them, and now that he was out of sight, they stared down the corridor, their mouths agape, waiting for him to appear again.

Celestia and Luna stood behind the girls, watching their reaction with amusement. The silence lasted for several moments until Applejack shook herself out of her stupor and turned towards the princesses. Pointing a hoof down the hallway, she asked, “The hay was that?!”

“Oh, him? That was Magnus.” Celestia turned to Luna and whispered, “What do you think? Interesting, is it not?”

Luna nodded. “Very interesting, Sister. Our friends do not fear him at all. This bodes well for his future among us.”

“Magnus? That’s that thing's name? What is it, anyway?” Applejack asked again.

“The reason we called you here. You see, we need your help.” Celestia looked down the hallway and called, “Magnus, you can come back now.”

***

The moment I turned the corner, I halted, then leaned against the wall to peek at the reactions of the ponies. I took it as a favourable sign that none of them had attempted to chase after me.

I heard Celestia call out to me, so I strode out into the hallway and walked back to the group. The five mares still stared at me, a common reaction from ponies who had never encountered me before.

“A favourable outcome, do you agree?” Luna asked, to which I nodded.

I crouched down next to the five mares. The only ones who took a step back were the white unicorn and the farmpony. The rainbow-haired pegasus’ wings slowly rose from her back, and she narrowed her eyes at me. The pink mare whose actions must not be explained sat on the floor, almost shaking for some reason while grinning from ear to ear. I had seen five mares earlier, and spotted the fifth member of the group hiding behind Twilight, occasionally peeking from behind cover at me.

“A bit shy that one, eh?” I point at her, to which she quickly ducked again.

“A little,” Twilight responded. She stepped to the side, revealing the yellow pegasus in all her startled glory, who quickly followed Twilight and hid behind her again. “This is Fluttershy, one of my friends.”

I shuffled forward enough so that I could reach out and touch her if I wanted to, but refrained from doing so. It was time to prove I was not a scary monster. “Hello, Fluttershy, my name’s Magnus.” I made sure to keep my voice low, and my tone steady and non-threatening as possible. Gradually, her head came into view. Her eyes, shrouded by her long, pink mane, studied me for several seconds before ducking behind cover again with a faint squeak.

“She’s a little bit shy, but once you get to know her, I think you’ll like her,” Twilight explained.

“Okay, enough!” someone shouted. The rainbow-maned pegasus strode confidently towards Twilight, but kept her distance from me. “What’s going on? What is this thing? Do you know him?”

“I agree with Rainbow Dash, darling. I believe I speak for everypony when I demand an explanation,” the posh-looking unicorn said from her place next to Luna. She was drinking in my figure, and I noticed her eyes lingered for a moment on my torso and legs. “And what is this talk about ‘the reason you called us here’?”

“Yeah! And what about the cupcakes? They’ll grow hard and stale if we don’t eat them soon!” the pink pony added.

Even with confusion swirling around us, Celestia kept her composure perfectly. “Why don’t we all go to the dining room? There we will explain everything.”

I nodded, chiefly because I wanted something to drink and because it had soft cushions. Celestia and Luna led the way, with me just behind them. Heading to the table, I sat down next to Celestia, with Twilight on my right, the rest of the ponies and dragon arranging themselves around the circular table. There were two large glass pitchers of water with ice on the table, along with several glasses, which I helped myself to.

“Now that we are all seated, perhaps we can start with some introductions,” Celestia began. She placed a wing on my back. “This is Magnus, a guest of Luna and myself. He is from a faraway land, farther away than any of us has ever been. He will be living in Equestria for the foreseeable future.”

A few subdued hellos and one excited “Hi!” came from the ponies. Most of them seemed apprehensive about being here, I noted.

Celestia looked to the alabaster pony next to Twilight. “The unicorn on your right is Rarity, owner and proprietor of Carousel Boutique in Ponyville. She is a talented seamstress and is also the Element of Generosity.”

I nodded politely at her. “Miss.”

I saw a few conflicting emotions play across her face before adopted a carefully neutral expression. “Charmed, I’m sure.” From her posh tone, I deduced that Rarity probably belonged to the upper class. There was something about her that lent to that notion. It was probably her fabulously styled mane.

