I never understood why anyone would take drugs when getting to cloud nine was so easy. The past evening was still going through my head as the incoming sunlight interrupted my sweet dreams. About a week ago, this would have ruined my day, but now everything was different. In just one week, my life had changed so much that I never could have guessed. I remained a little longer on the bed, curled up and lost in my thoughts. I had found new friends and even a new love. My old life, day by day, seemed so far away, yet there was something holding me there. I was human. I didn’t belong in this world, and I probably would get banished today. As much as I wanted to get into this world, it was impossible. I couldn’t let this get too close to me although it hurt.

My phone showed that it was eight am and also that it soon would run out of power. Twilight and the princess would arrive here around noon and then my adventure would find its end, no matter what. I would get sent home either as pony or as human. In the end, I asked for it, didn’t I? But was it still what I wanted? I had to explain everything, that was for sure, and I only hoped that Celestia, kind and wise as she was, would have some advice for me. Even if she sent me to the moon, she’d have a spare minute for a talk which would clarify everything. I cursed my mind again for not allowing me to just enjoy the moment.

I would have continued enjoying the bed, but the universe said no. Just as I got out of bed, somepony knocked on my door. Without answering, I opened it and encountered Big Mac with his mane looking like he just fell out of bed.

“Umm... morning?” I stammered. Big Mac looked sleepy, and even without standing straight, he was at least a head taller as he looked down on me.

“Ma’ sister wanted me to wake ya. Breakfast's almost finished,” he mumbled and slowly trotted downstairs. I watched him with a confused look. The encounter in the shed went through my mind, and I knew I had to talk to AJ. She deserved to learn about it.

“Good mornin’, lover boy.” My breath caught in my throat. I looked for the source and found Apple Bloom laughing under the table. With her small imitation, she had achieved just the reaction she had in mind. Big Mac was just sitting at the table, mumbling something unintelligible.

“Morning.” I ignored the prank. “Is AJ not up yet?” Apple Bloom joined Big Mac at the table.

“No, she is already in town. She’s delivering some apples for the buffet in the town hall.” She could have let me do that. I wanted to leave the barn that instant, but my stomach held me back. After I paid my daily visit to the bath, I got going. While I walked the dusty road, I thought of how I should explain myself and how she'd react. Nothing was as cruel as one's imagination.

“Morning.” I was just about to enter Ponyville, but somepony blocked the road. With her horn glowing in a light purple, Twilight stood in front of me with an indescribable look on her face. “Don’t you think it's time to end this charade?”

“Twilight, I don’t know what you think you know, but it's different. I promise.” I couldn’t say any more before the first blast cut through the air beside me.

“You lied to me, my friends, and especially Applejack. Show your true face already.” She aimed at me again, and I barely managed to evade. Why did I do this? I wanted back my original body.

“Let me explain, Twilight.” I evaded again. “At least listen to my version of the story. You owe it to me!” I was getting angry. She couldn't possibly know it all and had already made her decision. She lifted her head, and in her face, I could read that she was at least thinking about it. “I won't resist; just let us go somewhere we can talk undisturbed, okay?” I kept suppressing my anger because yelling wouldn't make the situation any easier. She seemed to know what I was, no matter how she found out. Her magic changed, I could feel it, and in the next moment, I was caught in her aura.

“Hold still, I'm bringing us into the library.” I nodded just before I got a feeling like I got pulled through the eye of a needle. It was as if my body was squeezed to the size of a pea and expanded again afterwards. Opening my eyes, I saw the well-known furniture of the library. “So then, say whatever you want to say.” She blocked my way to the door to ensure that I couldn’t flee.

“No tea with the coffee?” I remarked and used all my willpower to not get angry. Twilight said nothing, but her face darkened. “Good, then at least tell me what you think you know so I know where I am at.”

She sat down, her eyes focused on me. “I know that you are not a pony. Although I don't know how you created that illusion since humans shouldn't be able to.” She most likely found some books concerning humans in the Canterlot archives. Even Lyra had basic knowledge. “I know that your story isn’t true, and you even got me to bring you here to do Celestia knows what.” She couldn't be any more wrong.

“One thing is true: I am a human, but this is no illusion. This is my current form. I'd like to know myself why I am how I am. One morning I just woke up like this. Just a few days before you appeared, to be accurate.” My voice dropped. “Yes, I didn’t tell you everything, and that was wrong, but I did not lie to you. And concerning the reason for me being here, your theory couldn’t be more wrong. This place is like heaven for any human. And the last I want is to harm this place or its inhabitants in any way.” My mind was throughout empty while I waited for a response.

