There are some days that feel like it going to go exactly as you had wanted it. And then that eerie feeling creeps up on you. The feeling of doubt. The feeling that inevitably leads you to believe that it rings true. And so, the feeling becomes a mental note when things don't go as you had planned, and become trained to notice the most miniscule things that process in the subconscious of our minds, so then, we have the sense of imminent failure on one's initial feeling of things going right. It is a super sense. A sixth sense so to speak. That sense alerted a certain young man in regards to his statement when he awoke.

"Today is going to be perfect."

And why shouldn't it be? It was his eighteenth birthday. He was an adult in the eyes of the legal system. To his parents...that would not ring so true, but for him...it was a big deal. He threw off his dark blue blanket to send the gentle chill of the room to his legs. He got the appropriate response and jumped out of bed, feeling refreshed from a good night's sleep. He had not cared for the fight his parents had gotten into and the thought had not carried over from the night before. All that was on his mind was his birthday. He was so excited he could hardly contain himself. He had developed a habit of jumping jacks every morning a year before, and it showed. He was fit, but not muscular. He wasn't athletically inclined, nor was he academically. He was in almost all respects average. The only notable thing about him was his love of reading. Bookworm wasn't a phrase thrown his way. Mainly because he only read the interesting side of literature. Fiction, mythology, theory of life in the universe...all of course the same as fiction. "Until proven otherwise." was his motto. He knew that they could not be all alone in the void of space and time. There wasn't a cruel God or for that matter, a merciless explosion. He was neutral to those things. He didn't want his image of the creator or the formula for creation for that matter, to be the ones commonly viewed by society. He wanted to find out for himself someday.

He slipped out of his boxers and hopped into the hot shower across the hallway from his room. No one was home, so he felt no need to wait for formalities such as caution. His dark brown hair was getting in his face. A sign he needed to get a hair cut soon.

"If it can hit my eyelids then it needs to be snipped..." he chimed to himself remembering his grandmother's words from long ago. His family had died down considerably the past few years and it had saddened him. All that he had...was less than desirable. He tossed the thoughts aside and went back to his shower routine. He thought to his hair color and thought about where down the line his hair got that color. His mother was blonde and his father had black hair...and both German American. He did not concern himself with the thought any longer than he needed to entertain his parent's presence in his head.

After he had finished showering and dressed in the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror. No blemishes was a good sign. His acne medication had finished off the unsightly things. His teeth looked...okay. He wasn't a model on television, but they weren't terrible. He made a few faces in the mirror for a few minutes before departing from the bathroom, only to hit his head against the doorway. He was measured six foot recently and still going on the assumption the house he lived in was met to those standards. Which, sad to say, it wasn't.

Morning ick was gone. The little traces he had felt anyway. And so he worked on breakfast.

"What do we have today Aaron?" He mumbled to himself. The fridge looked raided. Literally.

There was nothing save for the bag of salad he had saved from the other day. "Might as well..."

He craved some potatoes to make into hash browns at the very least if not bacon. He did not even find those. "As good a day as any to eat a little more healthy..." He didn't mind salad. He wasn't particularly finicky about his food. Except for frosting. He hated the grittiness that frosting brought him. He preferred whipped cream. His mind wandered as he bit into his leafy meal.

"Pie."

This one word sums up his hatred for the frosting. His birthday cake was normally a cherry pie with a layer of whipped cream on top. He wanted his pie now. And with his parents out, he was going to get it.

He threw on his walking shoes and a light sweater to top his plain black shirt. He zipped up the sweater, threw the hoodie on, and made a jog for the nearest Cocos. He stopped jogging about ten minutes in and realized it was going to be an hour's walk either way. He thought about pacing his day so as to take in the full effect it was to take on him. Then that feeling hit him quietly.

Something is going to go wrong.

He mouthed a silent no to himself and continued walking. "No, no, no, no." He didn't have any friends he could speak of, sure. He didn't feel the need for anyone.

Something isn't right about today.

"Shut up..." he said aloud to himself. The sidewalk was quite empty on both sides of the street. The houses looked nice and cozy compared to the cloudy sky hanging above him. "This is my birthday...I love cloudy weather in winter...I am going to get my pie early...No one can ruin this for me."

