Over an indeterminate period, I drift in and out of unconsciousness. It feels wonderful. After all the shit I just went through, I really needed a sleep like this.

Finally, my eyes open, and full awareness returns to me. Unfortunately, the first sensations I feel are dull pains all over my body. I have this killer headache, and my side stings like a motherfucker. When I try to move my arms, I wince. Well, I guess it wasn't just my side. Oh right, my arms and shoulders were sliced to ribbons by that damn timberwolf.

Oh shit that reminds me. Where the hell am I? I remember running into a structure of some kind built into a tree, but that's about it. I was under the impression that there wasn't any civilization left, thanks to that Sombra bastard. So whose house was I in?

I take a quick look at myself. To my surprise, all of my wounds have been bandaged tightly and treated with...are those herbs? My injuries don't hurt as much as they did before, so I assume I've been treated by a medical professional. Oh, that would be glorious if there was a doctor left alive.

Then, I realize with a start that I'm completely naked. Also, all of that dirt that had been stuck to my skin has been mostly cleaned. Someone's been taking good care of me, and I'm getting incredibly curious about who I'm dealing with.

I take a look around in an attempt to find out more about this place I'm staying in. I'm resting in a modern bed with white sheets and a yellow comforter, and I can feel fluffy pillows under my head. This bed is placed in a wooden alcove that surrounds me on three sides, and all I can see from here is a wooden wall. On this wall, a few shelves are installed, on which several multicolored bottles are stored. They are labeled in a language I can't understand.

Pain shoots through my body when I attempt to sit up. "Ah, shit!" I curse rather loudly, and I give up the attempt. I guess it's too early in my treatment for me to move. Well, I guess this won't be a problem. I could just use my laptop and r...oh wait. I left my goddamn bag in the school, and there's no way I'm going back there. Not in a million years. Even with the laptop, there's likely no internet, seeing as every human except for me and my unknown benefactor is dead. Also, no electricity, so once my phone dies...it's gone for good. Well, this just plain sucks.

"Is that your voice that I hear? For your health, I was beginning to fear." I freeze as I hear that African-esque voice again. So I hadn't been dreaming that part. I guess I get to meet this mysterious doctor that probably saved my life, for better or worse.

"Yep, I'm awake and shit," I reply bluntly, not even caring to temper my language. Everyone's dead; there's no point in censoring myself.

In response, I hear the sound of clopping hooves. I tense up immediately, and then relax when I don't hear that click-scraping that the Oppressed make. If it had been an Oppressed in here, I would already be dead.

That same zebra from before canters into view. Huh. So I wasn't dreaming that part either. Still, for a zebra, it looks really weird. Are those eyes normal? And what's with the get-up? Then the zebra fucking smiles at me. How the fuck...animals don't smile. What...I don't even. At this point, I don't know what's worse. The fact that a zebra can smile, or that it is actually somewhat reassuring.

"That is quite a relief. Your death would have brought me much grief." My jaw drops as the zebra fucking talks to me. No, there's no ventriloquist bullshit going on. I can physically see its lips moving in time with the words.

"Holy shit, it talks!?" I can't help but scream. The zebra actually chuckles at my response. Zebras laughing like humans. Now I've seen everything.

"Indeed, I am able to speak. My name is Zecora, if that is what you seek." The zebra confirmed my suspicions. This is the weirdest shit. Also...is it rhyming? That's the third time in a row it-well I should probably call it "she," now- has rhymed.

"Okay, not the weirdest thing I've seen recently, but pretty up there," I rationalize, half to myself and half to Zecora. I can't believe I'm talking to a fucking zebra that can talk back. Why have no humans discovered an animal like this? Or maybe, Zecora feels safe to live on the surface now that the humans are dead. Wow, that was a dark thought. Anyhow, I should probably introduce myself too. I'm an asshole, but I can at least show basic courtesy. "My name is Seth Rogers. I can't say it's a pleasure, considering," I say, looking down at how injured I am. Zecora nods in understanding.

"Your injuries were very severe, though how you obtained them is not yet clear," she replies. Okay, now I know something's up. That's the fourth time she's rhymed. It's starting to get annoying. Not to mention confusing. Might as well bite the bullet and ask.

"So what's up with the rhyming?" I ask bluntly. Surprisingly, I don't see any sign of irritation on her part at my sudden change of subject. Instead, she chuckles a bit.

