Twilight opened the door of Carousel Boutique and stepped inside. Jaze was waiting outside to give Twilight time to have her secret whisperings with Rarity. He was curious about what the purple unicorn was planning, but he felt that it was not his place to pry into these ponies’ lives. If they wanted me to know, they would just tell me. I have no right to intrude for the sake of simple curiosity, Jaze thought as he waited for Twilight to reappear.

Inside the boutique, Twilight had finished talking to Rarity about a surprise for Jaze, “So are you in?” she asked

“I am always ready for that, you know.” the white unicorn replied

“Okay, then are you ready to meet Jaze?”

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

“Just remember, he is, different, to say the least.” Twilight said as the two ponies exited the Boutique.

Jaze was leaning against the Boutique’s wall just outside the door. He had just begun to wonder what was taking so long when the door to the shop opened to reveal Twilight and white unicorn with a stylish purple mane, who Jaze assumed to be Rarity.

He stood up and said, “Hello there, I am Jaze Armand. Are you Miss Rarity?”

Rarity turned in the direction of Jaze’s voice; “Yes I’m…” she trailed off as she took in Jaze’s form.

Uh-oh here it comes, Jaze thought as a look of shock crossed Rarity’s face. He was starting to get a little tired of the shock everypony displayed at seeing him for the first time. At the same time, he could understand it; he was, after all, something that these ponies had never seen.

“You… your…” she stammered, horrified, “your clothes…”

“What?” Jaze said with an incredulous look, his turn to be stunned.

“Your clothes! They are absolutely un-fabulous. Oh, you must let me design new ones for you.” Rarity said as she pulled Jaze into her shop.

“No, it’s okay,” Jaze protested, “really, these clothes are…”

“Nonsense,” Rarity interrupted, “I insist that you let me make you some new ones. We can’t have an important guest walking around in such a dreary outfit.”

“But I…”

“Hush,” Rarity used her magic to float a tailor’s measuring tape around Jaze, taking various measurements, “you know, I don’t usually make colt clothing, but I will try my best.” She looked Jaze up and down, “And you’re so much different than a pony, but I consider this a challenge. I am the best fashion designer in all of Equestria! When I am done, your garments will be the envy of, wherever you’re from.” To silence his further protests she told him to consider the clothes her “welcome to Ponyville” gift.

Twilight had followed the pair inside and was trying to keep from laughing at Jaze’s plight. Jaze looked to Twilight to silently ask for some help. This pushed Twilight over the edge, and she began laughing. She at least had the presence of mind to pull Jaze away from Rarity.

“Maybe you could do this later, Rarity.” Twilight said with pointed look, “There is still somethings that we need to do today, remember?”

“Oh, riiiiiight, I suppose I should get ready. I’ll be there soon.” Rarity said with a wink.

“What is going on here you two?” Jaze asked in mock frustration

“Nothing,” the two ponies said in unison.

Jaze threw them a skeptical look, but let their obvious lie slide. Not my place, he thought; though he still burned to know. Jaze and Twilight left the Carousel Boutique, and a smiling Rarity, and walked towards the center of town. Jaze noticed that the stares from the other ponies had changed from looks of shock to ones of curiosity. The ponies would stop for a moment to watch as he and Twilight walked past them, and then they continued on their way. Wow, thought Jaze, these ponies adapt fast. Jaze was enjoying not seeing ponies run in apparent terror at the sight of him.

“So where are we going now?” Jaze asked Twilight suddenly.

“I thought I could show you around town.” Twilight responded.

“Sounds nice.”

Twilight took Jaze around the small town, showing him all the shops, including Sugar Cube Corner bakery, as well as Ponyville’s best, and only, restaurant. Twilight also brought Jaze to the local school, which was getting ready to let its charges lose on the world. As the pair turned to leave, the final school bell rung and the young fillies and colts were let out to work off the energy they had stored up during the long day of education.

Jaze stopped and watched the foals split off to play. A small, sad smile spread across his face. He had always loved to see children free to play. There had not been much play on the arid planet that he had grown up on. Watching these young foals running about having fun reminded Jaze of the childhood he lost out on. Jaze turned to leave, but three of the young fillies had taken particular interest in the strange creature that was in their town. With a cry of “Cutie Mark Crusader Monster Wranglers!” the three jumped on Jaze from behind and knocked him to the ground. Twilight was horrified at the three’s attack.

“Ah got it!” said one that had wrapped around his arm.

“No, I got it.” said another that had his leg in her grasp.

