Chapter 1: It's All Downhill From Here

Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed faintly in the dark of the room, closing the rather large book of mythology.
On the floor, in a basket and wrapped in blankets, was Spike, who had been listening intently since the start. He was quiet for a few moments, looking around the room a bit, before looking back up at Twilight “Hey Twi, do you think this all really happened?” he asked.
Twilight sighed softly “Honestly, Spike, I wouldn’t put too much thought into it. After all, it is just a legend.” She told him.
“But what about the prophecy involving Nightmare Moon? That was just a legend, and it happened!” Spike retorted.
“Spike, don’t you think that, if all legends were true, that there would be a bunch of evil monsters and heroes living around in Equestria?” Twilight asked with a small laugh.
Spike pondered on the question for a few moments, before shrugging “I guess you’re right… But what about those… ‘Human’ things? Doesn’t the book mention anything about what they look like?”
Twilight shook her head “Not a single word.” She answered “And I’ve read just about every book here once, if not twice, and it’s the first time I’ve ever heard about them, either.” She explained.
Spike sighed, and said “Wow, that sucks… Do you think there are any still alive?” he asked.
This question made Twilight Sparkle stop to think; did those ‘human’ creatures still exist, let alone ever exist? She thought of writing to Princess Celestia about them, but pushed those thoughts aside when Spike spoke up again.
“So? What do you think?”
“I’m not sure what to think. I don’t even know if they really do exist or not.” She sighed “Enough questions, it’s time for bed…” she told him before climbing up into her own bed. She had done a lot of work during the day, so she was going to get to bed early tonight. She smiled as she snuggled her head up to the pillow, saying “Goodnight, Spike,”
Spike answered with a quiet “G’Night, Twilight…” While Twilight Sparkle fell asleep a few moments after her head hit the pillow, Spike couldn’t fall asleep so easily, especially not after hearing that story. His gaze fell to the window, and he mumbled a quiet “I wonder what the human world is like…” before curling up beneath the blanket to try and sleep.

“Capture him! He must not escape with that drug!” a voice rang out from the entrance of a dark alley. A group of men in black cloaks ran into the metallic outdoor hall.
Their boots loudly announced their presence to a young boy, looking no older than 19, ran as quietly as possible from these men in black. The boy looked back, just in time to see a magical fireball soaring towards him; it wasn’t too big, but it would probably hurt like hell. He brought up his arm in reflex, the fire dissipating when it hit the arm cannon covering his hand, wrist and part of his forearm. Before turning a corner deeper into the metal maze, he stopped, pulled a pair of goggles with a blue rim and black, tinted lenses and pointed his arm out at the assailants “Eat this...” He muttered, tapping a button on the arm cannon covering his hand, wrist and part of his forearm. He quickly took aim and fired what looked like a small, round ball of light which, upon colliding with the metal floor, released a blinding flash.
The cloaked men yelled in pain, the light scorching their retinas and allowing the boy to escape further into the alleys.
The boy knew, however, that the light wouldn’t last long. He had to act quickly, unless he wanted to be caught. He shuffled his hand around in a rather large satchel slung around him and hanging at his side and pulled out a small machine. It had two small, metal bars on its sides, and a holographic screen between the bars. His other hand, now that the bracelet had reverted to its original shape, allowed him to type something quick into the screen “Come on, come on… Find me a warp point… I’ve got to get out of here…!” he muttered, typing away and hoping the screen would pick up something. It remained blank for several moments. Suddenly, he heard the assailants’ footsteps again, and he picked up the pace “Damn it all!” he spat, about to stash the machine back into the box, but stopped himself when the machine pinged softly and slowly, having located something. A rather large grin stretched across the boy’s face “Bingo. Jacob, you are a genius for creating this thing.” He snickered. His shoes let out a quiet hiss, now spitting out air from the bottom, and making him step faster and lighter. The machine in his hand pinged faster and louder by the second, until he stopped himself at a dead end. His eyes, confused and annoyed, scanned the sight before him; a large set of wooden doors. He slowly stepped forward towards it “What the hell is this…? I thought there was a Warp Scar here?!” he groaned angrily, stashing the machine in his box. He then heard more yelling not too far off from his position, and said “Screw it, anywhere’s got to be better than here!” he gulped nervously, stepping again towards the door, taking note of a rather large “E” engraved on it, and opening it. He was blinded by a bright light, before everything went black.

Chapter 2: Boldly Gone Where Nopony Has Gone Before

‘Where… am I?’ he thought to himself. He felt weird, and couldn’t see a thing. This was not a good sign for him. He then realized his eyes were shut. Part of him wanted to open his eyes and look around, but another part wanted to relax and wait a while before doing so. He could smell odd things in the air. They didn’t smell bad, just different. Bellow him was something soft. And immediately below it was something hard. Grass and dirt, maybe? He could feel a soft breeze blowing over him, and the sun bathing him in its warm rays of light. He breathed in the new smells for a few more minutes before weakly opening his eyes. He saw what he was laying down on, something green, and all separate blades covering dirt. Without moving his head, ne noticed large trees surrounding him. He had seen trees before, but none so bright and vibrant. Back home, they were all old and withered, barely used anymore for construction of any kind. He rolled over onto his back, but something didn’t feel quite right. He looked away from the bright, blue sky and down at himself. He sat there for a few seconds, taking this new information in. His skin was now gray; he had a smaller body, four legs with hooves on the ends, and a short, brown, messy-looking tail. He also noticed his clothes and equipment were sprawled all over the place around him. Suddenly, his hands- or rather, hooves – quickly moved about his face, confirming his suspicions: Elongated snout? Longer ears? Larger, browner eyes? Hooves? A tail? His messy hair lengthened a bit into a messy, brown mane? A damn horn? He had transformed into some kind of horse! He didn’t know of any horses with horns, but that wasn’t a big worry for him. However, he found the word ‘pony’ seemed to better fit his new form for some reason. He wanted to scream in horror, but all that came out was a silent groan of frustration. He began to try and talk, but no sound came out ‘Shit… I don’t know how to use these vocal chords…!’ he thought, panicking a little bit. He rolled over to his side again, and attempted to stand up. His legs wobbled and his balance faltered, but he was able to stay on his feet ‘That’s good… At least I can walk in this stupid form.’ he thought. ‘Crap, those damned Magi must have caught me when I blacked out in that doorway and changed me…’ he began, before looking around again ‘but why the hell would they leave my stuff here, let alone my cannon?’ he wondered, looking at his things, then the cannon on the ground next to him. He carefully made his way over to his things, gathering the clothing on his back with his mouth, slinging his satchel around him and his goggles on his head with surprising ease, considering he had hooves.

