BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...

A hand reached over from a nearby bed, and slammed on top of the loud alarm clock. Groaning, the figure curled up in bed while trying to block out the light flooding in from a nearby window. “I really shouldn’t of stayed up till one in the morning...” He sighed before sitting up and looking over to clock. “Eight A.M. What was I supposed to do at eigh.. Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me! How could I forget that today was Sunday.” Scrambling to get up, he got tangled in his blankets and fell off of the bed with a loud thump.

“Hey Josh, you okay in there?” A voice shouted from outside of his room.

“Yeah sis, just... Peachy.” Untangling himself, Josh winced and stood up, stretching.

“Well hurry it up, mom will be picking us up in fifteen minutes.” Glancing around his room, Josh walked over to his dresser and pulled out a dark green shirt and a pair of black pants. Muttering incoherently to himself, he finished getting dressed before walking out of his room. “Hey there you are sleepyhead, coffee is in the pot when you’re finished, but only if you’re quick enough. You don’t want to keep mom waiting when she arrives, do you?”

“Yeah yeah. I won't be but a moment..” Passing his sister in the apartment’s hallway, he entered the bathroom. Blinking, he looked at himself in the mirror above the sink. “I just shaved last night... Geesh this grows back too quickly.” Gently patting his cheek, feeling the faint growth of a new beard. “Meh..” Turning on the water, he took some and splashed his face to help himself wake up. Quickly brushing his hair, he turned to leave the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen.

“Nothing like a warm cup of coffee in the morning.” Josh took his coffee mug out of the cabinet and sat it on the counter in front of the fresh pot. Turning to the fridge, he leaned down and took out the carton of French vanilla creamer that was two-thirds empty. Going to have to buy more creamer soon. Filling up his mug with coffee, he quickly splashed some creamer into it before putting the carton back into the fridge.

“Hey Josh, mom just pulled up, remember to lock the door behind you when you leave the apartment.” Rolling his eyes, Josh checked his pockets to make sure his keys, wallet, and phone were there. With all belongings accounted for, he headed outside while making sure to lock the door behind him.

Walking quickly over to a suburban that was parked nearby, a boy waved from a window that was rolled down on the vehicle. “Pile on in bro! We don’t have all day, dad is waiting for us!" Nodding to his brother, Josh opened the rear door and joined the rest of his family in the vehicle. As he got comfortable in the seat, he greeted everyone with a warm good morning while drinking from his coffee mug.

“So, mom, any word on how dad is doing..?” The rest of the suburban went silent, with the exception of his year old nephew making baby noises. The look on his mother’s face answered his question as she stayed silent. Dropping the question, Josh switched to a lighter one. “So Joe, get any further in your game?” The tension seemed to ease up at the change of subject.

“You mean Bioshock Infinite? Yeah I finished it last night actually, if you want to borrow it that’d be fine.” Grinning at this, Josh nodded to his younger brother.

“Would be awesome, thanks bud.” Turning in his seat, he looked at his youngest sibling in the back seat. “Hey Katie, did you bring the recording to show dad?” Her eyes showed a hint of sadness, before brightening up as she smiled.

“Yep, the video was uploaded to YouTube, so all you have to do is go to my channel and open it on your phone.” Taking his phone out of his pocket, he flipped over to his YouTube app and navigated to his sister’s channel. Finding the video, he nodded and turned his phone back off.

“Just want to say it again sis, you did a good job.” Blushing lightly, she muttered a ‘thanks’ and turned back to look out the window. The rest of the drive stayed silent as they got nearer to the hospital that his father was staying in.

Not one to know a whole lot when it comes to medical terminology, Josh was informed about five years previously that his father had tumors built up in his lungs as well as cancer throughout his body. They said he wouldn’t last a year, yet he’s lasted five.. What do doctors know. His family as well as himself knew begrudgingly though that it was only a matter of time before the head of the household moved on from this world.

Steeling himself, Josh sat straighter in his seat as they pulled into the hospital parking lot. Exiting the vehicle, he made sure to help everyone out before shutting the doors and taking his place beside his mother, heading towards the hospital. As they made their way to his father’s room, Josh’s phone started ringing, causing him to stop suddenly in the hallway. Looking around at his family, he nodded to them. “I’ll catch up, I’m going to find out who is calling me.”

“Don’t take too long Josh, we don’t want to keep your father waiting.” Smiling at his mother, he gave her a brief nod. Heading down a side-hallway, he pulled out his phone and looked it over. Unknown number huh..? I never get any calls, if this is some telemarketer I’m going to be annoyed. Putting the phone up to his ear, he frowned, unable to hear anyone on the line.

“Hello..?” Josh asked, cautiously.

“Hello, Josh!" The voice responded.

“Um... Who is this? You don’t sound like anyone I've given my number to.”

“All in good time, boy-o! Now before you start bombarding me with questions, I have a question for you.” Rolling his eyes, he quickly relented, just wanting to get the conversation finished quickly.

Clearing his throat, Josh nodded. “Alright, what's your question?”

“If you could have anything, what would it be?” Looking around, his mind instantly went towards his father in one of the rooms in the hospital, hooked up to machines.

“I would want my dad to be well again...” He said quietly. "If I could have any wish, it would have to be that. But what is it to you anyway? Are you some magical phone genie here to fix my problems?" Josh asked, a bit of hostility in his voice. The voice on the line didn't respond for a moment, just as Josh was about to hang up, he could hear someone clear their throat on the other end.

“That is a very selfless wish, the wellness of your father. You could wish for anything for yourself and you wish for your father to be well. That is definitely something to be proud of.” Josh was starting to get annoyed by this.

“Who are you already, I’m tired of all this beating around the bush. Get to the point of the call.” He could hear a chuckle quietly echo over the line.

“You can call me Connor. As to the point, I would like to make you an offer, Josh. And I’ll even give you an hour to make the decision. I will heal your father as you have mentioned, totally healed and as strong as ever. If you accept this offer, know that you will never see your family again.” Sliding down the wall he was leaning on, Josh took a seat on the floor.

“What do you mean, never see them again, surely you aren't going to take them away from me..?” He asked, worriedly.

“What? No! Nothing like that. Total opposite actually. You would be sent away on a journey, and your father would be healed. Simple as that. You unfortunately would have no way of returning once you depart.” Nodding slowly, he scanned the room with his eyes before resting them on an elderly couple down the hallway. He watched them slowly make their way towards the hospital exit for a moment before replying.

“Do you mind if I...” A chuckle could once more be heard over the line, as if knowing what Josh was going to ask.

“Yes, from the moment we hang up this phone call, you will have but one hour to make your decision. Do you understand everything we've spoken about..?”

“Yeah, I leave on this journey, my dad is healed. Simple.” Josh said, repeating what Connor had told him.

“Good! Then I hope that you make a wise decision. I will see you in an hour.” Turning off his phone, Josh stood back up and headed down the hallway to his father’s room.

