The weather in Pendragon that December morning, or at least on the Smith farm, was overcast and bitterly cold. The temperature was still below freezing and any water on the ground was frozen solid. There was a smell in the air that I'd quickly come to associate with snow, although there was as of yet no snow on the ground despite the clouds threatening to burst forth with inches of snow any minute.
Mac was actually quick to recover, although he came back to consciousness while Jackie and I were both walking up the steps that lead to the farmhouse porch. He quickly tried to stand, saying that he could walk himself, but Jackie was just as stubborn as her Equestrian counterpart and insisted that we finish the walk into the living room.
Now that I wasn't in a hurry to leave the farmhouse, I got a good look at it. The house was a two-story house, probably built in the fifties or sixties. It had a coat of old yellow paint which was peeling in some places. The trim was white and looked older than the yellow paint. I saw two chimneys coming out of the ceiling, one on the right side and one on the left. Both had smoke rising out of them, which accounted for the smell I associated with snow. The roof shingles were old and the roof itsel had a few patches moss on it along with pine needles and a few pine cones, especially on one side of the house where a large Douglas Fir tree stood, its branches hanging over a small front portion of the house.
There was a large bay window on the side of the house, and I saw a Noble Fir Christmas tree standing in said window, decorated with multicolored and white strands of lights. Older style ornaments and tinsel hung from the boughs. There were other windows, each of which had bright red curtains with many various Christmas paraphernalia stitched into it, like garlands, bells set among evergreen branches, snowflakes, snowmen, Christmas trees, and writing that said Merry Christmas.
Parts of the roof and gutters were decorated with Christmas lights as well and there was an elaborate manger display in their yard. As I saw the latter, I turned to Jackie. "How old is that manger scene?"
"We've had it since Mac was born," Jackie said, "So around thirty years."
"Oh cool," I said as I headed up the stairs to the front door.
Marigold, Apple Bloom's Earth counterpart, rushed to open the door. "Here ya are," she said helpfully.
"Thanks, kiddo," I said as I walked in with Max and Jackie, Zecora, Scarlet and Applejack close behind, the former two helping Applejack adjust to her new form.
When we entered the house and stepped into the all too familiar kitchen, Jackie steered us towards the living room. It had been slightly rearranged to help fit the tree, which gave the room an all too familiar scent since they had a real tree instead of the fake one I had. There were two couches aimed on either side of a roaring fire with a large wooden coffee table between them, a flat screen TV hanging over the fake stones which decorated the fireplace. The mantle was decorated with a miniature Christmas town, surrounded with cotton and flocking to emulate snow. In one corner sat a desk where an older Mac computer sat. Old by my standards, at any rate.
Once we were all seated, the Smith family on one couch, and the rest of us on the other, I managed to get a good look at the family itself. Jackie looked the same as ever, although she was now wearing a dark red Stetson hat with a small green wreath sewn onto the front. She wore a brown leather jacket with white fur going down the center where it was buttoned up and sturdy looking jeans. Ironically, aside from the non-Christmas styled Stetson, Applejack was wearing the exact same thing.
Malcom Smith was a tall man, probably about a few inches past six feet and fairly ripped. He had hay blonde hair, dark green eyes, and was wearing a pair of thick jeans, a white t-shirt, an unbuttoned flannel patterned buttoned down shirt over it, and a black beanie with the same Smith Farms logo I'd seen Jackie wearing on her shirt when we first met.
Marigold Smith was a young girl about eleven or twelve, with ginger colored hair, a bright red bow in it, bright auburn brown eyes and a curious expression in said eyes which was focused on Applejack. She was wearing a pair of bright orange boots, a pair of jeans, a bright green hoodie and a pair of matching green gloves, the latter of which she removed when she sat down and stuffed into her pockets.
Pomeline Smith was an elderly woman. She looked like she was in at least her early seventies. Her hair was a pure white but still thick albeit done up in a tight bun. She had sharp brown eyes which were gazing at me suspiciously. She was wearing a dark green and dark red flannel skirt, a cream colored blouse and a long sleeved unbuttoned blue shirt over it. Around her neck she wore a very familiar orange handkerchief with red spots on it. She didn't look as frail as Granny Smith, but then again I guessed that Granny Smith back in Equestria was at least a couple hundred years old.
Pomeline was the first to speak. Her voice was eerily similar to Granny Smith's, just like Jackie's was to Applejack's. "Alrighty there, youngin," she said in the same southern accent that Granny had, "Ah've seen a lot in mah time, but ah've never seen anythin' like what ah just saw. And then there's that gal yer with. She's the spittin' image of mah granddaughter. She even sounds the same."
I nodded. "It's a long story, ma'am," I said, "and one I'm not exactly sure you'll believe."
"Ah just saw you and yer friends come out of a statue of King Arthur," Pomeline said, "Ah doubt ah'll be hard tah convince. Besides, Ah know Jackie knows somethin'," she added, looking with a stern gaze at the farm girl. "Yer not very good at keepin' secrets."