The feeling hit him again. He wanted to stab it in the face. Very much so, he wanted it to take a physical shape so he could beat it up. Sure he didn't get any presents from his parents, so? He bought his own things with his part time job. They provided shelter and decent amounts of food. And pie once every year. He was okay with it. Things were the way they were and hadn't changed much at all.

Can't you feel that? Something is off.

Aaron was tired of the silent voice growing in his head. He decided to jog after all.

Halfway to the establishment, the weather took a turn for the worse.

"Shit..." He cursed to himself.

Snow began to fall and melt onto the fabric of his hoodie, making his hair a little damp. And he could feel his nose getting stiff and cold. The weather was bad so what? He laughed to himself.

"That's all it was..." He laughed out loud.

Then the snow whipped into his face quite literally and made him fall to his knees and brace himself from the waves of snow he was experiencing.

"F-fine..." he chattered his teeth. "You win!"

He never knew who he was shouting to. But whatever it was, it spun him around until the world went dark and he felt weightless for a brief moment. Then a pain shot through his body, as if it was peeling his skin off from the front to the back. If he had opened his eyes, he imagined, he would see a wave of flames causing his discomfort. He almost laughed at the thought under the pain he experienced.

"Fuck...fuck..." He mouthed to himself. The pain had gone and started on his insides. He wanted it all to stop. He wanted to die.

"...Give that...ass a piece of m...my..." he began to fight the feeling. It soon began to feel oddly pleasant. It had shifted in such a way as if it went into reverse in an instant, and began to clothe him in a soothing warmth. He swore he heard a silent whisper.

He woke up to the birds chirping.

"Birds..."

Winter had just begun. What were birds doing, chirping around him.

He took note that he was flat on his back. And that his eyes and mouth seemed to be the only thing functioning properly.

"Blue skies..."

He wanted to say it. It was his sense telling him it fit.

"'I...I'm not in Kansas anymore.

Relief came onto the feeling, being proud of the line.

"...never been to Kansas." He mused to himself. Aaron never went anywhere. He had been a suburban guy. His whole eighteen years of life. Reality hit him hard when he understood the feeling of being unable to move was soreness all over his body. And he began to take serious note of the gravity of his situation.

"I was in a snowstorm...the sky is clear...I am laying on...grass? Birds...wildlife noises...the smell of trees...I am not in the suburbia."

Panic set in.

"Where the hell am I?!" the echo went around him giving him the eerie feeling that he was truly alone in some wilderness...somehow.

He never cared about being alone...but he was deathly afraid of it deep down. He knew those closed houses held families inside of them. He knew that the cars were driven by people. His parents...they were people. He wasn't alone as long as he knew they were there. But now...he was alone. And he felt sad for the first time in a long time.

"...I'm going to die...alone..." The thought echoed in his head now. Until he heard something in the distance. He knew it was probably a bird in the bushes. It sounded so quiet and gentle. And the flapping of wings too. It confirmed the picture of a bird nearby.

"...animals...then I'm not completely alone..."

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "...nothing..."

Failed attempts at getting up caused panic and unrest.

"I don't want to pass out...please..." he teared up. "Let me stay awake...I don't want to..." he felt sleep settle in whether he wanted it or not.

And for the last moment of his eyes closing, he swore he saw something yellow cast a shadow over his face.

Aaron wasn't completely friendless looking back on it.

He enjoyed the company of himself.

Now that wasn't on his mind at the moment. What was on his mind was his dreams. He was enthralled by his dreams, good or bad. He wasn't a lucid dreamer, but at some level, knew he was going to like what he saw. It was like seeing a movie. And today's release in the blackout theater was a multitude of colors and shapes. A lava lamp scene here and there, mostly filler. Then came the good part. Where he kissed the girl of his dreams...and that was the sign for, "I must be dreaming."

He never thought too much about love or companionship. Do good to others yes. Do real good, no. The thought wasn't appalling or truly unpleasant. It wasn't his thing was all. And so he floated about in his mind. Or that is what he liked to think of it as. He never knew what exactly was going on. So he speculated. As best he could. Riding roller coasters in the sky distracts you often times.

His dreams were of little consequence to the ones that dragged him back to a nearby cottage. The quaint, foliage ridden cottage was full of the small animals that carried the unconscious body of the strange being before her. They were all quite tired from lugging the heavy thing. Anything they could do for the quiet yellow pegasus, made up for their momentary displeasure. That is, most of them.

