“Okay, so, I had the weirdest damn thing happen at the mall yesterday.” Saffy dropped the bags on Jacob's dining-room table and set the cardboard drink tray next to them; Raul and Jacob sat down and dug their food out of the bags, followed momentarily by Saffy. “You know the little galleria they got, with the food court and everything?”

“It's got that tree in the middle and the fountain, right?” Raul asked.

“Yeah, that's the one. Well, I was having lunch while doing some shopping, the crowd was kind of thin because of it being a weekday, so it was pretty quiet.” She took a few seasoned fries from their holder and ate them. “I was just kind of minding my business when I heard somebody humming. I didn't recognize the tune, but it was really catchy... and then all of a sudden, I was humming it too.”

Jacob almost dropped his hamburger in shock. Raul apparently didn't notice. “Well... so?” he asked between sips from his milkshake.

“ 'So'? Raul, man, I didn't recognize the tune and I was humming it. Perfectly. And in a minute, so was everyone else in the place!” Saffy ran her blue-painted fingernails though her hair; Jacob knew that was a sign of worry with her. “I mean, it was weird. Especially the feeling I got when it was happening. I mean, I should've been freaking out like nobody's business, but I felt... I dunno. Calm. No, more than that....”

“Connected?” The word left Jacob's mouth before he could stop himself.

“Uh... yeah. Yeah, I think that's the word I was looking for.” She gave him a searching look. “How'd you guess that?”

He shrugged noncommittally; Raul laughed. “You know Jacob. Always got the right words for the situation. That's why we put him in front of the camera, remember?”

“Ha, yeah.” Safira dug into her food, still looking thoughtful. “It's just... I dunno, I get this feeling that something weird is happening but I can't even put a finger on it.”

Raul looked up. “...yeah, you know, lately I've been kinda getting that feeling too. Weird shit happening, stuff I can't explain. Couple weeks ago, I swear....”

“Swear what? Raul, man, you can't leave us hanging like that.”

He shook his head hesitantly. “Nah. You'll both think I'm crazy.”

“What- after that whole humming thing, you think I'm gonna toss that kind of accusation around?”

“Okay, okay....” It was strange seeing the usually-confident Raul look pensive. “I swear that when I was doing grocery shopping a couple weeks ago, I dropped a carton of eggs... and it just stopped about halfway to the floor and rose back into my hand.”

It's starting. The thought froze Jacob's mind like a lake in the dead of winter. Twilight said she couldn't tell when the magic would increase to a point where it would actually start manifesting... she did say it would start around the coal breaker, that being the point where the “leak” came through, and that's only a couple hundred miles away. I think we've hit that saturation point in the neighborhood.

“Yo. Jacob.” He realized he'd spaced out for a moment, and Raul was looking at him with concern. “You awake there, man?”

“Uh... yeah.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Just thinking.”

“About what?” Saffy asked. “Have weird things been happening to you too?”

“You could say that....” He sighed. “Actually, there's been something I've been meaning to talk to you two about, but I need to get in touch with a friend of mine first. Do you two mind waiting for about an hour or so?”

“Uh, no, I don't mind.” Raul looked to Saffy, who shrugged. “Okay, that's both of us. But what's this about?”

“My friend can explain it better than I can.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, selected “TS” from his contacts list and typed in a quick message: “It's starting. I think it's time my friends met you and the others. Have you got time to pay a visit?”

He put the phone down and reached for his burger- and the phone lit up with a response. “Can do. See you, and them, in half an hour.”

He chuckled; Twilight always was an eager one. “Okay, half an hour instead of an hour. Might as well eat.”

It was a quiet meal they shared, with Raul and Saffy both giving him curious glances, but they knew better than to press- he was practically a showman when it came to revelations, and wouldn't give away anything before its time. Besides, he thought, if I told them now, they'd have the men in white coats here measuring me for a straitjacket by the time Twilight got here. And wouldn't that be a show....

Finally, with dinner finished, everything tidied up and Jacob's friends now almost unsettled with anticipation, the half-hour passed. There was a soft chime from Jacob's phone, and he checked the incoming message- “Opening the gateway now.” He let a smile cross his face, and was just about to tell the others to get ready, when that familiar purple line drew itself in midair in the center of the room; both Safira and Raul practically jumped in surprise. “What the fuck is that?!” Raul shouted.

“Hey! Calm down, it's okay. Trust me.” Jacob raised both of his hands, getting up out of his chair to walk near the portal- not too close, though; he had no idea what'd happen if he happened to be in the way when it fully opened. “This is part of the explanation of what's happening. Just relax.”

“Yeah, but... but, wait....” Safira leaned over the chair she'd half-hidden herself behind, tentatively reaching out with one hand. “I... I swear I can feel that thing....”

Raul's face was a mix of wonder and fear. “Yeah, I'm getting that same vibe. Jacob, what the sweet fuck is going on?”

The portal rippled outwards gently, growing to the size of a large bedroom mirror, and after a moment a familiar shape stepped through, and a wide smile greeted the two humans at the far end of the living room. “Hello there,” Twilight said. “You two must be Safira Balamar and Raul Francisco; I've been really looking forward to meeting you. My name's Twilight Sparkle.”

Two pairs of dark brown eyes flicked between Twilight and Jacob, until one of them started to roll back. “Hey, surprise naptime,” Raul murmured as he fell bonelessly to the floor.

“...oh my gosh.” Twilight trotted up to the unconscious man as Safira watched in stunned surprise. “I... really wasn't expecting that sort of response. Is he going to be alright?”

“He ought to be. Just give him a minute.” Jacob looked up. “Saffy? You okay?”

She gave him an incredulous look. “I just saw a hole in space open up and a purple talking unicorn pop out. You tell me if I'm okay!”

He managed a chuckle. “You're okay,” he assured her, before moving to Raul, who was already stirring. “C'mon, man,” Jacob said insistently, though he couldn't quite get the smile off of his face. “This isn't how you should act when I've got company over.”

“Wha' th'... huh. Did I pass out or somethin'?” Raul rubbed at his eyes. “Think I was hallucinating, thought I saw....” His words died in his throat as his eyes focused on Twilight once more. “...that.”

“Raul, if you're hallucinating, then we are too.” Saffy put a hand on his shoulder, still not taking her eyes off of Twilight. “Jake... I think I'd like that explanation you promised.”

