David's sleeping form was released from the many hooves holding for all their worth, and he slumped to the ground before being rolled over onto his stomach. The slow rise and fall of his back was the only sign that he was still alive at all.

Midnight took a few steps back, relieved that the spell had worked and her former patient was very much not dead. He was quickly encompassed in a golden aura and lifted into the air. Midnight turned to see the wounded pegasus lieutenant walking straight towards her.

"How long will he be out for?" Lieutenant Duster asked, his voice slightly nasally from his hoof covering his still bleeding nose.

"I don't know. That spell was powerful enough to knock out a full grown stallion for six hours, but then again I gave him enough morphine to keep a full grown mare out for half a day and he woke up in about three hours."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to do this, but I need you to come with us. This creature is going straight to the hospital, then to the princess, and you're going to have to explain your actions as well, especially the makeshift hospital room and all the morphine. If we have to arrest you, we will."

Midnight sighed. She knew this would be the consequences of her actions.

"Damn it... I really don't want to go to jail...."

"I understand... I'll go with you, just let me stay near the alien. I'll make sure he won't start fighting you guys again if he wakes up, but first I need to check his wounds. He almost died in the crash and he's bleeding badly again."

Lieutenant Duster nodded at her and walked over to assess the rest of his fallen comrades

"If this thing was that badly wounded and still did this much damage, I'd hate to find out what it's capable of at full strength..."

Six of the royal guardsponies were either unconscious or bruised after the fight. The worst case suffered a broken nose and a mild concussion. Everypony was on edge and kept a fair bit of space between themselves and the creature, save for Midnight. The thought of thousands of its kind invading and taking over Equestria plagued the ponies' minds as they carried the creature back towards Canterlot proper. Midnight's checks and quick readjustment of the bandages adorning Davids limbs had done little to stop the now steady flow of blood. As they moved, the fallen human's injuries left a trail of crimson liquid behind.

"Lieutenant, we need to get the alien to a hospital now. He's lost so much blood already, and at this rate, he won't make it," Midnight spoke as she checked Davids bandages yet again.

"Ma'am, we're going as fast as we can, but we have wounded of our own. Plus, you know as well as I do that teleporting an unknown creature could easily kill it," Lieutenant Duster replied.

Midnight sighed. She knew he was right. The unicorns among the royal guard were trained in offensive and defensive magic. While teleportation could be considered a viable tool for both, it was such a high level spell that very few of the guard, save for Celestia's personal bodyguards, could perform it. So the option of having a guard teleport to the nearest hospital and back with some medical supplies was simply not feasible at the moment. Especially since the only guard in the group that had that ability was still unconscious.

Midnight wracked her brain for some options that would help. There were several pegasi guards present, but three of them had injuries due to the fight, and if the alien woke up mid flight... She didn't want to think about what could happen. The only option was to press forward as fast as possible and hope that the already demonstratively durable creature could hold out for another half hour at least.

It was another lazy day at Canterlot Memorial Hospital. With hardly any crime in the city, due to the heavy guard presence all hours of the day, ponies were very rarely admitted for injuries and other emergency situations. There was the occasional broken leg or wing from a young pony playing where he/she shouldn't, so the emergency room was very rarely used for serious injuries. It was a good thing too.

David would need that open spot.

A royal guard bucked the doors open and four unicorns trotted in, levitating the unconscious human into the room. Midnight was right on their hooves, calling for a doctor. The hospital staff were quick to react, rushing out a gurney and several nurses stopped their conversations to assist in whatever way they could. Surgeons scrambled and the E.R was prepped in a matter of minutes. This of course, did not prepare the medical team for what was wheeled into the room shortly thereafter.

Several gasps and audible confusion filled the room as the strange otherworlder was brought to the surgical table. One surgeon did a double take, and the rest of the room seemed to share in his confusion at the sight in front of them. Midnight had forced her way into the room as they began removing David's tattered clothing, ready to provide whatever answers she knew. Several surgeons were occupied with studying David's anatomy, trying desperately to figure out where to hook up their machines.

"If you're looking for a vein or artery, its arms have large veins running down the length. Also, don't give it morphine. It's had enough already," Midnight announced.

All eyes turned to the graphite mare. Several surgeons stared irritably at her while others were simply confused by her even being in the room. After several tense seconds, Midnight finally got a response.

"Ma'am, what are you doing here? This is for medical professionals only," The head surgeon stated as the rest of the team began hooking David to a heart monitor.