"My rhymes are the source of a small blue blossom. The effects of which, I've come to find quite awesome," Zecora explained. Oh come on! Blossom and awesome? That's just stretching it...but it's also kind of impressive. Not that I'll ever tell her that.

"Wait, so a blue flower caused you to rhyme all the time?" Oh great, now I'm rhyming too. Oh well, at least I've got good timing...wait...goddammit I did it again. "How is that even possible?"

"It is difficult to understand magic's effects. It is a much deeper subject than one suspects," Zecora answers. I give her a deadpan stare. I asked her a question, and she literally responded with "magic." Seriously? I'm still having difficulties believing that magic is real, despite the evidence I've been given. Well, I suppose that's not exactly true. I'm just not ready to accept everything I hear at face value.

"Right...so...I guess you want to know what I am. I'm assuming you've never seen any thing like me," I continue on awkwardly, hoping to change the subject. When I see Zecora nod, I add, "Tell you what. If you answer my questions, then I'll answer yours."

Seconds later, my stomach gives off a growl, telling me that I hadn't had any food since yesterday after noon. "But before that, think I could get some food?" I inquire hopefully. Zecora breaks out into a smile and trots out of sight.

So, I've gone from meeting a demon equivalent of Hitler to playing twenty questions with a talking zebra. Life's funny that way.

A few moments later, Zecora returns with two steaming bowls of some kind of soup. I can't go into eating this holding any preconceptions of food. I have no idea what she puts in her soup, but I'm hungry enough not to care.

Wait a minute, how the fuck is she holding those...is she balancing those bowls on her hooves? And walking on her hind legs? What is up with this zebra?

I thankfully take the soup off of her hoof when she offers it to me. I look around for a spoon, and then I realize that I'm not going to get one. Zecora has hooves. You can't hold a spoon with hooves. Though I find it odd how the hell zebras evolved to have vocal cords and intelligent brains over only eighty years in the first place.

Lifting the bowl to my mouth, I let some of the amber liquid seep into my mouth. My eyes widen at the taste. Wow, that's really good. The most prominent taste is honey, but I can also detect mushrooms in there, along with some kind of spice. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was basil. "Not bad," I commented. Zecora smiles with satisfaction, and then watches me expectantly. "All right. I might as well start. I'm human. Homo Sapiens if you want to get technical. Stand on two legs, omnivorous, and mostly intelligent."

"In ancient legends and ruins, ponykind has heard of your name. Among historians, your species has garnered much fame," Zecora responded with awe in her voice. She then gazed at me in a new way, as learning this new tidbit about me was enough to earn her full attention.

That aside. Hold on a minute. Did she just say that humans were a thing of legend? There are ruins of us lying around? I can honestly say I feel like the damn Romans. Then another thought occurs to me. I thought I had only been out for eighty years. If there was enough time for all the achievements of the human race to become ruins, then how much time really passed? And wait...ponykind? Is she trying to suggest that there's a civilization of ponies running around? That has to be the most dumbest thing I've ever heard. It sounds like something out of a damn cartoon.

I have all of these questions, but I can only ask one before it's Zecora's turn again. "Well then, I didn't expect to hear that. Now...what in the nine hells are you?" I demanded. In hindsight, that was probably a dumb question to ask, but I have to know for sure.

"I am of the zebra variety. I hope that this answer, ceases your anxiety," Zecora answered with a smile. Holy shit, she managed to make a rhyme with variety. This chick is serious.

"You can't be a zebra," I told her flatly. Zecora looks back at me, dumbfounded. "I know what a zebra is, and they don't talk."

"Then prepare yourself for a disappointment. My words appear to belie your statement," she returned with a look of amusement on her face. Oh would you look at that. The zebra can make facial expressions. I don't know how I feel about this. You know what, fuck it. It's much easier to refer to her as a zebra than "an as yet unknown species of intelligent animal that happens to look like a zebra."

"Fair enough, I guess. Your turn Zecora," I concede, not willing to argue the point. While she thinks up her next question, I greedily gulp down some of the soup...and then immediately regret it because it's still hot.

"As far as I've heard, your kind is naught but sand. Would you care to tell me how you came to this land?" Zecora questions, and then she sips at her soup. You know, doing the smart thing instead of pouring a super hot liquid down your throat. Also, "sand?" Don't you mean...dust? Oh, but of course, dust doesn't rhyme with land.

