Chapter I: Book of Dreams - The Steve Miller Band, May 1977

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The strobing of the sunlight through the gaps between the countless branches gave way to an expanse of cloud-mottled blue as Oli approached the top of the hill on his bike. The acoustic guitars of FireHouse’s Reach For the Sky echoed enchantingly through his earbuds connected to his iPhone as he let the wheels coast upward, gravity soon bringing him to a stop on the trail.

It was the best kind of late-spring morning; a stifling heat cooled by a breeze that would serve as a most righteous tailwind down the hill as soon as the electric guitars kicked in.

With a few moments to spare until then, Oli looked upward and breathed a steady whiff of wind through his nose. Bill Leverty’s last chord prompted Oli to push off the gravel and give the straps of his backpack a couple of testing tugs, ensuring he’d have as little drag as possible during his descent. He began to pick up speed as the electric guitars, bass, and drums pounded and chugged their way through.

And he continued going faster down this perfectly straight stretch of path without a soul in sight.

Oli never felt so free as when he was able to do this.

Leaning back in his seat, Oli threw his hands off the handlebars and extended them out to the sides; the closest to flying he’d ever achieve without a plane.

I have to imagine that’s how Rainbow Dash feels every time she’s up there.

Oli felt extra weight in his chest pulling him closer to his back wheel as the hill began to level out, and with a lunch in his abs, he pulled himself back toward his handlebars, content to let his speed carry him through the now winding trail towards town, where he hoped he’d bring home a good haul.

The narrow tote bag hung off Oli’s fingers as he fluidly weaved himself and the few albums he found around the crowds of people going every which direction toward their destinations. Perhaps one thing Oli appreciated least about his local flea market wasn’t so much the crowds; they had just as much right to be there as he did. It wasn’t even the pop music they blared through the sound system to put people in the mood; he appreciated and saw the value in all kinds of music.

Specifically, it was the lack of consistency in the location of booths and tents. Some days, the two record sellers he frequented would be closer to the entrance, sometimes, all the way back. The first one he patronized was thankfully closer to the start today, but it didn’t make finding the last one any easier, and he still had a mostly uphill climb with new vinyl yet to face.

And it was starting to get late.

As if to taunt him further, Oli felt the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. Pulling it out, he looked at the banner on the lock screen and could tell the text was from his dad just from the message itself.

Any luck?

With a disappointed huff, Oli pocketed his phone again. He’d be content letting his dad know he was on his way if and only if he didn’t find this other seller.

Oli started looking far more deliberately for the seller’s tent, not caring if this would make him more susceptible to crashing into someone the moment he turned his head and vision away from directly in front of him. Turning left, he spotted the slightly bigger-than-average tent of the regular used-book salesman that the vinyl sellers would frequently set up shop beside.

As he briskly approached it, he scanned his eyes around for any sign of his seller, but instead his eyes began to drift elsewhere as he began walking beside the book tent. Sitting on one of the tables directly in front of the overweight shopkeeper was a large, light-brown, leatherbound book with some kind of crest in its center. With his curiosity piqued he drifted away from his intended destination and got a closer inspection of the icon embedded on the front cover.

Whether it be Oli’s newly arrived presence or the blocking of sunlight, the annoyed shopkeeper’s attention was now on him. “Can I help you?”

Oli jerked his head up, oblivious to the man’s disdain. “I’m… sorry, that book there caught my attention.”

“You looking to buy it?”

“Oh…” Oli stole another glance at the book now held right in front of him; the six gems in the golden circular crest was unmistakable. “You’d sell it?”

“Only if you want to buy it, but look.”

The shopkeeper reached beneath his counter and pulled out an uncapped pen and a sticky note. Oli watched closely as the shopkeeper scribbled a series of crude rings on the yellow paper. The ink was bright black, fresh. Before Oli could register what this was supposed to mean, the shopkeeper opened the book up close to the middle began to attempt to draw similar rings on its paper.

To Oli’s mild intrigue, not as much as a pinprick’s worth of ink was visible where the pen had ran over. The shopkeeper then went back to the sticky note and drew new rings under the first ones. Even more surprising this time, the rings were just as clear and shimmering as the first ones.

Oli could muster a nod. “Huh. Is it meant to be a joke journal or something? Like to pull–”

“Doubt it,” the shopkeeper was quick to dispute. “I’ve tried pens, pencils, even paint on it. That shit rolled off like water on a duck’s ass.”

Oli was fixated back on the unblemished spot where the shopkeeper had tried to draw on. With his head casting a shadow on its page, Oli couldn’t be too sure if he began to notice medium-sized text begin to bleed up through the paper. Unaware of this potential phenomenon, the shopkeeper closed the book back up, completely unaware of what had possibly happened.

“I’ll take it!” The shopkeeper stayed still for a moment before slowly turning back to Oli. “How much do you want for it? I’ll gladly pay it.”

The man huffed with a cheeky grin. “So if I said I’d give it to you for a thousand, you’d just happen to have that on you?”

Oli tried to remain brave. “I doubt that’s what you’re going for.”

“Why do you want this book? You could probably find a nice notebook like this at a hobby store or something.”

Oli glanced back at the tote bag in his other hand fast enough to not be noticed by the shopkeeper. “I actually recognize that picture on the cover. It’s from a band I enjoy.”

“Ahh.” Though this answer appeared to sate the shopkeeper, Oli had to further mask the guilt of his lie. “That’s right. You’re here a lot with your dad, aren’t you? Buying records and stuff. What’s your haul today?”

With the conversation steered towards something more honest, Oli could finally relax. “Not much, but still some alright finds.”

Pulling the records out, Oli began to set them on the table beside each other, starting with Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew, Abba’s self-titled, and Gerry Rafferty’s City to City.

The shopkeeper nodded, visibly impressed. “Some alright finds indeed. Your folks definitely raised you right. So, you just wanted that book? It’s yours.”

Oli was putting the second record back into his bag when he froze up and shot up to look at the shopkeeper, who didn’t appear to have as much of a twinge of jest in his expression. Oli felt the smile creep on his face.

While the sky was still mostly light, Oli trudged through his front door with tired legs and half-open eyes. Oli’s father Art leaned back, looking through the kitchen entryway at his son’s arrival, his long, thinning black hair draping down behind him.

“Hey, champ,” he softly greeted. “Good ride? Good finds?”

“Yeah dad, just…” Oli set the tote bag down on the couch against the armrest before taking his backpack upstairs with him. “Just want to take a quick shower and I’ll be right down for dinner.”

“Sounds good. Dinner in 20. Having gnocchi.”

“Awesome.” Oli would have sounded more enthusiastic, and he knew he would be once he washed the sweat off his skin and put some fresh clothes on.

Art glanced at the handles of the bag, tempted to take a look at his son’s finds. With the simmering of the sauce behind him, he quickly realized it would have to wait until Oli came down to either show or tell him about his purchase.

Upstairs, Oli pushed his bedroom door open, too tired to try and stop it from swinging into the wall. After placing his backpack down against the leg of his desk to his left, he began shedding his feet of his shoes and socks.

Between two sides of his queen-sized bed and the walls of the back corner of his room were two tall shelves filled with vinyl records and neatly organized speakers. Sitting on a table nestled in the square-shaped spot there was an older-looking, but clean and nicely-furbished turntable. A stereo cable was fed up the wall to the corner to the ceiling and traveled along to the back left corner and towards the bedroom door before coming down over the desk, the other end of the chord plugged into a MacBook through its auxiliary jack.

Picking up both discarded socks with his toes, he agilely kick them up where they both landed in a hamper between his right record shelf and his dresser. As he began to take his shirt off, he felt his phone rhythmically buzzing inside his pocket. Dropping it on the floor, he pulled his phone out with his freed hands and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hey Oli,” a chipper male voice replied.

“Oh, Mr. Franklin, hi! Is it okay if I call you back? I just got home from a ride and wanted to jump in the shower.”

“Oh, no worries! I just wanted to ask real quick if you were free tomorrow to pick up Jessie from daycare and look after her until one of us gets home.”

“Working late again?”

“Actually, I have a company outing that just came up, and the wifey doesn’t come home until late tomorrow.”

Oli contemplated this. “I see. Same time as usual?”

“Yep. I’ll leave you your money by the front door and give you a little extra for pizza or something.”

“Sounds great. Thanks a lot.”

“Thank you. Unless my wife beats me home before I do, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yep. Thanks again. Got to shower now.”

“Yep, no problem. Thank you.”

Oli hung up the phone and put it on the desk right over the leg where his backpack and the book he received rested. As much as he wanted to take a look through it before dinner, it seemed as though he would have to wait until afterwards. Oli sighed, kicking his sweat-sopped shirt into the hamper where his pants and underwear would soon join it.

Oli scooped some pulled meat onto his fork before spearing two gnocchi dumplings. With a wiping of extra sauce and tomatoes, he fit the large bite into his mouth, just barely managing to close his lips as he chewed. He avoided looking at his father, who he could almost sense judging him silently.

“Found some good stuff today?”

“Wuh sech.” Oli chewed quicker before swallowing his bite in two gulps. “Sorry. Anyways, yeah, got a new Davis, Abba, and Rafferty.”

A moment of silence until… “That’s it?”

“…Yeah. Tommy wasn’t there today, so my options were limited.”

“I see. Which Davis?”

“Bitches Brew?”

“Very nice. Arguably his opus.”

“That’s what I’ve heard. Was going to clean it and give it a listen before bed tonight. I’ll get to the other two tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good.”

“Actually, that reminds me. I’m babysitting tomorrow again.”

“Who? Jessie?”

“Yeah. Mr. Franklin had some work thing tomorrow, so he needs someone to watch her until he or Mrs. Franklin get home.”

“Going to watch some more of that pony show or something?”

Oli paused. While he wasn’t quite as shy about his closer friends and family knowing he watched My Little Pony, even outside of babysitting duty, it was still a subject that was never not awkward to talk about with his dad.

“Maybe. To be fair, she’s pretty obsessed with it.”

“Not that you mind, though.”

Oli shook his head. “Nah. There’s worse stuff we could be watching.”

Art shrugged. “That’s fair.”

Son and father returned to their meals. After a few silent bites, Art spoke back up. “Listen, if you’re not doing anything this weekend, I’m meeting a guy out near Baltimore about a guitar I was thinking of getting. Would you like to come with?”

Oli took a moment to finish the bite he was on. “That’s okay. A bunch of us are going to see Super 8 on Saturday. We… already got tickets.”

“Popular movie then?”

“Looks like it. Either way, I have plans.”

“Okay, no problem. Thought I’d extend the invitation.”

“Thank you. Maybe next time.”

“Yeah. Maybe…”

Oli watched as his dad was the first to return to the last few bites of his pasta. As guilty as he felt lying about the tickets and the complete awkwardness of the dinner, he really just wanted to look at the new book he received.

Oli hit the “Record” icon of his vinyl digitization software as the first side of the Miles Davis album spun on his turntable. He quickly hopped onto his bed and grabbed the bottle of cleaner, which he sprayed generously onto the brush block before gently setting it down on the disc’s surface. As the liquid streaked all over and spread out with each full rotation, he glanced back at the book behind him on his bed, ready to look through it over some classic jazz.

Once the first side was cleaned to his satisfaction, he placed the brush cleaning-side up beside the turn table and swiveled the needle over its edge before gently lowering it down into the grooves. As the ride, upright bass, and keys kicked in, he felt safe to finally get to his book business. Spinning himself around, he placed the book in his lap and opened it up. With a sigh of wonderment, the once blank pages were now filled with text in a completely unidentifiable language.

“Wow…” he whispered.

He flipped through the book, each page as wordy and incomprehensible as the last.

Wonder why it was blank for you, Oli thought, the previous owner on his mind.

The screen of his phone next to his waist suddenly lit up with the notification of a text. Setting the book down beside him, he sat himself up to open his messages. From the texts above the most recent one, Oli knew it was his friend Javi.

Yo you doin anything Satuday night?

Oli pursed his lips with confusion as he typed back his response.

I thought we were going to see Super 8?

Within seconds, Javi had written his response back.

Haha we have all summer 4 that. Were throwin a surprise party for Ray to celebrate his admission to notre dame and we need u to spin some tunes. $$$

Oli grinned back. As much as he was looking forward to the movie, he couldn’t pass up on a gig. Especially if…

R Ray’s folks hosting?
Yeah yeah they’re the ones hosting it. Ray doesn’t know so it needs to stay on the down low.
No prob, I got u
Cool cool maybe we’ll have an afterparty later
Maybe. Dad’s going to be out of town that weekend and he’ll have the car.
Don’t trip, one of us will pick u and ur gear up.
Alright, thanks man
Always

Oli tossed his phone back over to the other side of his mattress, wanting it to be out of reach to prevent further distraction from the book whose mysteries he still needed to solve. It was then he realized that his back-and-forth with Javi made him miss out on the first few minutes of Pharoah’s Dance. Oli blew a sigh; he could easily listen back to the recording once it was done.

With that one exhale out, he suddenly began to feel very tired, and he quickly began to anticipate not staying awake through the remainder of the track.

Perhaps that ride took more out of me than I thought.

With fatigued head and fatigued muscles, Oli couldn’t even motivate himself to take his phone to his desk to charge for the night. With the music still filling his room, it only served to lull him further and further into sleep that he just did not have the energy to fight. With the last of the energy he felt he could expend, he pulled his legs up to slip them and the rest of his body underneath his covers. With eyes already shutting, he took the book still laying on top and placed it beside him to escape the possible prying eyes of his dad should he check up on him.

Within another minute, Oli was asleep.

A black void…

Nothingness…

Looked left…

Nothingness…

Looked right

Nothingness…

Felt almost real, as if awake…

Dread…

The book’s text…

From below…

Swirling…

Around him…

Tried to run…

Stayed around him…

“Is anyone there…”

Swirling became faster…

Time felt faster…

Squeezing in…

“No, stop…”

Couldn’t escape…

Text forming around his being…

Closed eyes tight…

Immediate constriction…

Sudden breathlessness…

Hours like seconds–

Oli burst upward, gasping for air like he had been held underwater. If he had, his body certainly felt it. Oli peeled his soaked comforter off his shirt which still clung to his chest as if he swam in it. Then he felt the pain in his head, bringing him to press the bases of both palms to his temples

First things first, he needed some new clothes and some ibuprofen.

Sliding out of bed, groaning over the Oli-shaped wet spot that he left there, he took off every bit of clothing on his body as quickly as his still-groggy muscles would allow. Standing by his desk, he suddenly remembered to look back at his turntable, which still contained the Miles Davis record in the exact place he had left it.

After logging onto his computer, he saw that his software had been recording for nearly twelve-hours and counting. Looking to his window, he already saw the morning sun’s light shining brightly behind and between the gaps in the blinds.

“What the fu…”

There was nothing he could do now except end the recording and wait until his head got better before making sure the rest recorded alright.

Feeling weird being naked for that long, he immediately went to his dresser and pulled out dry pairs of socks and underwear that he quickly slipped on, grumbling as the sweat still matted to him began to soak those too. After putting on a the first shirt and pair of gym shorts that appeared to him in his dresser, he stood still for a moment and breathed to provide himself the first moment of peace that morning.

Then he remembered. The dream…

Upon hearing the door opening, Oli jolted back towards his bed. Art continued his advance inside, seeing his son in his unusually disheveled state.

“Oli,” he lightly rasped. “You okay? You look like hell.”

“To be fair,” Oli responded, “I kinda slept like hell.”

Oli frowned, spotting the impossible-to-miss sweat on the bedsheets. “Take a shower and make yourself some coffee. I need to run out for a while. If I don’t see you before you leave for babysitting, have a good rest of day.”

Right then, just the thought of being alone for the time being was a slight relief. “Thanks. You too.”

Art closed the door behind him without another word. Once he heard his dad’s steps go down the stairs, Oli turned back to his bed and threw the heavy, wet covers onto the floor, the book resting where he had left it. Suddenly a very peculiar thought ran through his head.

That text I read… It seems familiar now somehow… like, I know…

Wanting to prove his suspicions right, he reached for the book. With a sudden crack, the front cover flipped itself open near Oli’s hand, and Oli yelped before pulling it away. The rest of the pages began to flip open of their own accord, but Oli found himself only able to focus on a tingling that quickly began to replace the throbbing in his head

The first page of the second half closed down as fast as the others before it, leaving the book to stay open right at its halfway point. Oli looked back down at this, and what he saw there chilled him to the bone.

While nothing about the text seemed any different than when he flipped through it himself, he suddenly found that the unknown words meant something to him.

He could understand it as if it were written in plain English.

Scooping the book by its covers and holding it to his face, he could think of nothing else to do but read where the book and opened itself to.

Two books bridge two destinations, he could read. Destinations that lead to the company of good friends.

Oli could only compel himself to continue reading this passage.

Friends to inspire, learn from, and laugh with, for which one would travel to the worlds’ ends.

The suspicion over the distinction of “worlds’” over “world’s” was fleeting. Oli wanted to finish this now. It felt too important to stop now.

Whether separated by inches, miles, or galaxies, I shall cross over onto the other side, for nothing is more valuable than this desire I feel inside.

At that instant, Oli’s brain snapped like a finger. Soon, the ambient sounds of his bedroom and the neighborhood outside began to wash out into a reverberating cacophony that began to get softer and lower in pitch. Panting, frightened, he looked back at the passage he had read and noticed that the crease of paper separating both halves of the book began to sink down, creating a void that, despite his still sitting on his bed, he felt himself leaning into as if he could actually fall into it.

As the upper half of his body tipped over towards the book in his hand, all Oli could think to do was reach out at his bedroom door and find a way to escape. The book fell onto the mattress, and with Oli still falling down toward it, he found that the area of the book expanded out large enough that it could engulf him.

Twisting around, already beginning to plunge, he gasped to see that the part of his room behind him appeared to grow to a size that completely dwarfed him. Oli reached out and screamed, hoping against hope that his dad could hear him and help him. His lower half shrunk down to fall with him, and Oli could only watch as the slit of his world now high above him close up.

He had been consumed.

Before he could even stay paralyzed in despair, a force swung his body back to fall face down, a sliver of pale moonlight tearing itself open and coming in fast beneath his feet. His feet were the first to exit, and he was immediately met with the sensation of fighting gravity as the rest of his body was launched out from whatever portal he exited from.

Once his head came out, Oli could notice as his arm, which still reached out for the world he was ripped from, was pulled out from between the crease of another book sitting upon the brick floor of a colder, dark room. The tips of his fingers were the last of himself to come out, and once they did, the crease rose up and sealed itself.

Oli fell chest-first onto the floor as his waist, knees, and toes swung down with them. Oli grunted and whined, both in the shooting pain in his knees in particular, and the immediate realization that he was not at home, or anyplace familiar to think of.

“…thinking you could defeat me!” The immediate recognition of a haughty female voice echoed faintly down a staircase into the room he had suddenly found himself in. “Now you will never see your princess, or your sun!”

“Hah…?” Despite the sheer aches he still felt, there was something too familiar about what he made out to ignore.

“The night will last forever!”

As maniacal laughter sounded out next, Oli kept his eyes open and readied himself to blink to confirm what he thought was happening upstairs. With a tight shut, he heard the loud clang of metal shoes against stone, followed by the shattering of crystal.

Suddenly pain no longer mattered, and what he felt that he confirmed was too crazy to be true, even though he knew almost for certain that it was.

“No…” he could only mutter.

“You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that?” Oli slowly stood with shuddering breath, now unable to pretend that the voice he just now heard belonged to anyone else other than the character who said that exact line in exactly the same way in the second half of the series premiere.

As he continued listening to her monologue and hearing her refer to each of the characters he came to know and love by name, he slowly limped his way to the stairs, creeping up each step two feet at a time, careful not to betray himself to her or any one of them. Upon spotting the top step, he got down to all fours and crawled as quietly as his injured chest and legs would allow.

“You see, Nightmare Moon, when those elements are ignited by the spark that resides in the heart of us all,” she concluded, “it creates the sixth element, the element of magic!”

Oli got as close as he felt comfortable getting without being seen, but the scene before him could not be clearer. The crystal orb with a six-pronged star carved into it floated high up in the chamber he was nearly inside before its light shone out everywhere. When he looked back after shielding his eyes from the flash, he noticed as six ponies, each of them he could no longer mistake for anyone else, began to float up as the shards of the broken crystal shot into their chests, creating their Elements of Harmony. With the unicorn he recognized as the Twilight Sparkle shifting back to join her friends to defeat Nightmare Moon once and for all, there was no way to deny it any longer.

“Oh my fucking god,” he whispered with a shudder.

Chapter II: Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones, June 1971

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Even with it happening right in front of him and his very own eyes, Oli still could not shake the gradually diminishing feeling that this was all a massively vivid dream. Stranger yet was that at no point since arriving in the land that he knew as Equestria did the ponies deviate in any way from what they said or did in the events of the episode he was now witnessing firsthand.

“Look at mine! Look at mine!” Pinkie Pie squealed in delight as she bounced towards Applejack to show off her Element.

“Aw yeah!” Rainbow Dash purred, appreciating her own.

“Gee, Twilight!” Applejacked exclaimed. “I thought you were just spoutin' a lot of hooey, but I reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship.

“Indeed you do,” another voice rang out as a bright light shone in through the broken window directly to Oli’s right.

Realizing what was about to happen, Oli tried to crawl backwards back down the stairs, hoping not to be seen by the orb that began to enter the castle ruins. In his panic, he brought his hurt knee back down on the steps, sending a searing pain back up through his leg. Oli grunted and groaned through as much of it as he could, slapping a hand over his mouth to force himself to stifle a yell. Unsure if any noises he made were heard, he began to quietly weep as the possibility of going unnoticed waned moment by moment. He continued to stay as silent as possible as he heard the rest of the scene play out.

“I’m so sorry!” She heard Princess Luna cry up above. “I missed you so much big sister!”

Celestia let out an exalted sob. “I missed you too.”

Pinkie Pie’s bawling sounded out next, and at this moment, Oli began to realize that he did not know anything that happened between this moment and when they all returned to Ponyville. He would find out soon enough.

“Hey!” Pinkie Pie suddenly chirped, returning to her happy demeanor. “You know what this calls for?! A party! Come on, the folks in Ponyville must be worried sick about us!”

“Please hold that thought,” Celestia suddenly said. “It appears that there is another among us.”

Oli could almost feel the color in his face drain out. Did she see me after all?! What can I do?! I don’t know how to get out of here! Shit!

Celestia’s hoofsteps came to the top of the steps, though Oli had his face buried in his arms as a last resort of protection. “It’s alright, young human. You’re no longer in any danger.”

Oli’s sharp, sustained gasp could be heard throughout the room.

“Human?” Twilight’s inquiry also suggested she knew exactly what he was.

“Wait,” Rainbow Dash spoke up. “What’s a human?”

“Please, come up,” Celestia coaxed. “I promise none of us will do you any harm.”

Oli slowly lifted his head, two small streaks of tears having ran down his cheeks. At the top of the steps, he could see Celestia and Twilight looking down at him, though it was not fear that they seemed to express on their faces, rather that of morbid curiosity. Soon, Luna and the other five ponies crowded around the other two wanting to see what this “human” Celestia and Twilight referred to.

“That’s it,” Celestia whispered, commending Oli for even the small act looking up at her. “You’re safe.”

With the other six ponies staring on, equally respectful of Oli’s boundaries, he suddenly found the strength to pull himself up to his feet, groaning the whole way up as he tried to stand on his weak knees. With his fuller appearance made to them, Twilight and her friends murmured uncertainly amongst each other. Luna, on the other hand, stayed silent and cautious.

Oli could see his guttural noises didn’t sit the best with the others, and he breathed in to assure them. “Sorry… I… hurt my knees on… the way here…”

“Oh my stars,” Applejack breathed. “It speaks Ponish like us!”

“What’s going on?” He looked to Celestia in particular. “Do you know what I am?”

Celestia nodded once. “I do. Furthermore, I believe I’m certain how you arrived here. Is the book you came here from nearby?”

Oli had no idea what he was supposed to expect from meeting the Princess Celestia, but the immediate calming effect she had in her voice was very effective. “It’s… it’s down here.”

“Princess Celestia?” Fluttershy spoke up. “What’s going on? What is everypony talking about?”

“I suppose we can discuss as this young… my apologies, young man, but I don’t believe I’ve gotten your name.

“It’s… Oliver.”

“I see. Well then, Oliver, would you please lead us to where the book is?”

To hear his name spoken back to him by her of all creatures brought him closer to on edge. “Yeah, it’s down here.”

Oli turned around and kept his eyes forward as he went down the same steps that he came from. The clattering of hooves descending behind him compelled him to turn and look to them, still unable to stop wrestling with the idea that he was indeed still dreaming in his room.

“This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder,” Rainbow Dash whispered to no one in particular.

“And it will probably only get weirder from here,” Rarity agreed.

“Come on!” Pinkie Pie cried out, all four hooves landing at the same time with each bounce she made. “Quit stalling already! Spill the beans!

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight scolded.

“It’s alright, Twilight,” Celestia softly hushed. “I’ve stalled for long enough. I will tell you all of the first human Twilight and I met.”

“Twilight and I?” each of the other ponies, Luna included, barked in unison.

“Wait!” Oli couldn’t help himself, looking back to Twilight. “You know about us too?”

Oli stumbled over his ankle, throwing himself down toward the last few steps down with a frightened yelp. Right before his face hit the ground, he felt himself suspended right above it, a twinkling magenta glow suddenly filling his vision. Before he could register what he knew happened, he felt himself tilted back upright and set down gently at the bottom of the stairs.

Oli stood still as the glow faded off of him, the sensation of real, genuine magic still fresh on his skin.

“Are you alright?” Celestia asked, the first pony to reach the bottom of the stairs.

“I’ve…” As shot as Oli’s nerves were, it was no use being sardonic now. “I am. Thank you.”

Celestia softly smiled and continue onward, a contrast to the other ponies who began to walk around him with unsure, sideways glances as he continued standing, still in mild shock.

“Guessing you’ve never experienced magic before?” Twilight asked, sympathetically.

Oli didn’t know what to say in that moment, but as the others continued, Twilight waited for him to follow them before she walked beside him.

“It’s alright,” she said. “I’m sure this is a lot to take in right now.”

Further inside the chamber he arrived in, Celestia and Luna both approached the open book with the strage text laying on the floor, the former seeming to recognize it immediately, though Luna’s face still betrayed her confusion.

“Many moons ago,” Celestia started, the ponies and human beginning to gather around the book, “a human, younger than Oliver here, arrived in Equestria from another world around the time I began mentoring Twilight. She claimed to have been transported here through a magic book she found in her world. During the summer when she first arrived, she became close friends with Twilight here.”

Oli and the ponies focused their eyes on her, this news a complete surprise to everyone present. As uncomfortable Twilight looked at being put in on the spot, she stayed steadfast in the expectation that her mentor would further clarify things for them. Oli himself wanted so badly to question what Celestia had said, but stayed silent for fear of the truth he knew about them getting out.

“What happened to her?” Fluttershy asked.

Celestia continued. “To spare you any unnecessary details, this human lost contact with our world once the summer had ended.” She then turned back to Oli before lifting the book in her magic, closing it, and placing it in his arms. “Somehow, the book ended up in your possession and has given you access to its magic, namely the ability to travel to and from our world from yours.”

