So much for Derpy...

7779884 Y'all had your vote.

a gently bump - a gentle bump

She approached Twilight - She approached Applejack

hooves lending - hooves landing

There were less operators - There were fewer operators

Happy endings for everyone! Multiple 'happy endings' too, by the look of it.

She approached Twilight from behind and nuzzled the farmer's tail aside before giving a little sniff.

"Twilight" should be Applejack. Is she thinking of another mare while doing it, mayhaps?

It had only just begun and his magic flowed thick and hot, filling Starlight in powerful blasts of his canon inside her.

His "cannon." This is what fandom does to typos!

Careful erupted in a fierce blush. "You said there wasn't any such spell."

Starlight twirled a hoof. "Then I found it, and I'm not sharing it. It's too complicated for you, Careful, hon. You're adorable, but you're not on that level."

Careful pouted at that, but Guiding moved to her and kissed her nose, returning the smile.

Would she want to use such a spell? Careful's entire shtick was that she wanted to get away from being male, so having her use a spell like that seems rather contradictory to her entire character.

I do wonder how the show figures into this. My hypothesis is that Kyle was implanted with false memories, or more accurately, real memories with false context added to make it easier for him to be accepted into a role that would lead the ponies to the past.

Am I close?

So how did Guiding/ Kyle get over his plague?

7779932 No, she wouldn't cast it, but it had clearly come up before, and being shot down sucks, even if it wasn't something you were rushing to do.

'Hey, we're all skydiving!'

'Well, I didn't want to do that anyway...' says the timid person.

7779939 Kyle had no false memories. He had the thoughts of all the operators, a large portion of which happened to be fans of the show. What are the odds? Why do you all love this show so much?!

7779955 By becoming a pony.

7779955

Plague affects humans. Ponies can't have the plague. Become pony, no plague.

As an additional note, shouldn't this chapter have the (clop) notation after the title?

(Also, I keep reading that title and thinking, "This was not called ponification; it was called retirement.")

Well, this was quite some journey you took us on Mr. Silver. Even if some of the choices that we wanted weren't selected at least we had just that: A choice. I can't wait to read more of your horse words and would like to support your Patreon, but alas, I am a broke college student. Keep up the great work.

7780009 Fix'd!

I dont have much to say, the story was clever. I enjoyed it. Im sad it ended but the story has been told.

It's so nice when everyone gets a happy ending.

I do sort of wish that the story had told us how the wider world was faring in the wake of the cure being found. As in, has everypony now regained their ability to have children with the mass-manufacture and distribution of that cure? If so, there'd presumably be a lot of pregnant mares walking around since this would likely result in a boom in the general population. I think it would have been nice to mention if some local mares were now walking around pregnant (e.g. Lyra, Mayor Mare, etc.) to highlight the impact of the cure.

But other than that, this was a very nice way to tie everything up. I have to admit, I didn't think that Kyle, er, Guiding Light, would end up living on Applejack's farm, of all places. Though it certainly makes sense, given that she's the one with the most stable living situation, being a homeowner and all (since Starlight is apparently still Twilight's guest, Trixie is on tour - which is a tad disappointing - and we have no idea where Careful lived before this). That said, why is he sleeping in the barn, of all places? Shouldn't he be rooming with Applejack? Also, it seems a bit odd that Apple Bloom is apparently referring to him as "Unc," since he's effectively married her sister, which makes him her brother-in-law.

I liked the part about how everypony had needed to force Applejack to not work while pregnant. That was spot-on for her character, and was a nice bit of exposition with regards to how they're making their situation work. Of course, it's a bit odd that all of the mares are so open with each other; presumably there were some growing pains in the interim that have been skipped over (such as Applejack deciding that she's okay licking pussy, etc.).

