1000

Another day, another weird as hell thread pointing to a website.  http://beyondearth.eq According to the blurb, the website has an extreme minimalist design- just a counter of the number of people who have visited the site. There are no other web elements on the site, or so it seems, and the extension is, quote, 'weird as balls.' Perhaps it would be worth a few minutes to take a look at it. If nothing else, it could prove interesting, right? Boredom. Boredom never changes. Jeremy clicked on the link, expecting to pull up the code to see what hidden goodies lay in wait for the slightly tech saavy observer.  It is as it was said. A black background, and a counter. The number in question appears to be one thousand. Then, the little thing flashes, and the screen changes. A small circlet appears in the middle, rotating quickly to show loading. At last, Jeremy's been dumped into a chatroom. There is one other user, named: "Quetza." Jeremy is named, fittingly, Anonymous.

Quetza: Hello.
Quetza: Are you there?
Anonymous:  Who is this? And is your last name Coatl?
Quetza: A good guess, but I'm afraid not. It's just an assumed name. Congratulations on making it in at just the right time. Anonymous: Right time for what?

Jeremy shrugs. Interesting marketing technique. But he was never in for viral marketing.

Quetza: It is as I said. Nine hundred and ninety nine people came here before you. You were the one thousandth. If you had come a few moments later, I would not be speaking to you. If you had come earlier, I would not be speaking to you.
Quetza: But that's all water under the bridge. I am here to learn.
Quetza: And I believe you can help me.
Anonymous:  Why the thousandth? Why not the first?
Anonymous:  What do you want to learn?

Quetza: Culture. History. Arithmetic, as seen through the eyes of the common man.
Quetza: But, more personally, I am also looking for something more intimate. I need you, for just one moment, to trust me. Would you do this?

Jeremy rolls his eyes.

Anonymous:  Sexy singles in my area? Why wouldn't I want to know more?
Quetza: A cultural joke, I presume? But fine, that approaches initial consent more than enough.
Quetza: See you soon.
Quetza has disconnected.

"Well. That was odd." Jeremy stares at the screen for a moment. It... wasn't an ad? He takes a screenshot anyway, and posts it on the forum thread that sent him the link.  Suddenly, there's a noise. A sort of hum- no, a whine. High pitched, at just the right tone to make the man's teeth rattle most uncomfortable. The lights begin to flare as the whine intensifies, an electric noise that seeps inside of Jeremy's mind, more and more and- Ah! The lights went out! Everything went out, in fact. Jeremy is now staring at a blank screen. But... But, suddenly, behind him, a faint light begins to bloom. Slowly at first, but with rising intensity, a great luminosity fills the room. As he turns around, he beholds something utterly impossible.

Tall, regal, possessed of the most elegant and finely authoritative eyes... Her regalia glimmers, purely from the radiance her alabaster coat projects. And her mane! Why, the animation from which she is recognizable does no justice to it. It is like staring into an aurora borealis- only, instead of a curtain, it's a countless array of long, gorgeous hair that changes color constantly. The light she projects is warm, soft, and forgiving- its very presence lightens the burden of life on Jeremy's body; aches he had gotten used to fade away in that light. The majestic pony, with her gorgeous furled wings and her long horn, smiles softly, lovingly, and speaks. And her voice was so sonorous and so smooth that there could no doubt that this was indeed a goddess.

"Hello, Jeremy. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

Jeremy does the most sophisticated thing he can think of: He closes his mouth. Then he falls over. Balance is not on the list of reactions to seeing a goddess materialize in your bedroom. Thankfully, knocking his head against the desk is sufficient to draw him out of his awed stupidity. He stands, rubbing his head, and looks at the divine beast before him. "You're Celestia. A pony. But ponies aren't real." he manages, despite the evidence before him.

"Clearly," says Celestia, leaning her head down, eyes set on Jeremy in an expression of divine understanding. "That is not the case. I do understand that you must be confused, perhaps even a little scared. But let me first say that I am not here to hurt you." She smiles, raising her head up once again, looking down on him with simple expression.

Jeremy's fluttering heart slows to a pace that could merely be described as rocketing. "You're real? There really is an Equestria?" Realization slowly dawns. "Could I give you a hug?" The mixture of shame, desire, and fear in his eyes is nearly heartrending.

She opens her mouth, as though to speak- before closing it again, thinking better of it. Her eyes look over Jeremy's body for a moment, and she seems to consider that she can best resolve each of those questions by acquiescing to his one request. She steps forward simply, wings spreading wide and forward, wrapping easily around Jeremy's body and bringing him closer with a gentle touch.

Jeremy barely moves as the wings envelop him, not daring to crush the dream being bared before him. As her wingtips touch Jeremy's back, he lurches forwards, awkward, gangly, nervous, but more than anything else... happy. He doesn't care how he looks, focusing solely on the fact that he is hugging a goddess. His arms wrap slowly around her neck, sliding through her fur, not even thinking that the oils of his skin must be blasphemy against fur that perfect. He closes his eyes, resting his head against her neck, a solitary tear drifting down his cheek and sliding smoothly off of her fur.

