The Plan for Friendship

Equestria: 4 days after Luna's Return

In the beautiful land of Equestria, peace is reigning throughout the land. It’s time of celebration due to the return of Princess Luna. Thanks to the Elements of Harmony, the royal sisters are reunited and they couldn’t be happier.
“How are you adjusting to life in Equestria since your return, dear sister?” asked Princess Celestia to her younger sister as they were walking the halls of Canterlot Castle.
“So much had changed since we’ve been gone. It’s almost strange to be in Equestria once again.” Said Princess Luna “Although, it’s a great pleasure to be with you once again, sister” she then nuzzled her big sister.
Princess Celestia smiled and nuzzled back, “It’s great to have you back once more, Luna.” Said Celestia “Now, I require your assistance in something.”
“What is it?” asked Luna, Celestia was always a bit stronger than Luna, so having something that required her as well must be of great importance.
Celestia gave her a gentle smile “I did remember to tell you about my student and her newest assignment, correct?”
“Well, of course! If it wasn’t for Twilight Sparkle and her friends, I wouldn’t be here by your side. I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for me. You said you assigned her to learn more lessons about friendship, but what does this have to do with us?” exclaimed Luna.
Celestia smiled, in the few days since Luna's return she had spent hours teaching her little sister the many events that occurred these past thousand years and the changes in society, hearing her speak modern Equestrian brought joy to her heart, more so without the Royal Canterlot voice.
“Well, I know that Twilight has to learn many things about friendship. However, I would like for there to be someone to be able to not only learn along with her, but to teach her and her friends some lessons as well.” said Celestia as she was leading her sister to the Royal Archives.
“SomeONE? Do you not mean somepony, sister?” asked Luna.
Celestia gave Luna a caring smile. “Not exactly. While I was awaiting your return, I stumbled upon an old book written by Starswirl the Bearded. This book talked about his discovery of a new world. This world called ‘Earth’ was said to be inhabited by creatures known as ‘humans’.”
“’Humans’? What do these ‘humans’ look like?” asked Luna, clearly intrigued with this information.
“Instead of telling you, how about you see them for yourself? It seemed that Starswirl had created a spell that would allow us to see into their world and, if one has enough energy, even create a portal from our world to theirs. I have seen these humans and even though some of them are a bit violent, I have seen that most of them have caring hearts. I, with your help Luna, would like to bring one of these humans here to Equestria.” said Celestia as she pulled out a silver coated book, wrinkled with age, yet still perfectly intact.
“But sister, what if this human turns out to be as one of the violent humans you saw?” said Luna, concerned about her sister’s and everypony’s safety.
Celestia turned towards Luna and gently nuzzled her “I have thought this through, Luna. Once I use the viewing spell, I will use a spell I’ve devised to search for a specific human. It will also allow me to view that human’s past to see what kind of person they are.”
Luna looked at Celestia and smiled “Ok, Celly. I trust your judgment, however what do you require of me?”
“I wouldn’t do this without your opinion, Lulu. You are my sister and we rule Equestria together.” said Celestia, using Luna’s childhood nickname.
“Thank you, sister.” said Luna as she hugged her big sister. “Shall we begin?”
“Indeed we shall.” Said Celestia, as she opened the book and searched for the spell. Once she found it, her horn began to glow a bright gold. A magical window appeared before the royal sisters and began to show the human race. Celestia and Luna were surprised with not only the problems humans had, but that they had knowledge of Equestria as well.
“Sister how is it that they know about us and Equestria?” asked Luna, afraid that they know about their kingdom.
Celestia managed to regain her composure “It would seem that they believe us and our kingdom to be an old mare’s tale. This will certainly make their being here interesting.” Celestia began using her spell to search for the perfect human to bring here.
“It has to be someone young enough to believe, yet old enough to be street-smart, pure in both their heart and emotions as well. Innocent, yet flawed.” The spell showed Celestia and Luna many humans of all kinds before stopping on one; it was a young boy of about 17 years of age. He had black hair, brown eyes, about 5’11 in height. He was wearing glasses, a white shirt, and black pants and seemed to be in a school at the time with other humans.
“I think this human will be perfect. What do you think?” asked Celestia.
“He seems nice, but I think we should check his past to see if he has good intentions.” Said Luna.
Celestia rolled her eyes “If you wish, Luna.” The window began to change at started to show the human’s past. They learned basic information, such as his name, his family, and his education. They saw he was a trusting individual, kind, loving, intelligent, and would do anything to help his friends.
Luna smiled “I think he will do just fine.”
“Very well” said Celestia as she cancelled the spell, causing the window and the picture of the human to disappear. She then began to levitate a scroll and quill and began to write
“My dearest student, Twilight Sparkle. I have a special addition to your assignment on learning the magic of friendship. I would like for you, Spike, and your friends to come to Canterlot as soon as you can. Signed, Princess Celestia.”
She sent the letter away towards Ponyville. 'I have a feeling that this human will change Equestria for the better.'
“Come Luna, we must await my student and her friends and then we can bring our guest.” Said Celestia as she walked towards the throne room.
“Coming, sister!” said Luna, now excited on the new arrival coming to Equestria.

