A man’s curious but lonesome son comes to Ponyville to learn the magic of friendship from the main cast of My Little Pony.
Christopher Pierson is a great student, but doesn't see the value of friendship. When his father takes him on a train ride gone wrong, Chris finds himself in Ponyville. Together with Twilight and some other students, Chris will learn the magic of friendship and discover not only his place in the world, but of the human who was in Equestria before him. Rated T for themes/swearing.
Characters of Two Moons Past: Jinx: Human extraordinaire and trouble-maker Twilight Sparkle: Student of Celestia Fluttershy: Shy with a hint of pegasus, kind Rainbow Dash: Pegasus with a hint of loyalty, Jinx’s right hand mare Applejack: Strong and honest, the big sister Rarity: Pish-posh and Jinx’s favorite target Pinkie Pie: Nobody knows… Cutie Mark Crusaders: Bundles of joy, look up to Jinx literally and figuratively
Characters of Two Moons Present: Christopher: Curious but critical, ready to learn Lucas: Dad jokes galore, and emphasizes the dad Luster Dawn: Princess Twilight’s student, open minded Twilight: Ruler of Equestria, teacher of foals Rainbow: Captain of the Wonderbolts, still full of mischief Applejack: Rainbow’s wife, still strong and honest Rarity: As fabulous as ever Pinkie Pie: We still haven’t figured her out? Fluttershy: Discord's marefriend, kinder than ever Cutie Mark Crusaders: Still a bundle of joy
"It's not that your son isn't smart or anything. In fact, he's one of the brightest kids I have. Very curious and a fast learner, but there's one thing that has been concerning me lately."
Lucas rubbed his hands together, breathing in slowly. It was parent-teacher conferences at the old Carnegie High School. It had been a long time since he'd been here, back when it was called Golden Lake High. Normally a trip down memory lane is smooth and sweet, but so far he's only been hearing the same thing from every teacher, like a disappointing broken record:
"But he's just not very social."
There it was. For nearly the past 8 or 9 years that was the only problem he had ever had with his son, Christopher, was he couldn't get him to make any real friends. He was perfectly fine at home and with family members. He wasn't exactly the life of the party but he was talkative enough. But hearing this from 5 different teachers was a major problem for him as a person, seeing this kid not making any friends nearly his entire childhood, and as a father, knowing the problems that this could create in the future. "I know, it's been like this for a little bit now. I've been doing everything I can, but it's just the way he is."
"I understand. Chris, would you mind explaining to us why we seem to be having trouble socializing with our classmates."
They both looked over at Christopher, who had just been listening to the two adults talking. He looked at his dad, then over at Mrs. Oakes. He just shrugged. "I don't see why it's so important. I get good grades and I follow the rules. And I do all my group projects without complaining."
His teacher nodded slowly and sighed. "That may be true, but in those same group projects, you do all of the work yourself and tell your group to use your research however they want so it was made 'equally'. You're not as clever as you think you are, Chris." Mrs. Oakes glowered at the teen. Lucas frowned, and turned towards him only confirming what she said when Chris' eyes widened and he sucked in his breath. He grumbled and turned back towards his teacher.
"Well, other than that, are there any other issues in class?"
"No, not that I think of. He's a joy to have, especially with how respectful he is. A much needed break from most of my kids." She said smirking, slumping back in her chair. He chuckled and rested his hand on Chris' shoulder.
"No problem. Good to know he's not being a punk. Thanks for your time, Mrs. Oakes. We'll see you in a little while." They shook hands and brushed their clothes off, making their way out of the high school. The air felt particularly chilly as the two young men walked out, Lucas shuddering and holding his coat tighter. Eventually they got into the car, an old '08 Honda Pilot. He closed the door and just gripped the wheel, staring ahead and sighed heavily. Lucas chuckled and looked over at his son, who looked back worriedly.
"Seriously? You did their work too?"