“Twilight's going to have to be the one to handle that. She knows a lot more about what's going on than I ever will.”

Saffy's expression gradually but visibly relaxed as she gazed at the unicorn. “What....” she murmured. “What's this weird thing I'm feeling from you?”

“It's okay. You're only sensing my magic.” Twilight gave her a reassuring smile. “I know it must seem strange to you... can you tell me what exactly it is you're experiencing?”

“How can I even find words....” The woman paused for a moment. “It's... like warm sunshine on my bones, coming straight from you. Like it's a weird kind of heat that my skin doesn't feel. I'm getting the same thing from that portal thing.”

“So'm I....” Raul was rubbing the back of his head, his eyes shifting from Twilight to the portal and back again. “And it's the damnedest thing, but... I swear it's like you and that thing feel connected.”

“Interesting. Your thaumatic sensitivity is remarkable. There are a lot of unicorns who wouldn't be able to sense me holding open the gateway.” She gave Raul a smile. “Do you mind if I help you to your feet?”

He gave the unicorn a bewildered look. “Um, how would you even...?” He went silent as her horn flared, and her aura wrapped itself around his chest; she easily levitated him back into a standing position. “...whoa,” he half-whispered. “I actually felt that happening. Like, the whole thing, the magic moving and everything.”

Jacob knew what he meant; exposure to Equus's magical field had left him temporarily sensitive to spells being formed, and he was beginning to feel that again with Twilight's casting now. Twilight nodded in understanding. “I can give the both of you a full explanation, and I'd love to perform a few quick and harmless tests to see how far your ability to harness thaumatic energy has processed. Plus there's some friends of mine who'd love to meet you. All that's needed is a small translation spell and a little hop between dimensions.” She gestured towards the gateway with a forehoof. “So... would you like to see my world?”

Jacob gave his human friends a reassuring smile. “Don't worry. I've been there a couple times; it's a really nice place.”

“You what.” Saffy's expression was flat. “Okay, you know what? I really want to know what the hell's going on. C'mon, Raul, let's go on a trip.”

Raul could only give a bewildered nod as Saffy practically dragged him into the gateway, with Twilight and Jacob close behind. “All in all, I think they took it pretty well,” Twilight giggled.

(-)

“Interesting. So you actually had a harmonic synchronicity event?”

Saffy's blank look was copied by Rainbow Dash's. “Jeez, Twi, just because she went to college doesn't mean she's the same kind of egghead you are,” the pegasus commented.

“Oops! Sorry.” Twilight chuckled. “It's commonly referred to as a 'musical number' or 'song moment'. It's a sort of feedback link event- here on Equus, music can engender strong feelings of community, and the magic of friendship will flow through it. Sort of like a network, if that makes it easier to visualize.”

“Huh.” Saffy rubbed her forehead with her hand. “Yeah, I guess that would be the best way to describe it. Jacob called it a feeling of being 'connected'.”

“He'd know... he's felt it before.” She gave Jacob a brief smile while her pen- not a quill, he noticed; had they adapted that from what Twilight had learned from his memories?- scratched away at her notepad. “I understand that this is very strange and maybe unnerving to you, Safira. I just want you to know that the Equestrian government will do everything it can to help humanity. Our Princesses are preparing to contact your own governments with offers of assistance once the spread of magic on Earth becomes better-known to them.”

“God.” Saffy slumped in her seat, holding her head in her hands. “This is some crazy stuff here. Magic? Holes getting poked between worlds? Everything's going to change, isn't it?”

“It's not gonna be so bad.” Dash landed and put a hoof on the woman's shoulder. “Big adjustment? Yeah, I'll admit that. It's gotta be weird for anyone who's never seen magic before. But us ponies aren't gonna leave you guys hanging- not just because of everything Jacob did for us, but it just wouldn't be right to say 'yeah, whatever' and leave you guys to figure it all out the hard way.”

“Always knew you were the type to help when you could, Jake, but man....” Raul shook his head, chuckling. “The whole 'save an alien world' thing? That's really taking it to the next level.”

Jacob shrugged and let out a chuckle, but his reply was interrupted by the door to the library opening. “Are they here?” came a voice. “Oh, I came as soon as I could! To finally be able to see our dear Jacob in his own form, and his friends as well- I couldn't miss the chance!”

Jacob couldn't help but grin. “We're here, Rarity,” he called.

“Oh, wonderful! The others should be along soon. A pity you couldn't schedule this on a weekend, darling!” The soft clops of hooves echoed down the steps, and soon Rarity trotted into the laboratory- and paused at the sight of the three humans. “My goodness!” she exclaimed, bringing a hoof to her muzzle. “I'd no idea you'd be quite so tall!”

Dash snickered. “Sheesh, Rare, it's not like they're dragons or anything. They're a lot closer to minotaurs. Even Raul there is only about as tall as Big Mac would be if he was rearing up.”

“Well, yes, but... anyway.” She cleared her throat and trotted up to their chairs. “If you are Raul, then you, my dear, must be Safira. It's a pleasure to meet you both!” She got a hesitant handshake from both of them. “I understand this must all be a great shock to you both. I hope my friends have helped you adjust.”

“They're doin' pretty okay, really,” Dash answered. “Better'n I'd be doing, I don't mind admitting. Saffy and Raul are cool.”

“I... still need to do some adjusting.” Saffy leaned back in her chair. “This is really hard for me to wrap my head around.”

Rarity placed a comforting hoof on her knee. “It'll be okay, darling. Would something to eat make you feel better?”

“Well, we did just have lunch-”

“Hey, I'll go for a snack!” Raul interjected.

“-but Raul there has a bottomless pit for a stomach,” Saffy finished, managing a chuckle.

“Maintaining this level of excellence in all things burns a lot of calories.” The man cocked his head and gave a grin, which got Dash chortling. “I think I like this guy's mindset,” she said.

“Well, food will be coming shortly for all who would like it.” Rarity made her way to Jacob's side and reared up to give him a tight hug. “Darling, it's so very good to truly see you,” she told him. “Has all been well with you?”

“For the most part, yeah. The Under Dust blog has been doing great, I moved into a nicer apartment, and Cicero's doing good. Twilight messaged me that you'd gotten top billing in a really swank fashion show in Trottingham last month- how'd that go?”

