> Geoverse Part One: To Friend Is Human
>  by GeodesicDragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As I walked along the darkened and quiet streets, I had time to reflect. Here I was, just finishing a late shift at the warehouse, while other people my age were getting shit-faced in bars and clubs across the city.

I dismissed my thoughts of loneliness with a sigh. I still had another shift to do tomorrow, so sleep was a priority right now. While everyone else would be packing mighty hangovers, I would be busy packing customer's orders — and I was going to make damn sure that I didn't do it while I was tired.

I approached the traffic lights, and saw that they were red. Since there was hardly any traffic I started to cross the road when suddenly, I heard a noise. I turned around to see a car barrelling towards me at high speed.

"Holy fuck!" I screamed, running the rest of the way across the road as fast as my legs would carry me. The car sped past, and I managed to get a closer look at it. It was mostly full of drunken teenagers; the driver looked to be the one of them who was sober. "You fucking idiot!" I shouted after him. "Just because the roads are deserted doesn't mean you can skip a red light!". I then flipped him off, just to get my point across.

As I started walking down the road, I heard the squealing of brakes. I stopped walking, and looked around to see that the car was turning around and heading back towards me. "Well, shit," I said to myself. "It would appear that this guy doesn't like being told off." I could have ran, but my legs didn't want to move, and my brain was telling me you can handle the driver, because his friends are too drunk to do anything.

The car screeched to a halt next to me, and the driver slowly wound down the window. A strong smell of cannabis escaped the vehicle. His friends were rolling around in the back seat, roaring with laughter.

The driver glanced back at his friends, and then looked at me with narrowed eyes. "Have you got something to say to me, you cunt?" he growled, his voice dripping with venom.

"You nearly killed me, you fucking idiot," I replied, staring him down in an attempt to show that he couldn't intimidate me.

"So what if I did?" he hissed. "You shouldn't have been in the road."

"It was a red light!" I protested. The driver sighed briefly before he opened the door and stepped out of the car. He placed his hands on the roof and stretched while I looked on in confusion. "What the fuck are you doing?" I enquired.

The answer came in the form of a fist connecting with the side of my head. I went down instantly, having been caught off-guard.

"Ow, fuck!" I looked up at the driver and saw that his eyes were full of fury and his face was completely red. Then, without warning, he let out a scream of pure, unbridled, fury.

"I've had just enough bullshit for today!" he shouted, entering into a rant. "First of all: I draw designated driver for these morons so I can't drink, I can't take a joint because there are cops are all over the place, and now I have some dick telling me off about my driving!"

I began to realise that yelling at him wasn't exactly the best idea. Come to think of it, neither was flipping him off. I could see that the driver was breathing rapidly, his left eye had developed a rather worrisome tic, his teeth were gritted — and he seemed ready to be tipped over the edge. So rather than let him I tried scrambling to my feet, ready to run.

"I'm not finished with you yet!" the driver roared, delivering a kick to my stomach. I went down on my back, with my legs in the air like a helpless animal. The kick had winded me, and I struggled to catch my breath. "I'm going to teach you a lesson in respect!"

He jumped on me, pinning me to the ground and started delivering a volley of punches to my face and chest. I groaned and spluttered in agony as the blows rained down and I soon came to realise that I was powerless to defend myself. This guy was much stronger than me, so I couldn't push him off, and the way he was on top of me prevented me from using my legs to kick him. So, with this in mind, I did the only thing I could — I stopped struggling and played dead.

It took a moment for him to realise that I had stopped moving. Panting, he looked down at me, sweat dripping from his brow. Every drop that landed on my face made me want to wipe it off, but I resisted my instincts. As far I was concerned, this was my only chance of getting out of this alive. Me and my big mouth...

The driver slowly stood up. His friends had been watching the whole thing, and now started at him in awe. "Jesus Christ, Derek," one of them said. "That was awesome!"

"Yeah, you sure showed him," said another. "But, dude... I think he's dead." He tried to stifle a laugh.

"Only one way to be sure," Derek replied. I slowly opened one eye and watched as he reached into the car and took something out.

A gun.

Upon seeing it, I was unable to restrain myself any longer. I scrambled to my feet as fast as I could and ran.

"He was faking it!" shouted the third of Derek's friends. "He's getting away! Get him, man!"

Derek turned round and saw me running down the street. He cocked the gun. "Gotcha." he took aim, then pulled the trigger.

I went down instantly, pain searing through my back from where the bullet had struck me. Behind me, I heard Derek and his friends getting back into the car and leaving. I was relieved; at least he didn't shoot me again, just to make sure I was actually dead.

I stared blankly at the night sky, trying in vain to apply some pressure to the hole in my back. Despair filled me as I realised that there was nobody around. I was alone, bleeding, scared... and dying. I started to think that maybe he should have finished me off.

My life flashed before my eyes, and I felt darkness overtake me.


***


I opened my eyes to see the blue sky above. I could hear birds singing, and I felt a gentle breeze caressing my face. I tried to sit up, hoping to enjoy this new-found tranquillity.

I suddenly felt a sharp pain, which forced a scream from my lips. Feeling around my body, I discovered that the bullet wound was still there, and that it was still bleeding. For one brief glorious moment, I had forgotten what had happened to me.

I looked around. "Why has nobody helped me yet?" I asked. "You'd think that a guy lying bleeding in the middle of a busy street would be the focus of at—" I cut myself off as I finally saw that I wasn't in the street at all, and that I was surrounded on all sides by a thick wall of trees. The colour drained from my face as I began shouting, hoping to get someone's attention. But at the same time, I also tried to accept that maybe – just maybe – I was done for.


***


Twilight Sparkle sighed. She had spent all day re-shelving the library, and she was famished. Her stomach grumbled.

"Come on, Spike," she said. "I think that'll do for today. Let's go to Sugarcube Corner and get some lunch."

The little dragon groaned. "If it's all right with you, Twilight, I'd rather take a nap," he moaned. "I'm really tired after all that work." He yawned and stretched his arms, looking at Twilight pleadingly.

"Okay, Spike," Twilight giggled. "Go right ahead; you've worked hard today, so it's the least you deserve."

Spike grinned and climbed the stairs of the library. There was a creak as he got into bed, followed by silence.

Twilight left the library, closing the door gently behind her. It was a glorious spring day, the market was in full swing, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She started walking to the bakery, greeting ponies as she passed them by.

As she approached Sugarcube Corner, she stopped in her tracks. A strange sound, which to her ears sounded like screaming, filled the air. She craned her head to try and hear it better.

"HEY, TWILIGHT! WHATCHA DOIN'?" the voice suddenly exploded in her ears like a firework.

"Gaaaahhhh!" Twilight winced as she turned to the owner of the voice — a pink pony with an equally pink mane. "Pinkie Pie, what have I told you about doing that?" She glared at the cheery Earth mare, who simply gave her a cheeky smile in return.

"Sorry, Twilight. I just saw you standing like that and wondered what you were doing," Pinkie replied. "Are you playing a game? Ooh, I love games!" she bounced on the spot eagerly.

"No, Pinkie." Twilight rolled her eyes, although a smile did grace her face. "I wasn't playing a game, it's just that... I heard screaming."

Pinkie looked at her before craning her head in the same way Twilight had been doing. After a moment, she shook her head. "Hmm... nope," she chirped, "I can't hear anything." Twilight's stomach rumbled again and Pinkie grinned. "It was probably your stomach! You just need something to eat!"

Twilight sighed. "Maybe I was just hearing things," she said. Pinkie nodded and rushed into Sugarcube Corner, leaving a bemused Twilight standing outside. "I'm sure I heard something." She said quietly to herself. "And whatever it was, it didn't sound good."


***


I had been screaming for what seemed like hours, and my voice was hoarse. Crestfallen, I finally decided to stop.

"It doesn't look like anyone is coming," I said quietly to myself. "If I want to get out of this alive, I need to get my act together!"

Using every ounce of my strength, I stood up, ignoring the horrific pain. I glanced down at the ground, and saw a lot of blood staining the grass which I was lying on.

My blood.

"How in the hell am I still alive?" I muttered. "By all rights I should be a corpse by now!" I looked around at my surroundings. I was still in the forest clearing, but I could see what looked like a small town to my west. "Oh, thank fuck." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Civilisation! Hopefully somebody can tell me where the hell I am."

I staggered to a nearby tree and leaned against it. The wound on my back was still bleeding, and moving made more blood ooze out. I grimaced from the pain. "I need to find some way of closing this," I said to myself. "I know how to apply a plaster to a cut, treat burns, and do the Heimlich Manoeuvre — but my First Aid course didn't exactly cover how to treat bullet wounds."

As I spoke, the loss of blood suddenly caught up with me and caused me to lose my balance. I instinctively grabbed out at a branch, tearing off some leaves in the process. Looking at my hand I could see that there was a small cut in it, so I used one of the leaves to dab at it. But then I stopped and mentally slapped myself.

"Nice one, you idiot!" I muttered, covering my face with my other palm. "It's probably Poison Oak or something." I sighed and waited for any kind of reaction. When nothing happened, I shrugged and used the leaves to plug the hole. "Well, it's not the best, but it'll do until I can get someone with a degree to look at it." I took a few deep breaths, enjoying the feeling of the crisp and clean air washing over my nostrils. "I'd better get a move on."

With those words I started walking towards the town in the distance, hoping and praying that I would find help.

And soon.
> Snatched Up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight Sparkle sat idly in Sugarcube Corner, occasionally nibbling at a cupcake, while her mind processed the sounds she was sure she had been hearing earlier. Was it screaming? she thought. If it was, then who was it?

"Hello?" a voice said. "Say, Twilight, are y'all in there?"

Twilight faced the owner of the voice to see that they were giving her a concerned look. "Sorry, Applejack," she replied. "I was just thinking about something. I guess I was miles away."

"What were ya thinkin' about, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "Is it somethin' that maybe I can help ya with?"

Twilight furrowed her brow. "Well, I'm not entirely sure," she said. "When I arrived here earlier, I'm pretty sure that I heard some strange noises coming from the Everfree Forest."

Applejack looked at her for a moment before waving a forehoof dismissively. "It's the Everfree Forest, Twilight," she said with a small smile. "Everypony knows all sorts of mighty strange noises can be heard comin' from that there creepy place."

"Does screaming count?" Twilight said bluntly.

The smile vanished from Applejack's face, a look of concern spreading across it instead. "Gosh, Twilight," she said. "That ain't the kind of thing anypony hears. Any idea who it could be?"

Twilight shook her head. "No," she replied. "All I do know is that the scream sounded masculine, so it could be a lost stallion."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Now what kinda stallion would be gettin' himself into trouble over there?" she asked, unable to keep the confusion out of her voice.

"I don't know." Twilight shrugged. "But whoever he is, he sounded like he needed help... so I'm going to go and find him."

"Not alone, ya ain't," Applejack said sternly. "Ah'll round up the others, and we'll help ya out."

"Thanks, Applejack. You're a good friend."

"You too, sugarcube. You too."

As Applejack left to find the others, Twilight looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Whoever you are..." she said softly. "And wherever you might be, I hope you're all right."


***


As the six friends headed into the Everfree Forest, Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that she was leading them on a wild goose chase.

What if I'm wrong? she thought. They probably only believed me because of what happened at my brother's wedding. That doesn't mean I'm always right.

"Um, Twilight?" the voice brought her back to reality. "How much further is it... if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't know, Fluttershy," Twilight replied. "Whoever, or whatever, was making the noise appears to be moving. So we need to move as fast as we can."

Twilight was at the front of the group, leading them in the general direction of the screaming she had heard earlier. Rainbow Dash was flying overhead, trying to get a better view of the surrounding area. Rarity was behind Twilight, trying her best not to step in the many puddles of mud and leaves which dot the track. And Applejack was behind Rarity, stepping in anything and everything that got in her way — much to the fashionista's disgust.

"Applejack, darling," Rarity said, turning to face her. "Could you please stop stomping in the mud like that? You'll get my coat dirty!" She pleaded, putting on her biggest puppy-dog eyes.

Applejack giggled. "Shoot, Rarity," she replied. "Ah'd love to, but there's plenty more mud ahead of us, so it's gonna be a might bit hard for y'all to stay clean."

Rarity groaned as Pinkie Pie was bounded around the group, chatting away happily. "I hope we find whoever we're looking for and that they're safe, that way I get to throw them a 'Glad You're Okay' party'!" she chirped. "Or, if they're hurt I can throw a 'Get Well Soon' party!" The rest of her words were an incoherent babble. 

At the back of the group was Fluttershy. She was looking at the ground, but every now and again she perked her head up as if she was listening out for something.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, turning to look at her. "What on Equestria are you doing back there?"

"Oh," Fluttershy replied. "I'm just, um, listening out for more cries."

"From the injured stallion?" Twilight queried.

"No, no," Fluttershy looked away from Twilight's gaze. "From injured animals. If a pony has been hurt, who's to say that whatever hurt them didn't hurt a bunny? Or a squirrel?" She let out a squeak. "Or a baby deer!"

"Oh, Fluttershy," Twilight replied. "I'm sure our stallion was hurt in some other way. I don't think that—"

"Everypony, get over here right now!" Rainbow Dash's panicked voice called. "You've gotta take a look at this!"

The other five mares, following the sound of Dash's voice, soon found themselves in a forest clearing and saw the pegasus standing in the middle of it. She looked up as they arrived — her face etched with an uncharacteristic look of fear.

"Rainbow Dash, what is it?" Rarity asked. "Are you okay?"

With a shaking hoof, Rainbow Dash pointed down at a spot of grass.

Soaked red with blood.


***


I had been walking for what felt like hours, but in reality was probably just ten minutes. No matter how far I walked, the town didn't seem to get any closer.

I glanced up at the sky and saw that it was getting dark.

"Shit," I said to myself. "I'd better haul ass and either get to civilisation, or find a place to hunker down for the night."

As I trudged through the muddy track, I kept thinking about the events that led me to this place. I remembered nearly being hit by a car. I remembered yelling at the driver. I remembered the beating he gave me.

I remembered him shooting me.

I felt the wound in my back and thanked whatever deity for those leaves I found. They seemed to be working well so far but since I didn't want to tempt fate, I grabbed another handful of them.

That's better, I thought. At least now, if the bleeding starts again, I won't have to shout and scream like a banshee to get some help.


***


The six ponies looked down at the large stain before them. It was a deep red, and was spreading in a ragged circular pattern.

"I knew it! I knew it!" a high pitched squeal followed the equally high pitched voice. Fluttershy was lying flat on the ground, hiding behind her wings. "Some evil creature has butchered a baby deer!" She started crying.

"Just a baby?!" Rainbow Dash said with a grimace. "It looks like something killed a whole family of deer!"

Fluttershy's crying became louder as Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash sternly. She opened her mouth to speak, but her attention was drawn to something nearby.

"Everypony, calm down," said Twilight. "It might not be a deer. It could have came from whatever was screaming."

"Uhhh, girls?" Applejack's voice had an unusually flat tone to it. "Git a load of this." She motioned to some tracks in the dirt. On closer inspection, they were definitely not made by a pony; they were unlike anything any of the six had ever seen before. Rainbow Dash brought her hoof alongside it, as if to compare. "What kind of monster do y'all reckon made these tracks?"

"I don't know," replied Twilight warily, looking in the direction the tracks were heading. "But whatever it is, it's headed for Ponyville." There was a collective gasp of horror from the others. "If it's heading for Ponyville, then we need to get back there as fast as we can, and warn everypony." She continued. "Rainbow Dash, can you fly back there and tell everypony to get indoors?"

Rainbow Dash flexed her wings and puffed out her chest. "You got it, Twilight!" she said, taking off as fast as she could.

Twilight turned to the others. "While she's doing that, we need to get back to the library so I can send a letter to Princess Celestia," the urgency of her words clearly felt by her friends.

As if on cue, they all broke away from the clearing, following the tracks towards Ponyville. As they ran, Applejack spoke up. "Now why in the hay do ya need ta send a letter ta the Princess?"

"We don't know what kind of creature we're dealing with," Twilight replied. "It could be dangerous, and we might need the Elements of Harmony to help subdue it."

"Are you sure it'll come to that, darling?" asked Rarity.

"I hope not, Rarity," Twilight lowered her head slightly. "But if it does, then we need to be ready."

Rarity nodded, and all five fell into silence as they continued running along the path back towards town.


***


Rainbow Dash was flying towards Ponyville as fast as her wings would carry her, feeling the adrenaline flowing through her body. "Come on, Dash! The girls are counting on you to warn everypony in town about the threat!" she said to herself. She dodged rocks and flew under trees as she pushed herself to the limit. Eventually, Ponyville came into view and she grinned. "Phew, I made it... and I think I broke my old record!"

Slowing down to a hover she looked around, seeing the town hall and Sugarcube Corner in the distance. But down in the forest below, she caught sight of something else and did a double take. "What on Equestria is that?!" she muttered. "I'd better go and take a look, in case I was seeing things."

The creature before her wasn't like anything she'd seen before, as it was walking on two legs instead of four. It had very little in the way of fur, except for on its head, it was wearing clothes — and it also appeared to be having difficulty walking.

As Rainbow Dash got closer she saw that it was leaving the same tracks Applejack found in the clearing, and that it was covered in blood. "It's the creature!" she gasped. "I've gotta do something!" She stopped to think for a moment before getting an idea.

She swooped down above the creature, which seemed oblivious to her presence. Summoning all her strength, she picked it up.

Now I've just gotta head back to find Twilight and the others, she thought. Celestia knows why I picked it up, though — this thing could be dangerous! I really should think things through first...

Suddenly, the creature became aware that it was a few hundred feet above the ground, and began screaming and thrashing as Rainbow Dash struggled to hold it.

And I hope I find them soon!


***


As I walked through the forest I came to realise that I wasn't going to make it to the town before nightfall, so my new priority became finding a safe place to sleep for the night. In the distance, I could make out a large tree with several thick branches that looked capable of supporting my weight.

That should do for now, I thought. I certainly don't want to stay on the ground. I carried on with my thoughts before I suddenly lost the feeling of the ground beneath my feet. Damn, I must be really tired. I stopped moving my legs and tried to bring my hands down to rub my feet, only to find that I couldn't move my arms.

"What the fuck?" I said as I glanced down. Needless to say, the sudden realisation of being nearly two hundred feet off the ground sent me into a screaming frenzy.

"Easy, buddy," a voice above me chimed. "I don't want to drop you... at least not yet."

I stopped screaming and looked up, only to find myself face to face with... a pony? It had a brilliant rainbow-coloured mane, as well as a pair of wings.

But this time, instead of screaming, I passed out from shock.


***


Twilight and the others panted and puffed furiously as they exited the forest, the main road to Ponyville now before them. Twilight wiped her brow with a forehoof and sighed. "All right, girls," she said. "Take a few moments to rest, and then we'll go and warn everypony about the creature."

"There's no need for that," a voice called. "Because I've managed to subdue it already!"

The girls looked up to see Rainbow Dash – who was carrying what they assumed to be the creature – flying towards them. She dropped her cargo, rather roughly, onto the ground and landed in front of her friends — who looked at her open-mouthed.

"Ya brought it here?" Applejack queried, to which Dash nodded. "Well then, Dash, might Ah be the first to ask..." She grabbed the pegasus and shook her. "How could y'all be so reckless?!"

Dash squirmed free from Applejack's grip. "I did what I had to do," she defended. "It's nowhere near Ponyville now, and the six of us should be able to keep an eye on it. I noticed that it was having difficulty walking – on two legs, by the way – so I think it might be hurt. Either that or it walks that way normally."

"Two legs?" Twilight mused, glancing at the creature. "Well it can't be a dragon, because it doesn't have scales like Spike does."

"And it can't be a Diamond Dog," Rarity offered. "Because they have a lot more fur... and they smell bad too."

Fluttershy looked at the creature. "I've never seen a critter like this before," she said softly. "So I'm afraid I can't offer any help."

"Well we can't just leave it here," Twilight said, shaking her head solemnly. "We need to figure out what we're going to do."