She smiled, or at least attempted to. Her lips curved, but the gesture didn’t reach her eyes. With ponies possessing such easily read faces, fake smiles were easy to spot.

“On Rarity’s right, we have Applejack. She works at Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville, one of the largest apple orchards in Equestria. She is the Element of Honesty.”

I wasn’t sure about the farmpony’s expression. I didn’t get the sense that she was especially alarmed about me, just mystified at my existence. Nevertheless, she weakly tipped her hat to me. “Uh, howdy. As Princess Celestia said, Ah work on Sweet Apple Acres with mah family. We grow and sell mostly apples.”

What took me by surprise was Applejack’s rather thick accent. I’d never heard it since my arrival here, and I wondered if she was a foreigner. Not wanting to be rude, I nodded to her in return. “It’s a pleasure, Applejack. Is it a large farm you work on?”

“Uh, Ah’d say it’s big enough; we grow enough apples to feed Ponyville and even deliver some apples to this castle.”

“Then I’ve probably eaten apples you and your family have grown, which were delicious. Thank you.”

My praise seemed to catch her by surprise. “You’re… welcome.”

Celestia smiled. “I do not wish to sound partial, but the apples from Sweet Apple Acres are truly something.” Applejack nodded politely at the princess as she moved onto the next pony, which was the pegasus mare with the crazy dye job.

“This is Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty,” Celestia said. “She is one of Ponyville’s weatherponies and is also a Wonderbolt reservist.”

“Don’t forget fastest flier in Equestria,” Rainbow Dash added. She still hadn’t taken her eyes off me, and I didn’t like the intent behind her suspicious expression. It reminded me of the fury Celestia and Luna had directed at me during my first waking hours in Equestria. She leaned forward, eyes narrowed and wings slightly arched.

“The hay are you?” she asked impatiently, not bothering to hide the hostile tone in her voice.

“Well, I’m a human, and you already know my name,” I answered plainly, uncertain how to address her suspicions.

“Next to Rainbow we—” Celestia was abruptly cut off by the two huge blue eyes currently staring at me about an inch in front my face.

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! You have a funny name, Magnus. Magnus, Magnus, Magnus. It’s funny to say. What’s a human? Do humans eat cupcakes? Do you like parties? Do you like balloons? My Pinkie Sense has been going crazy all day, and I think you’re the reason! The combos were funny, especially when my tummy tickles, because it feels like there’s a hundred butterflies in my tummy!” She gasped theatrically. “You have a horn, just like a unicorn! Are you a unicorn? Do you have wings under your clothes too? Why are you wearing clothes anyway? I like clothes, but when it’s such a nice day like today, I can’t wear clothes because it gets too hot and I get all sweaty, and I can’t be sweaty when I work at Sugarcube Corner. Sugarcube Corner is a bakery that has the most amazing baked goods like cupcakes and muffins and chocolate cake and strawberry cake and—Oh! We also make the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness! It’s sooooo delicious!”

She maintained her barrage of words, not even pausing to breathe. She eventually concluded her speech and just stared at me with a smile that would have made the Cheshire Cat seem normal in comparison. I assumed she was waiting for me to answer her salvo. Fat chance.

“Celestia? Help…”

Celestia giggled and reached out with her wing, tapping Pinkie’s shoulder. “Maybe you should sit down, Pinkie Pie. I don’t think Magnus is used to being this close to ponies just yet.”

“Aww.” She pouted and aimed at me with huge puppy-dog eyes. Her hair even sagged a bit. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“No no, that’s… okay. You just surprised me; ponies usually keep their distance. And… they usually don't ask so many questions either.”

“You’re not mad at me?” I shook my head, and that was all she needed to break out into a huge grin once more, and her hair became as poofy as before. Almost faster than I could blink, Pinkie grabbed me in a tight hug, her hair in my face. It smelled like sugar and cakes, and for a split second, I swore I spotted a balloon in her mane.

“Ach! Help! Drowning in cotton candy hair here!”

With the others staring, Spike and the three princesses laughed at my predicament. I wasn’t worried since I knew that Pinkie could have easily crushed my ribs if she wanted to, being an earth pony, yet she wasn’t. I’d been in strange situations before, but being hugged by a pink pony was a first.

