Twilight returned home from running her morning errands. Upon entering, she sees Greg sitting at the table reading one of her books. "What are you reading, Greg?" She asks.
Greg groans as he pushes the book away from him and rests his head on his hands. "The History of Equestrian Politics." He says, causing Twilight to wince.
"I'm sorry, Greg." She says, sympathizing with his pain. "Do you want me to leave so you can concentrate on that?" She asks.
Greg shakes his head. "Nah. I've only read a couple of chapters and I think I understand it already."
Twilight levitates her saddlebag onto the table. "In any case, I got you some lunch." She says, taking out a bag and setting it on a table. "I wasn't a hundred percent sure on your diet, so I got a couple of daisy sandwiches and a small order of hay fries." She continues.
Greg opens the bag and takes out its contents. "That'll work for now." He says, taking a small bite of the sandwich.
Satisfied with her choice in meals for the human, Twilight trots back to the door. "I'll be back after a while, Greg." She says. "I'm going to see if I can get the mayor to come here to talk to you." She finishes, leaving the library once again.
Not long after Greg finishes his lunch, the door opens and in comes Spike. "Hey, Greg." He greets.
Greg looks up from his notes. "Oh, hey Spike. How was your thing with Rarity?" He asked, returning to writing notes.
"Not bad. We ended up acquiring more jewels than she needed, so she'll give us some." He says, hopping onto a chair next to Greg.
"Us?" He asks, looking at the baby dragon. "As in you and Twilight, or...?" He trailed off.
"As in you and me." Spike finishes.
Greg looked worried. "What does she want me to do for her in exchange?" He asks. Spike looked puzzled from the question. "Sorry. You know I'm new here, but I find it odd that she would just give some jewels to someone she doesn't know." Greg explains.
Spike scoffs. "She represents the element of generosity. She doesn't need a reason." He says.
Greg snaps his fingers. "Right, one of the bearers of the... Elements of Harmony?" He asks. Spike nods. Greg shakes his head. "I still find it odd that concepts like harmony and chaos would have physical manifestations." He says.
Spike hops off the table and starts upstairs. "Welcome to Equestria, Greg."
An hour passes before Twilight returns to the library. "I'm back." She says in a frustrated tone. "She agreed to come here, but it won't be until next week." She continued, sitting across from a busy Greg.
"Next week. No problem." He says, continuing taking notes.
"Greg?" She calls. Greg breaks away from his notes. "What are your people like?" She asks.
Greg puts down the quill he was using. "What do you want to know?" He asks.
The possibilities were endless, Twilight thought. She was racing through a series of questions in her mind, deciding which one to begin with. "Since your lunch today, I was wondering what your peoples' diet consisted of." She says.
"I guess we can start with that." He says with a nod, then passes the quill to Twilight. "You might want to get some paper, also." He says with a smile.
Greg knew she wouldn't be satisfied with just asking one question, so they covered a lot of topics: politics, religion, human cultures; you know, the usual stuff. When he told her that his species was omnivorous, she got worried, but he assured her that humans were quick to adapt to new dietary circumstances. One topic she was more nervous about covering was Greg's time as an abductee. He understood her reluctance, as there had been a lot of painful memories as there had been good ones, but it was a topic he wanted to get off his chest and share his experiences with the Ponyville scholar. Thinking about it gave him a chuckle.
"What's funny?" Twilight asks.
"I just think this would make good sci-fi." He says before clearing his throat.
"Uh... before we start with this topic, I'm going to have to get more parchment." She says, setting down her quill and tidying up her notes on Greg thus far. "I'll be right back."
Twilight leaves the library once more. Greg puts his notes into the Equestrian politics book and closes it before standing up. He examines the wall of books, looking for something to read. His attention was fixed on a line of Daring Do books. "Number one: Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone..." he read before plucking it out of the bookcase. He examines the cover. "Okay..." he utters quietly before sitting back down to start reading it.
Greg found it odd that he was able to read their language. It turned out Celestia's translation spell not only gave him the ability to understand their spoken language, but their written language as well. Maybe he can use this to properly diagnose the shuttle's problems. It was lucky for everyone that both Celestia and Luna tucked it away in Canterlot Castle.
The door opens, Twilight is back again. Greg sets the book down and looks over to her. "That was quick." He observed.
"You think twenty minutes is quick?" She asked before seeing her Daring Do book on the table and laughs. "So... what do you think?" She asks, referring to the book.
"I don't know, I'm still on the first chapter." He answers. Twilight organizes the parchment before putting it away, save for a healthy stack for her to start taking notes on his time in space.
"Whenever you're ready, Greg." Twilight says, dipping the quill into the ink bottle.
Greg taps on his chin, figuring out where to begin and thought it'd be a good idea to start with some time before his and Kate's abduction.
"Who's Kate?" Twilight asks, continuing to write down her notes.
"Kate was my girlfriend." He said flatly, closing his eyes and forcing back any tears the painful memory might induce.
Twilight stops writing and lowers her notes. "I'm so sorry, Greg." She said with a remorseful tone. "Do you want to stop for the day?" She asked.
Greg shakes his head. "I'll be fine." He answered with a quiet sigh. "Besides, I really want to get this off my chest."