The bit with the operators was okay, though I confess I've never thought of them as anything other than an addendum whose primary value is in how they lean against the fourth wall. Still, the bit with baby Celestia was cute. Also, it's interesting that apparently humans will be giving birth to ponies from now on, though I suppose that's as good a way as any to introduce such a drastic change to human evolution. That, and that last line was quite pointed, ending things with a flourish. Your endings are definitely getting better!

Overall, it was a fun ride (pun intended), even if it was a bit odd at times.

it was a nice story though i'd have liked derpy to have made an appearance. Still i didn't expect humanity to get fucked over by a plague considering we've adapted to pretty much every sickness thrown at us. I would have expected to have been climate change or a massive ass war since we are pretty damn good at destroying shit

7780096 Clearly, after bird flu and swine flu, what did us in was pony flu.

7780096 They never said what the plague was, exactly... It could very well have been engineered.

7780075 I had fun doing it, sour grapes and all. Even they fit in the story just fine. I love how everyone was confused right along with the operators. It was all in character and perfect.

It's over!

It has been a good time, overall.

So, in the end, Celestia... overmedicated and the disease adapted to the treatment?

Exactly what disease IS this that is able to survive for thousands of years not effecting anything but still trying to?

7780143 I feel I should point out that humans, today, have bits of diseases in us that are now part of our permanent genetic pool. When it lines up just so, bam, sick person. Ancient viruses lurk in us that will come out when they can. They likely will never go away unless we get really proactive in genetic tinkering.

7780160
I see, and in this case there was just yet another gradual mutation.

Alright.

7780135 we've survived engineered diseases before, some research will actually bring up information on several outbreaks of engineered strains. we have, obviously, survived them all. so short of someone making a real life T-virus we should be good.
7780133 the previous strains of Flu have really been at their most dangerous to the very old and the very young. most of your healthy individuals get through them with only a relative amount of trouble and come out the other side immune, with their children born afterwards being protected by the immunity of the parents and the immunity of those around them. so short of a disease that specifially targets fertility rates with 100% infectivity between hosts and can cause %100 lethality so quickly that there is no time for a cure, a flu wont be a problem. essentially it would have to be a super flu mixed with a whole slew of other diseases to wipe us out

Some recent research suggest that portions of DNA at least work just like computer program code, as in sequential linear etc.

What can be coded, can be hacked, and easter eggd.

The Author decides on a World Line, the Author is Law. After all, allowing any other definiton or variation, would make it someone elses story instead.

At least we didnt get to where all the other mythological specis came from, as I assumed on Earth, they were due to teh serious abusement of self magic by the Sirens over many thousands of years.

Well. Time to play out.

Freiheight. Keeping The Dream Alive.

Humans continue, but not by ascending. Thats the easy way out. Instead,

They take a step to the left, then a jump to the right.

It was hot to watch. Too hot. Guiding huffed as his mighty masculine pillar twitched along his underside.

I wonder if someone of the apple family is watching them...

And so the story came to it's inevitable conclusion.
Even if somehow faster than I had expected.

But I'm still not sure if I got the story right.
Humanity was threatened by a disease, so they created Celestia and the other first ponies.
Some time later Celestia cast her spell, so that everypony can get a cutie mark. This spell had the side effect of making stallions infertile. So the ponies traveled through time and made, together with the humans, a antidote.

But I'm sure I got something wrong.
For instance, where is the connection between Luna visiting someone in a dream and bring him to equestria and the operators?

Long story short:

7780256 Who said a thing about a flu?

7780277 The spell did not make anypony infertile, that was the old disease flaring up in new and horrible ways.

Luna came to Kyle because his head was composed primarily of people who liked ponies and were generally nice folk, making them a perfect beacon for her.

7780284
And somehow the operators were able to controll in their time a person from before their time who was pulled to a future after their time till they somehow lost the connection.

And sometime later all the operators and their director died, right?

Used my suggestion, I see? I like it!

Glad got to see AJ again and that she apart of the harem—I mean herd.

Things ended well here.

Would of liked to see the babies but baby Celestia is a good consolation prize.