The Proposal

Earth

“Ugh, am I glad that’s over.” I exclaim as I enter my room and start putting my school stuff away. I change out of my school clothes and into some a black t-shirt and white shorts. I look in the mirror to see my reflection; a 17 year old boy, 5’11 in height, my black hair becoming close to needing a haircut, my brown eyes covered by my rimless glasses.
“Well, time to get started.” My life has become a bit of a routine:
6:00 a.m. Wake up, breakfast, mom drives me to school
8:10 a.m. – 3:18 p.m. School
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Mom drops me off at home, make lunch for my grandmother and myself and spend time with her
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Homework
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Free time, mostly gaming and ponies
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Have stuff ready for school the next day, shower then sleep.
I just finished cooking some vegetable soup for my grandmother and made a sandwich for myself. I was thinking of Pinkie’s “Cupcakes” song while making the whole thing. I’ve been a brony for a long time now and I’ve enjoyed the fanfics, music, and art that the community has created. I walk to my grandmother’s room with our food in hand.
“Grandma, your food’s here!” I exclaim.
My grandmother is a sweet old lady. Even though she’s in her 80s she still does help out around the house. Sometimes we say she has to rest, but she’s pretty stubborn. She does have to take her medicine to make sure she’s okay and I take care of her until mom gets home.
“Oh, thank you sweetie.” she says. “Did you put some lemon in the soup?”
I playfully roll my eyes “Yes, grandma.”
She laughs and then coughs a little, she says she fine and I believe her. She’s a tough old bird; I just hope she doesn’t go away anytime soon, I love her to death. We always talk about what happened to me at school or something about her past. We watch movies together and she has the loudest and funniest laugh. I stayed with her longer today because I had no homework due to it being the weekend. She said she was tired, so she was going to take a nap.
I kiss her forehead “Remember, if you need me, just call out for me.” I tell her
“I know, thank you for helping me.” she says
She closes her eyes and once I hear her soft snores; I pick up our plates and put them in the sink, I grab some bottled water and walk to the backyard. Today was a nice spring day and during this time of year, the butterflies are always flying around the place. Pretty yellow butterflies with white bodies, not the same color, but just as beautiful as the ones that form Fluttershy’s cutie mark. I breathe in the air and sigh.
‘I don’t mind this routine, but I just wish things would change. I want some excitement in my life. I would like to go somewhere and make some new friends. Heh, maybe go to Equestria and be friends with everypony.’
I slowly shake my head.
‘If only. That kind of stuff only happens in fanfics like “Living the Dream” or “My Second Life” but that’s what they are, fanfics. There’s no way I’d ever go there. I need to stay here now and take care of my grandmother at least until my mom gets her “at home” job. Still, I can dream, can’t I?’
I take a drink of my water and feel the cool spring breeze flowing by. I then notice that the wind seems to be picking up. I hear a crackling sound similar to electricity followed by a bright flash that causes me to cover my eyes.
‘What’s going on?!’
I hear the wind slow down and I feel the light diminishing. I slowly move my arms from my face and open my eyes, which soon widen in shock. I drop my bottled water and my jaw drops at what is in front of me. I manage to utter 2 words in awe, “….no…..way…”

Equestria: An hour ago

It was an hour ago that Twilight Sparkle had responded to Princess Celestia’s letter. Needless to say, she was ecstatic to see her mentor again and that she was going to add to her lessons of friendship. She had responded that she had gathered her friends and were on their way to Canterlot. The royal sisters were in the throne room, awaiting their arrival.
“Did you acquire the items I asked you to retrieve from my room, Luna?” asked Celestia
“Indeed sister. I must admit, you certainly prepared for everything when you planned this.” said Luna, while holding a silver box with her magic and placing it on the floor, in the middle of their two thrones. The sound of the throne room doors opening shifted their attention and they saw Twilight Spark, Spike, and her friends making their way towards them.
“Princess Celestia!”exclaimed Twilight as she went to nuzzle her mentor as Spike and the rest of the girls bowed in respect.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, my faithful student.” said Celestia
“Indeed, and it’s a pleasure to see you all once more. Please, rise.” said Luna, to which everypony rose up.
“So, what is it you need of us Princesses?” asked Twilight.
“Yeah, is there some new threat we need to take care of?” asked Rainbow Dash, while putting up her hooves for a fight.
“No, Rainbow Dash. Luna and I have called you all here for a very important task; we are going to have a new arrival coming to Equestria, he will live here in Equestria and will not only teach you all some lessons in friendship but will be learning alongside you as well.” explained Celestia. Pinkie let out a huge gasp and starting hopping around
“A new pony! Oh, this is going to be super-duper fun!”
“Oh, he’s not a pony Pinkie Pie.” said Luna, which got everypony confused.
“Pardon me princesses, but did y’all just say he’s not a pony? If he’s not, then what is he?” asked Applejack.
Celestia smiled and began to use her magic once again to open the window to view Earth. She remembered the human she chose and focused the spell to find him again, once she did, she showed him to Twilight and her friends, who gasped in shock.
“This is who is coming to Equestria, Applejack. He is from a species called “humans".” said Celestia
Everypony looked at the strange being with curiosity and a bit of fear, since they never seen anything like him before.
“Oh, look at the clothing he is wearing. So different, it could look a bit better though.” said Rarity
“Um…he’s not going to hurt us, is he?” asked Fluttershy
Celestia shook her head “Not at all Fluttershy, in fact…”
She began channel her spell to see what he was doing now and everypony saw him brining some food to an older looking human. Everypony sees him talking and taking care of her and began to relax, knowing that he is so caring shows he can’t possibly be dangerous. Celestia then dispels the window and asks them what their thoughts on him.
“Well, he seemed pretty cool!” said Spike and everypony began agreeing with him.
“Well, I will be using a spell to go to his world and talk to him about coming here, I will be back momentarily. Please, wait here so you all can meet him.” said Celestia, to which everypony nodded.
Celestia closed her eyes and began charging her horn to use the spell to go to Earth. Magic began circling around her and gathering at her horn. Once she had enough energy, she opened her eyes and a great light spread throughout the throne room. When the flash ended, Celestia saw she was face to face with the human. She gave a kind smile and heard him whisper:
“…no…way…”