The other ponies looked back to Oli, uncertain what this would soon mean for all of them. Through there stares, Oli began to piece the puzzle together in his head, and with a sudden realization that came to him, all he’d need to confirm it is the answering of a single question.

“Wait…” The idea of asking the question began to feel more insane the more he thought about it, but the words just came right out. “This girl didn’t happen to be named Lauren, did it?”

Soft gasps from Celestia and Twilight prompted all present to look back at them. Hearing himself ask the question and seeing everyone see Twilight and Celestia’s reactions only made Oli realize how stupid he was to ask it, and he closed his mouth with wide, terrified eyes, dropping the book back onto the floor; there was no way to avoid the truth now.

“How…” Even Celestia was at a near-loss of words. “How do you know Lauren?”

“I…” Oli exhaled hard. The bed he made was ready for him to lie in. “I don’t know her personally. She…” He winced again. There was no possible way to put this delicately, but any further delays were only going to make them trust him less. “I’m not even sure how it’s possible, but she… shared your story to the world.”

“Story?” Rarity questioned. “What story?”

“I sure hope it’s about the time I accidentally iced a cake with toothpaste instead of frosting!” The others looked to her with disdain over her unfortunate timing. “What? To be fair, it’s a really funny story!”

“No, it’s…” It was time to just rip the band-aid off. “I arrived here just as you were defeating Nightmare Moon. I know… some of what happened before then. How Twilight came to Ponyville, how she met all of you, and how was so wrapped up in stopping Nightmare Moon, she almost lost sight of the friends that helped her in her journey.”

Twilight’s expression was one of wide-eyed wonder, while the others looked back at each other in what Oli could only register as a collective existential crisis.

“You…” Applejack responded, “know all about that?”

“You mean…” Twilight stammered, “what we just went through, that was–”

Unbeknownst to Twilight, Celestia had walked behind her, stopping her question with a hoof upon her shoulder. “Perhaps it would be best if I explained this.”

“Explain what?” Rainbow Dash scoffed, her wings flaring in agitation. “That we’re just characters in some kind of… story?”

“Of course not, Rainbow Dash. Please, let me explain.” Rainbow Dash settled down, but her face was still somewhat angered and fearful. “Lauren was always a very gifted storyteller, and before the summer’s end, she wanted to share a story of ours as a way to honor and remember us by. It appears that the story she received was about your defeat of Nightmare Moon.”

“What do you mean by ‘appears,’ sister?” Luna spoke in. “Did you not know this would happen?”

“I did not. The story that I permitted her to take back with was one of the future that neither I nor Twilight knew about nor would ever know about so as not to influence our actions. Everything you went through, everything that Twilight and all of you have been through these past hours was a result of your own actions and yours alone, not Lauren’s, and most certainly not Oliver’s.”

“So…” Pinkie Pie sounded somber. “Does this mean no one knows about the toothpaste cake?”

“I’m afraid not, Pinkie Pie. I’m sure this revelation must be upsetting to you all in some way, but please know that everything you experienced tonight was real and genuine. You all came together and wielded the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon, which you were only able to accomplish because of the real and genuine friendship you share with each other.”

The ponies save for Celestia and Twilight looked aimlessly at the ground, still not entirely convinced. Twilight especially looked hurt as the ponies she had just affirmed her friendship with moments ago could hardly look at her.

“I’m sorry,” Oli whispered, the breaking of the silence prompting everyone else to turn and look at him. “I…” He then looked up at Celestia. “How do I return home?”

Celestia gently shook her head. “Oliver, please–”

“No, I’ve already caused enough damage here. I would have been content living the rest of my life believing you were all characters in a story, but I… can’t do that anymore. Now that I know you… and your friendship are all real, I just can’t… I feel like I just destroyed something really special that I can never put back together again. So please, just tell me how I return home and I’ll never bother you again.”

Celestia stayed silent, knowing that she would soon need to honor his request if nothing improved soon.

Looking back at a still-shameful Twilight, Applejack put on a firm face and stepped out and face Oli directly. “Now hold on, sugar. There might be a whole lot about this whole mess that I still don’t understand, and I know I ain’t alone in that regard, but the Princess is right. No matter what some… human or some story about us says, I know for a fact that we all chose to come together to help Twilight defeat Nightmare Moon. And yeah, even with everything we just learned, I’ll be big enough to admit that I’d do it all over again if it meant I’d still get to be with all of you.”

The others looked back to Twilight, smiling proudly in agreement as their eyes beginning to well up, Applejack’s words reaching through to them. Twilight breathed in a shuddering breath, and Applejack looked back at her, smiling.

“Y’all will always be my friends, and nothing will ever change that.”

Twilight let out a sob and closed her eyes, letting two tears roll down her cheeks. Applejack approached her and put an assuring hoof on her shoulder, looking into her eyes with the same loving determination she gave her at the cliff she helped guide her down. Twilight and Applejack threw their arms around each other, their tears draining onto their respective shoulders. One by one, each of Twilight’s new friends all approached her and joined Applejack in the embrace, their tears falling to the floor.

Physically spent, Oli sunk to his knees, relieved that his actions at least weren’t able to fracture these ponies’ friendships with each other. He couldn’t help but notice as Luna nuzzled her head against Celestia’s leg before she laid her chin down across her sister’s back, wanting to ensure her that she was still just as loved in spite of this news.

Twilight broke her head out of the scrum to look at Oli watching the scene play out by himself. With soft smile, she knew what she needed to do. Backing away from her friends, she walked towards Oli in an act that prompted them to stop and watch what she was about to do.

Oli, still on his knees, straightened himself as Twilight stopped before him looking into his eyes. “Listen, Oliver, I know this is probably not how you wanted our first meeting to turn out. In fact, I have to believe you never expected to ever meet any of us, but I know you didn’t mean any harm in what you asked, and I don’t want you feeling guilty if you feel you created a rift between us.

“Like Princess Celestia and Applejack said, everything we’ve been through in the past few hours was all real, and the friendships I made with them is equally as genuine. I also believe that book you found chose you and wanted you to come here for one reason or another, and if that’s the case, I’d like to be the first to offer my friendship to you.”

Oli stared at Twilight’s hand as it raised itself up toward him, unable to think of what to do next. “You want… even after…?”

Twilight nodded with a chipper, “Mmhm.”

Oli slowly lifted his right hand off his lap and moved his fingers around her hoof, still too anxious to make physical contact with it. Looking back up at her and her trusting smile, he also glanced behind her as her friends watched on, unsure of what he would do. Finally, with a weak breath out, he mustered the strength to wrap his hand around her hoof and give it two gentle shakes. With their bond now formed, Oli laughed out a sob, amazed beyond measure to shake the hoof of the Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight relaxed herself, glad to have eased Oli’s tensions at long last. “Now, I think we’re due a proper introduction. My name is Twilight Sparkle. It’s a pleasure to get to meet you, Oliver.”

“Please,” Oli giggled, “the pleasure is all mine. And… my friends call me Oli.”

Twilight smiled even wider, even more chuffed to have reached a nickname basis with him. “Then I’m very mucvh looking forward to our summer together, Oli.” She then turned back to her friends, who seemed to be in just as much disbelief as this strange creature was. “Girls, please, come say hello to Oli–”

“You don’t have to ask me twice!” Pinkie Pie slid up next to Twilight as if propelled by her own excitement. “Hi Oli, my name’s Pinkie Pie! Listen, you might have heard me say earlier that we should throw a party to celebrate defeating Nightmare Moon and reuniting Celestia with her long-lost sister, but if it’s okay with you can we also combine it into a ‘Defeating Nightmare Moon and Reuniting Celestia With Her Long-Lost Sister AND Meeting a New Human Friend’ party?!”

Oli, even with the full knowledge of Pinkie Pie’s boundless energy and vigor, felt himself exhausted by it up close and personal. “I, well…”

“Give the poor fella a break,” Applejack playfully scolded, coming up next. “Let him get settled first. Hi Oli, name’s Applejack. Sorry if your first few minutes in Equestria weren’t what you hoped.”

This time, Oli met Applejack’s raised hoof with both hands at the same time, giving her a much firmer shake to her. “I can’t say I was exactly ‘hoping,’ but it’s an honor nonetheless.”

“Good. Looking forward to gettin’ to spend some time with you.”

Applejack backed away as both Rarity and Fluttershy both approached him together, the latter turning her head away so that her only part of her left eye was visible behind her thick, long pink mane. Oli smiled as he placed both hands on his knees and leaned down ever so slightly to appear less of a threat.

“Well, hi there,” he spoke as demurely as he could. “Would you mind telling me your name?”

Rainbow Dash, the last of Twilight’s friends not standing near Oli watched in mounting incredulity as Fluttershy turned her head towards him, her large blue eyes now visible to him. Despite the fact that he more than likely already knew their each of names, the respect he showed her to let her introduce herself on her own brought out a confidently trusting smile in her.

“I’m…” she began. “I’m Fluttershy. It’s… actually nice to get to meet you, Oli.”

“Thank you.” Sam laid his palm open for her to place her hoof into, and with a light squeeze of the tip as he would for any lady, he gave it a single shake before letting her set it down and giving her space back.

“Quite the charmer, aren’t you?” Rarity came before Oli, already offering her hoof. “Rarity. Pleasure to meet you, darling.”

Oli giggled, taking her hoof the same way he took Fluttershy’s. “You say I’m a charmer…” With a slight hesitation, he quickly brought his face down and pecked the front of her hoof with his lips. “…but I’m feeling very charmed right now.”

Rarity pulled her whole body away, giggling as she struggled to hide the blush appearing on her cheeks as Oli placed a hand over his heart, glad to see she appreciated the gesture. As Oli looked back forward towards Rainbow Dash, he jolted to see her already standing before him, her frown telling him she still found him suspicious.

“So,” she sneered, “this story you say I’m in…” She then bashfully looked away and smirked. “Does it at least make me look cool?”

Oli decompressed and laughed. “The coolest.”

Rainbow Dash stood straight and tall, her pride stoked. “Alright, then it sounds like we’re going to be good pals. Rainbow Dash, cool to meet you, Oli.”

Rainbow Dash held her hoof out straight out to him, and Oli, immediately understanding the gesture, balled his hand into a fist and pressed it against hers.

“Wow,” was all Oli could muster.

“Wow’s right, buddy. It’s not everyday you get to bump hooves with the fastest flyer in all of Equestria, buuuut you probably already knew that, didn’t you?”

The smug, sly allusion left Sam flushed, an expression that Rainbow Dash delighted herself with greatly.

“Just teasing you, Oli.” She patted him on the shoulder. “You’re cool.”

“Ah… great.” With introductions mostly finished, Oli stood to his feet with the book in his hands to look down at the ponies that he could now officially call friends of his.

“Oh my goodness!” Twilight exclaimed. “Spike! He’s still–”

“In Ponyville, safe and sound,” Celestia calmly interrupted as she and Luna approached him. “While it would be wise to return soon, there are a couple more things I request from you. Firstly, Oliver, would you mind giving Twilight that book there?”

“I… okay?” Oli did as he was told, Twilight taking it and holding it beside her in her magic. “I’m guessing I’m going to need that to return home.”

Celestia chuckled, amused by his intuition. “Indeed you will, but for the time being, I would like Twilight to keep it in her possession. Keep it safe with you at the Golden Oaks Library so that Oli has a safe place to arrive at whenever he chooses to come.”

“But…” Twilight was confused. “Won’t I be taking it back home…” The realization hit her. “…in Canterlot?”

“What?” Applejack piped in. “She has to go back?”

“On the contrary,” Celestia answered. “Twilight, when we return to Ponyville, remind me to have Spike draft a note stating that you shall continue your friendship studies in your new home of Ponyville.”

Twilight eyes grew wide. “I–”

Before she could come up with a response, Twilight’s friends crowded around her in joyous cheers and nuzzles, gladdened for her to get to continue living with them.

“Thank you, Princess Celestia.” Twilight wiped her eyes. “I won’t let you down!”

“I have every confidence that you won’t. Now, there are some further details regarding the books that I wish to discuss with all of you at another time and place. Oliver, would you happen to be available tomorrow morning to meet? Say, 24 hours from now?”

Oli patted his pockets, visibly disappointed to not find his phone there. Despite this setback, he knew he could easily check the time upon returning home.

“Sure thing,” he said. “If I’m not right on time…”

“That’s perfectly acceptable,” Celestia said. “I trust you’ll be as punctual as possible. I can discuss our meeting place with the rest of you upon our return to Ponyville, but Twilight, please be sure to bring that book with you beforehand.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course, Princess.”

“Very good. Now, please open to the center pages.”

Twilight lifted the book back out and held it in front of Oli, who watched as Twilight’s aura perfectly flipped through the first half of the book in one motion, setting it exactly where she was instructed to.”

“Whenever you’re ready, Oliver, read that passage, and you’ll be back in your own world.”

“Thank you.” Oli turned to Luna, who seemed surprised by his acknowledgement. “Keep your chin up, your highness. Everything will be okay for you now.”

Luna smiled earnestly and bowed her head, grateful for his well-wishes.

“And thank you all for taking a chance on me,” he said. “I look very much forward to tomorrow and each day after.”

“And we greatly anticipate your return,” Celestia bid. “Fare thee well, Oliver.”

The other ponies all bid Oliver goodbye as well as he returned his attention to the text in the book, whose text was just as understandable as that of the book back home.

Two books bridge two destinations, he more confidently read. Destinations that lead to the place called home. I permit myself to return there through use of this tome.

The tingling began to flare up in Oli’s head once again, but he was prepared this time.

I wish and pray that sooner than not, I will return to the other side, for nothing is more valuable than this desire I feel inside.

Oli felt his mind snap once again, and with the imminent travel that was about to commence again, Oli simply closed his eyes and allowed the forces that be to do what they needed to. The ponies watched incredulously as the top of Oli’s body squashed itself in to fit between the void created between the middle pages.

Oli suddenly remembered as he fell down how unpleasant his first landing was, and right at the moment of realization, his body flipped around to pass through the other book. As before, Oli was flung out feet first, but a prepared kick out with both legs propelled his body upright. As his head and arms came out last, he readied his feet to land upon his bedroom floor. With the book on the bed as he had inadvertently left it, Oli couldn’t ready himself for the extra few inches he didn’t account for, landing awkwardly on the balls of his heels and tripping backward, landing flat on his back. Oli groaned as he tried to find a comfortable position to stand himself back up with.

Oli sat in his parked Volkswagen van that had certainly not seen better days from its previous owners if the numerous dents of varying sizes and the missing passenger-side mirror was any indicator. As he waited for Jessie to leave the daycare building and hop into his car so he could take her home, he just prayed that he wouldn’t have to deal with an overzealous parent accusing him of sinister intentions. Fortunately for him, after less than ten minutes of peaceful solitude, he noticed Jessie virtually leap out of the door and bound down the steps before throwing the van door open and jumping inside.

“Oli, you made it!” she cheered

“Seatbelt please.” Jessie wordlessly obeyed his command, prompting Oli to pull away in the direction of the nine-year old’s house.

“You wouldn’t believe what happened today!” Jessie began to rattle off. “First, the fridge broke down overnight, so all our snacks got ruined, but they decided to have an impromptu pizza party and we watched The Princess and the Frog! Second, we played capture the flag and I was SO. CLOSE to capturing the flag! You should have been there!”

Oli struggled to come up with a reply, the growing bout of silence between them quickly turning the conversation sour. Before Jessie could come up with a reply, Oli turned to look at her as he pulled up to a red light.

“You wanna’ hear how my morning went?”

Chapter III: Day N' Nite - Kid Cudi, February 2008

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Oli opened the door for Jessie, who stood and waited while he placed the spare house key back under the mat.

“And then she said, ‘Meet us in 24 hours,’ I read the spell, and I came back here.”

Jessie was let into her house with a motion of Oli’s arm, still in awe over everything he told her. “Wow. That actually happened?”

“Trust me, I wouldn’t go through telling you all that if it weren’t, especially since you’re probably going to–”

“You have to take me with you!”

“…Yeah, that.”

“Come on!” Jessie ran to the kitchen toward a sliding glass back door.

Oli followed in a walk. “What are we doing?”

“Come on, come on! Let’s call Princess Celestia and tell her to bring us up here!”

“That’s not how that works, Jessie.”

Jessie was beyond reason, throwing the door open where it hit the jamb with a loud clatter and bang. Oli just kept his eyes on the floor near the doorway, keeping an eye on–

“MRAH?” the squeak of a young Scottish fold sounded to Oli’s left as it curiously made its way toward the outside.

“Ah!” Oli snapped and pointed, the cat freezing still in its tracks long enough for him to step out and close it behind him.

“We’re right here!” Oli looked back at the sizable backyard as Jessie hopped as high as she could, flailing her arms out to get the attention of whatever was up there. “Come on, we’re–” She heard Oli’s footsteps on the grass, somehow making her even more excited than she already was. “Look, it’s Oli! You know him! Let us up!”

“Jessie, please.” Oli was firm, but compassionate. “I told you that’s not how that works.”

“Then how does it work?” She was getting very frustrated now.

“I would need to use that book to transport us, but–”

“Then get the book already and let’s GO!”

“Please, let me finish.” Oli held his hand out in a “stop” gesture, and refused to continue until he was certain she would let him. “I don’t even know if I can bring other people with me. I’d hate for you to be ready and then I leave you here in your boring little house.”

“Hey, my house isn’t boring, YOUR house is boring!”

“I agree, but until I can figure out a way to take you with me, I can’t do much of anything.”

Disappointed, Jessie stood still and crossed her arms with pouted lips. Oli sighed; he knew this wouldn’t be easy, but it was at least nice to be able to tell someone.

He walked up to her and knelt down, struggling to get her to look into his eyes. “Jessie, you’re the one who got me into this show in the first place; you know I wouldn’t pass up on an opportunity to take you to Equestria if I had the chance, but… that chance just doesn’t exist at this moment.”

“Then MAKE it exist!” She stamped her foot on “make.”

“I’m trying. I pretty much spent my the rest of my day reading through the book looking for someway to bring other people with me. He– Heck! If I could bring Twilight and her friends here, I bet you’d like that too!”

“Then why aren’t you making it happen?”

“The simple answer is, because I don’t know.”

“Then you’re the worst babysitter ever!”

With her arms still crossed, Jessie marched her way back inside the house, Oli staying behind her each step of the way. Throwing the door back open and stepping in, she waited for Oli to come up. As he lifted his foot to step inside, Jessie grabbed her cat and pushed him out of the door, who let out a rattly moan as it worked to acclimate to the suddenly new surroundings.

“Jessie, that wasn’t nice.” Picking the cat up, he suddenly heard the door close.

Tilting his head up, he watched as Jessie gave him an absolutely evil smile before the pushed down on the door’s latch, locking both him and the cat outside.

“Jessie!” Oli didn’t raise his voice too loud, but Jessie still opeted to sprint to the front door away from him. “Jessie come–”

He watched through the window as Jessie opened the front door and picked up the spare key under the mat. Oli’s eyes went wide with fear as she closed the door back up, locked both the knob and the deadbolt, and then went upstairs. He couldn’t hear, but he could see she was laughing.

“Hey– HEY! JESSIE!”

Oli began to breathe heavier, unsure what to do now. By now, the cat in Oli’s arms was squirming wildly, discomfited by his yelling. With its claws beginning to grab his skin, Oli was forced to let it go. To his immediate surprise and relief, the cat stayed still before sitting down and looking up at him. The two engaged in a period staring, neither sure what to do from here.

Oli sat cross legged on the patio as he held a maple leaf above Jessie’s cat, who was writhing around from curling to stretching as it tried batting and swatting at the piece of plant he teased it with.

“At least you’re easy to entertain,” he reasoned.

He was alerted by the sound of a knock on the glass of the back door. Turning around, Jessie stared at him, almost angry in her expression. Raising the leaf up, he goaded the cat into standing up so he could scoop it up with his free arm. As he approached the back door, she held her hand out at him to stop, and he did so, the tired cat now content to rest in his arm.

Jessie slid the door open a crack. “You better not be lying to me about being able to go to Equestria.”

Oli relaxed, knowing progress was already made. “I was trying to tell you, I wouldn’t lie to you about something like that. I know the first thing you’d want to do was either go there or meet Twilight and her friends, and I obviously couldn’t do that if neither were real.”

Jessie maintained her doubtful pout. “And you promise you’ll let me meet them?”

At this moment, the fact that he could very well never be able to take her to Equestria or bring Twilight and her friends to their world dawned heavily on him. However, with her keeping guard of her house and his lack of desire to tell on her to either to her parents, he knew what answer he ultimately had to provide.

“Yes, I promise.”

“You Pinkie promise?”

The moment of truth; and he was already in too deep to back out now. For what it was worth however, if it weren’t for her, he’d probably never give the show they ultimately bonded over a chance at all. He owed it to her. Staring her in the eyes, he took his cat-less hand and marked an X with his fingers. Next, he dip his hand down before shooting it forward, and then concluded with balling his hand into a fist and pushing it onto his eye.

In that instant, Jessie’s defenses melted, and she relaxed both her body and face over the binding agreement he gave her. With a flick up of the latch, she pulled he door open wide for him and her cat to walk back into.

Oli broke his phone out, browsing through the online menu for Domino’s. “What would you like on your pizza?”

“We already had pizza today!” Jessie’s loud voice was a perfect mixture of both amusement and disappointment over his forgetting.

“What, you’ve never had the same food twice in one day?”

Jessie began to contemplate. “I guess not. But daddy might get angry if he knows I ate that much pizza.”

Oli bobbed his head. Fair enough. “So, you in the mood for something else then?”

“I don’t know, what else is there?”

“I mean, if you’d like, we could run to the store and get some stuff to make something here?”

“Ooh, like cupcakes?”

“…Not exactly what I had in mind for a meal, but we can pick up some stuff to make cupcakes.”

Jessie gasped. “I had a great idea! What do you think Pinkie Pie’s cupcakes are going to taste like?”

Oli chuckled, the anticipation getting to him too. “I don’t know, probably happiness that you can eat.”

“Oh my gosh, why can’t we go to Equestria sooner?!”

“Yo, I’m workin’ on it!” Oli’s light New Yorker accent put Jessie into a giggling fit.

Oli checked his watch; it was already well past five o’clock. “Say, why don’t you get your shoes on so we can get to the store before it gets any later?”

“Okay!” Jessie ran up the stairs, going so wildly fast that she tripped and fell onto the carpeted corners.

Oli reached out to help, worried that he hurt herself, but she quickly got back up and ran equally as fast to her bedroom. Patting his car keys in his pocket, he went to the front door to put his own shoes on.

Oli leaned against the jamb of Jessie’s bedroom doorway as he watched her gently stir in her bed underneath her Twilight Sparkle-adorned covers, partially illuminated by the Princess Celestia nightlight plugged into the opposite wall. The plethora of other My Little Pony merchandise and toys adorning the walls and floor only served to strengthen his resolve to fulfil his promise to her. Leaving her to sleep, he turned out the hallway light and went downstairs to await either of her parents’ return home.

Sam quietly turned the knob to his own front door, quickly pushing it open to eliminate the awful creaking sound that would usually erupt should he had closed it any slower. All the lights were off, and he was certain his dad was sound asleep by this point. Though physically and mentally wiped by the day’s events, there was still so much that he felt needed to be done, especially with his pact with Jessie now looming over him.

Nimbly bounding up the steps two at a time, he walked with rapid tiptoe back towards his room, finding his door slightly ajar. A pang of intense fear sprung up in him, and without breaking his stride, he threw his door open, his eyes trained directly on where he knew he left the book. If it wasn’t for the burst of adrenaline running through him, the relief would have left him collapsing on the bed and falling asleep on the spot. The book was indeed where he left it, half buried under the covers of his unmade bed.

Looking at his watch, finding that it was just before 11, he looked back to the book and contemplated the decision he was going to make next. Turning back and peering at his dad’s slightly-open bedroom door, he kept his eyes on it as he turned around and head back to the stairs. Walking to the kitchen, he grabbed two Pepsis from the fridge and returned upstairs to his room with them.

Setting them down on his desk, he removed the day’s clothes and put on a new shirt and gym shorts. He then took the book from his bed, closed his computer lid, and opened the book down onto it. Grabbing a pen from the cup to his computer’s right, he opened the book about a quarter of the way in where a half-folded sheet of paper marked his place. Unfolding it and setting it to his left, he took a look through the notes he already made, nodding in reluctant acceptance of the uselessness of them.

Finally, he cracked open the lid of his first Pepsi can, marking the start of his long cram session.

One hour in, and he was now about a third of the way through the book. Only two new notes were added to his sheet, both as currently useless as the ones preceding it. Lifting his can up, he groaned at the realization that he was at most one big gulp of his first soda away from finishing it, and hardly any progress had been made. With his eyelids feeling heavier and heavier by the minute, seemingly unaffected by the sugar their owner was feeding to it, Oli stared at his current spot in the book, wondering if he should hurry up back to bed before he could fall asleep at his desk, a scenario that was quickly becoming a certainty.

Shooting himself up and shaking his head, Oli opened his second Pepsi before guzzling down the remains of the first. Placing it on the top of the trash in his garbage bin, he focused back on the text of the book, hoping to find something inside that would permit him to keep his promise to Jessie.

More minutes passed, the time between now and daylight continued to close, and Oli’s last Pepsi was getting emptier and emptier. Worst yet, the exhaustion creeped back in as insidiously and unnoticeably as before. He was about ten pages from the traveling enchantment in the very middle, and he was already fairly confident that he would not stay up to even reach that point.

Sam stretched and yawned for what he knew would be the final time, finishing his can of soda in three determined, almost painful gulps. Placing it beside the first can, he began to scan skim through the words of the following pages, just wanting to find something, anything, that would be useful to him and Jessie.

Within twenty minutes, Oli reached the halfway point, the passage that would take him to Equestria now back in front of his eyes. Between his self-deprived sleep and the determination he felt to continue going, he simply stared at the familiar text now in front of him.

Friends to inspire… learn from… and laugh with… Oli could hardly even register having read any words at all. Whether separated by inches… I shall cross… for nothing is more valu…

Oli was barely even conscious as his eyes closed, his body hunched over his desk. Though the words were no longer there, he still continued to think about them even as sleep took–

*CHTCK*

The snap in Oli’s head jolted him awake, and as he looked back down at the book to continue reading, he realized then and there where in the book he was and what he must have done to make the center sink in the way it was.

Oli could only look up at his wall and mutter the only thing he could think of.

“Shit.”

From both his bitter acceptance and the spell’s activation, Oli fell forward into the book as it dragged him. With the sudden rush of freefall waking him up, he forced his body to prepare himself for his imminent “landing.” Flipping over and thrusting through the threshold in Equestria’s book, he landed more firmly on his feet than he had at any point so far. As the rest of himself was ejected from the book, he kept his stance on the floor until he was entirely spat out. Even in his half-tired state, he could tell from the books that surrounded him inside the dug-in shelves within the walls where exactly Twilight had placed the book and where he had ultimately ended up.

“Oh boy…”

Every candle on each sconce throughout the room went alight with a white flame, producing the same effect as lightbulbs in any house on his own world.