Also, Pinkie didn’t want to let go of me either.

“Um, Pinkie Pie, was it?”

“Mhm,” she mumbled back.

“Can you please let go of me?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I can tell that you’ve been very sad lately, so I’m gonna hug you until you feel better.”

I sighed. “Is this normal?” Every pony and one dragon nodded in unison. “Great…” Celestia had warned me about Pinkie Pie, so there wasn’t much I could do other than accept that I had a miniature pink horse glued to me. Still didn’t mean I liked it, though.

I spotted Celestia from the corner of my eye turning towards an empty chair. “Wasn’t Fluttershy here?” Celestia asked.

Luna, being closest to the abandoned seat, looked down and asked, “Fluttershy, will you not say hello to Magnus?”

A faint squeak came from under the table. I managed to move Pinkie over on my back, but she refused to let go. “It’s okay, accept the hug,” she whispered.

‘This is Equestria, and madness is acceptable here.’

With Pinkie on my back and her forelegs wrapped around my chest, I was able to lean down far enough that I could look underneath the table. The last pony, Fluttershy, was curled up on her cushion, looking like she was trying to hide in her mane and tail. While it probably was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen, it was also abundantly clear that she was afraid of me.

“I’m not that scary, am I?” I carefully asked. Some of the pink hair fell to the side, revealing one of her eyes. “I know I look strange, but I promise you I’m not dangerous. Won’t you come out?”

Luna’s head appeared next to Fluttershy. “You have nothing to fear from him, fair Fluttershy. Magnus is a guest of my sister and myself and have been so for nearly a month. You truly have nothing to fear.”

Raising her head, more of her mane fell to the side, revealing the inquisitive expression in her eyes. “Y-You don’t look dangerous…” she whispered.

“If he tries anything, just remember that I’m here!” Rainbow Dash declared, her head appearing next to Fluttershy. The wary pegasus turned to her, then to Luna, and finally to me. She struggled for a moment, then made up her mind, sitting back onto her cushion with a burst of confidence.

Rainbow Dash patted her shoulder. “See? Nothing to it.” A few words of praise also came from her friends, acting as if she’d accomplished some heroic deed. I merely shook my head slightly and glanced at Twilight, hoping she could give me a plausible explanation.

“She’s the shyest pony I know. The first time I met her, I could barely hear her tell me her name,” Twilight whispered.

“Do you feel better now, Fluttershy?” Luna asked, wrapping a wing around her. Fluttershy nodded and inhaled deeply.

“I feel a bit braver.” She ducked her head bashfully.

“That is good.”

“Now that the introductions have been completed, I believe you all have questions,” Celestia said.

“Yeah, Ah just want to know what the hay this fellow is.”

“And where did he come from?”

“I’ve never seen anything like him before.”

“Does he eat cupcakes?”

“His clothes look like they were hoof-stitched? Who made them?”

Luna raised a hoof, and the five mares fell silent. “Please, all your questions will be answered today. What you are about to be told may sound unbelievable, but it is the truth.” Luna turned her attention to me. “Magnus, do you wish to relay your story? If it’s still too painful, I can do so in your stead.”

Though it was true that it was still an open sore in my psyche, I now believed it would fade in time. “It’s fine; I can tell them.” I grabbed my glass and drained half its contents in one gulp. “It’s a long story,” I began, thinking back to that day Grandfather and I sat at the bonfire outside his cabin. “It all started with a staff that belonged to my grandfather…”

I told them everything; from the vision that started my journey to the boat ride into the Bermuda Triangle; from awakening in the infirmary to finding out I was related to a unicorn whose name was known far and wide, even five thousand years after he died. I briefly touched upon my breakdown, Celestia and Twilight helping to fill in the gaps. Together, we told them about how Luna taught me how to summon Grandfather and my friends to help me decide, and eventually, my decision.

There was silence when I concluded my tale, and I glanced around at the table to check the group’s reactions. Fluttershy had tears trailing down her cheeks, which had appeared when I revealed that I could never see my friends again. I think Rarity was partially in shock; her eyes wide and staring off into nothingness. Applejack remained somewhat stoic, though she seemed deflated when I mentioned that I considered my friends as family. Rainbow Dash’s reaction was more visceral, as her jaw hung open and her eyes bulged out.