“Oh, just beautifully, darling! I'll tell you about that sometime. I think there are more important things to discuss, though.” The fashionista took a seat next to him. “How are your friends taking all this?” she asked quietly. “Saffy seems to be worried, though perhaps I'm merely misreading human expressions....”

“No, she is. Raul is too, but he's not really the overtly emotional type.”

“Typical stallion. Or, I suppose, 'man' in this case.” She gave him a playful smile for a moment before letting her concern show. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just... be there for them, I guess. I've had months to wrap my head around this eventuality and I'm still having trouble; it's going to be a lot worse for them.”

“I can most certainly do that.” She patted Jacob's arm lightly before returning to the others; Twilight was performing another test on Saffy, so she went to Raul instead, asking him questions about various places he'd seen as a part of the Under Dust crew. Jacob sat there for a few minutes, letting his mind wander- until his thoughts were interrupted by the flapping of wings. “Hey, tough guy,” Dash said as she landed beside him. “You okay over here?”

“Yeah, I'm just thinking.”

“Kinda figured.” The pegasus chuckled. “Hey, can I ask you a few things?”

“Sure.”

“Twilight told me and the other girls a few things about your home, but some of 'em are kind of hard to believe. You've really had humans land on your moon?”

“Yep. And flown around the world, and put up a whole network of satellites-” he saw her confused blink- “they're machines that orbit high above the ground, that we use for things like communication and broadcasting moving pictures.”

“They... orbit? As in staying above the ground? How do they do that?”

“It's complicated and I'd sound like Twilight if I tried to explain.”

Dash laughed at that. “Okay, you can spare me that then. Weird how you guys did all that without magic, though!” She paused for a moment, considering. “But some of the other stuff she told us about... you guys have had world wars? You have weapons that could kill everything on your world?”

“Yes and yes.” He sighed. “Though 'world war' was really more about the scale- it's not like every last human was fighting in it.”

“Yeah, but... I don't get it. What makes humans so ready to fight?”

“It's complicated, Dash. It's all about politics and tribalism and territorialism and pride and us not liking to learn from history.”

To his surprise, she shrugged. “You think us ponies haven't been like that? Heck, unicorns and pegasi practically kept earth ponies in slavery back in the bad old days, making them farm food for us while we fought each other over stupid stuff- yeah, like pride and territorialism and all that. Then the earth ponies rebelled and ended up being just as bad before the whole thing got squashed. Then the windigoes came and pretty much forced us all to start trying to get along.”

“Windigoes... there's an old Native American legend about creatures called wendigoes, but I really doubt that's the same thing.”

“Yeah, Twilight talked so much about weird parallels between Equus and Earth. Some of 'em were kind of eerie. She said something about how our dimensions must be really close somehow, but I didn't understand much of it.” She scuffed a hoof against the floor. "I guess maybe if you guys had had rulers like the Princesses, or something like the magic of friendship, maybe you would've had a better time of things... I dunno."

She looked set to say more, but the upstairs door opening distracted her. “Hey, I hear we have some hungry humans down here!” Derpy called from the top of the staircase. “Well, isn't it lucky that the mailmare delivers! I've got some hot, fresh muffins right- whoa!”

Jacob could hear one of Derpy's hooves scrape against a stair in a way that sounded wrong, and turned in his seat to see the grey pegasus in midair- but not flying; she'd misstepped on the staircase and was plummeting headfirst towards what promised to be a painful impact further down the stairs.

And then, suddenly, she wasn't. A magical field had caught Derpy just a few inches from cracking her skull on one of the steps, and the tray of muffins she'd apparently been carrying hovered next to her. But it wasn't Twilight's magic that surrounded her- instead of her purple aura, it was more of a mossy green, and it didn't have the by-now familiar feel of Twilight's spellwork. Jacob turned to look towards the unicorn and saw her glancing in shock between Derpy and Saffy... who had her arm extended, her teeth clenched in concentration, and a dim aura emanating from her fingernails.

“Oh my gosh.” Twilight's voice was low, awed. “Saffy... you're managing a stable arcanokinetic field without any sort of training at all.”

“Yeah... great... how do I stop?” The strain was clear in the woman's voice.

“Here.” Twilight's horn lit up. “I'll take over the spellform, and then you lower your hand and close your eyes. That should disrupt your concentration enough for the spell to lose cohesion.”

The green aura around Derpy and her muffins was washed over by a brighter purple one, and once Derpy was set down on the ground, Saffy let her hand drop and her eyes close. The aura that had surrounded her fingernails faded from sight. “Wow, that was awesome, Saffy,” Dash breathed. “I mean, I see that all the time from unicorns, but they need lessons to do that even though it's pretty much second nature. But you just caught Derpy in, like, a half-second flat- and you didn't even know magic existed until today!”

“I dunno what happened.” Saffy was staring at her hand like it had grown an eye. “I saw her falling, and something inside me just said 'No, stop'. Next thing I know... I'm holding her up from twenty feet away.”

“It's possible that you subconsciously copied my own levitation spell,” Twilight offered. “Odd that your fingernails were glowing... perhaps the keratin in them is a thaumatic conductor, like an earth pony's hooves?”

Saffy lowered her hand to stare blankly at the unicorn. “Twilight, you're using the words I don't know again.”

“Oh. Sorry. Magic travels easiest through a unicorn's horn, a pegasus's wings or an earth pony's hooves. It looks like for humans, that route is along the bone structure of the hand and through the fingernails.”

“Well, I'm just glad you kept me from knocking myself out.” Derpy smiled at the woman. “Wow, you humans really do look interesting. My name's Derpy Hooves; what's yours?”

“I'm Safira, but you can call me Saffy. That's Raul.”

“Oh! You guys work with Jacob, don't you? I bet you didn't know that I'm the one who got him to start working on that 'blog' thing.” She strutted around a bit.

Raul laughed. “Is she serious, Jake?”

“In a kind of roundabout way, yeah, she is the one who inspired me to start up the blog.” He chuckled at Derpy's brilliant smile, and Raul laughed. “Well, then, I oughta thank you! That blog's the best job I've ever had.”

“Well, you're welcome!” She shrugged the still-intact platter of muffins from her back onto one of her wings, holding it out for him. “Want a muffin?”