A small white rabbit made its displeasure known to his caretaker with a thump of his foot and a glare from his beady eyes.

"Angel...we couldn't leave the poor thing out there..." the pony softly said to the rabbit.

He gave her a push of his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"That is...um...for the moment...but...it needs some help right now...of course he won't stay too long..." She mumbled to the rabbit brushing aside her pink hair.

The rabbit called Angel had certainly asserted his authority he had over the pegasus. Most of the other animals rolled their eyes and sighed a little. As if to say, "There he goes again...pushing his weight."

He gave them a smug look, which turned to a sour face as the shy pony poked at the being on the floor.

"Oh Angel...he looks like he could use some medical attention...he looks a little pale...and he feels really cold for some reason..." she hopped over the thing nervously and headed for the door. "Angel, darlings, I will be back soon...I am going to be right back with Nurse Redheart...that is...if she doesn't mind..." she pondered to herself for a moment and then flew off from there.

Angel turned to the thing in front of him and sighed. He was going to be looking after it for the little while his caretaker was gone. He smiled and turned to the other animals, hoping they would stay with him.

To his chagrin, they had all scattered.

He huffed to himself, as if to say, "Damn you all."

The pony had landed at her destination a short time later, and quietly trotted into the building. There weren't many going in and out. The thought of few ponies there was something she could give a small smile about. The smile was caught by the attention of who she was looking for. The nurse had a white coat of fur and a red cross on both sides of her flank. She gave a nod to the yellow pegasus as she approached her.

"Hello Fluttershy. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked kindly.

"Well...that is if you don't mind." She grinned nervously. "You see...I found...this...thing...in the woods..."

The nurse gave a small sigh and patted Fluttershy on the back after she adjusted her small white hat and fluffed her light pink hair a little with her hooves.

"Now Fluttershy...I told you many times..."

She opened her mouth in protest, "Yes Nurse Redheart...but-"

"This isn't a veterinary clinic..."

"I know Nurse Redheart and-"

"This place for ponies who are ill and in need of medical treatment..."

"Of course Nurse Redheart but-"

She scooted Fluttershy back to the entrance and gave her a smile, "Now run along Ms. Shy, I need to attend to other patients."

Fluttershy simply nodded and quietly trotted away. "That didn't help much...oh! Maybe Zecora could help! She knows all about the weird things...I think..." She quietly flew away towards her friend who lived deeper in the woods known as Evertree Forest. A zebra from a distant land she had claimed at one time, she was very helpful in times of distress when the solutions requires some out of the box thinking. She specialized in remedies from her homeland and would often be found singing a tune while she worked on her many hobbies. Speaking in her native accent was not all, she also spoke her every sentence with rhymes, so this greeting to Fluttershy, was not at all unexpected.

"Hello little pony, how are you today? Care to come in? Although the weather is splendid, wouldn't you say?"

Fluttershy nodded shyly with a blush and stepped into the hut. "Yes um..."

"Your face tells me you are in somewhat of a rush, so please speak your mind, do not blush."

"There is a...creature...a poor thing...it is in need of some care...and I-"

Zecora hushed her with her hoof and nodded. "An unknown thing, in need of care? Let us go and see how it fares." She went to a cupboard, among her various ceremonial decor, and pulled out a full saddle bag with her teeth, filled with who knew what. It made glass noises, indicating it was filled with ready made potions or herbal remedies as she was known for. She slipped it on and motioned Fluttershy with her hoof out the door.

"Lead the way, for I know not where it may lay."

Fluttershy nodded and began her flight towards her cottage, with Zecora following behind.

Angel did not enjoy the company of this thing lying on the floor. He couldn't stand it. All it did was breathe small breaths and take up space. It certainly didn't look too injured. A little on the stiff side, but no one would know the difference unless a closer inspection was taken. Of course, he said none of those things. If he could talk, he would have said, "What a drag."

And then it started to open its eyes.

Angel fixed that real quick with the cooking pan he had kept close for such an occasion.

Fluttershy and Zecora came into the cottage where the thing still lay, out cold. Fluttershy raised her eyebrow at the red lump on the thing's head.

"Oh...how did this happen...Angel?" She looked to her rabbit companion. "Do you know how this happened?"