Jackie squirmed in her seat, visibly uncomfortable. Applejack, who was sitting next to me, nodded. "Ah understand that," she said.
"Well?" Pomeline asked, "what do yah have tah say fer yerself, young lady?"
"Ah…Ah'm sorry, Granny," Jackie finally said, "but if you'll let me explain-"
"That's not fer you tah do," Pomeline quickly interrupted, slowly turning back to me. "That's fer our guests."
"Guess I'm up, huh?" I said, straightening. I felt a strong hand on my arm. Looking to my left, I met eyes with Applejack, who was giving me a reassuring nod despite the uncertainty hidden in those green eyes of hers. I patted her hand with mine, smiled at her thankfully, then cleared my throat and turned back to the Smith family. "First of all, before I explain anything, I'd like to thank you all for your help the last time we were here," I said. "You took me in, helped me with my gunshot wounds, and gave my friends a place to stay when we were in this world. I can't thank you enough."
"Ah'd like tah thank ya, too," Applejack said, bowing. "Ah'd have lost one of mah best friends." She squeezed my arm a bit more tightly, and I could feel a slight tremble from her.
Mac simply nodded, while Pomeline said, "Well, we couldn't really let yah just die, now could we?" she asked.
"And I'm grateful for that," I said, "and now that my life isn't in any danger, explanations are in order. Although, for the life of me, I'm not even sure where to start."
"The beginning," Mac said plainly.
I chuckled. "No matter what world, you're the same. Alright, at the beginning." I straightened up. "My name really is Jethro. Jethro Bethridge. I'm thirty years old, born in a small town in Oregon called Darrow Falls. Up until about six months ago, relatively speaking, I was a manager at a local bank. Now, this next part is going to sound very weird and nigh impossible to believe, so bear with me. I'll preface this by asking how many of you have heard of a show and toy line called My Little Pony?"
"Ah have!" Marigold said, raising her hand.
"Mom and Dad recorded some of the older generation shows on VHS," Jackie explained. "They recorded the original movie, and then My Little Pony 'n Friends, ah believe it was called. Marigold loves that show."
I nodded. "And since then, there have been two more generations of My Little Pony shows, with a third one airing currently."
"Beg pardon, but what does this have tah do with yah comin' out of that statue?" Pomeline asked, now looking more confused.
I pursed my lips and inhaled through my teeth. "There's one currently airing now, right? It's called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."
"Ah just started watchin' that too!" Marigold said. "Jackie found it after yah left!"
I nodded and put my hand on Applejack's back. "Let me introduce you to my friends here. First, this here is the real Applejack. All the way from the very real Equestria. Next to her is the real and quite lovely Zecora. The Zebra from the Bridle Gossip episode. And this beautiful woman beside me is not in the show, but her name is Scarlet Dusk, a Pegasus Pony."
There was silence throughout the house. Mac had an incredulous look in his eyes, Pomeline had no expression, and Marigold was staring wide eyed at Applejack, mouth agape. There was tension in the room, which only continued to rise with each passing second.
Finally, Pomeline turned to Jackie. "Can ah trust yah tah say this young man's bein' truthful and honest?" she asked.
"Ah know it sounds crazy, Granny," Jackie said, "but ah've been to Equestria. Me and mah friends from college. In fact, hang on." She got up and rushed upstairs quickly, and I could hear her rummaging through something. When she came back down, she had in her hand not only her phone, but a large circular medal attached to a red ribbon. The metal itself was solid gold and around its circumference was written the words Equestrian Medal Of Honor: For Services Rendered Above And Beyond The Call of Duty. Within these words, the symbol of Equestria's flag had been carefully engaged, along with Jackie's full name directly below the two Alicorns. Jackie put the medal on the coffee table and opened her phone. "Ah took some pictures," she said, tapping it and looking through them with the others.
Marigold was the most excited as she kept a running commentary of what she was seeing. "That's Apple Bloom! And there's the actual Fluttershy! Wow! Princess Celestia looks amazing! Wait, is that really Princess Luna? She looks so different!"
"Ah even took a video after ah went and visited Jethro again," Jackie said, then stood and walked over to the front of the fire, holding up her old smartphone and flipping it. The video on the screen flipped as well, and the video began.
I chuckled inwardly, remembering the time she'd taken out her phone to record. It had happened a couple hours before I went to go see Celestia, and before the Humane Five left. I had gone to the bathroom when she began recording. This is what we saw:
The recording started on Pinkie Pie, who was still busy stuffing her face with the M&M's that Diane had managed to somehow manifest. "Mmmm…these are soooo tasty!"
"Glad you like them, Pinkie! Here, try some of these!" Diane's equally excitable voice said from offscreen. A small bag of Skittles was tossed into frame and Pinkie caught them. Suddenly, Diane popped up in front of the camera. "Hey there, Jackie! Whatcha doooin'?" she asked, perfectly imitating Isabella's tone.