"I wanted a good grade! It was hard trying to get them to work with me." Chris exasperated. Which was kind of true; it's pretty hard to work with your classmates when you barely talk back with them. Or start a conversation. Or just plain leave the class towards the library. He rubbed the back of his head. He knew he shouldn't, but it's not like anyone was hurt in the end afterall.
"Okay well cut the bull, young man. You and I both know you just didn't want to do anything that involved actually talking to a person in real life." Lucas shook his head, steering the car lazily. "Look, I know it's tough and kinda scary when you make new friends, but they're a major part of your life. There is a certain magic to friendship that you can't just ignore or live without. It's all around us. Did I ever tell you how I met your mom? She's the one who told that magic is in the air, in the sea, in the-"
"Smallest of bunnies to the biggest of dragons, friendship is always there to guide us and blah-de-blah-de-blah-de-blah." Chris said, rolling his eyes. "Dad, that's so corny. Like something straight out of a cartoon or dollhouse or something. And yes, you've told me the story over and over and over again. No offense to Mom, I just don't wanna make friends. It's just distracting from what I want to achieve. Why waste time on that stuff when I can just get straight A's and actually do something with myself?" He propped his head on his chin and stared out the window at the darkening sky, the sunset peaking through the trees. Lucas looked over surprised to hear what he was hearing. He could feel a small tug going on with his heartstrings. Things were quiet for a little bit. You could almost choke on the tension in the air. Eventually he nodded and breathed heavily, biting his lip and thinking.
"Well, I suppose we can have our own opinions about this. How about some food?" Chris turned, nodding at his dad. They both smirked as they turned into the McDonald's drive thru.
They were back home, a nice 2 story house with about an acre of land for mandatory outside dinner parties and backyard games. Christopher was upstairs, organizing his many trading cards. His father was downstairs in his study. A nice quiet little room, with soft lamps and books hugging every inch of the walls. At his desk, he was writing a message on a scroll, refilling using the inkwell given to him. His brows were furrowed as he moved the quill nervously across the parchment. He was anxious, and he wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't written calligraphy in over 10 years or because he was anticipating the disappointment of the person he was writing to.
...ease ensure that he truly understands friendship. There's only so much I can do on my end. I have my full faith in you.
Yours forever,
Lucas Pierson.
P.S. We still on for dinner next Friday at 7? As long as it's not another 'surprise party' dinner. :)
He kissed the bottom of the parchment, then with a guilty sigh, held it to the candle's flame. The letter was consumed by a green fire that soared out into the night.
"Well, good morning my little ray of sunshine." Lucas smirked as he drank his coffee. Chris came down in his pajamas, a scowl plastered on his face. He was not a morning person, a fact his dad loved to remind him of.
"Hmph." He grumbled, sitting down at the table. Lucas chuckled as he slid his son breakfast. He took the liberty of preparing some soft boiled eggs and toast, a favorite for the two of them. Seeing the dish certainly woke him up, grabbing a fork and nearly eating the bowl with it. "Thamkz a bunmh Dad." Chris said as he scooped more and more into his gullet.
Lucas furled his brow as he went back to checking his phone. "Dude, Chris. Watch the manners at the dinner table." He took a double-take at his son. "Oh, and I need you dressed and packed before the hour. We're going to take a little trip today. Pack some clean clothes and your toiletries and what-not."
"Wait what?" Chris asked, swallowing his food. He raised a brow at his dad, who had a blank expression. "We weren't doing anything today, it's spring break? We got a week off to just relax and do some homework."
"Yeah, I'm aware. Fun fact, as a dad I gotta know this stuff. But I made sure to arrange that you get some fun and time in for work. Plus, it's a train ride too. So bonus points for creativity, eh?" His dad said, sheepishly smiling. Chris frowned. This was supposed to be a week of classmate-free activities. Organizing his cards, cleaning his room, playing the family PS2 every now and then. To any other person, it sounds boring. But to the anti-social butterfly that was Christopher, it was as close to paradise as it got. And now all of that got its ass kicked out the window.
"Well what is it?"