"Honestly, I know very little about how I came here. I guess the only way I can explain it is the same way you explain your rhymes. Fucking magic," I remarked. It's only a half truth, at best, but I just met this zebra. There's no way I'm going to trust her with everything I've gone through. No, I'll get through this on my own. I'll use Zecora to get some information and to get patched up, and then I'm out of here. I have no idea where I'd go, but I need to find some clue as to where Sombra is. I still need to shove a brick up his asshole.

"To not know one's origins is an unfortunate woe. I, for one, recall a unicorn who would have liked to know," Zecora says in a sympathetic tone. Yeah, that's great and all, but...hang on, did she say unicorn? Okay, scratch what I said earlier about being in a cartoon. I feel like I'm in a cartoon for little girls!

"My turn then. Can you tell me about the land I am in right now?" I grin a bit as I say this. I've phrased my question in such a way that Zecora will have to give me a lot of information. Hey, have fun composing a poem for THAT! I don't even know why I care so much that she rhymes every two sentences.

Zecora brings a hoof to her mouth, as if thinking. It's weird to see all these human like mannerisms from a damn zebra. While she thinks, I drink a bit of my soup, almost choking as I accidentally swallow a mushroom whole.

"Equestria is the name of our fair nation. Of peacetime, there is no cessation. Ponies primarily live here. To the princesses, they are subjects most dear. Unfortunately, all else that I can say would seem trite. You would be better off speaking with Twilight," she finally related to me. I glance at her, impressed that she managed to pull off all those rhymes.

Now, speaking in rhymes tends to muddle the information, so I took a moment to sort out what she had said in my head. I'm in a country called...snrrk...Equestria. God, that's so fucking dumb. And I was apparently right when I said there might be a civilization of ponies running around. Is this really happening right now? Humans are replaced by ponies as the apex race? There's so much stupid right now, I don't know if I can take it.

Equestria is apparently ruled by princesses. I don't if that means there's a king or queen that doesn't do shit, but whatever. Now, I don't know how to speak with the twilight, considering that's a time of day. I swear, if she tells me that each time of the day is a living entity, I might die from laughing so hard.

"Who or what is Twilight?" I pressed. I receive a knowing look from Zecora in return. "Oh...right. It's not my turn anymore."

"The end of the human race must have been tragic. Tell me, did your kind use any magic?" She takes a long draft of her soup after she finishes talking. I raise an eyebrow. Seems like the first half of that statement is unnecessary. Heh, it's funny to see the measures she takes to make a rhyme.

"What? No, humans don't use magic. Hell, I didn't even know magic was a thing until yesterday. And I'm STILL not quite sure I believe it's actually magic, and not just very high-end technology." I wish I could use magic. I'd have torn that Sombra bastard a new asshole. Scratch that, I'd turn his entire body to ash.

"Hm...that statement proves many scientists wrong. The belief in that theory was quite strong." Zecora looks interested and troubled at the same time. I feel my ego swell a bit at the thought of proving some stuffed up suits completely wrong. So essentially, this situation is like I'm a Roman, visiting a historian and telling them, "Oh, by the way, Caesar was actually killed by me." Of course, that's not true, but it would still be fucking hilarious to see.

"Well, sucks to be them. Anyway, answer my last question," I snap, somewhat impatient. I finish my soup while she thinks up her answer. I'm now pleasantly full, which is surprising because I don't remember soup as all that filling.

"Twilight Sparkle is the personal student of the Solar Princess. She resides in the nearby town of Ponyville, where she has met much success," Zecora answers without missing a beat. Hang on what? There's a pony called Twilight Sparkle? I can't help it. I burst out laughing, startling Zecora. Twilight Sparkle? Seriously? I bet she's a vampire too.

"There's...snrkk...a town called Ponyville?" I choke out between laughs. However, Zecora gives me that look again. "Oh come on! It's a yes or no question!"

Zecora hesitates, and then nods. I laugh harder at that. "There's a bunch of ponies running around in a town called Ponyville! How totally original! Why, I'm so inspired I'll go start up a colony and call it Humanville!" Except I can't, because every other human is dead. I see Zecora frown at my rude humor, but I could honestly care less what she thinks. I'm the last human. People...or should I say...ponies will talk to me whether I'm an asshole or not.

