He walks slowly down the halls of the Royal Palace. His boots ring on the marble floors with a measured tread. Nearly a full year of living in this world, and with the exception of the cyan pegasus pony that picked his broken body up from the gorge he had found himself in and brought him to Canterlot, he knows only the ponies working in the castle. Effective house arrest ever since he's gotten out of the hospital after arriving here. He nods at a passing guard as he walks to his room. He turns the knob and puts a shoulder against the heavy door. All the unicorns around here have no problem with the doors, but he has to put his muscle into it.

He pushes the door closed and stops for a moment to put his head against it. The Princess’ words ringing in his ears, “I’m so sorry Timothy. But my ponies tend to be very insular. We deal with the other species on this world, but we tend to spend most time with each other. I don’t know what would happen if you leave the castle without an escort, and your safety is of prime importance here.”

He sighs as he turns to look at his room. Growing up middle class back home, everything around him would be considered opulent. Marble everywhere, gold fixtures in the bathroom, he even has a staff that takes care of his needs. Food is delivered any time he wants it. The bed is one of the most comfortable things he’s ever laid on. Just everything is so much. He kicks off his boots towards the entry closet. He’ll pick them up later. His stockinged feet sink into the luxurious burgundy carpet, made by some of the finest earth pony crafters. A change in the lighting gets him to look out the window, a pegasus pony is pushing a cloud.

It never stops, the ponies are always so industrious, they are always busy. Even in their play, they are always active. He stops and looks up, on the ceiling of the sitting room is the same mark that is on Princess Celestia’s flank, a stylized sun.

He sighs. Princess Celestia and her sister, Princess Luna, have been nothing but kind. They even visit his room from time to time. He always looks forward to Princess Luna, since he never has to be formal with her, and when she visits, they usually talk for hours, often late into the night. And when he’s bored, she always had a quip to make him laugh.

He trudges through the massive sitting room, and he glances at his bedroom. It’s too early for sleep. He walks through the French doors onto the small balcony outside his room. From there, he can see for miles, which sure beats the corn stalks back home, he admits. He rests his elbows on the parapet and looks down at the ponies walking around. Every color of the rainbow, with those odd markings on their flanks. Cutie Marks, he recalls. Understandably, he didn’t notice the marks at first, he was more focused on the talking and magical part of the ponies, but as he grew accustomed to them, he noticed how everyone had one. He later learned that the talent of a pony or their “calling”, shows up on their flank when they realize what makes them special.

Another thing he noticed was that he stood taller than most of the ponies he'd met, with the exception of the Princess of the Sun. She’s about eye level with him. At times, he isn't sure who is more uncomfortable about his height, the ponies who have to look up, or him who has to look down. He looks farther out, away from the city on the mountain. Down into the valley there sits a nice sized town. That’s Ponyville, where the rainbow maned pony that found him lives. Rainbow Dash visits from time to time, but even she seems wary of him, with him being the lone human in this world of Equestria. Soft hoofsteps grab his attention and he turns. The pony that emerges onto the veranda gets a smile out of him.

Citrus Blush has always been nice to him. She’s always been happy to see him. She sees him standing there and gallops towards him, rearing up on her hind legs for a hug. Hugging her tightly, he just stands there for a long moment. Relishing the feelings of being close to her. The hug goes on for what seems like forever, and finally she squirms a bit, prompting him to let go. She sits down and looks at him, “Tim, you seem sad.” He nods softly as he walks inside.

“Yeah.”

She thinks for a moment, then looks up, “You talked to Princess Celestia?”

He nods.

“She said no?”

Again, he nods.

“Oh Tim, I’m sorry. The guards get along with you so well. So does the rest of the staff. What was the problem?”

Tim sighs as he sinks into the couch, Citrus jumps up on the couch next to him and leans against him, his arm going around her automatically as he sighs, “Well, I think I was making a convincing case. Then Blueblood arrives.”

He smiles as she opens her mouth and sticks out her tongue, her tail thrashing, her ears back, “That royal pain in the flank? What was his problem?”

Tim sighs, running a hand absently through her soft bright orange mane, “He was vulgar, as usual. He compared me to some of the monkeys in the jungle. Said I should be sent there, away from decent ponies.” He leans his head back and moans, “You have been so nice to me. So has the Princesses, and the guards.” He lifts his head, looking at her. His bright steel gray eyes hold a gaze with her cerise ones for a long moment, “But there’s always the ones that aren’t so nice.”

She giggles, “I was afraid of you at first. You do know that right?”