Standing quietly in the corner of the hospital room, Josh crossed his arms and stared at the floor. It had already been forty-five minutes and he was just as unsure as he was when he first started trying to figure out what to do. I can’t make a decision like this... I need some advice. Looking over at his mother who was currently heading out of the room to go clean out a bottle for his nephew, Josh quickly made his way out the door after her.

Catching up to his mom, Josh placed a hand on her shoulder to get her to wait. “Hey, mom. Think I can ask you a question? It’s kind of serious.” Stopping, she turned and looked at him, confused.

“Yeah sure, but can we walk and talk? I have to make a new bottle for your nephew otherwise there’ll be hell to pay.” Grinning, he nodded, walking with his mom towards the restrooms. Knowing he didn't have a whole lot of time to ask, and he in no way was planning on walking into the bathroom with his mother. Josh quickly blurted out the question.

“So, if you were offered a choice to save dad, but the price was that you had to leave on a journey where you would never see your family again... Would you take it..?” Stopping in her tracks, she turned to him. Studying his face for any telltale sign of a joke behind this question. When she couldn't find one, she sighed.

“Yes, I probably would, is there any reason you would ask me something like that?” Looking at her face, he could see her eyes glisten as she tried to force back tears that she had been trying to keep at bay since the day began. Nodding, he stood quietly, tracing his stare to the floor for a moment before looking back up at her.

“When I received that phone call earlier... That was exactly what I was offered. The man on the line, sounded completely serious. It just.. Got me thinking. But, if it was so dad could get well, I believe I would do the same thing.” Shaking her head, his mom turned to continue walking towards the bathroom, leaving him standing there in the hallway with his thoughts.

Taking his phone out of his pocket, he checked the time. “Well, I guess I have my answer.” A series of footsteps came up slowly behind him, causing Josh to look over his shoulder.

“Good, I had the feeling you’d make the right choice.” Josh took a step back, looking up at the tall man that approached him. Standing at roughly six and a half feet, the man was almost a full foot taller than Josh who stood at only five feet and seven inches himself. Wearing what looked like silver robe with gold trimming, he stood with his hands behind his back and a smile upon his face. The man didn't look to be older than his mid-thirties.

“Y-you’re the one that called me an hour ago... Connor?” He meekly asked the man, fidgeting slightly as he put the phone away in his pocket. Taking a few steps back, he surveyed the man in front of him.

“That's me, are you ready to begin your journey?” Taken aback by this, Josh stared at the man’s face, trying to read him. After a minute, Josh closed his eyes and nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll go. How will I know that you will uphold your end of the bargain?” Clapping his hands together, Connor grinned. Suddenly from down the hall, at his father’s room, a bright light flashed, causing the people inside the room to give a few confused yells. A minute of silence followed afterwards before the confused yells turned into joyous ones. He’s okay... He’s really going to be okay... After five years of pain, it's over. From behind him, Josh could hear footsteps approaching Connor and himself.

“Josh, who is this..?” Stepping aside a moment, Josh closed his eyes before turning to meet his mother’s. She stood in front of him, confused, holding a fresh bottle for his nephew.

“Mom... This man’s name is Connor. He’s the one that made me the offer over the phone.” His mother looked at Connor with a raised eyebrow. A look of suspicion could be easily read on her face. “I made my decision.. Dad is healed, I… I will be going now...” Placing her hands over her mouth at the sudden realization of what his choice actually caused, she quickly shook her head.

“N-No, you’re not going anywhere.. You can’t.” Wrapping her in a hug, Josh sighed into her shoulder. “You can’t Josh... Please don’t go...” She begged quietly.

“The choice has been made already mom, take care of the rest of the family while I’m gone okay? Make sure to let them know that I love them.” He slowly let his mother go and backed up towards Connor. “I love you mom.”

His mother closed his eyes before looking up at him, a ghost of a smile playing on her face. "I love you too, Josh... Wherever you go, be safe." He grinned slightly at this.

"When have I never played it 'safe', mom?" Laughing lightly she wiped a hand across her face to brush away any stray tears, nodding at Josh.

“So you’re ready to go?” A voice calmly asked from behind Josh. Nodding he turned and looked at Connor.

“Yeah, let’s go... Thank you for what you've done.” Smirking as he looked up at the tall man, who responded in turn with a laugh.

“No Josh, thank you.” With that, a white swirling portal opened up underneath Josh’s feet, causing him to plummet through. His mother watched him disappear from view, wide-eyed as the portal closed as quickly as it appeared. Looking up she noticed that Connor was also gone. Quickly wiping away the rest of her tears, she walked down the hallway towards the hospital room where the rest of her family was.

In Equestria

Rainbow Dash was laying lazily on a cloud above Ponyville near the library, trying to figure out what to do with her day. “I don’t have weather duty till tonight, there's supposed to be a storm tomorrow morning. I could always practice some tricks.” Thinking for a moment, she went wide-eyed with realization. “Maybe the library has the newest Daring Do book!” She had been waiting on it for the past couple of weeks, and it was supposed to be in today. Grinning, she zipped off of her cloud as she prepared to flip in mid-air and then change her trajectory to angle down towards the library. Mid-flip however, a bright flash lit up the morning sky, causing her to let out a panicked yelp.

“What in the hay was that?!” Shaking her head, she looked back towards the direction that the light came from, only to see the shape of some large figure suddenly appear and begin to fall towards the ground. “Oh you've gotta be joking.” Speeding off, the Pegasus quickly caught up to the figure. As she got closer, she swooped down and wrapped her forelegs underneath the Josh’s arms. Adjusting for the sudden shift in weight, she flapped her wings harder as sweat began to bead along her forehead. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to keep this up for too much longer, she angled herself and the Josh towards the ground, allowing her wings to glide her and her cargo to safety.

Halfway down however, Josh slowly began to wake up. Huh... Where am I? Am I flying? Looking down, he could see two cyan furred hooves wrapped around his midsection. “What the hell..?” Looking up, his eyes met the eyes of his Pegasus savior.

“Just hang on tight and don’t move, we’ll be grounded shortly.” She said confidently to him. All Josh could do was stare at the strange creature that was carrying him to safety. But what confused him the most was the fact that the creature could speak his language. It looked like a small horse with wings.

A Pegasus..? He thought, confused. Shaking his head, he rubbed his temples, trying to prevent the imminent migraine from arriving.

“Hey now, no getting sick on Air-Dash, we’ll be on the ground in a moment so just keep calm.” Suddenly a loud 'pop' was heard as the two looked back at one of Rainbow's wings that now hung loosely at her side. The weight of the two was too much for her wings to bear. Letting out a cry of pain, the Pegasus tried willing her wing back into working shape as they quickly began plummeting towards the ground. Looking down at Josh in her hooves in fear.