Suddenly, he froze when he heard some noises from beyond the trees; a discerning grunt, a hellish squeal, whatever the sound something sharp makes when it hits wood. Jacob’s eyes shot open wide as this large creature stood at the other end of the clearing.
Its snout was sniffing hard at the ground, locking on to Jacob’s scent. It was about 5 feet tall, had small ears, a round, fat body, short legs with hard looking hooves, covered with razor-sharp blades, and no eyes, as far as Jacob could tell.
Jacob tensed up when it faced him. It couldn’t see, but Jacob was sure it had already sniffed him out. He slowly reached for his arm cannon, to which the beast responded with an angry snarl, and began to charge. Jacob fumbled with the cannon, trying to press a button on the side, but it was too late. The beast was faster than he was, and plunged its sharp tusk into his side. He let out a silent groan, blood dripping from the wound, as he pressed the open end of the cannon to the beast’s forehead ‘Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it?’ Jacob thought, struggling to ‘pull’ the trigger in the arm cannon. A burning ball of energy shot out at point blank range, burrowing into the beast’s head, killing it. Jacob panted, pulling himself off of the tusk, and placing a hoof over the wound. It wasn’t too big, but it was fairly deep. He was thankful for the fact it seemed to miss any organs. He limped closer to some bushes, and sat on his flank. He began to search through the satchel, when he heard voices and painfully rolled into the bushes.

“Are ya sure you saw somethin’ out here, Shy?” a feminine voice asked.
Jacob breathed slowly, still looking in his satchel as two ponies walked into the clearing.
One was bright yellow with a pink mane and tail and yellow wings, while the other was an orange pony with a yellow mane and wearing a cowboy hat. A freaking hat. Jacob’s brow furrowed at the sight of it, wondering why it was wearing a hat, of all things. He shook his head; why was he wondering about a hat, when he clearly heard one speak English?
“U-Um, yes… I mean, I saw this bright light… And then a pony with a bunch of weird things around it…” she began to explain “A-And then a razorboar showed up, a-and charged at him! I-I came to find you for help…If you don’t mind?” she meekly asked.
Applejack made a big sigh “Aw, sheeyoot Fluttershy, you know darn well that I’m happy to help with whatever problems you’ve got! But Ah don’t think Ah can take a razorboar!” she told her, making a small smile. She then looked around the clearing from there, immediately taking notice of the razorboar’s corpse “Oh sweet, merciful Celestia…” she gasped, placing a foot to her mouth.
Fluttershy was totally silent, mouth hanging open “D-Did he… kill that animal?” she asked.
Applejack slowly nodded her head “Ah think he did… Ah can’t say Ah blame him, but color me surprised!” she commented, slowly walking towards the beast. She noticed it had a hole in its head, with burn marks surrounding it “Ah think that pony might’ve been a unicorn… Looks like magic tah me.” She pointed out.
Fluttershy looked at the grass, seeing a trail of blood leading away from the body “Oh-Oh gosh, he’s hurt!” she gasped, following the trail with her eyes, until she spotted Jacob’s brown tail sticking out from the bushes “U-Um, excuse me…?” she called out to him.
Jacob froze, watching her carefully from the bushes.
“I-It alright, you can come out!” She mumbled a feeble attempt at coaxing him out.

Jacob quickly retreated his tail into the bushes before backing out and trying to run, only to trip and slam into a tree ‘Damn these legs!’ he cursed his rotten luck within the confines of his mind. A bit of blood wet the hastily fixed patch over his wound, which wasn’t much more than a white wrapping bandage around his torso to keep it steady and not bleeding.
Applejack couldn’t help but try to hold a few laughs back at the clumsy attempt at an escape, but Fluttershy was a little more sympathetic “I-I’m not going to hurt you…” she mumbled, approaching him.
Jacob backed up against the tree, trying to say something, but it only came out as a hiss.
Fluttershy made her own quiet noise, and hid behind Applejack.
Applejack put on a serious face, and said “Now look here, Shy’s just tryin’ tah help. Don’tcha DARE try to hurt her!“ and began to stomp towards him, but suddenly when she saw Jacob raise his foreleg, and the arm cannon began to quietly whir. Unsure of what it was, she asked “Ah don’t know what that there thing is, but Ah ain’t scared of it!” she huffed.
Jacob pointed the cannon the ground in front of her, and fired a small, fast shot out, singeing the spot where it hit.
Applejack stepped back in surprise, nearly bowling over Fluttershy, and said “Hey there! Calm down, now! We’re just tryin’ to help!”
Jacob wasn’t fazed, trying to speak again, but no sound coming out.
Fluttershy poked her head out from behind Applejack, and looked into his eyes; there was something saddening about them, almost like a wounded and confused beast. Fluttershy stepped out from behind Applejack and walked towards him “I-It’s alright… I’m not going to hurt you…” she told him in a soothing voice.
Jacob wanted to calm down, but he couldn’t. His thoughts were screaming “Get out of there!”, but he wouldn’t move. He shakily pointed his cannon at her in warning, but Fluttershy kept moving forward.
Fluttershy gently moved the cannon downward, slowly pulled him into a hug, and said “Please… You’re hurt, let us help you…” in a soft voice.
Jacob seemed to tense up in the hug for a moment, before relaxing a bit against his better judgment.
Applejack cocked a brow, and muttered “Fluttershy, I don’t know how you do that…” to herself, before starting to approach them. Jacob tensed up when she did, making her step back again “…Ah think you should take it back to your cabin solo… Ah’ll head back to Ponyville and bring Twilight over tah your place.” She muttered, sounding a little insulted.
Jacob relaxed again, and Fluttershy let him loose.
“Can you walk?” she asked.
Jacob nodded and shook each of his legs to show they were fine,
“T-That’s a relief…” Fluttershy sighed happily. She then took a few steps back “If you come to my cottage, we can get your wound treated…”
Jacob didn’t know what a ‘cottage’ was, but he figured it was some kind of home, guessing from how she asked the question. He nodded slowly, picking up his spilt clothes and placing them in his satchel.
Fluttershy smiled, and said “Follow me, please…” before beginning to slowly walk back the way she came, and Jacob followed suit.
Jacob watched the things around him like the small birds, some other small, furry creatures, and even the fluffy white clouds; all things he had never really seen before. He was taken aback by the surrounding beauty, and thought to himself ‘If this IS a dream or trick those Magi conjured up, they did a damn good job of it.’