He nods slowly, she continues, “I had to change your bandages, since the usual magical healing was of such a limited effect on you. The magic brought you back from the edge of death, but it couldn’t close up your wounds, it couldn’t fix your broken bones. And there was no way to make new blood for you. And even then, with you all bandaged up, you were still big and scary.”

He sighs, “Come on, I’ve seen the minotaur representatives visiting the Princesses. Are you saying I’m scarier than they are?”

She leans her head on his shoulder, “We know the minotaurs, and while they may be big, they are also peaceful. We’ve had more trouble with griffins than we’ve ever had with the minotaurs. And you have no idea how our first relations were with the minotaurs.” She giggles, “It was pretty rough, a minotaur would come into a town and all the ponies would flee.”

“But I’m not a danger to you, you know that.” He murmurs softly.

She snuggles even closer to him, “I know that, you know that.” She rears back a bit, so she can look into his eyes once again, “But the ponies out there don’t know that. Perhaps I should go to the Princess…”

She’s interrupted by him placing a finger on her lips, “I’ll handle it, but for now, just be a friend?”
She wraps her forelegs around him tighter and snuggles closer to him, “Always.”

They sit like that for a while, finally, he speaks up, “Citrus.”

“Mhmm?” She murmurs against his chest.

“Why aren’t you afraid of me anymore?”

She snuggles even closer, “Because I know you. How nice you are. How you would never harm a pony. I just wish I could let others know how nice you are.”

Tim sighs, he’s watched the ponies on the streets, their concept of personal space is a lot different than his. Ponies that are simply friends will walk very closely together. And ponies snuggle, and rub along each other all the time. It actually concerned him the first time that Citrus had hugged him. He didn’t know how physical ponies were typically, and when he pushed her away, the hurt look on her face really surprised him. She wasn’t trying to get close to him romantically, she just wanted to help a friend who was hurting. Once he realized it was common among ponies, he accommodated. After being here for as long as he has, he actually welcomes the contact.

“Citrus.”

She murmurs again, he smiles, “What does your cutie mark mean?”

She pulls her head away, “Well, a cutie mark is…” she trails off at the look on his face, “Oh, you and your questions.” She giggles, “Well, my mark, I’m very proud of it. My special talent is makeup, cosmetics.” She giggles at his confused look, “I help by making and selling them in my mom’s shop.”

“But you worked on me in the hospital. Aren’t you a nurse’s aid?”

“Don't get me wrong I love doing it and it’s good money here in Canterlot, but … Sometimes I like helping out at the hospital, as a volunteer. Makeup can cover up scars, but sometimes I wish I could heal them. I started by helping patients with their makeup... but now I help with other things like bandaging and cleaning.

“Ah, and you were helping me?”

She nods, “It took months for your bones to heal.” She traces a hoof gently along the right side of his chest, “It was rough for you for most of this last year, Tim. You needed help, I wanted to help you.”

He leans his head back on the couch, noting the setting sun, “You had better run along home, it’s getting late.”

She groans softly, "I've been on my hooves all day and I'm already exhausted and I don't want to walk home alone." She looks up slowly, "Is it okay if I spend the night here? You don't seem like you want to be alone either."

He sighs, his arm reflexively bringing her closer, “I’m good with that.”

***

There was a dull knock at the door, causing Tim to shift a bit. In the haze of sleep he thinks for a moment, then shifts again. Whoever it is can wait, he’s comfortable.

A feminine giggle causes his eyes to open wide. Then he takes stock of the situation, Citrus is passed out, her tongue lolled out to the side, both of his arms are around her. He looks towards the door, at the midnight blue head sticking through the gap of the still open door.

“Why did you open my door?” he whispers at the smirking alicorn.

Princess Luna looks faintly offended, “I did nothing of the sort,” she snorts

He looks sharply at the sleeping unicorn in his arms. “She must have forgotten to close it when she came in,” he thought as he absently smoothed out her mane as he looks at her. In response to his actions, she snuggles closer to him and sighs in her sleep.

Luna walks in further, her horn lighting, Citrus Blush is enfolded in her magic and lifted gently. Tim watches as she floats into his bedroom and is settled into his bed. As the covers wrap around her, she snuggles into the pillows and murmurs his name softly.

Luna giggles again, “I see she likes you.”

He smiles at her, then at Luna, “Yeah, she’s a good friend.”

Luna cocks her head to the side for a moment and her eyes narrow, “Are you so sure? Only a good friend?”

He furrows his brow, thinking, “Yeah, of course.”

Luna continues to just look at him for a long time, then she appears to reach a decision as she ruffles her wings a bit and comes up to him, her horn lighting, “May I examine you?”