“Are you kiddin'? I'll eat a muffin any day of the week, and twice on Saturdays.” He snagged one, and she gave his selection a critical eye. “Banana nut?” she said. “That's not too bad. How do you feel about blueberry?”

“They're okay. This kind's my favorite, though.”

The two were just digging into their baked goods when there was yet another knock at the door. “Twilight? Are our friends down here?” called a familiar voice.

Rarity smiled. “Indeed they are, Story! Come on down.”

Story Seeker and First Response carefully made their way down the stairs; Story was levitating something just behind him- what looked like a colorful baby carrier. Jacob couldn't help but get to his feet. “First!” he said. “You had your foal?”

“Yep! Three weeks ago. A little early, but he's okay.” The couple reached the bottom of the staircase, and naturally everyone else in the laboratory dropped what they were doing to see the newborn. “Oh my God,” Saffy breathed. “So adorable!”

Jacob couldn't help but agree. The little colt was a dark bluish-grey, reminiscent of a stormy sky, and his mane and tail were both as white as clouds; a pair of curious gold eyes peered up at the group assembled around him- and to Jacob's surprise, a tiny pair of feathery wings lay flat against the sides of his barrel. “He's a pegasus?” the human asked.

“That he is! I have some pegasus feathers in the family tree.” First grinned. “Grandmother's side, more specifically. The doctors said the odds were one to a hundred and twenty-five that he'd be one.”

“Which is why we decided to name him Longshot,” Story added, grinning when Jacob burst out in laughter.

First seemed to notice Saffy's enraptured stare, and gave her a gentle smile. “Would you like to hold him?” she asked the human.

“Can... can I?” With a nod of assent from the mare, Saffy carefully picked up the foal- barely an armful to her- and gently cradled him against her chest; Longshot immediately fixated on the long, beaded braids of black hair that hung down against her collarbones, and began playfully swatting at them with his forehooves. “I'm guessing you're Safira, then,” First said. “Or do you prefer Saffy?”

“Saffy, yeah.” She was hardly paying attention to anything aside from the little form she was holding.

First grinned. “I'm First Response, and the proud papa over there is Story Seeker,” she said. “The two of us have wanted to meet you and Raul for a while now. Jacob's said a lot of good things about you.”

“They're all lies!” Raul paused for a moment. “...wait, you said good things. Ignore that last.”

Everyone laughed at that, including Saffy, who was teasing Longshot with her fingertips. “Well, um... I'm glad to meet you two,” she said after a moment. “Story, uh... I know nobody here's been lying to me, but I'm still having trouble believing what I was told about Jacob being here. Jake... really was walking around in your body for three days?”

“Mm-hmm.” Story nodded. “I understand the disbelief- I still have a little trouble believing it, and I'm the one it happened to. But that truly is what happened.”

“But... could stuff like that start happening on Earth, if we start seeing as much magic as Equus has got? I mean, heck, it's not like we don't have enough craziness without needing to worry about the 'end the world' maniacs actually getting a way to really do it.”

“I wish I could say for certain.” Story gently put a hoof on Saffy's elbow. “Just try to keep hope in your heart, Saffy. Things will be difficult, but I've come to understand that you humans are nothing if not adaptable... you'll work something out.”

“And we'll be ready to help,” First added.

She gave them both a brief but honest smile before turning her attention back to Longshot, who was becoming fussy about something, reaching up with both forehooves towards Saffy's face. “Okay, little guy, what is it?” she asked, bringing him closer. “What's got you so grumpy-”

With one quick motion, Longshot leaned up, took hold of Saffy's face with his forehooves and pulled himself forward, then tilted his head sideways and clamped his mouth around the end of her nose. And there he sat for a moment, with the woman too surprised to do anything, before he began using his gums to gnaw on her nose like a chew toy.

“Om nom nom nom nom.”

Everyone else in the room positively broke down laughing. “Here, let... let me get... his pacifier,” First managed to get out between peals of laughter as she picked through the carrier to find it; in a moment, she'd coaxed her foal to release his grip on Saffy's face and accept the small colorful toy instead. “Oh, sweet Celestia, that was just too precious,” Story guffawed. “You know, First, this means we get to tease him about how he chewed on one of the first humans ever to come to Equus.”

“Just so long as you tell him that the human didn't really mind.” Saffy grinned, looking at ease for the first time since this had all begun; Longshot seemed to notice the lightening of her mood, and babbled in delight, tapping at her chin with a tiny hoof. “Oh, let's see how you like it!” she said, catching his hoof in her mouth and making playful chomping noises, getting giggles from him. “So, Saffy,” First said, “do you have any foals of your own?”

“Huh? Oh... um, no, no children. I'm only twenty-five, not really thinking about that kind of thing yet.”

“Ahh.” The mare glanced between her foal and the human who still gingerly held him. “I think you've got the makings of a good mother.”

After a little while, First had placed Longshot back in his carrier for a nap, while Derpy had gone out to pick up Dinky and Sparkler from school, with the promise to bring them right back so that they could meet the new humans in town as well. Twilight was running tests on Raul, and Saffy was relaxing in a chair, still looking somewhat distant but a lot less troubled than before, holding a quiet conversation with First and Story. Rarity and Dash were quizzing Jacob about human technology- Dash obsessing with aircraft, of course, and Rarity with fashion- when Raul looked up. “You know, Jake,” he said, “there's one thing I really have to ask about.”

“What's that?”

“You had this crazy adventure, spent three whole days split between walking around as a pony and running through some half-destroyed city... and you never told us about it? I'm kind of insulted, man.”

First chuckled. “I'll ask you the same thing he asked me, Raul. What would you have done if he did tell you?”

Raul rubbed his chin in thought. “...probably would've had him put in a padded room. Okay, yeah, that's a fair point.” He chuckled. “But still, Jacob. Just knowing about this place, and not being able to tell anyone? How'd that not drive you nuts?”

Jacob chuckled, giving a glance towards First. “I made a promise to a friend.”

“Ah, well, there you go.” Saffy made a gesture with her hand. “One of the things I like about Jake- the man keeps his promises.”