"Ah'm just recordin' a few things," Jackie said, then turned the camera onto herself, showing her humanoid Pony form for the camera. "Still weird bein' a human-Pony mix. Hard tah get used tah it."
"Come on, Jackie, lighten up!" Dash called out. The camera turned to her, showing her flapping her wings and hovering over the ground. "Having wings is so awesome!"
"Um…it's okay, I guess," Shye's quiet voice said. Jackie turned the screen to the anthropomorphic Pony form that Shye had. "It's a bit scary, though."
"Darling, you have quite the lovely set of wings!" Trisha said. "I'm honestly a bit jealous."
"Trish, you've got a horn for magic!" Dash said, pointing to said horn, "You could make yourself some wings if you wanted!"
"You think so?" Diane asked, putting a hand to her horn.
"You know, Twilight knows a spell that can help give temporary wings," I heard my own voice calling out as the door to the bathroom opened.
The camera focused on me, my own wings clearly visible on the screen. "Welcome back, pardner," Jackie said in greeting, "Hope yah don't mind if ah record a few things. Still findin' it hard tah believe ah'm in a television show world."
"Oh, believe me, there are days when I can't believe it either," I heard myself saying as I made my way back to the bed. The camera followed me, and finally caught a glimpse of Scarlet, Zecora and Spike. I climbed back into bed and immediately Zecora snuggled up close to me, saying something inaudible to the camera's mic. I smiled, whispered something back, then looked back up at Jackie. "How much battery life do you have left on that Android?"
"Not much, but enough tah record a few other things," Jackie said, moving the phone over to the window. "Ah don't know if the camera can see too much out there, but we're facin' Canterlot." The camera wasn't able to pick up too much, but it did show a few bright lights through the window.
In the background, I heard Fairy Tail begin playing once again, and head Happy's voice saying, "Oh, so you guys came here to settle things in a good way!"
"Oh my, what anime is that?" Shye asked, and that was when the video ended.
Jackie put the phone down. "The battery died then," she said.
The other three were staring in complete awe at the now blank screen, then they slowly turned to me. Marigold was the first to speak. "Are…you telling me…that ah'm talking to the real…live…APPLEJACK!?"
"Um…that's right, sugarcube," Applejack said, smiling down at the human version of her younger sister. "That's me."
Marigold could hardly contain herself. She jumped up and squealed. "Deanne and Anne are gonna flip! Ah've gotta tell them!"
"Hold yer horses, young lady," Pomeline said, grabbing Marigold by the collar and placing her back in her seat, "Nobody's callin' anybody until we get this all sorted." Pomeline let go of a still overly excited Marigold and turned back to me. "Now, it's not that ah don't believe ya, young'un, but how did yah end up in this Equestria?"
"Well, that was actually Twilight's doing, although she didn't mean for that to happen," I explained. "She was dealing with magic that she shouldn't have, and it somehow managed to teleport me and my house to Equestria, right near the edge of a very dangerous forest."
"The Everfree Forest?" Marigold asked eagerly.
"That's the one," I said. "I didn't know anything about the show until I started watching the first season the night before I appeared in the forest."
"Wait a moment," Mac said suddenly, "First season? You're talkin' like you can watch more than one."
"That's another thing," I said, "I might be a human from Earth, but I'm not from this version of Earth. Where I'm from, Avalon Island is actually called Vancouver Island and is a part of Canada."
"Like some kind of parallel universe?" Mac asked carefully.
"Pretty much," I said. I was tempted to say more, but I'd already said more than any normal human could comprehend.
The Smith family fell into silence again. Mac and Pomeline had thoughtful expressions on their faces, Marigold was still staring with joy at Applejack, and Jackie, who had taken her seat again, was looking at me with a nervous expression.
Before I could say anything further, there was a knock at the door. A frantic one. Then, I heard a familiar posh accent call out, "Jacqueline, darling? Are you there?"
"We heard what happened at Camelot," Dash's voice called out as well.
"Is everything okay?" Shye asked.
"What are they doing here?" Scarlet asked curiously.
"Jacelyn, go let them in," Pomeline said calmly.
Jackie quickly stood and rushed over to the door. When she opened the door, a multitude of voices began asking questions all at once, but Jackie whistled loudly and everyone went silent. "Come with me," she said.
We all turned and watched as Jackie led Diane, Trisha, Dash and Shye into the living room. When the four girls saw me, Zecora, Scarlet and Applejack, their eyes went wide. Shye was the first one to say anything. "Jethro…is that you?"
I waved. "Surprise."
A happy smile passed over her face and she rushed over, hugging me suddenly. Surprised by this, I smiled and hugged her back. "We were getting worried," she whispered.
"I'm alright, now," I said before she finally released me.
"Jackie, please get some extra chairs fer our guests," Pomeline said. "I have a feeling we're gonna be here fer a long time."
"Sure thing, Granny," Jackie said, rushing to a nearby door behind our couches.