“Y-You… You’re an alien!” she exclaimed with a shaking hoof pointed at me.

I nodded half-heartedly and clicked my tongue. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“This is… unbelievable,” Rarity muttered to herself, shaking her head. “Starswirl the Bearded? Really?”

“Yeah. It was a shock to me as well,” I admitted. “Where I come from, two different species can’t produce offspring. It shouldn’t be possible, yet here I am.”

Fluttershy sniffled loudly, wiping away tears from her eyes. “I-I'm so sorry. You’ve lost so much. But you’re lucky; if Princess Luna didn’t…” She stopped in mid-sentence and clenched her eyes shut.

“I would have drowned or floated out to sea, never to be seen again,” I answered for her. My bluntness came as a shock to Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie. She was still clinging to my back, but sometime during my story, she began stroking my head like I was a baby. I never even noticed when she started doing it.

Strangely enough, I now didn’t mind having her so close to me. Worse, I couldn’t understand why. Lisa had never been clingy like this, but she liked to cuddle up to me after a long day. Pinkie was different, though. I figured it had something to do with her unexplainable actions and behaviour, thus decided not to question her.

“This magic business…” We all turned to Applejack, who was frowning heavily. “It’s getting dangerous, Ah tell ya! Is there a chance for any more of these portal thingies poppin’ out of thin air?”

“No, Applejack. This is the first time one has been observed at a ley line, and it was closed by Twilight,” Luna explained.

“Aha! So that’s the reason you were gone for almost a week, right?” Rainbow asked Twilight.

She nodded, her ears pressing slightly against her head. “Yes. We closed the portal. It’s safest that way, for us and for humans. We figured that the ley lines could be much more active on our side than in the human world, which means humans from the future and the past could have come through as well.”

Pinkie gasped loudly next to my ear. “That means they would never see their families again either! That’s horrible!”

“You did the right thing, Twilight,” Fluttershy assured her. “If I became separated from all of you, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“So, who else knows about you?” Rainbow Dash demanded.

“The entire castle staff plus the entirety of the Royal Guard, as far as I’ve been told. “

“Tomorrow, Luna, Twilight, and I will announce Magnus’ existence at a press conference. We have purposely kept him a secret, as we cannot know how Equestria and the wider world will react to him.” Celestia beamed at the five mares. “However, your reactions upon seeing Magnus have been heartening. We believe the news of his existence will be welcomed, considering the events that have befallen our country this last year.”

“Sombra, Discord, Tirek—yeah, I get what you’re telling us,” Rainbow replied.

Rarity tapped her hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “You said ‘our reactions’. Was meeting Magnus casually in the hallway some sort of scheme?”

I raised my hand. “That was my plan, actually. You’re the first ponies outside the castle that I’ve met. I just wanted to see how you would react since you didn’t know about me. As a matter of fact, I was afraid that you would try to do something drastic, like try to attack me.”

“Why would we attack you, silly?” Pinkie asked, still clinging to my back. “Attacking somepony is no way to make new friends.”

I scratched the back my head awkwardly, which Pinkie took as an invitation to swat playfully at my hand. “Because you’re heroes of Equestria,” I answered plainly. They would know what I meant.

“Oh yeah, that. Yeah, we’re heroes, but we don’t fly around looking for bad guys to beat up.” Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest proudly while Applejack nodded in agreement.

“So it was a test,” Rarity hummed. “Can we then assume that our invitation, although a pleasant surprise, also has something to do with Magnus, Princess Celestia?”

“You are correct, Rarity. After the press conference tomorrow, we will start the process of integrating Magnus into pony society. Ponyville is a closely knit town, and most of the villagers know each other. They also trust all of you. We believe Ponyville is the ideal town for Magnus to begin his integration, due to your hometown’s friendly nature. Can we count on you to help us and Magnus?”

There was a moment of silence while Celestia and Luna looked at the Element Bearers.

“Of course!” Pinkie shouted excitedly. “If we help Maggy here, then we’ll become friends!”

The two alicorn sisters smiled warmly at Pinkie, but I had my doubts it would be that easy. Friendships formed over a long period of time, not days, even with the nature of ponies being what it was.