Earth: Present

This isn’t possible! Standing in front of me was Princess Celestia herself!
‘If this is a dream, please don’t wake me up!’
“Am….am I dreaming?”
I hear soft laughter coming from the princess and she speaks:
“I can assure you, you are not dreaming Jeronimo.”
I gasp and fall on my knees
“How…how do you know my name?”
She walks up to me and I knelt in front of her. I then feel something soft cover my back. I look up to see her sitting in front of me, with a smile on her face and a wing covering me. I slowly lift up my hand and look at her. She nods and I slowly touch her coat. It feels so soft and warm that I just slowly nuzzle my face into her chest.
“This….this is real…isn’t it?” I ask in awe.
She nods “I know a lot about you, Jeronimo. You see, I recently wanted to bring a human’s touch into Equestria. I used a spell to search for a human who can not only teach about friendship, but can learn as well. In the end…I found you. I then used another spell to learn more about you and I know you are the perfect choice. So... how would you like to come to Equestria?”
I look up “Why me? I mean, there are so many people much more deserving than me. I’m just a regular person, I’m nothing special.”
“It’s who you are that makes you special and the reason you were chosen. You have a kind nature and you always try to help others. You might have your own flaws but everyone has them. You are a wonderful person and that’s why I want you to come with me.” said Princess Celestia.
I sigh and slowly stand up, as does she and I walk away from her a bit.
“Princess…this is a dream come true, but…I don’t think I can go. I mean, as boring as it is, I still need to get my education. Then there’s my family and friends who will be worried about me if I just disappear without a trace. Also, there’s my grandmother, I can’t just leave her unattended while my mom’s at work. I’m sorry.” I close my eyes as a tear comes down from my eyes and trails down my cheek.
‘Well…there goes my dream come true.’
I feel something soft touch my cheek and wipe away my tear. I open my eyes to see the princess smiling and touching my face with her wing.
“Jeronimo, you are truly a pure-hearted individual. Also, who said you could never come back? I am offering a way for you to be able to come to and from Equestria. As for your grandmother…”
She closes her eyes and I see her horn glow. A small, white sphere grows from the tip of her horn and then slowly flies off. I follow it and I see it is headed for my grandmother’s room. I go inside and go to my grandmother’s room to see she is still asleep. The white sphere appears and slowly dissipates, covering my grandmother in a warm white glow and then disappearing.
“I used my magic to cure some of your grandmother’s ailments. I couldn’t remove all of them, but most of her pains should be gone.”
I turned around to see Princess Celestia right behind me, I smiled and hugged her.
“Thank you so much!” I exclaim
She laughed and hugged me back.
“I know you still want to tell your family about what is going to happen, so if you want, I will be here alongside you when you tell them.” she says.
I gulp nervously and nod. We walk towards the living room, waiting for my parents to get home.
‘Princess Celestia is going to talk to my parents about me being able to go to Equestira!? Well, this is going to be interesting.’