"Here, hold still." Shaking his head, Josh proceeded to wrap his body around the cyan wonder

"W-what are you doing?!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she proceeded to struggle in Josh's arms. "Let me go!"

Josh shook his head once more, wearing a light smile on his face. “Let you go just so you can get hurt? You're in no shape to fly with your wing like that, I won't let you become further injured because of me.” Going wide-eyed at the fact that this creature would risk himself for her. Rainbow Dash buried her face in his chest and wrapped her hooves around her head. In what felt like forever, the two finally hit the ground.

A loud snap could be heard as the Josh's body connected with the ground. Crying out in pain, he shut his eyes tightly, his teeth biting into his lip as his eyes began to water. "Aaaahhh!" Letting the Pegasus go, he let his arms fall to his sides, groaning. Squinting one eye open to look at his savior, he grimaced. “If you could, you crazy blue Pegasus,” He asked, his vision beginning to fade. “would you kindly get me a doctor?”

Rainbow Dash stared at Josh for a moment before running as fast as her hooves could take her to the nearby Library. “Twilight! Twilight where are you?!” She yelled as she burst through the front door. A groan could be heard as a pile of books shifted to reveal a lavender colored unicorn. “Twilight, it’s the middle of the day! What in the hay are you doing sleeping under a pile of books?” Rolling her eyes, Twilight rubbed a hoof over the top of her head.

"I wasn't sleeping Rainbow. When you barged in here, you caused these books to fall off their shelves and on top of my head" Grinning sheepishly, the cyan mare shook her head as her throbbing wing reminded her of the reason she ran over to the library to begin with.

“That can wait until later, I need your help! A large creature that I’ve never seen before fell out of the sky a few minutes ago. As I flew over to save it, one of my wings locked up on me and we both fell. I made it out okay, but that creature is laying outside nearby. It looked to be in a lot of pain!” Twilight looked at Rainbow, with a raised eyebrow.

“Lead on Rainbow, If what you say is true then we have no time to lose. I’ll be right behind you.” The two mares quickly left the library, and rushed over to where Rainbow Dash had landed mere moments ago. As they approached, Twilight slowly walked over beside Josh looking him over in wonder. “Where do you suppose it came from? I’ve never seen anything like this before!” Rainbow looked at her, glaring slightly.

“Ugh! You can leave the egg-head stuff for after it’s better, can you pick it up with your magic or something? We should get it to the Ponyville Hospital.” Nodding, Twilight frowned, unsure as to what the hospital could do for a creature they’d never seen before.

“You’re right, I’m sorry Rainbow.” With that, Twilight's horn began to glow as a lavender light encased the being, levitating Josh into the air. The two quickly turned and ran in the direction of Ponyville General. Every now and then, Twilight would glance back, questions running through her head. ‘What is this? Is it sapient? Well it does wear clothes so it has to come from a land where modesty takes precedence. I wonder if there is anything that we could learn from it.’ Her thoughts were interrupted as Rainbow Dash prodded her shoulder.

“Twilight have you listened to anything that I’ve been telling you at all?” An aggravated Rainbow Dash grumbled while galloping beside Twilight. Shaking her head to think clearly, the lavender mare looked towards her friend.

“Sorry, everything about this just screams ‘crazy’. I’m having a difficult time wrapping my mind around the whole situation. I’m sure you understand.” Noticing Rainbow’s wing, she winced slightly. “When we get to the hospital, you’re going to need to get that looked over as well.”

“Yeah yeah, I planned on it.” She said with a grimace. The two mares entered the hospital as every eye in the room turned to the figure that was held in a levitation field behind Twilight. One of the nurses from behind the counter slowly approached the group that was standing at the entrance.

“Twilight Sparkle, what in Celestia’s good name is that creature that you have behind you?” The mare stared at the levitated figure.

“Nurse Redheart! This.. Creature... Well we have no idea what it is! But it's injured! It fell from the sky and landed on it’s back. If it’s body is anything like us ponies, I can only assume that it landed on it’s spine and is in need of immediate attention before it loses the functionality of it’s lower limbs.” The nurse looked over the figure once more before nodding to the two mares.

“Follow me, we’ll take it to one of the rooms and see what we can do to help.” The nurse said as she turned and quickly made her way down one hallway labeled ‘Emergency Care’. Passing other ponies in the hallway, the nurse turned again and opened a door that had an empty bed. “Quickly lay it down on the bed, I’ll call Doctor Stable to come in and look it over to see if there's anything we can do for it. Thank you both for quickly bringing this... thing. Now, if you two would be so kind as to provide us some space to work, we’ll send somepony to get you once we have a diagnosis for the patient.” Nodding, the two mares began walking out before Twilight held a hoof up in front of Rainbow.

“Hey, see if you can get a nurse to look over your wing while we’re here, you can’t go on with it like that.” She said, frowning at Dash. Grumbling, Rainbow Dash went up to the desk at the lobby to ask for help as Twilight left the hospital. Heading back towards the library, she began compiling a mental list of what she needed to do when she got back to her home.

“Well first things first, I should contact the princess and see if she knows anything about the strange being.” Opening the library door, she surveyed the mess on the floor that Rainbow caused when she barged in previously. “Gah! Every time, its another mess..” Grumbling, she enveloped the fallen books in her magic before slowly placing them all back on the shelves. “Hey Spike! Can you come down here? I need you to take a letter for me, I have important information to send to the Princess.”

A few moments later a tired baby dragon made his way downstairs. “What is it Twilight, you said I could sleep in today.” He then pointed to a clock on the wall. “Its only eleven.." Nodding, Twilight levitated a quill and inkwell over to the dragon.

“Come on, number one assistant, I just need you to take a letter to the Princess for me.” Twilight said as she began filling up a saddlebag with note-taking materials.

Letting out a sigh, Spike lifted the parchment and quill up. "Okay Twi, ready when you are."

Ponyville General

Josh groaned as he struggled to sit up, feeling like a bunch of bricks were strapped to his chest. Giving up, he stuck to looking around the room he was in. Placing a hand on his head, he sighed. "What the heck happened... I fell into the portal that Connor conjured up, a blue Pegasus swoops in and saves me. I hit the ground after trying to protect said Pegasus and now I'm in some hospital?"

"Yep, that pretty much sums it up, you missed the part where I showed up and healed you though." Josh turned to see Connor grinning. Running a hand through his hair, Connor sighed and decided to just get comfortable on the hospital bed. "I do apologize about that fall too, by the way. I meant for the portal to drop you off right outside the town's library... Well actually it did do that, except at a couple hundred feet in the air. If Rainbow Dash didn't fly in and help you, there wouldn't of been anything for me to come back and revive. You're lucky that she was there." Folding his arms, Connor nodded sagely.

Josh looked at Connor, strangely. "You mean that blue Pegasus' name is Rainbow Dash? What a strange name, is that normal for a Pegasus here?" Connor nodded once more.