"It's a surprise."
"Come on, Dad. Actually what is it?"
"I don't know. Did you have any plans today?"
"Yeah, March 1st."
"Oh, sorry lemme just-." His dad said, standing up and marching around the table carrying an air-trombone. "So, did you have plans today?" Chris' body compelled himself to face palm at the dad joke. Even if it was a good one.
"Yeah, I was gonna work on my science then do some cleaning. And that's not the first time you've done that joke."
"I know, I've got a whole dad-a-base full of these bad boys." Lucas grinned, laughing as he marched down the hall. "You got 20 minutes kiddo."
Christopher groaned, running his hands through his sandy hair. Welp, he may as well make the most of it. Knowing Dad, it's gonna be a 'new and invigorating experience about the joys of friends and family.' He swore it was like a religion to him. Chris finished his food and went to go pack his bags.
The movement of the train rocked Chris like a lullaby. He closed his eyes to the endless forests and imagined what the day had in store for him. He thought about the people going to be there, or the 'group activities' he'd no doubt be a part of.
He thought about his father Lucas. He was talking a lot during the car ride over and the morning right before, but his talking was few and far between since they got in the train car. On occasion he'd smile looking outside, but for the most part he'd sit with his eyes closed, trying to nap. Unfortunately, the tracks weren't too nice and jolted him awake a few times.
Chris' goading his father to tell him about their impromptu vacation was almost useless, but eventually he got a few puzzle pieces to work with. He described it as brightly painted buildings, bustling townsfolk yet quiet enough to relax nearly anytime you wanted. Smooth and sweet. And then he'd go back to falling asleep, to no avail. And as he did, Chris tried finding comfort in the little puzzle pieces. Remembering the shape of the words, how they all linked together to form a story. It was just one of the ways Chris liked experiencing the world, one puzzle piece at a time.
He reached into his backpack that used to have all his school stuff, but now had a few toys and other stuff. A small binder of trading cards, a couple snacks (specifically, some oatmeal raisin balls he and his dad made), and a small compass his mother had bought him. The only issue is that a working compass only pointed north. With his, the arrow zigged and zagged every which way. It wasn't even an old compass, it had the date and make on the inside: A.Y. 2006. His dad said he wanted to get it fixed, but reasoned that "she knew where he was going anyway."
"Dad, how much longer is this train gonna be? I feel like we've been riding for hours." Lucas frowned, looking down at him. He flicked his son's nose and turned his gaze back to the window.
"It's been, like, an hour. Just be patient. Any time now the cond-."
He started as the compartment door slid open. The conductor came into the car. "Kirkwood, next stop."
"Well, there's your answer." The five-forty-five train was going to be right on time. Chris' dad stood up, groaning as he stretched his arms and back. "Well, I'm going to go test their plumbing. Sit tight kiddo." Chris laughed and wrinkled his nose at the old man, who simply laughed and went through the compartment door. Conductor's only gave a few minutes' notice, so he grabbed his backpack and got his suitcase ready. It was about time too, it would be dark in about another hour, so they'd have time to find their way around. At the last car, he waited, listening to the clickity-clack of the tracks. Listened to the way the tracks matched his heart beats. Bum-bump, clickity. Bum-bump, clackity.
Then the tracks didn't sync with him. Instead, they started speeding up a bit. Chris looked up as the train lights flickered and jangled, the train picking up speed fast. It went so fast that he nearly lost his balance, the lights breaking and sparks falling down. Chris' eyes widened as he hyperventilated, gripping onto the leather seats of the couch. "D-Dad! Help me!" He screamed at, looking frantically as the windows passed by faster and faster, the forests slowly starting to blur together, a white light instead shining in. Chris whispered curses as he grabbed his backpack and white-knuckled the seats for dear life.