The Decision

Princess Celestia and I have been waiting in the living room for a few minutes in silence. Waiting for my parents to arrive and tell them about the Princess’ offer.
‘How are my parents going to react when they see Princess Celestia? Will they be afraid? Will they think they’re crazy? What if they don’t even let me go?’
I sigh and look towards the Princess, who still has that graceful smile on her face, which assured me that everything will be OK.
“Um…would you like anything to drink while we wait, Princess?” I ask nervously.
“Just a glass of water, if you wouldn’t mind” answered Princess Celestia
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all! I’ll be right back,” I respond.
I go to the kitchen and come back with two glasses of cool water and I set them down on the table.
“Here you go.” I say.
She smiles “Thank you, Jeronimo.”
I notice her horn giving off a yellow glow and the glass begins to glow the same color. I see it lift up towards her mouth as she begins to drink. My jaw drops in surprise.
‘Whoa…she just used magic! It was just a levitation spell, but it’s so incredible seeing it in real life!’
She sets the glass down, notices my expression, and gives a small giggle. I shake my head, pick up my glass and begin to drink with a small blush on my face.
‘Nice move, genius.’
I stop drinking and put my glass back on the table and look towards the princess.
“Princess Celestia, I wanted to ask. How’re you not surprised that I know who you are? And how is it that you know about me?”
“Like I had said, when I found you, I used a spell that allowed me to learn more about you. I learned about the kind of person you are, your past, and some of the stuff you know as well, including that you know about Equestria.” she said, while giving me a knowing smile
“Does that mean you know about the…”
“bronies? Yes, with what I learned from you, I do know about them. I’m surprised with the knowledge you all know about us, but pleased and flattered with the lessons you’ve all learned and ways you show your support.”
I smile
“Well, the show changed a lot of people’s lives Princess, some a lot more than others. People like to show their appreciation by drawing art, making music, or writing stories about Equestria and its inhabitants.”
I hear a car coming this way and I look out the window. I see my mom’s car making its way towards the house.
“Princess, do you know an invisibility spell by any chance? I’d prefer if you talk to both my parents at once and if my mom sees you, she might freak out.”
She nods and the horn gives off a pale glow. She started becoming transparent and soon disappeared, but I knew she was still here.
The car stopped and my mom stepped out. She was wearing a blue blouse and beige colored pants. She seemed happier than usual as she was walked towards the front door. I said hello and we talked, it seems she got her new job to work at home so now she can take care of my grandmother while I’m at school. A few minutes later my dad came home from work as well. I waited a while so they could relax before I introduce them to Princess Celestia. After about half an hour I called them to the living room.
‘Oh, please let this work. I hope they can allow me to go.’
I started shaking nervously, but then I feel something touch my shoulder. I look over and I didn’t see anything, but I then heard Princess Celestia’s voice
“You can do this, Jeronimo. I’ll be right by your side, just tell me when to reveal myself.”
I smile gratefully and nod. I take a deep breath and enter the living room.
“Mom? Dad? I have to tell you both something.”
“What is it, son? You didn’t do anything wrong at school, did you?” asked my mom, a look of concern appearing on her face.
I shook my head “No mom, nothing like that.”
“You know you can tell us anything son. We’ll be here to help you if you need us.” said my dad with reassuring smile as he wrapped a calming arm around my mom.
“Thanks dad, but this is kinda difficult to say. Um…what would you say if I told you I was selected for a special purpose and that this purpose made me leave home for a while?”
“What are you trying to say?” asked my dad, the smile slowly leaving him.
I took in another calming breath and answered “I think it would be better if you heard this from someone else, Princess?”
As soon as I said that, a bright light appeared next to me and once it disappeared, Princess Celestia stood there. Needless to say my parents were in shock. Their faces contained expressions of fear and awe.
I raised my arms in a calming gesture “Mom, dad, please don’t freak out, this is Princess Celestia”
“It’s a pleasure to meet the both of you.” said the Princess with a courteous nod of her head.
My mom and dad soon snapped out of it after hearing the Princess speak.
“Wait a second, isn’t this the same princess from the pony show you watch?” My dad asked me while pointing towards the Princess with a bewildered face.
I nod “Yes, she is”
My mom then responded “Then how is she even here!? Also, why are you involved in this?” she asked, joining my dad’s confusion.
Celestia smiled then walked up to them
“Allow me to explain.” The Princess spoke with a calming, re-assuring voice.
She then began to explain to tell them about wanting to bring me to Equestria and why she chose me. My parents were paying close attention to what the Princess was telling them.
When the Princess finished the room was silent, I felt the air in the room become stiff with apprehension.
“Jeronimo…” My dad was the first to speak “We need for you to leave the room for a while. Your mother and I need to speak to the princess about all this.” His voice was stern, and full of authority.
“But…” I tried to protest
“Please son?” My mom asked, her voice hardly a whisper.
I sighed and stepped out of the living room. I could faintly hear some of the conversation as I was walking away. I walked to the kitchen table and sat down. After a few minutes, I heard some footsteps and I saw Princess Celestia and my parents walking towards me. I was so nervous to ask what they had decided that I could only mutter one word.
“Well?”
My parents walked closer to me and began to engulf me in a warm embrace. I heard my mom whisper to me
“Be careful once you get there.” She said in a soft but quivering tone.
My eyes widened in surprise and I slowly broke the hug.
“A-Are you serious?” I asked, nearly stuttering “You’re really letting me go?”
My parents smile at me and I notice some faint tears in their eyes. My dad walked up to me and put his arms on my shoulders, slightly squeezing them in his grip and looked me in the eyes.
“We talked about it and we decided that you are growing up.” He started with a voice of authority “You are a kind person and a wonderful son, so you deserve to go.” Pride began to enter his tone “We can take care of grandma when you aren’t here, so you don’t have to worry about that. Celestia told us you’ll be able to come back and forth, so you will still need to go to school but you can go.” He finished with a smile.
I smiled and tears began falling from my eyes. I pulled them towards me and hugged them.
“You guys are the best parents ever!”
I gasp and broke the hug.
“I gotta go pack!” I yelled with excitement as I sped off to the stairs.
We all began to laugh as I was running upstairs to go to my room and pack up my things. I grab my suitcase and I began to pack up some of my clothes, some books, my laptop, and my toothbrush and toothpaste. I change out of my clothes into some jeans and a ‘Sublime’ t-shirt. I grabbed my IPod, wallet, and cell phone as well.
‘I can’t believe it! I’m going to Equestria! My dream has come true!’
I finish packing and I walk downstairs where Princess Celestia, my parents, and my grandmother are waiting for me. I guess my parents must’ve explained everything to her while I was packing. Her small form walked up to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Have fun, sweetie.” She said with a small smile.
“I’ll be back soon grandma.” I assured her while giving her a quick hug.
I walked up next to Princess Celestia and stood next to her.
“Are you ready?” she asked
“I’m ready, princess.” My voice filled with determination.
She nods and I see her horn begin to glow. I see a bright light starting to engulf us. I look at my family who started to wave me goodbye. I started to wave back and soon there was a great flash.
‘Equestria, here I come!’

The Start of a New Friendship

Equestria: One hour after Celestia left

It has been one hour since Princess Celestia left to bring the human to Equestria. Princess Luna, Spike, and the Elements have been waiting in the throne room to be able to meet their new guest.
“Ugh, this is so boring! How long is this gonna take?!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, who took to flying around the throne room to vent her frustration.
“My sister should be returning momentarily, Rainbow Dash. Please, be patient.” said Princess Luna
“Fine” grumbled Dash, coming to a stop and crossing her forelegs
“I have so many questions to ask him! I hope they get here soon.” said Twilight, a tinge of excitement in her voice while her mind thought up more and more questions to ask the human.
“Oh, I know darling! I can’t wait to ask him about the fashion they have there! So many different designs I could make!” exclaimed Rarity, her eyes burning with the flames of inspiration, dreaming up new designs and possibilities with the human’s help.
“I can’t wait for the really big party I’m gonna have for him! This is gonna be so much fun!” said Pinkie Pie as she was hopping in place
“Um…I’m just glad that he’s nice.” said Fluttershy, her voice barely a whisper.
Soon, there was a sparking sound around the throne room and soon there was a great flash.
“Eep!” squeaked Fluttershy in fright as she flew off and started hiding behind a window curtain farthest from the flash. The girls and Spike dashed off to retrieve her, once they managed to talk her out of hiding the flash ended and they all gave a collective of soft gasps when they saw Princess Celestia and their new arrival.