“Oli?!” Twilight’s irritated hiss seemingly twisted Oli’s neck around for him to look at her, her mane and tail disheveled with bedhead. “Oli, what are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

The shame he felt in his mistake quieted him temporarily. “…Yes, I’m sorry. It was an accident.”

“How do you come here by accident?!”

“Twilight?” The boyish, drowsy voice of Spike sounded up on Twilight’s level. “Who are you talking to?”

The purple-and-green dragon and Twilight’s almost-lifelong companion made himself visible as he peered over the edge of the third floor bedchamber to spot Oli standing stiffly where he had been the moment Twilight made her presence known to him.

“Whaah!” Spike ran behind Twilight and hid behind her flanks. “Twilight, what is…” Fear and anxiousness soon gave way to a growing sense of realization. “Wait, is that…?”

Twilight audibly groaned over what she’d now have to deal with this early in the morning. “Spike, please follow me.”

His eyes traced both Twilight and Spike as they went down the stairs to Oli’s level, Spike staying close behind each step of the way. Finally, both pony and dragon were within feet from each other, Spike still somewhat uncertain.

“Spike, this Oli. You were supposed to meet him tom– earlier this morning, but I suppose someone just couldn’t wait to come back here.”

“Please,” Oli mumbled, “it’s not like that. I was up late reading through the book looking to see what I can find on there.”

“Like what?”

Oli sighed, unsure if his next choice of words were going to come off offensive. “Look, the point is I reached the passage that sends me here, I was too tired to forget to not read it, and it sent me here.”

Twilight let out a long sigh. “Okay, I understand, but you really need to be careful about what you read in that book from now on.”

“You’re right, and I’m sorry.”

“What exactly were you trying to look for?”

Oli could only help this would sound less awkward than his question yesterday. “You wouldn’t by chance know if it’s possible for any of you to come to my world… do you?”

Twilight cocked her head. “Why do you want to know?”

“It’s just… I’d like to maybe like to have you and your friends over at my place sometime. Was just curious if it was even possible.”

Twilight seemed only slightly confused. “I mean, this could have waited until later, but if you must know, yes, Lauren and I did spend time in your world, but I never left her house, and she was always careful to hide me from her friends and parents. She had no idea how they would react, and she didn’t want the worst to come to pass.”

Spike stepped forward to make himself seen. “You aren’t suggesting that you want us to meet your friends and family, do you?”

Twilight and Spike awaited Oli’s answer, but his inability to do so, seemed to be all the confirmation Twilight needed. “Oli? You… haven’t told anyone about us, have you?”

There was no getting around it… again. “She’s a six-year old girl that I babysit. Not to keep driving the story thing into the ground, but she’s actually the entire reason I know of your story in the first place. I told her about what happened yesterday morning and I promised her that I could let her meet you. Whether I bring you to my world to meet her or have her accompany me to Equestria doesn’t really matter, it would really mean the world to her.”

Twilight frowned at Oli, her tired bloodshot eyes making her look far more annoyed than she actually was. “And you haven’t told anyone else?”

Oli shook his head. “I felt like I needed to tell someone, and she just seemed to be the safest one to confide in.”

Twilight closed her eyes and blew out a sigh, appearing much more relaxed and at peace with the situation. “If it’s just a child you told, I don’t think that should be too much of an issue, but the next time you choose to tell someone about us, please make sure all of us are aware of it. I don’t know how much your world has changed since I last saw Lauren, but I don’t want you or any of us getting in trouble because you decided to tell the wrong people.”

Oli relaxed himself too, a weight lifted from his shoulders. “Thank you. I’ll be much more diligent next time.”

“Alright. Now, let’s both get back to bed. My friends and I actually have to take a train to Canterlot and I have to be up in only a couple of hours to get ready and meet them at the station.”

Oli decompressed again, feeling even more shameful for his intrusion. “Right. Like I said, I’m sorry for bothering you so late. For what it’s worth, I do look forward to tomorrow.”

Twilight blinked hard before opening her eyes in a softened expression, managing to pull off a genuinely happy smile. “I do too, Oli. I’ll see you in just a little bit.”

“Have a good rest of the night, Oli!” Spike called with a wave of his hand.

“Thanks a lot, little dude.” Oli got to one knee and reached his hand out to shake, Spike not hesitating to approach. “I don’t think we got a proper introduction. Name’s Oli.”

Spike could only get his claws around three of Oli’s fingers, and Oli closed them around his hand accordingly. “And I’m Spike. You… probably already knew, but I’m Twillight’s #1 assistant!”

“Cool.” Oli nodded as he stood up, slowly backing toward the book on the stand. “Thank you two again for bearing with me. I hope you can get some more sleep.”

Twilight yawned, feeling confident that she would soon get to. “Yep. See you around, Oli!”

Not wanting to waste any more of their time, Oli went back to the book and quickly read through the passage left there when he had arrived. Feeling his head snap, he let the book take him in and drop him back down into the portal back to his world. With as deliberate of flexes and stretches as his feet could allow, he landed back on the floor of his room on the tips of his toes before lowering his feet to just above the floor, his return to his world silent save for the blast of rattling paper that came from the book.

Oli stayed in his position as he awaited the sounds of his own dad’s footsteps, unsure if he had still managed to wake him. After a minute of soundless waiting, Oli stood up, took one step towards his bed, and fell on top of it, losing consciousness the moment his head hit the pillow.

Chapter IV: Roll With The Changes - REO Speedwagon, April 1978

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Inside the main hall of the Canterlot Palace, Rainbow Dash impatiently paced back and forth in ten-foot intervals as Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity stood still, glancing between the numerous stained glass windows that filled the hall and the book that Twilight had left open on the floor in the center of their group. Pinkie Pie opted to stay by Rainbow Dash’s side, perfectly mirroring her steps, distance, and rotation speed she paced alongside her.

“You sure know how to keep a pony entertained, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie giggled, not missing a step. “This is fun!”

Rainbow Dash grunted. “Trust me, Pinkie, I’m the furthest thing from entertained right now. When’s he gonna get here!”

“Be patient, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack gently scolded. “It’s not as though we gave him an exact time.”

“I dunno, twenty-four hours seems pretty exact to me.”

“Twenty-four hours from when, though?” Spike inquired. “Did you happen to be near a clock or something?”

“In the Everfree Forest? Pppt!”

“Then we’ll just have to wait until he gets here,” Rarity said. “It’s no one’s fault, really.”

“Besides,” Twilight added, “we all agreed to make a day of this, so however long this takes, as long as we’re back home tonight, everything should be fine.”

“I could be napping right now,” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

“You could have also slept in and just flew here when it was time,” Applejack mentioned.

“But then our train ride would have only been 83% as fun,” Pinkie Pie squealed in, “and who doesn’t love a good ol’ solid 100%?”

Rainbow Dash slowed her pace to a halt, Pinkie Pie matching her motions precisely. “Yeah, I guess so, but I still wish he’d–”

A strong gust began to blow out of the book, the space between the middle two pages sinking in. The sudden noise brought each pony’s attention to the book just as Oli’s feet began to shoot up out of it. Wearing a pair of sneakers, cargo shorts, and a fitting t-shirt, Oli appeared far cleaner than any of the ponies or Spike had seen him up until this point.

Along with the rest of his body, the straps of a thin tote bag were wrapped around Oli’s right wrist, and as Oli landed his feet on the floor, the bag itself was spat out last, coming high over Oli’s head before he caught it with both arms as softly as his arms could allow.

“Yay, Oli’s here!” Pinkie Pie hopped over Oli and landed behind him, wrapping her arms around his back in a tight, thankful hug. “And look, he brought us presents!”

“It’s good to see you again too, Pinkie.” Oli stepped ahead, prompting Pinkie Pie to let go of him and allow him a little space. “Also, these are some records of mine I brought from home. I wanted to see if it was possible to bring them here with me and safely, and they all look to be in one piece still, so mission accomplished, I guess.”

“That’s why we had to wait?” Rainbow Dash blurted. “So you could bring some music?”

Oli shook his head. “No, I wanted to wait until my dad left the house. As far as he knows, I’m out taking a bike ride today while he’s out looking for guitars. He… likes to collect, restore, and sell instruments.”

“Ooh, how fascinatin’!” Applejack responded. “So you’re a musical kind of family then?”

Oli shrugged. “More or less. Either way, I’m sorry for keeping you. There are some people I’m not really ready to tell about you guys quite yet, and I didn’t want my dad suspecting anything.”

Twilight and Spike stole a glance at each other, unsure if their friends would pick up on the hidden meaning they knew of

Rainbow Dash glanced down at the ground, feeling a little guilty. “Eh, whatever. You’re here now, so now we just gotta wait for–”

The massive doors at the end of the hall groaned open, and two pristinely white-coated pegasi guards in gold armor stepped aside as Princess Celestia stood at the center of the doorway, her aura-charged horn continuing to push the doors open. Once they were perpendicular to the frame, Celestia felt comfortable stepping out to welcome her guests.

“My apologies for the delay,” Celestia bid them. “I heard Oliver’s arrival from behind the door and wanted to wait until then before I came to retrieve you. Were your travels pleasant?” As Twilight and her friends audibly confirmed their satisfaction, Oli kept still and silent, an act that seemed to humor Celestia. “And yours, Oliver?”

Realizing he was included in being asked, Oli stood attentively and nodded vigorously, mildly humiliated by the delay of an answer. “Yes! Yes, just fine. Sorry for keeping you. I wanted to wait until I was home alone before I came.”

“I overheard. I’m glad all of you were able to come. This shouldn’t take too much of your time, but I wanted to invite you all here to answer any questions or clarify anything that was not discussed yesterday morning. Now, if you all could just follow me…”

Celestia turned around and walked back towards the inside of her chambers. As Twilight picked up the book off the ground, she led Oli and the rest of her friends to follow the princess. As they made their way, Rainbow Dash walked ahead of Oli, taking a sideways glance at his light brown T-shirt that featured the AC/DC logo and an image of a cannon beneath it.

“AC/DC?” Oli turned to her, slowly smiling to hear genuine interest in her voice. “What’s that supposed to be?”

“They’re a rock band,” he answered. “Let me know whenever you want to give them a listen. I have a feeling you’ll really enjoy them.”

“Huh…” Rainbow Dash felt humbled by this invitation. “Thanks. I might take you up on that.”

By now, the group was well inside Celestia’s throne room, where she awaited them in the back. Once they reached her and the guards had closed the doors, she spoke to them once again.

“What I’m about to show you has not been seen by many eyes, but it will provide some much needed context and history of that book there. Please wait here until I permit you to enter.”

Oli and the Equestrians stood still as they watched Celestia touch the tip of her horn to the center of the wall. As the magic glowed over it, light began to travel out and into the wall, quickly creating the outline of another doorway. The others, including and especially Oli, were awestricken as the lines of light seeped inside the shape, creating a gorgeously ornate design throughout. Finally, the light-lines began to expand and fade out, creating an entryway into what appeared to be an ancient library, shelves upon shelves of books stretching back out into this hidden room divided by a single aisle running through the center.

With the spell completed, Celestia walked inside halfway before turning back, seeing the group still standing there, speechless. “You may enter now.”

Twilight once again led the back, staring intently at the room she was about to enter. “Still amazing…”

“You’ve been here before?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight nodded once. “With Lauren. Oli’s about to get the same talk she got when she got the book.”

Fluttershy returned her gaze forward, staring up at the tops of the shelves and wondering how many books must have been hidden here.

Celestia turned to the left between two shelves, and the others followed. About halfway in, Celestia had already selected a book from one of the upper shelves, pulling it out and lowering it down, the pages flipping open until they landed on the spot Celestia designated. The others crowded around her, waiting for the explanation they came for.

“The study of the magic of friendship is one that precedes even my time in Equestria.” Even having learned how old Celestia must be the previous day, this new revelation was equally as cowing. “There have been many others before me who saw the potential that friendship could offer ponykind, but this one in particular… is who I wish to tell you about.”

Turning around, Celestia presented the pages she opened to Oli and the Equestrians, showing a detailed pencil drawing of a unicorn wearing a thick robe and had a short, messy mane and tail.

“This is Starfinder,” Celestia continued. “While most, if not all of his works have been lost or forgotten to time, one of his most important breakthroughs is the reason two humans have been able to set foot in Equestria.”

“So he made the books?” Spike wondered.

“And how did one wind up on my world?” Oli asked.

Celestia flipped the next page over, showing another sketch of this Starfinder kneeling before a regally-dressed stallion.

“Starfinder’s upbringing was a very lonely one,” Celestia explained. “Having lost his parents at a young age, he longed for companionship that he struggled to find in his peers. However, he was an absolutely brilliant sorcerer, and his abilities were rewarded by Equestria’s king, also my father, with a seat in his court.”

Everyone save for Twilight let a sigh of awe escape their mouths, enthralled by this unknown history.

“The king wished to unite all ponies across all lands, and he sought Starfinder’s magical expertise to help find and gather the nations and tribes of the lands beyond Equestria. This is what led to the creation of the Dua Harmonium.”

Celestia flipped to the next page, an image of Starfinder holding two books on either side of him with his magic. Each book bore an identical resemblance to the one Twilight had in her possession, and Oli found himself glancing back and forth between the illustration and the genuine article that Twilight held. What seemed to draw his attention was the icon of the Elements of Harmony on the covers.

“Is that…” Applejack wondered aloud.

Celestia nodded. “Starfinder was the first recorded pony to wield the power of the Elements of Harmony, whose magic he drew from to give both books their power. As one could imagine, being the very first to use such extraordinary magic resulted in… tragic consequences.”

Celestia shut the book and placed it back in its spot on its shelf. “One fateful day, Starfinder had attempted to use the Dua Harmonium to locate and travel to a nation that was in dire need of friendship, but he failed to control its magic, and he and one of the Harmonium tomes… disappeared.”

With an immediate understanding, Oli looked down, finding himself back in a state of utter disbelief. “So… this Harmonium… ended up in my world…”

“Unable to return the other Harmonium to our world, he was forced to return and abandoned it on yours. Somehow, hundreds upon hundreds of years later, the book made its way into Lauren’s possession, and it saw fit to grant her access to its magic. Why the Harmonium waited until then to let itself be wielded is a mystery that I still haven’t managed to find the answer to, but it has now let itself be used by you, Oliver.”

“How did you even learn to read the gibberish in there?” Applejack asked, pointing to the book that Twilight kept hold of. “I’ve never seen a language like that in all my life.”

“That is the ancient text used by ponykind in the time of my father’s rule,” Celestia answered. “Unless Oliver’s experiences are any different, Lauren claimed to have learned the text in a dream she had shortly after coming into possession of the Harmonium. Does this sound right to you, Oliver?”

Oliver found it in him to nod. “Yeah, that’s exactly it. But…” Celestia leaned her head forward, awaiting Oli’s next question. “How did she lose the book? Obviously, there were a number of years it would have gotten passed around until I came across it, but… why… how could Lauren just give it up like that?”

Celestia closed her eyes, a preparing for the somber answer ahead. “While I can’t fully confirm this, the last time Twilight or I ever saw Lauren was the first day of autumn, and the first time we met her was the morning of the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Wait a moment…” Oli pulled his phone from his pocket and looked upon the screen, ignoring the odd stares his alien device received from the others. “Holy…”

“What is it?” Spike asked.

Oli stared at the date on his phone: Wednesday, June 22^nd. “Yesterday was the day I first came to Equestria. Yesterday was also my world’s first day of summer. So that means…”

“Lauren must have only had access to its magic during the summer,” Spike answered. “But then… wouldn’t she have gotten to use it again the next year?”

“I don’t know, Spike,” Twilight answered forlornly. “I wish I knew the answer to that. I did… I do really miss her though.”

Twilight blew out a sigh as a tear rolled down each cheek from both eyes. Pinkie Pie approached Twilight and lightly patted her back in consolation.

“You know…” Oli spoke up, bringing attention back to him. “Lauren is actually somewhat famous on my world. I’m sure if I reached out to her, I can get some answers as to what happened on her end. I refuse to believe that if she was that close to Twilight and Celestia that she’d just leave you like that.”

“Do you even know where to find her?” Rarity asked.

Oli shrugged and shook his head. “I honestly wouldn’t have the faintest clue. That being said, her story has gotten quite popular on our world, and if she ever decides to take part in a convention or something, we can always find her wherever she ends up going.”

“Will it be that easy?” Fluttershy asked.

“It can’t be that much difficult. Either way, I’m determined to get some answers before the summer ends, if that’s indeed how much time I have to spend with all of you.”

“Alrighty then!” Applejack exclaimed. “This wasn’t exactly how I planned to spend my summer, but who am I if I can’t learn to roll with the changes?”

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this eventually, but we got ourselves a cool new human friend to hang out with this summer, and time’s a-wasting!”

“You better make that two new human friends!” Spike blurted.

Twilight jerked her head towards Spike, and the other more casually turned theirs to him, unsure what he meant. As Spike covered his mouth, suddenly realizing his poor timing, Oli groaned in disappointment.

“Who is this other friend Spike mentioned?” Celestia asked. “Have you told anyone of your kind about us?”

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight stammered, “I can explain. Earlier this morning, Oli–”

“It’s okay, Twilight.” Oli stopped her with a motion of his hand. “I can explain.”

With all eyes on him, Oli did explain. “Yesterday after returning to my world, I… told everything that happened to a little girl I babysit back on my world. To make a longer story short, I went to Twilight much earlier this morning and told her that this girl is the entire reason that I know of your story and that I promised that I would either take her to Equestria with me or I’d have you meet her on mine.

“Perhaps I should have tried mentioning this to you earlier, but now that it’s out in the open, I… at the risk of sounding like I’m begging you here, I would very much love for her to meet all of you, or even let her come to Equestria… if you’d let her, of course.”

Oli bowed his head down, already feeling more than enough shame in even suggesting what he had. All he could wait for now was the confirmation from Celestia that he’d ultimately have to break his Pinkie promise to Jessie.

Finally, Celestia answered with a question of her own. “And what is this girl’s name?”

At last, the full burden that Oli felt lifted up, even if just a little. “J… Jessie…” He then looked up to her, his eyes subtly pleading. “Her name is Jessie.”

Celestia smiled, already seeming to accept his request before she verbally could. “Then whenever you choose to bring Jessie to our world, know that she will be as welcome a guest here as you are.”

Oli sunk to his knees, hunched over and sobbing. “Thank you. You honestly have no idea how good it is to hear you say that.”

“I may have some idea,” Celestia replied with a chuckle.

Rainbow Dash approached Oli and held her foreleg up to him. With a thankful huff, he put his hand upon the wrist of her hoof and pulled himself back up to his feet.

“Now,” Celestia said, “is there any other concern that you have that I can answer?”

Oli and the Equestrians looked about the room, searching for any other pressing issue that either of them may have. When enough time had passed without a definitive answer, Celestia spoke once again.

“Then it sounds like our business here is done for now. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if an issue presents itself. Until then, you are dismissed. Have safe travels back, my little ponies… and human.”

Oli saw Celestia wink to him, and the playfulness of such a gesture from one such as she made him laugh.

Oli and the Equestrians waved Celestia farewell one last time as the doors to her chambers closed, allowing her to return to her business and for the others to return to theirs.

“Well, that was quick!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Now what can we do?”

“I mean…” Rainbow Dash tapped her hoof on her chin. “…if no one has any suggestions, why don’t we go visit Oli’s world for a little bit?”

“What?!” Oli blurted.

“What?” Rainbow Dash responded in kind. “You think you’re going to recommend this AC/DC to me and I’m not going to take you up on it?”

“Plus,” Rarity added, “we won’t have to leave your house if that would make you more comfortable.”

“When’s your dad even supposed to be home?” Spike wondered.

Oli shrugged hard. “I honestly can’t say. It all depends on how many places he plans on stopping at. Not to mention, I don’t even know…” He then looked to the purple unicorn right beside him. “Twilight? How didLauren bring you to my world?”

“I would assume the same way you brought that bag with you.” Oli looked to the straps in his hand, almost forgetting he was still holding them. “Of course, we’d all have to stick close if we want to do this safely.”

“So… we’re really doing this.”

“Sure are, sugar.” Applejack came within reaching distance of Oli, followed by Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight. “Now, Twilight, are we just supposed ta’…”

“Everypony, just make sure you’re touching Oli in some way. Otherwise, he’s going to have to come back to get you.”

As Spike, Fluttershy, and Rarity crowded around him next, Oli began to look unsure. “You know, I don’t mind making multiple trips if that would be–”

Rainbow Dash hooked her hoof around Oli’s leg. “Come on, dude, safety’s for squares! Besides, we’re all in this together, right girls!?”

One by one, each of the ponies, put a hoof around another leg, either wrist, and in Pinkie’s case, she had put her arms around Oli’s chest. Spike and Twilight managed to find a part of Oli to hold on to and stayed still, trusting their friends to do the same.

Twilight opened the Harmonium to the center passage and holding it up for him. “Okay Oli, whenever you’re ready!”

As sudden and awkward as this was turning out, he could at least take solace that Jessie’s trip here would likely be multitudes easier. With a deep breath in, he concentrated on the passage and read through it quickly but deliberately. Within moments, the click fired off in his head, as it must have done for the others as they felt themselves letting go of him.

“That was realllllly wwwwwwweeeeeeiirrrrr.” Rainbow Dash tried to speak, but her words turned to empty echoes in everyone’s ears.

Oli, realizing no one was holding on any longer, reached out to grab at them, only to find gravity felling him back into the center pages. He watched his fall from reverse, the portal of Equestria getting further and further away before he was suddenly flipped over and shot feet-first out of his world’s Harmonium, which he had left at the edge of his bed.

Landing on his feet and tripping back toward his bedroom door, he sat down and watched as Twilight, followed by Applejack, then Rainbow Dash, Spike, Rarity, and Fluttershy were thrown out of the book and to the floor where were scattered.

“Cannonball!” Pinkie Pie shot out with her back legs tucked into her waist and holding them tight with her forelegs.

Landing in the center of Oli’s bed, she bounced up with is covers, the corners of which overlapped and wrapped around her. Pinkie Pie writhed around before her head popped out of the hole she managed to find.

“Woohoo!” she cheered. “That was great! Who knew traveling to other worlds would be such a thrill!”

“Probably egghead over here,” Rainbow Dash groaned with an accusatory hoof pointed in Twilight’s direction.

“I never said that.” Twilight rolled onto all fours and shook her head to recalibrate herself. “Besides, it’s been a long time since I’ve made this jump; I’m a little rusty.”

By now, the other ponies and Spike had gotten their bearings and were looking around Oli’s room, stunned by how it looked completely unlike any room they’ve ever been in any building they’ve ever entered. Posters for musicians lined the walls, and then there were the shelves of records and the player in the corners surrounding Oli’s bed.

“So,” Applejack gushed, “this is home for you, then?”

Oli nodded, feeling sheepish over her audibly positive reception. “Home sweet home.”

Rarity walked up to Oli next. “Now, you’re going to give us all a tour, right darling?”

From behind Rarity, the heads of each pony, along with Spike, seemed to sprout out, each smile expressing their eagerness to see the house of their newest, strangest friend.

Chapter V: You Get What You Give - New Radicals, November 1998

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Oli led his friends down the stairs, each of them walking single file as they took the time to admire the intensely modern architecture.

Oli reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped aside, permitting the Equestrians to browse the main floor at their own leisure. “Please be careful not to scratch or dirty the floors. We just had them cleaned.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide as she spotted the bookcases that lined the entire side wall of the living room. “Oooh…”

Oli chuckled, knowing exactly what she spotted without even having to look. “If you’d like to borrow one, let me know. Dad still likes to read those from time to time.”

The thing that caught Rarity’s attention the fastest was the pristine baby grand piano sitting alongside the wall next to the window. “What a lovely looking instrument. Do you play at all?”

“I…” Oli shrugged. “A little. Can’t remember the last time it was tuned, though–”

“Goodness me!” Rarity’s voice trailed off as she went another direction. “Just look at this kitchen!”

Oli let the others file in through the doorway before following them in. Oli spotted Rarity with her front hooves on the edge of the counter. Though the kitchen wasn’t particularly big, made even smaller looking by the long island the outer counter surrounded, the state of the art fridge, oven, microwave, and sink was definitely worth priding oneself over.

“I bet you could whip up all kinds of scrumptious goodies with these!” Pinkie Pie had already pulled the oven door down and stuck her head inside as far as the grates would let her. “Do you like cooking, Oli?”

“My dad’s more a cook than I am,” he answered. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bad at cooking or anything, but my dad considers it a second hobby.”

“Maybe he could have us all over for dinner one of these days!” Spike enthusiastically suggested.

“Well, first I need to tell him about you guys, and I don’t really know when the best time or place will be… yet. He knows your story too, but… well, he knows I know your story, but he considers it… child stuff.”

“What do you mean, child stuff?” Rainbow Dash asked, offended.

Oli closed his eyes. “As a matter of fact, I think now would be a good time to show you your… ‘story.’”

“Show?” Fluttershy wondered. “What do you mean show?”

Oli stepped aside and motioned his arm towards the den, which featured a large sectional, a glass table, and a flat-screen TV mounted to the wall. The others looked at the space inquisitively, still unsure what Oli implied.

“Please,” he said. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Twilight and her friends sat still as statues as they watched the events of the previous morning wrap up on the TV screen. The sole exception was Pinkie Pie, who Oli stole several sideways glances watching as she mouthed every line of dialogue that each character was saying, a pleased smile on her face.

By the time the animated Pinkie Pie announced her party upon her and her friends’ return to Ponyville, the others began to look to each other, uncertain of how these events would play out knowing that they did not end up coming to pass as the episode portrayed. They then all watched with total stillness as the animated Twilight was granted her stay in Ponyville alongside her new friends as the episode came to a close. Even as the credits rolled, Oli let them play out, wanting to give the Equestrians all the time they needed to process everything they just saw and heard.

Finally, Twilight broke the silence with a sniffle as she wiped the tears filling in her eyes. “So that was your story, Lauren…”

“Wowee, that was good!” Pinkie Pie cheered, looking to Twilight. “Your friend really is a good storyteller!”

“I… I don’t understand.” Applejack felt breathless. “It’s like she knew everything we did word for word, act for act…”

“Perhaps that story she got told her all that,” Fluttershy reasoned. “I must say, all in all, it was very respectful.”

“It doesn’t make it any less weird,” Rainbow Dash spoke, audibly shaken.

“And how,” Rarity replsied.

“So, what happens next?” Spike asked. “It looked like there were more ‘episodes,’ so maybe–”

“We should watch ten more!” Pinkie Pie’s blurt had every head turned toward her. “What? Just to give it chance!”

“I…” Rainbow Dash struggled to say. “Think I’ve gotten my fill of this ‘story’ for one lifetime.”

“I understand,” Oli responded. “I figured it would be a lot to take in, but I knew I’d have to show you eventually.”

Rarity slid off her spot on the couch and walked up to him. “And quite frankly, Oli dear, I’m grateful you did.”

“Though I’m curious,” Fluttershy piped in, “what does happen next?”

“Do you really want to know?” The Equestrians turned to look at each other, and Pinkie Pie was the first to accept with a nod, prompting the others to do so as well. “Well, each episode kind of deals with another event which has you learning about the facets of friendship. Like… Fluttershy… boy this is going to sound weird if… anyways, Fluttershy, what are your opinions of dragons?”