The alicorn is nearly as tall as he is when standing, and with him sitting down, she’s a very imposing presence, though he’s used to her examinations. It’s less a medical exam and more of a total scan of him. He has proven to be quite resistant to the most typical magics of unicorns in this world, and she always wanted to know more about him. He nods as she gets close. Her lit horn is brought down slowly and finally touches his forehead. His entire body locks up as the magic courses through him, he can feel the tingle of the magic as he can feel the field flow over his entire body.

Luna grunts softly. “It’s quite irritating, you know,” she murmurs. “I can get the magic to focus on you, but it takes a lot of effort.”

A shiver of power starts at the crown of his head and moves throughout his body, and when it gets through his feet, Luna steps back, her horn extinguishing as she sits on her haunches and pants softly, “I really wish I knew how your species does this.”

He arches an eyebrow, “I’ve told you many times, while we do have references to magic in our history, we don’t actually have magic.”

She growls, “That doesn’t make any sense Timothy. All species have magic. It may be latent, or overt, but it is there. Griffons don’t have consciously directed magic, yet they can land on clouds just like pegasi. Minotaurs don’t have overt magic, but they have much of the strength of earth ponies. You can’t be that different.”

He sighs and leans back, “I know what you are saying, Princess, but what I’m telling you is true, the most magic I’ve ever heard of in my lifetime are illusions, nothing like what you ponies can do. Humans need machinery to fly like your pegasi, and we build equipment to do much of the physical work the earth ponies can do with ease.”

She shakes her head, “Then how did you become the primary species on your planet, if you are so weak, without any natural advantages against predators?”

All he can do is smile and shake his head along with a shrug of his shoulders. She growls, “You don’t make much sense.”

He shrugs again, “Sorry, Princess. I wish I could help.”

This gets a snort, “Yeah, I know Tim. If you could help, maybe I could find some way to send you home.”

That fact hits him where it hurts. His parents, his girlfriend, even his sister who was dedicated to making his life miserable, all gone. What he has in his life now are sapient equines. They’ve all been nice to him: the guards in the palace, the staff at the hospital, Citrus Blush, even the Princesses. Still they couldn’t replace what he had back home. He feels a tear start to slide down his cheek, “Princess, I’m so tired of being a prisoner here.”

Princess Luna looks shocked, “Tim, we don’t know how the ponies will react to you. You are here for your own safety.”

He looks down, “What if I want to risk my safety? You know I wouldn’t harm a pony.”

She looks at him for a long moment, “Timothy, you are quite aware of my abilities to see your dreams.”

He nods, she continues, “When you first arrived, you were more unconscious than awake while you were healing, I spent a lot of time in your dreams. I was never able to understand how you got to our world. But I did see your memories of your home.” Her face softens, “I saw that you were a kind person. I believe in my heart, and I have been able to convince my sister as well, that you pose no danger to the ponies.”

“Then why can’t I go?”

She sighs and looks at him for a long while, “I’ll talk to my sister. She says she doesn’t want you harmed, there are a lot of things happening in Equestria. From changeling attacks to Tirek a short while ago. Equestria is a wonderful place to live, but it has its own challenges. I’m not certain that you would be entirely safe.”

He sighs, “Princess, I’m willing to take that risk.”

She looks at him a long time, then a quiet voice rings out, “I’m willing to spend time with him. To protect him.”

Both Tim and Princess Luna turn to look towards the bedroom, Citrus Blush is standing there, “He’s important to me. I’ll make sure he’s safe.”

Luna looks at her a long moment, then at Tim, who shakes his head, “I’m not having a woman put herself at risk for my benefit.”

Luna cocks her head to the side, “Why?”

He blushes slightly, “Because in my world, it’s the man’s responsibility to protect the woman. To take care of her.”

Luna smiles softly and opens her mouth to speak but is interrupted by Citrus Blush. “You think I can’t handle anything?” she says as she stalks towards him, the fur on her back rising, “You think I’m some sort of wilting flower? In need of your protection?” Her voice rising with every word.

He raises his hands as if to fend her off, “Oh, no. I didn’t mean it like that.”

She snorts, “You are in Equestria now Tim. It’s the mare’s job to protect her stallion. I will protect you Tim.”

Luna looks sharply at Citrus, “You consider him your stallion?”

That gets Citrus to stop, her face turns red, all the way to her ears, which flick wildly, "No!" she protests quickly looking at Tim, as her blush deepens. "He's a friend and it’s my ... duty."

Luna giggles and moves over to the smaller unicorn, putting a wing over the smaller pony and bringing her close for a hug, “Citrus Blush, are you willing to devote your time to his protection as if he were one of your herd?”