Jeronimo’s POV

I see a great flash and I ended up somewhere else. I feel a bit disoriented so I closed my eyes and fell down on my knees.
“Are you alright?” asked Princess Celestia her voice with concern
“Yes, thank you.” I wave off a dismissive hand in the direction of her voice “It just feels really weird being teleported.”
I soon open my eyes and see a beautifully decorated throne room. I look in awe at everything around me. I rose up to my feet and walked towards a balcony and I take in the view. I could see all of Canterlot and farther away I could see Ponyville. I felt tears of joy stream down my face.
‘I’m actually here.’ Taking in a deep breath of air, enjoying how clean it was compared to Earth ‘I’m actually in Equestria’
I felt a great wing cover me; I turned my head to look and see Princess Celestia, a smile on her face. I give her a great and gentle hug, grateful for this experience.
“Welcome to Equestria.” She said, feeling the warmth in each word.
“Princess…I can never thank you enough!” I say, squeezing tighter in my hug, but not too much to cause her discomfort.
After a few minutes, I released her from the hug. I use my sleeve to wipe the remaining tears from my eyes and I gave her a grateful smile. We both walked back inside and were greeted with the presence of Princess Luna, but she looked just like she did during the beginning of season 1.
She faced Celestia “Sister, I’m glad to see you are back with our guest.” Her gaze shifted to me ” Welcome to Equestria, human.” She said with an air of nobility, giving a flourish of her wings and a dramatic wave of her right hoof.
I drop down to one knee and kneel in front of her.
“Tis’ truly an honor to be in your presence Princess Luna.” I say in reverent voice “I must say it’s a surprise to meet the creator of the calm and beautiful night.”
“It’s nice to meet you as we…wait, did you just call our nights calm and beautiful?”
I slowly stand back up
“Well…yes. I always enjoyed the night. I love going outside and watching the stars and moon light up the sk-whoa!”
I’m suddenly embraced in a hug by Princess Luna. I could feel something wet hitting my shoulder.
“I’m so happy to know there is someone who actually appreciates my night. I guess things truly have changed since I finally reunited with my sister and subjects four days ago”
My face was in shock and I slowly turned to Celestia who smiled and nodded. I smiled and slowly hugged her back.
‘Four days ago!?’ my mind flashed in alarm ‘That means that Luna had just been freed from Nightmare Moon and all the other episodes haven’t even happened yet. I better be careful so I don’t change anything important.’ The possibilities of various consequences running wild in my thought
“I guess, in a way, we are not so different princess.” I calmly say to her, hoping my words won’t convey my concerns.
She slowly breaks away from the hug, using a wing to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“How so?” She asks, tilting her head with a puzzled look
I cleared my throat trying to maintain an image of coolness “You have just returned to Equestria after being away for so long. I have just come to this world that I thought was only fantasy. We both now have to adjust and learn to live in a world we know little of.”
She smiles and nods
“You are right, I can tell we have much to learn together”
Princess Celestia stepped up towards us
“Could it be you’ve made a friend, Luna?”
Luna looks back at her and nods
“Yes, a most special friend indeed. That is, if he’ll have me. Jeronimo, may I ask if I may be your friend?”
I dropped my jaw in surprise, but soon caught myself. I smiled and gave a small bow.
“It would be an honor, Princess”
“Please my friend, call me Luna.”
I stood up and she then turned to Princess Celestia.
“You see, sister!? He agreed!”
Celestia gave a small giggle.
“I’m glad you’ve made a new friend, Luna. I’m curious though, where is Twilight Sparkle and her friends?”
“We’re right here!”
I slowly turn my head towards the familiar voice and I couldn’t believe who I was seeing and was about to meet. Making their way towards us was the Mane 6 and Spike.
“There you all are! I would like to introduce you all to our new arrival. This is Jeronimo.”
I slowly walk towards them as to not appear intimidating. I then took notice that everypony was at least 4 feet tall and Celestia was at least 7 feet tall. I stop a few steps away from them.
“H-hello there, I’m Jeronimo. I’m a human and it’s a pleasure meeting all of you in person.” My heart raced in excitement; trying my best to suppress the urge to squee and hug them all right then and there.
Everypony gave a small smile; Pinkie Pie hops over to me and jumps up to my face.
“Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie and I love to have parties for everypony! Of course, you’re not a pony, but I’m still gonna give you a super-terrific party! Do like parties!? Do humans even have parties? Oh, what about cupcakes!? What’s your favorite flavor!? I always loved…”
Pinkie was suddenly cut off by Applejack covering her mouth with her hoof.
“Sorry about that. It’s just that Pinkie here gets real excited when she meets somepony new.”
I give a small chuckle at Pinkie still trying to talk with Applejack’s hoof covering her mouth.
“It’s fine. To answer your questions Pinkie, I love parties and cupcakes. My personal favorite is a tie between chocolate and vanilla.”
Pinkie gives a large smile and hops back towards the group. My right arm is suddenly grabbed by Applejack and shaken up and down.
“It’s a pleasure makin' your acquaintance, Jeronimo. I’m Applejack.”
“N-nice t-to m-meet y-you, t-too” I shakily say through her forceful handshake.
She soon lets go of my arm and I hold onto it for a sec to make it stop moving.
“Wow. That’s quite a grip you have their, Applejack. In any case, it’s nice to meet you, too. From what I’ve heard, you and your family have an apple orchard, right?”
“That’s right. That’s Sweet Apple Acres, the finest and biggest apple orchard in all of Equestria, if I do say so myself”
“Well then, you certainly must give me a tour of it someday.”
“Well sure! It would me my pleasure.” She smiles, flashing a wink.
Applejack walks back to the group and Rainbow Dash flies towards me and hovers in front of me.
“Hey, I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria!” She proudly boasts while taking a dramatic pose.
“Nice to meet you Rainbow, when we have the chance, you definitely have to show me some of your moves”
“You got it! You know, you’re pretty cool, for a human.”
“You’re pretty cool too, for a pony.”
She smirks and flies back towards everypony else and Rarity steps forward.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, darling. My name is Rarity.” her voice in that upper-class tone that I remember her to have.
I smile and give a small bow.
“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Rarity.”
“Oh my! What a gentlecolt! You simply must stop by my boutique to design some clothing for you.”
“The term would be gentlemen for me, but thank you for the complement. I would love to stop by your work.”