The six of them stood in silence for a few minutes, each of them contemplating what to do next. But it was Twilight who seemed more focused on the creature lying on the ground before them.

A whole new species! she thought. Oh, I really hope I get a chance to study it... providing it's not hostile, that is. She cocked her head slightly. But whatever it is, it sure does look strangely peaceful when its unconscious. She suppressed a giggle. It kinda reminds me of Spike, what with its arms tucked under its body like that. All it needs now is a blanket, and maybe a big bed, and it would be a near spitting image of my number one assistant.

"Pinkie Pie," Applejack said. "Y'all have been strangely quiet. What do you reckon we oughta do with this here thing?"

Pinkie Pie snapped her head towards Applejack, who could have sworn she heard a twanging noise. "Sorry, AJ," she replied. "I was just thinking about what a strange alien creature would like."

Applejack looked perplexed. "Why?"

"Duh!" Pinkie said, rolling her eyes and bopping Applejack on the nose. "So I can throw a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!"

"Pinkie, Ah seriously doubt that—"

Applejack was cut off as the creature let out a moan. She and Pinkie moved back as it began to stir.

"Hey, look, y'all," Applejack called. "It's wakin' up."
> Introductions and History
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I opened my eyes slowly, thinking that everything I'd seen in the last couple of hours had been a dream. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was that pony. But this was no ordinary pony, as it was a brilliant shade of blue and was flying through the air whilst carrying me underneath it.

It had even talked, the shock of which had caused me to pass out again. But now I was awake, and hoping against hope that everything I'd seen had been a sort of psychological defence conjured up by my body in response to being shot.

"Hey, look, y'all," a Southern accent drawled. "It's wakin' up."

It? Who are they calling 'it'?

I looked around and almost immediately spotted the winged blue pony from what I thought had been a dream, except this time there were five others with it. I sat up as fast as I could and pinched myself. Nothing happened so I did it again, and again — but despite my best efforts I couldn't seem to wake up.

The six ponies watched as I pinched myself, various looks of confusion on their faces.

"Now why in the hay is he doing that?" asked the blue one.

"Because I want to be sure," I replied while looking it straight in the eyes. "I want to be sure that I'm not fucking dreaming."

There was a small gasp from the group.

"You... you can talk?" asked a purple pony, the horn on her head telling me that she was a unicorn. A unicorn!

"I can, though I should be the one asking you that question," I replied as I got to my feet, the six ponies clearly taken aback by my six-foot four frame. A yellow pony – which also had wings – let out a squeak and promptly hid behind the others.

"What are you talking about, silly?" asked a pink pony with an even pinker mane. "We've always been able to talk. Except as fillies, when we could only make cute little noises, but we can talk now!" The speed at which she spoke told me that she liked to talk a lot.

"Look, just shut up and tell me where I am and how I can get home," I snarled. "The sooner I wake up, the better."

"And where exactly is 'home', sugarcube?" asked an orange pony. This one looked normal, in that it had neither wings or a horn.

"Scotland, of course," I sighed. "Where else would it be?"

"I've studied every map of the world I can find," the purple unicorn replied. "And I can safely say that such a place doesn't exist."

The colour drained from my face. "Wait, so I'm effectively on another planet? Or maybe even in some weird dimension?"

"Well, I guess that's one way of putting it," a white unicorn replied.

The seven of us stood in silence for a while before the purple one spoke again. "If you're going to be here for a while, then we might as well get to know each other," she said cheerfully. "I am Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends."

She pointed at the blue pegasus. "That's Rainbow Dash," she said, pointing next at the yellow pegasus. "Fluttershy." She pointed at the white unicorn. "Rarity." She pointed at the pink one. "Pinkie Pie." Finally, she pointed at the orange one. "And that's Applejack."

"Nice to meet you," I replied calmly. "My name is Geo."

"That's a silly name," Pinkie Pie chirped.

"Well..." I replied. "Truth be told, it's actually a nickname. My real name is Chris, but I liked 'Geo' so much I used what's known as the 'Deed Poll' law in my country to legally change my name to it."

"Oh, okay!" Pinkie squealed. "Anyway, you're our new friend now, so that means we have to throw you a par—!"

Twilight quickly stuffed a hoof in her mouth. "No Pinkie, no parties. Geo is clearly not from around here. We have to get him home."

"Parties aren't really my strong suit," I shrugged. "In fact, talking to new people – or ponies in this case – is really hard for me."

"Don't worry," Twilight replied. "Equestria is a very friendly place. If you stick around long enough, you'll soon make lots of friends."

"Equestria?" I queried.

"Equestria is our home," Twilight explained. "It is ruled by Princess Celestia and her sister, Princess Luna. Canterlot is the capital but we're taking you to Ponyville, which is where we live."

"I see." I looked at the six of them. "Can I just say that what surprises me the most about four of you are the horns and wings?"

"Why do you say that?" Twilight asked.

"Pegasi and unicorns are myths where I come from," I replied. "So to actually see two examples of each before my eyes is... amazing."

Twilight smiled. "Well, there are plenty more unicorns and pegasi back home in Ponyville," she said. "Speaking of which, we'd better get you back; I'm sure you'll need to rest after all of this."

"You're not wrong." I yawned. "I'm so tired, I could... I could— argh!" A sudden burst of pain forced me down onto my knees.

"Goodness, what is it?" asked Rarity. "Are you okay?"

I lifted my shirt to reveal that fresh blood was weeping from where I had been shot, staining the grass on which I knelt. Fluttershy went pale and hid behind her wings, Rarity covered her mouth with a forehoof, and Twilight's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

"Oh, fuck," I muttered. "I completely... forgot about what... that crazy son of a bitch did to—"

I passed out yet again before I could finish my sentence.


***


Twilight and the others looked on in horror as Geo fell to the ground, where he stayed motionless. The injury on his back was producing a lot of blood, and Fluttershy summoned all of her courage in order to not pass out herself.

"At least we know where the blood we found came from," Twilight said grimly. "Come on, girls, we need to get him to the hospital."

"Ah'm on it," Applejack said. "C'mon, Rainbow, give me a hoof."

Rainbow Dash nodded and, together, the two of them attempted to lift Geo of the ground. They grunted and strained, sweat forming on their brows while Dash flapped her wings madly in an attempt to gain some lift.

"I can pick him up while he's walking," Dash panted. "Yet I can't pick him up while he's lying on the ground. What's with that?"

"I can only theorise that his centre of gravity is somewhat different to ours," Twilight replied. "So when he is standing, it is somewhere high – like wherever you picked him up the last time – but when he's lying down it's somewhere else." Dash and Applejack tried again to pick Geo up, to no avail. "Stand back, girls, I'll carry him."

"You?" Dash snorted. "No offence, Twilight, but you're not exactly known for your physical strength."

"You're right," Twilight said. "I am not known for my physical strength." She lit her horn. "But my magical strength is considered by Princess Celestia herself to be among the best in Equestria."

With those words, she picked up Geo in her levitation field and slowly began to pick him up. She grunted as the strain took its toll, focusing more magic into her horn to keep him steady.

"Whoa, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said. "I guess we'd better not ever doubt you again!"

"Thanks, Pinkie," Twilight said through gritted teeth, her concentration elsewhere. "Now let's... get him... to Ponyville."

She began walking along the road, carrying Geo in her aura, with the rest of her friends close behind.


***


I opened my eyes slowly... only to squeeze them shut again thanks to the sunlight streaming in through the nearby window.

I got the feeling I was on something soft. Taking the sunlight into account, I opened my eyes again and found that I was in a room in what appeared to be a hospital.

"Oh thank fuck," I said to myself. "That pony stuff was just a weird dream. Just as well someone found me before I died in the street." The door cracked open and I looked towards the door as a doctor entered. But instead of a human doctor like I was expecting, I saw that it was a pony wearing a white coat and a stethoscope. My face fell. "I guess I wasn't dreaming then." I muttered to myself.

The doctor walked over to me. "Ah good, you're awake," he said. "Hello there, I am Doctor Haywick... and you must be this 'Geo' whom everypony is talking about."

"Really?" I asked, looking at him. "They're talking about me?"

"Why, yes," Haywick replied with a hint of nervousness. "Your arrival here has caused quite a stir. Even the Princesses are—"

"Princesses?" I interrupted him. "As in, more than one?"

"Er, yes," he mumbled. "They're on their way here to meet you." I groaned and fell back into the pillows.  "Don't worry about it, dear colt." Haywick continued, patting me gently on the shoulder with a forehoof. "Princesses Celestia and Luna are the kindest ponies you could ever hope to meet. I'm sure you'll be fine."

I sighed. "I suppose its to be expected." I said. "After all, it's not everyday an alien appears on the planet."

Haywick chuckled weakly as he looked over my notes. "The wound on your back has healed nicely," he said cheerfully. "But since we've never seen anything like it before, it did take a bit of time."

"How long?" I panicked, thinking I've been out for days.

"A few days," Haywick replied. "Nothing too seri—"

"A few days?!" I screeched, causing Haywick to back away. "You're joking, right? In my world, it can take weeks to recover from a wound like that! Sometimes even months... or years!"

"N-no, I'm not joking," Haywick replied. "Normally, unicorn healing spells take a few minutes to work. But as I said, your wound was unlike anything we've ever seen before."

I visibly relaxed and Haywick took a cautious step towards me.

"Right." I replied. "Sorry for yelling at you like that, Doc, I guess I must have forgotten that I was in a world where magic existed."

I glanced down at where the bullet hole had been. All that remained of it was a small scar.

"Don't worry about it, Geo," Haywick said as he moved towards the door. "Now, we expect you to make a full recovery within the next couple of days. I'll leave you to get some rest now before your meeting with the Princesses. Take care now."

He opened the door, turned out the light and left.

Left alone, I began thinking about how my meeting with the princess would go. "I hope she doesn't ask me if I want to go back," I whispered to myself. "Because from what I've seen of this place, and the ponies who live here... I don't think I'd want to."

With that, I closed my eyes and entered into a deep sleep.


***


The next morning, Twilight woke up early with a smile on her face. She jumped out of bed and opened the window, humming merrily to herself. Passing a basket on the way to the door she prodded  a lump in it with a forehoof. "Come on, Spike, it's time to get up!"

"Awww... c'mon, Twilight," Spike grumbled from underneath the warmth of the covers. "Five more minutes."

"No, Spike," she replied sternly. "I have to go see how the new arrival is doing at the hospital!"

Spike groaned and clambered out of bed, the blanket draped around his shoulders. "Exactly," he muttered. "You have to go and see him. So tell me again why I need to get up."

"Because somepony needs to look after the library while I'm gone," Twilight said. "Please, Spike, I really want to go and see him."

"Who is this 'new arrival', anyway?" Spike asked. "And why do you even care about him so much?"

"Well, his name is Geo," Twilight explained. "And he's a... well, I don't know what he is, but that's what I intend to find out!" She indicated a pile of books which were strewn across the nearby desk, including an open one bearing the title Ancient Equestrian Myths and Legends. "I was up most of the night studying, but I fell asleep before I finished reading that one."

"You? Fall asleep before finishing a book? That's new." Spike chuckled, earning himself a glare from Twilight. "So, er, I'm guessing that he's a new species then?"

"Yes," Twilight giggled. "Isn't it exciting?"

"Yeah, totally." Spike replied sarcastically, before suddenly doubling over clutching his stomach. He let out a small belch, causing a scroll to fly from his mouth and land on the ground. Twilight glanced at it and saw that it was adorned with the seal of Princess Celestia. Spike picked it up and opened it before clearing his throat.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle, we are waiting for you at Ponyville General Hospital. I hereby request that you meet us there as soon as possible — and together we will question the creature you and your friends discovered in the Everfree Forest, to better determine our next course of action. Princesses Celestia and Luna."

Twilight grabbed her saddlebags in her levitation field and filled them with as much ink, quills and parchments as they could carry. Sticking a bookmark in Ancient Equestrian Myths And Legends, she put it gently in the bag alongside her stationery.

"You know what, Spike?" she said with a warm smile. "This could take a while, so you can have the day off. I'm sure the library will be fine if I close it for just a day. Go back to bed."

Spike grinned and rushed upstairs. Shaking her head and chuckling, she left the library. But as soon as she stepped outside, she became acutely aware of a large crowd which had assembled outside the hospital in the distance. Steeling herself, Twilight walked the short distance to the building.

Standing on either side of the front door were two unicorns adorned in golden armour, who remained motionless and unflinching while the crowd clamoured to get a better view. Twilight gently pushed her way to the front of the crowd, listening as concerned townsponies formulated their own opinions regarding why the guards were at the hospital.

"You don't think anything has happened to either of the Princesses, do you?" said one. "Because that would be horrible!"

"Have the Changelings come back?" asked another. "If they have, I seriously hope that you kick their flanks this time!"

The guards simply ignored the questions, although one of them noticed Twilight and motioned for her to approach. "Princess Celestia is inside, Miss Sparkle," he said with a nod. "She has been waiting for you."

He opened the door and Twilight entered the hospital. The smell of disinfectant was overpowering, and the light shining off the pure white walls was almost blinding. Twilight groaned and walked up to the reception desk — where another pony, her mane dancing in an unseen breeze, was talking to Doctor Haywick. Were it not for her height, the fact that she had both wings and a horn was enough to make her stand out from the other ponies nearby.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight called, breaking into a gallop as she approached her mentor. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student," Celestia said, bringing Twilight in for a hug. "I got your letter. Shall we go?"

Twilight nodded as Haywick pointed the way down the corridor. "It's the room on the end," he said. "You can't miss it, really."

"So, Twilight, tell me about this 'Geo'," Celestia said as they began to walk. "What have you found out so far?"

"To be honest, Princess..." Twilight replied hesitantly. "I don't really know that much about him." She paused. "Oh, that reminds me, I've still got to finish looking through this book."

Celestia chuckled. "You and your books, Twilight," she said, shaking her head. "Not every answer can be found within them, you know."

Twilight opened the book, looked through it, then tapped a page with a forehoof. "Sorry, Princess, but it looks like you're wrong," she said. "And if this book is correct, then Geo is a human."

Celestia stopped walking and gasped. "A human?!" she parroted. "That's impossible — the humans of Equestria died out over a thousand years ago!" A look of confusion spread across Twilight's face, Celestia noticing it immediately. "As you know, there used to be strife between unicorns, pegasi and Earth ponies."

"Yes," Twilight nodded. "But then we put our differences aside and worked together to found Equestria."

"That is correct," Celestia replied. "But it was not as easy as the stories made it out to be. In fact, the very first crops planted by the settlers failed — and a terrible famine spread across the land." She sighed again. "But one day the humans appeared, and they were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them. But rather than treat us with hostility, they were sympathetic to our plight. They had mastered farming techniques, and taught them to us so that we could yield healthier crops. In the meantime, they gave us what spare food they had. They were so kind to us, and yet all they asked from us in return was our friendship."

"But what happened to them?" Twilight asked. "Surely if they were that advanced, they would still be here?"

"It is true that they were an advanced race," Celestia said. "But sadly, even with all their technology, they were not immune to a rapidly declining birth rate. And thus, over the course of time, they simply died out. Their buildings were lost to decay and ruin, but the techniques they taught us lived on; we still use them today."

"If they really existed..." Twilight said, confused. "If they really existed, why are they in this book about myths and legends?"

"A history was kept," Celestia explained. "But it was lost during the rise of Nightmare Moon. Several buildings were destroyed during my duel with her, including the old Canterlot library. However, not all of the books were destroyed — The Races Of Ancient Equestria being one of the few to survive the battle."

"Wait..." Twilight mused. "If they died out, then surely that would mean Geo isn't related to them in any way, shape or form?"

"That is true..." Celestia replied. "I guess he'll tell us his story when we go in. But first, we must wait for Luna to get here."

Twilight looked around. "I was wondering where she was," she wondered. "Why isn't she here with you?"

"She said that she had some business to attend to, and that she would be here soon," Celestia explained. "But knowing Luna, she will want to arrive in an extravagant man—"

A bright flash of light caught both mares off guard, revealing another alicorn. She was smaller than Celestia, and dark blue in colour. "Hello, everypony," she said. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not really, Luna," Celestia replied. "We were just about to go and interview our guest." She smiled wryly at Luna. "He's a human, you know. Twilight told me."

Luna gasped. "A human?" she asked eagerly. "How wonderful! It has been many a year since we last saw one of their kind. Let us begin, dear friends!"

She trotted towards the room with Twilight and Celestia close behind. And then, grasping it in her magic, she threw it open.
> Questions And Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I was sitting idly in my hospital bed, reading some of the local magazines. Glancing through one of them I saw a photo of Rarity in the Fashion section, with the caption The Hottest New Designer in Equestria. I glanced over at my bloodstained clothes, draped over a chair. "I wonder if she'll make me new stuff..." I said to myself.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Twilight trotted in. "Geo, you're awake!" she chirped, looking really happy to see me.

"Oh, hi, Twilight," I replied. "Yeah, I'm feeling great — although I have absolutely no idea how I got here."

Twilight smiled. "I carried you!" she beamed, before raising an eyebrow. "But you're a lot heavier than you look. It took all of my concentration, but I did it!"

I opened my mouth to speak, but a cough distracted me. "Aren't you going to introduce us, Twilight?" a voice said. I glanced at the door, at which stood two ponies who stood slightly taller than Twilight – though one was still a bit shorter than the other – and were in possession of both wings and a horn.

"Let me guess," I said after retrieving my jaw from the floor. "You must be the Princesses whom Doctor Haywick mentioned."

"I am Princess Celestia," one of them nodded, her tone warm and welcoming. She was pure white with a mane that seemed to move on its own, much like that of the other. "And this is my sister, Princess Luna. I'm sure you can guess as to why we are here?"

"Indeed I do," I replied. "You're here because I'm a new species, and you wish to gauge whether or not my intentions are hostile before coming to a decision regarding what to do with me."

"A new species you are not," Luna said gleefully. "You are actually the first of your kind to be seen here for over a thousand years!"

I blinked in surprise. "A thousand years?" I parroted. "Hmm, that explains why you and Princess Celestia here weren't so shocked to see me, since there must be a history." I paused for a moment. "Wait, if I'm the 'first of my kind,' what happened to the rest?"

"Alas, they died out," Celestia replied, a wistful sigh escaping her. "I remember it like it was yesterday, standing by the last surviving human as he passed on into the next life." She looked away from me and whispered, although I still heard it. "I miss you, Anthony..."

"But it happened over a millennium ago," I checked. "How could you possibly 'remember it like it was yesterday?'"

"Celestia and I are alicorns," Luna explained. "We share all the traits of the other three types of pony – unicorn magic, pegasus flight and Earth pony strength – but we also never age."

"So... you're basically immortal?" I said, somewhat bemused.

"No, I never said that the two of us are immortal." Celestia rolled her eyes. "Luna said that we don't age; we are still vulnerable to other methods of harm, just like the rest of our little ponies."

"I see," I replied. "Sorry if I offended you in any way."

"Do not worry," Luna said, waving a forehoof dismissively. "Anyway, let us get back to the subject at hoof — you. Can you remember what you were doing before you arrived in Equestria?"

I opened my mouth to speak and noticed that Twilight was levitating a piece of paper and a quill in front of her, presumably to take notes. "Well, where do I start?" I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. "I was on my way home from work, when I was nearly hit by a car."

"A what?" Twilight asked.

"A car," I repeated. "Humans use them to move around." I glanced out the window and saw a chariot moving across the sky, being pulled by a pair of pegasi. "Think of them as chariots that move themselves by consuming fuel."

"Fascinating," Twilight said in wonder as she wrote it down.

"Indeed," Celestia replied. "The humans of Ancient Equestria were an advanced race, but only in agriculture. They never would have imagined building machines like that."

"Yeah... my race is rather advanced," I said smugly. "Anyway, after I was nearly ran over by this car, I shouted at the driver to be more careful. He stopped, turned the car around, pulled up beside me, got out, and then asked me what my problem was. When I told him, he punched me." Twilight let out a small gasp at this, but she continued writing. "While I was on the ground, he jumped on top of me and pummelled me with blow after blow." I swung at the air rapidly with my own fists, mimicking the blows I'd received.