A slow beeping sound filled the room as David's low pulse appeared on the monitor. Donning a mask and a pair of scrubs herself, Midnight responded.

"My name is Midnight Shadow. I saved this creatures life last night. The royal guard found it, attacked it, and now it's here. I'm here to help you save its life again with what I know from my work."

"Are you a doctor?"

"I was a medic for almost three years. I'm not a doctor, but right now, I'm the closest thing to an expert on this species you've got."

The head surgeon sighed and paused for a moment.

"Alright. Tell us what you know."

The doors swiveled shut and the medical team began working on the strange creature. As it was, it had lost over two liters of blood. It would take a miracle to save its life now.

David awoke to the sound of harsh, yet steady beeping. Struggling to open his eyes, he rolled over as much as his body would allow, finding his arm attached to something, preventing him from rolling onto his side. He groaned as he forced his groggy eyes to open, immediately regretting his decision. The bright white light above him was absolutely blinding. Squinting, he turned his tired head to the side, as he struggled to see through his blurry vision.

"So... much... white... Where the hell am I? Was it all just a dream?"

His vision finally focused enough for him to see the hospital bed he was laying in. He could see the many wires attached from the nearby machines to his body... and the handcuffs. Testing for flaws in his vision, he tried moving his arm away from the bed rail.

*Clang*

"That's not a good sound..."

The sound of metal on metal filled the room for a split second, followed by the rhythmic beating of the heart monitor.

"Yep... Definitely handcuffs... or would they be 'hoof cuffs'?"

David groaned loudly.

"Beaten and captured by 3 and a half foot tall horses... How is this not a dream?" David muttered.

"Probably because you're still here. You sure are tough though, I'm glad your awake," A feminine voice came from Davids left.

In his groggy state, he had neglected to even look at the entire left side of the room. Quickly turning his head, he found the source of the voice to be none other than the graphite unicorn from the house he woke up in earlier. She seemed to lean back just a tad as David's eyes fell on her, as if she was still somewhat scared of him. She quickly righted herself, any sign of fear fading almost as fast as it appeared.

"Wha- what are you?" David asked in disbelief.

"I could ask you the same question, but since you asked first, I am a unicorn pony. My name is Midnight Shadow. I'm the one who saved your life. Twice now, but who's counting?" As she spoke, her tone changed from that of a professional conversation to more of a tomboyish, friendly tone. "Anyways, now that you know my name, what's yours?"

"David... David Lawson." He said with wide eyes.

"Well, despite the circumstances, it's very nice to meet you David," she said with her best attempt at happy smile.

David was dumbfounded. Here he was, in a hospital room, that seemed to be no different from any hospital room back on Earth. The heart monitor sounded the same as the ones back on earth, the bed felt somewhat small, like a hospital bed, and even the room looked like an average hospital room. So why in the Hell was there a talking unicorn sitting next to him?

"Okay, seriously, what the fuck? This has to be a dream... Is any of what happened in recent memory real? Is this just some weird cryo sleep shit?!"

David was torn from his thoughts when another pony opened the door.

"Ma'am, is he awake?" the new pony asked

"He sure is, only took him twenty hours to wake up," Midnight responded.

David's eyes fell on the pegasus guardspony that had chased him so relentlessly the day before. He aggressively shuffled back into the bed as the pony approached.

"Oh no, no, you get the fuck away from me!" David shouted, pointing a finger at the pegasus.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. We just need your cooperation so that we can get you to the Princesses," the gaurdspony replied calmly.

"Yeah, you said that yesterday too, right before your goon tried to take me out from the side." David countered.

"Sergent Stone was only trying to get into position in case you attacked... which you did," the pegasus retorted.

"Well, yeah! My back was against a cliff! What the hell was I supposed to do? Take your word for it? I don't trust you as far as I could throw you!" David angrily shouted back.

"David, please. Calm down. Nopony wants to hurt you, I swear. What happened yesterday was a serious misunderstanding, and not how we as a species wanted first contact to go, but if you'll just give us another chance, I promise you that we won't waste it," Midnight said, hopping off the chair and walking towards David's bed.

David's brow scrunched up as he thought about Midnight's words. He slowly looked to his right hand, still cuffed to the bed railing. After several tense seconds, he sighed and spoke.

"Fine, it's not like I have much of a choice," he said, agitation still present in his voice.

"Thank you. I know you're confused, and if there are any questions you have, I'd like to answer as many as I can, now." Midnight said, a friendly smile reappearing on her face.