“Then you shouldn't have any problem if I restored your original form.” I said nothing and closed my eyes. I felt magic concentrating in her horn and how it flowed through my body. I felt heavy, and my legs were about to give in. In my head, there was a presence I had never felt before. I opened my eyes quickly and saw that I was still a pony. Although Twilight’s spell didn't change me, I felt that presence, but did it belong to Twilight? I looked at her, and to my surprise, she was bowing down. I looked around and saw the source of this disability: Princess Celestia.

“Twilight, my dear student, I must thank you for fulfilling your task.” Her voice was loud, strong, but so comfortable that I could have fallen asleep without any trace of sorrow. I couldn't hold on anymore and lowered my head like Twilight’s. I could feel Celestia's look resting on me. It was like she was petting me with her hoof. I was afraid. What would this mighty being do with me? “Do not fear, restless soul, you've had to bear enough. Sadly, there is yet more to come.” I slumped down, but her aura was simply too overwhelming.

“Princess, why didn't he change back to human?” asked Twilight, just loud enough to be heard at all. I felt how Celestia's magic concentrated, causing the painful throbbing in my head to increase. Twilight caused tickles, but this was tearing my mind apart. She laid her horn on my forehead, and then my sight faded.

Don't fear...

Who is there?

I won’t harm you; I just want to know what happened to you...

Princess Celestia?

Pictures flashed right before my eyes: my first years after birth, then my school time, my twelfth birthday, the divorce of my parents, the death of my aunt, my first love, my years in apprenticeship, how I discovered My little Pony, and finally the past days and happenings. My sight slowly returned, the mighty alicorn standing in front of me, smiling at me.

“He didn’t transform. This is now his true form, Twilight Sparkle,” was the answer she gave her student. “Tio, something happened to you, something that shouldn’t happen to any being. Your wish was fulfilled.”

I didn’t know what to think about first. That this was now my true form or that a fulfilled wish could be anything but great. “A wish always has positive and negative impacts.” Could she read my mind? Probably... “The positive being your dream has been fulfilled, but the more powerful that wish is, the higher the price one has to pay.” While she spoke the last words, I heard sadness in her voice.

“What kind of price?” Again, it was Twilight who spoke instead of me. Celestia sighed.

“It depends on the being and how strong the wish is. In your case, Tio, it’s a very high, sadly.” She placed a hoof on my shoulder. The hoof was warm as if the warmest summer sun was shining down on me. “Your existence has been rewritten to make your wish come true. This will mean that your human past hasn’t happened if my assumption is right.” I needed some time to process what she had just said. What would that mean? Would all who knew me as a human just forget me? I was still shocked.

“I fear it is. That's the price you paid.”

“Can’t you undo that?!” I yelled at her.

“That is far beyond my abilities, and I don’t know any being able to do so.” What should I do? My home, my friends, my family, nobody would ever know me.

“I know it is hard losing one's family. But you also have friends here.” Her words sounded hollow and numb. I was lying on the ground, giving in to my own sadness. This was worse than death because when you're dead, you are still remembered by the loved ones. I had to see them. I wanted to see with my own eyes that they had forgotten me. “I may let this wish come true,” said Celestia again, “but it will take a while to find your world.”

“But Twilight also just appeared.” I pointed my hoof at her.

“Through sheer luck. The spell she practiced got out of her control.”

“How long?”

“A month or a bit longer.” I nodded weakly. “Twilight, please take care of him and ask the others to do as well. He needs all the support he can get.” I didn’t have to look at Twilight to know that she nodded. “Be assured that all of what he just said is the honest truth. He only means well to you and Equestria.” She took her hoof off my shoulder and looked at the kitchen door. “You all have my word.” She looked back to Twilight and me. “I have to leave you for now. But I hope to see you all this evening.” A bright flash and she was gone. I was still lying on the floor, resigned to the sadness which overcame me. I barely noticed how Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash came out of the kitchen.

I didn’t know how long I’d been lying down, but the first thing I realized was Applejack trying catching my view through my hooves.

“You are not angry?” I snapped.

“Why should I be angry, sugarcube ?” she responded calmly

“I lied to you. I'm not worth being... I only got what I—” I felt how she slammed her hoof with all her force through my face, and I slid about a meter over the ground.

“No matter what you think ya did wrong, nopony deserves that. And if you ever say again that you're not worth it, I won't ever talk to ya again.” She stood above me and stared into my eyes. “You are what you are and therefore I like you, lover boy. And not only me but the others also. If you say you ain’t worth it, then you say our friendship ain’t worth it.” She sighed and shook her head. “You mind tellin’ me what your wish was?” She laid down in front of me. My head was still being reigned by the nothingness which Celestia had brought when browsing through my memories, and so I answered indifferently.

“A better life." My words sounded through my head. Our world was full of war and suffering. Who wouldn't wish so? I got my chance, and all I did was not value it. Life always demanded sacrifices, only this was...