Celestia and Luna nodded.

"To save myself, I pretended to be dead," I continued. "However, I didn't know that the guy was going to go and get a gun from—"

"A what?" Twilight interrupted again.

"A gun is a weapon which uses explosive force to fire a small projectile at a target," I explained. "Humans have been using them to kill each other for hundreds of years." I sighed. "In fact, most of our history seems to revolve around conflict." I could see tears beginning to form in Twilight's eyes, but she wiped them away and continued scribbling. "I scrambled to my feet and tried to run away as fast as I could, but I wasn't fast enough to outrun the bullet." I closed my eyes at the memory. "The next thing I knew I had woken up in that forest clearing, bleeding heavily."

Celestia shook her head. "That must have been awful," she said softly. "I can't imagine what that was like for you."

"It was awful," I replied. "I do my best to avoid violence and confrontation, but I guess I couldn't this time."

"And what happened after you woke up?" asked Twilight.

"Well, I found those leaves which I used as makeshift plasters, and set off towards town." I chuckled. "I still had no idea that I was in a land which was populated by talking ponies." Celestia raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "I thought I had passed out." I said quickly. "I thought that Derek, the man who shot me, had come back to pick me up and dump me somewhere. It's not uncommon for humans to do that when they try to kill someone."

Celestia nodded, her eyebrows returning to their usual positions. "However, as soon as I saw the building with the cupcake on the roof... well, that's when I knew for sure that I wasn't in a familiar area. But I kept walking towards it."

"You were heading towards Ponyville?" Twilight checked.

"Yes, I was," I offered a weak smile, which Twilight returned. "The next thing I know, I'm being lifted a couple of hundred feet into the air by... damn, what's her name again?"

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied. "And that's when you met us."

"Yeah, it was," I nodded. "Then I passed out again and Twilight brought me here... and that's pretty much it, Your Highness."

Celestia nodded. "I assume that you would like to return home as soon as the doctor gives you the all-clear to do so?"

"Honestly?" I paused for a while. "No, I wouldn't." All three mares looked at me with stunned expressions. "My life back home wasn't exactly the best; I had no friends, my family and I didn't get along and I absolutely detested my dead-end job." I sighed. "So, if you'll have me... I'd like to stay here in Equestria."

Celestia and Luna glanced at each other before they and Twilight moved to the other side of the room.


***


"What do you think, Tia?" Luna asked, glancing at Geo. "Should we let him stay? His intentions seem noble enough — perhaps the Fates have brought here for a second chance at life?"

"Perhaps," Celestia replied. "But where would he stay? Other ponies need these hospital beds too." She too cast a glance towards the human, who smiled meekly and waved. "Mind you... this is a good opportunity for us to learn all about humans again, as Geo could help us to recover the information we lost when..." She trailed off.

"When I destroyed the Canterlot Archive," Luna finished. "I guess that would be his job, but only if he is willing." She looked at Twilight. "You like to learn, Twilight, so you will have the job of gathering this information from him should he accept our proposal."

"Of course, Princess Luna." Twilight nodded. "It would be my pleasure to obtain this information for you." She smiled broadly. "And, I think it goes without saying that I will relish the opportunity I have been given to make a new friend."

The three of them nodded and broke off, returning to the makeshift bed and causing Geo to start pretending like he hadn't been trying to listen in on their conversation.


***


As the three mares walked back towards me, I started to whistle nonchalantly. I didn't make out much of their conversation, but I could tell – from the way they kept looking at me – that I was the subject of it; they had been discussing my fate.

"We have come to a decision," Luna said. "You are welcome to stay in Equestria, but only on one condition."

"Name it," I said, without even pausing to think. "Name your condition, and I will do my utmost to adhere to it."

"As you know, there used to be humans in Equestria many years ago," Celestia said. "But, the history we had on them was lost."

"Well, shoot," I replied. "And there was me thinking that you had some old history books lying around that mentioned them. It would have been interesting to have read about how they lived."

"Indeed," Celestia continued. "We may have lost the knowledge of the old humans, but we now have an opportunity to learn about new humans. So, if you will allow us, we can use you to reacquire that lost knowledge; Twilight here will be the one responsible for collecting and collating the information you provide."

"Me?" I asked. "You want me to tell you all about humans?" Celestia nodded. "I... I don't think I can. It has to be said that humans where I come from are probably nothing like – as well as far more technologically advanced than – the ones you're familiar with."

"Then teach us," Twilight said, almost pleadingly. "Teach us all about the world you come from: its history, its technology, its people, everything you can. This is probably my only chance to learn something on this scale, so I'm asking you... no, I'm begging you... please help us with this. Help us to learn."

She gazed at me with wide eyes and quivering lips. I tried to look away, but found that I couldn't resist. "All right." I relented. "I'll help you to the best of my abilities."

"Excellent!" Luna cheered, clapping her forehooves together eagerly. "You can begin by bringing us back up to speed, as the phrase goes, with human anatomy. One moment, please, while I go and fetch your doctor." She trotted out the room and came back a few moments later with Haywick in tow. "Now, Doctor, Geo has kindly agreed to help us to relearn all that we can about humans."

"He has?" Haywick asked, turning to face me. "That's wonderful! Not only will this teach my staff and I new things, it will also allow us to treat you a lot better should you find yourself back here." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Although... I don't think that will be happening any time soon, do you?"

I shook my head. "Of course not," I replied. "In the meantime, I will do what I can to help you, but I have to admit that I am not really much of an expert on this sort of thing."

Haywick waved a forehoof dismissively. "We'll start off slow, and work our way forwards," he said soothingly. "Oh, before I forget, you do realise that you will be confined to this room while one, you recover and two, we gather the data we need?"

"I do now," I grumbled. "How long do you think it will take?"

"Hmm... about three months?" Haywick offered me an apologetic smile. "You will be treated with the utmost respect, of course."

"I'll visit you as often as I can, Geo," Twilight said. "That way you don't go stir crazy from being cooped up, and I get to learn more about you and where you come from."

I chuckled at this. "All right, Twilight, you've twisted my arm," I replied. "If it means that I don't end up—"

"I did what?!" Twilight gasped. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to! I wasn't even aware I was doing anything to your arm!"

"No, no, no!" I said, waving my hands in an attempt to calm her down. "It's just a figure of speech! It's just another way of saying that you've convinced me to go ahead with your idea."

Twilight calmed down. "Oh. Well, thank Celestia for that." she let out a sigh of relief. "I thought for sure that—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I interrupted. "What did Celestia do? She's just sitting there – no offence, Your Highness – and didn't even bat an eyelid while you were freaking out."

Twilight giggled. "It's a figure of speech," she said, sticking her tongue out at me. She then reached into her saddlebag, taking a roll of paper and a quill out. "I'll tell you what, Geo, why don't we make figures of speech our first lesson?"

I laughed and nodded, while Twilight made herself comfortable and the remaining three ponies – Celestia, Luna and Haywick – trotted out of the room, barely managing to conceal the smiles they wore.
> Hospital Stay - Part One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I can summarise my first month in the hospital with just a single word: educational. Twilight, who seemed really pleased at the prospect of teaching me all she knew, had spent several days telling me everything about Equestria. And now she was making sure that I had been paying attention by giving me a test.

"Question seventy-eight," she said. "What is a cutie mark?"

"A cutie mark is the marking on a pony's flank which indicates their special talent," I replied. "How to go about getting one is something that the pony in question must figure out on their own."

"Correct!" Twilight beamed. "Now, question seventy-nine..." It was at this moment her stomach interrupted proceedings, by rumbling very loudly. "Do you want to take a break?"

"Yeah, sure," I shrugged. "I could do with a sandwich right about now. And, er, thanks again for not freaking out over the whole 'omnivore' thing." I chuckled sheepishly.

"I have to admit that I was a bit nervous when I found out," she said warily. "But you said that humans can live without meat and... well, I trust you on that." She trotted over to my bedside drawers, removed a menu with her magic, and glanced through it. "How does a tomato and lettuce sandwich sound?"

"A BLT without the 'B', huh? Sounds good to me, Twilight." I grinned. "But, this time, could you make sure that it's only got tomatoes and lettuce on it? The last time I had a sandwich, I was picking daisy petals out of my teeth for a week."

"I'm still sorry about that, you know," Twilight giggled. "I don't know how I managed to mix them up. Daisy sandwiches are my favourite, after all, so I should have checked first."

"Don't apologise," I said dismissively. "It was actually quite nice, given the circumstances." We both smiled at each other. "You go and order those sandwiches, Twilight, I'll be right here waiting."

Twilight nodded and left the room. I lay back on the bed with a contented sigh, and listened to the sounds of the outdoors. I could hear ponies chattering, birds singing, foals laughing — and some really loud voices outside my room.

"Room 203, here it is," a stallion's voice said. "This is where Twilight has apparently been spending all her time, foalsitting this 'human' I keep hearing so much about."

Realising that the owner of the voice was talking about me, I quickly feigned sleep. I slowly cracked one eye open enough to see, albeit barely, and watched as four new ponies entered the room. There were three unicorns – two stallions and a mare – as well as an alicorn whom I didn't recognise.

"So this is the human, huh?" one of the stallions said. He was white, with a blue mane and tail that both had a lighter blue highlight running through them. "Can't say I understand why Twilight is so interested in staying near it all the time."

"Shining Armour," the alicorn – pink with a mane and tail comprised of yellow and two-toned purple, tied up with a bow – groaned. "This is a species not seen in Equestria for over a thousand years. Everything ponies once knew about humans is lost, and this one seems to come from a world far in advance of our own. So of course Twilight is going to want to spend some time with him."

"Cadence is right, Shiny," the unicorn mare – light grey with a purple and white mane and tail in the same style as Twilight's – said. "You know what our little Twilight Sparkle is like — always wanting to learn everything. Wouldn't you agree, Night Light?"

"Of course, Velvet," the unicorn stallion – blue with a darker blue mane and tail – nodded. "Where is Twilight, anyway?"

"I was getting some lunch for Geo and I," Twilight said from behind the group. "That's his name, by the way, Shiny: 'Geo,' not 'human.' I would therefore thank you to stop treating him like a mindless animal." She glared at him fiercely.

"She's right, you know." I suddenly sat upright, scaring the proverbial pants off all of them, except for Twilight. "Truth be told, I am somewhat sentient... and I also have feelings, thank you very much." I pointed at Shining Armour. "Mind you, you're the only one who has referred to me as simply 'the human' — so hats off to the other three for being kind enough not to."

"I'm sorry, Geo," Shining Armour replied. "I should have known better. Anyway, I'm Twilight's brother." He indicated the unicorn mare. "This is our mother, Twilight Velvet—"

"Oh, just call me 'Velvet,' dearie, everypony else does." Velvet waved a forehoof at me. "It can get rather confusing, you know, what with Twilight and I both sharing the same first name."

"This is our father, Night Light," Shining Armour continued. "And this is my wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, although everypony simply calls her 'Cadence' for short."

"Nice to meet you all," I said, bowing my head in the direction of Cadence. "Particularly you, Your Highness. I was not aware of the fact there are three Princesses in Equestria."

Cadence giggled. "You don't need to get all formal with me, Geo," she replied. "Any friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine."

"So how have you been settling in, Geo?" Night Light asked. "Are you finding Equestria to your liking?"

"I am, yes," I said. "This is a far cry from the world I came from. The air is clean, everypony is really friendly, there's no war... honestly, it's like I died and went to heaven."

"I'm guessing the world you came from isn't all that great?" Velvet queried. "Could you tell us about it?"

"Just a minute," Twilight said hurriedly. "Let me get my notebook. I honestly wasn't going to ask about your world and its people until I had finished telling you about Equestria... but since my mom is asking, I might as well write it all down."

I tapped my fingers on the edge of the bed nervously, the dull ringing of the metal proving to be a poor companion to my thoughts. "Well... the world I come from isn't really all that bad," I said. "For every person doing wrong, there are several more doing right. Like... for every person committing a crime, there are several police officers seeking to apprehend them. For every person who is stealing, there are several others giving — be that to friends, family or charity. And for every person who is waging a war, there are several diplomats who are pressing for peace."

"Hmm... interesting," Twilight mused, scribbling furiously in her notebook. "Equestria has very little crime and no war. As for charity, there is a unicorn in Canterlot who is famous for his voluntary work. I believe his name is Worthy Cause."

I chuckled. "A fitting name for somepony who works in such a field," I replied. "I like to consider myself a part of humanity's good side — I try to avoid confrontation, except in the most extreme of circumstances, and I gave whatever free time and money I could to various charities: Barnardo's, which is a charity aimed at helping children, The Salvation Army, which helps those who cannot help themselves, and the British Heart Foundation, which funds research into a cure for various ailments which affect the heart."

"And yet you fell victim to the violence that also inhabits your world," Twilight said softly, reaching out and patting me. "I can't imagine what kind of pain you must have been in."

"I don't want to talk about it," I said, idly patting her in return. "All that matters is the fact that I have been given a chance to start a new life in a new place, free of any worries and issues."

"And I for one hope you will seize that chance, Geo," Velvet said sternly. "After all, Equestria is a very nice place to live — and with our Twilight responsible for looking after you... well, let's just say you're going to really enjoy living here."

Twilight blushed. "Mom," she whined. "I'm only responsible for gathering information about humans from him." She paused for a moment. "She raises a good point, though... what are you going to do when you're discharged from this place?"

"I will cross that particular bridge whenever I finally get to it." I shrugged. "But in the meantime I'm happy here, answering your questions and spending time in your company."

Twilight smiled as a bell rang somewhere in the hospital and her family glanced at the clock on the wall. "Looks like visiting hours are over," Night Light said. "It was good to meet you, Geo, perhaps we can visit again sometime?"

"Please do," I nodded. "I would especially like to hear any embarrassing stories you have about Twilight."

Night Light and Velvet both chuckled as Twilight batted me with a forehoof, before she hugged her family and they all said their goodbyes to each other. After they had left she came back over to me. "Trust me when I say that there aren't that many stories about me as a filly," she said. "Shining Armour, on the other hoof, is a different matter entirely. Now..." She held up our lunches in her levitation aura. "I believe we were about to have some lunch?"

She passed me my sandwich and I unwrapped it; after checking to make sure it was the right one this time, and exchanging a smile with her, the two of us proceeded to eat in silence.
> Hospital Stay - Part Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The second month I spent in the hospital was interesting, to say the least. I spent nearly every waking moment being poked, weighed or prodded by Haywick and his team — all of whom were hell-bent on learning as much as they could about my anatomy. I lost count of how many times one of the nurses – Redheart or Tenderheart – came in with a needle and an apologetic smile.

Twilight was pleased with my grasp of Equestrian history and culture, and reported as such to Celestia and Luna. Both Princesses granted me full citizenship rights, though the question of where I was going to live still hadn't been answered.

But at least I could rely on Twilight. Day after day she would come in and visit me, despite not having any need to. I had told her everything I knew about human history, culture, science, technology and religion — so it was good of her to come and see me. I began to see her as a friend – my best, in fact – but I knew that I couldn't rely on her kindness forever.

Once visiting hours were over, and the medical staff concluded their examinations of me for the day, I spent a lot of time sleeping. Early one morning, however, I was woken up by the feeling of something tugging on the sheets of the bed.

"Be careful, Scootaloo," a voice whispered. "Y'all are gonna wake him up if'n ya don't watch what you're doin'!"

"I know what I'm doing, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo retorted. "Just take the sheet and use it to climb up."

I felt more weight on the sheet, as something climbed onto my chest. I had no idea what was going on, but I was determined to find out — though I decided to feign sleep for a while longer first.

"Why are we here, anyway?" a third voice chimed. "I thought we were going out to Sugarcube Corner for milkshakes?"

Scootaloo sighed. "Because, Sweetie Belle," she replied. "This 'human' might be the key to us finally getting our cutie marks!"

There were now three ponies on the bed with me. From the way they were talking, I could tell that I was dealing with three fillies, no doubt curious about the strange new arrival.

"Oh, I get it," Sweetie Belle said eagerly. "Cutie Mark Crusader Human Examiners!" She paused. "Wait, what would a cutie mark in human examining look like?"

"Like a human, perhaps?" I opened my eyes, which proved to be a bad idea; the three of them were inches from my face. All four of us promptly screamed with fright, the fillies shooting to the foot of the bed while I pulled my knees up to my chest.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Sweetie Belle said. "We didn't mean to wake you up, mister, it's just that... we... uh..."

"Twilight has been telling everypony about you," Scootaloo interjected. "And we just wanted to see you before they got a chance to. It's not like we were gonna do anything bad."

"But Ah thought we were gonna study him?" Apple Bloom queried, cocking her head in confusion. "We all decided ta try an' get our cutie marks in human fizzy-queue."

"I think you mean human 'physique,'" I offered. "And it's no problem at all, you being here — I just wasn't expecting you to be that close to my face, that's all." I chuckled. "Anyway, my name is Geo, and I'm pleased to meet some new ponies at last."

"Ya probably know who we are, since you heard us talkin' and all, but..." Apple Bloom cleared her throat. "I'm Apple Bloom."

"I'm Sweetie Belle."

"And I'm Scootaloo," the pegasus finished. "Together, the three of us make up the awesomeness that is..."

"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" they bellowed together, causing me to cover my ears and grit my teeth.

"Wow, that sounds great." I stuck a finger in my ear to clear the ringing sensation. "So what do you do as a 'Cutie Mark Crusader?'"

"Everything!" Sweetie Belle said, her voice cracking. "If there is even the smallest chance of us getting our cutie marks, we'll do it!"

Apple Bloom tapped her chin with a forehoof. "Dog walking, abseiling, bungee jumping, rocket science..." she trailed off. "We've done so much, an' there still ain't no sign of our marks."

"That's a real shame," I said comfortingly. "I'm sure you'll get your cutie marks eventually, but for now you just need to keep on working at finding your calling." The three of them nodded eagerly. "Anyway, enough of that for now — since you've went to all this effort to come and 'study' me... what would you like to know?"

Three pairs of eyes lit up at this statement, and I was soon being bombarded with all sorts of questions.


***


"Good afternoon, Twilight," the doctor said to the unicorn as she entered the hospital. "I'm guessing you're here to see Geo?"

"Good afternoon, Doctor Haywick," Twilight replied. "I am indeed here to see Geo, though I'm sure we can both agree that was a silly question to ask me." She giggled at her joke, and Haywick smiled.

"Of course it was," he chuckled. "Room 203, as per usual."

"Thank you, Doctor," Twilight nodded, walking through a set of double doors. She smiled politely at staff and patients, the sounds of a busy – for a small town, at least – hospital filling her ears. As she entered Ward 2, snoring could be heard.

"I'd know that sound anywhere," Twilight said to herself. "Sounds like Geo is sleeping again. Oh well, I'm sure he won't mind if I popped in to check how his injuries are healing." She paused for a moment. "And I'm doubly sure he won't mind me waking him up so I can share some good news with him."

She pushed open the door to room 203 and stepped inside, closing it softly behind her. As her eyes fell upon the bed, she stopped in her tracks at the sight which lay before her.

Geo was asleep, as she thought, but what struck Twilight was the fact he was not alone — as three little fillies were tucked up with him. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were underneath an arm each, while Sweetie Belle was curled up on the human's chest.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Twilight squealed, unable to contain her glee. Her outburst woke Geo, who muttered incoherently for a moment and looked around the room, his eyes soon meeting hers.


***


For the second time that day I found myself locking eyes with a pony, as Twilight was standing a few feet away with a small grin on her face. I felt trapped by her gaze, and found myself mesmerised by her soft purple orbs. Eventually, she spoke up.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, tearing her eyes away. "I don't mean to stare at you. It's just... you seem to have made some new friends." She paused for a moment. "Oh, who am I kidding? That was, without a doubt, the most adorable thing I've ever seen. You're really good with foals — although I guess what I should be asking you is why they're even here in the first place."