Gasping and shutting his eyes tight, Chris stayed like that as the train kept going faster and faster, making him sick to his stomach. "Oh dear God, someone help. Dad, Dad, Dad… What the fuck's going on man?" He said, until he felt the train slowing back down. He waited a second before he opened one of his eyes slowly. The light's started flickering back to their normal self. He could see the white light outside the windows starting to fade, and eventually could make out houses and trees rushing past them. He opened his eyes fully and carefully stepped forward, testing the floor with his foot just in case. Nothing happened. He got up and grabbed his luggage, and sat back down. It was then he realized this wasn't the same train car he was just in. The leather seats were replaced with a softer, cushioned kind. The lights looked more eccentric, and it was much more colorful than last time. He shook his head and looked towards the train car.
"Oh my God, Dad!" Chris rushed towards the door, throwing it open. "Dad, are yo-" He stopped. As the compartment door opened, he did not see another train car. Instead it opened up to reveal the outside. Hills and mountains were straight ahead, with the tracks going on towards them. He blinked, stammering before he closed the door and turned around. And as he remembered, this train car only had one door since it was the last one. "What the hell…where is everybody?" He started hyperventilating again. "Okay, this is fine, it's fine, we're all fine." Chris muttered, grabbing his stuff and pulling it close to him. He stared at the door and tried swallowing the fear in his throat. No luck.
He opened the door, stepping out and dusting himself off. Not even 10 feet ahead of him was a small wooden sign hanging from the station roof. Welcome to Ponyville!
"Welcome to…Ponyville. Okay, this is uhhh, doable. Yeah, let's go with that." He turned around, looking at the station next to him. "Dad, you in there somewhere?" No response. Chris nodded and sat down on the station bench. He looked around, and saw that everything was unnaturally colorful. There were also some buildings and houses, but they looked old. Like, Three Little Pigs style old. The roofs were made of straw, and the houses looked made up of wood beams and stuff. Chris sighed heavily and rubbed his neck. "So, it's an old timey, rough-it-up in the woods kind of vacation. I should've brought more supplies."
"Don't worry, you won't need anything else. What's your name?"
Chris jumped and yelped, grabbing his stuff again and hugging it to his chest. And as he swiveled towards the voice, his jaw dropped at what he was seeing.
Christopher stared at who he thought was talking to him, but he was trying his best to convince himself otherwise. He held his bag a little closer to his chest, catching his breath.
Standing in front of him was a large purple horse, who stood nearly as tall as him. But it was very, very different from any other animal. It was purple, like lilac or wisteria, and its mane and tail were a deep blue, with a streak of pink and purple running along through it. It was waving, like wind was going through it, and it sparkled with little white stars. But the scariest part was their face. It wasn’t normal or life-like; it was like a cartoon come to life. Huge eyes and a warm smile. “I see, I think you’re a little lost aren’t you?” The horse giggled. Chris was dumbstruck, a fear lodged in the back of his throat. He tried saying something, but could only stammer and moved slightly back. The horse noticed this and frowned, bowing her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sure this is all very new for you. My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and right now you’re in a wonderful town called Ponyville.”
Christopher couldn’t help but blink and stare at her. Eventually he swallowed and sighed heavily. “R-right, this is uh, Ponyville. Yep. And how the heck can you talk? Where is this place? What happened to the train? Why c-” He stopped, realizing what she said and practically throwing himself to the floor.“P-princess Twilight Sparkle? Oh my gosh I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you or something.” ‘Oh God, I hope I didn’t insult a damn royalty!’ Twilight giggled at him and waved her hoof.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to act all formal with me. What’s your name, young man?”
“Um. It’s Chris, short for Christopher.” He raised his head and stood back up. At that, Twilight’s eyes lit up for a split second. She smiled and walked up to him, putting a hoof under his chin. She looked him over, studying his features while Chris just blushed from the attention.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. How did you end up at the train station here? I’m guessing coming here isn’t what you had in mind, huh Chris?” She said, letting go. Chris rubbed the back of his neck, and stared at the single passenger train car.