“Thank you, Pinkie.” Celestia then turned to the group. Fluttershy traced circles on the table with her hoof, keeping her eyes downturned.

“I’ll help if I can,” she whispered and looked at her friends. “I don’t know how, but I still want to try.”

“Ah guess ah can help too,” Applejack added. “Ah’ve never turn down a pony who needs help, and ah won’t turn down a non-pony either. Dunno how much help ah can give since we’ll start harvesting the first apples, though.”

“Whatever help you can give, I’d appreciate it. I worked on a farm before, and I know time is important when it comes to bringing in the harvest.”

“Question. What kind of help are we supposed to give him?” We all turned to Rainbow. I was curious about that as well. Integration had been discussed, but not what it actually meant.

“I made a list just for that,” Twilight happily answered. A scroll appeared before her in a flash of purple light, and when unrolled, it stretched across the table, straight into Fluttershy’s lap. Twilight peered over the top of the scroll. “It’s mostly well-known and basic subjects that Magnus will learn as he spends time in Equestria. It involves socializing with ponies and learning about ponykind in general, maybe even language and math if he needs some help with that. Basically, the more time he spends amongst ponies, the more he will learn about us and our world. With our help, we hope his integration will be smooth.”

“And how are we gonna go about doing just that?” Applejack asked.

“It’s simple. We’ll spend time with Magnus each day doing ordinary things. One day he can spend with, say, Fluttershy, and learn about whatever Fluttershy wants to teach him, the second day he can spend with Rainbow, and so on and so forth. The important thing is socializing.”

I nodded in agreement. I could learn while staying here in the castle, but the staff had their work to do, and teaching me probably wasn’t in their job description anyway. I needed to go outside and mingle with ponies, and staying cooped up in here wouldn’t help me. I was curious as to what life outside these walls was like, and sometime down the road, I hoped to find a job and hopefully a place of my own.

I wondered what apartments went for here in the capital.

Rainbow hummed to herself, before nodding once. “Yeah, I’m in. Fastest pony in Equestria, Wonderbolt, Element of Loyalty, and teacher to an alien. How many ponies can say they’ve taught an alien about Equestria?” I didn’t doubt that Rainbow Dash only agreed because it would boost her popularity. Well, whatever. If it helped her, it helped me in the end.

Rarity seemed a bit uneasy with the whole affair. Taking a deep breath, she looked to her friends, who smiled encouragingly at her. “I must admit that I did not believe this would happen when Twilight told me I was invited to spend a few days in Canterlot. I expected tea with the princesses, perhaps perusing the stores, or maybe finding an exclusive new fabric perfect for my fall fashion line.” Rarity then turned to me and smiled. “But meeting a… What was the name of your race again? Hooman?”

“Human, “I corrected her.

“Ah, yes, human. I believe there must be much about our world that you do not understand. Fashion least of all,” she murmured as she gazed at my clothes.

“You might know a lot about clothes, but I prefer my clothes plain and simple,” I responded.

In response to my defence of my attire, she simply chuckled. “Oh, I believe I can make something better. Nevertheless, you can count on my help. I shall not let somepony who needs my help down.”

I nodded gratefully to her. “Thank you for your future assistance, Rarity.”

She waved a dismissive hoof at me. “Oh, think nothing of it. You need help, and I would not be the Bearer of Generosity if I denied you my assistance.”

“Wonderful, we hoped that we could count on your help in this matter. Integration is rarely an easy task, but I have utmost confidence in your ability to help Magnus,” Celestia declared proudly.

Luna nodded. “Indeed. There will be trials ahead, perhaps failure, but you will learn from these things. This you must embrace, Magnus. Pay close attention to what these six mares can teach you, and if I am not mistaken, I believe Spike can also teach you a thing or two.”

The little dragon puffed out his chest, then leaned towards me and tapped my knee. “Stick with me, and I’ll give you a tour of Ponyville when we get there.”

Reaching my hand, I gave him a friendly pat on his shoulder. “I’ll hold you to it, Spike.”

***

After we concluded our discussion, we had lunch. Fortunately for me, Pinkie Pie decided that the table was easier to eat from and climbed down. She even proclaimed that her hugs had made me feel less sad, but also mentioned that I was in dire need of hug therapy for at least a few weeks in order to be happy again.