I waved a hand dismissively. "They wanted to 'see the human before anypony else,'" I replied. "So they decided to sneak into the hospital. They told me that they searched every room they could before they found me — which is determination if ever I heard it."

"And you don't mind at all?" Twilight asked. "About them effectively invading your privacy like this, I mean."

I shook my head. "Nah." I shrugged. "They're good fillies; they didn't mean any harm by it. And I could do with some other company besides the staff... and, might I add, your good self." I looked at the three sleepy fillies. "I've actually had more fun with them in the last couple of hours than I have in the two months I've been here. It makes you think, doesn't it?"

"Has it really been two months?" Twilight asked, surprised. "Wow, time flies when you're having fun... well, if your idea of 'fun' is being cooped up in a hospital and having doctors poke you all day. As for me, I love studying; the last two months have been great!"

"I'm sure they have." I chuckled. "Although I have to admit that I'm dreading the day when I finally get discharged, since I still have no idea what in the hell I'm going to do with myself."

"That's actually why I'm here," Twilight replied. "I've been talking to the Princesses, and they've both agreed to let you move in with me — which solves your housing problem. And as for a job... well, I could use some extra help around the library. Spike is a great help and all, and he tries really hard, but he refuses to admit that he's overworked and needs somepony to help him take the strain off. So, if you want, that somepony could be you?"

I bowed my head gracefully. "Miss Sparkle," I said. "I would be honoured to take you up on both of your offers. Thank you, yet again, for looking out for me."

Twilight beamed from ear to ear. "Great!" she said excitedly. "I'll let the Princesses know that you've accepted. I'd better go back and get a room ready for you... as well as clean the entire library from top to bottom and reorganise the books."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, holding out a hand. "I can understand the room, but you don't need to go to all that extra effort for me."

Twilight giggled. "Silly Geo," she said, waving a forehoof. "Spike and I do those things every week!" She grinned, and I returned it. "Anyway, if you would be kind as to wake up the Crusaders, I can  take them back to their respective homes."

I nodded and gently roused each filly, who yawned and stretched. The three of them wiped their eyes and looked around, eventually noticing Twilight standing there.

"What time is it?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"It's time you three were going home," I replied. "Twilight came by to tell me that I'll be moving in with her when I get out of the hospital, as well as tell me that I've got a job working as her second assistant, and now she's going to take you all home."

"Can we come back and visit ya again?" Apple Bloom queried. "I gotta say that it was mighty fun hangin' out with ya."

"Of course you can come back and visit me!" I said, ruffling her mane. "Just make sure you do it properly this time, with no sneaking about the hospital. I'm sure Nurse Redheart or Doctor Haywick would be happy to tell you when visiting hours are."

"Awesome!" Scootaloo cheered. "Next time we visit, I'm gonna show you all the tricks I can do!"

"I'm looking forward to it," I grinned. "Now you three had better get going, and I'll see you all again soon."

The three of them waved eagerly as they trotted out of the room. Twilight watched them leave and then turned to face me.

"Has anypony ever told you that you're really sweet?" she asked, to which I shook my head. "Well they should, because you are." She turned to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow, Geo, okay?"

"Uh, sure," I said, somewhat stunned. "I'll see you tomorrow, Twilight. Make sure those fillies get back safe."

"I will," she nodded. "Don't worry about them, Geo, they're in safe hooves. Anyway, I'd better get after them. Bye!"

She trotted out of the room, closing the door behind her. Plumping up the pillows, I lay back in bed and allowed myself some time to think about the news Twilight had shared.

Living with Twilight, I mused. Of all the things done for me during the course of my life, this has to rank as the best. But I wonder what it would be like? Okay, pros and cons... well, I'd be out of the damn hospital for a start. That's definitely a pro, as is the fact I'd get to see new faces. I'd also get to spend more time with Twilight and the Crusaders when they come over.

I screwed my face up in thought. As for cons... well I wouldn't have much privacy like I do here. And it'll probably be a smaller room than I'm used to, but I'll learn to live with that in time. Then there's Spike, whom I've never met, and how he might react to me.

But I guess the main thing would be the fact that I have been given a chance to start a new life in this wonderful place, with one of the best individuals I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Twilight has been a great friend to me, and I hope I get the chance to show her just how much I appreciate all that she has done. She is perfect friend material: smart, funny, kind, generous, cute...

Wait, what?
> Hospital Stay - Part Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	My final month in the hospital was spent debating with myself. Having realised that I felt some kind of attraction towards Twilight, I was trying to convince myself that it was something good. I went through the whole 'she isn't human' phase; that was quickly solved by the 'she may not be human, but she is sentient, you dope' argument. And so I decided to see just what it was I liked about her that would make me feel like this.

Well she is cute, for a start, I thought. I wasn't just thinking up random words that day the Crusaders came to visit. I especially like the way she scrunches her face up when she's taking notes or thinking, with her tongue poking out one side of her mouth.

I chuckled. I also like her mane, and I've lost count of the times I've found myself lost in those beautiful eyes of hers. I sighed and slapped myself. But it's not all about her physical appearance — her personality also plays a vital role in how I feel.

For a start, there's the fact that she saved my life. Sure, it was Rainbow Dash who found me and took me to the others, but it was Twilight who summoned the strength to carry me to the hospital when I collapsed again. Plus, she's the only one of the six of them who has actually visited me. I don't know why the others haven't, but they could have at least made an effort.

If Twilight hadn't have taken the initiative to carry me then Rainbow Dash and Applejack would have spent ages trying to pick me up, and I probably would have bled to death. I shuddered. So that's another reason why I like her — she's tenacious, and not one to give up so easily. If there's a problem, then she'll find a solution.

The door to my room opened, snapping me out of my trance, and the mare of the moment entered with a large smile on her face. "Hi, Geo!" she said eagerly. "Doctor Haywick tells me that he'll be discharging you soon — I bet you can't wait!"

"You're not wrong there, Twi," I replied. "I can't wait to finally leave this place and get a change of scene—"

"I'm sorry, but did you just call me 'Twi?'" Twilight interrupted. I groaned and facepalmed, only for her to giggle in response. "Don't be so worried, Geo; I was actually wondering when you were going to start calling me that, because all of my friends do."

"Really?" I asked, to which she nodded. "All right then, Twi, I'll start calling you that if you want. I won't do it too often, though, otherwise it'll just feel bland and meaningless, like a politician's promises." There was a brief moment of silence before I spoke again. "So... you consider me to be one of your friends?"

Twilight nodded. "Of course I do," she replied. "I like to think there is more to our relationship than me simply asking you questions about your species. You're quite good to talk to, and you don't bore easily — unlike a certain rainbow-maned pegasus I could mention."

I chuckled. "I like to learn," I shrugged. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Not at all," Twilight said. "Not at all." She sat there for a moment with a large smile on her face, then gasped suddenly. "Silly me, I nearly forgot why I came here." She giggled sheepishly. "Your new room at the library is all set up, and I'll be giving you the grand tour of Ponyville as soon as you are discharged. Please don't tell me that you've forgotten how to walk."

I shook my head. "Contrary to what you might think, Twilight, this bed is not welded to my arse," I replied. "I have been walking laps around the room since Haywick gave me the all-clear to do so."

"Good," she replied. "Carrying you was bad enough, I'd hate to have to push you around Ponyville in a wheelchair." I chuckled and stuck my tongue out at her, and she stuck hers out at me in response. "See, Geo, this is another reason why I think you're such a great friend. You've got a sense of humour."

"That is true," I said. "I learned long ago that if you don't develop both a sense of humour and a thick skin, life tends to be hard." I looked at her. "Now, about the tour... can we go to the place with the cupcake on the roof first?" I licked my lips involuntarily

"Sugarcube Corner?" Twilight asked. "Sure, we can go there. That's where Pinkie Pie works and lives — and I'm pretty sure she'll want to see you about your party as well."

"P-party?" I coughed and rubbed the back of my head with my hand. "I'm... I'm not really sure about that, Twilight."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Well, you see..." I paused while I looked for the right words. "I never was any good at making friends back on Earth. I'd always do something to embarrass myself, or anger the person I was talking to. It kinda put a dampener on my social life."

Twilight's face turned into a small frown. "Well I wasn't any good at making friends either," she said, pointing at herself. "But then Princess Celestia sent me here to Ponyville, and now I have many ponies whom I could call my friends." She tapped her chin with a forehoof. "Also, for the record, you didn't seem to have any problems making friends with me."

"Well you did save my life, Twilight, so of course I'd find it easier to trust you," I replied. "But I'm on about meeting new people, or ponies in this case, for the first time. These parties... how many invites does Pinkie usually send out?"

"Well this is a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party," Twilight said. "When it comes to those, she usually invites the whole town — which, before you ask, is about three hundred ponies."

I visibly paled. "And of those three hundred ponies, only twelve of them – you and your friends, Haywick and his team and the Cutie Mark Crusaders – have any idea of what I look like. The other two hundred and eighty-eight will be seeing me for the first time ever."

Twilight sighed. "I see what you mean," she replied. "You're skittish about meeting ponies for the first time, yet you'll get used to them after you've spent some time in their presence."

"It's gonna take me a long time to get to know two hundred and eighty-eight ponies," I grumbled. "I'm just... I don't know, Twi, I guess I'm just afraid of what they'll think of me."

Twilight looked me straight in the eyes. "Do you want to know what I think?" she asked, to which I nodded. "I think that you are a brilliant person with a heart of gold. And the way the Crusaders have been talking about you, the whole town seems to agree. They just want to meet the man who has touched the lives of so many in such a short time." She giggled. "Sorry, I still can't get the image of the Crusaders sleeping on you out of my head — it really was the most adorable thing I've ever seen."

"I'm sure it was," I replied. "But I'm still not sure about this party." I looked around the room, avoiding looking at Twilight before she got up on her hind legs and put her forehooves on my shoulders.

"Pinkie is not going to take no for an answer," she said. "Trust me, I found that out the very first day I got here. Just go to the party, Geo, please? You'll have fun, I promise, and I'll be there with you in case anything goes wrong."

She smiled at me as she got back on all fours, while I rubbed the back of my head and sighed. "All right, Twilight, I'll go," I replied. "But not for Pinkie, or anypony else... I'm going for you."

"Thank you," she said softly. "I really appreciate it, Geo, but you don't need to be so worried. Ponyville is a genuinely friendly and welcoming place, and a Pinkie Pie party is a good way for you to fully immerse yourself in the town life."

I nodded slightly, though I was still dreading what lay ahead. "Time to change the subject," I said flatly. "Tell me about your friend and assistant, Spike. What kind of stallion is he?"

Twilight shook her head. "Spike isn't a stallion," she replied. "He's not even a pony. He's a—" She cut herself off abruptly and looked around the room. "Oh, shoot, I forgot that I invited him along! I asked him to wait outside while I spoke to you." She looked back at the door. "Spike, you can come in now!" There was no response, and Twilight developed a nervous tic in her eye. "Spike? Spike?! Darn it, I bet he fell asleep." She turned around and left the room. "I'll be right back." She said sweetly.

I heard Twilight speaking to someone out in the corridor, followed by someone else grumbling something incoherent. But eventually, Twilight entered the room with Spike in tow. He certainly wasn't a pony, that much I knew, and appeared to be reptilian in nature. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, but stopped in his tracks upon seeing me. We stared at each other for a moment before Twilight broke the resulting awkward silence. "Geo, this is Spike," she said. "Spike, this is Geo — he's the human I told you about."

"Gotcha," Spike replied as he walked over to me and held out a hand, which had claws protruding from the end of it. "I'm Spike, Twilight's friend and Number One Assistant. I'm also the best dragon in Ponyville, but I don't like to brag."

"A dragon?" I asked, shaking his hand. "No offence, but you're smaller than I expected. However, any friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Spike rolled his eyes. "I'm still a baby dragon," he said. "But I've already had a taste of what I'll be like when I've grown up... and quite frankly, I'd rather stay like this for the rest of my life." He noticed the blank expression on my face. "Trust me, Geo, you really don't want to know what happened. Let's just say I was a bit of a jerk and leave it at that, all right?"

"Fine by me," I chuckled. "I won't pressure you to talk about something if you don't want to, so let's change the subject... again. Twilight tells me that I am to help you help her around the library?"

Spike nodded eagerly. "Yeah, you're going to be my assistant," he said, a tinge of malevolence in his voice. "I can't wait for you to get out of here so we can get started, because I have got a whole ton of things for you to do on your first day." He laughed.

Twilight leaned in closer to me. "Sorry," she whispered. "I kinda had to promise him he'd be in charge in order to get him to agree to you moving in. I hope that's all right."

"It's fine," I whispered back. "I'm sure it won't be all that bad... right?" She looked away from me, hiding a smile. "Well, shit."

Spike rubbed his hands together. "Come on, Twilight," he said. "Let's go and ask Doctor Haywick how long it is before he thinks Geo is ready to be discharged." He marched out of the room, not giving Twilight a chance to answer.

"I'd better go after him," she said, giggling adorably. "He doesn't even know what Doctor Haywick looks like, so he's probably going to end up antagonising half the staff. I'll see you later, Geo, okay?"

"Sure thing, Twi," I replied. "I'll see you later."

She left the room, rather hurriedly, and left me once again to my thoughts — which I picked up from where I left off.

This is all happening too fast. I shouldn't be having these feelings for her so soon. Three months is not enough time to determine whether or not you get attracted to somepony... or is it?

Then again, could this even be called being attracted to her? After all, I'm pretty sure that would imply I'm in love with her. I sat in silence for a moment before I finally made a decision.

I am. I'm in love with Twilight Sparkle.
> Feelings And A Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Well, folks," I said to the small crowd of doctors and nurses. "I have to say that it has been a pleasure getting to know you all. And it has been an even greater pleasure helping you learn all that you can about me — though I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that I don't get sent back here any time soon."

The staff laughed politely as Haywick stepped forward. "The pleasure has been all ours, Geo," he replied. "And we hope to see you again sometime, perhaps when you're out and about?"

"I'd like that," I nodded, just as Twilight came up and nudged my side. "Well, it looks like I'm needed, I'll see you all around." The assorted ponies waved politely and then returned to their duties, while I turned to face Twilight. "Sorry, Twi, what's up?"

"There's been a slight change of plans," she said. "Your party is scheduled to start at six, which is two hours from now, but I have just been informed that Rarity wants to see you before then. I'm guessing it's about getting you some new clothes." She pointed at the blackened hole on the back of my t-shirt. "Because you can't very well wear that to your party now, can you?"

I shook my head. "I guess not, Twilight," I murmured, holding out an arm. "Lead on, and I shall follow."

Twilight smirked at me and we started walked to Rarity's place. As we walked, my mind drifted back to the upcoming party — and how much I couldn't shake the thought that it was going to be a disaster. I felt that I should tell Twilight why I found it hard to make friends. After all: if anypony could understand what I was going through, then it would be her. After all, she had told me how she used to have trouble making friends until she came to Ponyville. With this in mind, I cleared my throat. "Um, Twilight?"

"Hmm?" she turned to face me.

"I think that I should be more honest with you about why I don't have friends back on Earth," I said.

"Oh?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realise there was more to it but okay. Let's sit down and you can tell me all about it."

We sat down on a bench we were passing and I buried my head in my hands. Twilight put a comforting hoof on my shoulder as I took a deep breath.

"It all started when I was in school," I said after a brief silence. "I didn't really connect with my classmates, preferring instead to spend most of my time studying. This was enough for them to start calling me things like 'geek', 'swot', and 'egghead'." Twilight winced slightly at 'egghead'. "I ignored them and tried to concentrate on my school work. But eventually the name calling and bullying got to me, and I simply started lashing out at people."

Twilight nodded, but didn't say anything.

"It actually got to the point where I would physically attack anyone who said anything nasty to me. It got me into a lot of trouble."

Twilight lowered her head.

"After another incident one of my classmates was actually admitted to hospital, because I hit him so hard," I continued, tears beginning to flow as I recounted the mistakes of my past. To my surprise, I noticed that Twilight also had tears forming.

"I was sent to a therapist where I learned to control my anger; above all, I learned that I could make friends." Twilight smiled, though she was still almost crying. "Over the next few years, I was lucky enough to make a few friends. And I was glad to have them. They helped me forget about my past... until they had to leave."

"You mean they moved away?" Twilight said, patting my shoulder.

"Yes," I replied. "Without them, I found myself regressing back to my old, aggressive, self. I realised I didn't want to go down that dark path again so I took a job at a warehouse, something which I only did in order to keep my mind occupied."

Twilight wiped her eyes as I sighed.

"The night I was shot, I had just finished a particularly bad shift," I said bitterly. "I had argued with some of my co-workers over which one of us had messed up a customer's order. They blamed me for it and as a result, I was angry. So when Derek nearly ran me over as I was walking home, I just fucking lost it."

"So you took your anger out on him," Twilight offered.

"Yes," I sighed again and let out a hollow laugh. "How was I supposed to know that it would escalate the way it did? One brief moment of anger, and I nearly died."

I felt Twilight squeezing my hand with a hoof, and I soon found myself absent-mindedly stroking her mane. It felt like human hair, but much softer — what's more, she didn't seem to mind.

"When I woke up here, I was still angry," I slowly turned to look at her. "But then I met you. When you told me that you had carried me all the way to the hospital, I realised that for the first time in... I can't remember how long... someone actually cared about me."

The tears in Twilight's eyes finally began falling down her cheeks as she held my hand tightly. "Of course I care!" she said between sniffles. "Why wouldn't I? From the moment I met you, I just knew that you were unique. You're a kind, gentle person. And..."

"And what?" I asked, realising that she had trailed off.

"You're kind of like me in some ways," she said quietly, looking down at the ground. "It's quite a coincidence, actually."

"How so?" I asked, wiping away both our tears with my hand.

"I too cared more about studying than making friends," she said, raising her head to look me in the eyes. "When Princess Celestia sent me here to Ponyville to make some, I was dreading it."

"Who wouldn't?" I said, and we chuckled.

"But then Nightmare Moon returned, and I quickly realised that the five ponies I had met on my first day here were indeed... my friends. Once I realised that, we were able to recover the Elements of Harmony and use their power to defeat Nightmare Moon — which in turn returned Princess Luna to us. And ever since then, I've been so grateful to have them by my side."

I nodded. "That's what I need," I said. "Friends I can rely on. I promise, Twilight, that should I somehow end up back on Earth... I will do everything I can to make a new friend."

Twilight smiled and we sat in silence for a while, before she suddenly let out a small gasp. "Rarity!" she shouted. "We were supposed to be at the Boutique by now, so come on!" She dragged me off the bench and we ran down the street as fast as we could.

As we did so, I sighed contentedly. "Hey, Twilight?"

"Yes?" She didn't turn round, her eyes still fixed on the Carousel Boutique in the distance.

"Thanks for listening to my story," I said. "I've never told it to anyone besides my therapist." I chuckled.

"No problem, Geo," she replied, eyes still fixed ahead of her. "Thank you for listening to my story. It's good to know there is somepony like me out there... even if they're not a pony."

With those words, I felt my heart skip a beat. That confirms it, I thought. I love her even more now.


***


The bell over the door jingled as Twilight and I entered, looking around at the sight of roll upon roll of fabric in a huge variety of colours. I saw mannequins shaped like ponies draped in outfits in various stages of completion, and I could hardly believe that just a single mare was responsible for all of it.

"Just a minute!" came a sing-song voice from the back of the store. Twilight and I stood in silence and soon Rarity came through to the front, her face lighting up as she saw us. "Geo, Twilight!" she beamed. "It's so wonderful to see you both." She came over and gave me a hug. "Especially you, darling!" She said, her voice quavering with emotion. "I am so sorry I didn't come to visit you in the hospital, but I have been very busy as of late."

"That's all right, Rarity," I replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Your business comes first, I understand that."

"I'm so glad you understand, Geo," Rarity said. "But as well as being busy, Twilight also said that she felt having so many visitors would impede her progress of learning all that she could from you regarding your species — although it would seem that didn't stop my sister and her friends from sneaking into the hospital so they could visit you; perhaps I should have done the same."