Chapter 3: Got Off On The Wrong Hoof

Jacob had to get support from Fluttershy about 5 times on the way to the cottage, which made him feel a little bit worse about himself. He was still taking in the scenery when Fluttershy snapped him out of it with a quiet “Excuse me?” Jacob shook his head and looked ahead, seeing a wooden home ‘That must be the cottage…’ he thought.
Fluttershy smiled at him and said “We’re here, sweetie…” The grass was even greener here than it was back in the clearing, and the trees were much bigger, blocking out parts of the sun. She stepped through an opening in a fence, and many small animals came out to greet her: some white birds with red crests on their heads, some small, white, furry mammals with long ears, and a few more colorful birds flying around her.
Jacob was somewhat cautious around these things, especially one of the creatures with the long ears; it was slightly bigger than the others, and was up on Fluttershy’s back, staring him down ‘That is one creepy little bastard…’ he thought, not taking his eyes off him.
Fluttershy opened the door, and coaxed Jacob in with a few light nudges.
Jacob was still taking everything in; everything was so peaceful, so serene. A complete contrast to the hectic place he was in before.
It took quite a bit of doing on Fluttershy end to get the mute pony to get onto her bed. Fluttershy smiled when he took his satchel off and placed it next to himself on the bed.

Fluttershy sighed softly, and approached Jacob again “Um… I know you can’t talk… but can you write?” she asked.
‘Of course I can write! I’m might not be the smartest guy back home, but I’m not illiterate.’ Jacob thought in his head, but simply nodded back at her.
She smiled, and said “Wait right here, I have a few questions I’d like to ask you, if that’s ok…” she told him happily, trotting off into another room when Jacob nodded his approval.
Jacob quietly sighed, looking at his clothes ‘I certainly hope I’m not stuck like this forever… Even if this ‘Twilight’ person… or pony… can fix me up…’ he thought.
Fluttershy suddenly trotted back into the room, holding a scroll and a quill in her mouth. She placed them on the bed before him, and asked “M-My name is Fluttershy. Can you tell me your name?”
Jacob sighed again, thinking ‘If I’m stuck here, might as well make at least one friend…’ before clumsily grabbing the quill with his hooves, and sloppily writing ‘Jacob’ on the scroll.
Fluttershy gave him an odd look “I’ve never seen a unicorn that didn’t use magic to write…” she pointed out.
Jacob immediately froze, his eyes wide and staring at Fluttershy‘Unicorn? Magic?!’ he thought. From the way she was talking, magic was a common occurrence in this world. He quickly pushed away the scroll and quill, thinking ‘No further comments.’
Fluttershy’s ears folded back, and gave him a worried look “I-I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” she asked.
Jacob nodded quickly, painfully scooting backwards, away from the quill and parchment on the floor. He then felt his head, and his horn ‘This horn… I’ve never seen a pony with a horn, or even wings like her… Am I a unicorn?’ he asked himself in thought, panic in his eyes.
Fluttershy wasn’t sure what to do, and began apologizing up and down for what she had said.
After a few minutes of Jacob staring at both the parchment and Fluttershy, he scooted forward again, straining to reach down and grabbing the quill and scroll from the floor.
Fluttershy took a deep breath and asked “ I-I’m sorry I upset you… Wh-Why are you so upset?”
Jacob shook his head.
“You don’t know?” Fluttershy asked.
He shook his head again.
“U-Um… Maybe you don’t want to tell me?”
Jacob finally nodded, calming down a tad, but still looking upset.
Fluttershy smiled a little, and thought ‘Well, he panicked when I said ‘magic’…’ but continued asking questions. “A-Alright, Jacob… Where are you from?” she asked.
Jacob sloppily scribbled something on the scroll, and Fluttershy read it out loud.
“New New York…?” she asked, getting a nod from Jacob “I’ve never heard of that place… Where is it?” she asked.
Jacob scribbled another word, ‘Earth’.
Fluttershy shook her head “I-I don’t know where that is, either. Sorry…” she sighed.
Jacob cocked a brow ‘Ok, so maybe this isn’t a Magus’ trick…’ he thought ‘At least the last one I was stuck in had other humans and at least knew what the name of the planet was.’
Fluttershy began to pace about in front of him “I hope Applejack and Twilight Sparkle arrive here soon…” she mumbled to herself.