"If you noticed her mane, it's rainbow colored. It's something that she was born with. Though if you have any further questions about these ponies I'll leave it to them to answer your questions. One of the ponies that brought you here just sent a letter to the leader of this lovely world, she should be arriving soon. You're the first of your kind to ever set foot on this planet, so be prepared to answer a boatload of questions!"

With that Connor chuckled and walked in front of the bed, placing his hands on the frame. "By the way, when I healed you, I used a bunch of your body's energy. So be prepared to be stuck to that bed for a little bit. If I believe you need any further assistance, I will show up, so no worries kiddo." Waving, Connor turned and walked out of the room.

Trying to sit up again, Josh groaned and gave up, laying back down. "He wasn't kidding when he said that I would need to gather energy to replenish what he used. Might as well get comfortable and catch some sleep." Turning on his side, Josh curled up with the hospital bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.

A short while later, Nurse Redheart entered the room, followed by Doctor Stable. Raising a hoof towards the bed, the doctor turned to Nurse Redheart. "Was it laying like that when it was brought in?" Shaking her head, the nurse cautiously walked up Josh. "When Twilight and Rainbow brought it in, they told me that the creature landed on it's back after falling out of the sky. It was unconscious when it was placed on the bed. Honestly it shouldn't of even been able to move at all." Nodding the Doctor placed levitated his clipboard over to the bedside table as he moved to the opposite side of the bed that the nurse stood.

"Nurse if you can take down the diagnosis on that clipboard as I run the scan, please." Nodding, Nurse Redheart picked up a nearby quill in her mouth, dipping it into the inkwell as she prepared to jot down whatever the Doctor told her to. The doctor's horn lit up as he stood near the Josh's head before moving down Josh's body, frowning.

"Well, this is... Interesting." The doctor dropped his spell as he took a step back. "The only thing I really know about this creature now is that it is male." Lifting a hoof, the doctor scratched his own head, perplexed. "I mean, there's absolutely nothing wrong with him. There's no bruising or any trace of injury at all. A fall from mid-air would or at least caused some bruising."

The nurse looked across the bed, towards the doctor. "Would you like me to inform Miss Sparkle and Miss Dash? Since they brought the creature in I mean. Miss Dash should still be in the hospital getting her wing looked at, and if I know Miss Sparkle, she would of sent a letter on the matter to the Princess by now." Nodding, the doctor looked down at Josh before turning and leaving the room, Redheart trailing behind.

As they closed the door to the room that Josh was in, Doctor Stable turned and began walking down the hallway towards his office as Nurse Redheart went the opposite direction to inform Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. As the nurse was passing through the hallway, a door opened up with Rainbow Dash on the other side. A brace encased her wounded wing. Since the wing wasn't broken, thankfully, all she had to do was take it easy and let it heal on it's own. As the mare left the room, she came face to face with Redheart.

"Oh hey nurse, any news on the creature?" Nodding, Nurse Redheart motioned for Rainbow Dash to follow her down the hallway.
"I hope you understand but we would like to wait until your friend Miss Sparkle is able to return before we release any information." Nodding Rainbow Dash picked up her pace and headed towards the doors that separated the hallway from the lobby.

"You know what, how about I go and get Twilight and then come back, that way we won't have to wait." The nurse nodded to Rainbow Dash before making her way behind the desk at the lobby, filing away the clipboard and paperwork that she had written the diagnostic on.

"Yes, that would probably be best. Feel free to take your time though, you don't want to overwork yourself, with your wing as it is. Any unnecessary movement could cause you slight discomfort." Waving a hoof towards the nurse, Rainbow Dash headed out of the hospital.
Rainbow Dash made her way back to the library, noticing a white and golden chariot nearby with some Solarian Guards. Picking up the pace, she jogged over to the door, the guards stepping aside once they recognized Rainbow. As the door opened, the pegasus came face to face with Princess Celestia herself.

"Oh, hello there Rainbow Dash, Twilight just informed me of what happened earlier this morning. Would you join us as we head over to the hospital to pay a visit to this creature?" Rainbow nodded, smiling up at the Princess.

"Yeah, definitely, I am so there!" Rainbow Dash moved to walk beside Twilight as they began started heading back towards the hospital with the princess and two guardsponies. "So what did you tell the Princess?" Rainbow whispered as she leaned in close to Twilight. Shaking her head, Twilight glanced towards Rainbow.

"There wasn't much to tell, I'm afraid. All we know is that it is possibly sapient, but I only was able to guess that because of it's clothing." Rainbow frowned at this, unsure what Twilight meant by 'sapient'. Shaking her head she looked forward, they were nearing the hospital.

"When we were falling, it prevented me from taking any additional damage from the fall by wrapping it's body around me. When I asked it what it was doing, it spoke and told me that it wouldn't let me get injured further because of it..." Dash said, recounting what had happened. Twilight went wide-eyed and stared at her friend.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?!" She hissed, "This is important information that the Princess should know about. If it not only can speak our language, but protected you from the fall as well, it can't be that terrible." Suddenly the two mares collided with an object in front of them, falling on their flanks. Looking up, the Princess stood there, smiling at them.

"Well now I know, don't I?" Rainbow Dash ran a hoof through her mane as she mumbled out an apology. "Oh it's fine Rainbow Dash, but when a strange creature protects one of my little ponies, I find that to be quite a big deal. I'm really interested in meeting this being." Turning around, Princess Celestia walked over to the Hospital and opened the door, holding it open for everypony. Standing back up, Rainbow and Twilight quickly made their way into the hospital.

The door to the room opened up as Princes Celestia, Twilight, Rainbow and Nurse Redheart entered the room. "So after Doctor Stable looked over the creature, we strangely couldn't find anything wrong with it! Its just been sleeping for the past hour and a half, we really don't know what to make of it Princess." Nodding to the nurse, the Princess walked over and gently nudged Josh's side with a hoof. Grumbling in his sleep, Josh raised a hand and pushed the hoof away. Turning to the other ponies in the room, the princess raised a hoof to her lips, indicating that they should keep silent.

"Mm... Five more minutes sis.. I don't have work today..." Smiling lightly, Celestia prodded Josh again, a little rougher. "Ugh.. Fine fine, I'll get up, no need to be so pushy..." Yawning, Josh sat up and rubbed his eyes with his hands. Confusion showed on it's face as he looked up into the eyes of the large, smiling, white pony in front of him. "Am I still dreaming? Hello white pony..." He mumbled, yawning, rubbing his eyes with a hand. This caused everypony in the room, besides the Princess herself, to gasp. Rainbow Dash quickly ran to his side, prodding him with a hoof.

"Hey you! That is not how you greet the Princess!" Josh looked over at Rainbow dash with a raised eyebrow, rubbing his side where she poked him.