"I'll come help," Dash said, running over behind her. I heard them walking down a set of stairs.
While they were doing that, Trisha looked down at Applejack. "Hang on, are you Applejack?" she asked.
"Eeyup," AJ said, raising her hand and waving.
"Sweet! How's it going, AJ?" Diane asked, jumping over.
"Are things okay in Equestria?" Shye asked.
"It's almost Hearth's Warming, so we're getting ready for that," Applejack said.
"What's that, darling?" Diane asked.
"It's the Pony version of Christmas," I explained.
"Ponies have Jesus?" Marigold asked.
"No no," I said, "Hearth's Warming is…well, that's a whole episode that comes out next year. But it's also a long story. And not really relevant to what we're talking about. I'll tell you later. Or better yet, Applejack can tell you later."
Just then Jackie and Dash came back up from the basement with a few metal folding chairs. The two set them on either side of the couches. When everyone was seated, Pomeline looked at me. "Now then, you were sayin'?"
"Well, I was saying that I'm from another version of Earth," I explained. "But not just that. Where I'm from, it was 2022. Not 2010. In my time, My Little Pony had already stopped airing, and a movie called My Little Pony: A New Generation was made. It was something of a sequel to the Friendship is Magic show, but without any of the characters. But that's not quite as important as the fact that I'm pretty much from the future."
"Yer dang right," Pomeline said quickly. "Now then, how about yah tell us how that statue came into our field."
"And tell us why does this so-called Applejack look identical to Jackie?" Mac added.
"Yeah, that's a story in and of itself," I said. "And they're actually related."
"We're listenin'," Pomeline said.
I nodded and continued. "Well, before the fourth season of My Little Pony airs a few years from now, Hasbro makes a TV movie special called Equestria Girls, where Twilight and Spike go through a magic mirror and end up in a colorful human world where every Pony has a human counterpart. They go there to try and find a new villain, a Unicorn named Sunset Shimmer who was once a student of Princess Celestia, one of the current rulers of Equestria. In the movie, Sunset had stolen a magical artifact from Twilight, one of the Elements of Harmony. In fact, Sunset Shimmer was the one who shot me in this world."
Marigold went white with horror, Mac tensed up but held back his apparent rage, Jackie clenched her fists and trembled in barely restrained fury, the other girls had similar reactions to their friend, and Pomeline simply stared at me with hard experienced eyes. "Go on."
"I came here to try and stop her early and bring her back to Equestria, but she got loose and managed to return anyway," I explained. "After I recovered enough to return to Equestria, I did just that, but Jackie, Trisha, Shye, Dash and Diane followed me through even after I asked them not to."
"Are you really gonna start that up again?" Dash said indignantly, crossing her arms.
"No, I'm not," I said, raising my hands defensively. "I'm glad you came now, but you seriously put yourself in danger."
Pomeline tensed up. "How? Tell me." The way she said it made not only me, but Applejack tremble.
"It's not a pretty story," I explained, glancing over at Marigold.
Pomeline seemed to know what I meant, and turned to Marigold. "Mari, yer not in trouble, but this is adult talk now. You can go ahead and gei on the upstairs computer, but keep what ya've heard to yerself. Yah can't even tell yer friends."
"Aww, but Granny-!"
"Yah heard me, young lady," Pomeline said. "If yah tell yer friends, no computer fer a month, got it?"
"Yes, Granny," Marigold said. She got up, and as she passed Applejack, I saw her look at the Earth Pony turned human and whisper, "You're mah favorite pony."
Applejack had a stunned expression on her face as Marigold went upstairs. When we heard a door close upstairs, Pomeline turned back to me. "Okay, yah have the floor. What happened when mah granddaughter and her friends went to this Equestria?"
For the next ten or so minutes, I told them about Eris, not holding much any details. I told them how Eris had changed them from their Pony forms to their normal human forms, how this hadn't even deterred any of them from going to Ponyville and helping around the town, about the way Eris revealed the nature of Equestria to the entire world, and about how the Elements of Harmony managed to put Eris back into her stone prison after I'd unloaded an entire clip into Eris. I told them about how I'd been knighted by the princess, then about the humans coming back, but in the form that the statue had changed them to instead of pure Pony.
When I finished, Pomeline asked each of the others for their side of the story, and this was where I learned just what had happened for them during the time when I was trying to find Eris.
Jackie, true to her word, had gone straight to the Ponyville Hospital kitchen. The overworked Pony cooks had been understandably startled to see a human that wasn't me, but the letter from Princess Celestia helped her to quickly be accepted. The Ponies were still a bit nervous about a new human, but apparently since they had such a good experience with the other human they knew, me, Jackie was soon being thanked and became invaluable.
Diane had gone immediately to the hospital's children's ward, and while the foals there were initially surprised to see another human, she soon had them all laughing with her silly antics. She even made them some ice cream with the kitchen staff's permission.