"Twilight said that?" I asked, turning to her and raising an eyebrow. She shied away, blushing adorably, and I chuckled. "She's probably right. We did have a lot to learn from each other — and if I may say so, Sweetie Belle is... well, a sweetie, as are the other Crusaders."

Rarity smiled wryly. "As much as I love my dear sister, she can be quite troublesome at times," she said, rolling her eyes. "But that's not why you are here, Geo, so let me steer this conversation back towards its intended destination. Both Princesses have been in touch with me, saying that I am to measure you for a new outfit."

"Really?" I replied. "Okay, Rarity, if you're sure. I just hope that it's not too much trouble."

"Trouble?" Rarity gasped. "Of course it's not! In fact, I dare say I'm quite excited about it."

"You are?" Twilight asked quizzically. "Why?"

"Come now, Twilight," Rarity huffed. "It's not everyday I get to design clothes for a whole new species!" She looked me up and down. "Even if it does mean using more fabric than I'd normally use." She held up a tape measure with her magic. "Stand up straight and put your arms out, please."

I did as she asked and she started taking my measurements. Waist, legs, shoulders, arms; nothing was spared, and I mean nothing. Eventually she finished and she put the tape measure down.

"All done!" she said excitedly. "It'll be a couple of days until they're done. Do you have any designs in mind?"

I shook my head. "Nothing too fancy please, Rarity," I replied, waving a hand down my body. "Just make them look like these."

"But without the hole, of course," Rarity grinned.

"It lets the air circulate," I shrugged.

Rarity chuckled and went to the back of the shop as I turned back to look at Twilight. "So, Twilight, are we going to this party or not?"

"Of course we are," replied Twilight, glancing at Rarity. "Would you like to come with us, Rarity?"

Rarity came back through to the front. "Darling, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" she giggled. "It will be quite interesting to see how a human copes with the insane pressure of a Pinkie Pie party."

I coughed and looked down at the floor. "Er, actually..." I said sheepishly. "This will be the first party I've ever been to."

"Oh, dear," Rarity said apologetically. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

I raised my hand to silence her. "It's okay," I sighed. "I never really had any friends back home, so I didn't get invited to many parties."

Rarity smiled and turned to Twilight. "Shall we go, then?"

"Ready when you are, Geo," Twilight replied.

I sighed and took several deep breaths before I looked both mares in the eyes. "Let's do this," I said, the determination in my voice apparent to everyone in the room.


***


As the three of us approached Sugarcube Corner, my nerves were going into overdrive. I had never even been to a human party before, and yet here I was about to attend one organised by ponies. Twilight must have sensed my apprehensions, as she – for some inexplicable reason – let me run my hand through her mane before she stepped into the bakery.

The gesture was not only enough to calm me down, it was also enough to prevent me from immediately following Twilight inside. I had only been in Equestria for three months, but I had already determined that I was in love with her — I was in love with a pony.

Haven't we been through this? my brain moaned at me. So what if she's a pony? If you like her, then you shouldn't let the species barrier get in the way — after all, it's not like there are any other humans here. You both have so much in common... in fact, you could say that Twilight is your female counterpart! But you should also remember that you can't rush these things, so just get this party out the way and then see how things progress from there.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts from my mind and entered the bakery — although as soon as I did, I became acutely aware of the many pairs of eyes that were watching me. Part of me wanted to run into the night, screaming like a madman, but rationality kicked in and instead I waved at the assorted townsponies. "Hi there, everypony," I said hesitantly. "How's it going?"

The response was a loud and collective "Hi!" from the assorted guests and before I knew it, I was mingling. As well as Rarity, the rest of Twilight's friends were there as well. I saw Applejack talking to Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy standing nervously in a corner, and Rainbow Dash eating a cupcake; she saw me looking in her direction and motioned for me to come over.

"Rainbow Dash wants me," I said to Twilight. "I'll be right back."

Twilight nodded and went over to Applejack and Pinkie Pie.

I sat down next to Rainbow Dash, who quickly swallowed a mouthful of cupcake before clearing her throat and turning to me. "Hey, Geo," she said. "Glad to see you're all right." She punched me lightly on the shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't come to visit you, but I've been really busy with work... and Twilight said not to."

"Yeah, it's all right, Rarity already explained," I replied. "So, what exactly do you do for a living that kept you so busy?"

"I'm the Ponyville Weather Captain," Dash said, as if talking to an idiot. "I was making sure that the weather in town was awesome."

"Oh, right," I replied. "Well, hopefully now we'll have a better chance to get to know each other." Dash nodded, and we both sat in silence for a moment before I coughed. "You know, Dash... if you hadn't have found me when you did, I would have died when my wound opened up again — because nopony would have been there to see it. So in a way, you saved my life. Thank you."

Dash waved a forehoof dismissively, "It was nothing." she grinned. "In fact, it was all in a days work for Rainbow Dash!"

I chuckled and punched her lightly on the shoulder.


***


The party went on for hours and I managed to talked to several ponies throughout the evening, feeling my nerves relax — although I occasionally caught a glimpse of Twilight looking at me, smiling, and then writing in her notebook. Whenever our eyes met, she quickly looked away, trying in vain to hide her quill and notebook. Eventually, I rolled my eyes and walked up to her.

"You're studying me at a party?" I asked.

"Er... yes, I am." Twilight blushed. "I just wanted to see how you would react in a social situation. You've done quite well."

"Quite well, I think." I laughed. "Especially when you consider the fact that I've never even been to a party until now."

Twilight giggled. "So, do you think you've gotten to know everypony?" she asked, at which I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe not everypony, but a few of them at least."

"Yeah, I think I did," I replied. "I have to admit, that actually went better than I thought. I was expecting to be a nervous gibbering wreck by now." Twilight smiled and once again I felt my love for her surging within me, just as I yawned. "It's been a long day, so but I could really do with getting some sleep."

"I couldn't agree more," Twilight replied, turning towards the rest of her friends. "Goodnight, everypony, see you tomorrow!"

"Goodnight, Twilight!" came the universal response.

"Goodnight, everypony," I said, stepping out into the cool night air and enjoying the gentle breeze. For a moment I stood there, allowing the air to caress my body, then took a deep breath and smiled. "I wish the air back home was this fresh." I sighed. I followed Twilight back to the library and we entered quietly, both of us aware of the fact that Spike – who had returned home earlier in the evening – was sound asleep.

"Your bedroom is next to mine," Twilight whispered. "Follow me, and I'll take you to it. Oh... and welcome to your new home."

"Thanks," I whispered back, following her upstairs. I made sure to take the same steps she did, which involved missing out a couple which I assumed were of the creaky variety. We soon stopped outside a door and Twilight pointed at the bed. I nodded and stepped inside. "Goodnight, Twilight."

"Goodnight, Geo," Twilight replied. "Sleep well... because tomorrow is your first day of work."

I closed the door and stripped down to my boxers before I lay on the bed, which was far softer than the one at the hospital, a small squeak telling me Twilight was in hers. As I looked wistfully at the ceiling, I found myself thinking back to the party — and how it had shown me that I didn't have to be afraid, I just had to be myself.

Quite soon though, my thoughts drifted back towards how I felt about Twilight — so I once again went over everything in my head.

She took me to the hospital, she was at my side for most of the three months I was there, and she offered me a place to stay and a job. We spent that time talking, and I can see now just how alike the two of us are. Dammit, I love her.

I glanced out the window, looking up at the perfect sky and the stars in all their glory. It really helped me to think clearly.

I know that what I'm feeling is love... but does Twilight feel the same way? Has she made the same connections that I have? I paused for a moment. I guess only time can tell.

With that thought in mind, I finally drifted off to sleep.
> Reciprocation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The next morning, I was woken up by something – or, rather, somepony – poking me. I sat up on the bed and rubbed my eyes, yawning and stretching — a series of satisfying pops telling me that I was limbered up. "Good morning, Geo!" Twilight said cheerfully. "It's time for your first day of work! Are you excited?"

I looked at her groggily. "What time is it?" I asked.

"The time?" Twilight queried. "It is eight o' clock in the morning."

"Wow." I gave a small laugh. "There's actually an 8am? I can't remember when I was last up this early."

Twilight looked at me. "What time do you usually get up at?" she asked, levitating her notebook and quill over to her.

"I didn't start work until six at night," I said smugly. "So as a result I usually got up at noon, sometimes even one in the afternoon."

"Hmm, interesting," Twilight scribbled some notes. "And are all humans like that?"

Is she seriously taking notes about my sleeping habits?

"Not all of us," I replied. "Just me, anyone else who works a night shift, and those without jobs, if they feel like it."

Twilight scribbled down some notes as Spike burst in and looked at me with awe. His eyes were wide and sparkling, and I could tell that he had been eavesdropping on the conversation. "You can sleep in until noon?" he asked, his voice full of amazement. "I can only dream of something like that! Hey, Twilight, can I—"

"Maybe at the weekend," Twilight interrupted, something about her tone of voice telling me that Spike wouldn't have stopped going on about it had her answer been 'no.'

"Thanks, Twilight!" Spike pumped the air with a small fist and grinned from ear to ear, clearly relishing the thought. Twilight smiled at him warmly, then suddenly turned to face me.

"I almost forgot," she said, levitating two small boxes into the room and placing them on the floor. "These arrived for you earlier. Rarity got your clothes finished quicker than she expected, so she sent them over. The other box is from Princesses Celestia and Luna." I clambered out of of bed. "Oh, my." She blushed profusely. "Could you... could you possibly put some clothes on?"

Confused, I glanced down at myself — cursing under my breath when I saw that I was only wearing my boxers. I quickly threw a pair of trousers on and went over to the boxes. Since I was desperate for a change of clothes I opened the one from Rarity first, and saw that there was a note inside:



Dear Geo,

Here are your clothes, which I hope you find to your liking. As you will see, I have made you a whole week's worth; I followed your instructions, and the items are as plain as the clothes you were wearing when I first met you... no offence.

Do not worry about paying me, as the Princesses have already taken care of it — but even if they hadn't, I still wouldn't take payment. I am doing this because I see you as a friend.

I hope to see you again sometime. And once again, welcome to Equestria! I hope you enjoy your stay.

Kindest Regards,

Rarity.



I put the note down and opened the box to find several t-shirts, similar to the one I was wearing, as well as a few pairs of trousers. The items were all black or white in colour, which suited me just fine. Digging further into the box, I saw that Rarity had even made socks and underwear. "What a fantastic mare," I chuckled. "This stuff is a hell of a lot better than anything I'd get on Earth."

I put the box next to the sofa and took some of the items across to the bathroom. After a quick shower, which I had to crouch to fit into, I changed into the new clothes and put the dirty ones into the bin. It feels great to be in clean clothes again. Feeling refreshed, I picked up the other box and opened it. Inside was a small burlap sack and another note, bearing what looked like a royal seal.



Dear Geo,

Celestia and I hope that you are settling in well to your new life in Equestria. This is a big change for you, so we both understand that things will be tough. To help you get started, please find enclosed a sack containing a modest two hundred bits.

As you know, your job is to assist Twilight Sparkle in her library; you will be paid an additional one hundred bits a week for this. Please tell Twilight that Celestia has seen fit to increase her student stipend in order to accommodate paying your wages.

If you ever need to talk, we are always available. Our royal duties are many, but we will always have time to spare for our subjects, no matter who – or what – they are.

Regards,

Princess Luna
Princess Celestia



I put the letter back in the box and picked up the sack. Looking inside, I could see several golden coins which glinted in the morning sunlight. "This must be the Equestrian currency," I said to myself. "I might as well make use of it."

"You can do that after you've done some work," Spike said from behind me. "Now hop to it, I need to show you how the shelving system works." A loud crash from downstairs made me jump. "And what better day to do that... than re-shelving day?"

I put the sack of coins on the bed and dutifully followed Spike downstairs, to find Twilight surrounded by what looked like every book in the library. She grinned at us as we came downstairs, and soon I was being tutored on how to put the books back in their rightful places — although I have to admit that it wasn't long before I was wishing that I was back in the hospital.


***


With the last book safely back on the shelf, I looked around for any sign of Twilight. Spike had already left, saying that Rarity wanted his help with finding gems, so I decided to see if Twilight wanted to go out for lunch. "Twilight?" I called out. There was no reply, so I went into the back room, where I saw a journal on her desk. My curiosity got the better of me, so I went over to take a closer look at it — at which point I saw the words 'HUMAN STUDY: VOLUME ONE' emblazoned across the top of the front cover.

'Volume One?' Jeez, how much studying can one pony do?

Glancing through the document, I saw what Twilight had been writing about me. Everything from my dress sense to how I handled pain was recorded. I even saw the notes she had taken at the party the night before — apparently I had performed 'brilliantly' and 'not succumbed to the crazy atmosphere that is generally present at one of Pinkie Pie's parties'.

Reading further, I saw a section which I couldn't read very well due to Twilight's writing. Scrunching my eyes, my brain managed to make out the words 'HUMAN DATING'. "Why would she need to know about that?" I groaned, covering my face with a palm.

"Geo?" Twilight called. "Where are you?" I put the journal back on the desk where I found it, regained my composure and went back into the living room.

"Here I am, Twi," I said calmly. "I've been looking for you."

"You have?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at me. "Why?"

I took the bag of coins out of my pocket. "The Princesses saw fit to send me this," I said. "It's a sack of two hundred bits, and I'm to be paid another hundred a week for helping you and Spike here; Celestia says your stipend is being increased so you can pay me."

"That's good," Twilight replied with a smile. "At least you won't have to worry about money while you're here."

"I know, right?" I shook the bag to listen to the jingling of coins, wondering what tunes I could play. "Anyway, how about lunch? My treat." Twilight looked around for a moment before nodding. "Very well then." I opened the door and held it for her. "Shall we?"

"You go on ahead," Twilight said quickly. "I'll catch up, I just need to er... read something first."

"Okay then. I'll see you at Sugarcube Corner," I said with a shrug, stepping out of the library. As I closed the door behind me, I heard a slight hum. Curious, I put my ear to it and listened.

"No, no, no, nope, not that one either, ah-ha!" Twilight said, oblivious to my presence. I heard pages rustling and realised that she was indeed reading a book. I heard her mumbling something and then the book closing. "It's just a friend taking me to breakfast, nothing more. Then again, it offers a chance to study how humans behave while on a date... if this could even be called a date."

With those words I backed away from the door, then walked to Sugarcube Corner as fast as I could. As I walked, I could only think of one thing.

Today is going to be one of those days.


***


I entered Sugarcube Corner, panting heavily from the large strides I had been doing, and put my hands on my knees. I took several deep breaths, trying to forget what I'd read in Twilight's book, but I eventually made my way to the counter — only to find that there was nopony there to offer service. "Hello?" I called. A series of crashing noises told me that somepony was in the kitchen, so I tried to lean over for a closer look. Suddenly, a face appeared in front of mine, causing me to gasp and fall over in shock.

"Oh, hi, Geo!" Pinkie chirped. "What brings you here at this time?"

"Lunch," I replied, as I dusted myself off. "What else?"

"Okie dokie lokie!" chimed Pinkie, disappearing through to the kitchen again. I scratched my head, a confused look on my face.

"Er, Pinkie?" I asked. "What are you doing?"

She poked her head around the kitchen door. "I'm getting you lunch, silly!" she said with a smile. "I hope you like pancakes!"

I smiled and nodded. "Hell yeah I like pancakes, especially for lunch!" I paused for a moment. "Oh, and could you get something for Twilight as well please? She's supposed to be joining me soon."

"Okay then, I'll make her some pancakes as well," came the jovial reply. "Everypony likes pancakes!"

I chuckled quietly and took a seat, just as Twilight came in. "There you are," I said as calmly as I could. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me. Pinkie's making us pancakes."

"And why on Equestria would I forget about you?" Twilight replied, a tinge of nervousness in her voice. "You offered to treat me to lunch, and I accepted."

Just then, Pinkie arrived with two plates of pancakes. "Enjoy!" she said, putting them down and disappearing in a puff of confetti.

I took a bite of the pancakes and was immediately taken aback by how good they were. I noticed Twilight glancing over at me as she ate her own. "What's wrong, Twilight?" I asked as gently as I could.

She's avoiding your gaze, and is getting nervous when you talk to her. Isn't that how most romances start? My brain asked. Keep pressuring her, and soon you will find out!

"Huh?" Twilight looked puzzled. "No, nothing is wrong. I'm just... it doesn't matter."

"Really?" I replied. "Because it looks like it does matter."

"Well," Twilight murmured. "It's just that... I need to ask you some more questions, since I didn't have enough time for them while you were in the hospital, what with all the doctors studying you."

"You've been asking me questions since I got here," I said nonchalantly, chewing idly on my pancakes. "Why would it be so hard to do that now?"

I knew what was coming, having read her notes, but I wanted to hear it from Twilight. I continued eating as she prepared to speak. "I need..." she began. "I need to ask you about human mating." The shock of hearing that word caused me to nearly choke on my pancakes and Twilight's eyes to widen as she gasped. "I'm sorry!" She said, panic rising. "Is it a delicate subject?"

I thumped my chest with a fist to clear the pancakes which had tried taking a trip into my lungs. "M-mating?!" I said, loud enough to earn me some curious stares from the other customers.

"Well, yes." Twilight nodded. "The Princesses did say that they wanted me to learn everything about humans, after all."

I could feel myself turning redder than I ever thought possible; I felt like a London traffic light. Twilights eyes looking into mine, combined with the stares of the other customers, were beginning to make me feel rather uncomfortable indeed.

"All right, I'll answer your questions," I said. Twilight smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off with a raised hand. "But not here, given the fact it's too personal."

"Back at the library then?" she asked, her panic replaced with glee.

"Yes," I replied. "Let's finish our lunch and I'll... I'll tell you what you need to know."

Twilight nodded and we both continue eating our pancakes. As we ate, I kept asking myself how I could have possibly mistaken 'mating' for 'dating' in Twilight's journal.

Confound her bad writing...


***


Back at the library I sat on the sofa, mopping the sweat pouring from my brow with a napkin. To say that I was nervous would have been the understatement of the millennium, but Twilight didn't seem to notice as she picked up her journal and quill. She sat down opposite me, her eyes looking into mine and making me turn away.

"You seem rather nervous..." she said. "This isn't part of the human mating process, is it?"

"No!" I replied, my voice squeaking with embarrassment as I gripped the edges of my seat. "No, it isn't!"

"Oh, okay," Twilight seemed disappointed.

"Just... ask me what you need to know," I said quickly.

"Well, I guess the first thing I should ask is, how long does human mating normally last?" Twilight leaned forwards expectantly.

"Fifteen minutes." I made something up on the spot. "Though some humans have been known to go for longer."

"Wow, that's impressive." Twilight gave me a sly smile as she wrote it down and looked at me again. "Stallions are only known to last for an average of three to five minutes; I guess human males have a lot of stamina which helps them in that regard?" I nodded meekly and Twilight scribbled more notes in her journal. "Okay, next question... how long are human women with child?"

"Nine months," I replied, sarcastically thinking that my basic knowledge of biology was finally good for something. "Though premature or late births aren't unheard of."

"Okay," Twilight replied. Once she was done writing, she looked up at me and smiled broadly. "That's it, I'm done. Thanks, Geo."

"Wait, what?" I asked tersely. "That's it?"

"Yep," Twilight nodded, but then she noticed the stern expression on my face. "Unless you want to tell me more?"

I laughed sheepishly. "No, no," I muttered. "There is nothing more that I can tell you about human mating."

Twilight looked at me with concern, her soft purple eyes gazing deep into mine. She furrowed her brow for a moment before letting out a small gasp. "Oh, my. You're a vir— I mean you've never..."

"Had sex?" I turned an even deeper shade of red and laughed madly. "Yeah, you've got me there!"

Twilight looked at the floor as I buried my face in my hands. We sat in silence for a while, neither of us willing to speak. After what seemed like hours, Twilight finally broke it.

"So... why haven't you done it?" she asked softly. "Oh, I hope that isn't too of personal; I'll understand if you don't want to answer."