"Oh hey, it's the blue Pegasus from earlier..." He said, blinked as he looked to Rainbow Dash. Yawning once more he turned back to the princess. "A Princess..?" He muttered before shrugging giving an awkward bow while still seated. Waving a hoof in the air, Celestia quietly laughed at this.

"No no, it's completely fine, but I do suppose introductions are in order. I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. If its all the same, might I ask who, not to mention what, are you?" Josh nodded, stretching hiss arms behind his back, and yawning once more.

"Well, Princess, my name is Josh. As for what I am, I'm a human." Reaching his hand towards her, he smiled a bit. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Placing her hoof in his hand, the two shook. Turning to the other ponies in the room, he looked at Rainbow Dash first. "Thanks, by the way, if you didn't swoop in, I would of died from that fall." Rainbow grinned at this, waving a hoof in the air.

"Its no problem, I'm Rainbow Dash, by the way. Fastest flyer in Equestria!" Making her way over to the bed, Twilight reached out her hoof to shake with Josh.

"And I'm Twilight Sparkle, I have so many questions I would like to ask you when you get the chance!" She was practically gushing in giddiness at the opportunity to talk with a creature never to be mentioned in any of the books that she had read in the past. Placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder to calm her down, Princess Celestia turned back to Josh.

"I would like to think though, that the main question that needs to be answered, is your arrival here. Twilight and Rainbow Dash informed me that when you were first seen, you were falling out of the sky. Unconscious until Rainbow caught you. Can you please explain what caused you to be so high in the air to begin with?" Josh nodded and explained in detail what exactly happened. He had just finished explaining how he was healed when suddenly one of the cabinets in the room burst open and a pink puffball flew out and landed on his chest.

"Ohthatssosadsoyoucan'tgobackandseeyourfamilyeveragainandyou'restuckinequestriabutthatsok!" Josh stared at the pink pony who was now standing on his chest.

"How the... What the... Who..?" Twilight and Rainbow both facehoofed while the Princess just laughed a bit lightheartedly. "So um... Why is that okay..? And who are you, if you don't mind me asking I mean." The pink pony just smiled brightly.

"I'm Pinkie Pie! And it's going to be okay because you have friends here!" She placed her hooves to her cheeks, gasping loudly. "We should throw you a welcome to Equestria slash welcome to Ponyville party!" Josh raised up a hand to gesture for her to slow down, smiling.

"I don't know about the friend thing... The party doesn't sound half bad. But I have nowhere to stay here, so once I get better I'm going to try and find out why Connor sent me to your world." Celestia held up a hoof to stop Josh.

"Unfortunately I can't allow that at this time. Since you're a new being here, I can't downright trust you right off. So I would like for you to stay here in Ponyville for the time being with Twilight Sparkle and her friends. And please try to make some friends of your own." The Princess nodded to Josh with a smile before tapping on Twilight's shoulder, motioning for her to follow out of the room. Josh turned to the other ponies in the room, Pinkie Pie was still sitting on his lap while Rainbow Dash was staring at him curiously.

Reaching into his pocket, Josh pulled out his phone and turned it on, chuckling to himself. "So much for hoping for a signal. Just proves once more that I'm not on earth, not even a satellite signal." Pinkie and Rainbow both stared at the black square in Josh's hand.

"Ooh! What's that? Is it an alien artifact of some kind? Or maybe its a..." Pinkie started, only to be cut off as Josh grinned, shaking his head.

"No, nothing like that. This little device is called a cell phone, think of it as a way to communicate with other people over long distances. But that's not the only thing it can do, it can store music and pictures. It can record videos and take pictures as well." Rainbow Dash's ears perked as Josh mentioned that it had music on it. Noticing this, Josh grinned a bit. "Hey, here let me scoot over a bit, I'll play some of the music that I have on here if you're interested."

Scooting over, Rainbow jumped up onto the bed next to Josh. As she did, Josh noticed Rainbow's wing in it's brace. "Hey Rainbow.." She looked up at him.

"Yeah, what's up?" She followed his eyes to her wing before waving her hoof. "Hey, don't worry about it, I've had worse. If you didn't pull that crazy stunt there at the end it would of been worse. So we're cool, dude." She punched him lightly in the shoulder with her hoof. "Are you going to play that music or what?" Pinkie grinned and nodded at this, interested in the type of music that could possibly be played from such a small device.

"Okay okay, give me a moment to go through my playlist. Do you two like 'rock'? You know, drums, guitars, etc.?" Rainbow rolled her eyes and facehoofed.

"We're not caveponies, of course we have that here too. Though what's available isn't very wide-spread since not many ponies like that loud stuff. I personally think it's pretty cool, and I believe Pinkie feels the same way." She giggled as she pointed to Pinkie who was staring at the phone, waiting for the music to come out of it. Flipping through his playlist on his phone, Josh finally decided on one.

"Here, how about some good ol' classic rock, courtesy of a band called Boston." Josh then pressed play on a song labeled 'Peace of Mind' Josh sat back, mouthing the lyrics as the ponies stared in wonder at the small device that was able to play the music as loud as it was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door open with the Princess and Twilight peeking in curiously, slowly entering the room.

Once the song ended, Rainbow Dash threw her hooves into the air. "That was so freaking AWESOME! Do you have any more like that?!" Laughing, Josh nodded.

Pinkie Pie was jumping up and down around the room. "That was so super duperly awesome Josh! Play another, play another!"

"Yeah, I will play some more, but that will have to wait 'til another time." He then looked up at the Princess. "I take it you made a decision on what to do with me?" The Princess was transfixed with the small device that was sitting on Josh's lap. Taking it in her magic she levitated it over in front of her, looking it over. It was currently in sleep mode for being inactive, leaving the screen blank.

Ignoring the question, the Princess just looked the device over. "What is this thing, Josh? Some sort of music player?" Josh nodded to her, grinning.

"A music player? Well that is one of it's functions, this is called a cell phone. As I explained to Pinkie Pie and Dash. It can be used to communicate with other people and play music. It can also record and play videos as well as take pictures." Josh told them, smirking.

Twilight was also staring at the device, amazed that such a small thing could do so much. Nodding, the Princess levitated the device over to Josh before looking up at him. "You will be staying with my student, Twilight, until you're able to get on your hooves." Josh nodded, giving the Lavender mare a small smile. Looking through his phone, he switched to camera mode.

"Hey Princess, mind if I take your picture? If I'm going to be here I might as well keep a record of my stay." The Princess looked at the device curiously once more before nodding to Josh. "Okay... Smile and say cheese!" The Princess grinned and did as Josh asked. Pressing down on a button on the phone, a flash flickered over the room, causing everyone to blink. Nodding, Josh turned the phone to the Princess so she could see the picture.

"That is definitely a useful tool, isn't it? Would you be able to teach Twilight the magic needed to make one?" Josh blinked at this before facepalming.