Celestia holds that position, that sweet embrace, her breath steady- so close that her heart beat was palpable to the human. And she, in turn, felt the wetness of his tear, and she understood. This human lived in a world without gods- or at least, gods who show themselves directly. It was not her affair to judge this realm, but it was not her style to remain above her subject. So, she allowed him to continue to press his body against hers, let him feel the fur so soft and warm and delicate, so welcoming and pure that he feels a little more pure for its touch. After a very long time, she speaks. It's quiet, only just loud enough for him to hear.

"I wish to take you to Equestria... But I cannot do so freely. Would you be willing to hear me out, Jeremy?"

Jeremy breaks the embrace, finally meeting Celestia's eyes. "...I want to. More than anything. But I have to know why. Why me? Why the 1000th visitor?"

"Because of the way in which I broke the boundaries to get here." She looks around, eyes neutral. "Magic is as magic does- I have had a very long time to explore it, and that is the first conclusion I had ever made. I had to find sentient life here. I did. I had to reject nine hundred and ninety nine applicants, and accept the one thousandth. And I did. And now I must make an offer to you." Celestia keeps her wings around him, looking down with a regal hope, and a certain command of authority.

"Would you come to Equestria with me? If you do, you must become a pony. If you do, you will become a mare. And if you do, you will bear my foals. But in return, I will gain an understanding of your universe, and of my own. I will not abandon you, Jeremy- on the contrary, I will stay with you faithfully for the rest of your days- and as a pony, your days will be long. Centuries, at the least."

Jeremy would have sat were he not ensconced in the wings of the love he knew he could never have. "I don't understand..." The confusion and fear in his eyes is apparent. "I understand being a pony, but why a girl? And how does that even work? You are a girl." His ramblings trail off. He's in shock. This is too much, too soon. Ponies, real? A chance to go to Equestria? To be with Princess Celestia? "Why me?" he asks rhetorically, unbelieving that he, of all people, could deserve such a gift.

"As I said." Celestia rises, one wing remaining, set loosely onto Jeremy's shoulder. "You were the thousandth to seek me. And as to my gender, well..." She smiles, and winks. "That is only a minor hurdle. But please, do think about it. This is an offer that will be given once. To you. You make your choice as you wish, but once you do, you must live with the consequences of that choice forever." Her magenta eyes look down on him, sweetly, no judgement present. She would be satisfied with his answer regardless of what it was, wouldn't she? But then, that wasn't so. She had crossed time and space to make this happen.

"I just... I can't. This is a gift. A treasure! Anyone would be mad to say no! Spend centuries in paradise with a goddess? That's not even a question!" He gestures downwards throwing his arms out as if he could shed his body. "This is a shell. Not an identity. I would change shells in a heartbeat to be with you. But this is too much! A wish fulfilled, for no cost. What is the condition? What is it I am missing that makes this anything other than what it appears to be?"

"It is as I said. You will become a pony- the thing you call 'humanity,' your 'shell' will be gone to you forever. As will this world." Celestia looks about. "This spell works once, and only once. I can bring you to Equestria, but I cannot take you back to Earth again." She kneels down, speaking at level with him. "If you come with me, the brood mare and wife of a goddess, you will never see your human friends or your human family again. This is the price you must pay for my curiosity." She pauses. "... If it were not important that I understand this world, I would not undertake such a disruptive ritual."

Jeremy thinks for a moment, staring into those magenta orbs he desires so much. "Why. Why do you need to understand us?" He glances around at his messy room, his faded posters, his dirty clothes. "What could we possibly add to paradise?"

"Paradise?" Celestia simply smiles- but it's a little more bittersweet. "It's a compliment to my ruling that you think that. But it's not true. We have wars, in Equestria. We have strife. Adversities of all sorts. Life is better in Equestria then it is here, but there are questions that I cannot answer without doing this. First and foremost, Jeremy." She breathes out, slowly. "How do you know my name?"

Jeremy hiccups. Then laughs. He doubles over laughing. Tears stream down his eyes. "You- You aren't going to believe this." He turns to his computer, now wrecked, and frowns. "Well. I guess I can't show you. But we have a TV show. Like a play, but with pictures instead of actors. It's called My Little Pony. It's a cartoon designed to sell dolls to little girls. But the writing is good enough that guys watch it too." He thinks about this for a moment, turning back to the princess. "I'm biasing this, aren't I? Life won't be like the show."