“Dragons?” Spike turned back to look, uncertain where this was going to lead. “I find them to be quite fascinating. You saw how I reacted when I saw Spike, right?”

“Right but… in this episode, you– your character apparently has a deeper fear of adult dragons, and you have to be the one to confront one when the smoke from its snoring begins polluting Ponyville.”

“Goodness, that doesn’t sound like me at all! I would have happily gone to that dragon myself and asked him or her to move! I may be shy around other ponies, but I love other animals of all shapes and sizes!”

Oli looked down, his mouth partly open in deep contemplation.

“What about me, what about me!?” Pinkie Pie mounted Fluttershy and waved her hoof wildly. “What kind of crazy shenanigans did I get into?”

Oli shook his head, quickly getting over this latest development. “Let’s see… you apparently cleared the town of these creatures called parasprites by marching them out of town with a bunch of musical instruments.”

“Yeah, that sounds like something I’d do!”

“And Rainbow Dash, you pulled off… actually, do you want to see the moment for yourself?”

“What mom…” Rainbow Dash began to pick up on Oli’s implication. “Does it make me look awesome?”

“The awesomest!”

“Then quit beating around the bush and put it–”

The sound of a garage door opening. Oli knew instantly who it was and felt the blood in his veins turn cold. As the doorknob turned and the door was pushed open, everyone sat or stood in complete silence as they heard footsteps approach them. Oli turned to the others and looked them in the eyes, swiping the tip of his hand near his neck and mouthing the words, “Not right now.”

“Oli?” After a few moments of no reply, he walked closer to the kitchen entryway before the sound of another door opening and the thumps of feet descending a basement stairwell dithered as they went lower.

“Does he know you’re here?” Applejack whispered.

“He may have been checking to see if I was back from my ‘bike ride.’” Oli struggled to match her impressively low, but still intelligible volume. “He must be dropping off the guitar he got before he leaves to check on another one.”

“What are we supposed to do?” Fluttershy was close to crying.

“If we stay quiet, he should take off right away. Now we just have to hope he isn’t also stopping stopping for–”

The footsteps began to ascend, and with them, the basement door creaked open, Oli’s dad stepping outside of it. Oli closed his eyes as he hoped the next set of footsteps would go back to the direction of the front door. Instead, they got louder as they came towards the kitchen. Oli opened his eyes, fierce determination filling them with what he was about to have to do.

As Art became visible as he passed the kitchen entryway, he made a habitual glance towards the den, seeing Oli standing there with an odd steadfastness.

“Oli,” he said, “what are–”

He then saw them, in all their colorful equine and draconic splendor. Oli could watch his dad’s face as it processed everything as it must have been happening: the initial thought that his son had decorated his couch with lifelike, lifesized dolls of these characters, followed with the quick dispelling of this notion as each of them stared directly at him with their fearful, blinking eyes.

“Oli…” His father stumbled backwards as he raised a trembling, pointing finger at them. “What the fuck is–”

“Dad, please, let me explain!” Oli sped towards him as his back was about to crash into the island, yanking him to a stop before he could.

“Those aren’t…” A sinister thought came into his mind, a scowl betraying this. “You didn’t seriously–”

“Dad, I said let me explain!”

Applejack came off her spot on the couch and cautiously walked around to approach them both. “…Mr. Oli’s dad, sir?”

Any anger that Art felt melted away into gripping terror as he legs began to buckle, Oli quick to hold him under his arms to prevent his falling. “Oh my shit, it just…”

The entire situation completely imploded, and Oli felt it hard to mask his frustration. “Dad, I know, please just take a seat, and I’ll explain everything.”

As Oli helped his dad over to a chair at the dining room table, Twilight and her friends all slowly got up and joined Applejack as she came to make an audience to him. Oli pulled the chair out, and Oli’s dad nearly fell into it, the shaking in his legs unable to stop, something Fluttershy couldn’t draw her eyes away from.

“Do you need some water?” Fluttershy asked.

Art's stare refused to let up, and the others stayed still at a safe distance, unsure how he’d react from this point on.

“Twilight.” Oli sounded both defeated and frightened. “Please get my dad a glass of water. Cabinet on the right next to the sink.”

Twilight simply slunk into the kitchen as quickly as she could, and Oli could feel his dad’s muscles tense as his entire head traced her motions. He then watched as the knob of the cabinet door went aglow with Twilight’s magic before the door seemingly opened itself. After seeing a tall glass float its way out, surrounded by more of Twilight’s magic, Art slumped over and buried his face in the palm of his hand.

“Dad…” Oli massaged his father’s shoulders, “it’s okay, I promise–”

“Son, this is the furthest thing from okay…” He refused to look at anyone. “The abosolute… furthest…”

Twilight’s other friends looked to each other, uncertain how this would go anymore. Oli reached his open hand towards Twilight, signaling her to pass the glass to him as she finished filling it. As it traveled its way over to him, Oli prepared to grab the glass, and as soon as it made contact with his fingers, Art slapped both the glass and his son’s hand away.

“Get that away from me!” His sudden shout, coupled with the blast and splash of broken glass and spilled liquid, made every Equestrian in the room, recoil and gasp sharply.

Oli winced as he shook his hit arm, furious and close to tears. “Dad, holy shit! Stop!”

The Equestrians sunk into themselves with growing fright as they were subjected to this sudden shouting match. Oli grabbed his father’s arm, and before he could try and wrestle it free, Oli knelt to him, keeping his grip steady and immobile.

“Dad, listen to me! This is going to sound insane, but these are my friends!”

His father hocked out a laugh. “Do you hear–”

“Yes, I just told you! And yes, they’re basically the same as the characters on that show I watch…” Oli quickly began to realize how insane he must have sounded to his father. “But… they’re obviously here now, they’re real, and… I have an explanation for this. But please, calm down.”

Oli began to breathe heavily, sobs oncoming. The Equestrians loosened their tensed muscles as they leaned in, concerned over their friend’s evident sadness, in spite of everything.

“Truth is…” Oli looked straight down to the floor. “When I first met them and realized they existed, I was actually really excited about introducing you to them. I wanted to do this another way, and now I have to do it this way.” He took a moment to wipe his eyes with his forearm before wiping his nose with his wrist and looking up at his dad. “And I don’t expect the explanation to sound any less crazy, but… honestly, you really won’t have much of a choice but to believe it.”

Oli’s dad squinted as he tried to find any hint to any answers he needed from him. “What are you talking about?”

Oli glanced behind him at the Equestrians on the couch, trying to express some sympathy for making them endure this. Art sat lazily at the dinner table across from his son, who kept his hand on his Dua Harmonium. For what it was worth for his father, he figured Oli was right; he’d have to take everything he was just told at face value.

…with some proof, at least.

“And their world is in that book?” Art quietly asked.

“The book serves as a portal to their world.” Oli answered back. “I… haven’t gotten a chance to try it with someone else, but–”

“No way you’re taking me there.”

“That’s fine, but let me finish. I don’t expect you to, but as far as I know, I’m the only one who can read and use this book.”

“Then how’d they get here?”

“I… can take anyone and anything with me so long as they’re in close proximity to me and in physical contact with me.” He then pointed at his dad before he could make the obvious retort.

After a little silence, Oli’s dad looked dead into his son’s eyes. “Show me though.”

Oli cocked his head, needing to confirm. “You mean…”

“Go to this other world then and come back. I want to see it for myself.”

“I… okay, I can do that.” Oli turned back to the ponies, who noticed and looked to him. “Is it okay if I leave you together?”

The Equestrians looked to each other before they all gave affirmative nods. Art's eyes softened, only now starting to realize that he may very well have irreparably traumatized them. Seeming to ignore this expression, Oli opened the book to its center and thought the passage purposefully. Oli took a sharp inhale as the snap hit his head again.

Art’s gasped as he noticed the crease of the pages began to darken as it depressed deeper than he knew was physically possible. Oli could only smile and say one last thing for the time being.

“I’ll be back in thirty seconds.” Oli was sucked inside the portal quickly after.

Despite his son’s promise, Art’s leaned over the book and stared at what was now just a crease of continuously folded paper.

“No way…” Art began to let any sense of disbelief slip out of his grasp, and in that moment, he knew his son was right.

Looking up at the Equestrians that he was just made a guardian too, they too looked into his eyes, uncertain what he would and could still do. It was still so much for him to take in. Even if to him, they were simply characters in children’s cartoon, Oli still showed genuine care toward them, and even they still seemed to trust and respect him as one of their own friends. Art stood up, and the Equestrians shifted, wondering if they would need to run and hide or not.

He sighed, expecting that much. “Look, I…” He took another, deeper one, knowing that every word from here on out really mattered. “I’m deeply sorry for how I just acted in front of you. I still can’t say I know what’s going on, or even how… but if my son is a friend of yours, I… From here on out, I’ll treat you with the respect and dignity my son’s friends deserve.”

He then turned around, slowly, faced them. “Oli… he’s a good kid… I’m sure you see that in him. He… doesn’t really ask for much, and… he wanted me to get to meet you guys… probably be friends with you too, even… Once again, I’m so very sorry that I made such a poor first impression on you. If you’d let me, I want to start over again with you guys. My son deserves that much.”

Oli’s dad knelt down and reached a hand out, hoping one of them would accept his attempt at reconciliation. The Equestrians looked about once again to each other, wondering who would be the one to show enough trust to accept his apology. It was Fluttershy who took the initiative to slide off the couch and walk up to him.

“Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash whispered, “are you–”

Without looking, Fluttershy continued to walk as she nodded in reply to the other pegasus. Once she was in front of him, Art looked down at her, and the two stayed still for a moment. As Art began lowering his hand down, Fluttershy gently scooped it back up with the bottom of her hoof and then placed it down onto his palm. Art shuddered, stunned with the knowledge that he had just earned the trust of this mythological creature.

“I’m Fluttershy,” she sweetly breathed out. “It’s truly wonderful to get to meet you, sir.”

Oli’s dad breathed in, not stopping until the tightness in his lungs refused to expand out any more. Unable to restrain the emotions bubbling over, threw himself over Fluttershy and pulled her in for a hug, letting his breath out in a loud, shameful sob. The Equestrians shot up, ready to pull Fluttershy away if they had to, but kept still as they saw Fluttershy’s arms around him as well, accepting his embrace.

“Please…” he whispered close to her ear. “Call me Art.”

“Art?” Fluttershy wondered in reply. “Is that–”

“Short for Arthur.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes and adjusted her arms, nuzzling the side of her head against his. “I really like ‘Art.’”

Just then, wind blasted up from the book still on the table, and Oli was flung out from it, this time preparing for the extra two feet of drop that he would subjected to. Once his feet were square on the floor and his balance had been completely regained, he began to turn toward the Equestrians.

“So cool news,” he began, “Celestia was kind enough to send the book back to Twi–”

He saw his dad with his hands placed delicately on Fluttershy’s sides, the clear aftermath of a hug.

“Guys…” Oli stretched a grimace as he slunk to the group. “What’s been going on?”

Art stood up and looked his son in the eyes, a soft smile now gracing his face. “Listen, I just told these ponies that I still can’t fathom how any of this is possible, but I don’t really care about that anymore. If they’re real, and they’re friends of yours, I’m choosing to let them be friends of mine too.”

Oli peered around his dad at the Equestrians, who all gave him confirming nods and smiles.

“This whole thing has been pretty new for all of us,” Applejack commented. “Can’t expect everypony to be right as rain with it.”

“Besides!” Pinkie Pie hopped up to let herself be heard and seen. “You should have seen it, Oli! Not to spoil the moment, but I was supes prepared to be the one to go up to him after that amazing apology…” She stole a glance to Art. “…by the way, but Fluttershy ended up being the one to accept it! Your dad melted in. Her. Arms! It was so sweet!”

Oli cracked a smirk, let out a jolly huff. “So… you’re–”

“Oh, jeez!” Everyone turned to Art, who was looking at his watch. “Completely…” He began to quickly march to the front door, pulling his car keys from his pocket. “Only stopped by on my way to the other buyer! I’ll be back shortly!”

He opened the door an Art-sized crack and slipped through it, tugging the door closed by its edge. Oli and the Equestrias were all alone… again.

“Well, that was fast.” Spike commented.

“Oh, shoot!” Pinkie Pie pounded the couch cushion. “I was so wrapped up in that moment just now, I forgot to introduce myself!”

“I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to have a proper, formal introduction, darling,” Rarity replied. “That being said, what shall we even do now?”

Oli put a hand to his chin, stroking in contemplatively. “You guys want to see the ‘studio?’”

The heads of each of the Equestrians raised, intrigued by his use of the last word. Oli smirked as he went to the basement door, opened it, and took one step on the top stair.

“I’ll lead you down this time.” The Equestrians each began to file up to follow Oli down. “And also, rule of thumb, please do not touch any instrument unless me or my dad give you permission. Cool?”

“Yeah, cool,” Rainbow Dash dismissively agreed. “Now, show us this cool studio of yours!”

“Trust me, it’s not that exciting.” Oli began the descent, and Rainbow Dash was the first of the ponies to head down the stairway, guided only by the light of a single light bulb shining into the corner from the ceiling. Oli reached the bottom and swung out to the right to let the others enter in.

As Oli promised, the basement appeared to simply be a space comprised of a concrete floor and supports to the rest of the house above. To the Equestrians’ left, they found what appeared to be a very well-organized and tidy woodworking station. A guitar case was resting on its side beside the left desk/cabinet, the instrument inside waiting to be worked on later. Twilight switched on the desk lamp situated a couple of shelves above the center table, giving the space and its contents much better illumination.

“Whoa!” Spike struggled to see above the desks and cabinets where his other friends could. “What is this?”

“That’s my dad’s workshop where he works on the instruments he gets,” Oli answered, followed by the click of another switch. “And this… is the ‘studio.’”

With several flourescents lighting up the entire right wing of the basement, the Equestrians’ eyes grew wide as they spotted what was once hidden by the dark. Over a dozen guitars of various shapes and sizes were fixed on the wall by mounted hangers. As the Equestrians came in and got a closer look, they were even more amazed to see that not only were the guitars unique, they all looked to be in near perfect condition.

“Oli, your…” Twilight was tempted to touch the sleek, shining finish of a Gibson Les Paul, but quickly kept her hoof from making contact. “Your father did all these?”

“Yeah.” Oli pointed to the same guitar. “That one right there? Thing was so busted that its last owner literally gave it to him. With a nice sanding, hardware replacement, and some TLC, he could probably sell that thing close to market value. He’s definitely proud of that one.”

“As he should. That’s a gorgeous looking instrument, and your father must be quite talented to make it look like that. You wouldn’t by chance have before and after photographs, would you?”

“And what’s all this?” Pinkie Pie’s voice echoed further in.

Oli quickly weaved himself around the ponies as they admired a section of wall dedicated to refurbished keyboards and synthesizers. He finally found Pinkie Pie standing before a folding table, upon which sat a DJ controller with two CDJs placed beside it. Fastened to the table and raised up above the wiring was a platform where Oli’s laptop could comfortably fit. As well, an empty keyboard stand and floor guitar stand were placed on both sides of the table.

“That’s… all mine,” he chose to answer.

“Whoa, are you, like, a DJ, Oli?” Rainbow Dash and the others began to gather around him and his equipment.

“Yeah. I… like to prefer the term ‘mashup artist’ though.”

“And what’s that mean? No offense, but I think ‘DJ’s’ cooler.”

“I haven’t gotten the chance to really show you yet, but all those records that were in my room? I digitally recorded them into my computer in my room. I’m able to extract the vocals and instruments from all the songs on those records, and I use bits and pieces of them to… well, ‘mash’ the songs up.”

“I can’t say I really understood a lick of that,” Applejack said with a strange sense of pride. “Maybe y’all could show us instead.”

“I’m… sorry, nothing’s really plugged in at the moment.” He then looked away, mumbling, “I should get on that.” He then picked up his normal volume. “I can… give you a basic concept upstairs if you like.”

“On your computer?” Pinkie Pie clarified. “In your room?”

Oli refused to say anything, the pink pony having made it clearer than anyone possibly could at that point.

Oli sat at his computer desk, the Equestrians crowded around him as they tried to get the best view for his exclusive creative runthrough. His laptop was already running his mixing software, two tracks already loaded up, each one on their own timeline and arranged so that certain peaks on their visible waveforms looked to match up with each other.

“Alright,” Oli explained, “I have this track up here…”

He pointed to the top one, which was named “INTERGALACTIC-VOX.” He then pointed to the one below, which was labeled “TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT-INST.”

“…and I have another track below it. First, I gotta’ set them to the right BPM, beats per minute for the uninitiated, and then…”

Hitting the spacebar, a funky synth passage began to play from the speakers. Almost as soon as the drums kicked in, a simple rap began to play over the track. Though the flow wasn’t extremely quick or overly technical, it fit the groove of the Led Zeppelin tune like a glove. Oli glanced off to his sides, noticing Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike bobbing their heads as they listened in. Twilight and Fluttershy seemed still in their contemplation, and both Applejack and Rarity seemed to be indifferent to it.

“I really can’t say this is my cup of tea,” Rarity said, “but I think I understand the concept.”

“Yeah.” Oli slightly lowered the volume along with his voice. “Now, when I’m doing shows, I tend to do all of this on the fly and with more isolated tracks; drums, keys, bass, guitars, heck I’ll lay keys on top of keys if I think they’ll work together.”

“Now did you just say ‘shows?’” Pinkie Pie asked. “You actually do this for other people?”

“Mmhm. I mostly do school dances and weddings, especially on the weekends, but it pays well and often enough that I can help cover bills and still have enough to keep buying records and equipment for myself.”

“Well that sounds mighty responsible of you, Oli,” Applejack complimented. “I bet you and your father really enjoy doing all that.”

Oli nodded, the extra affirmation giving him extra confidence to smile warmly. “Well, you know what they say, ‘Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life.’”

“You know,” Pinkie Pie said, “I feel the exact same way working at Sugarcube Corner! Wow Oli, you’re so wise!”

“Thanks, but it’s not exactly an uncommon phrase.”

“Don’t be so modest,” Rainbow Dash lightly punched Oli’s shoulder. “This is really cool what you do.”

“I also noticed those stands by your stuff downstairs,” Fluttershy piped in. “Do you also play instruments too?”

“Yeah. Guitar, keys, and drums. Always good to add your own flourishes now and then.”

“Did your dad teach you?”

Oli blinked, suddenly fighting to keep the comfortable-looking smile on his face. “He helped teach me the guitar, drums I was able to mostly figure out on my own, and… I taught myself how to play keys.”

“That’s amazing, Oli.” Twilight’s casual response allowed Oli to retain his relaxed composure. “When’s your next show, unless it’s not that soon?”

“As… a matter of fact, I have a show this Saturday.”

“Ooh, fun!” Pinkie Pie excitedly bounced up. “Can we come?”

“Now hang on, Pinkie,” Applejack said. “I know we managed to smooth things over with Oli’s father, but that doesn’t mean we can just start showing our mugs all over town.”

“Actually…” Twilight tapped her hoof to her chin. “We could–”

“Actually, hold that thought for a second.” Oli’s face was in his phone, reading the most recent message he got from his dad.

Stopping at the store to make dinner for you and your friends. Ask them what they like to eat, because I sure as shit don’t know.

“That your dad?” Spike asked, trying to pull himself up by the armrests of Oli’s chair to have a look.

“Yeah,” he breathed contently out. “Looks like you’re having dinner with us tonight.” This news resulted in a happy chatter amongst the Equestrians. “I may have a good idea of what you all can eat, but maybe you can fill me in more fully?”

Chapter VI: Human After All - Daft Punk, March 2005

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“Cheers!”

Oli, Art, and the Equestrians raised their glasses of limeade up as they sat at a long folding table on the back patio. With it getting late as it was, the sky began to darken as the late-afternoon sun began to dip under the horizon far off west, but the light of the kitchen through the glass door windows provided more than enough glow for everyone to comfortably see and enjoy their meal.

Sitting in front of each of the humans, ponies, and dragon were plates containing two black bean enchiladas along with a scoop of Mexican rice and a half ear of grilled elote sitting beside it. Filling the center of the table were two half-emptied glass pitchers of limeade, a large bowl of tortilla chips, smaller bowls containing a red salsa and guacamole.

“My word, Art,” Applejack sighed, admiring the spread, “everything looks just scrumptious!”

“You think it looks good,” Art joked, “you should see how it tastes.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice!” Pinkie quickly began cutting bite-sized pieces of her enchiladas up with her fork that she held firmly in her wrist.

Art couldn’t help but be amazed at the pony’s dexterity, staying still as a statue as he watched her finish cutting her last bite before scooping up her first and putting it in her mouth. Pinkie’s eyes shot open wild before she melted back in her seat, her smile having turned wobbly and ecstatic.

“Oh wow, that’s good,” she huffed out.

“You said it!” Spike forced out, shoving even more food into his mouth. “PHO GUUUD!”

Applejack couldn’t help but notice Art’s focusing on Pinkie Pie’s skills with her silverware and chuckled. “Now, you seriously ain’t gonna’ lecture us on how your food tastes and then just let it get cold now, are ya’!”

Art blinked and jiggled his head. “Sorry, I…” He began cutting his own pieces. “Just… pretty interesting to see a ho… sorry, pony use a fork before.”

Pinkie Pie already had half of her first enchilada in her mouth. “That’s weird. I use them all the time!”

“Still…” Twilight’s magic carried the end of her fork into the mouth, closing her eyes in bliss as she let the bite she ate slide off as her fork was pulled out. “I can’t thank you enough for inviting us over for dinner, Art, and yes, everything is delicious.”

“I’ll say!” Rainbow Dash moaned as she finished her second row of elote, her hooves clamping in both ends. “And you should try the corn if you haven’t already! Wicked good stuff!”

“Thank you very much,” Art said with a nod. “And honestly, it’s no problem, especially considering how much you mean to my son, and, forgive me for saying so, what… you must mean to a lot of people.”

“It’s quite alright,” Rarity responded. “We’re already well aware of our… popularity on this world, but we’re happy to take it one step and one new friend at a time.”

“I’m about to say. You haven’t met Jessie yet, have you?”

“We haven’t,” Fluttershy answered, “but from what Oli’s told us, she’s quite enamored with us.”

Art then turned to Oli. “Does she know? …By chance?”

Oli confidently and immediately nodded. “She was the first person I told. I was thinking about introducing her to them next time I have to babysit.”

“Ha, wow. So you introduced me to your new friends before her?”

Oli’s face turned defeated and annoyed. “Dad, I–”

“Just teasing is all. Though I gotta’ say, if an old fart like me likes them well enough, I’m sure she’ll just love them.”

“We certainly hope so,” Rainbow Dash spoke in. “Always love to meet the fans!”

Rarity finished her first enchilada and with a dabbing of her napkin on and around her lips, she turned toward Art. “So Oli decided to take us into your ‘studio,’ as he calls it.”

Art pressed his lips together and nodded. “I… call it that too.”

“And just to be clear, you worked on all of those guitars hanging down there?”

He nodded a bit more carefully. “I’ve worked more on certain guitars than others, but I’ve done at least some touching up to each of them.”

“And, you can play them, can’t you?”

Art’s slowly widening eyes and pursed lips suggested he knew exactly where she was going. “I… It’s actually been years…”

Spike turned his full body around, looking up at Oli with big, wondrous eyes. “You think you could play something for us on one of them?”

“Took the words right out of my mouth!” Rarity rubbed her hoof on the top of Spike’s head, and he leaned back and closed his eyes, savoring her physical affection.

“Maybe Oli can duet with you!” Fluttershy added.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea!” Twilight chirped. “We can clear the table and clean the kitchen while you prepare something!”

“That’s…” Art was once again feeling guilty for having nearly pushed them away as he had done hours ago. “…really not necessary. I don’t mind cleaning up.”

“Oh no!” Applejack’s offended tone both amused and mildly terrified Art. “I’m not going to let you toil away over the sink after you just toiled over a hot stove. It’s the very least we could do for our hosts this evening.”

“Plus,” Pinkie Pie added, “it’ll be good practice for Oli at his party Saturday!”

Oli’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh yeah…”

“Party?” Art looked to his son. “You said you were going to see a movie.”

Oli shrugged. “I thought so too. Sorry I forgot to tell you, but Ray’s parents are throwing a surprise graduation/admission party for him and Javi asked me to play some music there. I mean, you can call Ray’s parents and confirm if you think I’m going to a kegger instead or something.”

“It’s fine,” he responded with a hand-wave, “I believe you. Just please be sure to remember to tell me these things earlier next time. I’d like to get him something.”

“It’s… still not really that kind of a party.”

“Nonsense! If it’s a grad party, he’ll probably need some money.”

“His parents are paying for his tuition and lodging.”

“Are they? Still, I’m sure a little spending money wouldn’t harm anything.”

Rainbow Dash leaned toward Applejack’s ear and cupped her wrist around it. “And I thought you were stubborn.”

Oli could sense that this would once again be a losing battle. “Then I’m sure he’ll greatly appreciate it. Thanks.”

“You know, I never asked,” Twilight said, beginning her second enchilada. “Where do you go to school, Oli?”

“I, uh…” It became quickly apparent that this would be a much more difficult subject to approach. “I graduated high school this year.”

Art turned his head away, though the Equestrians seemed far more interested in his kid.

“I assume this ‘Ray’ friend of yours was in your class?” Rarity wondered, receiving an affirmative nod from Oli. “Then are you planning on attending a university in the fall too?”

Oli looked to the Equestrians, already predicting the disappointment that would feel. “I… haven’t yet. I’ve got my music thing going for me right now, and… honestly I’m happy doing it.”

“Do you plan on going eventually?” Twilight wondered, the most subtle pang of concern etched into her response.

“I honestly can’t say. I’m just not super interested in spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on an extra education that won’t help what I’m doing with my music.”

“THOU–” Twilight nearly choked on the bite in her mouth, quickly managing to tamp it down with a swig of limeade. “Thousands?! My goodness, I had no idea it was that expensive in your world.”

Rainbow Dash, having long since finished her meal, leaned back in her chair. “Then this ‘Ray’ dude must be loaded if his parents can just pay for it.”

Oli nodded. “His parents are very wealthy… Though, not to say that Ray’s an idiot or anything. He actually is really bright. Besides, I can’t imagine an institution with a reputation like Notre Dame’s would just let anyone in.”

“Either way,” Twilight said, “that’s very good for him. Money or not, I always admire those who are willing to learn something new every day.”

“To be fair, I am too. Just… not necessarily in a classroom environment.”

“Well, whatever path you decide to take, Oli, I’m sure it’ll make you a better person in the end.”

Pinkie Pie stood up on her chair, one hoof on the table and her arm hoisting her glass of limeade up, about one sip remaining. “And I say he’s already pretty darned good!”

As Oli smiled, he found himself forced into the side of the table as Art’s hand proudly slapped him firmly between both shoulder plates.

“Here, here!” Twilight and her friends cheered, lifting their glasses.

Art rubbed Oli’s back as he sat back up straight, and with their free hands, they lifted their cups to join theirs.

“Drink to that!” Art let the half-full glass slip through his curved tongue and down his throat, pulling back just as it began to drip.