"This isn't magic, humans don't have magic. On my world, there's no such thing as magic, we get by with our own ingenuity and technology. Actually before I met Connor, I had no idea this world even existed. If I look calm about these changes, that's all on the outside, I'm still freaking out about all of this inside." Josh tapped his head. "Though there's nothing I can do about it other than accept my situation and move on."

Pinkie looked up at Josh sadly, placing a hoof on his chest. "Do you not like it here in Equestria..?" Josh raised an eyebrow at this, shaking his head.

"I never said that, it's just a lot to take in. Not to mention all I've seen of Equestria is the ground I plummeted into and this hospital room." Josh reached a hand up and ruffled Pinkie Pie's mane, smirking. "As sad as I admit I am about not being able to see my family ever again, all I can really do is move on."

Twilight moved forward and placed a hoof comfortingly on his leg. "And we'll do the best we can to make you feel welcome here."

The Princess cleared her throat, and everyone's attention went back to her. "Well if that is everything, I will be heading back to Canterlot, be sure to keep me updated Twilight. It was nice meeting you Josh, and if you need help with anything, don't be afraid to let Twilight know." With that, the Princess turned and left the room. Josh sighed, laying back, relaxing as he stared at the pink pony who had jumped back onto his chest when he laid down.

"Are you comfy there?" Josh asked, raising an eyebrow. Pinkie nodded, grinning widely, he ruffled her mane again before turning and looked over at the lavender mare who was looking through a stack of notes. "Hey Twilight, how close is your home from the hospital? I might as well see about checking myself out of here."

Looking up, her concentration broken. "Huh? My home? OH! You mean the library! Yeah, that's about a ten minute walk from here. Are you going to have enough energy to make the walk though..? You said that Connor told you that you would at least need a full day of rest before you got all of your energy back."

Waving a hand, he shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine, I rarely get a full day of rest on a normal day anyway, I should be fine enough to make the walk." Pinkie Pie hopped off of his chest as this was said, followed by Rainbow Dash jumping off of the bed as well.

"Well let's get going then! I'm getting tired of laying around anyway." Rainbow Dash said as she trotted in place for a moment before heading out the hospital room.

Josh carefully swung his legs off of the bed, grabbing onto one of the bedposts as he stood up, nearly falling over. "I-I'm fine, see?" He grinned uneasily and began to take cautious steps towards the door. Pinkie rushed over to his side and leaned up against him for support. "Thanks Pinkie Pie, it's appreciated." Looking down at her he realized she must of been at least four feet tall, coming up to his stomach. "Huh, I'm not too much taller than you ponies, am I..?"

Twilight looked him over, nodding. "It would seem that way." A look of worry showed on her face. "Are you sure you're going to be fine..?" He nodded and walked out the room with Pinkie by his side, Twilight trailing behind. As they exited the room, Rainbow was waiting for them in the hallway and joined the group.

Making their way to the front desk, the nurse behind the counter looked up and the group and gasped at seeing them approach. "Well this is certainly a surprise, I take it everything is okay then? You're not dangerous or anything are you?"
Josh shook his head. chuckling quietly. "I wasn't dangerous the last time I checked. If it's okay, I would like to check out, please." Nodding, the nurse grabbed a clipboard as well as a inkwell and quill and set them on top of the desk.

"If you would kindly fill this out so we have a record of your visit, you will be free to leave." Josh nodded and leaned against the counter for support, giving Pinkie Pie a brief reprieve. Taking the quill in his hand, he stared at it a moment. Looking confused, Twilight cleared her throat.

"You're supposed to dip the pointed end into that black pot of ink. Nodding he dipped it into the inkwell before beginning to fill out the documentation.

Taking the paperwork off of the desk, the nurse flipped through it, making sure everything was filled out correctly before looking up and nodding. "Everything checks out fine, you're free to leave at your leisure." Giving the nurse a brief wave, he turned and towards the exit of the hospital, Pinkie Pie once more taking a place at his side to offer support.

Twilight stood back a moment and motioned for Rainbow to join her as Pinkie and Josh headed outside. "Hey Rainbow... Is it just me or is Pinkie not nearly as jumpy as she normally is..."

Rainbow turned and watched the two exit the hospital before shrugging. "She's been silent the whole time we've been here, every now and then the normal Pinkie personality will come out, like after he played the music and when she first revealed herself. Who knows, maybe she's just trying to make him feel welcome?"

Twilight thought to herself for a moment before shaking her head. "Well what do you think of him?"

Rainbow Dash ran a hoof through her mane before sighing. "Honestly Twi, I have no idea. I mean he seems cool enough, but we haven't been around him long enough to get to know him. I take it the Princess asked you to befriend him?"

Twilight nodded. "Princess Celestia doesn't believe he is going to be a danger, but she still wants me to keep an eye on him as well as become friends with him."

Rainbow smirked. "Well that's what we're going to do! Come on egg-head, we can't leave them waiting." Following Rainbow Dash outside, Twilight and the rest of the group kept pace with Josh as they slowly made their way to the library, assisting him whenever necessary. Twilight led the way into the library, guiding Josh and Pinkie over to a couch.

As Josh sat down on the couch, Pinkie jumped up beside him and bounced up and down. "There! Now that we're here you can get all comfy, and relax to get your energy back! Maybe turn on your celery potato and play some more music?" Twilight walked into the kitchen, gathering drinks as Rainbow Dash glanced between Josh and a bookshelf. "Hey, hey Joshie, do you have any more music by that band.. Bovine or whatever?" Shaking his head, Josh grinned and pulled out his phone.

"Well, I do have a few more by Boston." Pinkie looked over his shoulder as Josh skimmed through his playlist, his eyes darting quickly over to the battery life icon. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, the battery was still at full power. "That's strange... The battery should be at least at half life, how is that even possible?"

Twilight walked back into the room, carrying a few glasses of tea and setting them on a nearby table. "What is strange, Josh?" She asked curiously.

"Well, the battery in my phone, it should be almost out of power for how long I've had it on... There's no way it should have a full charge." He said in confusion, gesturing to his phone.

Twilight raised a hoof and pointed at the phone. "May I look it over?" Nodding, he passed the phone over to Twilight who took levitated it with her magic. "I'm just going to use a small scan spell to see the inner workings of it's power supply." Nodding again, Josh glanced over at Rainbow Dash who was laying down with a book in front of her.

"Hey Rainbow, what are you reading?" Josh asked, interested.

The blue pegasus looked up from the book for a moment before continuing to read it. "Its called 'Daring Do and the Trek to the Terrifying Tower'." She held up the book in front of her as she continued to read.

Looking closely at the book's cover, Josh reeled back in shock. "Well that sure is interesting... Is this Daring Do some sort of explorer who goes to ancient ruins and uncovers lost civilizations..?" He asked.

Rainbow Dash looked up, stunned. "Y..Yeah, but how could you possibly know that?"