“It doesn’t make any sense. I was with my dad, we were getting ready to go on vacation and then everything just started…” Chris trailed off, feeling the pressure building up. His breathing was shaky, and he tried to not cry in front of the stranger. “I don’t know where I am or where my dad is, the whole train is gone and, I just. I don’t know, man.”
“Well, luckily you have me to help explain everything. Come on, I have the perfect place for you to stay at for the moment.” Twilight walked away, looking back and nudging him forward. Chris nodded, grabbed his stuff, and took a last look at the train before he joined her. They walked slowly, stopping a few times when Twilight had to talk to someone or when someone bowed. As they walked through town, the young man took in all the sights he could. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the breeze felt nice running through his hair. The town was very colorful, like everything was hand drawn. The grass and pathways felt soft under his feet. He looked around, seeing other horses walking and talking amongst themselves, even though he noticed some of the horses looked over in shock or whispered to each other when they saw him. Some had wings, a few had horns, but for the most part they seemed normal. Except each and one looked like a color wheel threw up on them.
“Um, Princess Twilight? What…are you guys?” He asked, nervously looking up at her. She laughed and ruffled his hair.
“We’re ponies. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns. And that’s not all. We welcome each and every creature to Equestria, big and small. You might recognize some of them from your home, too.” Almost on cue, a massive green animal rushed past them, flying past them. Chris turned around quickly, watching as they flew into the air and met some of the pegasi on top of the clouds. The had a huge tail and scales, and Chris could’ve swore that was a-
“Wh-what? Was that a-”
“Dragon, and yes it was. Dragons, hippogriffs, changelings, all living in harmony after so many years. Truly a sight to see. Are you hungry Chris?”
“Uh, yeah, I am. We didn’t get to eat yet.”
“Good. We’re almost there. See that building right ahead of us?” She pointed to a large multi story shop. It almost looked like a gingerbread house with a cupcake on top. The roof looked like it was made of cookies, with frosting holding it all together. Candy cane pillars leading to a pink door. A sign hung from the wall, with a large pink cupcake on it. “That’s Sugarcube Corner. They mostly have sweets and desert, but I made sure to bring a little something for you too. Come on in.”
They walked up to the door, both lowering their heads as not to hit the frame. A bell jingled, and from behind the counter, two ponies popped out from behind. One was a creamy colored pegasus, with a brown mane that spiked forward. The second was a more yellow-orange unicorn, and orange hair that looked similar to the first pony. Seeing the two customers walk in, they immediately smiled and hopped up in front of them.
“Well well, if it isn’t Ms. Princess Twilight Sparkle! So good to have you!” The stallion said, bowing. The mare popped up from her bow and smiled brightly.
“Wow, this really is a nice surprise! And who’s the new friend?” She said, looking over at Chris. Chris rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little nervous about these two.
“This is Christopher, he’s new to Ponyville.” The princess motioned to the two ponies. “Chris, this is Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. They’re in charge of Sugarcube corner after Carrot and Cup Cake retired. Is it okay if we order some drinks? A couple cherry sodas, please.” She placed a few golden coins in their hooves, who took them and went into their kitchen. Twilight nudged Chris over to a table, and they both sat. He soon discovered that the chair and table were much too small for a man like him, and blushed as he awkwardly sat on the floor instead. The princess chuckled and sat on the floor with him, as the two ponies brought their drinks. “There we go, all set. Now, I’m sure you have a lot of questions Christopher, but right now I ne-”
“I’m sorry, Princess Twilight, this is nice and all but I’m scared like hell.” Chris said, holding his hands and folding them together. The alicorn frowned. “I was just with my dad, and now I'm in some Picasso fantasy land. I just want to go home, I wanna see my dad again. I gotta make sure he’s okay.”
“Chris, I can assure you that your father is safe, the portal that you came through only affected you. You’re not the only human ever to come to Equestria, you know.” She said, smirking and sipping her own soda.
“What? You mean there’s other people here right now?”
