"What in tarnation are you supposed to be?" Applejack asked in disbelief.
"Applejack, be nice!" Twilight Sparkle hissed. "I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse her. Allow us to introduce ourselves, I'm-"
"Twilight Sparkle...?" I asked, more than stated. She quirked a brow and nodded.
"Um...Yeah, how'd you guess?" She asked in wonder.
"Ooh, ooh! Me next, guess my name next!" Pinkie said with a wide grin.
"Pinkie Pie...Then, Rainbow Dash...Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack...What is...?" I felt my heart pound faster, completely shocked by what was going on.
"How'd you guess all of our names?" Dash asked, now fully standing on her own, and being the first of the six to do so. Though, she was still a bit shaky in the knees.
"I...watch your show." I replied slowly. Applejack raised a brow at me. "Show? What show? I ain't signed up for no show!" She said defiantly.
"Oh, I don't know what to ask first! What he means by show, where we are, or what we are!" Rarity said dramatically.
"Hoo, boy..." I sighed, before I filled them in on the details.
"So...You're telling us that we're television characters...?" Dashie asked, a bit disappointed.
"Yes...But, that doesn't mean you should go questioning your existence, or anything!" I assured her.
"Oh, yeah? And why not?" She shot back.
"Well, you're here, aren't you?" I stated. She blinked in response, not having a comeback. Applejack, who was the second to master standing on two legs, chuckled and nudged her friend.
"Heh. He's gotcha there," She chuckled, earning a glare from the multi-hair-colored girl.
"And you're telling us that we're no longer ponies, but...'Humans.' Whatever those are..." Twilight clarified, mumbling the last sentence. I nodded in confirmation.
It was about an hour after they had fallen from nowhere onto me, and they seemed to be taking this information very well.
"Well...What should we do...?" Fluttershy asked sadly, closing her eyes and lowering her head. Applejack rubbed her back comfortingly.
"Don't you worry none, sugarcube, everything'll be okay...Right, Twi?" She said confidently.
"Um...R-right!" Twilight replied hesitantly, earning an unamused face from AJ.
"Goodness, where will we go?" Rarity then asked. I gulped and decided to speak up.
"Um...Well, I can help," I said in a murmur, shyly looking away. Applejack gave me a skeptical look and approached me.
"Now hold on a minute, now. We just barely metcha, what makes ya think we can trust ya? What if you're the one who made us this way? Ah have half'a mind to buck you so far away you'll be flyin' further than Dashie here ever could." She said defensively.
"AJ! He's just trying to be polite!" Twilight scolded. "I'm sorry about her, but we couldn't impose like that. This is our issue and we can solve it ourselves," Twilight replied with a confident smile.
"Really, it's no imposition." I replied with a friendly smile.
"You're sure?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
"Positive. I'm...I'm all alone for a little while, so it could give me something to do." I replied sadly. All of their expressions softened and they looked right at me.
"All alone? What about your parents?" Dashie asked.
"Mom's out on a business trip for her job..." I replied, purposefully only answering on my mom's behalf.
"Does she leave for business often?" Rarity asked. I nodded my head in response.
"Well, what about your dad?" Pinkie asked with a smile. My eyes instantly drew away from the girls, and I shrugged, mumbling something as Fluttershy would.
"What was that?" Twilight asked.
"I...I dunno my dad. He left my family when I was a kid..." I replied.
"Oh, you poor dear..." Rarity cooed, approaching me and pulling me into an embrace. I didn't hug back, only let my arms hang at my side. Sensing this, Rarity pulled away with a small smile, standing next to the others.
"Well, don'tcha have any big brothers, or little sisters?" Applejack asked, tilting her head to the side a bit. My heart instantly clenched up and I shook my head.
"He... He's gone." I began, but I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to let any tears drop.
"Like...Like your dad, or...?" Twilight asked hesitantly. I shook my head no, clenching onto the dog tags that hung around my neck.
"Oh, my...What happened?" Fluttershy asked, placing one hand over her heart, and the other over mine.
"He, uh...He passed away...A while ago." I replied shakily, remembering the night I found out all too clearly.
"How?" Pinkie asked straight-forwardly, earning a sharp jab to the side from Rainbow Dash.
"I, uh...I'd really rather not get into it..." I whispered, struggling to keep the tears at bay.
"Oh, I...I'm sorry. We shouldn'ta pressed the matter." AJ said with a sad smile. I cleared my throat and waved my hand, as if waving away the situation.
"It's fine, I don't care," I said, lying through my teeth. I opened my eyes to find the girls looking at me with soft smiles.
"Well, in that case, I think we'd all really appreciate it if you allowed us to board with you until we find a way out of this mess," Rarity said.
"Yes, thank you very much! Thanks, Mister ...Um..." Fluttershy began, then started to mumble.
"That's right, we never even got your name." Twilight explained.
"Oh. I'm Alex. Barkhorn." I said, extending my hand. Twilight brought her hand out as well, and cupped it tenderly in mine. Her hands were soft and delicate, and we shook.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alex." She said with a kind smile.
"The pleasure is mine, Twilight Sparkle," I replied with a smile of my own. "Now, if you'll follow me. Your temporary home awaits." I said. They smiled and nodded happily, following me to my home, and what would later be theirs as well.