He continues, detailing his first weeks; how his captors would shuffle roommates every month; the weekly visit to the commons and befriending Stor.
Greg continued talking about his experiences for an hour before the library's front door opens. Rarity enters with her own saddlebag. "Good afternoon, Twilight dear!" She greets. "And to you as well, Greg." She continues.
Greg nods at Rarity and smiles. "Afternoon." He responds. "What brings you here?" He asks.
Rarity glances over at Twilight. "Let me guess..." she opens flatly, "you forgot to tell him."
Twilight's ears flatten, looking over to Greg. "I invited Rarity over to give you a shave and a haircut." She explains. "I hope you don't mind."
Greg waves it off. "Nah." He answers. "I haven't had either in over a year."
Rarity couldn't contain her excitement. "Oh, thank you, Greg!" She lets out before composing herself. "I will do my best to make you look presentable for next week." She continues, letting out a low hum. "If you don't mind, Greg... I'd like to make you some proper clothing as well."
Greg examines the robes his captors gave him. "That would be a good idea." He admits.
Rarity nods. "Yes it would be." She says. "We can't have you meeting everypony without proper attire." She continued before focusing on Twilight. "You'll have to teleport him to the boutique later so I can get started on that."
Rarity levitates her saddlebag onto the floor, opening it up to reveal her grooming instruments, which include various brushes and combs, a pair of scissors, a barber's apron and what appears to be a straight razor. Greg sees this and his eyes widen. Rarity returns his expression with an almost insulted look on her face. "Don't be nervous." She says. "I have plenty of experience with this." She assures him before organizing her tools.
She begins by attaching the apron to Greg and levitates the scissors toward them. "How short do you want me to cut it?" She asks.
"Surprise me." He says. "I'm just glad I'm getting this taken care of."
Rarity begins brushing the knots out of Greg's hair. Each stroke would elicit a quiet groan. She pauses before the next one. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"
Greg shakes his head. "No. I haven't exactly had any way to groom myself during my captivity, so it's only natural for those knots to pop up." He answers. "Keep going."
Rarity complies, brushing his hair for more than fifteen minutes. She would brush it back to get the longest parts behind his neck. "Are you sure you want this gone?" She asks. "I think a ponytail would look spectacular on you." She suggests.
"Cut it all. I'm used to having short hair."
Rarity obliges, cutting off the impressive length of hair. "I'm going to save this, Greg." She says, setting it on the table behind her before continuing the haircut.
While working on the top, front and sides, she would brush out the remaining knots. Once she was satisfied with the job, she levitates a mirror in front of Greg. "What do you think?"
He examines his hair in the mirror. It had finally been straightened back and trimmed down to a length that allowed him to feel the cool air on his head. He smiles and looks at Rarity. "I love it." He says. "It's perfect."
Rarity's next step would be to shave Greg's beard. She begins by applying some kind of cream on the entirety of the beard, using her magic to lather it in. She examines her work and nods. "I'll let that soak in for a while before I start." She says.
The library's door opens once more, this time Applejack and Apple Bloom walk in. "Howdy Twi." Applejack says. "Rarity." Then she looks over to Greg. "And our hero."
Greg looks over at the Apple sisters. "I didn't think I'd see you two again so soon."
Applejack chuckles. "To be honest, Ah didn't think Ah would either. Like the hair by the way."
Rarity levitates the razor. "I'm sorry to cut your conversation short, Applejack, but I need Greg to be still while I shave his beard."
Greg tilts his head back as Rarity begins on his beard. He could barely feel the razor on his face as it strips away the beard one section at a time.
Apple Bloom examines some of the notes Twilight had taken on Greg. "What's this all about, Twilight?" She asks.
Twilight levitates the notes and reorganizes them. "They're my notes on Greg's life on the alien ship." She answers.
"Fascinating..." Rarity says almost in a disinterested tone, concentrating on the beard.
Applejack harrumphs at Rarity's comment. "As a freed subject, thanks to Greg here, I definitely would find it interestin'." She says. Apple Bloom agrees.
Twilight chuckles slightly. "It has been an interesting story so far, but according to him, he barely scratched the surface."
The Apple sisters share a confused expression. "There's more?" Applejack asks.
Twilight nods. "Yes, but he won't be able to cover anything else until he can examine the shuttle." She says. "Apparently the Princess' translation spell covers written languages as well as spoken. Evidence for that is he was reading a Daring Do novel when I returned."
Rarity finishes shaving the beard and proceeds to clean his face of any shaving cream that was left behind. "There! All done!" She proclaims.
Greg examines his face once more and smiles. "It's so nice to be clean shaven again."
Rarity strikes a prideful smile. "I must say you do clean up nicely." The other ponies in the room look over at him and nod in agreement.
Apple Bloom trots up to Greg and gives him a quick hug. "Ah'm glad to know you're doin' alright."
Greg returns the hug. "Thanks."
Apple Bloom returns to her sister. "Ah'm gonna go find Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and bring 'em over."
Before she could run off, Applejack stops her sister. "Now wouldn't be the best time, Apple Bloom."
"Yeah, we should probably wait until after his meeting with the mayor." Twilight adds.