She squeaks and looks at Luna, "A herd? I never said anything about herds." Looking at Tim, she gulps and looks back at Luna, "I'm not even in a herd, I'm too young for that." Stomping a hoof in protest, "I just want to keep him safe and make sure other ponies don't harass him."

“Could someone tell me what’s going on here?” Tim asks.

Luna ignores him, “I’m not saying you should fall into bed with him, Citrus.” She looks slyly at Tim, “He’s very different, he might just be interesting in that way.” She looks back at Citrus, “I’m just saying, are you willing to be a lead mare to his young stallion? Guide him in learning our ways, protect him from harm?”

She ducks her head as she blushes even harder, the blush spreading down her chest, “Princess. I don’t know.”

Luna sighs, “Well, if I knew he would be protected by somepony as fiercely as that, I might be able to persuade my sister.”

Citrus opens and closes her mouth several times, but no words come out. Princess Luna stands up and makes her way to the door, “I see you two have much to talk about. I shall leave you to discuss this.” She extends a wing to Citrus, making the unicorn face her, “I’ve seen how you feel about him. Perhaps it’s time for you to tell him.” she says softly. She smiles at Tim, “Sleep well, young Timothy, we can talk more in the morning.”

Tim watches Luna walk slowly out of his room, her magic closing the door behind her. He looks at the closed door, then his head slowly rotates to Citrus, who is standing there with a single forehoof raised a bit, a shocked expression on her face, “What the hell was that about?”

The look on her face only increases his confusion. She walks slowly towards him her ears flicking back and forth. She remains silent as she hops up on the couch, then she puts a hoof on his knee, looking into his eyes deeply. He frowns, “Okay, this is getting weird.” He leans back as she comes forward, “What is going on here?”

She stops, looking at him, “I’m weird to you?” She asks softly, a little sullen.

He furrows his brows, the heat in her voice catching him off guard, “Well, remember, not very long ago I was in my world, and now I’m in a world with multi-colored ponies who’ve never heard of humans. And they have magic, I have none. So yes, everything about this situation is weird to me.”

Her lower lip trembles, “So…” She looks down, and to his shock, tears start to fall, “I’m just some creature to you?”

Before he’s able to respond she backs away quickly and hops off the couch, “Well, I guess I was wrong about you.” Her voice cracks and more tears start to fall, “I’ll go now,” she says softly. Her horn lights and in a bright flash, she’s gone.

Tim looks at where she was standing, his mouth hanging open, “What the hell just happened?”

***

Cayenne lights horn, her front door opens in response to her magical command. As she closes the door she uses her magic to pull down the zipper. The Princess Dress that she had bought at Canterlot Boutique is just beautiful, even though it took two times to get right. She pulls forward with her magic as she backs slowly out of the dress. In moments, a hangar floats over and the dress is draped carefully onto it. She smiles as she floats the hangar up towards her room. She knows where it’s going. She looks around the ground floor of the apartment, all the lights are off, though Citrus should be asleep by now. That mare never wants to go out on the town. She sighs as she remembers dancing with that one stallion, how beautiful he was. She shakes her head, something snatched her right out of her reverie.

“Hello?” She rotates her ears, there’s something there, she can hear it. She listens intently, she can’t identify what she’s hearing. She walks slowly up the stairs, then the sounds are a bit clearer. She’s able to recognize more. Her eyes widen as she gallops down the hall. She slides to a stop in front of Citrus’ room. She opens the door and there’s her roommate, laying in the bed, sobbing.

Cayenne gasps and gallops over to her friend, she climbs up into the bed and gathers her sobbing friend closer, “Who is the stallion? I’ll kill him.”

Citrus hiccups, “It wasn’t a stallion.”

Cayenne brings her friend closer, “Citrus Blush, in my experience, the only time a mare cries that hard is over a stallion.”

Citrus turns and hugs Cayenne hard, “I’m so confused,” she sobs.

With much coaxing, Cayenne is able to slowly bring out the story from Citrus. Finally, as Citrus winds down, she’s picked up in her friends magic with a small peep.

Cayenne grins as she carries her friend down the stairs, and they end up in the large kitchen. Cayenne lights the stove and brings out a pot and some ingredients as she sets her friend down in a chair. Cayenne focuses as the fridge is opened and more ingredients float towards her. She keeps an eye on her friend, who is sitting there, watching her, her tears abated for now. Milk goes into the pot and starts to heat. Cayenne diverts her attention from what she’s doing, though her horn remains lit, “Sweetie, he’s been in our world, for what? A year or so?”

Citrus nods as Cayenne continues, “And he’s been in virtual house arrest since he got out of the hospital?”