"I only saw you on your desperate run. Are there more humans than just one?" Zecora asks softly, causing my laughter to die off immediately. Did she really have to ask that fucking question?

"No. My family is dead. My friends are dead. Everyone's dead. It's just me. I'm the only one left," I answered sharply. The edge in my voice causes Zecora's head to snap back. Yeah, now she gets how bad of a question that was. Suddenly, I feel a pressure on my shoulder, though not on my injury. I turn to see Zecora gazing at me with sympathy in her blue eyes. It's her hoof resting on my shoulder, as if she's trying to reassure me. Yeah. Like that's going to work. I lightly push the hoof off. "Sympathy won't bring them back," I muttered.

There's an awkward silence after that. Eventually, I see Zecora take the bowls away to wherever her kitchen is. Now that she's gone, I turn my gaze back to the ceiling. Wow, I'm already tired, and I haven't even done much other than talk. Guess my body isn't ready for movement just yet.

Right as I'm starting to drift off, Zecora appears again, this time holding a glass of what I assume to be water atop her hoof. Still don't know how the hell she does that. When she offers it to me, I take it gratefully. "Thank you," I say to her gruffly, and then I drain the glass dry in a matter of seconds, because I'm thirsty as hell. When I'm done with the first glass, Zecora takes it away and produces another glass for me to drink, which I do.

"Do you mind if we take a break so I can get some sleep? I'm really tired for some reason," I queried, not looking at her.

"Ah, I should have known our discourse would have reduced your stamina by some. If you need me, call, and I will come." Zecora leaves me alone and canters back out of sight. I'll take that as a yes.

All it takes is a few seconds before I succumb to the blissful embrace of sleep.

---

The next morning, I wake up to hear the sound of Zecora humming in the main room of which I have yet to see. She must be cooking, because I can detect a pleasant aroma in the air.

I try to move again. Oh, well it still hurts like a bitch. Not as much as yesterday, but there it is. I can at least move my head, neck, and even my arms, as long as I don't bump them or anything. Looking at my arms, I can see that the bandages wrapped around them aren't stained with blood, like they were before. I guess that means that at some point, while I was asleep, Zecora must have changed my bandages. I'm not sure how I feel about her poking and prodding all around my naked body while I'm unconscious, but I'm at least grateful for the first aid.

On a side note, I really need to pee. I haven't moved from this bed in who knows how long.

"Uh...Zecora? Is there a bathroom or something around here?" I call to her hesitantly. Her humming stops the moment I start talking, and then I can hear the sound of her hooves clopping across the floor. Soon, she turns the corner, a smile on her face.

"It is good to see you awake. If you'll give me just a few minutes, your breakfast I will make." Zecora greeted me with a rhyme as always, but I'm actually starting to get used to them, believe it or not. It's like having my own personal poet. Oh hell, I bet she'd be a damn good singer. Maybe I should ask? That would be a laugh.

"Thanks for the..." I trail off as I see Zecora sliding a small pan near the bed. "I have to use that, don't I? Goddammit."

It makes sense, considering my injuries. However, since most of my wounds are concentrated on my upper body, I should be able to start walking soon. I wait until Zecora leaves the area completely, and then I try to position myself appropriately. That's a bit hard though. I'm trying to move my body without irritating my wounds...oh fuck it. "Ah...son of a bitch!" I curse as I push myself upright with my right arm. My back is killing me, thanks to that blasted Oppressed I fought, and the cuts on my arm are burning like fire.

It's easier to move around now that I'm in a sitting position, so I take the opportunity and relieve myself into the pan. Afterwards, I lay back down, sighing as the pain abates after a few seconds. "Well, I've never been confined to my bed before. I don't think I like it," I remarked to myself.

"I am sorry if you are bored. If you would like to read a book, I have many of them stored." Apparently Zecora heard me. Huh, a book actually sounds good. Wait, they have books? Does that mean ponies can write? How...they have hooves! The only reason we could write so well was because of our hands, so what the fuck?

"That'd be real nice," I called back to her. It's been forever since I last curled up in bed with a good book, since I had a laptop and internet. I did all of my reading on fanfiction sites. Mostly for anime. You'd be surprised how many good Dragon Ball stories there are.

A few minutes pass before Zecora returns. She sets a plate of what looks like salad down on my lap gently, and then sets a pile of books on a table near me.