Oli laughed and shook his hanging head down low as he raised his glass, his head coming up right after. “Thank you… guys, that’s… really…”

While they knew he wouldn’t find the words anytime soon, they could see in his flushed cheeks and damp eyes that he appreciated every single word Pinkie Pie had said to him. He took a gentle sip of his drink; he still had so much left in his glass. This was only the first real night of what would be an impossibly amazing summer, and he already didn’t want it to end any time soon.

With Oli sitting at the bench before the keyboard of the piano and Oli leaning against it with a Taylor acoustic strapped over and around his back, the ponies and Spike were scrunched on the living room sofa, facing them and awaiting whichever song they would perform for them. The fur around their hooves was still slightly water-matted, the kitchen looking as spotless as when they first discovered it earlier that day. Both Oli and Art could see what a good job they had done through the entryway, and with everything else said to him that night, Oli knew they deserved a good show.

Art turned and looked at Oli, and the two nodded to each other to confirm they were ready. Then, instinctually Oli stole one glance at the picture frame still on the lid. Even as Oli brought his attention to the keyboard, he noticed as Twilight began whispering in Fluttershy’s ear. With a deep breath in, he began playing the first chords in a soft swing rhythm, Art instantly recognizing Elton John’s I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues from them. Oli kept his eyes on his dad as his bobbing head kept rhythm and count for him. Oli began to relax as he saw the ponies very subtly sway in time to the beat.

With a more obvious nod, Oli signaled Art in, and as Oli began singing, he took another glance at the picture this time studying his five year-old self and the woman whose lap he sang on. His immediate draw was the dark-brown hair that matched the color of his own, but before he could look down at the eyes, he glanced up at his father, and then to the ponies, and then to the keyboard in a seemingly passionate trance.

Each time he glanced at the ponies, he attempted to get a read on them. Pinkie Pie had her arms around Fluttershy and Rarity’s necks as she rocked them to and fro with her. By the time he reached the first chorus, he seemed to completely forget that he had an audience or an accompanist in the same room as him. Art was both observant and quick-witted enough to follow along with every subtle slower tempo shift. For a while, all eyes were on Art as he flawlessly managed to keep up with his son, and his gently bobbing head betrayed his own surprise at his own success.

Oli glanced over again, saw Rainbow Dash laying still, nestled between the plush arm and Applejack’s side. While not moving to the rhythm as much as most of her friends seemed to be, she still kept respectful attention on the performers as they went through another successful verse-chorus succession.

In place of its harmonica solo, Art took control of it on his own guitar, and all attention was brought back to him. Oli took this opportunity to size up his remaining audience. Applejack lightly tapped her hooves against the front of the cushion she laid on, nodding her head to the beat as her ears waggled to the vibrations of each blissful twang of the guitar. Spike, on the carpeted floor beside Twilight, rested on his stomach and gently kicked his own feet in time, his head supported by the palms of his clawed hands. As Art’s solo neared its end, Oli noticed Twilight turn back to look at him, and he jerked his head away, hoping she hadn’t seen him staring long, if at all.

Though rattled into settling his energy down, he still kept his voice strong and controlled through the repeated second half of the previous verse and its chorus. Through each repeat of the title lyric, Art’s playing and call-response echo grew softer, letting his son’s voice and his piano playing carry the rest of the song out until its final built-up chord.

As his last note sustained, he heard the soft, muted thuds of the ponies lightly beating their hooves down on the carpet or the sofa cushions, though’s Spike’s gentle clapping was distinctive enough to stand out against his equine companions show of adoration. Oli swiveled around to face his friends with his dad, who gave them a tiny bow as thanks.

“That was really somethin’,” Applejack breathed out. “Did your mom teach you to play?”

Oli eyes reflexively opened as the feeling of getting cornered began to arise. “My…”

“I assume that’s your ma in the photograph on the piano there?”

Twilight spotted a restrained glimpse of panic in Oli’s eyes, and suddenly she understood, her once soft smile turning into a regretful frown. “She’s… she’s not… around anymore, is she, Oli?”

Art too deflated a little and shook his head. “Accident took her when he was five.”

“No!” Fluttershy gasped. “Guys, we’re sorry, we didn’t mean to–”

Oli raised a hand, his eyes glued down to the keys he just played on as he breathed in hard through his nose. “It’s alright, Fluttershy. It… was a really long time ago.”

“Still,” Rarity interjected, “how dreadful.”

“Did she play at all?” Twilight asked.

Art nodded, his breathing uneasy. “She was so unbelievably talented. To be able to command that beast of an instrument while still being just as good a singer…”

“For the record,” Oli said, swiping his fingertips over his neck, “I definitely didn’t inherit her voice.”

“Ah, but you inherited her fingers, that’s for sure.”

Oli cocked his head; no use letting his dad carry the emotional burden. “My mom… never actually taught me how to play. Like dad said, only five. I just… remember her playing for me, and… after she died, I… took a stab at the songs she used to play, and… I kind of learned that way.”

“That’s actually really cool!” Pinkie Pie said, perking up. “I actually had to take lessons to learn all the instruments I can play!”

“Well, to be fair, I got those too eventually.”

Art laughed at his son’s ironic humility. “I knew my kid was something special; he had a gift for this. I happily covered his piano lessons and taught him how to play guitar myself. And don’t sell yourself too short there, buddy, you didn’t even need lessons for that long.”

Oli shrugged, acknowledging the truth in his words. “I mean, yeah, once I learned the how to make chords and read music, everything else kind of came naturally at that point. And, that wasn’t not meant to be a dunk or anything, Pinkie, I have to imagine you’re way better at way more instruments than I am.”

“No dunkage detected, Oli!” Pinkie Pie said with a salute. “This cookie remains dry!”

Twilight added, “Though to be able to teach yourself that much like that is truly commendable.”

“Kinda’ makes you wonder why you don’t just be a regular rock star or something,” Rainbow Dash reasoned. “You seem great enough doing that.”

Oli nodded, unable to shake off the backhandedness of the term “regular.” “Thanks but… I still really like what I do now. I get to blend the music my parents grew on with and the music I’m growing up with right now and… it’s kind of neat to be that generational bridge, so to speak, and to… you know, have people listen to their favorite songs in a way they may have never thought they’d hear them before.”

Pinkie Pie stood up on the sofa, her energy beginning to rise once again. “Well we look forward to hearing it firsthand at your party Saturday night!”

Art was quick to remove his guitar from his shoulder and lean it against the piano, “Whoa, whoa, whoa there, Pinks, you can’t just start showing up wherever you want just because we’re cool with you.”

Pinkie Pie beamed wide, confusing Art. “Did you just… give me a nickname?!”

“Is that really what you took from that?”

“It’s alright, Art,” Twilight spoke up, “we actually have a way that we can go without raising any suspicion.”

Art stuck his finger up, trying to gauge if the solution he came up with matched hers. “You’re not… suggesting turning into people and… are–”

“Yep, yep!” Pinkie Pie bounced up in excitement. “Great idea, huh?”

“Oli… does your book…?”

Oli shrugged. “According to Twilight, it does. I haven’t gotten a chance to try it out yet, but she told me that Lauren let her explore our world all the time that way when she had the book.”

Art clasped his hands together and placed both outstretched index fingers against his lips in contemplation before throwing them up and hanging his head, defeated. “Well, I assume she’s the expert here…”

“With all due respect,” Applejack said, “it’s not like we really need your permission on this.”

“No, I get that, just… do be careful, okay? I’m sure I’ll tell you and Oli that plenty between now and Saturday, but please don’t do or say anything that could get you all in trouble.”

“I’m sure we’ll be on our best behavior,” Fluttershy promised. “Oli already told us quite a bit about the people we’d meet, and even I’m looking forward to getting to know them.”

“And that’s saying something!” Rainbow Dash smirked.

Art’s eyes shot open, realizing something. “Do… when you…” He had to stop. He wasn’t quite sure how to word this.

“Well, spit it out already!” Spike exclaimed.

“Spike!” Twilight hissed before turning back to Art and softening her voice. “Art, if you’re worried that we’ll…” Twilight had to pause herself, understanding Art’s apprehension, “appear indecent upon our transformation, I’ve discussed this all with them already.”

“And needn’t worry your head about what we’ll wear either.” Rarity slid off the couch and stood straight and tall, her hoof placed on her chest. “I’m Ponyville’s premier dressmaker, and I wholeheartedly welcome the challenge of designing human clothing for my friends and I to wear!”

There was a moment of awkward silence that Art was the first to break. “…Oookay great. Wow, today’s been strange…” he muttered under his breath.

“But you can’t say it hasn’t been fun!” Pinkie Pie was laying atop the piano shell behind Art, making him jolt up a couple feet in the air, the act of surprise moving Twilight and her friends to laughter.

Art glanced back to the now empty spot on the couch where he swore she was in before he heard her behind him. “How did you…?”

“That’s just Pinkie being Pinkie,” Applejack answered, “or, as you seem to like calling her, Pinks…”

Applejack’s sly smile got Art’s face turning beet red. “What, no! I was just–”

Pinkie Pie’s arms wrapped around his gut from behind. “It’s okay, Arthur! If you wanted to stick to a first full-name basis, you could have just said so!”

Art sighed coarsely. “Alright, Pinks, you win!”

Oli and the others chuckled as Art’s bugging eyes betrayed his constriction by Pinkie Pie getting even tighter on him.

Oli placed several magazines in a small messenger bag hung over his shoulder. Twilight held the Dua Harmonium in her magic as she and her friends waited at the bottom of the stairs, Art facing them all.

“You sure I can’t interest you in a last drink before you head out?” he asked them, a twinge of melancholy in his voice.

“That’s mighty nice of you to want to continue havin’ us,” Applejack replied before a yawn, “but it’s been a long day for all of us, and we’re going to have a bit of a busy one tomorrow too. Still though, it was a bonafide pleasure getting to meet you, Art, and I hope you’ll have us over again sometime.”

Art shook Applejack’s hoof firmly. “Sooner than later, I promise you.”

“Dinner was lovely, sir,” Rarity said with a bow of the head, “but we’ll be sure to give you more notice in the future.”

“Appreciate it.” He shook her hoof to.

As he went throughout the group and bid them farewell for the evening with hoofshakes and “good nights,” Oli leaned against the stair railing, watching elatedly as his father bonded with these ponies, and in that moment, he could still hardly believe that they and the moments they were sharing with them were real at all.

After receiving a final hug from Pinkie Pie, Art watched them shift back towards the stairs, looking to Oli in particular. “Any idea when you’ll be getting back?”

“Not too long,” Oli said. “Just going to finalize our plans tomorrow and I should be back in a few minutes.

“No worries. I’ll be in the backyard if you need me.”

“Sounds good.” Oli walked upstairs, leading his Equestrian friends with him. “Have a good night, all!”

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy both wished Art a final goodnight before they faced forward and filed into Oli’s bedroom. By himself once again, he ambled towards the sliding glass door through the kitchen entryway. Glancing to the left, he shuddered out a breath at the utter spotlessness of the kitchen the Equestrians were gracious to clean for him and Oli. He could only imagine the table outside looking just as clean would feel just as splendid.

Pulling the door open and headed towards an outdoor chaise lounge, he closed his eyes and savored how wonderfully warm tonight’s air felt over his entire body. Art sat down before swinging his legs over to rest on the cushion, and with a few scooches back, he was relaxed and ready to enjoy the rest of the night he still had the energy to enjoy.

Closing his eyes and focusing on the sounds of the crickets chirping, the wind-rustled grass, and the faint sounds of children and their families playing in their own yards from somewhere, he finally had a moment to reflect on what an unbelievable day he had, and how in spite of how it started, he wouldn’t trade it if it meant having made the friends he did today.

After several minutes stewing in these thoughts, he could hear the distinctive whoosh of the back door sliding on its track along with a gentle clinging of unopened glass bottles. Oli walked between his dad’s chaise and the one to his right and stopped near his head, reaching out to hand him a Budweiser and an opener in the same hand. Art took both as Oli fell down onto his lounge, careful not to bounce his own bottle around. Once Art finished cracking his bottle open, he handed it back to Oli.

“So…” Art wasn’t sure how to start the conversation after having had such a night. “What time do you need to be back?”

Oli took a swig from his bottle, staring up at the star-dotted night sky. “Around 10 or so. I should be back before dinner, though.”

“Sounds good.” Art took a particularly big gulp of his beer. “Then it sounds like we should both get to bed soon.”

“True, probably right…” Oli took an equally-large swig of his own drink.

“Hey, hey, don’t go too crazy on that. I’m fine letting you have one with me, just don’t do too much at once. Besides, it’s really nice out tonight.”

“Yeah…” Oli took a smaller sip and then set his bottle down on the ground beside him. “So… Pinks, huh?”

Art jerked his head over. “What? Are you the only one who’s allowed to give them a nickname?”

Oli stuck his hands up as playfully as Art responded. “No, no! I just wasn’t expecting her to be the one you’d bond with so quick. Though… to be fair, she is Pinkie Pie…”

Art took swallowed another mouthful before sighing. “Son of a bitch, I’m going to have to start watching that show with you, aren’t I?”

Oli chuckled. “Why? You’re already living it. I’m sure that’s fine enough.”

“Hmph. Good…”

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Oli turned back to his dad. “But, if you change your mind, I’m willing to–”

“Oli, stop!”

Oli laughed, and Art responded with his own warm chuckles. It was certainly looking to be quite the intereting and eventful summer, and one that Oli was glad to not to experience by himself.

Chapter VII: Material Girl - Madonna, January 1985

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Oli was woken up by his phone buzzing on his record player’s table. With the numerous possibilities of who could be contacting him, his eyes shot open and he tiredly stretched his arm back and out to grab it. Holding the screen up over his face, he saw the banner of a text from one Mr. Franklin. It read

I’m so sorry for the lack of notice, but there was a gas leak at the daycare and Jessie needs someone to look after her until I get home from work. No worries if you can’t make it; I can always take a sick day.

Oli smirked. Without a second thought, he began typing in his response, excited to make a little girl’s dreams come true today.

Oli swerved to align his tires with the curb in front of Jessie’s house. After quickly parking and turning his van off, he hooked several Target bags’ straps with his fingers, throwing the car open and hopping out before slamming his door closed. A small drawstring backpack was already strapped over his shoulders as he quickly walked up to the front door, which was already being opened for him by Jessie’s father.

“Sorry,” Oli huffed, “I had to make this stop today. Hope I didn’t keep you too…”

“No, no, it’s alright.” Oli seemed to ignore him as he passed and stepped into the house, Jessie watching him from the middle of the stairs. “I should know better than to give you this short of notice. I’m sure my bosses will be more than understanding. Thank you again, Oli. You’re a lifesaver.”

“No please, I love to do it.” Oli looked back and shrugged his shoulders, Jessie quietly giggling at the book-sized block bouncing in the back. “What time should I expect you back?”

“Usual time, nothing late this time.”

“Alright. Hey, also, I won’t be available Saturday, my friend’s parents are throwing him a grad party and they hired me to play some music.”

“Hired, huh? Glad to see your music business is taking off well.”

“…Thanks.”

“Anways, gotta…” Mr. Franklin was about to head out before he quickly spun around, Oli propping the door back open before he could shut it. “Actually, sorry, I have to ask. What’s with all the…” He noticed the prominence of bright colors stuffed in most of the bags. “…is that women’s clothing?”

“Yeah, this…” Oli rose his arm, lifting the bags up with him. “I wanted to make a donation to Goodwill this afternoon on our way to the park.”

“Those look like new clothes, though.”

Oli shrugged, anticipating this pry as well. “People need affordable new-clothes too.”

Mr. Franklin nodded and smiled sated. “Then business must be really booming to make such a donation. You two have a good day.” He looked backwards and waved as Jessie came downstairs to see him off. “Bye, Sweetie J! See you after work.”

“Buh-bye, daddy!” Oli huffed a chuckle, noting some apparently glee in her cry at his departure.

Turning the corner to the driveway, Oli felt safe to shut the door, heading upstairs with Jessie following him up.

“We’re going to Equestria, right?” Jessie’s cutesy question implied fresh hell for Oli should he answer the wrong way. “You Pinkie promised.”

“And I brought the book,” Oli quipped with another bounce of his backpack, “and I learned how to take you there!”

“REALLY?!” Jessie squeezed between him and the wall to beat him to the top. “We’re really going to Equestria?!”

“Yeah, but actually not for…” Oli checked his watch. “A little over an hour or so.”

“Why so looong though?!” she whined, leading him to her bedroom.

“You want to know the real reason I have a bunch of girl’s clothes with me?”

Jessie’s face quickly shifted into one of serious contemplation, staying still for a moment before– “Nope, I’m stuck. Why?”

“Because…” he teased, getting closer to her, “I’m actually helping Rarity with a fitting today!”

“REALLY!?!” Jessie jumped up and jammed her feet down hard with her landing. “Rarity’s going to make me a dress?”

Oli subtly cocked his head; he actually didn’t consider this. “I’m sure if you ask her nicely, she can whip something up for you real quick.”

Jessie checked into her door, throwing it open as she bounced and spun around the one toy-barren square foot of her room. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!”

“Calm down,” Oli laughed, coming in after. “Anyways, the reason I have these clothes is because I need to turn them into humans for just a bit.”

Jessie froze as she took in the full weight of his explanation. “Wait… you can do that too?”

“I haven’t actually tried it yet, but Twilight showed me how to conjure the spell. Remember when I said she was friends with Lauren Faust?”

“Mmhm mmhm!”

“Yeah, she would take Twilight out into the human world sometimes, and she disguised her has a human so she wouldn’t draw suspicion. However, she said that when they transform, it’s not like they get cool clothes too, so I got these to cover themselves up with while Rarity makes their clothes.”

“You mean…” Jessie giggled, “they’re in their birthday suits?”

Oli looked away, bug-eyed. “…Yeah, exactly, anyway, we have an hour to kill before we can meet her. Twilight should be at the Carousel Boutique around 10:00 our time, and we can go to Equestria then.”

“Wait,” Jessie asked, “you mean none of the other ponies know about us?”

“Well, I mean, Twilight and her friends do, and so do the princesses, but other than them, yeah, no, nopony else knows about this.”

“…But why?”

“I mean, you remember how they treated Zecora, right?”

Jessie nodded. “Good point.”

“Though truth be told, I don’t know how they'd actually act. Hey, get this, apparently Fluttershy? Actually totally cool with dragons.”

“Really? Even that really big red one from that episode?”

“She said she would. But yeah, maybe they’re not as frightened of strangers as the show said they were… but just in case, don’t do anything crazy! They may not let us come back if we cause any chaos.”

“Alright, Oli! You have my word.” She began to run through the motions of the Pinkie promise. “A Pinkie promise for a Pinkie promise.”

Oli smiled as he repeated the motions himself. She was going to do so well. “Anyways, you wanna watch Let’s Make a Deal?”

Jessie hopped up on the edge of her bed as the camera on TV swooped over the uniquely-costumed contestants and toward Wayne Brady standing next to a young man dressed as Jack Sparrow.”

Oli checked his watch, reading 9:52 as Jessie began to talk. “Don’t forget, I called one!”

“Yep, I got two.” Oli looked back up, watching intently.

“You picked door number 3,” Wayne informed his guest. “Now let’s see what’s behind door number two!"

Oli slapped his knee in canned frustration as Jessie bark-laughed directly into his ear. “It’s in one! I’m telling you now!”

Oli was too busy watching as the doors parted open, revealing a decorated display featuring a small set of luggage to dress up a stand with a screen showing a graphic reading “FRANCE.” “You could have one a trip to Paris, France!”

Oli threw his arms up. “You know, I’d be happy with that!”

“What’s so great about France anyway!” Jessie crowed over the announcer’s description. “It’s just cheese, paintings, and smelly people!”

“How many smelly French people do you know?”

Jessie glanced back and forth, trapped. “A couple…”

“Right, maybe you can introduce me to them, I’m all out of cheese and fine art!”

“Alright,” Wayne continued, “you picked door number 3…”

“Hey,” Oli muttered, “we should get going now!”

“Ssh!” Jessie was quick to bat at him with limp hand. “It’s getting good now.”

Having heard over Wayne’s revealing clue, they cut to the shot of door one opening up, revealing a tall metallic bank vault prop. “It’s the ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ vault!”

“No!” Jessie shouted up at the ceiling. “That’s never the good one!”

“Who knows…” Oli and Jessie leaned in, wondering if it might actually be.

The graphic on the screen unveiled the vault’s value: $4,453 dollars. Jessie blew a near-deafening raspberry, puffing her cheeks so hard they looked like they could rip.

“Alright, that sucked.” Jessie swung up off the bed and to the floor. “I want to go to Equestria now. You said.”

“Okay, okay fine, but…” Oli got to one knee and lightly grabbed her by the sides of the shoulders, looking at her dead in the eyes. “The first trip can be a little scary. It’ll feel like you’re falling for a moment. I’ll hold onto you the whole time, as… landing can be tricky the first couple times too. You think you can handle it?”

Jessie pouted. “What do I look like, a big sissy? Get a move on, already!”

“Alright!” Jessie pulled his backpack open and slipped the Dua Harmonium out from it, Jessie watching with sudden awe and wonder as Oli set it on the floor and opened it to its center, the traveling incantation facing him.

Jessie looked away and grabbled the plastic bags with his fingers, taking the strap of the backpack with him too. Oli opened his free arm up, inviting Jessie to come into it. Right as she took her first step, Oli put a finger up to stop her.

“Hold on,” he said, “turn the TV off.”

“Okay!” Jessie reached up at the small tv perched on the edge of her dresser closest to the foot of her bed, tapping the button and shutting the device off.

She then walked calmly around the book and allowed Oli to hold her in close.

Oli took a deep breath, working out the last doubts. “Alright, last chance to back out.”

“Denied,” she said flatly, looking down at the text as if trying to translate it herself.

“Okay… I’m going to say the spell aloud, alright? That will give you enough warning. You’re going to feel a small pop in your head, kind of like when you yawn when your ears get clogged.”

“Ew, I don’t like that!”

Oli sighed. “Excited for freefall, scared of a pop… Anyways, yeah, when you feel that, it means we’re going. We’re going to get sucked up into the book and then we fall. We only do it for a minute, and then we get flipped around and fall through the other side of the portal feet first. Just stay still, and I’ll cushion your landing. If all goes well, at least Twilight and Rarity will be there to greet us.”

“Sounds like a plan. Okay, read.”

“Alrighty.” Oli stared up at the top-left corner of the first word, wanting to do this right. “Two books bridge two destinations… Destinations that lead to the company of good friends…”

Oli felt the butterflies rise as he felt his grip on Jessie’s shoulder get tighter.

Friends to inspire, learn from, and laugh with, for which one would travel to the worlds’ ends.

Oli took one deep breath, wanting to get it don with this one lungful.

“Whether separated by inches, miles, or galaxies, I shall cross over onto the other side, for nothing is more valuable than this desire I feel inside.”

Oli felt the snap, and judging from Jessie’s yelp, she felt it too. “Ow, that… Oli? Why does everything–”

“It’s alright, that’s normal,” he whispered, easing her as the point of no return was already passed. “Alright, let’s meet some ponies!”

Oli and Jessie were suddenly pulled head first over and down towards the book, which began to engulf them until they fit through the gap between the crease of the paper. Now falling straight down, Jessie began shrieking, throwing her head around in any direction as she struggled to break free of Oli’s grasp, which he refused to relinquish.

With a flip of their legs, Jessie whooped out a “whoa” before the portal of the other Harmonium came in hot. Once Oli felt their legs shoot out back into the open air, he immediately let go of his bags and clutched Jessie tight in both arms, kicking his legs out to stay upright in the restored gravity.

With the bags shooting out of the book in rapid succession, falling all over the floor of Rarity’s shop, both Oli and Jessie heard Rarity’s trademark yelp ring out as clothes spilled out everywhere upon landing.

Oli landed on his feet and rolled back, careful to protect his knees and keep Jessie from slipping out. Landing on his back and sliding to a stop a few feet away, he immediately let Jessie go to let her push off of him, letting him see if she was hurt.

“You okay?” he gasped.

“Am…” She patted her chest. “…am I dead?”

Oli chuckled, not sensing any physical pain in her voice. “Nope, though you may as well have, because look… behind you.”

Following where Oli’s finger was pointing, Jessie turned back to see Twilight, Spike, and Rarity standing away on the opposite side of the book, the latter frantically looking at the mess that had now been made. Twilight nudged Rarity as she looked into Jessie’s eyes, which began to sparkle and moisten as her mouth wobbled open wide.

Rarity finally took notice of the second human guest standing petrified on all fours as she attempted to process what she was looking at. “Oh, my… is this…?”

Oli sat up as tall as Jessie’s position over him would allow. “Girls, this is Jessie. I’m sorry I’m so bad at giving you all no notice on these meetups but… the opportunity just happened to come up, and I promised her. Go on Jessie, go say hello.”

Jessie kept her eyes trained on all three Equestrians as she spun up to her feet as if lifted by the power of her own happiness. With the mounting realization of her reality taking hold of her now, her face melted into one of inconsolable joy as she weakly held her arms up, jogging up to them as she sobbed.

Coming between them, Spike was quick enough to take a couple of steps back to allow her to let Jessie throw her arms wide open and catch herself on both of their necks, hugging them as tightly as her six year-old arms could, providing little discomfort for either unicorn.

“It… it’s really you!” she blubbered, drying her eyes on their fur. “You’re actually re-heal!”

Rarity and Twilight both rubbed her back with their arms, hoping to calm her down and make her feel accepted. Oli sat straight with his legs out, blowing a tearful sigh at a sight he was truly happy to make come true.

“So you’re the one Oli has been telling us about.” Rarity scooted back, allowing her to look more fully at Jessie’s face and the design on the t-shirt she wore. “Oh, and I’m sure a certain pegasus will be absolutely chuffed to meet another fan of hers.”

“Omygosh Rainbow…” Jessie began to hyperventilate and fan her face with her hands, the overstimulation making her dizzy. “I get to meet…”

“Deep breaths, Jessie,” Twilight instructed. “It’s alright, you’re here now. As I’m sure you know, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m sure you… ‘know’ Rarity and Spike here.”

Jessie was still too overwhelmed to think of a straight answer. “Yeah I guess…”

Rarity took another look at her store, finding shirts, sweatpants, and the once-full plastic bags they were in all over the floor. “Oh, and now look at this! These clothes are soiled now!”

As Rarity began picking up each dumped article of clothing and forming it into a ball with her magic, Jessie sunk to her knees, witness to real life magic that she was told about in the fairytales that were read to her each night.

Oli went beside her and knelt down, staying at her level. “Pretty cool, huh?”

With a weak breath in, Jessie flung himself into Oli, hugging him as tight as she had groped the unicorns’ necks. “Thank you… thank you…”

“Of course, kiddo.” Oli hugged her back, patting her shoulders to console her further. “And thank you too…”

Oli continued to watch Rarity and Twilight pick up his mess, Jessie right now only concentrating on giving her sitter all the gratitude that even she felt he rightfully deserved.

With all six ponies now present in the Carousel Boutique, the others watched as Jessie clung to Rainbow Dash, the pegasus’s wing draped over her back.

“I never thought your wings would be so soft!” Jessie croaked, her voice too tired to cry anymore.

“Soft?” Rainbow Dash flared her wings out. “Go ahead, put ‘er there.”