Dash had immediately made her way to where Shining Armor was. He, took, was surprised to see another human, but when she showed him the letter, he had her and a couple of his own guard take care of one of the residential areas of Ponyville. Dash had been very busy there, it seemed. She had to break up a few fights and somehow managed to hold her own against a very angry Donkey female before she could be subdued and cleansed of the captured Siren magic.
Trisha had worn herself ragged sewing blankets together for the little bit of time she had to do so. She had actually met Rarity's cat, but much like Trisha's own cat, she'd acted pretty aloof when around Trisha.
Shye had gone to Sweet Apple Acres, where she'd been given charge of the foals in the barn. She'd been the only one to meet the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who had quickly warmed up to the shy human. She played games with them, told them some more innocent human nursery rhymes and children's stories, and had lulled them all to sleep with a lullaby.
When they all finished, there was silence once more. The silence lasted for a couple minutes at least. Mac was looking at the table, deep in thought while Pomeline looked at me. I didn't look away from her, holding her gaze and barely aware of the grasp on my arm from a nervous Applejack. Finally, Pomeline said, "That's quite a story yah have there, young Jethro," she said slowly, "and if ah hadn't seen yah comin' out of that statue with mah own two eyes, ah'd be callin' 911. But…since the others here are vouchin' fer yah, ah've really got no choice but tah believe yah."
I felt myself relax, as did Applejack beside me. Scarlet was the first to speak. "Thank God," she said.
Mac, who hadn't moved during Pomeline's explanation, finally looked up at me. "What about this Sunset Shimmer? What happened to her?" he asked.
"Well, actually, she was corrupted by a portion of Eris' dark magic before coming to this Earth," I said, "Once she returned to Earth and freed Eris, she was cast aside. She's living with Twilight right now and is trying to adjust to living back on Equestria."
"What about shootin' you!?" he shouted suddenly. "Isn't she gonna be punished fer that?! I didn't spend those nights keepin' an eye on you so that yer attempted murderer could get away with it!"
"Calm down," Pomeline said quickly, pulling on the young man's shirt and making him sit.
"Malcom, I get where you're coming from," I said, "but please understand, she's a Pony, not a human. She falls under Celestia's jurisdiction. And for all the similarities between our species, there are some differences. Ponies can be a lot more forgiving. Celestia has a plan for her punishment, I'm sure of it. It probably won't be time in Tartarus or jail, but she'll probably be shipped off to a nearby Empire to help it rebuild."
"Nearby Empire?" Trisha asked. "Really?"
"Yeah, the Aelyssian Empire, the land of the Dragons," I explained. "Recently, there's been a change of rulers there, and the brand new Emperor needs help to rebuild that land. It's been in a state of decay for centuries and everyone does what's right in their own eyes. The current Emperor really wants to change that and lead the Dragons there back to a great nation."
"How is this a punishment for Sunset?" Dash asked through slightly gritted teeth.
"It means she won't be able to live in Equestria for a while," I said. "She'll have very long work hours ahead of her. Equestrian tech is behind Earth technology for the most part, and in Aelyssia it's even further behind. Dragons are pretty far behind in terms of technology. They're currently living in caves with their hoards."
"Nothin' like a bit of hard work tah straighten someone out," Pomeline said, nodding slightly in approval.
Mac didn't look convinced, but one look from his grandmother made him shut up. Shye was the next to talk when she said, "I hope she's alright now."
"Right now, she's doing alright," I said.
Just then, a very familiar book on the table began to glow and vibrate. Pomeline and Mac both jumped in alarm when it happened, but Jackie quickly reached down. "It's alright," she said, "this here's a magic journal from Equestria."
"It lets us talk between worlds," I added. "I've got the other copy. Who's it from, Jackie?"
She quickly opened it and read the message. "It's from Twilight, and ah think it's fer you," she said, handing the book to me.
I took the book and read over the message:
Dear Jethro,
Are things okay over there? We haven't heard from you all since you left, and everypony's getting worried. The others are almost ready to go through the mirror, but I've been telling them not to, at least not yet. Please write back? I love you.
Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle
I chuckled and shook my head. "Twilight…she's always so worried. Can I borrow a pen?"
Jackie picked up a ballpoint pen from the table and tossed it to me. I caught it and wrote back,
Hey, Twilight,
Sorry I haven't written back yet. I've been talking to Jackie and her family. Long story short, the statue that was at Camelot Community College is somehow now on the farm where Jackie lives and works. The rest of her family saw it and freaked out. I've had to tell them about My Little Pony and Equestria. Jackie's friends from college are here too and helped me explain everything that happened with Eris. I'll try and be home soon, but if I'm not, I'll try and get a message back to you and the others, okay?
Your friend,
Jethro
No sooner had I finished, then a brief message came through.
Please be careful, Jethro.
I will, Twilight, I wrote back, then slowly closed the book. "Okay, sorry for the interruption. Twilight was worried about me, is all." I set the book and pen down on the coffee table. "Well, now that explanations are out of the way, what do we do?"