I sighed. "Well, you know how I had no friends before I got here?" I replied, to which she nodded. "Well, my inability to make friends also extended to talking to the opposite sex. So I found it hard to talk to women. That, and they didn't really like me that much."

"Why not?" she said, looking shocked. "Why would anypony not like you? What possible reasons would they have?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "They simply told me to leave them alone. It was either that or they'd throw their drinks in my face, or get a male friend to threaten me."

I looked at Twilight and saw that her chest was heaving, her breathing had increased, her mane and tail were somehow dishevelled, and her left eye had developed a tic. "How can they do that?!" she shouted suddenly. "They just don't take the time to get to know you! You're smart, kind, good-looking—"

"Me? Good looking?" I cut her off and let out a hollow laugh.

"Listen to yourself!" she bellowed. "You've got a negative opinion of yourself, simply because somepony else does!" I opened my mouth to speak, but she raised a hoof. "I'm not done yet! I've only known you for a few months, but in that time I like to think that I've got to know you really well. You've been through so much, and asked for nothing in return." I didn't reply. "In fact..." She let out a small, nervous, laugh. "You remind me of me."

"Haven't we already had this conversation?" I chuckled.

"This is different," Twilight said sternly.

"I guess it is," I replied. "Please continue."

"Stallions don't really care much for a mare who reads a lot of books," Twilight said sadly. "Every time I asked a stallion out, he'd either be intimidated by my intellect, or bored by it." She sighed. "I can't tell you how many times my dates walked away and left me, simply because I was using a lot of big words that he didn't understand." Tears started to form in her eyes.

"They seriously did that?" I said loudly, prompting her to turn and face me. "You are who you are, and if nopony can accept that... well... they can go fuck themselves!" My voice was full of anger.

That's the spirit! Let those emotions flow, and soon you will know whether or not she feels the same way about you as you do her!

Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and sat next to me on the sofa. I opened my arms for a hug, which she gladly accepted. And as we sat there in silence a thought crossed my mind, causing me to chuckle heartily.

"What's so funny?" Twilight asked.

"I finally meet someone who is like me in every way... and she's a completely different species!" I said, laughing again.

Twilight grinned. "Yeah, I know the feeling," she replied. "I meet somepony who is like me in every way... and he's not even a pony!"

We both laughed so much, we ended up falling off off the sofa. After recovering our composure, we stopped laughing and opened our eyes to find that we were face to face.

I let out another small chuckle. "Thanks for listening, Twilight," I said. "I'm glad I can talk t—"

My words were cut off as she suddenly lunged forward and kissed me — something that was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Her lips were soft, and they felt good pressed against mine.

Well, I guess that answers that question.

Unfortunately, I was so taken aback by Twilight's boldness that I forgot to return the kiss. After what seemed like an eternity she broke away from me, her face now resembling one of Applejack's apples. She laughed awkwardly for a moment before looking at the floor. "I-I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know what came over me."

A heavy air of tension hung in the room as we both sat in silence. After a while, I was the one to break it. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know!" Twilight sighed, looking me in the eyes. "It just felt... right somehow."

"I don't... I don't know what to say," I replied. "My first ever kiss... and it's with another species. Go figure."

"Ever since I first met you, I've been happy in your company. You were another species, injured and helpless, and I felt that I could be the one to take care of you," Twilight explained. "But through all of our conversations about you and your life, I realised that you are more like me than anypony else I've met."

I looked over at the window. The midday sun beat down on Ponyville as the residents passed by. "What are you trying to say, Twi?" I asked her bluntly, though she didn't answer me. "Twilight." I sighed. "What are you try—"

"I'm trying to say that I love you!" she shouted. I looked at her to see that she was shaking like a leaf, tears forming in her eyes as she looked back at me. "I love you..." She muttered. "But you don't feel the same way, since you didn't even return my kiss."

I sighed, putting my arms around her comfortingly. "Of all the ponies here, it's you who has been by my side the most," I said. "It was you who took me to hospital, you were my first visitor when I woke up and it was you who gave me a place to stay and a job. In short, it was you who helped me to start my new life here."

I wiped the tears from her eyes as I continued. "You helped me to realise that it was possible for me to have friends again. You've been with me every step of the way, and I will never forget your kindness." I lifted her head up and brought my face close to hers, causing her to shudder in anticipation. "You have shown me compassion that I never would have got from any human."  

"What are you trying to s—" Twilight began.

Now it was my turn to cut her off with a kiss.

A small squeal escaped Twilight's lips and she returned my kiss just as eagerly. At this moment in time, I was happier than I'd ever been. The feeling of this moment was magical, and I was loving every second of it. Soon, Twilight broke off the kiss and smiled at me. "But I thought that... when you didn't—"

"I do love you," I said. "I've loved you for a while now, but because it all felt so rushed I didn't know whether or not I should tell you. So when you kissed me, I was – genuinely – surprised, hence why I didn't return it as soon as I should have."

Twilight giggled. "Oh, that explains a lot," she replied. "The time we spent together in the hospital helped, but when we had our conversation about making friends... that's when I knew you were the one for me."

I put my arms around her, hugging her close. "And you're the one for me," I whispered.

As we kissed again, I realised that for the first time in my life, I had someone – somepony – who truly cared for me. I knew that this was the true start of my new life — and where I belonged.

I belonged here in Equestria.

With the mare of my dreams.
> United - Part One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Several weeks later, Twilight and I were still together, although I was worried about how the residents of Ponyville would react to the news of our relationship. After all, how would you react if your friend and neighbour suddenly  announced that she's fallen for the guy who appeared in town only a few months ago?

The sheer speed at which our love had grown was my primary concern. Would everypony think that I was forcing Twilight to love me? Would they think that I was using some kind of ancient and forbidden magic to control her mind? These thoughts, and several more like them, clouded my mind for those first few weeks.

Of course, I forgot one very important thing: I lived in the most welcoming town imaginable. My doubts were shattered when Pinkie Pie threw a 'Congratulations To Geo And Twilight On Getting Together' party and invited the whole town. Everypony who came shook my hand and wished us both all the best.

Even Celestia and Luna came to the party; of all the ponies in Equestria, it was their approval I sought the most. After all, its not every day your most promising student and friend announces she's fallen in love with an alien from another world.

As both Princesses approached us, I found that I had become paralysed with fear. Twilight nuzzled me as I ran my hand through her mane, which – as usual – was nice and soft. The feeling was enough to calm my nerves, albeit by a small amount. 

"Oh, Geo," Twilight said gently. "You do realise that if the Princesses were angry with you, they'd be showing it?"

"Yes, Twilight, I do," I said tensely. "But, for all I know, this could just be the peaceful calm before the terrifying storm."

Twilight giggled as Celestia and Luna both strode up to us.

"Geo, Twilight," Luna said. "Lovely day for a party, is it not?"

"Hello, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna," Twilight replied. "It is a lovely day for a party; we're both glad you could make it."

"It's always a pleasure, Your Majesties," I said, feeling the cold sweat collecting on my forehead. If either of them are going to do anything, I wish they'd hurry up and get it over with.

"We heard the news," Celestia said. "About you two, I mean." The tone of her voice was neutral, so I couldn't tell what she was about to do. "And we only have one thing to say about it." With that, she and Luna raised a forehoof each.

Great, I thought. They're going to smack me upside the head. I closed my eyes and bracing myself for the blow — which never came. I opened my eyes to see that Celestia was holding a drink, and that Luna was giving me a strange look.

"A toast," Celestia announced loudly. "To Geo and Twilight. May they find everlasting happiness together."

There was a chorus of "Geo and Twilight!" and everypony raised their glass to us as both Princesses leaned closer to me.

"All we want is for Twilight to be happy," Luna whispered. "You are quite clearly a perfect match for her, so treat her well, Geo."

"I will, Princesses," I whispered back. "I'll do anything to see her smile, come hell or high water."

Celestia and Luna grinned then trotted away to mingle with the other guests, leaving Twilight and I in the middle of the room. As soon as they were out of sight I let out a sigh of relief and scooped up Twilight for a hug, which made her squeal in delight. "For a moment there, I honestly thought that I was going to be taking a one-way trip to the moon," I said quietly.

"Oh, relax," Twilight soothed. "As I said, if they were angry with you then they would have made their feelings quite clear."

I smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek before putting her down. "You're right," I replied. "I shouldn't have doubted you, or the Princesses for that matter. Sorry."

Twilight gently punched my side. "Don't worry about it," she said. "It's all in the past — but regarding the present... we are at a Pinkie Pie party, and you've got a face like a wet weekend. So let's see what we can do about, as Pinkie would say, turning that frown upside down!" She took a hold of my hand as she spoke, and then we went to mingle.


***


It goes without saying that Twilight's parents were at the party as well, their approval being something else that I was eager to get.

"I saw this coming a mile away," Velvet said smugly. "When I saw how the two of you acted around each other while Geo was in hospital, I knew that it was only a matter of time before you fell in love." She turned to her husband. "Right, dear?"

Night Light sighed. "Yes, honey." he leaned in closer to Twilight and I. "Your mother has been going on about the possibility of you two getting together for a while now; she's been driving me crazy."

Velvet batted him with a forehoof. "I heard that," she said. "Anyway, the two of you must come up to the house for dinner at some point. Also, Twilight..." She giggled. "Does this mean I can look forward to becoming a grandma soon?"

"Mom!" Twilight's face turned bright red, and her ears lay flat against her head. "It's a bit early in our relationship to be thinking about foals!" She thought for a moment. "Then again, I don't even know if it would be possible for a human and a pony to conceive."

I shrugged. "Let's not think about it right now," I replied. "Twilight is right though, Velvet, it is a bit early to be thinking of children."

Velvet pouted. "A mare can still dream, though," she said. "Oh, well, I'm sure you'll talk about it when you're ready. Now, if you'll excuse us, I can see a cake stand with my name on it."

She and Night Light both bade us farewell, leaving us free to continue mingling with the other party guests.


***


The rest of Twilight's friends were just as surprised as everypony else in town about our relationship; thankfully they were welcoming of the idea, and came over to offer their congratulations.

"How do you like the party?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Hey, you should totally get married now and let me do the wedding!" She put her forehooves together pleadingly. "Oh, please, please, please get married, because I really want to cater for another wedding! I had so much fun at Princess Cadence and Shining Armour's wedding... well, except for when the Changelings attacked of course."

"Two things, Pinkie," I replied. "One, the party is great – just like it always is – and two, what the fuck is a Changeling?"

"They're like ponies," Pinkie replied. "Except they look like giant bugs and they can make themselves look like anypony, because they feed off love. A whole army of them tried crashing Twilight's brother's wedding a few months back, but it didn't work out."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Trust me, pardner," Applejack interjected. "Ya don't wanna know. All ya really need ta know is that we sent those critters packin'."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash added. "It was awesome. We kicked so much flank that day it was unreal. Best wedding day ever!" She pumped the air with a hoof as she spoke.

"Right," I replied. "I'll take your word for it, and hope that I never meet one of those things. Now, if I could be so bold and change the subject, what do you think of Twilight and I being together?"

"It's wonderful," Rarity said. "You two seem like such the perfect couple. In fact, it's like you were made for each other."

"Fate is a funny thing," I retorted. "I wasn't getting anywhere in my own world, both socially and romantically, so I was brought here... where I found both friends and love."

"It's really sweet that the two of you have each other." Fluttershy cast a forlorn glance out of the window and sighed wistfully. "I wonder if there's somepony out there for me?"

"There is somepony out there for all of you," I replied, waving my hand across the room. "I'm pretty confident that, sooner or later, all of you will become prisoners of love. And when you do, you will appreciate it just as much as we do. Right, Twi?"

"Indeed," she nodded. "Don't worry, girls, I'm sure you'll all find a special somepony sooner or later. Try not to give up the search."

"Could we please change the subject again?" Dash said grimly. "All of this romance stuff is getting... sappy."

"What's the matter, Dash?" I asked her. "Afraid that you won't find somepony to ignite that spark within you?" Dash waved her hoof dismissively. "I'm no expert, nor do I claim the ability to predict the future, but I'm fairly confident that you will all find somepony special. You're all great mares; any guy would kill to be with you."

The girls nodded.

"You're right, Geo, I should not give up," Rarity said. "Instead, I shall continue hoping that my special somepony is simply waiting for the right moment to reveal his true feelings."

Twilight and I exchanged a sly smile, but said nothing.

"Yeah," Applejack said. "An' I'll continue ta hope that I meet a stallion who's as honest and hard workin' as me. Of course, knowin' mah luck, he'll turn out ta be the exact opposite." She shrugged. "Then again, as tha old sayin' goes... opposites do attract."

"Ooh, and I hope to meet somepony who's really sweet!" Pinkie chimed. "And smart, and brave... basically just the best guy ever!"

"What about you, Fluttershy?" I asked. "I'm pretty sure there's a guy out there who's just as kind and caring as you are." Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her mane to cover the blush forming on her cheeks, causing me to chuckle. "So are we all in agreement that there is a special somepony out there for all of you?"

"Mm-hmm!" came the reply.

"Good," I said. "Now... let's party."


***


Hours later, the party was over, and Twilight and I were walking home by ourselves; Rarity had kindly invited Spike to attend a sleepover at the Boutique with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The moon was full, casting a brilliant glow over Ponyville, and illuminating the two of us as we walked side by side, my arm on Twilight's back.

"Did you have fun?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, I did." I grinned. "Mind you, since Pinkie knows how to throw a good party, that was only inevitable."

"I have to admit," Twilight said. "I never realised you were capable of bringing everypony's spirits up like that. I've never seen the girls more determined before."

"Everypony needs a little pep talk once in a while," I replied. "It just so happens that I have a way with words."

Twilight giggled. "That's true," she said, before biting her bottom lip. "So, um... what do you want to do now?"

"Beats me." I shrugged. "In fact, the night is still young, and I'm not even tired. Why, what do you want to do?"

Entering the library, Twilight turned on the light.

"I can think of one thing that we could do," she said sultrily. "I'm just hoping you can figure out what it is."

I realised at once what she meant. "A-are you sure?" I stammered. "We've only been together for a few months, and—"

Twilight put a forehoof over my mouth. "Shut up, Geo," she said sternly. "Shut up and... make love to me."

She removed her hoof from my mouth, at which I wordlessly scooped her into my arms, kissed her as passionately as I could, then carried her upstairs to her – our – bedroom.
> United - Part Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


To Friend Is Human - Chapter Eleven



[Mature]


 [Sex] [Human] [Romance]




Having finally confessed their love for each other, Geo and Twilight Sparkle enjoyed a celebratory party thrown by Pinkie Pie. Upon their return home, they both decided that it was time to consummate their new relationship.


> What Once Was Lost
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Nine months had passed since I first arrived in Equestria; the greatest months of my life. I had enjoyed every second of my time here, but the fact that six of those months had been spent with Twilight made everything better. Our relationship was stronger than ever, and I was proud to be a part of everyday life in Ponyville.

I helped Applejack to harvest her crops, I helped Fluttershy with the animals, I helped Rainbow Dash with her cloud patrol (a task which mostly involved pointing at the things), I helped Pinkie Pie to bake – and eat – various sugary goodies, and I helped Rarity with her stitching by holding things she needed, since I could carry a lot.

I was overjoyed with the new life, and the second chance, I had been given. I had friends who cared about me, and whom I cared about in return, but above all else, I had Twilight Sparkle — and as far as I was concerned, nothing else mattered but them and her.


***


The sun beat down on me mercilessly, but I continued working regardless; a bountiful crop at Sweet Apple Acres had meant that Applejack and Big Macintosh needed some help with the harvest. I offered my assistance, much to their gratitude, and so I found myself carrying bushels of apples into the barn. While I worked, I heard the sound of hoofsteps; this was quickly followed by being pulled into a hug by a pair of lavender forehooves.

"Hey, you," Twilight cooed. "Working hard, or hardly working?"

"It was the former," I replied. "But then you turned up, and now it's the latter." I turned round and picked her up, gazing into her eyes for a moment before leaning in for a kiss. "What brings you here?"

"I got you a present," Twilight said. "It was meant to be a surprise, but I got excited and decided I couldn't wait until you got home."

"Oh, really?" I said, my interest piqued. "What did you get me?"

Twilight lit her horn and took a small object out of her saddlebags. There wasn't anything spectacular about it; it was just an ordinary black box. After staring at it for a moment I took it from her and studied it closely. "Well then, what's this?" I asked.

"Open it and see," Twilight giggled.

I did as I was asked and opened the box to find a gold necklace, which I took out and held in a hand. There was a small purple gem attached to the end, which had been engraved with Twilight's cutie mark, and the words My Heart Is Yours.

"It's beautiful," I choked out, wiping away a tear. "Thank you."

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you like it," she said. "The gem, in case you were wondering, is an amethyst. It was Spike's idea, since amethysts are purple, and purple is apparently my coat colour." She paused. "Even though we both know it's lavender, which is a different shade of purple altogether."

I stopped her from going into 'Lecture Mode,' as Spike called it, by giving her a deep and passionate kiss. As we broke away I cupped her cheek with a hand. "Why did you decide to get this?" I asked.

"See those words?" Twilight replied, pointing at the pendant. "They are all true. I love you, Geo, and I want everypony to know it."

"I love you too," I replied. "But I didn't get you anything, so now I feel like a complete and total dickhead."

"That's all right," Twilight replied. "You'll get me something eventually, I know you will." I nodded and, with Twilight's help, put the pendant around my neck; it was a perfect fit, not that I was expecting it not to be. "Perfect." She said. "Now I'd better go and let you to get back to work, since I don't think Applejack would like it if she caught you taking a break before you were due one."

"S'fine by me, Twilight," came a Southern accent from the barn door, which led to Twilight and I turning round to see Applejack standing with a big smile on her face. "Howdy."

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked her.

"Long enough, sugarcube," she replied with a wink. "I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I reckon that the two of ya make a fine couple. And that there necklace is so goshdarn lovely."

I gave Twilight a hug. "I've got a great life, a lovely marefriend, great friends and now a lovely gift." I grinned. "What could be better? I feel as happy as a politician claiming expenses." I gave Twilight a peck on the cheek, causing her to giggle.

"Save that fer later," Applejack said sternly, albeit with a smile. "In the meantime, we've got apples ta harvest, so get to it."

"Yes, ma'am!" I saluted and, after giving Twilight one last kiss and a hug, returned to the sweltering heat of the orchard.


***


Applejack watched Geo go before addressing Twilight. "You really care for him, don't ya, sugarcube?" she asked.

Twilight sighed contentedly. "Yes, more than anything." she paused. "But that doesn't mean I don't care about my friends as well."

Applejack laughed. "I know y' love us, Twi," she replied. "But I also know y' love him too. I'm so happy fer the two o' ya."

Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Applejack." she gave her a hug. "I'd better go and see how Spike is getting on. We'll talk later, okay?"

"All right, Twilight," Applejack nodded. "I'll see you later."

With a flash, Twilight teleported away.


***


As I left the farm later that evening, watching the sun begin its descent, I brought a hand up to gently touch the pendant hanging around my neck. It was a generous gift, but I still knew that I would have to get Twilight something in return.

It has to be something amazing, I thought, walking along the road leading from Sweet Apple Acres into Ponyville. And it also has to get across the point that I love this mare more than anything else in the entire world — be that Equestria or Earth.

I walked through the market, waving to the vendors who were closing up shop, where I saw Big Macintosh packing up his stall.

"Howdy, Geo," he said. "Is that ya finished fer the day?"

"It is indeed, Mac," I replied. "I'm just on my way home."

Mac nodded. "If'n ya don't mind me sayin', Geo, ya look like you've got somethin' on yer mind," he said nonchalantly. When I looked away from him, a small smile spread across his face. "I'm right, aren't I?" I nodded and he patted a barrel. "Sit on down then, pardner, an' tell me all about it. Folks say I ain't much of a talker, and that's true, but I sure as hay know how ta listen."

I sat down on the barrel and twiddled my thumbs for a moment, eventually letting out a sigh. "Twilight got me this earlier," I said, showing him the pendant. "Needless to say, I want to get her something, but I don't know what."