"Okay... First off, who the hell is he?" David said, pointing at the pegasus guardspony. " Second, how are you both speaking English? Third, I've been out for twenty hours? And fourth, what the Hell is going on?" David asked, struggling to take in the world around him.

"My name is Lieutenant Duster. I'm an officer in the Canterlot Royal Guard. As for how we're speaking the same language, I have no idea. It took several hours for the doctors to fix you up, and, after surgery, they put you in a medically induced coma for eighteen hours to recover. The rest of the time was just us waiting for you to wake up naturally, and to answer your last question, we're just about as lost as you are," Came Lieutenant Duster's response.

David took a few seconds to take in Lieutenant Duster's words before speaking again.

"You all seem way too casual right now for some ponies trying to kill me yesterday... Did you harvest my organs or something?"

David quickly patted himself down with his free hand, feeling for any stitches near his kidneys.

"No, no we didn't. We weren't trying to kill you either. We did have to take you down though. You weren't responding to verbal communication at the time, and you put up quite a fight," Lieutenant Duster said, slightly amused at the alien patting himself down on the bed..

"Yeah well, one of your guys tried to impale me with a sword. Then the rest of you almost chased me off a cliff! How exactly is that not trying to kill me?"

"We're very sorry about that. As Sergeant Stone described it, you were hunched over miss Shadow over here and he thought you were going to harm her in some way. I hope you can understand that from his perspective, the situation looked very hostile. He has expressed his regret for just jumping into action like that, and hopes you understand. He'll be reprimanded later as he's in a hospital bed like yours at the moment. Anyways, once we learned that you could speak, we tried to detain you without resorting to lethal means. You made that tough on us."

"Well... I was trying not to die. I don't care what you say, for all I knew, you were going to kill me. Besides... I wasn't trying to hurt her. She ran into the wall and I was trying to make sure she didn't hurt herself."

"Ah, compassion for another species. That will most definitely be going into the report" Midnight chimed in.

"Report? What report?" David asked, suddenly even more confused.

"The report I'll be taking to the princess along with you," Midnight replied.

"Wait, what princess? You guys keep talking about this princess but I have no idea who the hell she is." David asked, his world only seeming to get stranger and stranger by the moment.

"Princess Celestia. Don't worry, you'll meet her in a little bit. She is one of the kindest ponies in all of Equestria. She loves everypony and she'll definitely take a liking to you once you show her that you're not some pony-eating monster. Plus, thanks to advanced magic therapy and medicine, your injuries are mostly healed already so we can see her today. The only thing is that your left leg will be sore for a little while."

David pulled the sheets up and looked down at his body, stunned by Midnight's words. True enough, the horrible burns on his right leg were nearly fully healed. A small scar running up his leg being the only reminder of the charred skin residing there only a day before. He touched his free hand to his head and felt nothing but smooth skin and short hair.

"Well shit... That's pretty awesome," David said, perking up slightly at the prospect of not having a giant, ugly scar covering the front of his leg.

"I'm glad that you're okay. You were pretty rough around the edges when I found you, and even worse off after your fight with the guard," Midnight spoke, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"We'll have to give you an armed escort, but if you give me your word that you won't try to run off or try anything aggressive, I'll take those hoof cuffs off. If you do anyways... well, we might have to take you there in a cage," Lieutenant Duster warned.

"Ah, so they ARE hoof cuffs... Wait... a cage? That seems... excessive..."

"Fine, I won't try anything. It's not like I'd be able to get away anyways."

"Very good. Let's get you to the princess."

"Uh... Can I at least get some clothes first?"

As the group of guards and human walked and slightly limped through Canterlot, the ponies throughout the city stared with mixed emotions. Awe was present. There were some excited faces sure, but the overwhelming response was fear. Fear of the the strange, bipedal, ape-like creature that walked with the Royal Guard. David had to hide the embarrassment on his face from his lack of formal clothing.

"Really? A toga made out of bed sheets? What is this? Ancient Rome?" He muttered

"Sorry, but we don't exactly have any clothes that fit you yet. I'm sure the princess will have somepony get with the royal seamstress and have her make something in your size. I don't get why you care so much though? Clothes are just clothes. Not like you need to wear them. Also, what's Rome?" Midnight replied.

"I'll uh... I'll tell you later," David said as they continued towards the castle.