It wasn’t long after she had spoken up that Applejack returned, and a purple unicorn walked in afterwards “Fluttershy, Ah brought Twilight!” Applejack announced.
The moment Jacob laid eyes on Twilight, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he backed himself up against the wall where the bed was wedged in.
Twilight looked at him oddly and said “So is this the pony you were talking about, AJ?” she asked.
Applejack gave a quick nod “Sure is. He was kinda dangerous at first, but Fluttershy here was able to calm him down.”
Fluttershy looked at the ground bashfully and mumbled “It wasn’t anything big…” with a smile on her face. She looked over at Jacob “This is Twilight Sparkle, and this is Applejack.” She said, introducing the two with a point of the hoof.
Twilight made a small nod, saying hello, and Applejack tipped her hat as she said a loud “Howdy, partner. Glad tah see you’ve calmed down a bit!”
Fluttershy then looked back at Applejack “By the way, I got him to answer some questions for me while you were gone!” she mentioned, showing the scroll to the two other ponies.
Applejack looked it over “So… His name’s Jacob? Weird names for weird ponies, Ah guess.” she told her.
‘Right back at’cha, pony.’ Jacob thought, frowning.
Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes “Applejack, he’s still in the room, you know…” she told her. She then rolled up the scroll and placed it on a table “And we should take a look at his injury, before we keep going.” She told the other ponies.
Fluttershy carefully moved the bandages aside, making Jacob wince and the other ponies wince.
“Ouch, you said a razorboar did this? I’m surprised he got out alive…” she mumbled, looking at it closely under Jacob’s watchful eye. She took a deep breath and said “Alright, some magic should fix both this injury and his voice.”
Jacob immediately tensed up, and made another hissing noise at Twilight, making her take a step back.
“What the hay?!” she asked in surprise.
Fluttershy walked up to her and said “I, um, should have mentioned… He got really upset when I mentioned magic…”
Twilight looked between her and Jacob, confirming what she had asked “He didn’t write why? I mean, if he’s a unicorn, he must have used magic to write that down, right?”
Fluttershy shook her head “No, he wrote holding the quill in his hooves.” She corrected.
Twilight was really intrigued at this point “Alright, I’ll be careful with my spell, then.” She said quietly, pointing her horn at Jacob.
Jacob’s eyes widened, leaping off the bed and running into the next room. A loud crash of metal pots and pans and a hiss of pain echoed through the cottage.
Fluttershy ran over to the other room, to see that Jacob had slipped on a carrot on the floor, and slammed into a table, where he pots and pans currently were placed “Oh-oh gosh, are you alright?” she asked, kneeling down next to him.
Jacob slowly nodded, pulling a pot off his head and placing it on the wreckage of other objects.
Twilight and Applejack couldn’t help but hold back a few laughs, before Twilight said “Ok, ok, enough laughing. We should really get you fixed up… Were you ever able to talk? Or was it something that just recently happened?” she asked.
Jacob carefully stomped his foot twice, indicating that it was the second option.
Twilight Sparkle nodded and said “It’s probably just a problem with your vocal chords. It’s not the first time it’s happened.” Her horn began to glow, Twilight focusing on the spell.
Jacob’s eyes widened, trying to back up, but couldn’t due to the wreckage.
Fluttershy placed her hoof on his shoulder, quietly telling him to calm down.
Beads of sweat began to form on Twilight’s face, as a light on the tip of her horn began to glow brighter and brighter. Twilight then quickly fired the white ball of light from her horn, hitting Jacob in the throat.
His body shone from when it hit, spreading from the throat to his wound, the latter which closed itself within moments.
Jacob let out a loud cough, as if he was choking on something “ARGH, DAMMIT ALL! YOU HIT MY ADAM’S APPLE!” he hissed, his hooves holding his throat. Suddenly, he realized that he spoke! The unicorn WASN’T out to destroy him. He smiled a little, pumping both fore hoofs into the air, letting out a loud “FUCK YEAH!”
Twilight was taken aback by the strong language, thinking ‘I hope I didn’t make a big mistake.’

Chapter 4: Save Your Questions Until The End

Jacob was panting hard after that last yell of success, while every other pony watched in silence with confused expressions.
Applejack was the first to speak “Look, Ah know you’re happy to talk again and that your injury’s all cleared up, but keep the cursin’ out of it.” She scorned him, taking a few steps towards him.
Jacob just looked at her with a big smirk on his face “Fine, fine. I’ll tone it down.” He agreed, standing up. He was about to walk past Twilight Sparkle to get his things, when she spoke up.
“H-Hold on…” she mumbled, looking at his flank. She looked for a cutie mark, but found none “You’re a blank-flank?” she asked.
Jacob cocked a brow “The hell’s a cutie mark?” he asked, not stopping to look at her.
The three ponies looked at each other, and Twilight was the first to talk “Alright, I think it’s time you answered a few questions, Jacob…”
Jacob didn’t stop for her “No can do. I’m grateful for the tune-up, but I’ve got to get going.” He replied, just taking his satchel and fitting it onto himself.
“Hey, the filly cured you, the least you could do is answer some questions!” Applejack called out to him, getting more and more annoyed with his rudeness.
Jacob looked back at her, moving for the door “And I said that I don’t have the time!” he replied angrily, walking straight into the wall next to the door.
Applejack smirked trotting up to him “Well, if you’re in such a hurry, you should look where you’re headed!” she laughed.
Jacob made a heavy sigh “Whatever. I have people waiting for me, so-“ he began, before Twilight cut him off.
“What are ‘people’?” she asked.
Jacob just gave her a weird look.
“…What?” she asked.
“You don’t know what a person is?” Jacob groaned, rolling his eyes. He then turned to face them and said “A human? Ever heard of them?” he asked, as if it was the most obvious thing.
Twilight Sparkle’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates when he said that word “H-Humans?! They exist?!” she asked, flabbergasted.
Jacob made a small laugh “At least SOMEONE knows what I’m talking about! Just a little bit!” he said with a pint of sarcasm. He then opened the door and took a step outside.
“H-Hold on! You still haven’t explained what’s going on! And how do you know that humans exist?!” she asked, going around him and standing in his way.
Jacob stood there, staring at her for a few moments “You aren’t going to leave me alone until I do, aren’t you?”
Twilight shook her head with a scowl.
“Fan-fucking-tastic.” Jacob groaned, turning back around and walking into the cottage once more.