Rarity smiles and returns to her place and Twilight, with Spike on her back, came up next.
“Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I’m in charge of the Ponyville library.”
“Nice to meet you Twilight. Since I’m new here I’m definitely going to stop by to learn more about Equestria.”
“Great! I’d be happy to help you anyway I can!” her face lit up with excitement.
“Hey, I’m Spike, Twilight’s #1 assistant! It’s nice to see I’m not the only non-pony in Equestria.”
“Hey Spike!” I say, crouching a little to his height “Nice to meet you too. We should hang out sometime.” I brought up a hand to shake.
“That would be awesome!” He beamed, grabbing it with both his claws to shake, I winced a little from the pain they caused by how sharp they were. He noticed and apologized in embarrassment.
They walked back to rejoin their group, I then noticed Fluttershy slowly walking towards me. To make myself a little less intimidating, I get on my knees to seem less tall. She finally makes it to me.
“H-hello, I-I’m Fluttershy.”
I decide to whisper to make thing more comfortable for her.
“It’s nice to meet to you, Fluttershy. I can tell you’re a very nice, but quiet pony.”
She covers part of her face with her hair, but I notice a small smile on her face.
“Man, she’s really cute when she does that.”
I see Fluttershy blush and giggling coming from the girls. I notice what I just did and I soon blush as well.
“D-did I just say that out loud?”
Everypony nods and my blush increases.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“I-It’s OK. Um… t-thank you.”
She gives me a smile and hugs me. She flies back to her friends and I stand up.
“Well, I can tell you all have questions for me, so why don’t we do this? You all ask me questions one by one and I’ll answer them. Twilight, you start.”
She smiles. “Thank you. My first question is, what are you?”
“Well, like I had said, I’m a human. The scientific term for my species would be homo-sapiens. Think of us as kinda like Spike there. We walk on our hind legs, we have hands or in Spike’s case claws, we have some hair on our bodies, but not enough to form a proper coat, so we wear clothes pretty much every single day. Mostly to protect ourselves from the weather and…”
I stop with a small blush on my face.
“T-to cover our…personal sections.”
The girls and Spike figured out what I mean and they all blushed.
“Ahem. Anyway, next question?”
“Wait, I have one more question! When you saw us, you said it was a pleasure to meet us in person, does that mean you know about us?”
My eyes widen as everypony was looking at me.
‘Man, she pays attention to detail! Well, I guess I have to do this.’
I turn to Princess Celestia for reassurance and I see her still with her calm expression as she nods at me.
“You may tell them, I trust you.”
I smile and take a deep breath as I turn back to the girls and Spike.
“That question is kinda difficult to answer. Listen, you all have old mare stories right? Like the story of ‘Mare in the Moon’?”
They all nod in acknowledgement.
“Well, in my world, all of Equestria is thought to be make believe to us, mostly due to the fact that the creatures and beings of Equestria are myths in our world.”
They all gasped.
“So you don’t have any ponies in your world!?” Pinkie asked, cringing at the thought of a world without ponies.
“No, we have ponies in our world, but with some key differences. First off, we don’t have any pegasi or unicorn ponies. Also, the ponies of our world don’t have basic knowledge like you all do. Humans are the only sentient beings in our world. The ponies of our world are human companions and help with farm work.”
“What about dragons?” asked Spike
“Dragons, along with griffins, unicorns, pegasi and the creatures of Equestria are myths in my world. Along with magic since it doesn’t exist there as well.”
“A world with no magic!?” exclaimed Twilight, a look of terror spreading across her face that could match Pinkie’s.
“That’s correct. I, along with others, know about Equestria through those stories. More specifically, we know about you all and your adventures. You and a lot of ponies in Equestria, including the princesses, are famous in my world.”
“Famous!?” All of them yelled
I laughed and nodded.
“Yep! In fact, if you don’t believe me, I can show you.”
I walk to my suitcase and I open it and I get out my laptop and opened it.
“What’s that?” asked Rainbow
“This is called a laptop or a portable computer. This piece of technology allows people to communicate, send messages, play games, and read all kinds of books and papers all over the world!”
“Information from all over your world!? That’s amazing! You have to show me how to use this!” exclaimed Twilight with excitement.
I give a small chuckle and I turn on my laptop and the screen shows a calm sunset over a beach. I notice that my laptop battery hasn’t diminished at all and that I’m connected to an unknown connection with full bars.
‘I guess all those stories with laptops still being connected to Earth are true. Convenient!’
I open my files and I open episode 1 and 2 of the show. Spike and the girls gathered around me and I pressed play. We watched both episodes in silence and when the second episode ended; I closed my laptop and turned to them. They all had looks of shock and awe in their faces.
“W-well?” I asked nervously
“This is…impossible. While it didn’t show everything that happened that day, the important parts they showed were exactly correct!” said Twilight.
“Well they wouldn’t exactly show every single moment of every day. Just the important facts of certain days, so you still have your privacy.”
“This is so awesome! How many fans do we have!?” asked Rainbow
“Well I don’t have an exact number, but I know it over hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions.”
They all gasp.
“Millions of people!? Watching me!?” says Fluttershy as she curls up into a ball and starts shaking. I felt bad and I slowly walked up to her and softly removed her hooves from her face.
“Fluttershy, it’s OK. I don’t think they are watching you right this second. I believe the show is just a way for us to know about Equestria without actually seeing it all happen first hand. You don’t have to be scared, please? I’d hate to see you sad.”
She gave me a soft smile and hugged me once more.
“Thank you.”
We soon let go and I think I saw a small blush on her face. I move away a bit to face all of them.
“Now, I might know about you all from the show, but I don’t want to depend on that. I want to personally get to know each and every one of you. If I’m going to live here in Equestria, I want to be able to truly connect with you all. So…”
I swallow nervously and scuffle my foot across the floor
“W-will you all be my first friends here in Equestria?”
They look at each other and then back at me with smiles on their faces. They then ran towards me and surrounded me in a group hug. With that I knew that I had just made seven more new friends in Equestria. I hugged them back with a great smile as tears of joy once more fell from my eyes.
‘I can tell this is the start of a beautiful new friendship.’