Canterlot Castle was truly a sight to behold. Beautiful arches, decorated with intricate patterns and detailed murals decorated every side of the castle. The columns adorning the entrance were nothing short of immaculate; somepony having taken great care to preserve their beauty over the many centuries. The walls were painted white as a cloud on a beautiful day, with the towers adorning a dark purple and gold spiral reaching the top. It screamed "ROYALTY".

David was taken aback at the sight. Never in his life had he seen a building so old. Not just in terms of style, but actual age as well. He never got to explore too much on Earth, and having to travel for a hundred years at a time meant everything could very well have completely changed by the time he got back. Not that he was going there any time soon.

David was pulled from his staring when he felt a nudge against his leg. Looking down, he saw Midnight.

"If you think the view from out here is great, just wait until you get inside," she smiled

David returned a smile and began walking into the castle, royal guards flanking him on all sides.

Once the large doors were opened, David was met with a brilliant red carpet flowing into the main hall of the keep before splitting off into a "T". The carpet was laid out left, right, and up the stairs at the end of the room. In the center of the carpet, there was a gold star, although, this star had eight points and seemed very stylized. The checkered black and white floor was a nice touch under the gold and purple walls adorned with many different banners and tapestries. At the center of it all, looming up the stairs, were two stained glass windows. The one on the right had yellows and oranges, and a hint of red filtering through. The window on the left was blue, purple, and had a small white crescent moon. A warm, orange light filtered into the room, and mixed with the cool, darker light filtering in through the other window, creating a mix of color that beautifully displayed the murals on the floor.

David was lead through the main hall, up the stairs and into the hallway to the right. Following the many corridors, he eventually found himself led to a massive doorway. Heavy wooden doors with medieval knockers loomed over the end of the hallway, but Davids attention was fixed on the many murals in the windows throughout the hallway. Depictions of six ponies blasting away a larger black pony, turning a giant monster into stone, and many more filled the hallway. David would have taken the time to admire all of them, but was pulled away by the creaking of the massive doors as they opened.

The group walked into the throne room to find all of the royal alicorns waiting for them. David had been expecting one pony princess to meet him. He was instead met with four equines sitting on four beautiful thrones, and an entourage of no fewer than one hundred guards on either side of the room. All eyes seemed to fall on David, analyzing his every move. He felt exposed, and being one of the tallest beings in the room didn't help at all. Feeling very surrounded, he gulped and proceeded forward, his eyes locked on the biggest of the ponies in the room.

The four pony princesses stared back with mixed emotions. On the far left, a pink alicorn with a curly mane and tail infused with different shades of purple, magenta, and a cream white sat with a look of pure awe in her purple eyes. She bore a turquoise heart that appeared to be made of crystal on her flanks.

On the far right, a lavender alicorn with a straightened, dark blue mane, highlighted with a stripe of pink and dark purple sat with a look of curiosity. Her even darker purple eyes showed intense interest, even if her face didn't fully commit. On each flank was a pink starburst accompanied by smaller white starbursts on every side.

In the middle right seat sat a beautiful navy blue alicorn mare. Her mane and tail were unlike any other ponies in that, not only were they flowing as if spurred on by some invisible breeze, but they appeared almost ethereal in nature. Her flanks adorned an ink blotch look, complete with a crescent moon in the center. A cosmos of stars and nebulae adorned her mane and tail, flowing freely in the non existent wind. She looked at him with a hint of worry in her face, her teal eyes seeming to exude concern as they fell upon David's form.

Lastly, the largest pony in the room. Her mane and tail flowed freely as well, though, they had a kind of rainbow color to them. There were pinks, greens, blues, and purples flowing in a slowly looping sequence, like the world’s most colorful barber’s pole. Her coat was a beautiful pearl white, and adorning her flank was a bright, fiery sun. Her face held a look of compassion and kindness, the kind of look one would give a long lost friend after meeting again after so many years. Her eyes were a light violet, almost pink. They were among the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen before. They looked like they could tell a story with just a glance. Wise, yet young. Clever, yet kind.

David wasn't sure how to feel. Here he was, about to be interrogated by four talking horses. Four beautiful talking horses, but talking horses nonetheless. A small army of guards surrounded him on both sides. He knew he had to make a good first impression, for humanity's sake at the very least, so he made sure to hide the slight limp he had been dealing with for the last fifteen minutes. He didn't want to look weak in front of the leaders of this nation. Or world. Whatever they were in charge of. He stood up straight, squared his shoulders as best as he could, and tried to puff his chest out in the most nonchalant way possible.