I had no idea what that pony was on, but it probably had a high sugar content.

After lunch, Luna bade us all a good day and went to bed. I mentioned my worries about her disturbed sleep patterns to Celestia, who informed me that Luna needed no more than two nights at best before she was back to her regular schedule.

Celestia also had to leave, having several tasks to complete for tomorrow’s conference, as well as meeting with petitioners. She also had to prepare for whatever backlash that might come from the ambassadors of the other countries. She assured us that if any problems arose, she would deal with them personally.

That left me alone with Twilight, Spike, and their friends. Twilight decided that it would be best if we all could get to know one another as soon as possible, thus we ventured to the garden with two guards in tow. We coincidentally went to the same spot Twilight would go to when she read, namely in the shade of a large tree with a great view.

Rainbow Dash went first. She was from Cloudsdale, the pegasus cloud city, but moved to Ponyville a few years back. There she found herself a job as a weatherpony, part of a team that moved or destroyed rainclouds as necessary. She wanted to be a Wonderbolt, which was some sort of flight exhibition team. Having trained since she was young, she was now a reservist. She kept her distance from me, her suspicion seemingly unabated. She would react to every movement I made, which Fluttershy and Applejack definitely noticed.

Pinkie was next, and she clambered onto my back to resume her sadness therapy. She told me her entire life story, which she managed to go through in about a minute. What I managed to decipher was that she grew up on a rock farm. When I asked her what a rock farm was, she gave me an outlandish answer, but after some explanation, I managed to deduce that it was something resembling a quarry. She had lived in Ponyville for some time now, earning a living as a baker at a bakery called Sugarcube Corner. She also worked as a party planner. Twilight mentioned that she was quite good, and that the first thing Pinkie had done when she arrived at Ponyville was throw her a welcome party.

My own opinion of Pinkie was… mixed. I believed she meant well, but she was rather clingy and often barraged me with questions. She even presented me with a cupcake and a muffin, asking me which one was my favourite. When I said that neither was, which was the truth, Pinkie wordlessly climbed off me and sat next to Twilight, never saying a word for a good hour or so. Later on, she climbed back on me and acted as if nothing had happened. Honestly, I had no idea what to make of that pink pony.

Rarity was a local ‘Ponyvillian’ and was the proud owner of a store named the Carousel Boutique. A seamstress and fashionista by trade, she made a wide variety of clothing for her clientele. She claimed she could make anyone fabulous and repeatedly promised to create something for me. I declined, not wishing to accept more handouts than necessary, though I hoped to one day have a job to afford to purchase my own clothing.

By the way she spoke and carried herself, I maintained my earlier opinion of her as from the upper-class. Aside from her constant attempts at offering me clothes, I found her to be polite and well-spoken. During our conversation, I accidentally cursed, and she took great offense to it. She informed me that she had a younger sister, and promised to wash my mouth if I taught her any new words, a threat I internally laughed at.

It was initially difficult to hear Fluttershy, soft-spoken as she was, but her volume increased as she grew more confident. She was also from Cloudsdale but moved to Ponyville as an adult. She was fond of animals and provided a variety of animal-related services, though she wasn’t a veterinarian. She possessed the ability to communicate with animals, giving her a greater understanding of them. I found it hard to believe, but she later proved her abilities when she asked a bird to sing, to which it duly complied. According to Twilight, animals roamed freely around Fluttershy’s home, and even carnivores sought her out if they were injured. I immediately took a liking to Fluttershy. Unlike Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, she was soft-spoken and considerate, and her fondness for animals reminded me of Lisa.

Applejack was also a local Ponyvillian. As mentioned before, her family mainly grew apples in their orchard, but also cultivated a variety of vegetables. She also revealed that her family was one of the largest in Equestria. She didn’t say much more than that. I also took a liking to Applejack due to her straightforward nature, though I discerned that the feeling wasn’t mutual. It could just be me being a stranger the likes of which she’d never seen before, or the fact that when I smiled, I showed off my teeth, which she constantly eyed.

They all leaned forward when it was my turn, as though I was about to relay stories about alien battles and epic adventures. I disappointed them except for Twilight, who already knew a fair bit about me. By the time I began speaking, she already had a sizeable stack of paper, ink, and quills at the ready while staring at me with an expectant and joyous gleam in her eyes. She reminded me of a young and naive high school student crushing on a much older teacher.