"Well, what else can we do except keep this a secret?" Jackie said. "Who's gonna believe that the statue leads to a distant magical Pony world?"
"The problem now is that the statue is in broad daylight," I said. "Before, it was pretty well hidden in a small glade."
"We could build a small barn around it," Mac said. "Keep it hidden."
"Why not a full-sized barn?" Jackie asked. "We've been needin' one anyway. And that spot's perfect fer one. It's right near our apple orchards."
"We can't build one now. It's winter," Pomeline said, "and even if the weather was nice, we can't afford it."
"I might be able to help with funding, if that's all you need," I said. "Back in Equestria, I've got a few assets that you can liquidate here."
"A few?" Applejack asked, giving me a playful nudge. "Jethro, yer richer than probably anypony else ah've ever heard of."
"Well, I can't bring bits over," I said. "The statue turns them into American money. The gems I have stay the same."
"Gems? Plural?" Trisha asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah…gems in Equestria are about as common as rocks," I said. "I can give you guys a few really nice diamonds."
"Problem is, that might raise a few questions," Mac said. "Where did we get the gems, exactly? We're just a farm."
I frowned, stroking my chin and thinking. Applejack then came up with an idea. "Well…what if yah 'found' a small chest full of gemstones on yer property? Ah mean, it was on yer property, right?"
"Ah know there are tales of pirates makin' landfall here," Jackie said, "but that doesn't mean that we'd be allowed tah keep it."
"Finding stuff like that is more complicated than it is back in Equestria, AJ," I explained. "You'd need to get the government involved. The only other option would be me bringing bits here that would change into American dollars, but I know you guys wouldn't accept it, even if it's real money."
"It just wouldn't feel right," Jackie said.
"Our family's lived here on this land fer generations," Pomeline said, "ever since Washington was created. Who says one of our ancestors didn't bury somethin'?"
"I suppose that could work, too," Mac said cautiously.
"We'll think about it, but thanks fer yer generous offer," Jackie said.
"You're welcome," I said with a smile. "And I'm really sorry about causing you so much trouble."
"Now hold on just a minute," Pomeline said, "it ain't yer fault this happened, young'un. Sure, it's a bit of a strange tale, but ah know mah daughter and her friends wouldn't lie about somethin' like this. Especially not tah me." She gave the other four Human Five a stern glare. Even Diane shuddered at that gaze. "And we did see yah and yer friends come out of the statue," she said, turning back to me.
"Thanks for saying so," I said gratefully, "but having this statue here is still pretty dangerous. If the US Government finds out, you could be in trouble, and so could Equestria if they discover it. I mean, we might have to shut the portal down. It would be the right thing to do, but I know I'd miss being able to at least visit one version of Earth. I do miss my own."
Applejack put an arm around me. "Sugarcube, yah have us back in Ponyville."
I looked down at the Pony turned human. While her current eyes matched Jackie's, there was something in them that showed me that this was my Applejack, not the human counterpart. They had a warmth and care in them that I'd come to associate with my farming friend and companion. I smiled slowly. "I know. Sorry, AJ. Even I have times when I miss Earth, but I wouldn't go back to stay now even if I could."
"Is it a bit strange seeing yourself flirting, Jaqueline?" Trisha asked.
Applejack sputtered. "F-Flirtin'?! Ah ain't flirtin' with anypony!"
"Um, but he isn't a Pony," Diane pointed it out like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
To my surprise, Pomeline and Mac began to laugh. Jackie and Applejack both began blushing, and simultaneously hid their faces in their hands. I chuckled and put my arm around Applejack. "Just take it in stride, AJ," I said. "They're just teasing."
"Still embarrassin'," she said in a muffled tone.
With that, the tense atmosphere broke, and everyone in the room began laughing. Even Pomeline gave a hearty laugh. Eventually, even Jackie and Applejack began to laugh.
As the laughter was dying down, Diane popped up in front of me. "Random question! Can you use magic here, too?"
"I doubt it," I said. "I might be able to use magic back in Equestria, but this is Earth. The only way that magic existed in this world was if a magical artifact was brought with me."
"Weeell…that was in the Equestria Girls world, so it stands to reason that magic might not work the same way in this world that it did in that knockoff human world from the show, so maybe you can use it here!" Diane said in one single breath.
"Yeesh, how big are those lungs of yours?" I asked. "But…I didn't really try when I was here the first time. Kinda had a mission going on at the time."
"Can you try it now? Can you? Can you?" Diane asked eagerly.
"Slow your role there, Di," Jackie said, pulling her friend back, "give the guy some room."
"I suppose I could give it a shot, but I seriously doubt it'll work," I said. "Although, I think it would be a good idea to go outside for it, in the very unlikely event that it works." Even as I said so, I felt a chill run down my back.
"Yay!" Diane broke out of Jackie's grasp and rushed out towards the yard.
As the rest of us got up, I helped Applejack to her feet and walked her towards the door with the rest. "How does it feel being a human?" I asked.