"Okay David, you can do this! Nothing out of the ordinary here. You traveled across a whole galaxy for crying out loud! You were among the first humans to breath Andromeda air! First contact with a race of magical talking horses is nothing to you! No pressure... No... No pressure...Oh who am I kidding, this is so fucked..."

The guards in front of him split off to the sides and fell in line on either side of the carpet, leaving David fully exposed to the princesses now only twenty feet away. Lieutenant Duster trotted forward and bowed, all other ponies in the room following suit. David just stood there like a deer in the headlights.

"Your royal highnesses, we have delivered the extra-terrestrial as you have asked. Is there anything more you would like for us to do?" Lt Duster asked, with a humble and respectful voice.

"No. That will be all Lieutenant. Thank you and your ponies for your work. I'm glad nopony was seriously hurt. You may take your leave. In fact, we will not require any guards at all for this meeting. You may all return to your duties," the largest pony spoke, her voice both soothing and calm.

"Thank you princess, but... are you sure you don't want some of us to remain?"

"I think we will be quite alright. We've shown enough of a display of strength as it is."

With that, Lt. Duster and his guards left the room. Midnight was the only pony not to leave. She stayed bowed, her head low, hiding her face from Davids gaze with her ebony mane. If she was going to say something, it wouldn't be until her princess asked her to. Several seconds of painful silence filled the room before the princess spoke.

"Midnight Shadow, you may rise. We are all eager to hear what you have to say... That said, I believe we are all even more eager to meet you." Her gaze fell onto David as he visibly tensed under her calm, yet piercing gaze.

"I understand the circumstances of your arrival were a bit... hostile, but I've been told you are sapient. Although, I did not receive a name..." the white alicorn spoke again, obviously curious.

Several tense seconds passed before David found his voice. Pawing his hands together nervously, he thought hard on how to introduce himself. He chose his words carefully, then spoke.

"My name is David Lawson. I am a human being from the planet Earth. As I'm sure you're aware, I crash landed here not two days ago. I thought I was dead until Midnight saved me... twice. Your highness, I'm very sorry to say that I don't know your name. In fact, I don't know any of yours," he finished, gesturing to the rest of the pony princesses sitting before him.

“Oh, forgive my manners. How silly of me. I am Princess Celestia. This is my sister Princess Luna…” Luna, gave a curt nod. “…my niece Princess Cadence…” Cadence gave a warm smile. "…and lastly, my former student, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight simply stared, wide eyed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm just sorry that my arrival had to be under uh... not so good conditions."

"The pleasure is ours. This is the first time we've met a 'hooman'- Sorry, is that how you pronounce that?" Cadence asked.

"It's pronounced 'Hue-man' your highness, and the feeling's mutual. I never thought I'd ever be speaking to a real live unicorn, or pegasus... In fact, you know what, I didn't think I'd ever meet a talking horse in my whole life," David explained.

"What do you mean 'real life'? You seem to know of our species, but we're not horses, we're ponies," Luna remarked

David's heart pounded faster in his chest.

"Oh, I'm very sorry. I meant no disrespect. It's just on my world, the closest thing to your kind are called horses, and they can't talk... Actually, no other species on my planet can talk. Humans are the only ones where I come from... besides parrots I guess... But uh... to answer your question, unicorns and pegasi are creatures of legend. They're myths where I come from. No human has ever seen one before."

Luna gave a nod, apparently satisfied with David's answer.

"It's quite alright David. No offense taken. Actually, your world is the reason why we wanted to talk with you personally. We wanted to inquire about your race. Also, how you ended up here, and if you have any way of returning home. We would be willing to help in any way should you require it. Although, before we ask you those questions, we'd like to hear Midnight's report," Celestia's voice filled the air once more, and David's erratic heart somehow slowed.

"Wait...why is Midnight giving a report on me again?"

David received his answer a few seconds later.

"Yes your highness. I'll keep my report brief and simple. David crash landed on the far side of Canterlot mountain. He was badly wounded in the landing and I was able to save him with some... techniques I've acquired over my time as a medic in the Royal Guard. As the acting director of Special Affairs for the Night Guard, I felt it pertinent that I act and save him. Even if he doesn't exactly fall under my jurisdiction-" Midnight began.

"Wait, she's the director of the what now?