"Enjoy your food. I would like to know if a human finds it good," Zecora tells me with a smile. Then she trots back the way she came. I watch her go, somewhat confused.

"Where are you going? Don't you have to eat too?" I ask curiously.

"On breakfast, I have already dined. Today, there are more herbs that I must find," is Zecora's reply. I guess that confirms my suspicions. She's a herbalist. That explains why my wounds are healing so fast. Use the right herbs, and healing is a snap. Despite all of my complaints about luck, I got extremely lucky finding her.

"Wait, you're going out into the forest? What about those wolves?" I demanded. If the place was super dangerous for me, I'd assume it's even more so for a zebra.

"There is no need for concern. There is little threat to me as far as I can discern," are Zecroa's last words before I hear the door to the hut open and close. Huh. Well, I'll trust that she knows what she's doing. Though I'll be pretty pissed if she goes and gets herself killed.

I look down at my salad. The salad appears to be covered in some sort of spice. Actually...is that cheese? Oh hell yes. I look around, and then realize that I wasn't given silverware. Of course. Hooves. I really need to remember this shit.

So how the fuck do you eat salad without a fork? I lift a single salad leaf to my mouth with my fingers. It's actually not that bad. It doesn't taste like any salad I've eaten before, but I like it. It would be nice if I could eat more than one leaf at a time...oh fuck it. I grab a handful of leaves and shove it all into my mouth at once, not even caring that cheese and bits of it are going everywhere. I'm hungry, dammit.

On the bright side, eating this way is easier than using a fork. Especially when I reach the last bits of salad that a fork just will NOT pick up. So I'm done with my food in no time at all. I brush my hands off above the plate, and then set it aside on the table.

I grab the first book on the table and open it up...only to groan at what I see. It's written in a language I don't know. The same one the labels on the bottles are written in. Taking a closer look, I'd say the language looks a little bit like katakana. Only it's not. Essentially, these books are useless to me.

I toss the book back on the table and collapse into my bed. "Great...so I'm stuck here in this hut with nothing to do and no company for hours," I complain. Then I remember something. Where the hell is my phone? I know I brought it with me. It was in my pocket when I left the science building. I'm naked right now, so I'm guessing Zecora has it with the rest of my clothes. I hope to god she didn't try washing them with my phone still in it. I...oh shit. I have the last remains of the human race on that phone. Including what's left of my family and friends. The thought makes me depressed. I can maybe squeeze out a day or two worth of charge if I don't use it for anything other than viewing photos, but after that there will be nothing left of my race.

I know what to do. I'm going back to sleep. I have something to ask Zecora when she gets back. I mean, I don't know if I can get back to sleep, but there's nothing else to do.

Just after deciding to sleep, my eyelids start to droop. Huh, I guess with how hurt I am, my body really wants its rest.

---

I wake with a start upon hearing the tell tale clopping of hooves entering the house. The first thing I notice is that I feel good. Much better than before. I guess that makes this next part easier to do.

"So I figured out I can't read your language," I say casually to Zecora. Normal greetings are for the week. "Come to think of it, it's really odd that we even speak the same language in the first place."

"The chances of such are indeed unique. Twilight may know more about this subject of much mystique," Zecora responded in stride as she turned the corner. She is carrying some bags "I apologize for leaving you to boredom with no respite. For entertainment, you must have been desperate."

"You have no idea. By the way, you keep mentioning this Twilight chick. Does she really know all that much?" I say, changing the subject. I'm not all that comfortable with apologies. Zecora nods her head. "Interesting. I've half a mind to pay this woman a visit."

At that last sentence, Zecora cocks her head and gives me a confused look. "Pony...pay this pony a visit. Ugh, I'm never going to get used to that," I correct myself, feeling a bit sheepish. "Which brings me to what I wanted to ask you next. Think you can help me get up? I want to try walking."

I can tell Zecora isn't all that thrilled with that idea. "It is not a good idea for you to move so soon. It would be tragic if you were to swoon," she advised me. Despite her words, I was already moving.

"I'm getting up anyway, with your help or without it," I tell her flatly. My wounds sting a little bit as I force myself into a sitting position, but it's easier than last time. Since the bleeding was stemmed at least a day ago, I assume the smallest cuts are scabbed.