I told them of my hometown back in Montana and my fondness for camping and hiking, my grandfather, and of course my friends and how much of an impact they made on my life. When asked about my parents, I revealed that I had lost them both at a young age and that my grandfather had raised me on his own. Pinkie hugged me extra tightly at that.

Fluttershy had apparently been studying my teeth since she correctly deduced that I was an omnivore. When I mentioned liking meat, Applejack slowly scooted away from me. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her, not after the cow fiasco. The other ponies didn’t seem to mind, though.

I explained at length about America, though I omitted some things that might have casted me in a negative light, such as drugs and terrorism. However, I did tell them about the Civil War and the War of Independence. The ponies weren’t as naive as I believed, since they understood the concept of war despite their country being so peaceful. Twilight even added in a few history lessons, explaining some of their wars that had occurred centuries ago.

Apparently, presidents weren’t a thing in Equestria or in any other country on this planet. They all had kings and queens, or the various equivalents. The fact that a representative of a nation was chosen to lead the country every four years baffled them. Applejack was openly disdainful at the idea, stating that she would rather someone at the helm for life since ponies knew who they were dealing with that way, to which the rest nodded. I couldn’t disagree; if their system worked, no need to fix it. Still, they had the benefit of alicorns, whose immortality and benevolence was something ponies could trust in.

By the time I was finished, the sun was about to set and one of the guards informed us that dinner was being prepared. I promised Twilight, Spike, and their friends to answer their questions at a later time. Twilight suggested that they could ask their questions when we came to Ponyville, seeing as we would more time on our hands then.

During dinner, the ponies relayed our conversation to the alicorn sisters, which prompted them to ask me a few things for clarification. I was given fish again for dinner, and for the luxurious meal, I was more than happy to answer.

Celestia seemed impressed by humanity’s agricultural achievements and even asked for me to explain how a democracy worked. In the end, I believed she found the concept to be interesting, noting that it resembled the Griffonian way of having both a king and a senate. The senate would bring matters to the king’s attention, who would then decide on the course of action to take.

Luna was more interested in hearing about the moon landing and what humanity had discovered about the universe and its mysteries. Ponies knew about other galaxies and had observed two so far. They still relied on enormous telescopes that worked by lenses instead of mirrors to collect light, thus their best images were blurry. The largest telescope Equestria had was near Manehattan and was the size of a mansion. At one point, I mentioned the aurora and how it was created by Earth’s magnetic field. This was not the case in Equestria. Ages ago, Luna discovered that, by using her magic, she could capture the light of the sun during night and break it down into softer colours of the spectrum.

We also spoke briefly about the possibility of life existing elsewhere in the universe and came to a unanimous agreement that there was. I was the proof.

The one thing about fish was that it has always made me sleepy, and the Equestrian rainbow trout was no exception. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep in tomorrow since I had to prepare for the conference. I explained all of this to the gathering, and not long after, I bade them goodnight.

Upon arriving at my room, I brushed my teeth and prepared for bed when there was a knock upon the door. I opened it to find one of the guards standing there, and just behind him was Pinkie Pie.

“Mr Powell, one of the Element Bearers, Miss Pinkie Pie, requests a moment of your time.”

I looked at him, then at the expectant smiling pink pony. Who could resist such a smile and those big blue eyes? “Of course,” I replied. The guard stepped aside and Pinkie walked up to me. I crouched down so that I was about eye level with her.

“Hello again, Pinkie. How can I help you?”

Pinkie merely shook her head. “Nuh uh, I don’t need any help, but you forgot to take your medicine.”

“Medicine? What medicine?” I asked, wondering what she was up to.

“This.” She stood up on her hind legs, wrapped her forelegs around my neck and gave me a warm hug. I was surprised at first, but decided not to do anything; after all, Pinkie had spent a good amount of the day on my back, hugging me like my life depended on it.

Slowly, I placed one hand on her back, the other on her neck, and gently patted her. The hug itself only lasted for ten seconds before she released me.

“What was that for?” I inquired. Pinkie gave me her usual smile.