"-I had no time to pass him off to somepony else. I was going to report him to you yesterday morning, but when the royal guard arrived at my doorstep, I tried to get them to leave to avoid an incident. As you already know, David was attacked by Sergeant Stone when he thought he was attacking me. Allow me to clarify that part. David awoke a lot earlier than I was expecting and he startled me. I, uh... ran away and hit a wall... Got a concussion and could barely walk straight. David was checking on me to see if I was okay. He showed compassion for another species he knew almost nothing about. Not only that, but when he was literally chased to the edge of a cliff, he did not try to kill any of the royal guard attempting to subdue him. After careful study of his anatomy while he was recovering, we've determined that he is indeed, a carnivore, or at least an omnivore, and could very easily have done a lot more damage than just drawing a little blood when he bit Lieutenant Duster."

"Oh, she's putting in a good word for me! Thanks Mid- wait, what does that mean, 'careful study'? Did she look at my... No, no she wouldn't have-"

David was torn from his thoughts when Midnight continued.

"In addition, we've determined that he is in fact, male, and despite the obvious differences, his skeletal structure is very much the same as ours. Only, as you can clearly see, he is bipedal."

"She did. She totally did. God dammit."

David fiercely blushed from the total violation of his privacy.

"As such, it is my personal opinion, that, should he want to, David should be allowed to stay in Equestria. He poses no more of a threat to our way of life than a griffon." Midnight finished with a bright smile on her face.

"So much for not looking weak in front of them... First human to land here and I get my junk inspected, get my ass kicked by twenty tiny guard dudes, and the leaders of this nation got to hear it all right in front of me... Wait, did she say griffon?"

"I see. Thank you Midnight," Celestia said, before turning to David. "David, I would like to offer you a formal apology, on behalf of all of Equestria, for how Sergeant Stone attacked you. Please understand that the Royal Guard is trained to use increasing levels of force when confronted with a situation like that, and Sergeant Stone should have tried verbal communication first before jumping straight to lethal means. I understand that you are very upset over what happened, rightfully so, but I hope that you can forgive us one day," Celestia finished, with a bow of her head.

David was hesitant to respond. He took a few minutes to think over Celestia's words before finally finding some himself.

"I understand why he did what he did, and if I was in his situation and saw some alien thing hunched over a defenseless civilian, I probably would have reacted the same way. I can't say I'll forgive him, not yet... but thank you, I appreciate that," David said as the last of his blush faded away.

"I understand, and I appreciate the sincerity of your words. Now, David, as for those questions I asked earlier, would you be so kind as to answer them?" Celestia asked.

David took a deep breath and began, slowly.

"Okay... That's a long story, but... Uh, first off, I just want to clarify that while I do eat meat, I would never eat anything sapient. So you don't have to worry about that. I could also just eat vegetables if the meat thing makes anyone uncomfortable." At the princess's understanding nod, David continued. "Anyways... Alright, this might seem a little too fantastical to be true, but I swear every word is the truth." David paused again, waiting for any of the princesses to give him a sign to continue.

All four princesses nodded their heads in a silent bid for him to proceed. Sighing, David began his explanation.

"Okay, a long time ago, my race developed the technology to travel across space. It's kind of amazing to think about, but we made the technology to travel from our galaxy into our nearest neighboring galaxy, Andromeda. The thing is, the journey takes a hundred years one way. Due to this time gap, companies started popping up, offering massive payrolls to anyone willing to make the journey to the new colony, Horizon V. I joined a newly formed intergalactic company named "Nebula" as a security guard. It was a simple job, I just rode along to Andromeda and once we got there, I made sure no one stole anything while the guys offloaded the cargo and settlers. We were on our way back to Earth when something hit our ship..."

David trailed off. A solemn look adorned his face. Gone was the blush of an extremely embarrassed man and in its place was a look of sadness. There was a tremble in his lips and his vision became blurry. All ponies in the room noticed the pause in his story and the sad look on his face. Blinking back the tears, David continued.

"I was the only survivor. I barely made it to the escape pod in time and... the rest of the crew died on the ship..." David finished as a shiver forced its way down his spine, and his palms dampened with sweat.

Midnight couldn't help but feel like there was something David wasn't saying about the crash, although, whether she would ever hear it or not depended on him. As he was now, there were enough painful memories floating around. She found it best to leave them for later.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. It's tragic that they didn't survive. You have my condolences," Celestia spoke softly. Her words were soothing and healing where no bandage could ever reach.

"Thank you. I just wish I had done more..." David trailed off.