Well done! This was a fun ride!(not sexual)

I look forward to your future works!

7780299
You made me flip back to the first chapter to check. Nothing is given here to prove it's before the operator's time besides the nice thoughts of a nice and normal life. Perhaps a life the operators once had, before it all went south.

7780278 I was making a joke about it being "pony flu." The humor didn't quite seem to get across, though.

7780329
Best would I I don't think too hard about it.
Fact is ponies are the successors of the humans. (They are, right?)

Will they sometime find some hidden human technology now, since Kyle and friends now know about their heritage? Or will humanity become a chapter lost to history?
(And I'm thinking too deep again, right?)

7780350 There is a reason pony civilization has so many things clearly invented by human hands. Why would a pony-invented door ever have a handle on it? Something they could step on that pops the door open would make infinity more sense. A keyboard? Really? Much about them speaks of a curious technological growth.

7780361
Well, that expains everything.
I think I got it now.
(And I always wondered why they are using cups with handles...)

7780361
This provides a neat and tidy explanation for the tires buried in the ground, as well as any other anachronisms.

Thank you for taking this journey with me.

Thank you for writing it! Even if, y'know, it turned out nothing like I expected.

And screw the odds! No disease is 100% lethal; I'm going to survive this thing! I want mah ponehs! (Even if she's not Sassy...)

Interesting. I enjoyed it for the most part. It certainly got a bit confusing when the 'operators' first showed up, but at least they managed to be explained in the end.
My only real complaint would be that it fealt like a more involved story just before being put on rails. Ultimately, interesting but it ended up feeling rushed...bat least to me.

It would be nice if there was more to the story, but I for sure don't hate it... I enjoyed it all of the way though, normally this does not happen with a story as when I read them something happens and it just kills the mood, but this one had a great story and flowed well even when it changed direction mid way though.

That being said I think it could have also been better, still it was a good story, it was, kinda what I was looking for in a story but kinda not as well. still for what it was it was enjoyable.... Keep on writing and i'll keep reading.

A fitting ending.
Hey! Do you think some of Pinkie's clairvoyance might have root in been engineering making into her line?
Keep going! ;)

Wait! Why would Applebloom call Kyle and Careful Uncle and Aunt? Wouldn't he be her brother in law and she her sister in law?

Also what does his mark mean? I never understood that.

7780935 She felt odd calling them Sis and Bro. Those are reserved for Applejack and Big Mac! They get to be Uncle and Aunt and should be happy they get it. (they are)

The mark means he is a choose your own adventure protagonist, and he finally started choosing his own adventure. He's pleased with the results.

7780970 Heh. Okay that works.

it was good i liked it sad it's over though

7778417
What I'd do is rush him into a clean room, or some other sort of sealed room with a negative airflow, where as few other humans can directly contact him in person. Any equipment he'd need to use would be wiped with a disinfectant, sterilized, and so on. Say he'd need to provide a urine sample? The cup can be passed to him double sealed in bags through something like an airlock, where it would be sprayed with disinfectant before he could open them up. Once the sample is taken then he'd just have to place the cup back in and they'd simply open it up on the other side, since sterility doesn't matter when its coming out.

There's also the possibility of personal gear, sterilized suits, perhaps a face mask ventilated with a filter, and gloves. The effectiveness of such measures also depend on the nature of the plague. If it can't be transmitted by aerosol then there'd be no need for face masks and filtered air, for example.

Of course, there's only so much you can do when your subject has already been "contaminated", even briefly. it may not be enough to completely stop infection, but it certainly is better than having constant exposure.

All these mentions of the word "clop" and I can't help but think of something lewder....

Truly, the mlp fandom has really spoilt me

a perfect ending to this story I love it.

#they turn themselves into discord, and the race tirek is apart of but forget their past

This was awesome!

7796425 Thanks kindly!

7796453 no problem! Thanks for making such good stories and for Ponyfinder.