Josh shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Lets just say, in my world we have similar stories about a man named 'Indiana Jones'. He does the exact same thing."

Dash's ears perked up at this as she looked at Josh from around the book. "Really? That's awesome! Does he have a whip? Is he afraid of.."

Josh cut her off, smirking. "Snakes? Yeah, Indy is afraid of snakes, carries a whip, and wears a fedora." Rainbow Dash sat grinning as she listened to Josh continue to talk about the human archaeologist who was incredibly similar to Daring Do.

However, before the two could continue, Twilight levitated Josh's phone back over to him. "Well, I have come to the conclusion that the latent magic in the air is sending a 'charge', as you call it, to that 'cell phone'. Technically it should never be able to run out as long as you're here in Equestria."

Staring in amazement at the mobile device, Josh pressed the power button on it to turn it on once more. Turning back to Pinkie, he smiled at her, waving the phone in front of her. "So, still interested in that song I promise you?"

She nodded, grinning. "Yepperoonie!"

Navigating to his music on the phone, he pulled up Boston, scrolling down the list until he found the song he was looking for. "Here's one, it's called ‘Don’t Look Back'." As the music began to play, leaving the three ponies awestruck once more, Josh leaned forward and picked up the tea that Twilight had brought in. Looking around, Rainbow Dash was nodding her head with the beat while Twilight stared up at the ceiling, listening to the lyrics.

As the music came to a close, Rainbow Dash looked at Josh with a grin. "Another awesome song, Josh!" Twilight looked as if she was about to say something before stopping, her ears swiveling as she looked up the stairs.

"Oh.. I how could I forget to tell Spike about what was going on." Getting up, she went up the stairs and out of sight.

Looking at the two mares, Josh turned to Pinkie. "So, what do you usually do here in Ponyville?" He asked.

Pinkie looked up at him, smiling brightly. "I work at Sugarcube Corner for Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I'm a pastry chef as well as Ponyville's resident party organizer!"

Nodding, Josh looked over at Rainbow, who was once more immersed within the book. "Well what do you normally do for fun, Pinkie?" He asked, looking back at her.

"Weelllll.... Dashie and I sometimes hang out and prank other ponies, or play games. I also enjoy making ponies smile! That's the most super duper fun thing to do, ever!" Josh smiled at her.

"So a pastry chef, huh? What's your favorite thing to bake?" Pinkie raised a hoof up to her chin in thought. "I do enjoy baking chimicherrychangas, but then there are also double decker chocolate cakes. I can't actually decide on a favorite, there's just too many fun things to bake!"

Stretching, Josh leaned back on the couch and ruffled Pinkie's mane, causing her to giggle. "So you don't work today then?" Pulling out his phone to look at the time, he put it back in his pocket. "Its already almost four pm."

Pinkie shook her head. "I already finished what I had to do today, I don't have to work again till tomorrow." Nodding, Josh turned his attention to the ceiling in thought as he heard hoofsteps coming down the staircase.

Glancing over, he watched as Twilight walked down, followed by some sort of overgrown lizard. "Hey Josh, I'd like for you to meet my number one assistant! This is Spike, he's a baby dragon." Spike looked at him warily, unsure of what to make of Josh, turning his attention back to Twilight.

"You sure he's not dangerous Twilight? He sure is tall..." Spike asked cautiously.

Twilight glanced from Spike over to Josh, smiling. "Absolutely certain, not to mention, he's going to be staying with us here at the library for awhile until he is able to get on his hooves." Sighing, Spike walked over to Josh and extended his claw to him. Taking Spike's claw in his hand, the two shook.

"Its nice to meet you, Spike, I'll try to do my best to stay out of the way while I'm here." Josh said, nodding to the drake. Twilight frowned at this but didn't say anything.

Turning to Spike, she cleared her throat. "Hey Spike, think you'd be up for making some dinner for us?" Nodding, Spike made his way into the kitchen. Twilight then looked over to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. "You two want to stay for dinner? I'm sure we have enough ingredients."

Rainbow Dash looked up from the book, rubbing one of her legs over the other. "Actually Twi, if you don't mind, would it be okay for me to stay here for the night? I can't really get up to my cloud house with my wing like it is." Rainbow asked, grinning.

Twilight nodded only to have Pinkie Pie shake her head sadly at Twilight's question. "I promised Mr. and Mrs. Cake that I'd watch the twins for them tonight while they went out for dinner. But if it's okay, I'd like to come over tomorrow after I get done at Sugarcube Corner."

Twilight smiled at Pinkie. "That would be a great idea, I actually planned on inviting all of the girls over tomorrow to meet Josh and help him get comfortable here in Ponyville."

Pinkie went wide-eyed, glancing between Twilight and Josh for a moment before grinning. "Igottagosomethingcameupseeyoualllater!" In a puff of pink smoke, Pinkie was gone and the front door was open.

The room was quiet for a few minutes before Josh cleared his throat. "So... What just happened..?"

Twilight facehoofed, sighing. "Its just Pinkie being Pinkie, you'll get used to it."

Sounds could be heard from the kitchen as Spike started to prepare dinner. “I wonder what he plans to make?” Josh thought out loud as his stomach grumbled.

Twilight looked towards the kitchen, placing a hoof on her chin in thought. “I believe he said he would make bean and barley vegetable soup.”

A look of shock registered over Josh’s face as he sat back on the couch. “I... I believe there is something I forgot to tell you, and I really hope it won't make you look at me any differently.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, looking at Josh curiously. Dash laid her book down, also curious at what the human wanted to tell them. “I guess there is no easy way to break this to you, but, you know how you ponies are herbivorous?” Twilight nodded, eyes slowly increasing in size as she begins to register as to what Josh may be alluding to. “Well... Humans are omnivores.” Josh went quiet as he let what he just said register with the ponies in front of him.

“So, what does that mean?” Rainbow was beginning to get annoyed, not sure what herbivorous or omnivorous meant.

Twilight cleared her throat, turning to the cyan mare. “It means that he can consume both meat as well as vegetables...” She turned back to Josh. “Though I trust that this won't change anything too badly. I mean you can still eat the same things we do, right?”

Josh nodded, sighing quietly. “Yeah, I don’t technically need to eat meat to stay healthy, though I can honestly say I will miss it. But as long as I stay here, I will stick to a strictly vegetarian diet. As long I get some protein from other sources, like beans, I’ll be fine.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged at this, the fact that Josh could consume meat didn’t seem to bother her. “I used to be friends with a Griffin, there were times when I went out with her as she hunted and such. I don’t really see what the problem is.”

Twilight facehoofed. “That's not what he means, obviously you understand, and I understand as well. But not everypony is going to see the same way we do.”