"Kinda weird, not gonna lie," she said, "but ah can see how havin' hands would be a good thing. Although these things just seem excessive," she added, grabbing at one of her breasts.
I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled it away from them. "I wouldn't go around touching those," I whispered. "While you Ponies have teats, humans have breasts."
Applejack's face went red. "Oh…sorry," she said sheepishly.
"You didn't know, so don't worry," I said gently. "I didn't exactly have the time to give you a more comprehensive lecture on humans."
When we reached the outside, Jackie quickly came up and took Applejack off my hands. "Ah've got her," she said reassuringly.
"What's goin' on?" Marigold called out from one of the upstairs windows. "Are you leavin' already?"
"Not yet," I called back out. "I'm just trying something out."
"He's gonna see if he can use magic like he can back in Equestria!" Diane called up.
Marigold was instantly gone from the window, which shut with a slam. Not even half a minute later, she came bursting out of the front door, hastily putting her gloves on. "I wanna watch!"
I chuckled and shook my head. "I doubt anything's gonna happen," I explained, "but here goes."
Looking around, I saw a few fallen branches lying on the ground underneath the Douglas Fir tree. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for me, so I opened my eyes and held out my hand. I went through the steps I did before magic started coming naturally to me. I waited for the rush of power to flow through me despite my words. I tried what I did when I first tried magic, forcing it. Nothing. Then I searched deep within myself for the magical core I now had. Still nothing.
After a minute or so of trying, and probably looking like an idiot, I stopped, then looked down at my hand. "Yeah…I didn't think that Equestrian magic would work the same in this world. Only magic objects can-WHOA!"
As I was talking, my hand began to become encased in a completely rainbow-colored light. Instantly, I could feel magic surging through me like a massive tsunami of power. My head started hurting at that moment as well, and an all-too familiar feeling of magic flowed out of me. Acting quickly, I aimed it at one of the larger branches, and it was encased in the same light. On instinct, I pulled the branch towards me, catching it in my other hand. However, magic continued surging through me.
"What's with that magic glow surroundin' ya?!" Applejack asked in alarm. "Ah thought yer magic was a different color!"
"What magic color? I don't see anything," Marigold said, confused.
"Love, are you alright?" Zecora asked, sounding equally alarmed.
"I don't know!" I called out, "but I think I need to get away from the house!" So saying, I began running out into the fields. However, the farther I ran, the more magic began surging through my body. It was almost like Twilight's magical surge when she hatched Spike. I tried to contain it, but the glowing rainbow light spread out from my hand, up my arm and began surrounding my entire body. Bolts of multicolored lightning flashed out of the magical aura that now surrounded me as I rushed faster towards what I hoped was an empty part of the field. I could hear the others calling out to me in fear, but I had to get farther and farther away.
Suddenly, I felt myself rising into the air, unable to run anymore. Instinctively, I tried to fly, only to remember that on Earth I had no wings. I slowly began rotating back towards the farmhouse. My hands were glowing brighter and brighter, and they felt like they were expanding despite not changing in size at all. I clenched my body up, hoping that I could contain whatever magic was flowing through me so there wasn't any damage.
That's when I heard a very familiar voice calling from down below. "Let the magic out, Jethro! Hurry!"
I looked down, and through the magical haze that was quickly surrounding me, I saw a very scared looking human Twilight, with Spike beside her and both looking up at me.
"Where?!" I asked in terror.
"In the air! Do it now!"
I did as she instructed, aiming a magical blast up at the cloudy sky. When I released my magic, the pressure that had been building inside me quickly decreased, and I quickly started falling. The blast of rainbow colored magic that came out of me shot up into the air in a very familiar spiral pattern, which suddenly stopped, split into ten separate smaller blasts, each one shooting down towards Zecora, Scarlet, Spike, Twilight, Applejack, Jackie, Trisha, Shye, Dash and Diane. Before any of them could react, the magic struck each of their chests, surrounding them in a rainbow glow before slowly vanishing. The glow around me vanished last, and I collapsed onto my back onto the icy cold ground, completely wiped.
As I tried to sit up, I heard the sounds of running feet coming towards me. Dash was by my side first, kneeling and helping me to a sitting position. Twilight, who was a bit closer, came up next, followed by Spike. The others came in turn, worry and concern in their eyes. They all began asking me various questions.
Above the din, a loud male voice full of authority called out, "Stand back! Let him have some air!" That silenced everyone, and then he came up, kneeling and looking me over with the practiced air of someone who had studied medicine. "How are you feelin'?" he asked, grabbing my wrist and feeling my pulse, which was racing a bit from the running and the terror.
"Just…a bit tired," I admitted. "Nothing's hurting, just my back where I fell."
"Guess it's my turn to help you now," Mac said with a small lopsided grin. "Now, don't move. I might have flunked out of medical school, but I still know a thing or two."
There, sitting in the frozen field and surrounded by my worried and anxious friends, Mac gave me the once over, making sure there weren't any cuts or broken bones. Once he was satisfied, he helped me up slowly. "Thanks, Malcom," I said.