“Nuh-uh, I got it.” said the last one, who had grabbed him around the waist.

“What is it?” came from the one on his arm

“It’s an ogre!” this from the one around his leg.

“No it’s not, it’s a troll!” the one around his waist added.

“Ah think Sweetie Belle’s right Scootaloo, it’s an ogre!”

“No Applebloom, it’s a troll!”

“Ogre!”

“TROLL!”

“OGRE!”

“It’s neither!” Jaze said as he stood up, “And now it’s got you all!” the next few minutes were a confusion of arms, legs, hands, and hooves as the three fillies wrestled with Jaze. Twilight could only laugh as the three were forced into submission by Jaze. He was kneeling and holding two, a yellow earth filly and an orange pegasus filly, in headlocks while the third, a white unicorn filly, had backed away out of his reach.

“Anythin’?” the one Jaze held under his right arm asked. They all checked their flanks hopefully, which Jaze now noticed to be bereft of Cutie Marks; the symbols on a pony’s flank that showcased their special talents. Their excitement faded when they all saw that no magical symbols had appeared for them.

“Ugh, we’re never gonna get our Cutie Marks at this pace.” the filly under Jaze’s left arm complained.

“Maybe monster wrangling isn’t our special talent.” The one just outside of Jaze’s reach speculated.

“After a performance like that,” Jaze said with a broad grin, “I would think not. What kind of monster wrangler gets wrangled by the monster?” The four of them laughed, and Jaze released the two he had been holding captive.

Twilight, still giggling, said, “I’m sorry to break up your monster hunt girls but we have to go.”

“Alright, Miss Sparkle.” the unicorn said.

“We’ll be coming to settle the score.” the pegasus warned.

“Yeah, ya jus’ wait Mr. Monster!” the earth pony affirmed.

Jaze stood up straight, “Alright girls, Twilight’s right. It’s time for you to go.” He smiled as he called to the retreating fillies, “And I’ll be waiting for your revenge!”

Twilight looked at Jaze with an expression of worry, “Uh, are you mad at those three?”

“No, I’m not mad at all.” Jaze said, confused, “Why, should I be?”

“Well, they did kind of tackle you. Most anypony else would be mad.”

“I can’t get mad at children. They’re the bright hope of the future; the next generation of doctors, artists, scientists, and what have you. I feel that they need to have fun and enjoy being young and carefree while they can.” The smile fell from his face; or else you end up like me, he thought but had the sense not to say out loud.

Twilight picked up on his sudden change of mood and dropped the subject. She suggested that they go visit the library were Twilight lived and worked. Jaze told her that this was a wonderful idea for he loved to read and was curious about what pony fiction was like. Twilight led him to the library and pushed the door open. The lights flicked on and Jaze jumped a little as several voices yelled “SURPRISE!” He looked around to see that Twilight’s friends had decorated the library in record time.

“Heh, heh, you’re really jumpy aren’t you Jaze?” Dash said with a laugh and a smile.

Jaze returned the smile “You would be jumpy too if you had just spent the last five months in the Everfree Forest.”

“No way, you did not.” Dash said, looking impressed, “You gotta tell us about that!”

“I will, but stories like that should not be told before a party.” Jaze looked around at the decorations, “You girls did all this just for me?”

“Well, duh!” said the pink blur from before, “I knew that you were new, because I know everypony in Ponyville, and I don’t know you and you’re not a pony, and I thought you looked sad, which made me sad, so I thought I could throw you a party and you wouldn’t be sad anymore!”

“Why thank you Pinkie Pie,” Jaze said with a smile, “you’re some of the nicest people I’ve met. Even if you are ponies.”

“So, what took y’all so long?” Applejack asked Twilight.

“Well, we, uh, ran into your sister and her friends.”

“What do ya mean?”

“They kind of tackled Jaze.”

“WHAT?” Applejack’s shout attracted the attention of everypony in the room, “Ah’m gonna give that filly a good talkin’ to when I get back to Sweet Apple Acres!”

“It’s alright; I didn’t mind” Jaze told Applejack with a sincere smile, “Besides, if I had been paying attention they wouldn’t have gotten me, would they?”

“But that was rude,” She quickly replied.

“Like I said, it’s okay. Those three are just kids, and I kind of egged it on. I’m just as responsible as they are.”

“Well, when ya put it like that,” Applejack said looking somewhat uncomfortable, “Ah guess Ah can let it slide. But she still needs ta learn when ta stop.”