“One hug in the morning, one at noon, and one before bed. It’s Granny Pie’s patented medicine for sadness. Now you’ll feel better and have good dreams all night long. Good night.”

Without another word, Pinkie turned around and pronked down the hallway while humming a merry tune to herself. I watched her until she went around a corner and out of sight. Slowly I stood up, closed the door, and began walking towards the bedroom.

“There’s something wrong with that pony. Or something right. Either way, it was nice of her.”

Strangely enough, despite being nervous for the next day, I slept well and had a good dream that night. Perhaps Granny Pie was onto something.

Author's Note:

Woo! Another chapter, and let me tell you, this one got stuck several times and was very hard to write. I tried several ways to introduce Magnus to the five remaining Mane Six, but the option I chose was the best one in my opinion. We've seen humans introduced to Equestria many times, and most often the human is either attacked by Rainbow Dash, bucked by Applejack, or run into the CMC whom believe the human is a monster from the Everfree Forest. Personally I think this little test was a fresh way to introduce the human.

Also, I noticed recently that a lot more people are reading my story and are placing it on their shelves, either as favorite or read later. Thank you all, it means a lot to me. And a big thank you to my new followers and new readers to my story.

Comments

[LordMentat]

Cant wait to see what happens during and after the 'reveal' to the world at large and the fallout. And we know the Minotaurs are nearby and with the MC looking like he does, that will be interesting to see how that pans out.

[Seeking Dusk]

Awww.... the Granny Pie medicine for sadness is adorable. Nice to see a caring Pinkie in your story. Some writers (myself included, to be honest) only stick to the 'Crazy and inexplicable' side of Pinkie. This is inexplicable but tender Pinkie.

[Cup of Coffee]

7553753 From my point of view (and from the view of many others) Pinkie can't stand seeing someone sad, least of all her friends, but Pinkie is friends with everybody so go figure. I thought it would fit her very well (one of the parts of this chapter that I'm most proud of). Pinkie is Pinkie and cannot unPinkie, but from time to time I see a story in which Pinkie is written so much that she overPinks herself to the point of dangerous levels of Pinkie Pie until Pinkie isn't the Pinkie we know and love anymore (try saying this sentence fast three times ). Anyway, I strive to keep the characters as true to the show as possible while at the same time trying to think of how they would react, but this varies from writer to writer.

[Morphy]

The little details and reactions during their garden talks felt more "real" than most HiE encounters, to me anyway. How he didn't prefer either cupcake or muffin (I'd have gone for the cupcake with my sweet tooth) was curious. I suspect Pinkie will keep trying to find what tickles his tastebuds until she discovers it... or Magnus just tells her. He is correct about the foals and most baby animals, they can be painfully adorable.

Magnus being shunned or facing open hostility from a local or two in town (or the city) is bound to happen. There's thousands of ponies and no two are alike. Will this spur Rainbow Dash and Applejack to reverse their overtly cautious attitude into defending him? One has to wonder if the episode with Zecora stuck. And it's not like Magnus can be sent home, like Zecora could if she choose to, he literally has nowhere to go. With how sympathetic most ponies are, when his backstory gets to them, they might all feel more apt to befriend the lanky giant alien.

Thinking about the less savory characters, will one try to open a portal on a ley line and pull in an alien or their alien technology to exploit? Said portals also make a nice way of "disposing" of unwanted enemies if you want to get sinister about it. And who out there will want to kidnap Magnus for whatever reason? Maybe some wild rumor will spawn about how his blood can make the drinker all-powerful or immortal? Magnus is the mythic "alien" and even people here can get some pretty bizarre ideas in their tiny head as to what they should do-- and not all ideas are benign or harmless.

Not saying Magnus needs 24/7 guards but, keep an eye out.

[ChibiChabot]

*Hugs* This was a great chapter. Thanks!

[Cup of Coffee]

7565698 You're very welcome

[stephen51991]

“Celestia, I have a small idea I want to try out…”

(narrows eyes) Magnus... what are you doing?

[neosuduno]

“Just remember not to question her actions. Try and you will fail. Accept that some of her actions cannot be explained,” Celestia warned.

Unfortunately, few people heed that warning the first time.

[midnight arrow]

this is my favorite chapter so far I loved the way u wrote pinkie