Then I realized something awkward. I'm completely naked. I turn and yank the undersheets from the bed and as I put my feet on the floor, I wrap it around my lower half. Zecora steps forward as I lurch up and attempt to put some weight on my feet.

I almost immediately fall over, as my feet haven't had much use since my desperate run through the forest. Thankfully, Zecora keeps me from falling down totally by catching me with her hooves. "Shit," I muttered. With her help, I manage to stand up fully. "Think I can get my pants?"

"Why do you insist on wearing clothes? Without them, everypony usually goes," Zecora asks. Wait, did she seriously just ask me that? Of course ponies run around naked. They're ponies. Essentially animals.

"Look, just do it. I don't feel like explaining," I snap. I won't feel comfortable until I'm wearing some pants. "I'll be fine."

Zecora lets me go, though she looks a bit hurt that I snapped at her. Well, who cares. I wobble in place for a bit, so I use my hand to hold me up. I wince as pain shoots through my arm. This is going to be difficult.

I follow her into the main room, getting a good look at it for the first time. The first thing I notice is the giant ass cauldron in the center of the room. There's nothing in it now, but I'm guessing that's where she makes her food. Judging from the size of it, it must be a bitch to clean. There's more of those creepy masks hanging everywhere, along with some colored bottles. They're also labeled in...I can't believe I'm saying this...Equestrian. Snrk...that's so stupid. Cute little ponies. They think they're people.

The place is lit by candles. Guess that explains why everything is so dim. Yup, ponies don't use electricity. Life here is going to suck. I can always go back and get my laptop from the school...yeah no. Fuck that place with a brick. Sorry laptop, you can stay there. Oh wait! I left my schoolwork! I need to go back an...okay, I can't even keep a straight face for that one.

Other than a few shelves lining the walls, this place is a little bare. What the hell does she do with herself every day?

I trail after Zecora until I see my clothes, pressed and clean, hanging from a rack on the wall. I walk past her and grab my pants immediately, as well as my phone and rifle, which are sitting on a shelf next to them.

A few minutes later, I'm wearing my pants again, with my phone in my pocket. Fuck shirts. As long as I have these wounds, I'm not wearing them. "All right, I guess this works. So when can I go see this Twilight?" I'm feeling restless. I mean, I do spend a lot of my day in bed when I'm not working, but I always have something to do, like read or play a game. I have none of that here, so I want to get moving.

"You should really take time to heal, or else more pain you will feel," Zecora warned, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Yeah, that's great and all, but I'm not staying cooped up in this place if I can help it," I grunted in annoyance. "So you can take me there, or I'll go on my own and likely die in the process. So what'll it be?"

"I do not want you to get hurt again. You drive quite the hard bargain," Zecora says relucantly. She doesn't look at all happy with the risks I'm taking. Fuck her, though. I'll go stir crazy if I don't get moving soon.

"Wonderful. Let's go then." I grabbed my shirt off of the rack and sling it over my shoulder...which I then regret because I'm hurt there. Fucking ow. Next, I grab my rifle. In the worst case scenario, it'll be better than using my fists.

Without even waiting for Zecora, I throw open the front door and step outside into the forest. It looks really different in the sunlight compared to how it was at night. By that, I mean it looks more like a natural environment and not the kind of thing you'd see in a nightmare. There's also a path that stretches out between a gap in the thicker parts of the forest. It's pretty wide. I wish I had known that was there a night or two ago. I haven't really looked at my phone that much because I want so save battery, so I've lost track of time.

"Ponyville lies at the end of this path. It is best to stay on the road, lest you face the Everfree's wrath." Zecora soon joins me outside, wearing something that looks like saddlebags. That's odd...seems relatively like something we humans use on our horses. I guess it's a little like Mass Effect, where the ponies drew some influence from human technology.

We walk in silence together for a while, probably because I have nothing to say to her. I got what I needed out of her. What I need to do now is find this Twilight, get as much information on how much the world I know has changed. I'll see how much she knows about Sombra himself. Then, I'll find him and exact revenge for everything I've lost.

"I do not mean to pry, but you seem troubled. May I ask why?" Zecora finally says after a few moments of walking.

"Gee, I dunno. Maybe because I'm alone in a world filled with talking ponies and zebras?" I answered her sarcastically.

"I have not forgotten your situation, you see. I am referring to your bitterness towards me." Zecora's words have a nasty effect of putting me on the spot. I feel a little guilty now...but that doesn't matter.