“What are we still standing around for?” Pinkie broke in, “Let’s party!”

That kicked the party off. Jaze had the most fun he had had in several years. After spending so long smothering himself in his uniform and fighting for the human race, it was nice to just let loose for awhile. The six ponies and the human partied for several hours; the six ponies drew Jaze into playing many different party games like “Pin the Tail on the Pony”, which they told him was a local favorite. Their merry making continued until it started grow dark outside. As the six settled down and looked to Jaze, he realized he would know have to tell the story that he, Celestia, and Luna had worked out together.

“I suppose I should tell you girls how I got here.” the ponies sat a little straighter, “Well, I am from a place beyond the Everfree Forest…”

“But there is nothing beyond Everfree; it’s the end of Equestria.” Rainbow quickly interrupted, but a look from her friends just as quickly silenced her.

“That’s what we thought as well. But a team was put together to go and see if there was actually anything beyond the forest. I was the leader of that team. We traveled for about five months, maybe six. I really not sure about anything from that time.” Jaze looked down, “I remember the day that we all set out from our home town; there were crowds cheering for us, already calling us heroes.”

“How many were on your team?” Twilight asked.

“There were four of us in all. There were four when we set out at least, I got separated from the group by a strange creature deep in the Everfree Forest. It attacked us while we were sleeping and managed to pull me off into the forest. I got away, but I was hurt pretty bad and couldn’t find the group. I wandered around for awhile until I finally broke free of the forest, where I collapsed from exhaustion and my wounds. I guess some of the Princesses guards found me or something because next thing I know, I’m in the castle having my wounds healed by unicorns.”

Jaze fell silent, as did the six ponies. They just looked at him in awe, totally astonished by Jaze’s tale. The silence continued for a few minutes as they attempted to fit what Jaze had told them into their understanding of how the world worked. Good thing I didn’t tell them I was an alien, Jaze thought, somewhat amused, they really wouldn’t know how to deal with that.

“So, there are more things like you?” Dash asked Jaze.

“Yes, quite a few more.” He replied, “And we’re not ‘things’, we are humans.”

“How come nopony else knows about your town?” Rarity asked.

“From what I understand, nopony wants to go into the forest because it is unnatural. Since most everypony wants nothing to do with it, Celestia never ordered an expedition to flush out its secrets.”

“Then why did you?” Twilight asked, looking confused.

“Well, humans have an unfortunate habit of being insanely curious. It has gotten us into trouble in the past, and obviously this time was no different.”

“Do ya know if yer friends made it out of the forest okay?” Applejack asked.

Jaze looked up at the ceiling and said, “I honestly don’t know. They were all strong and the last two members of his fighter group to the back of his mind. He did not know if they were alive or dead. He was truly worried for them as they were his two oldest friends. He wished he could just find out their fate, whether it was good or ill. Pinkie noticed the frown on Jaze’s face and walked over and pressed her hooves into his face to make him smile. When he looked down out her, she simply smiled.

“You look sad. Don’t be. I’m one hundred percent sure your friends are fine.” She told him.

“How do you know?” Jaze asked as he lowered her hooves.

“My Pinkie Sense!” she said as if that was all the answer necessary.

“Your what?”

“Don’t ask, just go with it.” Twilight said with a slight shudder, “Trust me.”

“Okay, I won’t ask.” He looked back to Pinkie and gave her a smile, “If you say so, I guess I can believe it.”

Pinkie’s grin widened, “Okay.”

“I have just one more question,” Rainbow said, “what is that?” she pointed to the sword that was still riding Jaze’s hip.

Jaze looked down, “Oh this is my sword, Sairugi.”

“What in tarnation is a sword? And what does Sairugi mean?” Applejack asked with a confused look.

“Well a sword is kind of a big knife. And Sairugi means ‘Winds of Steel’ in an ancient language used where I’m from.”

‘Well I think it is a beautiful name.” Rarity interjected.

“Thank you, but it is not meant to be beautiful.” Jaze looked out the window to see that it had grown dark. “Well girls, this has been fun but I think we all need to head to bed pretty soon.”

“Yer right, I gotta get up at the crack a’ dawn tomorrow.” Applejack agreed with a slight yawn and the other ponies quickly agreed.

‘I just have one question of my own.” Jaze said, “Where can I get a job?” For some reason this set everypony to laughing. After a few minutes, Jaze calmed down enough to say “No really, I can work and I’ll need to pay for various things while I live here, so…”

“Well, ya could try workin’ with me on the farm.” Applejack told him, “Yer certainly strong enough.”