The room grew quiet for a while, everyone taking a unanimous "moment of silence" for the lost crew members. Luna was the next to speak.

"We are all deeply sorry for your loss. If you would like some time before we continue, that would be perfectly understandable."

"Thank you princess, but I'm alright. What was the next question again?"

"Is there any way for you to return home?" Luna asked.

David looked solemnly at the navy blue mare, taking several seconds before answering.

"No. The distress beacon will take over 50 years to reach either Earth or Horizon V, and another hundred or so before anyone comes to retrieve it. I'll be long dead by the time someone arrives."

"I thought you said that you've already traveled one hundred years one way? How old are you exactly?" Luna asked, a confused expression adorning her face.

"I was only able to travel for that long due to the cryopods in the ship. They basically freeze a person while pumping the necessary nutrients and oxygen into the body, keeping them alive while preserving them for centuries. If I remember right, the colony had just been set up when we left. One hundred years one way, then we only made it forty two back, and I'm one hundred and sixty five years old. Heh, I've lived twice as long as most people on Earth ever will." David's face was plastered with a sad smile.

"Why did you take that job? Didn't you have a family and friends back home?" Luna asked, even more confused.

"I did. They're all dead now. I miss them more than I could ever put into words. I guess I..." David trailed off

"I think I speak for all of us when I say you have our sympathy. You've lost a lot of special po- err... humans in your life. That's not something anyone should have to endure alone. Again, if you need some time, we can give you as much as you need. I've sensed much pain and regret in you ever since you arrived, and it is not our intention to bring up memories that pain you so." Luna said with a look of compassion.

"If you only knew..."

"Thank you, but I'll be alright. It's just... fresh is all."

"Very well. Please, continue," Luna said, a friendly smile now adorning her face.

"Well... Where was I.. My father always told me that I would do great things, even though I didn't have much going for me. I spent a couple years in the military before I was discharged and had nowhere to go. It was around that time that Horizon V was discovered and declared ready for settlers to arrive. I guess I figured that the greatest thing I could do was be a part of the new galaxy. A new front for humanity. I guess I figured I would retire once the colony had developed enough and live the rest of my life there. Plus getting to say you're hundreds of years older than everyone around you is pretty cool."

"I see. I understand your intentions, noble as they may have been. Regardless, I am sorry for your loss. Coincidentally, my sister and I know all too well about being centuries older than the ponies around us. We're both well over a thousand years old," Luna said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "It's not quite as grand as everypony likes to think."

David's expression turned to one of confusion.

"What? Over a thousand years old? That... smells like some bullshit. How in the hell could they be that old. Maybe she was being figurative? Might as well roll with it, right? Not like that's the craziest thing Ive seen in the last 48 hours."

"Well uh... you both look... great?" David awkwardly complemented the princesses.

Stifling a chuckle, Celestia responded.

"Thank you very much David. You look 'great' as well. Especially considering the shape you arrived in. Regardless, I am truly sorry that you can't return home. If you would like, we have many different resources that could be used towards finding you a way back. That said, you are still most welcome to stay in Equestria, should you want to."

"I think... at the moment, I don't really have much of a choice. Not that I'm complaining, your world is beautiful. I could have just as easily crashed on a barren wasteland of a planet and died from any number of things. Not to mention the sheer luck of being able to communicate so easily."

"Well then, it's settled. We've already made a room available for you on the chance that you would say yes. There's just one little catch if you wouldn't mind. Twilight?"

At that, all eyes fell on the lavender pony princess. She had been silent thus far, and David still couldn't quite place what she thought of him.

"Thank you princess. David, I would understand if you didn't want to, or just wanted more time to yourself to think after everything you've been through, but I have so many questions that I would like to ask you. We would all like to build a profile of sorts on you, to help you better fit in, should we not find a way to send you home. If you agree to this condition, it would help us understand you better, and also help you to make a life for yourself here. All you would need to do is have weekly meetings with me, in a private and comfortable setting, so I could learn more about you. I understand that sitting in front of four princesses in a strange new land must be intimidating, or at least strange, so my hope is that these meetings can be far more casual, and you can more freely express yourself as a friend. Not an outsider," Twilight finished, and all eyes fell to David. The silence that filled the room was palpable. No one dared to breath for fear of missing the humans answer.

"I... would actually love that. God knows I could use some friends at a time like this."

"YES!" Twilight burst from her throne, wings spread and hooves skyward. Everyone in the room was taken aback by her outburst, David nearly tripping backwards from the shock.