The next hour passed quickly, with Twilight moving from one test to the next and the others keeping up the conversation; along the way, Derpy returned with her daughters, and Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike- who'd been helping at Fluttershy's all morning- stopped by as well to say hello, and to drop off party invitations and some apple fritters, as well, when the conversation turned towards the Under Dust blog. The fillies wanted to see just what it was all about, so Twilight volunteered to reopen the portal to let Raul get his laptop computer- which had all of the episodes saved on it- from Jacob's living room, to show the ponies an episode or two. But when the portal reappeared, a small beige shape immediately shot through and sped across the floor, leaping into Jacob's lap. “Gah! Cicero!” he exclaimed, pressing his hand against the cat's head to keep him from trying to rub his head all over Jacob's face.

“Oh my!” Rarity giggled. “Jacob, is this your pet?”

“Heh, yeah. This little ball of fur and energy is Cicero.” Finally the feline calmed down and looked around him, seemingly surprised at the strange new creatures around him- but true to his nature, curiosity won out, and he hopped down to pad across the room, heading right towards Fluttershy, who watched him with a broad smile. “Oh, hello there!” she called out. “Such a handsome cat you are. ...oh my goodness, what happened to his eye? And his ear?”

“I don't know.” Jacob shrugged. “He had those scars when I adopted him, and the agency didn't know how he'd gotten them either.”

The pegasus held out her forehooves, and Cicero immediately stepped between them, purring loudly as she gently pet him. “Poor little guy. You must have had a rough time before Jacob took you in.”

Raul went through the portal, and reappeared a moment later with the laptop in hand. Twilight had just set a table up for the laptop when Spike stood stock-still and let out a belch- and a burst of sparkling light flew from his mouth, coalescing into an unrolled parchment. Twilight caught it with her magic and read it. “Ooh,” she said quietly. “Everyone, clear out some space in the center here. We'll be receiving some very important guests in just a moment.”

Getting the area cleared was easy enough, and the group waited near the front of the laboratory. As time passed, Raul's brow furrowed. “I feel something weird,” he said quietly. “Is this more magic? It's not like anything I've felt from Twilight, Story or Rarity.”

“Okay, now I'm getting a little jealous,” Story chuckled. “Brand-new to magic and you humans are already better at it than me? Unfair.”

Everyone went silent as a deep thrumming sound echoed through the room. A strange circle of magic- half bright white, half deep black- formed in the center of the room, spinning slowly for a moment, before a dome of light formed within it... only to dissipate a moment later, leaving behind a pair of shapes that hadn't been there before.

For the second time, Jacob found himself kneeling in his own body before the Princesses Celestia and Luna. A quick glance behind him showed that everyone else was as well, including Raul and Saffy; Jacob understood why- the mere sight of the two alicorns brought out a desire to show respect, even without being one of their subjects. “Please, arise, my little ponies,” came Celestia's musical voice. “And my good humans.”

Everyone stood again, Jacob's two human friends slower than the others, both of them staring unabashedly at the Princesses. “Ahem!” Twilight piped up. “Raul Francisco, Safira Balamar, may I present to you the Diarchs of Equestria, Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

“It is an honor to welcome you both to Equus,” Celestia said, approaching them and offering a hoof to shake; Raul apparently misread her cue and ended up placing a kiss on her gilded armor shoe. Both alicorns burst into chuckles. “That isn't necessary, my friend,” Celestia assured the man. “A simple shake will do.”

“Oh, um... okay then.” Seeing Raul blush was a rare thing, and it got a chuckle out of Jacob. Saffy was still too transfixed to notice, only mustering enough awareness to shake the hooves of the Princesses when offered. “It's, um... good to meet you too, Your... Highnesses?” she guessed.

Luna smiled. “Indeed. Please... relax, both of you. We wish not to intimidate you- you are friends to us.” She paused a moment, then looked down at her hooves as Cicero wound between them, rubbing his chin on her fetlocks. “And whom is this adorable little interloper?” she asked with a smile.

Jacob chuckled. “That's Cicero, Your Highness. He's my cat... or at least he lets me think that.”

“He says you remind him of his mother, Princess,” Fluttershy added.

“Well, I suppose that... wait.” He did a classic double-take. “You can talk to Cicero?”

“Mm-hmm.” The pegasus smiled. “I'd wondered if I would be able to talk to Earth animals the way I can with the ones here on Equus. It's a little tricky, but it looks like I can.”

“Interesting.” Celestia extended one hoof towards the cat, who bumped his head against it in a friendly greeting before returning to Luna's hooves. “It would seem you were in the middle of something when we arrived. I hope we didn't interrupt.”

“Oh! Uh, Jacob an' his friends were gonna show us that 'blog' thing they do, Yer Highness,” Applejack said, motioning to the laptop still sitting on the table.

“Indeed? Twilight mentioned this 'blog'. A show, of sorts? Of old buildings left abandoned?” Luna smiled when Jacob nodded. “Excellent! I would like to see this 'blog', then. Is this device the means by which to do so?” She motioned to the computer.

“That's right, Princess!” Twilight responded. “Raul was just about to show us one of the episodes of what they call 'Under Dust'. Let me just give all the ponies present a temporary translation spell so that they can understand.” Her horn glowed for a moment, and the other ponies' heads- as well as Spike's- briefly shimmered with her magic. “There. Raul, would you do the honors?”

“Uh, sure! Just a second.” The ponies watched in fascination as Raul powered up the laptop, brought up its media player and started one of the videos. Fortunately he'd invested in a widescreen model, and the crowd of equines could all watch without having to squash together.

Jacob laughed as he saw the title. “Seriously, man? You're playing the one we did at the coal breaker?”

“Hey, it kind of fits if you think about it,” Raul answered as he returned to his seat. “It's where all this started, right?”

Well, he couldn't argue against that, so he settled down in the chair, smiling as Dinky hopped into his lap for a better view; he saw Cicero curl up at Luna's hooves, and Sparkler took a seat by Raul. Story and First were on either side of Saffy while she held their foal, letting him also have a look at the laptop's screen.

To their credit, the ponies kept their questions to a minimum while the video played, though it seemed to be as much from a sense of awe at seeing such high-fidelity images as interest in the video itself. They gazed raptly at the video taken inside the coal breaker, the interviews, the detailing of the history behind the building, the machines and the workers. Once the episode ended, Raul closed the laptop and turned back towards the ponies. “So... what did you think?” he asked.

“I liked it!” Applejack exclaimed. “I mean, it's not my sorta thing usually, but I like how you showed how ordinary folks lived and worked in a place like that. Almost made me feel like they was tellin' me their history themselves.”