“Or maybe you could try working with the animals.” Fluttershy suggested.

“Perhaps you could join me in the library?” Twilight asked.

“You can’t fly, so that rules out any jobs with the weather.” Rainbow Dash looked him up and down, “You can’t fly right.”

“Not most of the time.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Nothing,” he responded with a smirk.

“Well, we can find something for you to do in the morning.” Rarity said, then she clapped her hooves, “Oh and you must come over to see what I’ve come up for your new clothes!"

“Er, yeah, right.” Jaze said evasively. He really, really did not want to mess with making new clothes, but he did not want to risk insulting Rarity. He still knew little about the ponies’ customs and in the culture he grew up in, declining a gift could be taken as an insult.

“I suppose it is time that we all head home.” Jaze said with a tired sigh.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Applejack said with another yawn, the party had sapped all their energy, with the small exception of Pinkie who seemed to be a bottomless well of vigor. Jaze wondered how she could stand to sleep at night.

“Uh, okay, but it’s dark out.” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Yeah, so what?” Rainbow questioned

“I’m, afraid of the dark.” She spoke into her mane, which muffled her already quiet voice.

“You’re what?”

“She said she’s afraid of the dark.” Jaze jumped in.

“You could hear that?” Dash asked in awe.

“Uh yeah, I have really good hearing.” He looked to Fluttershy, “Would you like me to walk you home Fluttershy?”

“Oh, don’t trouble yourself on my account; it’s out of your way. I’ll be fine.” She did not look convinced.

“Don’t worry I live right next to you, remember? Besides, I can’t just leave you to walk home in the dark if it obviously scares you.”

“A-alright, I guess.”She said, still trying to hide behind her mane.

“Come on,” Jaze encouraged as he opened the door for the frightened pony and stepped out after her. He stood for a moment and stared up at the stars. Despite what he had said to Pinkie, he still worried for his friends. He offered a silent prayer to no particular god for their safe return. Humanity needs those two, he thought, somewhat sullen, they still have so much to do. He shook his head slightly to dislodge these negative thoughts from his mind. The Cye were not his problem anymore, and dwelling on things outside his control would only lead him to madness. He breathed in deep through his nose and slowly exhaled from his mouth.

Fluttershy stood watching Jaze as he wrestled his thoughts. She was ready to go home, but did not want to interrupt whatever strange custom he was completing. She could not help but feel sad for Jaze. He was stuck in a strange land for who knew how long, with strange new beings, and nopony like him around. Looking at him, she could see the worry on his face. She wanted to let him know that everything would work out for the best but she found it hard to speak to the near stranger. When he gave his head a shake, looked to her, and smiled; Fluttershy found herself wishing she was a little more confident so that she had the courage to make him feel better.

“Let’s get going shall we?” he said with a small smile.

“O-okay,” she said in her small voice, obviously still scared. For some reason this made Jaze’s smile just a little bigger.

“Don’t worry, the darkness itself can’t hurt you, and nothing’s going to want to mess with you while I’m around.”

“I know that it’s silly, I just can’t help it.”

“Hey, everypony has their irrational fears.”

“Then what’s yours.” She asked curiously, and then blushed when she realized she had asked something so personal.

His expression briefly darkened, “Failure, failure is my biggest fear.” He turned away and looked to the sky again.

“Failure?”

“A lot of people have counted on me, and I fear letting them down.” He looked down with pained expression “Can we drop this?”

“I’m sorry that I upset you.” Fluttershy looked almost ready to cry.

“Now I’ve upset you.” Jaze heaved a sigh, “Look, I’m not upset; this is just not something I can talk about right now. Okay?”

This seemed to calm her a little, “Okay, let’s go.”

They walked towards the path to Fluttershy’s house in silence. During this quiet time, Jaze enjoyed the cool night air and to assess his actions today. I had fun today, I haven’t done that since, well, two years ago or more, he thought with wonder, why, why have I let myself go? When they reached Fluttershy’s door, he bade her goodnight and turned to walk back to his house but Fluttershy called out to him.

“Jaze, remember, everything works out for the best.” His response was a smile and wave as he disappeared into the darkness.

He continued to ponder his behavior until he reached the door of his house. As he opened it, the reasons for today struck him. I finally have peace, he thought with amazement, no more fighting, no more death, I can finally let go of the fear I held of each new day. As he crawled into his bed, his last conscious thought was, I could get used to this.