Angel shrugged and shook his head.

Zecora was quick to pull out a vial of herbs from her bag she had settled on the floor next to its head. With little difficulty, she popped off the cork and applied them to the lump. "Dear Fluttershy, if its not too much trouble, can you wet me a cloth on the double! This lump is a small thing, nothing to worry about, but the other affliction won't soon fizzle out!"

Fluttershy wet a cloth as fast she could and placed it over the herbs as was instructed. And for the next half hour, after stripping off its clothing, Zecora and Fluttershy applied various remedies from the bag to the unconscious creature. The cottage smelled of nature already, and now it smelled as if spring had bloomed for a second time, as they were in the season already. Zecora and Fluttershy had some difficulty lifting the thing to Zecora's hut, as she had more in mind in terms of care that her bag was not ready for.

The thing lay at rest, its breathing brought back to normal from the various stews set around it in a corner of her hut. She hummed to herself as the last bit was ready and brought it to its lips. "Kindest pony come back again, maybe find out more about this creature from the librarian?"

Fluttershy nodded and flew away from her hut, but not before thanking her with a soft spoken tone.

It was around this moment that his eyes fluttered open again. But this time, he felt warmth spreading through his body and it was more to the task of moving on command. Only slightly so.

The first thing he noticed was he was no longer outside. The second was that the room smelled like food. And the third was the zebra standing over him with the various jewelry strung about it.

"...a zebra? But my favorite animals are reptiles." It wasn't much of a statement. He was sure he was dead. In some kind of heaven or another. Or perhaps his collective thoughts were strewn about the world...as floating bits of matter...able to view the wonders of the universe.

"I see you are up, but do not try, it is best to let rest rather than cry."

"Cry?" He immediately discarded the rhyming zebra's words and tried to move. He did in fact tear up from pain and lie back down.

"...you can talk." Was his next realization.

She simply nodded.

"I must be dead. Zebras can't talk. Much less like a medicine man."

"You know my race? Quite curious indeed, here I also thought you knew nothing of my creed. But man I am not, pony as you can see. Care for some tea?" She held a cup between her hooves with a pleasant smelling scent coming from it.

"...thanks."

Now to be clear, he thought the whole thing was insane. Even as he drank the tea and the zebra sat near him humming with a smile on her face. What his explanation for the whole thing was: "I read a lot of fiction. And now its playing with my head."
He stood by the explanation, even as the whole room and the zebra were clearly not part of a lucid dream. Even though he was now fully aware he was no longer asleep.

She then made it painfully obvious that it wasn't so. She had asked to feel around his chest for a thorough examination of her work. He nodded. And it was then he saw his clothes, save for his checkered boxers, were gone.

"Where are my clothes?"

"The clothing you seek is in a pile quite near to your head, do not worry, we left that last shred." She giggled a little and continued her examination of her work. The creams were gone, and his body left off the faint odor of a job well done.

"It appears that my work has finished itself, the remedies I gave you seemed to have-"

"Remedies?"

She coughed a little, not being interrupted too often while she was talking. It was a small inconvenience to her.

"As you stated yourself, only a while ago, I am a healer, no?"

He nodded and finally asked an important question: "What is your name?"

She laughed. "I had wondered if you would ever ask, my name is Zecora, and you know of my tasks."

"Rhyming and healing. Well seeing how rude I have been, my name is Aaron. A human." he gave her a goofy face.

Zecora laughed a little harder. "A human you say? That race I do not know, but your joke is taken well, for one who felt like snow."

He had a flashback at that moment. A realization. "I was in a snowstorm...and...I ended up in a...forest..."

"The woods, of course...A pony named Fluttershy had taken you from there my- you aren't a horse." She giggled a little more from that.

"I see you aren't used to seeing things like me...does that mean you have never seen my kind before?" He was worried that he would miss out on his pie. It was quite a stupid thing to worry for. Aaron knew that.

"Do not worry, for if I am right, Fluttershy is in a hurry."

"For what?" He asked.

Fluttershy had gone to visit her dear friend Twilight Sparkle, a purple unicorn pony who was quite literate and well versed in the learned arts. She lived in the town of PonyVille, in the tree house of a library. She had command over magic, as all unicorns did, and it was quite useful for the minute tasks that hooves and a strong mouth could not preform. The unicorn at that moment was exasperated from the yellow ponie's request.