“I almost felt sorry for the poor dears,” Rarity added. “To work with such dangerous-looking machines, all that grime and dirt... they looked so unhappy.”

Pinkie nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it reminded me of living on the rock farm! Those poor miners could really have used a party.”

“Y'know, it's not my kinda thing either.” Dash gave a quick gesture towards Applejack. “But what AJ said goes for me too. Plus you didn't, like, go crazy using big words like some ponies I can mention.” She gave Twilight a sidelong glance, getting a sheepish grin in return. “Made it a lot easier to follow along and get interested.”

“I enjoyed the presentation of it,” Story added. “The flow was very smooth, every topic melded into the next, and nothing seemed overemphasized or short-shrifted. Something like this would get you a good grade in a university class, I'm certain.”

“Well, um....” Dinky's brow furrowed in thought for a moment, then she smiled. “I thought it was nifty!”

Everyone chuckled at that. “It would be wonderful to see this sort of production more widespread in Equestria,” Celestia said. “I think it would help ponies to better appreciate their past. Wouldn't you agree, Luna?”

“Indeed!” Luna's expression was thoughtful. “Though 'tis a pity we have not these wonderful devices with which to show them. I understand now your excitement about the concept of 'computers', Twilight Sparkle.”

“But... maybe we'll have them someday,” First said. “I mean... maybe if everything goes well, we'll end up trading with humans. Maybe we'll even get to visit Earth someday, and have humans visit here.” Longshot seemed to like that idea, letting out a quiet coo and kicking out his forehooves.

“Guys, look....” Raul let out a long sigh. “Okay. If Twilight's told you anything at all about Earth, you probably know that it's not the most peaceful place. I mean, we've got religious rivalries, national disputes, all sorts of seriously non-happy things that have gone on for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Entire cultures of people who'd as soon kill each other as talk.”

“Raul,” Jacob began.

“And now we've got this... this magical leak event thing, here. Some people are going to react really badly to that- they don't like having preconceptions challenged, you know? And if you ponies come walking through one of those portals, saying 'hi, we're here to help you with this', well... some other people are going to react even worse. They're going to think you're invading, or you're demons, or God only knows what else.”

“Raul.”

“Look, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to say that humans as a whole are like this, but honestly? There's a lot of us who are. I could have a month's worth of nightmares about what could happen to you ponies-”

“Raul.” Jacob put his hand on his friend's shoulder, breaking him out of his half-trance and finally getting his attention. “It's okay, man,” he said quietly. “They know.”

Raul blinked in shock. “...what do you mean, 'they know'? How...?”

“Didn't I tell you that Twilight saw my memories? All of them. And you know I read almost as much as you do, man.”

“That's right.” Twilight smiled. “And I interviewed him very thoroughly once it was clear that we would need to intervene to assist your world, just to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding things through cultural preconceptions.”

“And Twilight has spoken to myself and Luna at length about what she'd learned of your species,” Celestia added. “And the most shocking thing about everything she told us... was how closely you parallel us.”

Raul's jaw dropped. “...are you serious?”

“Yeah, just like I was telling Jacob,” Dash said. “Us ponies might be living kinda easy in comparison these days, but we've had a pretty rough history, and we've seen plenty of our own go bad. I mean, just a month before we met Jacob, we ran into a serious problem in the Crystal Empire because of a unicorn sorcerer gone rogue.”

“...huh? What happened?”

“Long story short: He made the Crystal Empire vanish for a thousand years because his try at conquering it was stopped by the Princesses.”

“Are you serious?” Saffy stared at Dash incredulously.

“Oh, you bet!” Pinkie replied. “And then when the Crystal Empire finally returned, so did Sombra! And he tried to take over the place again! And Twilight and Spike had to go through secret tests of character and Shining Armor threw Princess Cadence and then the Empire struck back! With love, of course.”

“...yes. Ahem.” Rarity gave the pink pony a glance. “The gist of the tale, my dears, is that humans aren't the only species that can do such horrible things to their own.”

“Indeed.” Celestia stepped forward, her magenta eyes gazing into Saffy's. “If you would stand with Raul for a moment, dear Safira, there is something that Jacob can help me demonstrate for you.”

“Uh, okay....” While Saffy handed Longshot back to his parents and stood up, Luna moved to stand by her sister. “Even I have been a victim of chaos and disharmony,” she said quietly. “In my affliction-fueled jealousy, I would have condemned this world to an eternity of night, a slow and cold death, only to sate my desire to be loved. I was powerful, yes... but Harmony was more so. In the end, what saved me- and our world- from the darkness within myself was the friendship of six ordinary-seeming young mares, banded together in common cause.” She smiled as Jacob walked up to his friends. “And as you say, Raul, some humans- just as some ponies- are capable of unspeakable acts. But despite all the violence in your history, you have endured, built civilizations, constructed great wonders of technology to broaden your horizons and forge friendships across all manner of divides. I strongly believe that this is not some grand miracle... but merely your own deepest nature, struggling to express itself through the distrust and fear that thousands of years spent living on a harsh, unforgiving world have bred into you.”

“And there's an interesting thing about the magic we use here on Equus,” Twilight said. “Magic itself is neutral, simply a tool- and just like technology, it can be misused, warped to serve evil purposes. But there's a force separate from magic yet linked to it, much more positive, and when harnessed by those whose hearts and minds are open it can empower them to do amazing things.”

“What is it?” Raul asked quietly.

Jacob chuckled. “The magic of friendship,” he said simply. “I know it sounds weird, but... you'll understand when I show you.” He raised both of his hands, one over a shoulder of each of his friends. “Brace yourselves. This gets a little intense the first time through.”

With that, he closed his eyes and lowered his hands to touch Safira and Raul. Behind him, he felt Celestia's magic embrace him, then go through him and into the other two humans.

As it turned out, the second time through wasn't any less intense, either; even though the audience was closer to a dozen than a thousand, the sensations that washed over him felt just as powerful as they had during the Renewal of the Covenant- that feeling of belonging, of acceptance, of connection. He opened his eyes to see Raul and Saffy both staring at him in complete shock. “Jake, what....” Saffy breathed.

“Look around,” he told them.