Realizing what she had just done, Twilight sat down as fast as possible. Her wings retracting and her hooves awkwardly shifting about under the gaze of everyone in the room.

"Hehe... Whoops... Got a little excited there..."

The rest of the princesses simultaneously transitioned from shock to laughter and fell into a fit of giggles. Even Midnight joined in the infectious laughter now filling the room. It wasn't long before even David could not keep his snicker contained and chuckled at the display. The entire room enjoyed a refreshingly good laugh at Twilight's expense, after an extremely tense introduction.

Finally managing to stifle his chuckling, David was the first to speak over the group of laughing ponies.

"Well, I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about it. I'm also excited to get to know you too, princess. Thank you."

Hiding her face behind her hooves, Twilight managed a weak and somewhat muffled response.

"Y-you're welcome..."

Celestia was the next to regain control over herself and speak.

"Yes, Twilight, since you're clearly so excited, would you be so kind as to show David to his new room?"

"I... okay..." Twilight slowly rose and trudged from the throne, trying her best to hold her head high, but the still snickering princesses forced her head to hang just a little. Ears splayed back against her skull as her cheeks burned bright crimson.

"Please follow me... This is so embarrassing..."

With that, David and Midnight followed Twilight out of the throne room and down the massive hallway, along with two royal guards standing outside the doorway. Only the three royals were left in the throneroom.

As the door closed, Celestia, Cadence, and Luna began discussing the events of the past few minutes.

"So, what did you think of him?" Celestia asked

"I think he's an adorable stallion that would do very well with the mares. Did you see his tiny nose? Ohymygosh it's so cute! Plus he's so exotic. Did you see his hands? They're like a minotaur's but softer! Just imagine those digits brushing through your coat, scratching every itch hooves just can't reach. Not to mention the other places he could reach with those. If he integrates well enough, he'll have all of Equestria lining up to date him," Cadence replied, wiggling her eyebrows.

"What about you, Luna?"

"It's tough to say. While yes, he is very easy on the eyes, he seemed to be... hiding something. Like he didn't want us to know more about the circumstances of his crash. I'm not saying he's hostile, but I don't trust him fully yet. I'll need to see his dreams before I can really say," Luna spoke with an almost solemn tone.

"But you saw the look in his eyes when it was brought up. He's in pain. A lot of pain. He lost his friends. In his line of work, probably the only friends he had. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they were the only humans he even knew anymore. Are you sure you aren't confusing his pain for deception?" Cadence countered.

"I don't know. We still know so little about his kind. Maybe he's very good at hiding his emotions? Like I said, I will enter his dreams as often as I can over the next few weeks and try to decide from there."

Celestia spoke, silencing any rebuttal Cadence had prepared.

"David is a guest in our world. Whether we want him here or not doesn't matter. He's here. From that little talk we had, I don't believe he holds any malice or ill-intent toward our subjects. However, I must agree with Luna. We still know almost nothing about his species; their social structure, the way they deal with grief, or their history. We only know the small amount David told us. I believe that in time, Twilight will coax more information out of him. If anything misaligns, we'll confront him for the truth."

"Ok. That sounds fair, but we can't just keep him locked up in the castle either. If he feels like a prisoner, he won't tell us anything, and he certainly won't take kindly to that kind of treatment; if his response to the royal guard yesterday was anything to go off of," Cadence responded.

"Agreed. David must be free to live on his own. That said, ponies are going to panic if we just let him loose on Equestria. We'll keep him in the castle for a couple weeks while we spread the word that a friendly alien has come to our world and have the guard monitor him daily. We'll break the news gently and in a controlled manner for the public. Then, he'll need a place to live to build that trust and those relationships, and I think I know just the pony to house him."

Hey guys, glad you made it. Things are getting pretty tense right about now am I right? Anyways, I just wanted to put this note in here to explain a thing or 2. In this chapter, and in previous chapters, the ponies find David very attractive. They fawn over him like a schoolgirl meeting her crush. Ok, not that bad, but they notice his good looks. David is not an amazingly attractive person. He's an average looking guy. The thing is, in my headcannon, ponies find humans as adorable as we find them. They think our smaller noses and eyes are adorable and love our soft skin. I cite my sources as follows. Elephants think humans are cute. I don't know how this was proven, but I remember reading it. Same concept, only the ponies are sentient. Therefore, romance can blossom between two different species that find each other to be completely adorable. Hope that clears any misconceptions up.