Jacob sat down on the bed once more, the other three ponies gathered in front of him. “So… What do you want to know?” he asked.
“Firstly, what do you know about humans?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Well, humans are… bipedal, mammalian creatures, usually hairless, except for the top of their head, have fingers and toes on their hands and feet, not hooves…” he began to explain, looking for something to compare it to “You know what monkeys are, right?” he asked.
Fluttershy gave a nod this time “I-I do, there are some that live here in the Everfree Forest.” She answered.
Jacob gave a nod “Good. We’re kinda built like monkeys, except without tails.” He explained. “Lastly, I’m a human.”
Applejack looked him over “Funny, you sure don’t LOOK like a monkey…” she pointed out, not believing him.
Jacob shrugged “I got turned into this form when I got here. I just hope I can go back to normal, all this magic crap is giving me the creeps…” he muttered.
“Hey, magic isn’t ‘crap’!” Twilight grumbled, offended, but Jacob didn’t seem to care.
“Anything else?” he asked.
Applejack poked at the cannon sticking out of his bag. “What about these things? Ya shot somethin’ at me when we found you!” she asked.
Jacob pulled his bag away from Applejack’s curious poking “Don’t poke that!” he scorned her “This is an ‘Arm Cannon – Buster Class’. It’s a weapon I use to defend myself with.” He explained. He took the arm cannon out of the bag, and locked it onto his foreleg. He suddenly pointed at the open door, shooting out an energy ball, and leaving a burn mark on one of the trees outside.
“Amazing… How did you do that? I’ll assume it’s not ‘crappy’ magic?” Twilight asked.
Jacob gave a quick nod, before opening a small panel on the arm cannon “It’s a machine. It gathers power from a small solar panel on the top, to keep a constant rate of power. It uses said power to use one of seven different ‘points’, or modes. Each mode shoots something different; for example, the Buster point, which I’ve just shown you, gathers plasma energy and shoots it out the barrel. Believe me when I say it hurts if you get hit by it. I could go on forever explaining all the details, but I don’t really have the time for that. We’ll leave it here for now.” He explained.
“What else is in your bag?” Fluttershy finally asked.
“Well I’ve got a first aid kit, I’m pretty sure I have some NutriPills left in here, my digital map, my magicite clothes, a laser machete to cut things, a few energy grenades to blow things up, my iPod 360 for music…” he began. He took out a small brown bag, but quickly stashed it “I forget what’s in here; I’ll have to look later.” He lied.
At the repeated mention of weapons, Fluttershy got visibly more upset “But why do you have so many dangerous things with you?” she asked.
Jacob took a deep breath before saying “You really want to know?”
All three ponies nodded in agreement, and awaited his story.

“Well, I’m from a city called ‘New New York’, back on Earth. Earth is the name of my planet, just in case I’m not on it anymore. Right now, just about every city in the country is like mine: made of metal, and currently warring between the Magi, a religious group that uses magic and their ‘God’ as an excuse to overthrow us and change the city, killing many innocent bystanders that don’t agree with them, and the Mechanis, those who use technology to try and advance our civilization for the better. I am a Mechanis, as you can see by my equipment. I need to have these weapons to keep myself and the other safe. The Magi want to take all of our technology and advancements, and be rid of them, because their ‘God’, whom they say created everyone and wants the heretics dead, said so. Plus, they say it’s not natural, and thus does not belong in our world. I’m just a lowly ‘errand boy’ of sorts in my group; I go out, acquire vital information and return it to the base, hoping not to be caught and killed by the Magi who patrol the streets. If I AM caught, they’d probably kill me slowly, using their magic to keep me alive so that I continue to feel excruciating pain until I either do die, or convert to their stupid ideas. We currently outnumber them, but for some reason they’re just pushing us back regardless of what we do. So I keep fighting, hoping to kick those bastards out once and for all.” He explained. “I guess I went on a bit of a tangent there.”
The ponies all looked at him in shock “So… you and the others are fighting and killing each other over disagreements?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
Jacob rolled his eyes and said “It’s not that simple. I fight because I don’t want to see innocent people get killed by those magic-using assholes!” angrily “It’s kill or be killed!”
Twilight and Applejack were unsure of what to say after that, but Fluttershy finally stepped in.
“W-Would you want to go back to such a place?” she asked.

Jacob actually stopped and looked at her. Did he want to go back? If he stayed, even if he found a way to become human again, he’d be leaving his kind behind to fight the war themselves. But if he went back, he’d be putting himself in danger again, and who knows if they’d win the war, anyway? He didn’t answer the question, and stood up off the bed “If that’s everything, I’ll be headed back out.” He said flatly.
“B-But where will you go?” Fluttershy asked.
“No idea. I’ve never been here before.” He replied, pointing out the obvious.
Twilight Sparkle gave a groan “Well, you’ve got nowhere to stay, so why not stay with one of us?” she asked “You don’t have a home to call your own here and while you’re looking for a way back home, you’ll have a place to stay.”
Jacob just looked back at her quietly. Back home, nobody was really friendly with anyone, even among Mechanis; nobody really talked to each other outside of missions and even then, they only mutually agreed to work as allies. He didn’t have any friends back home, and here were 3 ponies, complete strangers, being friendly to him. It was kinda creepy to him. However, she had a point; He did need a place to stay. “Seriously?” he asked her.
“Well, Ah don’t see why not. You’re…. rough around the edges, but Ah can tell you’re at least a decent person.” Applejack admitted, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof. “But ya better believe Ah’ll be keepin’ mah eye on you!”
A small smile crept onto Jacob’s face. After thinking about it for another few moments, he finally said “Well, if I’m going to be stranded in this place, I guess I could live out here, if that’s alright.” Looking at Fluttershy for her approval, he saw that she was smiling too, and gave a small nod.