"Look, I appreciate you feeding me and patching me up, that's as far as things go. I'm not looking for friends, now or ever," I told her firmly, without looking back at her. Zecora falls silent. I don't have to look back at her to know that she's wearing a hurt expression.

"Nopony...or human...can be an island, else the pain soon gets out of hand," she warns me in a quiet voice. I turn around and look at her, not expecting a line like that. She's gazing back at me with her dark, soulful eyes. Troubled, I return my gaze to the front and keep silent.

---

The shadows are starting to grow long when we finally reach the edge of the forest. If I had to guess, I'd say the time is around six or seven in the afternoon.

More importantly, as I step out of the forest, I get my first look at the land in which I'm going to be staying in for the rest of my life. Green, rolling hills stretched out before me for as far as I can see. I can also see some mountains very faintly in the distance...and is that a castle on its side? How in the hell is it not falling down the side?

Splayed out before me is a fairly large village that I think may be Ponyville. I don't see any other settlements around, so it has to be. There's a few notable exceptions, but the town is mostly made up of small plaster houses with wooden frames and thatched roofs.

In the direct center of the town, there's a large circular structure that rises above the rest of town. There's a huge open area surrounding it, so that must be the town square. Which makes that big building...the town hall?

To my left, there is something that looks like a forest, but it's too orderly to be one. Hang on, I see apples in those trees. Is that an apple farm? I wonder why they farm stuff like that and not more useful crops, like rice and wheat. Can you even live off of a diet of only apples? Probably not. There's probably more farms out there that I can't see.

I do note that I can't see anything in the town that I would most definitely see in a human settlement. No power plant, no telephone poles, no transformers, and certainly no radio towers. I can't help but chuckle a bit at the irony. Sombra sent me to the future, but it feels like I'm in the past.

"Thanks again for the food and stuff. I'm heading in to town," I called back to Zecora, breaking the awkward silence between us.

"Goodbye, and be careful in the city. Many ponies will find you to be an oddity," Zecora informed me, turning around to head back into the forest.

"Noted. Maybe I'll see you later," I replied wryly, knowing that there's no way I'm going back into that forest if I can help it.

With that, I started walking down the hill, heading towards town. I've seen a zebra, but I've never actually seen one of the ponies that supposedly rule the country. This should be enlightening. Hopefully they're at least somewhat competent.

It's not long before I see one. I'm walking down the street, on the outskirts of town, when all of a sudden a brightly colored blur zooms out of the sky and lands next to the nearest house. The two of us see one another at the same time, and we both freeze.

That's a pony? It barely looks like the grubby colored domesticated animals we had back in my civilization. Not to mention its colors are completely off. Its fur is fucking sky blue, and its mane and tail are an even lighter shade of blue, closer to cyan.

Its mane is arranged on its head not like a typical pony, but like the hairstyles we humans would have had. It even has a fucking pink bow on its head. Her mane falls down and frames the pony's extremely expressive face, which is currently stuck in expression of surprise and wonder.

Then I notice that she has wings. Let me repeat that. WINGS. There's a fucking pony...with wings. Doesn't that make it a pegasus? Ugh, how dumb is this world going to get?

I take a step back, but the pony gulps nervously and actually walks up to me, brushing her mane aside with a hoof almost like a human girl would. "H...hello. Are...are you a human?" it stammers. Her voice was soft and feminine.

"That's right," I answered casually. Since the pony is so much smaller than I am, I kneel down until I'm looking straight at her, and not down at her. Her eyes widened visibly. Hah, she was scared of me. Still...gotta give the girl props for her bravery. She did walk up to a complete unknown that might have hurt her. "Are you a pony?"

"Well...yes, I am. I'm called Flitter." She introduced herself, her voice getting more stable the more she talks. Flitter, huh? Definitely a unique name. I can't recall any humans with a name like that. I like it. "It's...very nice to meet you, sir."

Sir? Me, getting respect from the first pony I see? Maybe living in this area won't be so bad after all. "My name is Seth Rogers. I'm looking for a...what was her name...Twilight Cullen?" No, I didn't forget her name. It's just fucking funny. Shut up, it was a solid joke...even if the original series was crap.

"You mean Twilight Sparkle?" Flitter asked, her snout crinkling with confusion.