"I'm guessing ya want ta show her how much you care?" Mac asked, to which I nodded again. "Well, why don't ya do what she did, and get a piece of jewellery which tells her exactly how you feel?" He pointed down the street. "Diamond Dust runs a jewellery store down that way; I'm sure he'd have somethin' for ya."

I thought for a moment, then stood up and patted Mac on the back. "You know what, Mac?" I replied. "I think I'll do just that; what's more, I know exactly what I'm gonna get her. Thanks for the advice, mate, you're pretty good at giving it."

"Eeyup," he said. "Diamond Dust will be closin' up soon, so ya better get yer flank in gear. You do what you gotta do, Geo, and I'll see ya back at the farm early tomorrow morning."

"Thanks again, Mac, see you tomorrow." I started jogging down the street, deftly avoiding anypony who got in my way, and soon arrived outside the jewellers. As I walked inside, I attracted the attention of the stallion – a grey unicorn with a white mane and tail, and a cutie mark depicting a diamond and chisel combo – who was standing behind the counter counting out a small bag of bits. He smiled warmly as I approached him, putting the money in a lockbox, and gave me his full attention.

"Hello there, my good man," he said politely. "What can I do for you this evening? Something for the mare in your life, perhaps?"

"Yes, actually," I replied. "I do want to get something special for the mare in my life, and I don't care how much it costs."

Diamond leaned forwards expectantly. "Tell me what it is you want," he said. "And then I will take care of the rest."

I proceeded to tell him what I wanted, knowing full well that it would show Twilight once and for all how much I loved her.


***


A few days later I was at the library, performing my task of helping Twilight and Spike to re-organise the shelves. We had done it three times already, due to Twilight's obsessive nature, but – much to Spike's immense relief – she was happy with our latest attempt.

"Finally, we're done!" Spike said as I put the last book back in its place. "Now can we please get some lunch?"

"Sure thing, Spike," Twilight replied, looking around at the books. "I think I can work with it like this... at least until next week."

"Thank Celestia for that." Spike threw himself onto the couch. "I thought for sure that we were going to be doing this all day."

Twilight stuck her tongue out at him, while I grabbed my sack of bits from the table. "Right, what does everypony want for lunch?" I asked, shaking the bag gently. "My treat."

"Thank you, Geo, I'll have a daisy sandwich," Twilight said. "Or, in other words, I'll just have what I usually have."

"Gemstone salad for me please!" Spike said, licking his lips. "And if you could get extra rubies, that would be great."

"All right," I said. "I'll be back shortly." I kissed Twilight and opened the door to leave, when Spike suddenly belched. There was a flash of bright green light which caused me to shut the door in alarm, and I wheeled around to see a scroll hovering in the air.

"It's just a letter from the Princesses," Twilight giggled, noticing the shocked expression on my face. "It's nothing to worry about." She unfurled the scroll and began reading.



Dear Twilight Sparkle,

We need to see you and the other Element bearers immediately. A chariot has been dispatched to Ponyville and will be with you shortly. It is imperative that you all get here as soon as you can.

Princesses Celestia and Luna.

P.S. We're sorry, but Geo and Spike cannot attend this meeting.



Once she finished reading the letter, Twilight destroyed it. "They want to see the girls and I right away," she said. "I'm sorry, Geo, but lunch is going to have to wait."

Spike groaned while I nodded. "Sounds important," I replied. "Just give me a moment to grab my jacket and we'll—"

"I'm sorry," Twilight said sheepishly. "But the letter said you couldn't attend — only myself and the other Element bearers."

"Must be more 'saving the world' stuff." I smiled. "Don't worry, Twi, I understand." There was a knock at the door, and I opened it to find a couple of Royal Guards looking at me expectantly. "Twilight's here, gentlecolts." I told them. "She'll just be a moment."

As if on cue, Twilight appeared; her friends had already been rounded up, and were waiting in the chariot with confused looks fixed firmly on their faces. Twilight kissed me and climbed into the chariot alongside them. "I'll be back soon," she whispered as the guards attached themselves to the chariot and took off.

"I know," I replied, waving at the disappearing chariot. "I know." After it disappeared into the distance, I turned round to face Spike. "No reason why we can't get any lunch." I said to him. "Let's go."


***


Arriving in Canterlot, Twilight and the others were ushered into the throne room, where a nervous Celestia was pacing up and down. Luna sat nearby, watching her sister with some concern.

"Princesses!" Twilight yelled as she and her friends were brought in to the room. "What's going on, why did you summon us?"

"We're glad you are all here," Celestia said darkly. "A threat has arisen in Equestria, and we feel that only the Elements of Harmony can stop it. We hate to impose on all of you like this, but we don't see any other alternatives to solving the problem."

"It's not Discord again, is it?" Rainbow Dash sighed.

"No, Rainbow Dash," Luna replied. "Though I'm afraid it has the potential to be much worse than that."

"Worse than Discord?" Dash's jaw hit the floor as Twilight approached Celestia and gently nuzzled her.

"We're so sorry, Twilight," Celestia said gently. "We're sorry for what we are about to ask of the six of you."

"We will all do whatever is necessary to protect Equestria, you know that." Twilight's tone was serious. "Now, what's the threat?"

Celestia's face fell. "More humans have been spotted in Equestria," she said. "And... they're not as friendly as the ones we're used to."

The Element bearers stood in stunned silence for a moment, before Rarity broke it. "I'm afraid I don't quite understand, Princess," she said warily. "What do you mean they're 'not as friendly?'"

"A report came in some time ago," Luna replied. "It said that a group of four human males had attacked a supply convoy which was heading to the town of Appleoosa."

"Appleoosa?" Applejack gasped. "I've got family down there!"

"It's okay, Applejack," Celestia said calmly. "None of the ponies pulling the convoy were hurt; the humans only seemed to be interested in the supplies that it was carrying."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Twilight.

"The ponies told us that the humans retreated into the Everfree Forest, so that is where they must be camping," Luna said. "Ordinarily, we would send the Royal Guard to deal with threats like this — but this is the first time we have had to deal with humans in an aggressive manner. Therefore, we are hoping that they are open to negotiations, which is why we are sending you."

"Surely Geo would be a better person to ask about this?" Rarity wondered. "He is a human as well, so he would know better than any of us how to go about solving this problem."

"I'm sorry, Rarity," replied Celestia. "But he cannot know of this, as I fear what might happen if these humans see him."

"Okay Princess," Twilight said glumly. "I accept your judgement."

"I will tell him that you will be away for a while," Celestia said, giving Twilight a hug. "He won't worry about you."

"You leave at once," Luna added. "A chariot is waiting outside. Take the Elements as well, and hope that you won't need to use them."

"Of course, Princesses," said Twilight, pulling away from the hug and nodding to the others. The six of them went over to the box the Elements of Harmony were stored in and put on her respective one. Once ready, they boarded the waiting chariot, and set off for the human camp; Celestia and Luna watched them go.

"Good luck, girls, and be safe," Celestia said, fighting to hold back tears. "Equestria's safety lies with you."


***


As I pushed my empty plate away, I stifled a belch and turned to the two ponies behind the counter, chuckling as I caught sight of Spike fast asleep on the seat next to mine.

"Great pancakes as usual, Cup and Carrot!" I beamed, throwing them a few bits. "And I think Spike enjoyed his sapphire cupcake."

"Thank you for the compliment!" Cup Cake replied. "You know, dearie, in the short time you've been here, you have bought more pancakes than everypony else in town put together. Don't you ever get tired of eating them all the time?"

"I will never get tired of pancakes," I said, standing up and scooping Spike into my arms. "Especially if you keep making them." Spike shifted in my arms and mumbled something incoherent about Rarity. "Anyway, I've got to get this one home, see you later!"

"Goodbye, Geo!" said Mr. Cake, as he and his wife waved.

Stepping out into the Ponyville market square, I took a deep breath and surveyed the area. "I love this place," I said to myself.

Before walking back to the library, I stopped by Diamond Dust's store. He was pleased to inform me that my order was completed; I left his shop a thousand bits poorer, but with an item of great importance tucked safely away in my jacket pocket.

I got back to the library and tucked Spike into bed before going to the desk and writing out a letter for Twilight, which I would present to her alongside my gift. I poured my heart and soul into it, thus finalising my grand plan for our future. Tucking the letter and item into my jacket pocket, I walked out onto the balcony and admired the view. Turning my head skyward, I watched the birds flying past, each of them chirping away, and then I laid eyes upon a chariot.

"Oh good," I mused. "Twilight and the girls must be back, and quite quickly as well." I stood and waited for the chariot to land, watching as it flew high above Ponyville. It was then I noticed that it wasn't losing altitude; it was going past Ponyville altogether, out towards the Everfree Forest. "What the fuck?" I thought aloud. "Why in the hell are they going into that creepy place?"

I rushed downstairs and opened the door. Scanning the sky, I caught sight of the chariot again and began following it.

If they're going in there, then something dangerous must be lurking within. I broke into a run. And I'll be damned if I let my friends – and the love of my life – face it without me.

With this thought in mind, I ran into the darkened forest.
> A Mission Of Friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight and her friends sat in silence, looking over the edge of the chariot at the Everfree Forest passing by underneath them. She looked back the way they had come – sighing at the sight of the forest stretching back as far as her eyes could see – and turned to her friends. "Are we all clear on what we need to do?"

"Yep," Rainbow Dash replied, puffing out her chest. "We find the humans and ask them if they want to be our friends. If they refuse, then we give 'em a taste of the Elements!"

"No, Rainbow." Applejack shook her head. "We only use the Elements if'n these humans try ta hurt us. If they refuse our offer of friendship, then we try an' persuade them ta take it."

"Ooh!" squealed Pinkie Pie. "How about I offer to throw them a party? We all know that nopony can resist my parties!"

Applejack glared at her. "They stole from us, Pinkie," she said bitterly. "They need to answer fer that first."

"Oh, I forgot about that." Pinkie's mane and tail deflated entirely.

"Come on, girls, maybe they're not as bad as we think," Fluttershy chimed in. "Maybe they took those supplies because they were hungry, and didn't know what else to do?"

"Or maybe they did it because they knew that we wouldn't be able to fight back?" Dash growled. "I swear, if they try anything, I'll—"

"Maybe they're scared?" Rarity offered, prompting the others to look at her. "Think about it, girls, these humans have come from a world in which theirs is the dominant species, only to then somehow end up in a world where it is not."

"So when they meet ponies for the first time, they find it difficult to comprehend," Twilight offered. "After all, let's not forget how Geo acted when he met us; pinching himself like that."

Rarity nodded. "Exactly," she said. "So as soon as they saw those ponies, their 'fight or flight' reflexes kicked in, and they chose the former. Once they've listened to reason, I am more than confident that they will want to accept our offer of friendship."

"Wow, Rarity." Dash stifled a giggle. "That wasn't like you."

"And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?" Rarity huffed.

"Well..." Dash grinned. "Usually Twilight says the smart stuff."

The six of them shared a laugh before a cough distracted them.

"We're approaching our destination, Elements," said one of the guards pulling the chariot. "Get ready to disembark."

Twilight nodded and turned to the others. "Okay, everypony." she took in a breath and let it out. "Are we ready?"

"READY!" came the chorused reply.


***


I had been following the chariot for ages; I was tired, sweaty and covered in mud. So when I saw the thing finally beginning to descend towards a clearing, I sighed happily — then went to hide behind a tree, ready to surprise my friends.


***


As the chariot touched down in the clearing the six mares  disembarked, each of them with a look of concern on her face.

"Best of luck to you, Bearers," the second guard said. "May the Princesses watch over all of you." With those, words he and his colleague took off, leaving the six ponies in the clearing.

"Am I the only one who thinks we've been here before?" Rarity asked. "There's something about this place..."

Twilight looked around. "I feel that way too, Rarity, but I can't put my hoof on why," she replied. "Anyway, girls, Princess Luna said that the humans were camping near here, so let's get going."

"Just tell us what to do, Twilight," Dash replied.

"Okay, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied. "Fly above the trees and see if you can spot any signs of a camp."

Rainbow Dash nodded and took to the sky, hovering high above the trees and scanning the surrounding area. Suddenly she pointed and shouted down to the others. "Over there, to the west! I can see a campfire, and it's definitely not one of Zecora's."

"Okay then, everypony, let's go!" Twilight commanded.

The others nodded and started walking, while Twilight had another look around. Her gaze soon fell upon something on the ground, prompting her to go over and look at it.

"Um, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, noticing Twilight's change of direction. "Where are you going?"

Twilight stood motionless, her gaze fixed firmly on a patch of grass. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she finally spoke. "You were right, Rarity," she croaked. "We have been here before. Look."

She pointed at the ground, and the others followed her gaze.

Their eyes soon came to rest on a patch of dried blood.

"Of course!" Rarity chimed. "This is where we first met Geo!"

"Yes, it was," Twilight said. "Oh, I hope he's all right."

"Me?" a voice from the trees made the girls jump. "I'm just great."


***


I stepped out into the clearing, much to the surprise of my friends, and held out my arms as Twilight ran up to me for a hug. "Geo," she demanded. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Twilight," I replied. "I saw the chariot coming this way and figured I wasn't prepared to stand idly by and let you face danger without me."

"Aww," Twilight cooed. "You really do care about me." She paused for a moment and developed a serious expression. "We're here on a mission from the Princesses; more humans have appeared, and they want us to find them so we can extend the hoof of friendship."

"I thought they were all dead?" I asked, clearly confused.

"So did we." Twilight shrugged. "We honestly have no idea how they got here, but I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Okay then, let's go over and introduce ourselves." I started walking, only to come to a halt as Twilight grabbed my jacket.

"We have to do this ourselves," she said sadly. "Celestia and Luna are worried that these humans are dangerous." She sighed. "After all, they did attack a supply convoy bound for Appleoosa."

"Well that settles it, then," I said sternly, folding my arms. "You're my friends – and my lover – and I will not let you face them on your own. I'm coming with you, so like it or lump it."

"Shoot, y'all," Applejack laughed. "He's just as stubborn as Ah am."

"Okay, you can come with us." Twilight smiled and got up on her hind legs to nuzzle my chest. "Thank you."

With those words, we started walking.


***


As we got closer to the camp, we could smell on the breeze something that I hadn't smelled for a long time, and that made the girls grimace in horror: the smell of freshly cooked meat.

The humans in the camp had obviously been capturing and cooking the local wildlife, much to Fluttershy's dismay. I have to admit that the smell made me want to salivate, but I managed to control my carnivorous urge and continued walking.

We soon had the camp in our sights, and saw that the occupants appeared to be home; they were staying inside their makeshift hut. Twilight took a few steps forward before I stopped her.

"Wait," I said. "Are you sure about this?"

"It's okay, Geo, really," she replied. "We'll be fine, and you're with us." I gave her a quick kiss before she turned to the others. "Is everypony ready?" She asked them, to which they nodded.

"I'll stay here," I said. "But if you need me, I'll be there in a flash."

"Okay." Twilight gave me a quick nuzzle, then entered the camp with the rest of the girls and cleared her throat. "Hello?" She announced. There was a shout of panic, followed by a few thuds.

"Who's there?!" a male voice shouted. "What do you want?!"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," she replied. "And these are—"

"Oh, fucking hell," another voice wailed. "It's more of those freaky horses! I thought we were done with that shit?"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash yelled back, her breathing quickening as she stomped a hoof into the ground. "We're ponies, not horses!"

"We don't care, just fuck off!" the voice was a mixture of panic and anger. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening..."

I decided to try my luck, and walked into the camp. "Come on, guys," I said. "That's no way to talk to a mare."

"Fuck off, you pony bastard!" came the reply.

"I'm not a pony, actually," I calmly replied. "I'm a human just like you." There was a pause. "And if you don't believe me, come on out and see for yourselves. No reason why we can't be civil, right?"

Nothing happened for a moment, but eventually the door to the hut creaked open and a figure emerged with his back to us. "I can't believe this..." he said as he turned around. "Of all the people I could have come across in this place, I had to meet you again."

I gasped. "Derek..."

Twilight looked at me. "You know him?!" she asked.

"Yes," I replied quietly. "He's the man who shot me."
> Retribution
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I stood rooted to the spot as Derek stared at me, his friends coming out of the hut to stand at his side. Twilight and the others looked around warily; the tension in the air was so thick, you would have needed a chainsaw to get through it.

"So, how did you guys end up here?" I asked.

"It's kinda funny, really." Derek gave me a weak grin. "After I kicked your arse, I got back in my car and drove away." He pointed at his friends. "These three idiots started giving me major props for what I did to you, and I was enjoying it..." He paused and glared at them, who shied away and rubbed the backs of their heads nervously. "Until one of them decided to hug me; I'm guessing it was because he was so damn high. Whatever it was, I lost control of the car and we crashed. I guess that's karma for you." He shrugged. "The last thing any of us remember is a bright flash of light, and then we woke up in this forest. We set out to get something to eat, which is when we saw those ponies pulling that cart... we knew then that we weren't where we were supposed to be. That said, we also knew we'd have no problems taking stuff from the locals, as it would easier than finding it ourselves."

"You're despicable!" Twilight spat, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I know, right? It's amazing," Derek replied. "Mind you, those ponies didn't seem to keen to hand over their food." He suddenly pulled his gun out and pointed it at us. "Having this bad boy certainly helped, but when we realised that it was vegetarian crap on those carts, we started hunting animals."

Twilight flinched and started to back away slowly while Fluttershy gave Derek an evil look from behind her mane.

"We steal from your kind and, instead of fighters, someone sends you freaks to apprehend us." Derek laughed and waved the gun around. "Somehow I doubt that's going to happen; this weapon is probably the most technologically advanced piece of equipment on this God-forsaken rock — and I intend to use it to my advantage!"

He suddenly fired the gun at the seven of us, the bullet slamming into the ground inches away from Fluttershy; she fainted, and the rest of the girls – including Rainbow Dash – screamed. Undeterred, I took a few steps forward, positioning myself between my friends and Derek. "What the fuck is this?" he growled. "Are you feeling brave again?" He holstered the gun and took a step towards me with his fists raised. "Come on then, motherfucker, prove it."

"Violence never solves anything," I said with a sigh. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take my friends and we're going to leave you alone. Don't get too complacent, though, because you'll all get what's coming to you eventually." Derek glared at me, his eyes burning with hatred and his breathing quick. The same expression he wore the night he shot me. "Come on, girls, let's go."

Applejack roused Fluttershy and we started walking; we had barely made it out of the camp when I heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps coming up behind us.

I could tell that it was Derek — but this time I was ready for him.

I swung my fist around and connecting it with Derek's lower jaw, a sickening crunch telling us I had managed to separate it from the upper jaw. Twilight and the others gasped as Derek fell to the ground squealing in agony, his friends rushing to his side.

"Not this time," I hissed, kneeling next to the writhing figure. "Now, I don't know why you are so full of hate, and – quite frankly – I don't give a shit." Derek stopped screaming and popped his jaw back into place. "Did you know that I used to be like you?" I said quietly. "There was a time when I too hated everyone and everything; then you tried to kill me, which in turn brought me to this wonderful place." I held my arms out as I talked while Derek stood up — he and his friends all sharing the same foul expressions on their faces. "If it wasn't for these six ponies, I'd be dead. They showed me that it was possible for me to have friends again. To have a life. And best of all..." I pointed at Twilight, who smiled. "I found out that I was actually capable of feeling love."

"Wait, what?" Derek laughed. "You're actually fucking that thing?" he snickered. "That's pathetic. Let me guess: no real woman will have you, so you decided to stick your dick in a pony?"

"I knew you wouldn't understand," I sighed. "You're so full of hate, I'd be surprised if you weren't single; I can't imagine any woman who would appreciate having a thug like you for a partner."

"I am single," Derek snarled. "But at least I'm capable of getting with a human woman if I wanted to; you wouldn't see me shagging one of those disgusting four-legged freaks."

"I get it." I ignored his insulting remark about Twilight and the others. "Your 'bad-ass' attitude can get you whatever you want, but tell me something... does it make you happy?"