They did so. He heard them gasp as they saw what he was seeing- tendrils of gently-flowing energy, shimmering as if catching some ethereal light, flowing between the ponies... and them. Each stream of energy held a color connected to the one it came from, with Saffy's now-familiar moss-green, Raul's bright cherry-red, and Jacob's own blue-green. “This is what the ponies call the magic of friendship,” Jacob said, “though normally it's not quite as powerful, or visible like this. Think of it sort of like... an emotional Internet. The more people you have connected to it, feeding good vibes and emotions into it, the more powerful it becomes. Now, it's not going to become any kind of brain-link or hive-mind or anything like that, but when you've got people actually registering the feelings of others around them on a subconscious level... it's going to be a bit harder to fall into all our old bad habits, like hate.”

“There will be some humans who are unaffected, or who actively refuse to recognize this connection,” Twilight added. “Just like there are ponies, and other species, here on Equus that are the same. But like Story said, you humans are adaptable- you'll be able to come up with ways to keep those who would use magic to harm others from doing so. It'll be difficult, absolutely... but you've come through your own tough times before.”

“And Equestria and its allies will stand ready to help,” Celestia added. “Though I understand there may be governments or nations that will refuse, that will suspect us of ulterior motives. Just as I know that there will be those of my little ponies who refuse to trust or help humans.” She let out a quiet sigh. “They must be allowed to come around on their own, to see that unity and cooperation are the best paths to a safe and prosperous future.”

After a few moments, Celestia's spell faded, as did the vision of multicolored threads winding along each other; that feeling of connection once more waned as well, though not entirely, feeling like a soft bass thrum through his very being. Both Safira and Raul looked almost depressed for a moment. “Man,” Raul said quietly, shaking his head slowly and trying to be surreptitious about wiping a tear away from his eye. “Okay, that... wow. I haven't got any words except 'beautiful'.”

“That is Equus's gift to Earth,” Luna said. “While the connection between our worlds may have come about by accident, I believe for certain that both may come to benefit. I also believe that everyone in this room will work their hardest to help that scenario come to be.”

“I... I will!” Dinky hopped down from her chair. “Princess Luna... I wanna help any way I can. I wanna be able to be friends with lots of humans! I wanna be able to help them understand magic and learn how to use it for good things, just like how I'm learning to. Maybe I can even go to Earth and become a teacher!”

Derpy trotted over and nuzzled her daughter. “That's my little muffin,” she said with a broad, proud smile. “Always wanting to help.”

“I, for one, think you'd make a great teacher, Dink.” Jacob gave Dinky a smile and a playful tussle of her mane.

He heard a strange noise behind him and turned to see Saffy stifling a yawn. “Ugh... sorry!” she murmured. “It's, uh... been kind of a long day, hasn't it?”

“Indeed it has.” Celestia stepped forward to gently lay a foreleg over the woman's shoulder. “I see that Jacob has chosen his friends well,” the alicorn said. “I see in you and Raul what I also see in Twilight and her friends- hearts that are open to true friendship, intelligence and strength and bravery.”

“Bravery?” Saffy shook her head slowly. “I don't feel very brave right now, Princess. I'm terrified of everything that's going to happen. I just....” She let out a long, slow breath. “I know things are gonna change no matter what, there's no stopping it, so... what choice have we got but try to make the changes good ones?”

“Hay, sugarcube, that's th' definition of bravery,” Applejack countered. “When yer scared half t' death but saddle up anyway.”

“Yeah, and if you ever need help with somethin', just give us a shout!” Rainbow Dash added. “Whether it's needing somebody's flank kicked or just a friendly ear to talk into, we'll be there for you.”

“Oh, and I'm gonna throw a super-duper 'Welcome to Equus' party for you guys!” Pinkie had somehow gotten her hooves on a pike of confetti, which she threw into the air. “ 'Cause I just know you'll enjoy it!”

“Pinkie throws some serious parties,” Jacob chuckled.

First trotted up to the humans and reared up to give each a gentle hug in turn. “It really was good to meet you,” she told Raul and Saffy. “I'd personally like it to become a regular thing, if that's possible.”

“Me too.” Saffy managed a chuckle. “I do charge for babysitting, though.”

First and Story both laughed at that, only to pause as a rustling came from Longshot's carrier, then a soft buzzing sound- and then, his tiny wings beating like a hummingbird's, the little colt rose up from the carrier and zoomed across the laboratory, landing against Saffy's chest to wrap his forelegs around her neck in a hug. “Saaaaaa-ffy,” he cooed, snuggling against her.

“Oh my God.” A wide grin split across Raul's face. “Jake, you've got your phone, get a picture of this. This is too adorable to lose.”

With the press of a couple of buttons, the image of Safira being held by a tiny storm-grey pegasus was captured forever. “I think we're going to want a copy of that,” Story said with a cheesy grin, before coaxing his son back into his carrier.

“You know, Saffy, your name is the fourth word he's ever said,” First told the woman.

“Really?” Safira grinned. “What were the first three?”

“ 'Momma', 'Daddy', and... a word Story should not have said when he whacked his fetlock on a stepstool.” She shot her husband a look, getting a sheepish smile in return as everyone else laughed.

“Well, now,” Celestia said, her tone one of satisfaction. “Luna and I must return to Canterlot, and I am sure our human guests would appreciate the chance to return to their homes and rest. I would ask the three of you to report to us whenever you are able of the spread of magic through your world, and what may come of it.”

Jacob nodded. “Of course, Princess. I'll forward Twilight's contact 'number' to Raul and Saffy so that they can contact her directly.” He still had no idea how the unicorn had managed to designate herself a phone number without actually having a phone.

“An excellent idea. Until then, we wish you all the best.” In a bright flash of light and a burst of pure darkness, the alicorns vanished. “Y'know, I gotta learn how to do that,” Raul murmured.

“It's possible that you could, you know,” Twilight replied with a smile. “Who knows? We're in completely new territory here. I'm really looking forward to see how far humans can progress.” A small yawn escaped her muzzle. “But that's something for another time! I've kept you long enough... go home and get some rest, and thanks for being so patient with all my testing.”

It was a round of hugs and hoofshakes before Jacob collected Cicero, bid the ponies good night and went with his friends back through the portal, which collapsed into itself a moment later. Saffy went to sit down on the recliner, letting out a quiet sigh, and petting Cicero gently once he hopped up onto her lap. “Jesus, Jake,” she breathed. “You knew about all this for... what, more than two years? Did you know this would happen to me and Raul... us being connected the way we are now, gaining magic?”