"Call me Mac," he said, "I like that better. Now, what exactly happened?" he asked as we walked back towards the house, "I saw you just floating in the air for a while."
"Yah didn't see the rainbow around him?" Jackie asked.
"No, I didn't," Mac said.
"I did!" Diane said. "It was all shiny and glowy and pretty!"
"And very powerful," Twilight said.
I turned to the Unicorn turned human. "Twilight? Why are you here?"
"Ah wrote tah her quickly," Jackie explained, holding up the journal in her hand. "We needed her help."
"And I'm glad you came," I said, reaching out and cupping Twilight's cheek with my hand.
She looked relieved and nuzzled my hand gently before her relief quickly turned to concern. "What happened, Jethro? I thought you said magic doesn't exist on Earth."
"It shouldn't," I said, "but this isn't my Earth." I looked around, gathered my bearings, then pointed at the statue. "That thing's been appearing and disappearing for at least a thousand years, so it could very well have leaked some magic through. I don't know."
"What did happen?" Mac asked. "You just started runnin' and then began floatin'."
"Which was really amazin'! Was that magic?" Marigold asked.
"Yes, kiddo, it was," I said.
"But I didn't see any glowin' stuff," she said.
"How could you miss it? It was right there, plain as day," Dash said in a confused tone.
"I saw it too," Shye said softly.
"If I wasn't so scared for Jethro, I would have found it quite beautiful," Trisha said.
"How come only some of you couldn't see it?" Spike asked, running his hand through his hair, only to find a knot in it. "Ow! Damn hair…"
"Twilight would be able to figure that out better than the rest of us," I said, pointing to Twilight.
Upon seeing me point out the new girl to be Twilight, Marigold's eyes went wide. "You're Twilight Sparkle?!" she asked in awe.
Stunned that a random human girl knew her, she nodded and waved. "Heh…hello there…" she said nervously.
"You're amazin'!" Marigold exclaimed excitedly. "Did you really cast a spell on Spike to give him a mustache?"
"Um…yeah, I did," she said, smiling down at her. "Are you a fan of…our show?"
"Ah love it! It's so cool!" she squealed happily.
"Thank you," Twilight said. She then turned to me. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, walking over and putting a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm doing alright now," I said. "Trust me, I feel fine."
"That's our stallion for ya," Scarlet said, jumping in and giving me a long and deep smooch before letting go, grinning.
I swatted her gently upside the head with a grin. "You're such a goof."
"Hold on, Jethro, weren't you dating Zecora?" Trisha asked.
"Whoa! You're dating Zecora?" Marigold asked with wide eyes. "That cool Zebra from the show?"
"That's…an adult only discussion, I'm afraid," I said, looking down at Marigold apologetically. "Sorry, kiddo."
"I never get to hear the good stuff," Marigold pouted.
"Yah can have an extra hour before bedtime tonight," Pomeline said, "but that's it. Now, go on now. The adults need tah talk."
Seemingly satisfied by this, Marigold headed back inside ahead of us. We all headed back into the house, taking our old seats. Jackie went to the kitchen and brought back two of the dining table chairs for Twilight and Spike, who took their seats in them.
The moment we were all seated again, I sat up straighter. "I take it you both remember Twilight and Spike," I said, gesturing to them.
Pomeline nodded. "Ah do. Nice tah see yah again, Twilight. At least now ah know who yah are now."
Twilight shrank back in her seat. "Yeah…sorry for lying, ma'am," she said, smiling sheepishly.
"Ah can't blame yah," Pomeline said. "Just don't go makin' a habit out of it, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," Twilight said, straightening up and nodding.
Pomeline smiled. "Relax there, young'un," she said. "Now then, what exactly happened out there? All ah saw was Jethro here floatin' like those magic levitation tricks ah've seen on TV."
Quickly, a few of us, myself included, told what we'd seen and experienced in that harrowing minute or two. When we finished, Pomeline stroked her chin thoughtfully, but it was Mac who asked, "Not that we don't believe you, but why couldn't we see this magic glow?"
At that moment, Twilight sat up, a look of realization passing over her face. "I think I know why!" she exclaimed, surprising me by snapping her fingers. She then pointed to the Humane Five. "I think it was because you've all been to Equestria!"
I raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?" I asked.
"It's the only common factor between all of us," Twilight said matter-of-factly. "You all came through and turned into Ponies, then into Anthro Ponies. And you, Jethro, live there! Same with me, Applejack and Spike."
"Well, if that's the case, we have a problem," I said with a sudden realization.
"What is it?" Mac asked.
"We're not the only ones on Earth who've been to Equestria," I said. "There are three others who I know were alive at least a few years ago."
"You don't mean…them," Twilight said nervously.
"I do," I said. "That magic went really high up. If they were looking our way, they had to have seen it."
"Who?!" Dash asked, "tell us, dammit!"
I sighed. "The Dazzlings."