The clanking sound could be heard from the kitchen as Spike began pouring the soup into some bowls and bringing it out into the front room, setting them on a table in front of the couch. Going back into the kitchen, Spike returned carrying four spoons, one for each of them. Raising an eyebrow, Josh watched curiously as Twilight and Dash used the spoons to eat their soup. The spoon somehow stuck to the end of Dash’s hoof while Twilight just used her magic to hold the spoon in an aura of levitation.

Shrugging, Josh picked up his spoon and slowly began to eat the soup. Going wide-eyed, he smiled and glanced over at Spike. “Hey man, this is some really good soup, nice job!” Spike grinned. “By the way Spike... You’re really a dragon? When I hear the word ‘dragon’ I picture giant fire breathing beasts that come to kidnap your women and burn your farms.” Spike stared at Josh for a moment before bursting out laughing. The two mares joined in shortly after, falling over onto their sides after nearly choking on their soup. “Was it something I said..?”

Spike sat back up, wiping a tear from his eye, continuing to laugh lightly. “Yeah it was, I take it dragons where you're from are all like that, but here, we’re a pretty laid-back sort. I mean yeah there are a few in the badlands that you’d want to watch out for, not to mention the volcanic fields where the majority of them live. But they tend to stay away from here.”

Josh shook his head, letting out a sigh of relief. “Actually, there aren’t any dragons where I come from. Just like there aren’t any unicorns or pegasi. Each of your races are considered to be mythological in my world.” This tidbit of information caught Twilight’s attention as she sat up, levitating a scroll over, taking down notes of what Josh just relayed to them. As the group continued to talk through dinner, Twilight soon needed to get more paper to take notes on. They had already gone over the different forms of government that humans had, as well as how Josh’s country that he lived in previously earned it’s freedom. As Twilight moved aside and began to sort her notes, Josh helped Spike gather the dishes and followed him into the kitchen to clean them.

Yawning, Josh stretched as he helped finish the last of the dishes, moving back into the front room. Twilight had a book in front of her, reading through it, a quill and piece of paper floating beside her as she took notes from the text she was reading. “Hey Twilight, how does magic work?”

Twilight looked up at Josh curiously. “Well, thats not really a hard question to answer. Everypony has a latent store of magic within them. Unicorns are able to tap into it and channel it through their horn. After lots of studying, and learning how to control that flow of magic, a unicorn can manipulate their magic to do a plethora of different tasks. For example, I’m currently allowing my magic to envelop this parchment and quill which lets me lift it into the air.”

Twilight picked up a blank sheet of paper after laying down her quill and the page she was taking notes on. “Of course I could change the flow of magic with a bit of concentration... Compressing it and condensing it, allowing some friction to take place and...” The page suddenly caught fire and incinerated, leaving a pile of ash on the floor. “Of course I don’t have to have something levitated before I’m able to light a flame, but if I want it focused, it sure does help.”

Josh nodded, definitely interested in this new information. “If only I could use it as well, I’d like to learn, it seems that there could be so many different uses for it.” Josh commented, mostly to himself.

Twilight waved a hoof, shaking her head. “Not possible, only unicorns can actually tap into their innate magic and channel it. Unless you somehow became a unicorn, I don’t see how it would ever be possible for you to use magic.”

Frowning, Josh shrugged, giving up on the idea. Taking out his phone, he checked the time, yawning quietly as he did. “Wow, its already nine... When were you planning to head to bed, Twilight?”

She yawned as well, shrugging. “Wasn’t really thinking about it honestly.” Hearing some snoring, they turned and looked over at the couch where Rainbow was now sleeping with the Daring Do book covering her face. Standing up, Josh walked over to the couch and took a blanket off of the back of it and covered up Rainbow Dash. Picking the book up off of her face, he looked around for something he could use as a bookmark. Taking a blank sheet of paper, he folded it once before sliding it into the book to save Dash’s place.

Walking back over to Twilight, he sat down, sighing. “Today has been crazy... I wake up with all intentions on visiting my dad in the hospital... Only to make a deal with a strange man which cures my dad but sends me here.” He chuckled quietly to himself, muttering. “Was it all worth it in the end? What could I honestly accomplish here...?” He turned to Twilight who was looking at him, her face held an expression of contemplation as if she was trying to think of what to tell him to make him feel better about his situation.

Shaking his head, Josh put on a smile and leaned against the wall that Twilight was sitting against while she was doing her studying. “You know you don’t have to fake everything, Josh...” Twilight stared into his face. “I think I realize why Pinkie hasn’t really been acting nearly as bouncy around you as she would around others.”

Josh raised an eyebrow, confused. “You mean she can be even bouncier?”

Twilight gave a small giggle, smiling. “Yeah, Pinkie is definitely a strange one, but she can always tell when somepony isn’t happy. Why are you faking your happiness here, Josh?” Taken aback by this, he turned his face away. “You know you can tell us, we want to be your friends, if you will let us. It will make you feel better if you just let it out.”

Josh turned back to her, a bit shaken by how easily this lavender unicorn was able to read him. “It's not that easy Twilight, I’m the oldest of five, I’ve had to be strong for them in the toughest of times that my family has gone through. I’ve just gone for so long bottling everything inside... If I let it all out, I fear the emptiness that will remain in the place of all that pain...”

Twilight stared at him sadly, wrapping her hooves around him in a hug. “If you ever need to talk about it, Josh, please come and tell me. I really would like to be your friend.”

Taking a deep breath, he nodded and returned Twilight’s hug. “Thanks... I may just take you up on that offer, give me a little bit of time though, I need to gather my thoughts about everything.”

Twilight looked up at him and smiled, pulling away as she stretched, yawning. “I do believe it’s time we head to bed though, mister. Since Rainbow is on the couch you’ll have to take the bed that is in the guest room. Just go up the steps there and it is the first door on the right. The bathroom is right across the hall from the guest room.” Josh smiled at Twilight, nodding.

“Thank you, I’ll be heading to bed then, goodnight Twilight.” Waving Josh off to bed, Twilight took a scroll and began writing on it with a levitated quill.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Josh is beginning to open up, I fear for what may happen to him if he doesn’t fully open up soon. As you and I both know, emotions are strong sources of energy here in Equestria. Here negative emotions can have a negative effect on the surrounding land as well as a negative impact on the mental condition of the pony that bears that negative emotion. I don’t know if you noticed it, but this human harbors quite a bit of emotional pain. Most of it seems to be from being brought here away from his family. I can only assume that the rest is from watching his father go through so much pain over the past five years. I will keep you informed as I learn more about him.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

With the letter completed, she rolled it up and placed a seal on it, before placing it on her desk to send in the morning.

Author's Notes:

So I mentioned before that I wanted to re-write/edit a bunch of the first couple of chapters. Well here is it in it's 'beta' form. And what I mean by that, is that I haven't had my editor go over it yet. If you see anything, or have anything to suggest. Feel free to let me know! I really want this to look better than the current prologue + chps 1 and 2 are. ^^

-Kyllier