With the bar of the wing clearly visible, Jessie reached out and put her hand on it, admiring the plush texture of the downy fur that grew there. With a gentle flap, Jessie gasped to feel the contraction of the muscles there, feeling as dense as rock before they went limp upon her folding it back to her side. Jessie pulled her hand out, looking at it as though she contemplated the idea of never washing it again.

“Now those are the wings of the fastest flyer in Equestria,” Rainbow Dash bragged. “Nothing soft about them.”

“Listen,” Applejack said, coming forward, “as much as I want to give Oli’s guest here the hospitality she deserves, I also want to get a move on this fitting, especially if it means having to be one of you guys for a spell.” She turned to both Oli and Jessie. “No offence, y’all.”

“None taken,” Oli spoke on their behalf.

“Well then,” Rarity began. “Now that Twilight was able to clean the clothes that Oli has provided, we should be able to begin the fitting. Now, how do we wish to approach this? Would you like to go one at a time until it’s your time to be measured, or should we get transformed all at once so we can get used to our bodies.”

“That sounds fine with me,” Twilight answered. “Girls, I should remind you I’ve been a human before, so if you need any help, just let me know.”

“Wait,” Fluttershy muttered, “are you suggesting the all-at-once idea, because I’m not sure I’m still ready to just become a… human… for that long.”

“Just a warning,” Oli said, “you’ll be a human longer at this party and maybe afterwards than you’ll be one here today.”

“I like all at once!” Pinkie Pie bounded up. “I want to see what you all look like!”

Applejack nodded. “I do suppose that the longer we’re human, the less weird it will be at the actual party.”

“So is it agreed, then?” Rarity called. “All at once then?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah fine! This is going to be weird…”

“I’m sure it will.” Oli held the book up, the center pages still containing the traveling incantation. “Now, Twilight, I just…”

“Mmhm. Just think of that spell, and it should come to you.”

Oli blew a sigh and concentrated as he stared intently down. “Okay, now then.”

Like Twilight promised, the each line, dash, an column of each character in each word began to rearrange themselves, shifting over the page until new, equally readable new “words” came to be. Within a few seconds more, the new phrase was up and ready to be recited.

“So once I see the spell’s beginning to work,” OIi explained, “Jessie and I will turn around and give you two some privacy so you can put those shirts and pants on you while Rarity does her thing. Just please don’t take too long, I’m sure this is awkward enough for all of us.”

“Fair enough, darling.” Rarity flipped her mane wanting to be sure it was in her best condition before whatever could happen to it could happen. “We’re ready when you are.”

Once all eyes were on Oli, he looked at the full passage and began to read.

“Ah… I stand before my companions without horn, wing, nor tail; plain it is for all to see. Though we share much to admire about each other, our bodies could not appear more differently.” Deep breath. “Whether covered in fur, scales, or skin, you shall match what I look on the outside, for nothing is more valuable than this desire I feel inside.”

All six ponies groaned as the click in their heads popped, several of them getting woozy with a sudden feeling of imbalance.

“Huh… my hoof is…” Applejack moved her hoof over the floor, finding its once hard exterior turning soft as it squashed and stretched like actual flesh.

“Whoa, check it out!” Pinkie Pie, already coming up on her two back hooves, held her right hoof out as four small fingers and a thumb expanded and grew out of her equally pliable hoof.

“Guys!” Fluttershy curled up into a fetal position as she watched toes sprout out from the fronts of her back hooves and felt her wings shrink and recede into her shoulders. “I’m not sure I like this very much!”

“Jessie…” Oli put his hand on her back to instruct her to turn around, forcing themselves to listen as the ponies each reacted to their transformations.

Spike himself saw as their once colorful fur began to fade away like dust, unveiling smooth peach-colored skin everywhere. With each of their metamorphoses getting closer to completion, Spike turned away himself, put his hands over his eyes for good measure. After a few moments of confused moans and uncertain breathing, it began to die down, their conversion seemingly complete.

“I’m pretty sure it’s over now.” Twilight’s voice was followed by a rustling of thin plastic and the unfolding of clothes. “Is everypony okay?”

“I think so?” Rainbow Dash answered back. “I was expecting a lot worse, honestly.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy whimpered. “At least my mane is still there.”

“Oh, thank heavens, mine too!” Rarity responded.

“Alright girls,” Twilight instructed please find a shirt and pair of pants and put them on so Oli and Jessie can look again.”

“Boy the things you humans consider taboo…” Applejack muttered.

Even more rustling and unfolding commenced as the others began picking out their temporary clothing. Though Oli and Jessie still couldn’t see what was happening behind them, it seemed as though they were getting the hang of their new bodies.

“Man…” Rainbow Dash audibly slipped her pair of sweatpants over her legs. “Who knew walking on two hooves would be so easy?”

“I think the spell makes it so our bipedal forms feel natural to us,” Twilight answered.

“Can you translate that from egghead to Ponish?”

Twilight groaned. “It means you can walk and run as easily as you could on all fours as ponies. Is everyone dressed?” A moment of silence as Twilight observed them. “Alright. Oli? Jessie? …Spike, you can look now.”

Oli and Jessie spun around and saw the former ponies standing there on two human feet supporting light-skinned, teenaged human bodies covered by a variety of colorful, but mismatching t-shirts and sweatpants. As implied by Fluttershy and Rarity, their hairstyles and colors perfectly resembled their manes. While they seemed to be the most uncomfortable about their new appearances, Pinkie was frantically and excitedly sizing up every part of herself that her body’s flexibility would allow.

“It feels so smooth!” She rapidly rubbed up and down her arm before fondling her face. “Wow, and it feels so flat! Where’s the mirror?!”

Rarity herself couldn’t help but continue looking at her dissonant combination of clothes, a pink shirt with yellow flowers and black Adidas sweatpants. “Well, the sooner I can whip us up something a bit more… stylish, the better.”

Spike approached her, keeping his gaze up at her head. “You look amazing in any form and in any clothes, Rarity.”

She giggled. “Why thank you, darling. Now, where’s my tape…”

Glancing around the room, she saw her tape measure coiled up at her workstation, and with a scowl of concentration, she tried to will the tape to her as if she still had a horn with which to do so. After a few moments of failing to move it at all, Rarity sighed ruefully as she walked over to pick it up.

“Now if only that spell let me keep my magic.” Scooping it up in her hand, she unrolled it out, waggling her fingers and letting out a huff of a chuckle at how well they responded to her. “Though I suppose if these… claws can be just as serviceable. Now ladies, who wants to go first?”

Fluttershy hugged her arms around herself as Rarity reached under her shirt and wrapped the tape around her waist. Seeing the fear and discomfort in her face and body language, Jessie walked up to her and reached a hand out. Fluttershy, sensing the benevolence of the girl’s act, unfolded her right arm out and let Jessie take it, smiling as Jesse clutched on and stayed by her side.

“It’s okay, girl, you got this.” Jessie gave her a thumb up with her free right hand to encourage her further, and Fluttershy managed to slowly mimic the gesture with her other hand, Jessie giggling madly. “See, told you!”

As Rarity ran a length of tape down her leg and then around and over the leg of her sweatpants, she backed away and sighed with contentment over another job well done. “I’m all done now. Thank you very much, Fluttershy.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy seemed disappointed as Jessie walked her back to her friends. “And I was doing so well just now.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Oli said, “I’m sure you’ll do great at the party this Saturday.”

“Yeah, about that,” Applejack butted in, “I’m starting to get the feeling that Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and yes, Applejack too aren’t exactly… human names. Kinda’ makes it hard to blend in with a crowd.”

“Well,” Twilight replied, “when I was with Lauren, I had a human name: Tiffany. We should spend some time coming up with our own.”

“Okay!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “I’ll be Tiffany 2!”

“Pinkie Pie,” Oli objected, “you can’t both be named Tiffany.”

“No, you see? I’m Tiffany Two!” She held up her index and middle fingers to further make her point. “Get it?”

Oli grimaced, not sure how he would put this lightly. “I got it, but if I have to be honest, that’s… probably even worse than keeping your actual name. How about this? This may sound a little weird, but on the show, your full name was Pinkamena Diane Pie.”

“What?! That’s actually my name! Did Lauren know that too?”

Oli could no longer keep track of the carryover between the show and real life. “Maybe it was in your bio or something. Anyways, would Diane be an alright name with–”

“Diane sounds great! It’s like I don’t have to change my name at all!”

“I was also thinking about that,” Applejack blurted in. “Are there any names that sound close to Apple, or Jack?”

“What about Jackie?” Oli suggested. “That’s a pretty common girl name in my parts.”

“Well then that does it.” Apple-Jackie put her fists to her sides proudly. “While I’m on two hooves, you can call me Jackie.”

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. “Well, if I’m going to have to change my name, it better be an awesome one. How about…” Rainbow Dash stayed silent. “Okay wow, I’m stumped. Oli, Jessie, what’s an awesome name for an awesome human like me?”

“How about Serena?” Jessie suddenly blurted.

“Serena?”

“You mean like the tennis player?” Oli asked.

“Why not? She’s, like, the most awesomenest athlete ever!”

“Athlete, huh?” Rainbow Dash stroked her chin, the name suddenly fitting her like a glove. “Alright then, Serena it is.” She then walked up to Jessie, knelt down, and held her fist out for her to pound. “Thanks a lot, kid.”

Jessie pressed her knuckles into Rainbow Dash’s, and though it didn’t have the same feel or appeal as getting to pound her hoof, it was still Rainbow Dash’s fist, and that was good enough for her.

“Oh my god!” Jessie became a bouncing mess once again. “I fistbumped Rainbow Dash! I mean Serena! Oh my god, I got to give Rainbow Dash her new name!”

“Oli, darling,” Rarity called, “I was reading through those magazines you let me have earlier this morning, and there were a few names that popped out at me as I was reading them, and I can’t make up my mind on which I fancy more.”

“Alright, shoot.”

“There was Rebecca, there was Amy, there was also this one whose style I really admire, but she seems to be named… Lady Gaga?”

Oli chuckled, imagining a scenario of those two minds meeting. “Yeah, her real name’s actually Stefani, but I actually really like Rebecca.”

“No, you should totally name yourself Lady Gaga!” Jessie shouted.

“That’s quite encouraging, Jessie dear, but I do believe she’s made quite a name for herself with it already. Alright, Rebecca it is then! Not too difficult to remember when they start with the same letter!”

“Wait, wait! I have a great name for Fluttershy! How about… Shi-loh?”

Fluttershy perked up, not expecting to be put on a spot so quickly. “Shiloh?”

“Isn’t that a boy name?” Oli wondered aloud. “And also the name of a dog?”

“What are you, dumb? I have a girl named Shiloh at school!”

“Well…” Fluttershy began to creep a smile, her first since turning human. “I do love dogs, and Shiloh sounds like a wonderful name.”

“Yes! Jessie 2, Oli 2. It’s a tie, and tie goes to the cutest, so I win!”

“Wait, hold on!” Oli laughed. “Did me naming Pinkie Diane not count?”

“Uh, that’s already her name?”

“…Well, can’t argue with that.”

“Excellent!” Rarity cried in delight. “Now as soon as we get out of these clothes and… *ahem* skin, perhaps we can have some lunch before I begin making things?”

“Where should we go?” Jessie asked.

Oli turned to her. “You have bread at home, don’t you?”

“I… think so?”

“At least…” Oli tapped his finger at the air toward each pony and dragon. “…18 slices?”

Jessie’s eyes bugged, having a hard time contemplating such a number.

“Once we turn back,” Applejack mentioned, “I wouldn’t mind running out for a jiffy and ranglin’ a loaf. What’chy’all had in mind, Oli?”

Oli smiled, his minor crisis swiftly averted.

With Jessie and the re-transformed ponies gathered around the dining room table in her house, Oli and Applejack were at the kitchen counter, where Oli spread a thin and even layer of peanut butter on two slices of bread before passing them to Applejack. The jar of peanut butter and two jars of jelly on the counter were labeled mostly plainly, a telltale sign of its Equestrian origins. With her teeth on a large spoon, she scooped a dollop of grape jelly out and spread it along one of the slices before Oli took both back, stacked them together, and cut the constructed sandwich diagonally into triangles.

“Who wanted grape?” Applejack hollered.

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof up, prompting Oli to slide the finished peanut-butter-and-jelly onto a paper plate and walk it over to Rainbow Dash, setting it down in front of her. Before she could finish, she looked at Jessie who was shoving her last quarter-sandwich into her mouth, slowly grinning.

“Going to town on that, aren’t you?” Rainbow Dash egged.

“Rainbow, please!” Rarity mildly glared at both of them. “Don’t encourage her to eat so… messily.”

“Uh cuh huhf eh…” Jessie got her massive bite down in two equally massive swallows. “Literally the best bread ever!”

Applejack chuckled from the kitchen after finishing another sandwich. “They don’t fool around at Sugarcube Corner. Now, who wanted strawberry?”

“Me, me!” Pinkie Pie whipped her arm about, making it impossible for her not to be noticed.

“Hold on!” Jessie shouted. “This bread is from Sugarcube Corner?!”

“Of course, silly!” As Oli set Pinkie’s sandwich down, Pinkie Pie almost promptly scooped both halves with her tongue before swallowing them in one gulp. “We do bake more than just cakes, and cookies, and pies, and strudels, and–”

“I think she got the gist.” Oli handed a completed sandwich to Applejack, allowing her to take the plate by the edge so she could accompany her other friends. “Now I just need to make mine so I can see what all the hubbub is about.”

Applejack seated herself down next to Jessie in the only available chair left. “So, Jessie, you into athletics and the like?”

Jessie looked up to her, equally starstruck and a bit confused over the word “athletics.” “Uh…”

“Sports!” Rainbow Dash blurted. “You like sports?”

“Oh! Oh yeah, I want to be a tennis player when I grow up!”

“Oh come on, tennis is boring! Wouldn’t you rather be–”

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity scolded, “there’s nothing wrong with tennis, and you should stoop so low as to tell your number one fan that her interests are boring!”

All eyes were on Rainbow Dash now, even Oli as he glided toward the table, sandwich on plate in hand.

“What?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I was just going to ask if she’d rather be a galloper, or, eh… runner.”

“There’s running in tennis.” Oli barely held back his snicker of pride over the matter-of-factness of her delivery.

“No, I mean running-running! Like miles-long running! Marathons! Races!”

“Alright,” Twilight bumped in, “I think that this conversation has gone on long enough. Jessie, you keep doing what you like. In fact, I’m sure Rainbow Dash would love to help train you…” She then glared at the blue pegasus. “…wouldn’t you, Rainbow Dash.”

“Or should we say, ‘Serena?’” Pinkie Pie’s sly asking of her question betrayed her lack understanding any seriousness of the situation.

“Oh my gosh, would you?!” Jessie gripped Rainbow Dash’s arms, making her tense up in realization that she was trapped. “That would literally make my whole wide… life! Pleeeease?!”

Whether it be being in the hands of one of her biggest fans or the fear instilled by Twilight’s expectant stare, Rainbow Dash quickly blew a sigh, resigning herself to her fate before calmly smiling back. “Yeah yeah, sure thing, Jessie. Who knows, you might even be better than me!”

Rainbow Dash gently nuggied Jessie’s scalp with her hoof, making her giggle as she tried to straighten it back out.

“So what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Spike asked to no one in particular. “Anything cool anyone wants to do?”

Oli chuckled, bracing himself for the awkwardness of his response. “Listen, guys, as much as I love hanging out with all of you, I’ve actually really need to do some prep work for the party.”

“What kind of prep work?” Twilight replied. “Anything any of us can help with?”

“It’s mostly just brainstorming mashup ideas. Trust me when I say it’s a lot less exciting than it sounds.”

“What time?” Rainbow Dash asked, genuinely curious?”

“I… don’t know, I was planning on making it an all day thing.”

“Oh, cool! I have the early morning weather shift tomorrow, so maybe when I’m done, you can swing by and take me to your place? Plus, you still haven’t let me listen to… uh, AC/AC?”

“AC/DC…” Oli took a moment to pause before coming up with his decision. “Alright, deal. What time are you done?”

“Before lunch?”

“Sounds great. I’ll order pizza.”

“Yum! Looking forward to it!”

“Actually, me too.”

“Hey!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “Let me come too!”

“I’ll probably have to sit this one out,” Applejack said, “going to need to do some work myself at Sweet Apple Acres if I want to make the party on Saturday.”

“And I’ll be rather busy working on our outfits,” Rarity added, “so I’ll have to take a rain check on that, dear.”

“I don’t mind waiting until the party to hear it…” Fluttershy whispered.

“As much as I'd love to come,” Twilight said, “I've actually learned so much about friendship from these past few days that I might need tonight and tomorrow to write to Princess Celestia about it. And I have you, Art, and Jessie to help thank for that.”

Oli shuddered out a dry wheeze as he and Jessie looked to each other, humbled beyond measure to be contributing to the Twilight Sparkle's friendship journey. She then noticed Spike hang his head low, his own decision seemingly made up for him.

Twilight smiled, knowing her next words would lift him. “Spike, you’re more than welcome to go with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash if you like. Just don’t have him out too late, Oli?”

He nodded, smirking to see the baby dragon looking excited over Twilight’s approval. “You got it.”

“Woohoo!” Spike ran over and hugged Oli’s leg. “Thanks so much, Oli! I can’t wait to see you in action!”

Oli giggled again. “We’ll see.”

“So what time are you parents getting home, Jessie?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m sure they’d appreciate their house and kitchen clean and pony free.”

“They won’t be home until a little after four,” Oli answered on Jessie’s behalf, “so we still have a few hours. Probably best we take the bread, peanut butter, and jelly so they don’t get too suspicious.”

“Aw, no fair!” Jessie whined. “Those were the best PB&Js I’ve ever had!”

“I can keep them at my house until I have to sit for you again. Probably won’t be too long; they should stay fresh by then.”

Jessie’s pout softened. “Okay, Oli. Can’t wait. And… I can… hang out with them again, right Oli?”

“Well, duh!” Rainbow Dash put her arm around Jessie’s back. “Kind of hard to play you in tennis if we can’t hang anymore, right?”

Jessie giggled, melting in Rainbow Dash’s one-arm embrace. “Yeah…”

The ponies and Spike laughed, and Oli couldn’t help but keep his eyes on Jessie, who’s day, summer, and quite possibly life was made today.

Chapter VIII: Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne, September 2002

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Art opened Oli’s bedroom door, the sound of the vacuum exploding out as Oli ran it through in straight, even rows. Looking around him, all of his records were put away and pushed into their shelves neatly, the bed they surrounded was made, and the surfaces of his desk, dresser, and bedstand looked dusted and with all of the items on top neatly organized.

Seeing his dad visibly admiring his work, Oli tapped the power button on the vacuum’s base to turn it off, listening in on what he wanted. “Yeah?”

“Oh, I… Having someone over today?”

Oli nodded, looking over the messy bald patches he’d have to get to after vacuuming. “Yeah, I’m having Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike over. They want to attend my brainstorming session.”

“Yes, for Ray’s party. Never mind then.”

“What, another guitar sale?”

“Oh, and it’s a big one! A Rickenbacker 325, the same kind Lennon would play.”

Oli leaned in, winded by this news. “No shit? Yeah, that’d make a very nice addition to the collection. Hey, tell you what. I was planning on getting us all pizza for lunch. I’ll be sure to leave you some.”

“Thanks. I’d like to swing in and say hi to your friends too.”

“I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you again.”

Art began to notice the spots Oli still had yet to work on, nodding to see that it was already a vast improvement over the last time he saw his room. “Well… keep up the good work.”

Art quickly slunk back out and closed the door behind him before Oli could say so much as, “Thank you.” Oli shrugged and turned the vacuum back on, wanting to waste no further time.

Oli’s room was empty but nearly spotless. The Harmonium lay open on the bed and open halfway. The windows were partially open to let the moderate breeze from outside in, cooling the space as the sunlight streaming through heat the carpet and comforter where it could touch. A stronger wind suddenly bellowed out of the book, and with it, Oli, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike were ejected out from the void between the two open pages. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both nimbly landed upon the floor as Pinkie Pie caught Spike on his back.

Spike shook his head, a bit woozy from the awkward landing. “Thanks Pinkie Pie. I owe you one.”

“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it eventually!” Pinkie Pie confidently exclaimed.

“Alright, let’s get to work!” Rainbow Dash hopped up on Oli’s bed in front of one of his shelves and put her forehooves up on the third row up, marveling at the number he possessed in just that one spot. “Whoa, where’d you get all these?”

“My parents owned most of these,” Oli explained, standing up to the left shelves and looking through the top row. “Once I began learning how to solo out tracks and starting to make money performing my mixes, I continued the collection. Yes, here we go.”

Oli slipped a light-greyish-blue jacket and held the front cover up to himself, recognizing the red tear and band logo above it and the title inside of it as the look of AC/DC’s The Razor’s Edge.

Rainbow Dash hopped up on her hind legs, catching the logo herself. “Aw yeah, going to pop that baby on?”

“Yep, just give me a moment.” Oli knelt before his turntable, prompting the two ponies and Spike to crowd around him.

Gently laying side-A up and sliding the center hole over the spindle, he set it down on the platter and reached for the needle. Once it was off its rest, the record began to spin, and Oli carefully, but excitedly, set the needle down on the record’s edge. Crawling back, the others were led to do the same, ready for the incoming moment for when the room would fill with sound.

With a gentle crackle of the needle entering the grooves, the immediately recognizable riff of Thunderstruck began to bounce across the walls from the speakers, and Rainbow Dash’s ears waggled as she attempted to process Angus Young’s impressive playing. Oli glanced over, savoring every moment of her initial reaction with a wide smile. Her head began to bounce as the chants began to bleed in, the corners of her lips curling in genuine enjoyment. On the first crack of, “thunder” accompanied by the boom of the drums, Rainbow Dash swooned, beginning to giggle over the fact that a song could make her do that.

“Wow,” Spike gasped. “This sounds awesome! Are you planning on using this for one of your songs, Oli?”

The seeds of an idea had already been planted in Oli’s mind the moment the track started, but it was Spike’s urging that already allowed the idea to bloom, and Oli began to silently contemplate the track, much to Spike’s bemusement.

“This is…” Rainbow Dash found her words stuck in her throat from her elation alone. “This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever…” As Malcom Young’s guitar began to play over Angus’s, Rainbow Dash’s face also began to morph into confusion, unable to understand how he could not be excited about a musical miracle such as this. “Oli? Are you even listen–”

“Of course he’s not listening!” Pinkie Pie hissed. “He’s brainstorming!”

Despite the shrill shouts of Brian Johnson’s vocals coming in, Oli began to mouth the words to the first verse of The Black Crowes’ Hot to Handle. As he felt the melodies and meter of the last song blend well into the first, he stopped his singing before shooting back off his bed and began to hammer away at his laptop keyboard.

“Oli.” Rainbow Dash and the other two Equestrians hopped off the bed and stood at both sides of his office chair. “Did you already come up with one?”

“Part of one.” Oli pulled up a file browser window and created a new folder and created a new folder inside that.

Naming the latest folder MIX 1, he searched through another browser window and located his bass, rhythm guitar, and drum tracks for Thunderstruck before dragging them into the MIX 1 folder. As the first files began to copy over, he located his vocal track for Hot to Handle and dragged it in as well. Within another few seconds, all four tracks had copied over. Even with the song still playing overhead, Rainbow Dash and Spike stared at him, nonplussed.

It most certainly wasn’t the most creative display of his intelligence, and Oli felt a pang of guilt hit him. “Sorry guys, this is what most of my day is going to look like. I can’t say I didn’t warn you, but if this isn’t how you all wanted to chill, I don’t mind sending you back.”

“Are you not planning on listening to more music today?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I mean, of course not, but there’s going to be a lot of–”

“Then relax, dude! We’re just a couple of ponies… and a dragon, keeping their friend company while he does some work, and there’s a lot worse kind of work you could be doing.”

Oli smiled and nodded to her, appreciating her solidarity along with Pinkie Pie and Spike’s. “Thanks guys.”

“No problem. Now let me listen to the rest of this song, okay?”

Oli shrugged. “Fair deal. If you want, I can go ahead and call the pizza in while–”

“Yeah, yeah, pizza. Now quiet, I bet a good part’s coming up!”

Oli threw his arms up and scooted out of his chair. As he left the room, Rainbow Dash hopped back onto Oli’s bed and laid down. Meanwhile, both Pinkie Pie and Spike continued to browse through Oli’s shelves at their own comfortable levels. Oli was already dialing his phone as he made his way down the stairs. Reaching the main floor, he began to pace as he awaited an answer on the other line.

“Yes, hi,” he began, “I’d like to place an order for delivery… yes, can I please get three large cheese pizzas, a medium sausage and pe–” The sudden bee-boo of the doorbell felt deafening to Oli as he jolted slightly. “Sorry, yes, sausage and pepperoni, please.”

Oli walked up to the peephole and looked through it, feeling a slight drain in the colors of his face to see Javi gently leaning side to side in a musical rhythm as he waited for either him or his dad to answer the door. Wearing an MCR Black Parade t-shirt, ripped-up jeans, a blue flannel shirt around his waist, checkered Converse shoes, and sporting black hair that reached his upper back, he definitely looked the part of a late 2000’s-rocker.

Oli sighed loudly. “I’m… sorry, I’ll call you right back.”

Hanging up the phone and approaching the door, Oli turned the handle and pulled the door open, standing still inside the doorframe.

“Hey, Javi.” Oli struggled to mask his anxiety with feigned surprise. “What’s going on?”

“Yo, Oli!” Javi already began letting himself inside, and Oli barely withheld a grimace as he stepped back and continued to play the game of “everything’s normal.” “You getting ready for tomorrow night?”

“…Yeah, I was actually just getting started on building my tracklists.”

“Oh, sweet! I actually swung by to see how things were going.” Javi began to head to the stairs.

“Javi, wait!” He stopped with his foot on the first step.

Oli paused, quickly realizing that there was going to be virtually no possible way to hide the Equestrians’ existence from him and allow him to leave on good terms. The awkward silence confused Javi.

“Are you…” Javi struggled to put the pieces together. “…trying to keep your mix a secret?” With AC/DC still blasting from Oli’s bedroom, Javi looked up in that direction to make his upcoming point. “Because it already sounds like it’s going to have AC/DC in it.”

“Alright, listen.” Oli approached Javi, who continued standing in his spot. “I have some other friends over who wanted to be here while I work on my tracklists.”

Javi glanced left and right. “So, it’s not supposed to be a secret?”

“Look, I just made these friends, and they’re…” Oli could already see Javi starting to look impatient once again. “You know what, you’re right, let me just introduce them.

Javi blurted out a laugh as he turned back to the door. “Come on, man, I think I’ve known you long enough to know the kinds of people you hang out with.”

“The thing about these friends of mine, they’re not exactly…”

Javi grabbed the bedroom’s door’s knob, twisted, and gently pushed it open. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike both turned expecting to see Oli come back in, only to spot the unfamiliar Javi instead.

“What…” Javi’s voice was involuntarily hushed as he studied Oli’s new friends’ features, realizing exactly what his friend tried to mean.

“…human,” Oli finally and awkwardly finished.

“So…” Spike glanced between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, “any idea of when he’s going to start introducing us to the rest of the neighborhood?”