Chapter 5: Learning Period

The sun’s morning light filled the room Jacob was sleeping in. He groggily stepped off the mattress he slept on, falling flat on his face “Right… I’m a quadruped now…” he grumbled to himself, getting back up onto all four legs. He fitted his goggles just beneath his horn, and slung the satchel onto his torso before walking into the next room, where Fluttershy was already waiting and awake.
She turned, and smiled when she saw him “G-Good morning, Jacob… Did you sleep well?” she asked.
Jacob nodded slowly, scratching at the back of his head. He looked over at the table, and saw two plates, each with a fluffy, brown object in the middle. He got a closer look before asking “So, uh… what’s this?”
Fluttershy looked back at him, before realizing “O-Oh, I’m sorry! Do humans eat muffins?” she asked, worried.
Jacob thought about it “… I don’t know. All I’ve ever eaten are my NutriPills…” he explained, looking through his bag, and taking out a pill. It was a small, black and white capsule.
Fluttershy looked at the pill curiously “What is it?” she asked.
“Well, when ingested, it gives the one who ate it all the daily nutrients that a human needs to be healthy, and slightly satiates hunger.” He explained.
“Then… you’ve never eaten anything else?”
“I don’t think so. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen another Mechanis eat anything else.” He answered, thinking about his time back home. He then looked back at the muffin “Then again, I’m not a human right now… So I guess my digestive system changed too…” he pointed out, reaching out for the muffin, and picking it up. He stared at his hoof for a moment, before looking back at Fluttershy “By the way, how do you pick things up with hooves?” he asked.
She looked down at her own hooves “I-I’m not sure, but I think Twilight mentioned something like… ‘telekinesis’ or something?” she mumbled, unsure.
Jacob looked back at his own hoof “Localized telekinesis?" he grumbled. He was using magic that he had no control over “Dammit…” he sighed.
Fluttershy’s ears folded back, seeing he was upset again.
Jacob looked her over and said “If I try the ‘muffin’ thing, will you cheer up?” he asked, a little annoyed.
“Y-Yes… I mean, it’s the first time you try real food, right?” she asked, smiling again.
Jacob nodded, and brought the muffin to his mouth, biting down into it and chewing it slowly and carefully; it was sweet, like the pill he ate. He couldn’t identify the flavor, though. He swallowed his bite and asked “What’s in this thing? I like it.”
Fluttershy giggled happily “its apple-flavored. My friend Ditzy Doo gave me the recipe!” she answered with a bigger smile.
“I don’ know what that is either, but I do know I like it!” Jacob laughed, wolfing down the rest of the muffin. He sighed, and said “By the way, are you busy today? I’ve got some questions I’d like answered.”
Fluttershy nodded “W-Well, I do have some time before I have to go check up on the animals in the Everfree forest…” she replied.
“Good. You wouldn’t have any more of these, would you?” he asked.

“So…What would you like to know?” asked Fluttershy, seated at the table, facing Jacob.
“Where am I?”
“…In my cottage?”
“I mean what city? What country?” he groaned.
“O-Oh… Well, we’re just outside of Ponyville, in Equestria…” Fluttershy answered, a little embarrassed.
Jacob took another bite of a muffin “Looks like neither of us knows where the other is from.” He grumbled, his voice muffled because of his full mouth. He loudly swallowed his bite before asking “So… What are you?” he asked.
“Um… I’m a pegasus. We use wings to fly, and our… localized telekinesis… lets us walk on clouds.” she answered.
Jacob looked her over from there “So that’s what that is?” he asked himself quietly, stroking his chin. He then asked “Are you colorful, pastel ponies a common… species here?” he asked.
Fluttershy gave a nod “Yes, we are. There are also other creatures, like the razorboar you… killed yesterday, and there are even a few dragons that have lived nearby.”
Jacob seemed worried by the mention of dragons “R-Really now.” He grumbled “At least I might not stick out too much, if I have to go into town.”
“I-I’m sorry, but you would be easily noticed, since you don’t have a cutie mark…” Fluttershy quietly objected.
Jacob looked at her weirdly “That’s another thing; what IS a cutie mark?” he asked.
“A cutie mark is a magic sym-I’m sorry…” she began, catching herself when she said the word magic.
“No no, keep going. If you apologize for every use of the word ‘magic’, we won’t finish this year.” He joked, trying to adjust to the common use and practice of magic in this world.
Fluttershy nodded, and continued “S-Sorry… Anyway, a cutie mark is a magic symbol that appears on your flank when you discover your true calling; something that you love doing and that you’re really good at.” She explained. She pointed out her own cutie mark “Mine is a trio of butterflies, representing my love for animals and how I take care of them.” She added.
Jacob nodded, taking in this new information “Maybe I’d have something involving my technology…” he mused to himself, smiling a little bit.
Fluttershy was about to mention something else, when a white, fuzzy creature with long ears, last seen when he had first arrived, showed up once more in a huff. He tugged at Fluttershy’s tail, and pointed at a clock.
“Oh my! I’m late!” Fluttershy gasped “I-I’m so sorry, but I have to do my rounds. It’s already late in the morning! Can we continue this later?” she asked.
“Sure thing. I’ll stick around here, maybe try and get… acquainted to my new body.” He joked, stretching a bit before shaking himself fully awake.
Fluttershy nodded “If you need anything, Angel, my rabbit friend, can help you out.” She told him, quickly galloping out the door.
Soon enough, Jacob was alone with the rabbit.
It shot him a dirty look, hopping onto the table and getting real close to Jacob’s face.
Jacob’s eyebrows furrowed “What the hell are YOU looking at?” he asked, not liking the look Angel was giving him.
It didn’t answer only seeming to get closer and giving him a nasty stare.
Jacob scowled; was this thing trying to intimidate him? He quickly reared his head back and butt heads with the rabbit, knocking it off the table.
Angel got back on its feet in a daze, and stumbled out the front door.
“Creepy critter…” Jacob muttered, watching it go.

He stepped outside not long after Angel did, and took in the scenery once more. Lying down in the grass, he began to think ‘Let’s see if I’ve got this right… I’m now in a place called Equestria, the nearest town is called Ponyville, my current location is Everfree Forest, at a pegasus’, named Fluttershy, cottage. Ponies, unicorns and pegusi are all common creatures found in Ponyville and the surrounding area, but I can’t blend in without a cutie mark thing on my ass…’ He looked at his bare flank and said “I wonder if I could paint something there and they’d fall for it…” He looked towards the forest “Now then. If I can, I’ll try and modify the Buster to fit on my horn. That way, my legs will be free to move around… I don’t want to be caught off guard like the last time I was in there…” he mused. He then began to ruffle around in the satchel, looking for his things, when a voice startled him.
“Ohmygosh! Are you new here? I’ve never seen you around before! Do you know Fluttershy? Are you a new friend of hers? Or maybe are you more than just a friend? Ohmygosh, are you and Fluttershy fu-“
Jacob whipped his head around and sprang to his hooves, throwing a hoof forward, but stopping right in front of the source’s face. It was a bright pink pony with even pinker, if that was possible, frizzy hair and tail. Jacob pulled his hoof back, panting “Good grief, don’t you know it’s rude to sneak up on someone?! And who the hell are you, anyway?!” he yelled.
The pony was taken aback from the sudden lashing out. It didn’t last long, however, when she giggled and answered “Now I KNOW you’re new here! I mean, I know EVERYPONY in and around Ponyville, and everypony knows me! Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!”