Again, she nods, Cayenne brings out a wooden spoon to stir the milk so it doesn’t scorch. As she’s stirring, she muses, “So, how many of our social customs do you think he knows?” She says as she looks pointedly at Citrus.
Citrus thinks for a long moment, then she hangs her head, “Probably none. But he hasn’t given me any signs at all that he’s interested. I had never thought about it before Princess Luna said something. So, I don’t even know how I feel about him.”

Cayenne arches an eyebrow as she judges the milk is at the right temperature. A carton of cream darts in and pours into the pot as she continues to stir, the scent of what’s she’s cooking starts to permeate the room. Her nose flairs as she inhales the aroma, she glances at her friend, “So… How do you feel about him?”

Citrus looks at Cayenne, then she sighs, “I like him. That much is obvious.”

Cayenne pours the mixture into two overlarge mugs and sets them on the table, she brings over a small jar and a spoon, “And a sprinkling of cayenne pepper flakes. And here you go.” She sets the large mug in front of her friend, who ponders the liquid before her.

She takes a sip of her own drink, relishing the creaminess and the spice of the drink, she smacks her lips together appreciatively, “Citrus, he’s an alien. He knows nothing about us, except from what’s he’s been able to observe from the castle. Which means he knows next to nothing. Add to that, he’s male.”

Citrus finally pulls her drink forward and takes a long sip, she sighs happily, then what Cayenne said finally registers, “What do you mean, he’s male?”

Cayenne giggles, “Trust me, I’m a couple of years older than you. Males...” she smiles distantly, “Are clueless. They know what they want, but they have no idea when we are offering it to them. You need to be blunt with him.”

Citrus Blush thinks for a long time, “Oh no, I’m not going to say I want him and I to fall into bed together just like that. That’s vulgar, and inappropriate.”

Cayenne giggles as she blows on her drink a bit, she takes a longer sip, “Oh Citrus, you’ll never have sex with him if you don’t try.”

That gets Citrus’ ears to perk forward as her mouth opens and her tongue sticks out, “Cayenne, that’s…” She trails off at the smirk on her friend’s face.

Cayenne’s smirk changes to a genuine smile, “Exactly what you want. I’ve seen how you are when you talk about him. You are in love, Citrus Blush. And I’m your friend. So, maybe you should just tell that stallion what you want from him.”

“But he’s so different.” Citrus whines, “What if his species is completely different that way?”

“Are you saying he doesn’t have the same equipment as any other stallion?”
Citrus blushes, “I don’t really know. If he’s not in a hospital gown, he’s wearing something else. I’ve never seen him without clothes. I once came into the bathroom while he was taking a shower, and he refused to come out until I had left the room. He’s weird when it comes to wearing clothing.”

Cayenne giggles, “Well, there’s one way to find out.”

Citrus drinks the last of her drink, “And how is that?” She says as she puts down the empty mug.

Cayenne flicks an ear, “Go to him, tell him you are in love, and wait for his answer.”

Citrus shudders, “And what if he says no?”

Cayenne moves over and rears up to hug her friend tightly, “Then your friend Cayenne will have to kick his sorry flank for not seeing what a wonderful mare you are.”

She giggles in Cayenne’s grip, “Thanks Cayenne.”

Cayenne nuzzles her friend, “Now go and let him know how you feel.”

***

Tim flips over in the bed, the conversation with Luna, and with Citrus, has rendered him unable to sleep. Seeing the look of pain on the mare’s face before she blinked out really hit him hard. But what did it all mean?

He thinks furiously, could she be interested in him? As more than a friend? He ponders that for a long moment, then rejects it. He’s an alien, there are ponies all around she could be attracted to. She couldn’t be interested in him, could she?

He shakes his head vigorously and flips over onto his other side, “Gah!” He screams as he sees the yellow unicorn with the fiery orange mane standing there, her face unreadable.

He looks at her for a long time, finally, he breaks the silence, “Citrus?”

She again walks slowly towards him, stepping onto the bed. “Citrus, what was going on earlier? What’s going on now? Why did you teleport away like that?”

She looks unsure of herself for a long moment, then she comes closer to him. “Tim.” She says.

“Yeah.”

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

He shakes his head to clear it, “You are what now?”

She leaps forward and plants her lips on his in a passionate kiss.

For those of you who wonder what some of these characters look like...

Here's Citrus Blush
Isn't she adorable?

Another pic of her

And here she is, with her friend Cayenne (on the far right)

Yes, I'm using obscure characters from the show. But I do try to use actual show characters. A habit I've picked up from another author. (You know who you are)

And yes, more characters to come.