“Hopefully before dinner!” Pinkie Pie chirped.

Javi breathed in through his nose, the only tangible coping mechanism he could think of seeing both the dragon and pony speaking fluent English. “Uh, yeah, no, Oli, can we step out for just…”

Javi lightly grabbed Oli by the arm to herd him away from the door as he began closing it behind him. Oli quickly mouthed out a “sorry” before the door shut, separating the two humans from the Equestrians.

“Yo, Oli…” Javi didn’t seem to sound angry, but there was a noticeable twinge of fear and paranoia in his voice, “…I’m gonna’ need you to tell me where– no, what exactly those things–”

“Javi, Javi, calm down!” Oli gripped Javi by the shoulders to silence him.

“No, not calm down, dude! You literally have a whole-ass pegasus in your room, and…” Javi quickly swung the door open, took another inventory of its occupants, and closed the door again. “…is that a fucking dragon?”

“Yes!” Oli hissed, sensing his friend’s voice raise. “And… I guess I’ll rip this bandaid off too, but there are unicorns as well.”

Javi turned away and ran his fingers through his hair. “Oh, Oli… Does anyone else know about them?”

Oli gently nodded once. “Dad and Jessie…”

“Jessie? You mean– wait…” Javi was about to open the door once again, only to be stopped by Oli’s hand grabbing at his wrist.

“I’ll explain everything to you, man, but before I can, I really need you to slow your roll, because your energy is really reaching crazy levels right now.”

Javi visibly looked more relaxed, though his eyes struggled to calm down with the rest of his body. “Just answer me this… are…” Javi huffed out the rest of the air in his lungs, unable to believe he was going to suggest what he was about to suggest.

“Yeah, they are.” Javi blew another breath out, already unable to trust the notion that the day would stop getting weird any time soon. “Again, I’ll explain everything to you when you’re a little bit more… presentable.”

“Presentable?”

“Well, yeah, I’m not going to introduce you to them when you’re all high-strung like this.”

“Wait, you’re expecting me to be friends with them?”

“Well… yeah.” The utter sincerity and twinge of hurt in Oli’s voice finally allowed the tension in Javi’s face to ease off. “Dude, we’ve been friends before Jessie was even born. I’d never keep a secret this big from you, especially when I have a really good feeling you’ll like them just as much as Dad and I do.”

Javi looked back at the door, biting his lip over the fate of every standard he set for himself being put on the line.

“Trust me,” Oli continued, “this is a much bigger deal than you think it is.”

A thought crept into Javi’s head. “What if… What if I say something that… corrupts them, I don’t know, what do I talk to them about?”

“Just be your cool-ass self. Don’t push anything overly hard, and they’ll warm up to you right away. Alright, let’s do this.”

Javi froze to see Oli swing around him and push on the door while turning the knob, the continuation of Fire Your Guns now bursting outwards. “Oli–?”

Oli entered the room, leaving Javi with his back to the Equestrians as they finally got a good look at him. Javi could only turn around and look into each of their eyes, already feeling a great sense of wonder rise in him to find no judgment in their stares. Suddenly, the realization that he was meeting, actually meeting with mythological creatures began to dawn on him, and a wobbly grin began to pull up at his face.

“No way…” he whispered.

“Girls,” Oli began. “…Spike, this is Javier, a really good friend of mine, but as you may have heard, he calls himself Javi.”

“Javi…” Pinkie Pie repeated, her speech earning a near-tearful sigh of amazement out of him. “I like that, but I like Javier too! Oh, why did choosing which name to call you have to be so difficult!”

Javi let out a laugh; perhaps this was going to be easier than he thought. “Listen, Pinks, you can call me whatever you want, whenever you want. Deal?”

“Pinks?” She suddenly got it and let out a gasp. “I love that! I for one am pleased as punch to get to meet you, Javi!”

Pinkie Pie stood on her hind legs to extend her hoof out, the humanity of her gesture making Javi place a hand over his heart with his left hand before accepting her invitation for a hoof/handshake with the right.

“Javi it is, then,” he breathed.

“Sounds cool with me!” Turning to the sound of Rainbow Dash’s voice, he saw as she hopped up onto all fours at once from her laying position. The suddenness of her act caused her to flare her wings out for balance, a side effect that Rainbow Dash’s cocky smile told everyone was intentional. “Name’s Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria.”

Rainbow Dash held her hoof up at Javi, her position on the bed nearly making their heads the same height with each other’s. A few moments passed before the shock of seeing a pegasus’s wings for the first time finally subsided in him. “You don’t say…”

Rainbow Dash snorted a laugh as she let the boy she was very certain would be a friend of hers shake her hoof. “And he’s funny. Yeah, I think you and me are going to be alright.”

Once their shake ended, Javi kept his hand up, awkwardly pointing at Rainbow Dash’s right wing. “May…”

“You what?” Once Rainbow Dash understood, a burst of realization struck her face. “Oh yeah, sure! Put ‘er there!”

She held out her wing, Javi taking a moment to simply appreciate the sight of her cyan plumage. Once he felt comfortable to continue, he reached for the bar of her wing and gently felt it up to the base.

“Wow…” he sighed, “it’s so… firm.”

Rainbow Dash chuclked again. “Kind of hard to fly fast with noodle-wings, ya’ know?”

“No doubt…”

“Hi there, I’m Spike!” The tiny dragon walked up to Javi with his clawed hand already held up to him. “You haven’t met her yet, but I’m the assistant to Twilight Sparkle. She’s a unicorn.”

Javi had already knelt down to shake his hand when his grip involuntarily loosened, still managing to get stunned over this latest news. “There are unicorns…”

“Yep!” Pinkie Pie confirmed. “Our other friend Rarity’s also a unicorn. Sorry you couldn’t get to meet them!”

“He has all summer to, Pinkie,” Oli said, “don’t worry.”

“Oh, I’m the exact opposite of worried, Oli! I’m sure they’ll be just as happy to meet you as we are!”

“That’s… that’s awesome.” Javi stood back up, the looks the ponies and dragon were now giving him feeling more warm and inviting than ever. “So, what’chu got so far?”

Oli shrugged and let his arms fall, his hands slapping the sides of his legs on the way down. “I literally only put the AC/DC on less than two minutes before you showed up.”

Javi put his arms and hands out. “Perfect! So we still have plenty of time.”

“So much time!” Pinkie giggled.

“Speaking of,” Spike wondered, “when’s the pizza getting here?”

Oli’s eyebrows raised, realizing that he still hadn’t ordered anything yet, while Javi slowly looked to his human friend. “You ordered pizza?”

Oli slowly made his way back outside his room, pulling his phone from his pocket.

Javi watched him as he disappeared down the hall. “Can you get me a garbage pizza?!”

Javi took a massive bite of his square of pizza, which was stacked high with green peppers, onions, mushrooms, sausage, and bacon. As the Equestrians enjoyed their slices of cheese and Oli took a bite of his pepperoni, Def Leppard’s Pyromania spun on the turntable, filling the room with the sounds of Rock of Ages.

After scarfing down her pizza crust with two chews and one gulp, Rainbow Dash’s mouth was open to speak. “Your worlds’ music is awesome! I’d love to be able to fly to stuff like this!”

Though he took only the one bite, Javi dropped his slice back onto his plate and began cleaning his fingers with a stray napkin left on the bed. “You want to listen to some good flying music? Oli, you don’t mind if I…?”

“No,” Oli tried to say through the food in his mouth, “go right ahead.”

Javi crawled past Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie until he reached one of the bottom rows of the right shelves. Scanning his fingers over the sides of the sleeves, he finally settled on one. Pulling it out, Oli immediately made out the cover of a muscular man holding up a metal globe with the Van Halen art on it.

“Oh yeah…” Oli breathed out excitedly.

“What’s that?” Rainbow Dash curiously asked.

“If he’s playing the song I think he is, boy oh boy…”

“Are you going to tell me, or…?”

“Just give it a listen,” Javi instructed, pulling the needle off of the Def Leppard record.

With impressive dexterity, Javi slid the old record back into its sleeve before sliding the new one out and laying it on the turntable. Carefully aiming the needle back over the fourth of the five track rings, he set it down and backed away, ready for the song to work its magic. As expected, the opening synth and acoustic guitar intro of Dreams began to play from the speakers, and all human eyes were on Rainbow Dash.

“It’s like…” Rainbow paused to take more of the song in as the first loop of the intro closed and repeated for a second time. “It’s like I’m actually above the clouds back home.”

“Right?” Oli enthusiastically agreed.

Rainbow Dash huffed out, completely frozen in awe to be hear music that could so easily transport her to her favorite place in the world. Without even realizing it, her wings slowly came open, the pegasus only able to imagine the wind beneath her wings as she coasted high above the ground as the melody closed out for a second time. Once the rest of the band all came in, Rainbow Dash tucked her wings back in and threw herself onto her stomach, once again finding herself back in the room she had not left yet.

“Oh my gosh, guys!” Rainbow Dash shot to her hooves, nearly knocking over the unattended plates of pizza she and the others left. “This might be the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Hang on,” Oli chuckled, “Sammy hasn’t even come in yet.”

“Who’s Sammy?”

The vocals shouted in soon after, and Oli pointed to the turntable as if to answer who had just come in now. Rainbow Dash nodded, approving Hagar’s harsh, higher-pitched voice gelling with the fast and euphoric melodies the band continued to play.

“Looks like you’re going to have to use this song in one of your mashups now!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“NO!” Rainbow Dash forcefully pointed a hoof. “This song is perfect as is!”

“Wow!” Javi tried to shout over the track. “Calm down, Dash.”

“How can I be calm when I’m listening to the best music ever written?!”

The song’s chorus finally kicked in, and Rainbow Dash tilted her head up, the lyrics sending her on a rapturous adventure in her own mind. “I mean, LISTEN to that! This song was made for me!”

As the second verse began, Rainbow Dash thrashed her head in beat to the song, the others in the room having nothing else to do but let her ride out her high.

“You think she’s ready for Jump yet?” Javi asked Oli.

Oli fluttered his hand at him. “Nah nah, let her have her moment.”

Seeing Rainbow Dash’s energy refuse to let up, Spike quickly began clearing the bed of plates that still had pizza squares ranging from uneaten to down to the crusts. Oli and Javi watched as Spike placed the plates down on the front edge of Oli’s desk where there was plenty of room.

“Hey, thanks Spike!” Oli said to him, genuinely impressed.

“No problem!” Spike chirped. “She nearly even stepped on mine!”

“Actually,” Javi said, “I was going to swing back downstairs and grab some more. Anyone else!”

“Ooo, me!” Pinkie Pie shot her hoof straight up.

“May as well load up one of the boxes with a few of each,” Oli suggested.

Javi pointed at Oli with a snap. “Good idea! I’ll be right back.”

With the song still going and Rainbow Dash showing no signs of calming down until the song ended, Javi exited the bedroom and made his way down the stairs. Turning right into the kitchen, he forcefully came to a stop to see Art already helping himself to a plate. With Javi having entered his peripherals, Art turned around to see Javi standing still as stone.

“Javi?” There was a foreboding tone in Art’s voice that Javi already understood the meaning of. “What are you doing here?”

“I was…” Javi struggled to think of an answer. “…I came to see how Oli was doing on the party music.”

“Is… Oli alone with you right now?”

“Uh… no, I actually already met his new friends. Nice bunch.”

“So you know?”

“About…” Art nodded twice. “I mean, yeah. Yes, I know.”

Art seemed to instantly relax. “Oh, good. They are a nice bunch, aren’t they?”

Javi also felt safe to relax, allowing himself to take in the pleasure of answering his question honestly. “Yeah. I think we also found the blue pegasus’s new favorite song, in case you haven’t heard.”

Art chuckled. “Yep, it’s kind of hard to not hear her enjoying it from down here. Anyways, don’t mind me. I was just swinging by for some ‘za and I’m back off on my way.”

“Oh, okay. I was going to put a bunch on a box and bring it up.”

“Oh, by all means.” Art stepped back and let Javi slide in.

Javi took his final two slices of garbage pizza and placed them in a box only quarter-full with cheese. Taking the remaining quarter of Oli’s pepperoni, he opened a fresh box of cheese and took five extra slices to join with the rest. With his bounty sufficient, Javi snatched the box and briskly walked back up, the Van Halen song winding to a close from Oli’s room.

“Okay, guys?” Art could hear Oli call. “Can we please get back to work? Ray’s folks are paying me a lot for this gig, so I need to start cranking some bangers.”

“Cranking some bangers?!” Pinkie Pie shrieked. “That’s the greatest trio of words I’ve ever heard!”

Art laughed, Pinkie Pie’s energy infectious even all the way down there. “Well, I might as well say hi while I’m here…”

Art put his plate down and made his way toward the stairs where Javi had just headed.

With the front door safely closed behind him, Javi knelt down to reach the Equestrians’ levels as they saw him off from the foyer.

Javi and Rainbow Dash bumped fist and hoof. “It’s been my utmost pleasure getting to meet you. Let me know if you want to hang out sometime.” Javi looked to Oli. “That’d be alright, right man?”

Oli’s eyes were quickly met by Rainbow Dash’s next. With all the pieces he’d need to ensure her safety, he just as quickly shrugged and threw his arms down. “What the hell, I should make that work.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash purred. “I’ll give Oli the deets and let him tell you.”

“It’s a date.” Rainbow Dash’s face went flush, a reaction that went completely unnoticed by Javi as he brought his attention to Pinkie Pie and Spike. “And I’ll catch you two on the flip-si–”

Javi could no longer let air out, his chest getting violently compressed by the tight embraced of Pinkie Pie’s arms constricting the entirety of his torso.

“Hugger,” he choked out. “She’s a hugger.”

“I’m already missing you,” she squealed, “and you haven’t even left yet!”

Pinkie Pie let him go, and he stumbled onto his butt, Spike already approaching him. “Been fun hanging with you today. Hope your chest feels better.”

“No problem,” Javi wheezed, woozily shaking Spike’s hand. “Probably just need an ice-bath and half a bottle of Tylenol and I’ll be good as new.”

“Tylenol, eh? Is that some kind of healing potion or something?”

“…Yeah, or something, exactly. Anyways, sorry, gotta’ go. Seriously about to be late for work!”

“Alright, man, take care!”

“Bye!”

Javi opened the door a crack behind him and slipped out through the thinnest possible gap he could non-awkwardly fit through without anyone outside catching a sight at the winged horse standing in his friend’s house. Oli helped push the door closed, keeping his friends safely concealed.

“So,” Rainbow Dash said, a bit excited, “when’s Javi available next?”

Oli huffed smugly. “He’s going to be at the party tomorrow, you know.”

“Really?! That means–” She gasped, the gravity of the situation hitting her. “That means he gets to see me as a human too?!”

“I guess so. Anyways, how much longer until you guys need to get back home?”

“I promised the Cakes I’d be back before the after-work rush,” Pinkie Pie answered.

“Alright.” Oli began to walk back upstairs. “How’s about we spend another hour brainstorming and call it a day?”

“Sounds alright with me,” Spike agreed.

“Just admit it dude,” Rainbow Dash jeered, following Oli closely behind him, “you’re already bored of us!”

“What? No!”

Rainbow Dash laughed, her mark just as easily excitaable as the best of them. “Just joshing, dude. Come on, let’s think of some good ones!”

Rainbow Dash trotted the rest of the way, beating him to his door. With a smile, Oli quickly strode in after her, Pinkie Pie and Spike matching their pace to rejoin their other friends.

Chapter IX: I Think We're Alone Now - Tommy James and the Shondells, January 1967

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Javi hoisted a milkcrate of XLR cables up to Oli inside the back of his van, setting them beside crates of quad power boxes, extension cords, and quarter-inch cables, nestled snuggly behind a few monitors, two guitar amps, and the cases containing his DJ equipment. Stacked atop them was a small folding table and a small electronic drumkit.

“That everything?” Oli asked, peeking his head out.

“You said you wanted to borrow some of your dad’s guitars, right?” Javi asked.

Oli hopped out the back and began making his way back to the front door. “Yeah. Just need to grab those, my laptop, and the po– ladies, and then we can head on our merry–”

“Hold up, you were about to say ponies just now. They– …they’re not coming tonight, are they?”

“Yeah? Didn’t I tell you?”

“First off, no. Second of all, so now that your dad, that girl you babysit, and I know about these ponies, you think you can just show them off to an entire party without causing a scene?”

“Javi–”

“Third of all, why’d you suddenly switch ponies for ladies? What’s even–”

Already inside, Oli spun around and blocked Javi’s path to the kitchen. “Javi, stop! I’ll tell you. That book I use to bring them here has a spell in it that allows me to turn them human. Happy now?”

Oli went back to the direction of the basement stairwell door, leaving Javi behind to ponder the explanation. “I guess that answers those, but…” Javi jogged to catch back up. “Do they have anything to wear? Do are they naked, or is it some Cinderella-type shit where they get clothe–”

“Quiet!” Art suddenly bellowed.

Realizing he was in the basement where Art was carefully examining and sizing up his newly-acquired Rickenbacker, Javi slapped his hands over his mouth. “Ooh, sorry Mr. J, I didn’t–”

“Dad!” Oli hissed from the wall of guitars. “Can I take the SG and the Thunderbird?”

Art didn’t bother looking back. “Just bring them back in one piece or put up whatever money you need to make it one, got it?”

“Thanks!” Oli went to the rack of cases, tracing his fingers for the right cases for the guitars he intended to bring. “Javi, can you go ahead and…”

“Yeah, sure thing.” Javi carefully gripped both instruments at the bases of their necks, watching as Oli slid the second case out from the bunch before pulling both out and sending them on the ground.

Javi leaned against the front inner front door, both guitars and a stuffed messenger back set right beside him. Javi’s eyes were glued to the open Dua Harmonium sitting in the middle of the foyer, counting the seconds until his friend and his “lady” friends would emerge, presumably the same way he saw Javi go in.

“Note to self,” Javi muttered. “Ask who your friends make you carpool with from now on.”

After a few extra moments of uncomfortable silence, Javi reached into his pocket for his phone, only for the burst of magic wind to blow out from the book, jolting him into alertness as he awaited for whomever was going to come out on the other side. Oli emerged first, landing nimbly on his feet before he quickly shuffled into the living room to make room for the others that were yet to emerge.

Arriving first was “Tiffany,” followed by “Serena,” then “Diane,” then “Shiloh,” “Jackie,” and then “Rebecca.” Shiloh and Rebecca were sprawled on the floor, unable to land as agilily as the others had been able to. Javi didn’t even have time to register the ponies’ newly-human appearances as three boxes soon shot out from the book after them.

“Whoa!” Diane held her arms up as she stood underneath the boxes’ landing spot, catching each one with the second and third boxes landing atop the first. “Perfect! Operation Cake Drop is a success!”

“Great.” Oli went to the guitar cases and collected them. “Javi, you don’t mind carrying the cakes in your car, do you?”

Javi was finally able to get a good look at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, their hair similarly colored and styled in spite of their human appearances. Rainbow Dash’s Serena was now dressed in snug dark-blue calf-high leggings with yellow stripes running up the sides of each leg, her midsection covered by low-cut lighter-blue tank-top exposing her well-toned midriff. Pinkie Pie’s Diane was dressed in a frilly magenta skirt and a light pink shirt adorned in white lace.

Serena approached Javi, smirking to see his face turning red with bewilderment. “Hey, Javi! Like the new threads?”

Dressed in black jeans and a black My Chemical Romance t-shirt, Javi couldn’t help but feel extremely naked beside her. “D– Dash…”

“Yeah, doofus, it’s me! Just call me Serena tonight, deal?”

“Ser…?”

Oli returned inside, hanging the strap to his computer bag over his shoulder. “Jessie and I gave them human names for when they’re out here mingling with the human folk. In fact, let me introduce you to the rest.”

“You remember me, right?” Diane got close to him, nearly shoving her boxes into his face.

“Yeah…” Javi waved nervously. “Hey, Pinks.”

“Not tonight, silly! I’m Diane while on two hooves– I mean feet!”

“Diane. Great.”

“That being said,” Pinkie mentioned, fluffing her hair with her fingers, “I guess ‘Pinks’ still applies, huh?”

“Whatever you want.”

Tiffany, Jackie, Shiloh, and Rebecca then approached Javi, each dressed in the clothes that Rarity had fashioned for them. Jackie’s snugly-fitted buttoned-up orange flannel, dark blue jeans, and brown boots screamed country music starlet, and Shiloh’s slightly-oversized forest-green sweater, sky-blue leggings, and casual wedges gave her a look of slightly greater confidence, especially considering how nice she finally looked in this form.

Tiffany, dressed in light-grey short shorts, a black-top wrapping her body between the top of her breasts and above her navel, and a lacey mauve cardigan approached Javi to shake his hand. “Hi, Javi, great to finally meet you! I’ve heard nothing but great things about you from Rainbow Da– …I mean–”

“It’s alright, I understand.” Javi gently interrupted, shaking her hand. “What should I call you tonight?”

“Oh!” Twilight, disarmed by his quickly accepting nature, fumbled her reply. “Oh, I, uh… I’m Tiffany. I’ll save my real name for when you meet the, *ahem* real me.”

“Sounds great.”

“Hi there.” Applejack waved to Javi before leaning in to extend her own hand to shake. “My real name is Applejack, but my other name shouldn’t be too hard to remember. It’s Jackie.”

“Jackie, got it.”

Next to Jackie was Shiloh, but as Javi turned to look at her, Rebecca stepped in front of his line of sight, appearing to him in black, wide-legged pants and a white vest with a triangle of a sleeveless purple shirt underneath it. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, darling. My name is Rebecca, glad to see you’ve been admiring my work.”

Javi’s eyes widened as Rarity moved her hand near her friends, showing off what they were all wearing. “Hold up, you made these?”

“But of course! I simply can’t just buy clothing for humans in a world where they don’t exist now, can I?”

“…I mean, I guess not, but still, damn.”

Rarity chuckled, slightly offput by his clearly profane compliment. “Now the last one behind me is… Shiloh. Apologies, getting used to these names myself! She’s a little… wary around strangers, but give her some patience and she’ll worm your way into your heart soon enough!”

“Oh, I see…” Javi keeping his distance, bent his knees to look into her eyes before waving to her. “Hi, Shiloh. Listen, whenever you want to come and say hi back is alright with me.”

“Oh…” Still standing partially behind Jackie, she gave Javi a slight, observant nod. “Thank you.”

Oli looked to his watch. “Yeah, sorry to have to herd you all out of here so quick, pardon the pun, but I need to get there soon to set my gear up and do a short sound check before Ray gets there.”

“Alight then,” Jackie agreed. “Let’s hit the road, ladies!”

“Pink– uh, sorry, Diane, Serena… Shiloh, why don’t you ride with Javi, and I’ll take Tiffany, Jackie, and–”

“Me, in that contraption?” Rebecca pointed to Oli’s vehicle in the driveway. “Oli, darling, I for one like you quite a lot, but I’m not sure I could handle being in that storage closet on wheels for more than ten minutes!”

“Good thing it’s an eight minute drive then!” Oli was out the front door before Rebecca could get a word in.

With Javi’s assigned passengers already making their way out with him, Tiffany and Shiloh came up behind her for her to lead the way. “Oh, for heaven’s sake…”

With Javi waiting on the street, Jay’s driveway dividing his and Oli’s cars, Oli put his van into reverse and swung into the lane closest to the backyard gate. Once his car was parked, he gave a couple of taps on the horn before opening his door and hopping out. Just as Javi came in to park in the opposite lane, Rebecca pushed the left sliding door open and jumped out, the sudden screech of Javi’s car breaks making her hop and squeal in fright.

“Yo, watch it!” Javi shouted.

“Rarity, come on.” Oli sighed over his panic-induced forgetfulness as he pulled Rebecca by her arm towards the garage, giving Javi room to continue parking.

Jackie and Tiffany came out from the other side just as Javi exited his own car with Serena, Diane, and Shiloh.

With everyone out, the Equestrian humans were able to size up Ray’s house, which towered over most of the neighboring homes. Its sand-colored brick allowed it to match the other houses surrounding it, and its dark-wooded fence provided an extra air of security. Even by Ponyville standards, the place appeared like a palace to the ponies-turned-humans.

“That’s where your friend lives?” Rarity gasped.

Oli nodded. “Yep. They’re pretty well off. Alright, let’s get this stuff in the back.”

Kust before Oli could move to the back doors of his van, a medium-length blonde-haired woman opened the backyard gate from the inside and approached the group. From the light summer shirt and fancy sandals she wore, she was already prepared for a celebration.

She slowed her pace, nonplussed over the abundance of people in her driveway. “Oli, Javi so good to see you!” Despite the six new girls, the woman gave both Oli and Javi respectful and platonic hugs. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you two were bringing more guests…”

“Sorry about that, Ms. P,” Oli said. “I met these girls at one of my gigs earlier this week, and they seemed pretty cool and I asked if they wanted to see me perform tonight.”

“OooOOOooh!” The woman’s suggestive squinted was directed at Tiffany in particular. “Oli’s already getting groupies!” After a laugh, she approached her with an open hand. “I kid, of course. Anywho, yes, I’m Kate Powers, Ray’s mom. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough.”

“Looking very much forward to it, Ms. Powers,” Tiffany replied. “We were actually going to help Oli take his things to…”

“It’s okay,” Oli said. “I know where we’ll be. Let me just unlock the back and get some stuff.”

“Come on, ladies,” Jackie firmly commanded, “the quicker we help Oli, the sooner we can enjoy ourselves.”

Ms. Powers began to follow the Equestrian humans as they returned to Oli’s van. “I’m… sorry, what time did you imagine the party would begin?”

Tiffany stopped to speak with her, her friends continuing on ahead. “Oli said the party wouldn’t be starting until closer to 3, but still, we don’t mind lending a helping h… and.”

“Plus, I brought dessert!” Diane appeared with her three boxes of cake balanced on the palm of one hand.

“Oh, my I… actually had dessert covered, but… thank you, that’s quite considerate of you. Why don’t you follow me and I’ll show you where you can place those.”

“Phew! I was worried I’d never get to put these cakes down! Lead the way, Ms. P! Oh, my name’s Diane by the way!”

“Diane, how nice. Yes, follow me to the kitchen. Are those cakes you brought?”

“Mmhm! Made them myself!”

“Oh, you didn’t have to go through all that!”

“Of course I did! I figured it’d be a great substitute for an invitation!”

As Diane and Ms. Powers continued chatting, Oli quickly followed them through the now open gate. “Alright, come on, it’s load in time!”

Suddenly realizing their empty handedness, every person in the driveway save for Rebecca shuffled to the back of Oli’s still open van. Rebecca, once she saw her friends were all occupied, slipped into the backyard to follow Oli.

Jackie grunted as she set the last monitor down on the ground beside the others, the rest of Oli’s equipment neatly set about the rear corner of the fence. Rebecca scanned the rest of the backyard, starting with inground pool closest to her, a large utility shed in the other back corner, and a sizable stone deck whose glass tables were already dressed up with party decorations.

“Is that it then?” Rebecca asked. “Are we all set then?”

“I dunno’,” Serena sneered, “why don’t you actually go into the truck and do a check?”

“I didn’t make my outfit just to get it dirty doing physical labor, though I doubt that matters that much to you!”