Jacob shook his head. “I didn't hear about the magical leak until we were already heavily into producing the blog, Saffy. By then... well, it was clear that the magic couldn't be stopped, that it was likely to have the same effects here as on Equus, and that it had probably already started to link us together at that point. Even if I'd just packed up and moved out of the country that day, you'd still be experiencing everything that's been happening.”

“Yeah, and if he'd done that we still wouldn't have any idea what the hell's going on,” Raul said. “What's this about, Saffy?”

“I'm just....” She paused, looking as if she didn't want to go on, but Jacob could feel what was going on in her mind. “You're scared,” he said quietly, careful to keep anything that sounded like judgment or condescension out of his voice.

“Hell yeah I'm scared.” She leaned back in the chair. “Part of me wants to pretend that this was just some trippy dream and go back to my regular life. But I can't do that. I just got to hold a baby pegasus, for Christ's sake... and I think I fell in love with him. And his family. Scared as I am, I can't turn my back on them now.”

“Saff, if it makes you feel any better... I'm scared too.” A mild jolt of surprise went through Jacob's mind; Raul never liked admitting to being frightened or worried. “But I'm trying to look on the other side of all this. This could change everything... maybe for the worse, but maybe for the better!”

“Guys, look.” Jacob leaned against the chair. “Being scared is natural. You'd have to be stupid not to be, in this situation. But Raul's right. This is how I look at it- the world we know, kind of dangerous but in ways we at least understand, is a road that we've just reached the end of. We're sitting at an intersection we've never seen, another road brand new to us, and we don't know where it will lead or which way we should go. But we've got friends on this road, who want to help us along the way... we just have to trust in them.”

“And in each other,” Raul added. “I mean... seriously? I think we can do this. No bullshit. Hell, right now we're making a living reaching out to people, educating them, right? When news starts spreading about magic, all we have to do is just... well, tell them what's going on. Same for when the ponies make contact. We'll probably have to be careful, because you know how some people can be, but I think we're in a pretty good position to make a real difference right off the starting line.”

The cautious confidence that the man practically radiated was infectious, and it seemed to boost Saffy's mood as well. “Yeah....” she said quietly, her expression slowly changing from depression to determination. “Yeah. Hell. Dinky says she wants to be friends with lots of humans? Well, I'm gonna make an Earth where she can do that- and anybody who has a problem with it can go fuck in the 'off' direction.” She slowly got out of the chair and put an arm over the shoulder of each of her friends. “You guys are with me, right?”

“Hell yeah.” Raul chuckled. “You know you've got the two of us-”

“Mrrrrowl.”

“...the three of us,” he amended, looking down at Cicero, whose expression was as smug as a one-eyed cat's could be. “Yeah, we got your back.”

“Heh. I knew. Just wanted to hear it.” Saffy yawned again. “Shit. I think it's time I headed home before I start running the risk of falling asleep behind the wheel. You'd better too, Raul- you've got an hour's drive.”

“Damn, yeah, and it's getting late.” He grabbed his phone from the table. “Jake, don't forget to send Twilight's contact info to Saffy and me, just in case.”

“I'll do that now, while I'm thinking about it.” He tapped his way through a couple of menus on the screen of his own phone and forwarded the entry to them; both confirmed that they received it. “Okay, I'll Email the two of you tomorrow and we'll start discussing plans for the future,” Raul said as he walked with Saffy towards the door- only to stop there with his hand on the knob. “Oh, and Jacob?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for trusting us enough to bring us in on this.” A broad smile crossed Raul's face.

“Hey, you two deserved to know.” He waved a hand at them. “Go on, get moving. Talk to you both tomorrow.”

“See ya.” “G'night, Jake.” And with that, they headed out; he stood at the doorway, watching as his truck and her sedan pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street, and their taillights eventually vanished from sight. With that, he closed the door and went to his bedroom, changing into comfortable night clothes and flopping onto his bed, where Cicero joined him later. “Okay, it may be only nine in the evening, but I am beat,” he murmured.

“Mrrowl?”

“Yeah, guess I'll call it an early night.” He pulled the blanket over himself and switched off the light, and felt his cat take his customary place at the foot off the bed. “Moooow.”

“No, I won't forget to feed you tomorrow, you goofball. Though I'll probably be busy after that, planning with Raul and Saffy.”

“Mow?”

“What? No way, Saffy's like a sister to me, dude. Are you-” He paused. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Cicero... are you and I actually having a conversation?”

“Meow.”

“Oh, for the love of....” He rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. “This is really going to take some getting used to.” He laid his head on the pillow. “Tomorrow. Right now I'm just going the hell to sleep. Good night, Cicero.”

“Mrrrrow.”

Sleep didn't waste any time stealing up on him, but it did leave him enough time to have one last thought: Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day.

(-)

The drums and PVC instruments of Blue Man Group pulled her attention away from her latest project; she felt like she'd hit something of a wall anyway, so she closed the audio-mixing program, got up from her desk and went to her phone, noting that the screen read “Unlisted Number”. With a slight frown, she silenced the ringtone and took the call. “Hello?”

“Hello. Is this Safira Balamar?”

“Yeah. Who is this?”

“My name is Trixie. I'm with the TDRC.”

Saffy felt like someone had just poured ice water down her spinal column. The Trans-Dimensional Relations Council wouldn't be calling her directly unless something was wrong. “I'm listening.”

“Have you heard from Jacob in the last three days?”

“Um... no, no I haven't.”

She heard a sigh from the other end of the call. “I was afraid of that. Safira, I need to meet with you and Raul Francisco as soon as possible. We have reason to believe Jacob has been abducted.”

“...what.” She almost dropped the phone. “Is this a joke?”

“No, Miss Balamar. This is absolutely serious. Would it be possible for you to meet me at Jacob's apartment?”

“Yeah. Gimme about twenty minutes. Raul and I both have spare keys to it.”

“That's good. I will contact Mr. Francisco and then meet you both there. Until then, be careful.”

The call cut out. Saffy shut down her computer, then grabbed her purse and keys and headed out to her car. I knew things were going too smoothly, she thought, as she got into her car and started it. But I made a promise, and I'm going to keep it.

She pulled out of her parking spot and hit the road with as much speed as she dared.