The Gift

After the hug, they huddled around me and we continued our Q&A session. I kept answering questions about life on Earth, wildlife, fashion, weather, etc. Needless to say, they were afraid when I mentioned humans are omnivores, but they relaxed once I said I wouldn’t eat any meat when I’m here and that we don’t eat ponies. Even after I talked about Earth’s problems and how some humans are, they still trust me and want me as their friend. I was truly lucky to have them as my friends. They finally stopped asking me questions after a few hours.
“So…what happens now?” I asked, rising from my seat on the ground.
“Now, Luna and I have something to give you.” I turned to see Princess Celestia and Luna making their way towards us.
“Princesses, you don’t have to give me anything.” Raising my hands up in a modest gesture “Having the honor to come and live here in Equestria is more than enough.”
They both smiled gently but Princess Celestia continued speaking.
“I believe you will find this useful during your time here” She turned to her sister “Luna, if you please?”
Luna nodded “Of course, sister” Turning around and started walking in the opposite direction.
She made her way back to the thrones and noticed her picking up a silver box that was in between the middle of them; she then comes back and places it on the floor in front of me, I then saw simultaneously Princess Celestia’s horn glow a golden yellow and Luna’s horn glow a royal blue, the horns then sent a bright beams of magic at the box and it began to glow bright, they soon stopped and the box glowed for a few more seconds then faded.
“Please Jeronimo, open the box.” Said Celestia; pointing to the box with one of her wings.
I slowly walked towards the box and I knelt down to get closer to it; I noticed the girls and Spike were curious so I gestured them to join me, opening the box, all of us gasped in sight of the contents. Inside the box was a beautiful gold medallion; I picked it up and I noticed on one side it had a combination of Celestia’s and Luna’s cutie mark while on the other it had the symbol for the Elements of Harmony, next to it was a silver ring which also had their cutie marks.
“W-what are these?” I asked; still staring at the two objects, awe-struck by the craftsmanship alone.
Celestia smiles and gently plucks the medallion from my hand with her magic.
“This medallion is very special; this will allow you to travel from Earth to Equestria and back whenever you wish, once you put it on, should you lose it, all you have to do is think about it and it will return to you. It also has a special time spell on it, what it does is that when you spend one week here in Equestria, it will only be a day on Earth and vice versa.”
“Wow.” We all said in awe.
The princess then levitates the medallion over to me and places it around my neck; as soon as she let go, the medallion began to give off a warm glow and I could feel it spread around my body, I smile and then turn my attention to the ring.
“And the ring?” I ask, pointing at it.