“Look at it this way, if you had helped carry some things, I’d be that less gross and sweaty!”

“Hey, ho, ladies!” Javi stood between the two. “Let’s not say something we might not be able to take back, eh? As a matter of fact, who’d like to do something fun?”

“I DO!” Diane came running through the back door towards her other friends, Ms. Powers quickly coming out after her, uncertain for her impromptu exit. “I heard fun is about to be had, so what fun is about to be had?”

“Javi?” Oli’s voice conveyed the importance of caution to his friend.

“Hear me out.” He then turned back to the Equestrians. “So, Ray isn’t home right now, obviously. He’s out getting breakfast with some other friends from school, but I was going to call him and ask if he wanted to hang out a bit to keep him occupied before the party. If you don’t want to hang around here while Oli sets his stuff up, I’ve got room for three, maybe four in my car if you want to tag along and… I guess meet him. Pinks, you already called dibs, so you’re in. Da…” Javi quickly glanced sideways, seeing that Ms. Powers was safely far enough away. “Dash, you wanna hang out early?”

Serena was already walking his way. “Pfft, like you needed to ask!”

Javi and Serena clasped hands as she joined his and Diane’s sides. “Alright, I can do one more, two if you don’t mind squeezing together in the back.”

“As neat as it sounds to get a lay of the land, so to speak,” Jackie spoke up, “I think I want to stay back and help Oli finish setting up.”

“It’s alright, Jackie,” Oli said. “Unless you already know what to do, it’d take me longer to teach you than it would to just get it done.”

“Hey, I’m fully capable moving stuff around and opening boxes if I can do that. Shouldn’t need to teach me any of that.”

Oli shrugged. “I suppose that’s fair.”

“I think I’ll just stay here,” Shiloh sighed, unsure of her decision.

Oli smirked. “You know, if I remember right, I think the Powers just got a new Labrador puppy–”

“They have a puppy here?!” Fluttershy’s sudden burst of elation suddenly shifted to anxiety as she saw Ms. Powers still standing there.”

“Well, go on, ask her! I know you’ll treat it right.”

“Oh… okay…” Though her posture still spelled uncertainty, she dutifully made her way to the matron of the house.

Oli could see as Shiloh’s request appeared to be granted, Ms. Powers leading her into the house.

“Rebecca,” Tiffany said to her, “if you’d like to go with Javi and the others, I’ll be fine here. I’d like to get to know some of the other guests as they show up.”

“Oh, why…” Rarity seemed bit flustered to suddenly find herself in a best case scenario. “Thank you, Twilight. I mean–”

“I don’t think Ms. P can hear us anymore.” Javi looked through the window of the sliding glass door, watching as she observed a more-relaxed Shiloh cradling a young straw-gold coated puppy in her arms. “I’m sure little slips like that are alright while we’re alone, but we definitely can’t have any while we’re out, alright?”

Javi and Oli stole a glance, the latter nodding in approval of his handling of these three unique women.

Javi then checked his watch. “Welp, it’s almost 11, and the mall’s about to open, so let’s hurry over so we can group up.”

“Wait, take this.” Oli approached Rebecca, pulling a Discover card from his wallet and handing it to her. “If you want to get something, use that to pay for it. There shouldn’t be a pin, and just memorize the signature on the back in case you have to sign anything.”

“It’s alright, I’ll handle it,” Javi said, plucking the card from his friend’s fingers and slipping it into his pocket. “I can’t imagine Rebecca made y’all working cell phones, so we’re going to have to be together at all times, got it?”

Serena grumbled. “Okay fine, but if there’s someplace I wanna’ go in, I want to check it out.”

“I’m sure Ray will be happy to oblige. Alright, let’s roll!”

“I call front!” Serena shouted, keeping up with Javi’s pace to ensure her spot in his car.

As Diane followed them back out through the gate, Rebecca waved her remaining friends off. “We’ll be back!”

“Have fun!” Jackie waved back. Once the four were out of sight, she turned back to Oli. “I sure hope that card y’all gave her has enough bit… money on it. She might run you dry with whatever she may want to get.”

“Javi’s in charge,” Oli assured her, “I trust him completely, and for that matter, I’m sure the Element of Generosity will be equally as careful with my money.”

Jackie glanced up as she contemplated Oli’s remark, quickly determining that he was completely right for his assumption. “I suppose that’s true.”

“I’m actually going to head inside to see if Ms. Powers needs something,” Tiffany piped in. “Maybe I can get you something to drink while you’re out here.”

“If you could just bring back a couple of waters,” Oli said, “that’d be great.”

“Water. Got it. Alright, I’ll leave you two to it!”

“Thanks, Twi!” With Tiffany coming to join Shiloh, Oli and Jackie were now alone to work. “Hey Oli, what can I start helping ya’ out with?”

“Uh…” He glanced about. “If you can take two of those monitors and put them apart about six feet and then set the table up between them, that’d be a great start.”

“You got it!” Jackie left to complete the task as charged as Oli began pulling out power adapters and bundled cables out from the milkcrates.

Once Jackie had moved both monitors into Oli’s preferred position, Oli suddenly realized how quiet it was with just him and her with no one else. “Hey, Jackie.”

Before she could pick up the table, Jackie looked to him. “You need something else, sugar?”

Oli grinned, knowing that her term of endearment would only fuel what he had to say to her. “I never did say so back at the old castle… when we first met, I mean, but… thank you for sticking up for me back then. I mean, I know you were really helping Twilight, but–”

Applejack’s warm, alto chuckle interrupted him. “You don’t need to worry about a thing. Yeah, I was sticking up for Twilight in that moment, but if it’s all the same to you, I’m still happy I got to help you out too.”

“…Thanks, again.” Jackie was back to picking up the table and carrying it over between the monitors. “And thanks for sticking around to help.”

“Are you kiddin’? I actually like doing this kind of work, especially if it’s to help a friend out.”

“Yeah, I should have figured.” Oli smiled contently to see Applejack already flipping the table over and studying the legs folded into the underside. “Here, let me help with that.”

Oli hopped over some of his equipment to reach her, Jackie standing by as he pulled the legs out from under the surface and locked them in place.

“Anything you need while you’re working on that?” Jackie asked.

“Yeah, if you can get those two large stands where the monitors were, I can show you how to open them and put a monitor on them.”

“Gotcha!” Applejack flicked a salute to him before going to gather the next set of equipment.

Oli could already tell that this set up would be one of his all time-easiest.

Chapter X: Hip to Be Square - Huey Lewis and the News, October 1986

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Javi pulled into a spot a few hundred feet from the shopping mall, rows of cars who managed to arrive earlier separating them from its premises. Rebecca opened her door before Javi could even put his car in park, and she took the time it took for her other friends to exit the vehicle to look at the space before her.

“My word!” she spat. “You just have one of these here?”

“I mean,” Javi guffawed, “pretty much every city with a population of at least 20,000 probably has one. Why? Do you not have malls in Equestria or something?”

“No, we most certainly do, just primarily in the metropolitan cities like Manehattan, or–”

“Hold up, Manehattan? You have to be shitting me!”

“Yeah?” Serena defended. “It’s a pretty famous city. What’s the big deal.”

“I mean, other than New York City being referred to as Manhattan, no deal at all.”

Serena found herself tickled by this new news. “Whoa, seriously? That is weird.”

“Oh, I get it!” Diane exclaimed. “It’s called Manehattan because ponies have manes, and it’s called Manhattan because it’s populated by men!”

With cars continuing to pull in and out of the parking lot around them, Javi began to briskly walk to the closest set of doors he could find. “Hey, how’s about we not talk about your origins in public?”

“Oops! Sorry, Javi. I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to this place.”

“Especially before the end of the summer,” Rebecca sighed.

As they continued to walk, Javi pulled out his phone, and with a few taps on his screen, he put it agains the side of his face, waiting for the person on the other end to answer. “Hey Ray, what up? …Nothing much, man. Are you almost done with breakfast? …Oh, sorry, no rush. I just brought some new friends from… out of town to join us and I thought we could help show them around. …Yeah, again, no big deal. Text me when you get here and I’ll let you know what store we’re in. …Cool, I’ll see you in a bit.”

Pressing the red button on his screen, he ended the call and kept his attention forward again.

“So, how long are we expected to wait for him?” Rebecca asked.

“He said he was getting the check now,” he responded, “so I’d say about ten, fifteen minutes? As a matter of fact, have any of you eaten recently?”

“I did!” Diane raised her hand and waggled it. “I had some delicious chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries on them, some tasty fruit salad, and a big glass of–”

“I meant how long ago? Would you say it’s getting close to lunchtime for you?”

Rebecca and Serena pondered the question. “I suppose if we’d otherwise have to wait until the party, I don’t suppose a light lunch would hurt…”

“Great, then maybe we’ll all rendezvous at the food court and go from there.”

“A food court!” Rebecca gasped. “My goodness, you humans have quite the knack for modernization!”

Javi shrugged. “For better or for worse, I suppose. Follow me, I’ll lead you there.”

Finally reaching the first set of doors leading to the gargantuan hallways of stores and stalls on all sides, Javi held the door open for the three Equestrians and let them breathe in the newest sights of his world upon their entrance.

Seated at their own table amongst a sea of other nearly-completely occupied tables, Rebecca, Serena, and Diane couldn’t help but keep their attention on anything but their food, simultaneously amazed and overwhelmed by the casual hustle-and-bustle exhibited by everyone around them. Javi stood and leaned against his pushed in chair, taking a bite out OŠQ

Diane held half of her cinnamon pretzel in her hand, the other half barely fitting in her mouth as she struggled to move her entire lower jaw up to chew. “VSSS IHHZZ…” She then managed to swallow everything down in a single gulp, the sight of which made Javi lower his next bite away from his mouth. “This is so good! Maybe we can open one of these Auntie Annes in Equestria!”

“First of all,” Javi listed, peeved, “ixnay on the Estriaequay. Second, don’t eat like that in front of these guys. This is the last place we’re going to want to raise any suspicions.”

“I second that second notion,” Rebecca added, “if not because it’s so uncouth.”

“…Right.” Javi finally felt digestively easy to resume eating his lunch. “In either case, just chill around them. They’re a good bunch, and–d” Ray’s eyes shot open at the sight of something, and he raised his hand up to signal the people he clearly found.

As the Equestrians turned to look in Javi’s chosen direction, they spotted a teenager with short blonde hair leading a group of two others cocking his head in acknowledgement of Javi’s location. He was wearing a pair of sharp-looking khaki shorts with a dark-blue t-shirt with the Notre Dame school logo emblazoned across the chest.

As the group got into a line to weave around the other shoppers, Serena, Diane, and Rebecca got up out of their seats and stood by Javi in preparation to introduce themselves. Eventually, the man reached Javi, and they greeted each other with a clasping of hands and a gentle clashing of chests.

“Javi,” the man cordially growled.

“Ray.” Javi moved back to give the Equestrians their spotlight. “So, these are those friends of mine I was talking about. I mean, they’re actually friends of Oli’s, I’m just showing them around the mall.”

A black teen with ponytailed dreadlocks behind Ray leaned around Ray, getting a better look at these new friends. “Yo, how did she dye her hair like that? That’s kinda badass.”

Serena chuckled, both out of admiration for what she could only assume was a compliment and out of embarrassment for being singled out so quickly. “I uh… It’s natural?”

The teen laughed in reply. “Heyo, man, no sweat. Your secret your secret. Damien. Nice to meet you.”

With the cordiality of his extended hand, Serena’s apprehensions suddenly melted as she clasped his with her own. “Serena. It’s… cool to meet you too.”

“Bruh, all your friends got crazy-ass hair. You gotta’ hook me yup with your stylist.”

“I actually do my own hair,” Rebecca chimed in. “I’d be more than happy to spiffy yours up if you’re at all interested. Rebecca, charmed.”

As Damien took Rebecca’s hand to shake, Ray began introducing himself to Serena and Diane. “Hey there, I’m Ray. So, Javi said you’re friends of Oli’s? How’d you all meet?”

“Groupies.” Javi’s sudden remark came with a small bout of awkward silence that Javi was quick to break before anyone else could. “Nah, kidding. They just caught one of Javi’s shows and decided to…” Javi’s explanation began to trail off as the obvious dawned on him.

Another young man with jet-black hair and thin-rimmed glasses spoke. “So, groupies… Damn, Oli.”

“Hey, Chris, it’s not like that. They just dig his shows and wanted to hang out this summer.”

“Okay, I see how it is. Anyways, I’m Chris.”

“I’m Diane!” The pink-haired girl shook Chris’s hand with both of hers. “Have you tried the pretzels at Auntie Anne’s before? So good,” she hissed.

“Yeah, they’re… pretty tasty.”

“You’ll have to forgive her,” Rebecca spoke in. “She has a bit of a sweet-tooth, so as you can imagine, it makes her… very hyper.” In response, Diane nodded once so quickly that the others around her might have mistaken it for them blinking.

“Well,” Serena said, “looks like the gang’s all here. So tell me, Ray, where’s the coolest place in this… place?”

The sudden responsibility of being these strange new girls’ mall guide tripped Ray up. “Ooh, it’s kinda’ hard to say. There’s a lot of neat places here, but you know what? As our new guests, I’ll let you decide where we go. How’s that sound?”

“Oh, sweet! Uh…” Serena bit her left, Ray’s volley suddenly entering her court. “You know where… sports stuff is?”

Ray chuckled, her unintended bashfulness amusing him. “Sports stuff, huh? Under Armor’s good for that. Sound good to you?”

“Uh, yeah! Totally.”

Her shift from indecision to decision to being smug and cool made Ray laugh again. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. You… actually sound kinda cute when you want to sound cool.”

“Hey, I’m plenty cool! You just… have to get to know me longer.”

Damien chimed in with a giggle of his own. “Well, we’ve got the time! Javi, lead the way!

“Oh!” Javi jolted himself to walking. “Right, follow me ladies. Serena, Diane, Rebecca, you too.”

Ray and his friends shared a bassy, playfully-offended chortle amongst themselves as they followed Javi and the Equestrians to their first store of the day.

Serena balanced a colorful magenta jogging shoe on her fingers, looking at it from every conceivable angle, admiring the stitching, the lacing, the design of the sole underneath. As far as she was concerned, none of her friends or the other customers in the store existed; all that she cared about right now was–

“You like it?”

Serena gasped, causing her to fumble the shoe and clutch it with both hands to ensure it wouldn’t fall. Looking toward the source of the voice, she saw Ray leaning down to her level inquisitively.

“Sorry,” he chuckled, “didn’t mean to startle you. You like those?”

“Uh…” Serena quickly put the shoe back on the display, crossing her arms, in a last-ditch display of coolness. “They’re alright.”

“Hey now, you got good taste.” He glanced at the price markup, spotting a slash through its original price of $120 and showed $90 in unblemished numbers. “And good sense of deals too. You want them?”

“Are you joking, dude? 90 bits for shoes? Will they make me run as faster than any human alive has ever ran?”

“Depends. How fast do you run?”

“I… I’ve never checked.”

Ray huffed, crossing his arms. “Maybe I can put it to the test. You free next week?”

Serena’s eyes shot open, the sheer directness of his approach turning her face beet red. “For… you mean like a… date?”

Rebecca and Javi both glanced sideward in Serena’s direction, the trigger word and her apparent posture in front of Ray telling them much of what they needed to know.

Ray blurted a laugh, strangely not expecting that response. “I, no, I wasn’t suggesting a date… per se, but if it’s alright with you, I wanted to invite you to my gym. We can race on the treadmills and I can see if those shoes really are worth $90. Who knows, maybe they were worth the original price.”

The playful, taunting tone of his voice was making his offer far too difficult to resist. “Well… It doesn’t matter. I can’t afford those shoes anyway.”

“Don’t sweat it. I got you.” Ray began pulling a box from the shelves underneath the display, Rainbow Dash’s eyes growing wide with wonder at the unreserved act of generosity. He then looked at the shoe size printed on the box, suddenly realizing he didn’t think to ask. “Sorry, what’s your shoe size?”

Rebecca, Javi, and Diane stood at a comfortable distance away from Ray and Serena as he sized her socked foot on a flat scale. Upon determining the size he nodded with an impressed grimace. “9. Not bad.”

Serena watched as he walked around her back to the shelves, astounded that he wouldn’t even wait for her reaction. “Not bad what?”

“That’s a good size for a girl. I’ve got pretty big feet myself.” He pointed down to his shoes, flexing his toes against the inside of the tips. “Mom always told me that’s how I got so fast.”

Serena scoffed, standing up off the bench. “You’re really setting yourself up to win this race, aren’t you?”

Ray turned back to face her, the correct box his his grasp. “Hey now, my speed’s getting me a full ride to Notre Dame, if you didn’t know.”

“Actually,” she replied slyly, “I did. Oli told me about it.”

“Then I just want to let you know that I’m not going to take it easy on you just because I met you and just because you’re…” Serena’s hard stare stopped Ray’s next words in his tracks.

“And if you, didn’t know, pal, I’m the fastest human–” Serena’s eyes flashed with a pang of worry, realizing she was close to giving herself away, but she retained her glare, choosing to go with it. “…yes, human, boy or girl, in my hometown, so you got that to worry about.”

Ray relaxed, though his soul felt like soaring. “Then I guess we’re set to have a good race. Let me pay for these shoes real quick and we can get moving.”

Ray began to make his way to the registers, but Serena swung around him and blocked his path, “Hey, hey, come on, I feel like I’m getting off too easy here. Is there some sort of catch?”

Ray smirked, an idea immediately blooming. “Tell you what, if you can… somehow manage to beat me, consider the shoes a gift, no further questions asked. If I win… you have to go on a date with me.”

Javi, Diane, and Rebecca felt a slight tightness in their chests as they realized their powerlessness in stopping what was probably inevitable to happen. Serena herself felt the blood rush back to her face, but given the out she still had, she appeared more firm than earlier.

“Plus,” Ray added, “all my gym friends are going to be there and it’ll be really embarrassing if you lose.”

“Right…” Any lack of confidence Serena was feeling was quickly eradicated from her. “So it’ll be reallyembarrassing when I beat you in front of them.”

Ray smiled and pointed to her with a snap his finger. “I’m taking that as an acceptance.” To instill a further sense of understanding, he opened his hand back up to shake.

Serena had long since made up her mind, and she quickly took his hand to officially seal the deal. “You bet! Just me know when, and I’ll be there.”

“I’m ready whenever you are.”

With a last nod to each other, Ray went back around her to head to the back of the checkout line. With Serena now alone, Javi and the two Equestrians quickly approached her.

“Uh…” In the heat of the moment, Rebecca had forgotten Rainbow Dash’s other name. “Serena, darling, I’m very happy you’re making friends so quickly–”

“And that definitely goes double for me!” Diane hopped in.

“…Yes, we’re both very happy for you, but do you think it’s a good idea for you to be arranging a… date with another human so quickly?”

Serena blew a short raspberry through her lips. “Relax, Rarity.”

“Rain– Ugh! I mean, Serena!”

“Look, there’s no way I’m going to lose a race, even as a human. I mean, this is the Rainbow Dash we’re talking about here!”

“Who’s Rainbow Dash?” Damien approached the trio alongside Chris. “Is that like some cute nickname of yours or something?”

“Uh, yeah!” Javi blurted out. “Rainbow because… obviously, and Dash, because she’s actually really fast.”

Serena smugly smiled. “And rumor has it that she’s having herself a race with Ray next week.”

“No shit?” Damien breathed out, the confidence in Serena’s voice impressing him more than anything. “Dude, you know he’s one of the best athletes at our school, right?”

“So I’ve heard…”

“Right, so…” Chris needed to know himself. “You didn’t… bet on anything, did you?”

“…Why do you ask?”

Damien suddenly glowered. “What are you going to have to do when you lose?”

“If I lose,” Serena corrected, “I gotta’ go on a date with him, and he gets to embarrass me in front of his friends. Thing is, I don’t have to worry about that, because I’m not losing!”

Chris pursed his lips, pitying her naivete. “You’ve never seen that man run before, have you?”

“I’ve seen plenty of guys running before. I can’t imagine he’d be much different.”

Damien blew all the breath he was holding in just then. “Well, I’ll definitely be praying for you.”

“Where’s this even happening?” Chris asked.

“Guessing his gym, on the count of those ‘friends’ that she’s going to get embarrassed in front of.”

“Alright, when’s this happening?”

“Next week sometime,” Serena answered. “Why, you wanna see me beat him too?”

Damien breathed out a chuckle; perhaps she is the real deal. “Depends. I will say, though, you really know how to draw a crowd, even without your…” He spun his fingers over his head, referring to her technicolor hair.

“Hey yo!” Everyone turned to Ray, who stood near the store entrance and raising his fist up, a bag with a pair of shoes clenched in it.

Diane bounced up and quickly strode to the exit. “Looks like we’re movin’ on, boys!”

With her exuberance drawing attention to herself, the others quickly shuffled to follow her and join Ray to their next store.

The seven friends exited the mall to the warm outdoors, Javi, Rebecca, Serena, and Ray each holding at least one plastic bag, many of them a different color from each other.

“So what now?” Chris asked.

“Do you need to drop your stuff off?” Javi asked, burying the lede.

Ray took a moment to think. “…You don’t think our stuff will be safe in the car?”

“In all fairness,” Rebecca said, “I don’t remember discussing any further plans beside the mall. How’s about we all reconvene at Ray’s home, drop our merchandise off, and then discuss where to go from there!”

“Oooh!” Diane squealed, pulling her close by her waist. “I like the way you think, girl!”

Ray chuckled a bit uncomfortably, but the gentle nods and positive murmurings of his other friends was enough to convince him. “Alright, we’ll swing by for a few minutes and maybe look for someplace for dinner.”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Serena commented.

“What do you mean, Serena?”

Realizing the secret she almost spilled, she nervously glanced to Diane and Rebecca, the former rapidly shaking her head to signal her to stop immediately.

“…I meant that… maybe we can stay in! Order some pizza, chill, you know!”

“Nah,” Ray rasped. “I already had pizza this week. Besides, there’s a killer Mexican place downtown that I think you and your friends would really dig… If that’s okay with you.”

With another glance to her friends, who looked more relaxed than before, Serena loosened herself as well, her crisis averted. “Sure, why not?”

“You tell me,” Damien jeered, “you were the one that wanted to stay in.”

“Hey.” Ray pushed Damien back. “Lay off, she’s new here, she didn’t know better.”

“Chill, bro,” Damien countered, pushing Ray’s arm off, “was just laying into her a little.”

“I think that’s why he asked you to lay off,” Diane responded matter-of-factly.

“Well,” Chris replied, “she’s got you there.”

“Alright, alright!” Damien quickly spun around and took a few steps towards the parking lot. “Come on, now I’m having a hankering for a Chunky Chimichanga.”

“Chunky Chimichanga?!” Diane blurted, walking toward Damien. “That’s one of the best things I’ve ever heard!”

“Wait until you taste it!”

As Damien escorted Diane in the direction of Ray and Javi’s cars, the others awkwardly took turns going to follow them.

Serena looked out the front passenger window of Ray’s car, the rows of houses they passed beginning to look monotonous. Damien and Chris both sat in the back patiently, knowing their brief journey would be over soon.

With the weight of the shoebox on her lap ever-present, Serena finally spoke up. “Hey, Ray…”

“Mmhm?” He kept his eyes on the road.

“I know we still have our deal and all, but I still wanted to say… thanks… for the shoes I mean.”

“Oh, yeah, don’t worry about it. You’ll earn them… one way or another.”

Damien and Chris gave a quickly sideways glance, unsure about the implications of what their friend just said.

As if he could sense their discomfort, Ray chuckled. “Guys, it’s okay. I said she can keep the shoes no strings attached if she wins and she has to date me if she doesn’t. No funny business… especially before college.”

Damien and Chris leaned back in their seats, his reasoning sound and his intentions immediately purer. Ray glanced into his rear-view mirror, seeing Javi’s car following dutifully behind.

Turning onto the next street, Ray and the others suddenly found a multitude of cars parked along nearly every curb going both ways. Serena blinked several times, worried at what she interpreted as a dead giveaway.

“Someone’s having a party,” Chris said with subtly canned forlornness.

“I’m sure there’s some party out there someone’s willing to let us crash tonight,” Ray casually responded.

Coming to his driveway, he spotted Oli’s van parked there, the front facing the garage. It took every ounce of Serena’s willpower to prevent herself from looking as worried as she felt.

“Huh,” Ray blithely responded. “What’s Oli doing here?”

Serena quietly groaned, the only noise she could think of to keep from sounding like she was coming up with a lie. “I think Javi called Oli and let him know what the plans were. I mean, he’s cool to come, right?”

Ray parked his car beside the van. “Yeah, I don’t see why not. We have space for one more.”

“Alright. Cool…”

As Javi pulled up behind Oli’s van, everyone in Ray’s car opened their doors to let themselves out. From the causual non-assuming way Ray made his way to the front door, Serena could breath another sigh of relief, her unintentional attempts to spoil the surprise no longer mattering. She then noticed as both Damien and Chris quietly and quickly snuck up behind their friend and just as silently followed him to the front door.

Realizing what was about to happen, Serena, along with Diane, Rebecca, and Javi just behind her, bunched themselves up with Damien and Chris as Ray put his hand on the doorknob. Pushing the door open, he could barely register the edge of the massive group of people off in the living room before he was blasted with noise both in front and behind him.

“SURPRISE!”

While not particularly rattled, Ray stood still in mild shock as dozens of people, among whom he recognized as both family and friends from school, formed a wall underneath a banner that read “CONGRATULATIONS, RAY!” between two Notre Dame logos.

Ray was suddenly groped by Javi, Damien, and Chris, who ushered themselves fully inside. Oli himself sprung from the crowd and joined Ray’s friend’s friends in embracing the man of the hour.

“Yes!” Diane screamed with a pump of her fists! “We nailed that!”

Finally, Tiffany, Jackie, and Shiloh joined Serena, Rebecca, and Diane by the front door.

“Good job girls,” Jackie complimented. “From the looks of it, he didn’t suspect a thing.”

Tiffany then noticed Serena’s bag and the box inside of it. “Hey, Serena! What do you have there?”

It just dawned on Serena that half of her friends weren’t even aware of her wager, but even she knew that now wasn’t the most opportune time. “Just… got some new shoes. Maybe I’ll show them to you later.”

“Sounds good! I hope you had a good time!”

Serena looked back in Ray’s direction, seeing as he moved away from his friends to shake the hands and hug the members of his family that approached him. “Yeah… I really think I did.”

In either case, no matter which way this race of hers was going to go, she had a really good feeling about getting to know Ray this summer.

Summer of '11

by moviemaster8510

Chapter I: Book of Dreams - The Steve Miller Band, May 1977

Chapter II: Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones, June 1971

Chapter III: Day N' Nite - Kid Cudi, February 2008

Chapter IV: Roll With The Changes - REO Speedwagon, April 1978

Chapter V: You Get What You Give - New Radicals, November 1998

Chapter VI: Human After All - Daft Punk, March 2005

Chapter VII: Material Girl - Madonna, January 1985

Chapter VIII: Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne, September 2002

Chapter IX: I Think We're Alone Now - Tommy James and the Shondells, January 1967

Chapter X: Hip to Be Square - Huey Lewis and the News, October 1986