“No, sorry. What I mean is that there used to be a human in Equestria. His name was Jinx, and he was a gentle soul, and so clever.” She laughed and leaned back. “The amount of high jinks he would get the 6 of us into was too many to count. More than once Princess Celestia would scold us after she herself got done laughing. Of course, we didn’t start calling him that until after the Trixie incident.” She sighed happily. “I wonder what he’s up to these days.”
“Gotcha. So, how did this other guy leave? You’re part unicorn, you can do spells and stuff, right?” Chris said, mentally hitting himself. ‘I can’t believe I’m having this conversation. What the hell.’ Twilight straightened herself upright, clearing her throat and put on the regal appearance once more.
“The truth is, we do have a portal that goes back to Earth, but it’s a little complicated. You didn’t happen to live in rural England, did you?” Chris blinked a few times, and shook his head. “That’s what I thought. The only other working portal right now leads to a high school in Canterlot City, a place very similar to our own Canterlot, and that’s in Europe. I believe humans named it after a place called Camelot. Human history is just as much fun as Equestrian history!” She exclaimed, clapping excitedly. Chris chuckled and nodded. “I digress. Now, we can get you back home, but unfortunately that portal doesn’t activate for another couple months, or at least until our spring is over.”
The young man nodded slowly, raising his hand. Twilight giggled and motioned him to continue. “Okay, question. So how come we never heard or discovered this place before. And why doesn’t the portal that brought me here activate until summer?”
Twilight smiled brightly. “Oh, but you have. How do you think legends of unicorns and pegasi and other creatures originated on Earth? We believe that humans a long time ago discovered a portal or two to our world, but I’ll get to that. So they made art and stories of the creatures they’ve seen. It’s purely coincidence that humans believed that stuff to be mythological. Now, the portals, or at the very least the one you came through, has to do with gravity and relativity of space-time. The equivalence principle is that the effects of gravity and acceleration are indistinguishable, and that accelerated motion c-” She stopped as she saw Chris’ dumbfounded expression. She blushed and chuckled. “Right. Um, gravity is the main reason. Here, it is spring, but back home it was autumn, correct?” He nodded. “When that happens, the gravity is so weak between our two worlds that it essentially makes a wormhole that connects us. Fascinating stuff, honestly.”
“Okay. Long story short, gravity is messy and that mess made me come here for another 3 months.”
“Basically, though it would be more fun to explain.” She grumbled. She popped up, looking at the clock at the wall, eyes widening. “And I wish I had more time to explain. I have to get back to the castle. Although…” She trailed off, looking at the human. “...it may be better if you come with me. Hope you like teleportation.” She smirked as her horn glowed a purple aura. He raised an eyebrow.
“Wait, what?”
A bright white flash filled the room, and the two disappeared.
Chris got back on his feet, rubbing his head and groaning. The major headache he received was ignored as the nausea hit him like a truck. He held his stomach and shook his head. “Wh-what was that?” He asked shakily.
“Sorry, teleportation has that effect for the first time. You’ll get used to it, don’t worry.”
“I doubt it, Princess.” He rubbed his eyes, and took a step back as he looked around. They were in a large pristine throne room, with a red carpet leading down. There was a large purple and gold throne, with a smaller one next to it. The walls and pillars were a subtle violet, and between the pillars that lined the walls were stained glass pictures that depicted many different creatures. The colors were vibrant and shone in all manners of beauty. Two small pools of water collected and flowed to the end of the hall, where a giant golden door resided. “Woah..” he said, breathless. “Is this your throne room?”
“That it is, Christopher. Come, I’m expecting a visitor at any moment now.” Twilight said, walking up the stairs and sitting on the main throne. She smiled and patted the seat next to her. He swallowed his nervousness and walked up the stairs, and politely sat down. “Normally, that is reserved for my trusted friend and ambassador Spike, but he’s making peace with the Diamond Dogs and Abyssnians. They’ve been at it like cats and dogs for a while now. Literally!” She giggled. Chris just chuckled and held his hands on his knees.