Chapter 6: Everypony Hates the Escort Missions

“Pinkie Pie… Really?” Jacob asked, still trying to catch his breath.
“Yep, that’s me! So you’ve heard about me?” the pink pony giggled giddily, bouncing around him.
“N-No, it’s just… never mind, you wouldn’t get it…” he muttered, shaking his head.
“Aw. Come on, tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” she asked, pouting cutely.
’Screw it, I'm not going there…’ he thought to himself. “S-So, what do you want?” he asked, regaining his composure.
Pinkie Pie looked at him oddly for a moment, before shaking off whatever thoughts she had on the subject at the moment “I came to see Fluttershy! Is she home?” she asked.
Jacob shook his head “No, she’s out doing her rounds. I don’t know what for, but I figure she’s in the forest.” He answered plainly, motioning towards the Everfree Forest.
A quiet moan escaped the pink pony’s lips when he answered “Great… Oh well, you can come with me in the forest! I want to know more about you and why you’re a blank flank!” she told him, getting in his face.
Jacob backed up quickly and said “No way, you shouldn’t need someone to hold your… hoof for a walk in some forest…” harshly.
“But it’s dangerous in there-”
“Fluttershy seems more timid than you, and she went in just fine.” He muttered, sitting back down and taking out his tools. He then took out his arm cannon and began to work on it.
Pinkie Pie stood there, taken aback by Jacob’s attitude. “Look, mister, you might be new around here, but you can’t just be rude-“
“Can you please quiet down? I’m trying to work…” Jacob interrupted, holding his hoof up, and getting back to work. He lowered his goggles over his eyes and said “I advise against looking too closely to this…” as warning, as he turned on a small machine near the base of the arm cannon. Small sparks began to shoot up from the machine’s work.
Pinkie Pie stepped back in surprise, but kept looking at Jacob and his work. She closed her eyes, the bright sparks making it hard to see “You’re a weird pony… But then again, I’m a weird pony too! Hey, maybe we could be bestest buddies if you got a better attitude! Then we could do a bunch of stuff like eat cupcakes, and pull pranks, and go on adventures and stuff!“ she giggled. Once Jacob had turned off the small machine and raised his goggles, Pinkie Pie sat down next to him “So… What’s your name?” she asked.
“Jacob. Go away.”
“Ok, Jakey, where are you from?”
“Not from here. Go away.”
“Well duh, silly, but where are you from?”
“I’m not telling you. Go away.”
“…Fine then, Jakey, why are you a blank flank-“
Jacob quickly stomped his fore hoof on the grass, startling Pinkie Pie. “You’re not going to leave me alone until I agree to take you, are you?” he asked, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
She gave him a broad grin and nodded quickly “Yep!”
“…Fine, I’ll bring you on two conditions.” Jacob answered with a sigh.
Pinkie Pie cocked her head to the side, listening carefully
“First, you let me finish my work. Second, you stay quiet while I work. Understood?” he instructed, only receiving a quiet nod from the pink pony “Good.”

A small while later, Jacob proudly held up his arm cannon “All done! I’ll be able to use this with my horn now, instead of my…hoof.” He announced, chuckling to himself. The cannon hadn’t changed much, except for its base being adjustable in size. He placed it on his horn, and tightened it into place “Perfect!” he chuckled.
Pinkie Pie leapt up “Hooray! I don’t know what it is, but it’s finished!” she cheered, happily jumping around
Jacob made a small smile and said “Alright, we’ll head off into the forest… I don’t know how long Fluttershy is supposed to be in there, but we’ll see if we can find her.” He told her, slinging his satchel around him once the tools had been put away.
Pinkie Pie started hopping off towards the forest’s entrance “Come on, silly, let’s get going!” she giggled.
Jacob trotted after her, rolling his eyes “Really… Where do you get this energy from…” he muttered to himself.

“So Jakey, you’re still a blank flank at your age?” Pinkie Pie asked him, hopping along the forest path.
Jacob sighed “Before today I didn’t even know what a damn cutie mark was, let alone that not having one was the biggest faux-pas a pony could make, or something.” He grumbled, starting to regret having brought her along.
Pinkie Pie gasped “How could you not have known what a cutie mark is?!” she asked, totally shocked.
’I shouldn’t just be spouting information about myself to some random pony…’ he thought, carefully planning his answer “…Where I’m from, there aren’t any?” he answered, not too sure how that would fare.
“Wow, there’s somewhere in Equestria where they don’t have cutie marks?!” Pinkie Pie gasped “Unless you’re not FROM Equestria! Are you from Equestria? Because if you’re not from Equestria, where are you from?” she asked, starting to get even more excited.
Jacob just watched her hop around him for a moment, before saying “Nowhere important…” quietly.
“Oh come on, it’s your hometown! That’s always important, especially to the pony who came from there!” Pinkie Pie whined, pouting “Give me a better answer!”
“No, I refuse.” Jacob sighed, walking a little faster, and passing Pinkie Pie.
She frowned, and bounced after him “Fine then, meanie head…” she grumbled. She then looked at him and asked “So what’s that thing on your horn? Can’t you use magic?” she asked.
Jacob stopped and looked around at the trees. Cocking a brow, he quietly sniffed the air.
“What’s wrong?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“…You don’t smell it?” he replied.
Pinkie Pie shook her head quietly.
He looked around them once more and sighed “Anyway, this is a modified Arm Cannon – Buster Class. It’s a ranged weapon, letting me shoot at things from a distance…” he explained, facing forward again to keep walking.
Pinkie Pie just gave him a confused look in response.
“It’s complicated…” he added, focusing on the path ahead.