"FUCK YOU!" Derek shouted. "You're not my damn therapist!"

I shook my head. "No, but I am human," I replied. "We believe that we can get what we want, and we're often prepared to do whatever it takes to make our dreams a reality; you and I do so differently."

"Oh yeah?" Derek smirked. "Explain how, smart-arse."

"My dream was to find someone who loves me for who I am," I said. "When you shot me and I woke up here, it wasn't long before I found her." I smiled at Twilight, who smiled back. "As for you... well, I can't say I know what your dream is — but I can say that you are prepared to bully, intimidate, lie, steal, and do all other manner of awful things in order to make it happen."

Derek opened his mouth to say something, but didn't, instead opting for walking over to me. I clenched my fists, expecting the worst; I was then taken by surprise when he embraced me.

"Y-you're right," he said quietly. "I am a bully, but do you know why I'm a bully?" I shook my head — and then I felt a pain in my groin as Derek brought his knee into my crotch, a move he followed up by headbutting me. "Because I fucking love it." He hissed in my ear, before pushing me to the ground.


***


Twilight and the others gasped as Geo fell to the ground holding his groin, a pained expression on his face. They continued looking over at him with concern, even as Derek addressed them. "Humans never change," he said. "It's in our nature to be greedy, deceitful, backstabbing bastards." He pointed at Geo. "And that fucker is no different. If it meant getting anything he wanted, then he would sell each and every one of you down the river in a heartbeat."

"You don't know him like we do!" Twilight yelled, her eyes brimming with tears. "He's a kind, gentle person who is nothing like you!"

"Don't make me laugh!" Derek snarled. "Humans are the very definition of 'scum,' and we're going to fucking prove it!" he snapped his fingers and called to his friends. "Hugh, Frank, Edward, let's show these animals what being human really means!"

The four of them ran towards the six mares; Twilight tried to cast a spell, only to be interrupted by Derek jumping on her. "Oh no you don't, you bitch!" he roared. "You're mine!"

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She started running towards Derek, but was jumped on by Hugh. "Get off me, asshole!"

"I'm comin', Dash!" yelled Applejack. She pulled a rope from her saddlebag and began whirling it around her head.

"Frank!" Hugh yelled. "Get the bumpkin!"

"On it!" Frank nodded and ran over to Applejack, kicking her in the side of the head. The force of the attack knocked her off her hooves and sent her sprawling onto her side. "Take that!"

"Applejack!" Rarity cried. "You brute, how dare you!" Her horn glowed blue, but Edward grabbed it and lifted her into the air. She squealed and began flailing her hooves at him; Edward laughed at her, holding her at arms length so she couldn't hit him.

Fluttershy lay still, hiding behind her mane as the chaos unravelled before her. The cries of her friends soon reached her ears and she snapped out of her stupor, peeking out from behind the curtain of hair to see Applejack lying motionless, a large gash on her head. With a small gasp, she stood up and narrowed her eyes. "How dare you hurt my friends!" she yelled, throwing herself at Frank and bringing him down with a grunt.

"You bitch!" Frank stood up and swung his fist, the blow striking Fluttershy in the jaw and sending her onto her back. "I'm gonna break you in two!" He went over to her and raised his foot.

Fluttershy saw what was coming and raised her hooves in self-defence, only to gasp as something jumped on Frank. She looked over to see Geo on top of him, punching him furiously. "Don't. You. Ever. Hurt. My. Friends. You. Complete. BASTARD!" he shouted, punctuating each word with another punch.

Frank could not defend himself against Geo's rage and soon stopped struggling, his arms falling limp at his sides. Geo got off him and went to check on Fluttershy. Seeing that she was all right, he stroked her mane and went to check on Applejack. She was conscious, but there was a large gash across the back of her head.

"Oh, shit," he said as he looked at the wound. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner, Applejack; getting a knee to the balls hurts."

Applejack chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Geo." she winced at the pain. "Go an' help Twilight, Fluttershy and I will be fine."

Geo looked around to see that Rainbow Dash had managed to get Hugh off of her and was bucking him repeatedly in the crotch, while Pinkie had knocked over Edward, freeing Rarity and allowing the two of them to team up to deal with him.

In the distance, he saw Derek and Twilight struggling with each other. "Twilight!" he ran towards them. "Get off of her, you dick!" As he got closer, he saw Derek reach into his jacket, draw his gun and aim it at Twilight — who started pleading for her life.

"No, wait!" she said. "Think about this for a—"

"I said... GET OFF HER!" Geo grabbed Derek's arm and pulled him off the defenceless Twilight. The two of them began wrestling for control of the weapon, grunting and screaming in each others faces while throwing the occasional punch.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Twilight got up and ran over to Applejack, using her magic to heal the gash on her head. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity soon joined them, and the six friends hugged each other. For one brief glorious moment, they forgot all about their surroundings — only for a loud bang to bring them back to reality. They jumped and turned around to see that Derek had the gun and was smiling triumphantly.

Geo slowly turned to face the girls, who screamed when they saw the wound in his chest. He dropped to his knees as Twilight ran over crying hysterically. "No, NO!" she shouted.

"I told you I would do whatever it takes." Derek cackled. "And now, I'm going to kill him... followed immediately by you six."

"T-Twilight..." Geo croaked.

"Shh, don't talk." tears flowed down her face as she ran one forehoof through his hair, and caressed his face with the other.

"The Elements," Geo groaned. "Use... use the Elements."

Twilight perked up and ran back to the others, quickly filling them in on what Geo had said. They all nodded, and turned to face Derek. "You are nothing a creature of pure hate and chaos!" Twilight yelled. "However, what you don't know is that wherever hate and chaos reign, harmony is there to defeat them both!"

"Fuck. You." Derek spat on the ground. "Bitch."

"So be it." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Ready, girls?"

"READY!" came the reply.

Twilight closed her eyes, levitating herself and the others into the air. The Elements they wore began to glow, causing the smile to vanish from Derek's face. As Twilight's eyes glowed pure white, the Elements combined to form a rainbow which barrelled towards Derek and his friends, enveloping them in Harmony's embrace.

Derek screamed as the rainbow engulfed them; there was a flash of light, followed by a small explosion, and soon the Element Bearers found themselves back on the ground. They looked around to see that Derek and his friends were nowhere to be seen, although Geo was still lying on a – now bloodstained – patch of grass.

"It worked, Geo!" said Twilight, running over to him with a smile on her face. "The Elements worked!" Her smile quickly vanished when she saw that he wasn't moving. "Geo?"

"Is he okay?" asked Rainbow as Twilight put her hoof on Geo's neck. After a moment, she began sobbing and threw herself on his chest. Rarity came over and laid her own hoof on Geo's neck, before she recoiled in shock and and slowly turned around.

"He's..." she swallowed audibly. "He's dead."

Twilight wailed uncontrollably and buried her face into Geo's chest. The other five mares then gathered around, coming together for a group hug and watching as Twilight mourned her loss. After a moment, she composed herself and sent up sparks from her horn.

"Signalling spell," she said, noticing her friends expressions. "The Princesses should have felt it, and will now be on their way to help." She turned her attention to Geo, who was still lying on the ground; the wound on his chest had stopped bleeding, and he had a peaceful expression on his face. "He died... defending me." She said, wiping her eyes. "Defending all of us. It's because of him we were able to defeat Derek and his friends."

"He saved all of us, darling," Rarity replied, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief she had conjured. "Take solace in that."

Twilight nodded tearfully. "I will," she whispered.

"He was a good man." Fluttershy paused. "No... he is a good man."

Pinkie's mane had deflated entirely. "I may not be able to throw a 'We Beat The Bad Guys' party," she said, her voice trembling. "But I will definitely throw a 'Remembering Geo' party." A waterfall of tears cascaded from her eyes as Rarity hugged her.

"He was a great guy," said Rainbow Dash. "I'll never forget the day we met; he was so funny when he was panicking."

The six friends giggled slightly as Applejack took her hat off. "He were always willin' ta lend a helpin' hand on the farm," she said, bowing her head. "What's more, he never complained once, not even when the hours were long and the days were hot."

Twilight looked at Geo's body. "I'd better get him ready to travel."

Using her magic, she folded Geo's arms across his chest, and closed his eyes. She started to lift him off the ground, only to stop and put him down when something fell out of his jacket pocket.

"What's that?" Pinkie pointed at it.

Twilight picked up it and saw there was a gift tag attached.




To Twilight Sparkle

My friend. My love. My everything.

Geo.




"It's for me." she looked at her friends. "S-should I open it?"

"He were gonna give it to ya at some point, sugarcube," Applejack said reassuringly. "I don't think he'd mind in the slightest."

The others nodded in agreement, prompting Twilight to open the box slowly. As she did do a golden glow illuminated her face, and she gasped in shock, holding a forehoof to her lips.

"What is it, Twilight?" asked a concerned Rainbow Dash.

Twilight showed her friends the item she held in her magic; a solid gold hoofband, adorned with rubies, sapphires and diamonds. Along the inside was a familiar inscription: My Heart Is Yours.

"Oh, darling, it's simply divine!" Rarity squealed, unable to contain her delight. "It must have cost a fortune!"

Twilight looked in the box. "There's a note in here as well." she took it out and began to read it out loud.



My Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Throughout my time in Equestria, you have been by my side. You have helped me get through thick and thin, you have listened to my problems, and you have shared your own. First you became my friend, and then you became my lover.

I know now that I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, as no person has ever loved me like you do. I hope that my gift is enough to convey what I am trying to say; if not, then I guess I should just ask... will you marry me?

Yours, always and forever,
Geo



Twilight put the letter down and started sobbing, her friends joining her so they could cry together. A brilliant flash of light heralded the sudden arrival of Celestia and Luna, who both stood warily in the middle of the clearing. "We felt your distress signal," Celestia said with a touch of panic. "What happened? Where are the humans?"

"They attacked us." Rainbow Dash sighed. "We had no choice but to use the Elements against them. They're gone now."

"So why are you all upset?" Luna asked quizzically. With a shaking hoof, Twilight pointed to Geo's body laid out on the forest floor. Upon seeing it, Luna went pale. "By the moon..."

"What on Equestria happened?" Celestia asked.

"It's a long story." Twilight took a deep breath, after which she began to recall the series of events which led to that moment.


***


Once Twilight had finished her story, both Celestia and Luna were visibly shaken, with tears running down their cheeks.

"And that's what happened, Princesses," Twilight said. "If Geo hadn't have followed us, then all six of us would have died."

Celestia bowed her head, tears streaming down her face. "Geo's sacrifice will not be forgotten, my dear Twilight," she said quietly. "He will be remembered for his bravery."

"There's one more thing, Princess," Twilight said.

"What's that?" asked Celestia.

"He..." Twilight showed Celestia the hoofband and the letter. "He'd been plucking up the courage to ask me to marry him." She hugged her mentor. "I know what you're thinking, Celestia, and it's not your fault; nopony could have known that this was going to happen."

Celestia returned the hug and stood up, turning to the Elements and taking a deep breath. "Come, let us return to Ponyville," she said, her horn glowing. "We can reminisce here."

Before she could charge her horn with magic, Geo's body began to glow. The eight mares looked at it, their faces showing confusion.

Confusion which turned to shock – and, in Twilight's case, sheer terror – as the body suddenly vanished in a flash of light.
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I opened my eyes to find that I was looking at the plain white tiles I had come to associate with hospitals; the smell of disinfectant reaching my nostrils soon corroborating my theory. I tried to breathe a sigh of relief, happy that the girls had gotten me to safety, but the pain was just too much.

Haywick is gonna kill me for being back so soon, I thought. But at least this time I won't be in the hospital for three months.

"Unidentified male found with gunshot wound in James Street," a voice said. I tried to look around, but found that I was unable to move for all the machines attached to me. "Take it easy, pal." The same voice soothed. "You're gonna be fine."

It didn't take me long to realise that the voice had said 'James Street,' instead of 'the Everfree Forest.' Furthermore, the doctor's voice sounded nothing like Haywick's.

The trolley slowed to a stop, at which I felt several bodies crowding around me; I looked up to see several faces looking back.

Human faces. My eyes widened, and I gasped in shock.

With a collective grunt I was transferred onto a bed, the doctors shouting for various medicines as my mind drifted back to Equestria. I was sincerely hoping that the girls had used the Elements of Harmony to their full effect.

With nothing else to do in the meantime, I lay back and let the wonders of modern medicine work their magic on me.


***


I woke up slowly, my eyes fluttering in the light, and looked around to see that I was still in the hospital. The window was open, and the sounds and smells of the outside world were filtering through.

I soon realised that I wasn't in Equestria, I was actually back on Earth. The door opened and a doctor came in; he walked over to me with a small smile on his face. "Ah, you're awake," he said. "I'm Doctor Hardwick, and I have to say that you are lucky to be alive. Another inch to the left and you'd be dead."

I stared at him blankly. "How long has it been, Doctor?" I asked. "Since... since I was admitted, I mean."

"A few days," Hardwick replied. "Why?"

"I dreamt that I was in a whole other place," I said, a smile spreading on my face. "It all seemed so real; to my mind, it was though I had been there for nine whole months."

Hardwick nodded. "Sounds to me like your mind created this world for you as a sort of defence mechanism," he replied, scribbling some notes on a piece of paper attached to a clipboard. "Not to worry, though, you'll be up and about in no time. I just popped in to check on you, but since I can see that you're awake, I will let you get some more rest." He left the room, closing the door quietly behind, leaving me to fall back onto the pillows.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you like that, girls," I said aloud. "But, now that I'm back, I am going to keep the promise I made to Twilight... and do my utmost to finally make a new friend."


***


I sat in the gallery, sweating profusely and crossing my fingers while hoping for the best. Derek stood in the dock, looking intently at his shoes, while another man stood up holding a piece of paper.

"Mr. Foreman," said the judge. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"Yes, Your Honour, we have," replied the foreman. "We the jury find the defendant, Derek Adams, guilty of attempted murder."

I suppressed a cheer.

"Thank you, foreman," the judge replied as he turned to Derek, who was standing with a shocked expression on his face. "Given that your attack was completely unprovoked, as well your history of violence, I believe you are a danger to the public. I sentence you to seven years in a secure mental health facility, where you can get the help you need." He pounded his gavel.

I punched the air in triumph, watching as Derek was led away; he saw me sitting in the gallery and looked at me with anger in his eyes, before his face dissolved into a look of remorse. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he was taken out the room.

I stood up and left the courtroom, deliriously happy with the turn of events. But As I danced down the hall I collided with someone, sending us both tumbling to the floor in a heap.

"Hey, watch it!" said the man I'd bumped into, standing up and beginning to collect the papers he had been carrying.

"Sorry, I just got a good result in a case and I wasn't looking where I was going," I said sheepishly. "Here, let me help you with those."

I started picking up some of the papers and handed them to him.

"Thanks," he turned to leave, but his eyes remained focused on the gaming t-shirt I was wearing. Before I went to Equestria, I had been afraid to wear one because of what people might think — but then I remembered something that Twilight had said to me.

"Would you listen to yourself? You've got a negative opinion of yourself, simply because somepony else does!"

These words were my mantra. By wearing this t-shirt, I was announcing to the world that I didn't give a fuck what they thought of me; that I was who I was, and proud of it. As I thought about this, the man whom I bumped into finished looking at it.

"So," he said nonchalantly. "You're a gamer?"

"Yeah," I replied with a smile. "PC and PS4 mostly."

"PS4 is my favourite too." he held out his hand. "I'm John."

I took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, I'm Geo."

"That's an odd name," John replied, raising an eyebrow.

I laughed. "Yeah, it is," I said. "Truth be told it's a nickname of mine, but I liked it so much I used the Deed Poll laws to legally change my name from 'Chris' to 'Geo.'"

"Cool." John smirked, then he hesitated for a moment. "Listen, I don't normally do this, but you seem like a good guy. I've gotta get back to work now, but if you want to go for a drink one night... then maybe we can talk about our favourite games?"

"Sure," I replied, writing my mobile number on a piece of scrap paper he offered me. "Call me when you're free."

"Will do, mate," John replied as he turned around and began running down the hall. "Catch ya later, Geo!"

I smiled and left the courthouse, happier than I could ever remember. As I walked home, I looked up at the sky and recalled the dream I'd had about going to Equestria.

Twilight would be proud of me, I thought to myself. I made a new friend – well, at least I think I did – just like I promised her I would. I stopped walking and looked at the pavement, a single tear landing on the concrete below. I miss them all so much — but knowing that it was all something my mind conjured up makes it harder to bear. I resumed walking. But that doesn't mean I still didn't learn anything from my experience, because I have a chance to make a fresh start... come hell or high water.

The heavens opened, and the rain cascaded onto the streets.

And I'm going to make damn sure that I take it.


***


I sat back on the sofa, raising my arms in triumph. "I win again!" I shouted, a smile on my face. "You owe me twenty quid, John!"

"We didn't shake on that bet." John laughed. "So it doesn't count!"

I stood up, grinning, and went to the kitchen. "Want a beer?" I called through to the living room, where John was swapping games.

"Yeah, mate, cheers!" he replied. I grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge as well as a couple of packets of crisps. I took them back through to the living room and tossed one of each to John, nonchalantly aiming for his head. "Cheers, Geo."

"You're welcome, mate" I replied, just as there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it; don't even think about cheating while I'm gone!"

John grinned. "No promises!" he said jokingly. "I'm only teasing, Geo, I could never cheat on you." He batted his lashes at me.

I rolled my eyes and went over to the door, opening it to find a delivery man with a parcel. "Delivery for Geo," he said. "Sign here."

I signed for the parcel and he handed it to me. "That's it, cheers, have a nice day." With that, he was gone.

I closed the door and looked closer at the parcel, which had the logo of the hospital I was at in the top left corner. Underneath that were the words 'PATIENT PROPERTY.'

"What is it, mate?" asked John from the living room.

"It's from the hospital," I replied. "Apparently, I forgot to claim something of mine, and they're returning it to me; I just can't seem to recall having anything on me when I was admitted."

John paused the game and came to the door. "That's nice of them," he said. "Maybe they've made a mistake and sent you someone else's stuff? If so, stick it on eBay and make yourself a few quid!" He chuckled at his own joke before noticing the glazed look on my face. He clumsily patted me on the shoulder. "Mate, that's all in the past now; you're okay, and the bastard who did it is behind bars."

I smiled. "I was just glad I could talk to someone about it," I said. "I'm also very thankful that you didn't think I was a complete loony when I got to the part about the talking ponies."

"It's like the doctor said," replied John. "The whole thing was likely a defence mechanism your mind came up with; you're also my best mate, so why wouldn't I believe you?" I smiled, and John raised his hand. "Mind you, the bit about falling in love with one of them was a bit weird — and I certainly didn't need to hear about how the two of you took each other's virginity." He paused for a moment. "Come to think of it, you're still a virgin since it was a dream."

I responded by flipping him the bird. "Fuck off."

"Hey, I'm just saying!" John defended. "Maybe we can go to Amsterdam at some point... if you feel like it, that is."

"Can we get back on topic, please?" I rolled my eyes. "Those ponies taught me a lot about friendship, John; If they could see me now with you, I'm sure they'd be proud... especially Twilight."

"I'm sure they would," he replied. "Now, what's in the envelope?"

I smiled, opened the envelope and peered inside; all I could make out was a piece of paper. I took it out, unfolded it and read it.



Dear Geo,

Enclosed is the property you had on you when you were admitted to our Accident and Emergency department. Should you feel that anything is missing, please contact me as soon as possible.

Doctor Hardwick.



I put a hand in the envelope and had a feel around, my fingers eventually touching something cold. Taking a hold of it pulled it out and looked at it — only to fall onto my knees, clutching it in my fist.

"Geo!" John panicked. "Shit, are you okay? What is it?!"

I opened my shaking hand to reveal a gold necklace — with a small purple gem attached to the end.

I clutched the object closer to my chest; John tried to take a closer look, but all he could see were four simple words.

My Heart Is Yours.


The End