“The ring has a very special purpose as well. You see, I was going over the notes that Starswirl the Bearded had on humans and-”
She was interrupted by a gasp from Twilight. “Starswirl the Bearded!? You mean one of the most powerful unicorns ever!?”
Celestia laughs a little at Twilight’s reaction. “Correct, my faithful student. It was the spells he created that allowed Luna and I to see Earth and bring Jeronimo here.”
I raised my hand to catch her attention “Excuse me princess, but you said that he had notes on humans, does that mean that I wasn’t the first human here?”
She shakes her head. “No. He was only observing your race to learn more about them. However, he did find out something very interesting. It seems humans do have magic.”
“What!?” we all exclaimed
“Yes, humans have magic deep inside; but has been locked away for ages. According to Starswirl’s notes, humans seem to have magic not only like the magic unicorns have, but another kind of magic as well.”
“So…does that mean that…this ring…” Words failing to come out from what she’s said.
The princess smiles and nods “Once you put that ring on, the magic inside you will be released, should you want to put it on. Once it unlocks your magic, it won’t do it for anyone else; it will be locked onto you just like the medallion.”
I look at the ring in awe and slowly move my hand to pick it up.
“It is your choice.” Celestia reminded me.
After a few moments, I smiled and slowly put the ring on my right ring finger. Soon, the ring began to glow and I felt a great pressure in my chest, my whole body started to glow; the pressure was becoming painful to the point that I fell onto my knees. After a while, the pressure increased and a wave of energy was sent throughout my body, I stopped glowing and start taking deep breaths.
Fluttershy walks up to me with concern on her face “Are you OK? Do you need any help?”
“N-no…I’m fine…thanks anyway.” I slowly stand up and shake my head. “So…I have magic now?”
Twilight grins at me and her horn begins to glow, my body wrapped in an aura similar to her own “I can sense some magic in you, but it seems different.”
“Different how?” I asked curiously.
“It looks like the human magic Princess Celestia is talking about seems to be dominating the regular magic we know of inside you, it might be a while before you can use any regular spells.”
“So, that means right now I can only use my human magic? But how am I supposed to do that? I mean, I don’t know what it is I can…” I stopped talking as I soon felt a small pain on my head; I held my head and closed my eyes as I started to remember an old show I used to watch. As soon as I remembered all about it, the pain stops. ‘That was weird. Why did I remember that all of a sudden? Unless…’
“Jeronimo, are you OK?”

I open my eyes to see everypony looking at me with concern. “Yes, I am now, I just suddenly remembered something.”
Pinkie’s eyes lit up in excitement “Ooh! What was it!? Was it a game? A hobby? A talent? A happy memory? A-”
Pinkie’s mouth is then covered by Rainbow’s hoof. “Geez Pinkie, let the guy talk.”
I start to chuckle at seeing them “Thanks Rainbow, no, it wasn’t anything like that but…I think I know what my human magic is.”
“What is it? Do you think you can show us?” asked Spike with excitement.
“I think so, but I need you all to stand back, cause I don’t know what could happen.”
Everyone started to back away a little and soon stopped a few feet. I relaxed, closed my eyes, and take a deep breath; I take a familiar stance and remember the teachings of the show.
‘Let see if this works.’
I open my eyes and threw a punch in front of me and was surprised to see a gout of flames come out of my fist. Everyone gasped at what they saw, including me. I kept my stance and throw another punch getting the same result. ‘No way, Hmm, I wonder…’
I take a different stance and I push both my arms forward and a blast of air shoots out. I smile and started laughing. “This is awesome!”
“OK, that was really cool! What was that!?” asked Rainbow as she and the rest of the girls started to walk over.
“I…I think human magic is similar to the ability humans have in another story I know of. That was called bending, where someone can manipulate one of the four basic elements: water, fire, earth, and air. Although, I think my human magic allows me to control all four but I don’t want to try my water and earth-bending here and make a mess.”
“Amazing! To be able to control the elements!? You have to tell me more about this bending!” exclaimed Twilight
“I’ll tell you more about it later but I do know that I need to practice with all four, I don’t want to use them and put somepony in harm’s way. “
I heard hoofsteps behind me and see the princess walking towards us.
“I must say that is an interesting magic you have. I would like to see more once you have better control.” spoke Celestia.
“It would be my pleasure.” Giving an appreciative bow.
Princess Luna stepped up towards our little group “This certainly was a great day but I must go and raise the moon.”
Celestia nodded her acknowledgement “Of course sister”
Luna started to walk out of the throne room and everypony bowed as she walked towards the door, including myself. I felt a hoof on my shoulder and I looked up to see the navy blue alicorn facing me.
“Please Jero, there is no need for you to bow to me, you are my friend and I do not wish for my royal status to change that.”
I smile and nodded “Of course, have a good night Luna.”
“You as well, my friend.” She walked out of the throne room and closed the door.
“Well, it’s getting late and the train ride to Ponyville is gonna take a while so we better get going.” Said Twilight.
“No need for that Twilight” spoke Celestia “You can stay in the castle for tonight and leave tomorrow morning.”
Rarity gave out a great gasp “We’re staying at the castle!? Oh, that is simply marvelous!”
The Princess nods with a smile on her face and summoned some royal guards to help carry my stuff and lead all of us towards our rooms for tonight.
‘The guards don’t seem surprised about me at all, either they’re good at hiding their emotions or Princess Celestia told them I was coming.’
We soon stop at a large hallway with many doors surrounding us.
“Here is a castle suite for all of you for tonight” spoke Celestia, tilting her head to point down the hall “Then we can have breakfast in the morning in the main dining room, I’ll arrange for a chariot to take you all to Ponyville soon after.”
“Thank you so much Princess.” Said Twilight, stepping up to give her teacher a hug.
“Think nothing of it. Have a good night, my little ponies.” She walked away along with her guards.
“Well, we better get some sleep. Today was just an amazing day and I can’t wait for tomorrow. Good night girls.”
The girls and Spike give me a quick group hug “Good night~” They said in unison.
I smile and hugged them back and we all go into our own rooms, I open the doors to see a luxury suite that’s usually seen in movies. There was a king-sized bed, a balcony that overlooked the Canterlot gardens, a full bathroom, and dresser.
*Whistle* “Man, I can’t believe this is happening.”
I changed into my pajamas, took off my glasses, and soon lied down on the bed, falling asleep, dreaming of what adventures I will experience here in Equestria.