“Um, Princess? Why am I here exactly? I don’t think I’m ready for literally anything that you have planned.” Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder.
“Ever since I took over the School of Magic here in Canterlot, my focus has been on teaching magic. But my top student has unfortunately missed the most important lesson of all. A lesson I can only guess you may need as well.”
He didn’t have any time to question that as the doors cracked open, and a guard peeked from behind. It was a little hard to see from this distance, but Chris noticed the beak and claws, as well as the blue feathered wings. “Your majesty? She’s here.”
“Send her in, Gallus.”
He nodded, and swung open the other door. Rubbing her foreleg and with a worried smile was a pink pony, a unicorn with a flowing golden mane and tail that matched her eyes. She walked forward, keeping her head low as she approached. She stopped in front of the princess and bowed. “Your majesty.”
“Luster, I may be ruler of Equestria, but I am still only your teacher.”
Luster pawed the ground, looking down. “And you’ve been wonderful, I’ve enjoyed every moment at the School of Magic. But I’m not sure if it’s the right place for me.”
Twilight nodded and smiled. “I see.”
“B-but it’s not work! I could spend weeks in the library doing research. It’s just, there’s a lot of focus on making friends. And that’s the issue, I just don’t want to make friends.”
Chris was shocked. It was uncanny that he saw himself in Luster, just like the conversation he had with his dad only yesterday, but it seemed crazy to drop out of a school taught by a ruler of a country just because you didn’t want to make friends. “I don’t mean to interrupt or anything, but you’d seriously drop out of something so prestigious just because you don’t want to make a friend or too?” He asked, sitting forward. After seeing Twilight’s frown did he realize what he did, and quickly apologized. The unicorn looked over at him and half smiled, then turned back to Celestia.
“I was hoping I could set up an independent course of study. I still want to accomplish all that you have someday, but it looks like a distraction from my full potential as your student. And all that you did with your friends was so long ago, and now you rule by yourself. N-not that I think anything’s wrong with that, in fact I like it better! If friendships fade away with time, then what’s the point of making them to begin with.”
Chris sat back, rubbing his chin. Was that what Princess Twilight meant when she said it was a lesson he needed as well? He didn’t wait long as Twilight laughed, startling both the human and pony. She caught her breath, still chuckling and said “I remember when I thought the exact same way about friends in general.” She stood tall, her mane and tail still flowing. ‘Where’s the wind coming from?’ Chris thought to himself as Twilight flew down to meet her student, then looked over her shoulder. “Christopher, please join us.” He nodded and walked down with her. When he joined, he looked at Luster who was watching him. Blushing, he rubbed his neck and looked away. Being in a different world made you realize just how unnoticed you tend to be. “Luster Dawn, this is another student of mine. His name is Chris, and he will be joining us for the day.”
Luster Dawn looked Chris up and down, then smiled brightly. “It’s nice to meet you, Chris. I’m Luster Dawn, and I’m Princess Twilight’s top student at the School of Magic. Where are you from? I’ve never seen a creature like you before.”
Chris laughed nervously and pulled his shirt collar. “Oh, I’m from Earth. It’s a bit…farther north?” He glanced at Twilight for help, who smirked and shook her head, much to the teen’s dismay. “I’m a human, and I arrived in Ponyville earlier today. I’m not actually sure why I’m here with you guys, but might as well make the most of it right?”
“Huh, a human? I’ve never heard of them. Well if everyone’s as nice as you are, then it’s nice to meet one.”
“Well, there was a human here before Chris,” Twilight butt in, “but that was a long, long time ago. Actually, it all started when I first arrived in Ponyville, but that’s a story for another time, if you two are interested.” The two nodded enthusiastically, making Twilight giggle. “Very well. But right now we should have a few more visitors.”