"Yes...I mean Twilight Sparkle." I couldn't help but facepalm. Just like always, I make references that no one gets. No matter how much life changes, it always stays the same.

"Oh, okay. She's usually in her home in Golden Oaks Library," Flitter informed me. When I raised an eyebrow at the lack of information, she flushed nervously and continued. "If you follow this road all the way down and take the second right you see, take another right and then your second left, and then one last right, you'll find it on the end of that street."

"Thank you," I said tersely, immediately starting to walk again. A sudden thought struck me after I had gone a few feet, so I turned back around. "By the way, how do you know what I am?"

Flitter jumped slightly, not expecting me to talk to her again. "There's somepony in town who is interested in human culture and history. I've seen a few of her sketches," she explained. Somepony? So fucking dumb. Satisfied, I turned around and continued on my way into town.

Only a few minutes pass before I start seeing more and more ponies. They're all colored so damn brightly and randomly that the mish mash of colors is starting to hurt my eyes. I also notice a small trend among height. The female ponies are the smaller ones and have more rounded jaws, while the male ponies are taller and are more muscular, with square jaws. I also note that there aren't that many males at all. Heh. Sucks to be a girl here. Bet there's major competition for the few males. Not that I care either way.

When the first pony takes notice of me, she lets out a gasp and points a hoof at me. Suddenly, every goddamn pony in the streets starts staring at me with curiosity and wonder. I grit my teeth and keep walking, hoping that they'll get over it soon. I mean, they have half naked humans with rifles show up all the time, right? Pfft.

No such luck. When I get past that one street and follow it to the right, more ponies take notice of me, while some of the earlier ones start following me. I'm getting more and more annoyed the longer this goes on. Don't they have anything better to do than watch a previously thought to be extinct species walk...have you ever had a moment where you're in the middle of a sentence and you realize how stupid you sound?

Finally, after I take the second left Flitter told me about, I lose my temper with the crowd of curious ponies. "You know, if you could not stare at me, that would be great," I snapped angrily at everyone surrounding me. My outburst takes all of them by surprise, as if they weren't expecting me to speak their language.

I hear a few mumbled apologies and see a few turn their heads obediently, but others don't even listen, and continue to stare. Well, it's better than before. I'll just keep moving.

The situation only gets worse the further in I go. More ponies that didn't hear me come out to stare at me in wonder. No matter how many times I snapped at them, it didn't seem to do any good, because more would show up. God, it's just like dealing with people back home!

"What I am is none of your GODDAMN BUSINESS!" I shouted as I made one of the last turns. My shouts actually scare some of them, causing the more timid ones to scatter in every direction, while others just retreat and gaze at me from places where they think I can't see them.

Not even two seconds after that last outburst, I see a blur of bright pink, and something hits me right in my chest, knocking me over. I cry out in agony as some of that pressure aggravates my wounds. "Ow...fucking...son of a bitch..." I curse quite loudly, attempting to rise again by putting my weight on my rifle.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there because I was in the middle of a delivery and I didn't want to be late and..." the one talking possesses a really annoyingly high pitched voice, and she talks a fucking mile a minute. I look up to see that the pony who knocked me over was colored a bright pink, with an impossibly frizzy darker pink mane. She also has the image of three balloons on her flank. What that means, I dunno. However, the moment she sees what I am, she makes a really overexaggerated gasp seconds before a massive smile crosses her face. "WOW! You must be one of those humany thingies which means you're new in town! I can tell because I know everypony! Wait, if you're new then you must not have any friends...which is-"

"For the love of all that's holy, shut the fuck up!" I snapped at her. My sudden interruption causing her to stop talking. "Can you get some perspective? Instead of ranting on about some inane bullshit I could care less about, shouldn't you instead be worrying about how you running around like a chicken with its head cut off may have reopened that gash in my side?!" My voice rises to a shout over the course of that one sentence. My hand is clenched to my side, hoping that no real damage was done.

The pink pony is gazing at me with a distraught expression on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that...," she began, but her voice was just giving me a headache, so I pushed my way past her.

"Just get the fuck out of my way," I growled, and limped away from her, noticing the stares sent my way by the other ponies changing from wonder to shock and anger.

---

Zecora is so difficult to write lines for. I spent six hours staring at a page because I was trying to think up some rhymes for her.

Finally, we're in Ponyville! We had our first encounter with (best pony) Pinkie Pie, though it was short and not very sweet.