Celestia takes this information fairly, looking at him as though it were the most reasonable thing in the world, rather than the rambling of an absolute mad man that such a statement should be taken as. "I would imagine not. If it is for children, and focuses on my Equestria, at a time reasonably close to the modern day, then it is logical that it would focus on my bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They have had hard lives at times, and I cannot imagine it would all be wholesome for children to watch. But, if you believe my world a paradise, then it cannot be too far off from the truth. But how would your human writers know of my world?" She stares down at him, as though asking for an answer. "In the end, taking you will give me the answers I seek. So then, Jeremy... Would you accept my offer?"

Jeremy looks like he is about to nod, but his eyes dim. "One more question. How? How would you know about us? I would tell you anything I know, but I could not tell you how the writers would find their ideas. How would taking me give you that answer?"

"It is not you, in fact, though you are instrumental." Celestia sighs softly, seeming to swallow the urge to provide a simple lie. "I do hope you appreciate the effort here- I am attempting to avoid a lie by omission, because I want to make sure you understand what is being offered. You will be important to my education about the nature of existence... because of our children together. With the remnants of earth patterned forever on your fundamental being, our foals will be able to acquire cutie marks relevant to what I need to know. There is also a chance that I am wrong- that we have many dozens of children, and that none of them will be able to provide the answers I seek. But it is my only avenue, my only chance to learn this. And it falls on you- what will you choose, Jeremy?" Her magenta eyes appraise him gently.

Jeremy falls backwards on the seat, horror growing in his eyes. "The cutie marks of our children..." he murmurs. A potential future flows before his eyes. Him, happy with Celestia. Foals. His foals. Prancing, happy. Gorgeous. Then... His head sinks into his hands. "I can't. I just can't." He looks up, tears streaming from his eyes. "Earth has many wonders, but to share them indiscriminately? We could advance medicine and technology by a hundred years, but warfare too. Mustard gas. Biological warfare. Nukes." He goes pale, and his voice shrinks. "I want to. I want to go with you more than anything. But I could not be the one that unleashes that on Equestria. I love it... I love you, too much." He lurches forwards, wrapping his arms around the pony, for what may be the last time.

Thankfully, that is not to be.  "Have faith in our children, if indeed we have them. I will be there to watch over them, and to watch over their children, and theirs, and theirs." She leans down, wrapping her neck around his, wings embracing him once more. "Ponykind are not warriors by nature, and our children will be no different. And your world, your Earth has seen these horrors, and it has moved on. Your people are natural fighters, who have had to build themselves up without magic, and without goddesses. You are still here. So why do you think we wouldn't be?"

Jeremy grins a wide, manic grin, before burying his face in the fur of her neck. "That's all I needed to hear." His muffled voice barely escapes her satin fur. "Please, take me to Equestria."

Celestia nods, and takes a step back. Her horn lights, showering them both in its glorious glow. Jeremy's body feels lifted up into a softer realm, where all the problems of eternity melt away... His room fades away- the last thing he would see of Earth- and the two appear above a galaxy.

The blue luminousness of the galaxy below them engulfs Jeremy, as Celestia looks on. He feels the weight leave his body, and sees the goddess- no, sees his goddess nod with approval. And it begins. Every seam in his clothing comes undone all at once, flying away from him and burning up in the cosmos. Next, the assorted fabrics slide away easily, flapping in the celestial wind- It took a handful of seconds, but Jeremy is now naked. Then, the real changes start. His hands and legs extend from his body, growing shorter as hands curl up into balls, soon fusing into a singular mass- shiny black hooves, complete with lovingly shorn fetlocks. Speaking of, a gorgeously rich gray coat spreads across his body- slowly at first, but picking up speed moment by moment. And where it goes, changes follow. His chest becomes a smooth barrel as his neck extends- in one jerk of his head, his face goes from a human flatness to the feminine, gorgeous muzzle of a pony. All he does is blink, and his eyes follow suit, becoming large and beautiful, his much more sizable irises a beautiful gold in counterbalance to the remainder of this color scheme. The fur continues to expand along Jeremy's body, legs soon twisting and bending into digitigrade, a long tail sprouting out above Jeremy's now very shapely rump. A strong tingling sensation overwhelms his genitals, the cock hardening before hrinking down, down, down, his sack doing the same. It retracts into his body, then splits apart into a new, fresh, plump mare vagina. Pony ears sprout from her head as her long, gorgeous silvery mane sprouts out majestically behind her, and a cute little pony horn shoots out from her forehead, a cute little nub, that no doubt holds substantial power. Last but not least, on her rump, appears the mark of a thin red crystal surrounded by stylized gold.

"How do you feel?" asks Celestia, approaching her as the celestial backdrop fades, to reveal a lavish castle bedroom. Weight returns to Jeremy's new body, and she feels very hefty indeed. But... Noticeably lighter.

Jeremy gasps, taking the first breath of the rest of her life. She's a pony. A pony! She dances with joy, hooves skittering against the marble of the floor. She looks at up the gorgeous Princess before her. "Awed. I feel awed. How could I feel anything else, when I know it will be with you?"