AJ seemed to notice that I was normal again. "Come home when you feel like it, lover boy." She gave me a kiss on my cheek and left the library. Only now did I realize that I was still here. Home is where the heart is was what my grandma used to say. I lifted myself off the ground. My legs were as wobbly as the first day I had them. I looked out of the small windows. The whole day just flew by; the sun was already going down.

"I see Applejack got through to you." Twilight came out of the cellar.

"A bit." My throat still pained from the tears.

"Do you already know what you want to do?"

"Make the best out of it, I suppose. My family wouldn't want to have it any other way." If there were people who always wanted the best for me, it was my family. Even if I was the most well behaving child, I still caused a lot of trouble, but they never stopped trusting me or helping me.

"You know they are not dead..." I nodded.

"No, they are not, and I'll visit them as soon as possible. There may be no going back, but that's life.”

"You recovered fast, considering such a blow."

"I think that runs in the family, and humans are used to hard blows." I gave a weak smile and went towards the door. "Do you have an apple?"

She didn't hesitate, and I saw an apple flying out of the kitchen on my back.

"Just like AJ, always thinking about apples," she joked, but I ignored her.

I concentrated my magic, and a banana replaced the apple. The price alicorns have to pay for searching my mind. I was about to open the door, but a purple aura blocked me.

"Actually Twilight, I wanted to go..." She gave me a wondering look.

"How did you do that?" she asked, pointing at the banana which, due to my lack of concentration, began returning to its original red.

"I borrowed myself a book about transformation magic from Spike... Why?"

Her expression now looked as if her brain just rolled straight out the ear.

"Can you also levitate by now?" Her mouth was still wide open.

"No, it just wouldn’t work. Transforming is much easier anyway." She dashed over to me and inspected my cutie mark more precisely, which bothered me somewhat. "Umm Twilight... is something wrong?" Her face scrunched up.

"I know what your cutie mark means! I saw a similar one in one of my books. The circle is for any object. You should know that a circle is only a rectangle with an infinite amount of angles. The lightning represents magic. Do you understand? Your special talent is transformation magic or the manipulation of objects."

That would explain a lot, I said to myself. "But you can do that as well, can't you?"

"Yes, but only because my talent is magic. Normally, unicorns can only use a few spells which have a relation to their talent." Now everything made sense as they had already mentioned that in the series. And I had been comparing myself to Twilight. No wonder I was always inferior. "Now that we know what your talent is, I can teach you more specifically. Sit down already!" She started levitating books out of the shelves.

"Twilight, don't you think we should do that some other day? It was a long day, and there is still the reception of the princess in the town hall...." Most books fell on the floor, one hitting my head

"You're right. I mustn't be tardy, mustn't be tardy!" She ran out of the house and the last I heard was, "Turn out the lights when you leave" as she vanished in the night.

"Home huh?" I said quietly before I closed the door behind me.

The town hall was so crowded that it was near impossible to move without bumping into somepony. Celestia, accompanied by the mayor and Twilight, was sitting at a table in the focus of the hall while the guards were holding the crowd at an appropriate distant. They all looked the same in their golden armor, but as I knew this world, it was probably magic. Celestia and her student were busy talking, and I decided to look for the others. Pinkie was the first I saw, no big surprise. She was bouncing alongside the buffet. When she saw me, she only smiled shortly before she turned to her snack again. Rarity was the next one I spotted, and although we didn't get along very well, she smiled at me. Rainbow Dash made herself comfortable behind a chrome lighter under the roof, holding a drink. Fluttershy stood in front of a podium filled with birds and directed a melody. Only AJ I couldn't find. All of a sudden, it went dark, and the only spotlight was on Princess Celestia. How ironic.

"Thank you, my dear subjects, for attending today so numerously." Some ponies rejoiced. "I know all of this comes suddenly, and you probably ask why I am here today. Except for visiting you of course.” Her magically improved voice sounded through the hall. "My family has already been increased recently, and I am proud to bring you similar news today." Ponies started to mumble. Was the princess with foal or maybe Prince Blueblood had finally found somepony? Celestia lifted a hoof, and silence was restored. "Blue Light, would you please come up to me?" The crowd looked to see who would make his way to the table of the princess, but nopony moved a muscle. Celestia waited a bit longer, then nodded towards Twilight, and before I could react, I was standing at her flank. What was going on?

Don't worry; everything is going to be all right...

"This is Blue Light. Some may know him under his pseudonym, Tio."

The crowd exploded, causing Celestia to increase her volume. "He is a visitor from another world like some of you may know. In order to forge a diplomatic relation, I have decided to take him into my family and to give him a name he deserves."

WHAT?

This is only an official reason. All you need is a place you belong to, a family. I know I can't ever replace yours, but please let me help you.

The presence of the princess, what she just said, the whole day… it was too much to take, and I fell into a deep darkness.

Author's Notes:

Edited by JBL. Thank you!