As if on cue, the doors opened slowly, and in trotted five more ponies laughing and talking. One was a white unicorn, with a purple mane and tail, elegantly styled and with a singular grey streak running through it. She wore a navy blue fur coat adorned with gems and white tuft. Next was a pink pony, with an even more pink mane and tail that went all over the place, with confetti and candy stuck in it. Next to her was a yellow pegasus, with her pink mane tied behind with a blue flower ponytail. Chris wondered if it was still called a ponytail if it’s in their mane, but let it go. The last two were walking hoof in hoof, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow cut dressed in what looked like a flight jacket, holding the hoof an orange mare wearing a stetson and a scarf with apples. They all looked older than Luster or Princess Twilight, slight wrinkles under their eyes.
As they entered and glanced over at Chris, they all went dead silent, eyes wide and jaws slack. They stood there for a solid minute, Chris desperately wanting to disappear. Was he really that strange of a guy, considering dragons and talking ponies and every other goofy thing he’s seen today? Slowly, the pink pony walked up to him and raised her hoof, touching his cheek and feeling the skin rub against her fur. Chris could feel the sheer awe coming from her and the others.
So soft he could barely hear her, she said “...Jinx?” Chris shook his head, politely grabbing her hoof and lowering it.
“Pinkie Pie, I’m sorry. This is Christopher, he arrived only an hour or two ago in Ponyville. Chris, these are all of my best friends.” Twilight said, resting her hoof on Pinkie’s back. She nodded, but immediately shook Chris’ hand excitedly and shook him up and down.
“Oh well, then hi! I’m Pinkie Pie, number one party planning pony in Ponyville! Well it’s a tie between me or Cheese Sandwich (that’s my husband) but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I never saw you before, and normally that means your new but Twilight already said that, which means-” She took a huge gasp before turning angrily at the alicorn, still shaking the poor man. “You didn’t tell me we had a new friend coming over! I wanna get a ‘I’m sorry’ hug from you after!” She rolled her head back to the human. “Anyway, that means I have to throw you a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ AND a ‘Welcome to Equestria’ party!” She let go, hopping around the group with springs in her steps.
The now dizzy human tried his best not to fall, and grabbed his head. “N-n-nice to meet you, P-Pinkie Pie. And the rest of you are?”
The white unicorn stepped forward, flipping her mane and batting her eyelashes at him. “I am Rarity, owner of the Carousel Boutique line of businesses of Equestria! And my, you do have a rather unique body.” She said, looking at Chris’ shirt and pants. He chuckled and just let her do her thing. “Luckily for you, I still have some designs from the last time I made clothes for a young man such as yourself.”
The orange mare rolled her eyes and pushed Rarity aside. “Sorry ‘bout her, she gets worked up when inspiration hits. The name’s Applejack, and if ya need anything farm or apple related, Ah’m your gal!” Chris nodded, taking a liking to her country accent. “And this here’s mah wife, Rainbow Dash.” Then she leaned in close to his ear and smirked, whispering, “Don’t worry, ya’ll will get used to her.”
Rainbow Dash grumbled and flipped over Applejack’s hat over her face, laughing. “Yeah yeah, hilarious, AJ. Anyway, I’m Rainbow Dash, captain of the Wonderbolts and bestest flyer in all of Equestria.” Chris raised his eyebrow as she started posing midair, puffing her chest and flexing her muscles.
“Um, what are the Wonderbolts?” He asked, smiling sheepishly. Rainbow’s jaw dropped so low it nearly hit the floor, shaking her head and getting up in his face.
“Who are the WONDERBOLTS? HELLO, they’re only the most prestigious and talented group of Pegasi in the world! We train hard and fly harder! Do you live under a rock?”
“No, just a different world.” He grumbled under his breath, regretting asking. He turned towards the yellow pegasi who was giggling at their friends' antics. She looked over at Chris, and while not hiding completely, was a little too nervous to look him directly in the eye. “I can only guess your name has to do with being shy, doesn’t it?” Chris half-joked. At this rate he could probably guess. “My name is F-Fluttershy. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Christopher. I hope you can get along with us.” Chris smiled. It was hard not to, seeing all of these mares interacting with each other. Is this what having real friends is like? How do they manage?