Pinkie Pie was about to ask something else, when they reached a clearing. At the end of said clearing were Fluttershy and a few small animals. Pinkie Pie giggled, zipping forward and startling the pegasus with a quick “There you are!”
“Oh goodness, Pinkie Pie, you scared me…” Fluttershy sighed, her hoof to her chest as she regained her composure. She looked past Fluttershy to see Jacob walking towards them “Oh, Jacob! You’ve come too?” she asked.
“I didn’t have much choice. This crazy train wouldn’t leave me alone until I agreed to bring her.” Jacob muttered, motioning towards a hopping Pinkie Pie with his head.
Fluttershy sighed “I’m sorry… She means well.” She apologized.
“What’s done is done.” Jacob grumbled, shifting his gaze to the animals that were eyeing him carefully from behind Fluttershy. He cocked a brow “So what’s with them?”
“O-Oh, the animals? They don’t see many ponies other than me because they stay away from the forest.”
“Pinkie Pie said something about that before we came here. I mean, I can understand being scared of one of those bladed mammals that attacked me, but I was just unprepared.” He muttered, looking at Pinkie Pie chasing playfully some animals.
Fluttershy shook her head “There are more dangerous creatures like the razorboar… B-But they usually live deeper in the forest and don’t come here often.” She explained “A-Also, the Everfree Forest is fairly large… It’s easy to get lost. That is, if you don’t know your way around….”
“I… hadn’t thought of that, actually…” he mumbled softly, looking at the surrounding trees; the dense woods did seem hard to navigate, off the small path. He then looked back at Pinkie Pie “Hey, didn’t you have a reason to come here in the first place?” he asked.
The pink pony stopped chasing the animals and looked back at them “Oh yeah! Fluttershy!” she giggled, zipping over in the blink of an eye. She hopped in place excitedly “Fluttershy, remember those HUGE twitchy twitches that I’ve been having these past few days? Well, when I was on the way to your cottage, I had them again!” she began.
“O-Oh my...”
“And before I met with Jakey, I got ANOTHER big one!” Pinkie Pie continued with an exaggerated gasp.
Fluttershy looked at her worriedly “I wonder what it could mean…” she said quietly, lowering her head.

Before Jacob had the chance to say something else, the animals surrounding them suddenly froze, sniffed around, all tense.
“Wh-What is it?” Fluttershy asked, looking at the animals.
“Something’s coming…” Jacob mumbled, pressing a button on the buster attached to his horn “Whatever it is, it smells rank… Whew!”
The surrounding critters quickly made their escape, running away in all the same direction.
“Whatever it is, it’ll show up there…” Jacob warned, taking aim with his buster towards a set of trees opposite the fleeing creatures.
The group waited quietly for what seemed like hours before something in the bushes moved.
Jacob tensed up, awaiting his foe, but groaned when he saw a cute baby rabbit hop slowly out from the bushes.
Fluttershy smiled softly “Aw, how adorable… “ she cooed, taking a step forward.
Suddenly, a large foot came from the bushes, squishing the rabbit beneath its weight and making Fluttershy gasp and tear up. The creature slowly stepped out; large, fuzzy looking, large snout, blades everywhere, and black fur with red marks. It was a razorboar.
“Shit… Pinkie Pie! Get Fluttershy out of here!” Jacob instructed while watching the beast, which quietly stood there. He heard Pinkie Pie respond with an “Okie dokie lokie!” and say some words to Fluttershy, but he wasn’t really paying attention to them right now. When he could no longer see them, he looked at the razorboar more closely; it had a large hole in its head “That… That’s not good.” He gulped, pressing another button on the buster.
Suddenly, from calm to rage in a second, the beast let out a sickening roar that sounded off like buzz saws grinding against each other. It brushed its foot against the grass, wiping off the remains of the victim and preparing to charge at him.
The beast began to move, but Jacob was ready “Here goes nothing!” he gulped, taking aim and hitting the trigger in the buster with the tip of his horn.
The charging beast soon came face to face with a flurry of flames, steering away from his path and squealing loudly as the fires burned away at him.
Jacob tapped another button on the buster and fired small, burning balls of energy at the moving beast. He hit the surrounding trees more than he hit the razorboar, but it eventually fell to the ground all the same. Jacob scowled, watching the flames eat away at the razorboar, but didn’t stop him from getting up. “You don’t know when to quit!” Jacob snapped, taking aim as a light began to shine from the inside of the buster.
The razorboar shakily got up, the flames still roaring, and began to run towards him again.
Jacob released the trigger, launching a much larger ball of burning energy sped towards the ambling creature, knocking it off the ground.
When it slammed onto a dirt pile, the fire had burned out, leaving nothing but a metallic skeleton.

Jacob chuckled softly to himself, looking at his vanquished foe from afar “And THAT’S how you-“ he started, stopping himself when he turned to see both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie staring at him in shock “…What?”
“You… You just killed it…!” Pinkie Pie whispered, not looking away from Jacob for a second.
“…So?”
“So?! You… You just killed a razorboar!” Pinkie Pie yelled.
Jacob couldn’t tell if she was excited that he killed something they generally feared, or that she was scared of him now “Well, it’s not like I hadn’t killed it before.” He answered, thinking back to the day before.
Pinkie Pie took a step back “H-How did you kill it twice? How COULD you kill it twice?!” she asked, still appalled by what had just happened
That’s when Fluttershy joined in, somewhat teary-eyed “W-Well, I saw it had a hole in it’s h-head…” she told her friend quietly, nervously looking back at Jacob now and then “And I-I’m sure that Applejack and I found it d-dead yesterday…”
Jacob sighed “And that’s what worries me; I just killed off the undead…” he said with a shudder “That’s some creepy shit, right there…”
Pinkie Pie looked back and forth between Fluttershy and Jacob, before saying “Can we go home now…?”
Jacob made a small nod and said “We should head back to the cottage and relax a bit. I think we all need a breather after all that.”

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Author’s Note: Geez, this took a while to make, huh? I’d like to apologize for how long this took to put together. Not only has real life been kinda busy, but for a big part of this chapter I just had trouble figuring out what to write. I’d like to warn you readers that the next chapter or few might also take a while to post, due to me still being unclear about how exactly I want to go about executing them.

Apologies in advance,

Zaffy.