"It walks on two legs, no claws, no sharp teeth, no scales, no feathers, no tail, no snout, no fur-"

She was interrupted with a small cough from the yellow pony.

The unicorn sighed, "Some fur...This is insane! There isn't such a thing in Equestria! I have studied every book in the library! And I have read every book. Including all the ones on species. Both here, and in the royal library in Canterlot."

A small purple dragon with green, rounded spikes along his head and down to the end of his tail nodded a little tired. "Twilight is right. Are you sure it wasn't a monkey that lost its tail? Or an ape?"

Fluttershy mumbled, "N-no not quite...you can check for yourself at Zecora's."

Twilight facehoofed. "...its at Zecora's hut?"

She gave a small nod.

Twilight sighed and motioned to the dragon, "Come on Spike, we better go and see what this mystery animal is."

The dragon gave a small sigh. "I know its going to be something stupid."

Twilight was slightly curious at what kind of creature Fluttershy did not know. Then she looked back to an incident to the small winged balls of fluff known as Parasprites. "Let's hope it isn't like that..." She mumbled to herself.

Around this time, Aaron and Zecora had familiarized themselves with each other. He was over the initial shock of the talking animal thing. But what he wasn't over, was the realization he wasn't in Kansas. Or his home. Or his world. Not anymore.

"Now fitting together all your rhyming...quite skillfully if I may say so, I am in a land called Equestria...ruled by two Princesses...who control the time of day, as well as the stars, and everyone- er- pony, can talk?"

She gave a simple nod to the now upright Aaron.

"Magic, pegasi, and god like animal royalty." He wasn't completely okay with that. He wasn't okay that he had talked to someone- pony, so much without caring either. He didn't like talking to people. Much less talking to horses. It wasn't that he wasn't thankful for everything they had done for him. He just couldn't stand so much...attention. And what killed him even more was that he had so much more to ask. He loved to learn. But not so much when it required help. It ate at him. Aaron was faced with a dilemma he hadn't anticipated, and it involved interacting with others. Zecora picked up on his uneasy feelings and gave him an assuring nuzzle.

"It seems much is on your head, I will leave you to your bed." Zecora went out the front door on that note.

Aaron sighed a little. "...this is really happening..." The understatement of the year in his book, but it was all he could really say.

"...what happened earlier?" His thoughts drifted back to the snowstorm. "It might just be possible...that I was caught up in a...supernatural storm...and it brought me here..." He didn't think it was possible. He didn't have anything else to go on however. "How do I get back now?" He wasn't one for being homesick, and the thought of exploring an unknown world...one as magical as this one was proving to be, was incredible to say the least...but he wondered nonetheless.

Twilight rolled her large purple eyes as she trotted towards the hut. "Why do I have to do this right after Winter Wrap Up...I didn't do that much but I am pretty tired like everyone else..."

She took note of Zecora who was already talking to Fluttershy who seemed ecstatic. For a shy pony anyway.

"Twilight!" She called softly, "Apparently the thing is a he and is feeling much better. Oh...and he is a hyoooman."

Hyoooman? She thought that was a silly sounding name for a species. "Alright, I'll take it that it can speak Equestrian?" she asked Zecora.

"Our language he does speak, although his mood now is rather bleak." Zecora nodded.

"Hmm..." she turned to a panting Spike who had just caught up. "Spike, I'd like you to write a letter. I packed a scroll and quill for the very occasion."

The purple dragon caught his breath and sighed. "Alright Twilight." He pulled out the scroll and wet the end of the quill with his lizard tongue. "I'm ready."

"Dear Princess Celestia..."

Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath and put on her best smile. First impressions were everything. And if she got her facts right, this strange creature in the hut wasn't feeling all too well in his current situation. Which she had no idea was an underscore of his feelings. The purple pony gasped, not what she wanted to do. But she did so nonetheless being faced with something she wasn't prepared for. The hyoooman sounded a little menacing to begin with. But seeing the thing stand up was another thing altogether. It was certainly tall, not monstrously so, but shocking enough. She was only up to its stomach with her horn. After a moment to gather herself, she coughed into her hoof and smiled up to him.

"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle." She left out the whole, student of the goddess of the land, bearer of the Element of Magic, saved Equestria a few times bit. A being from another world didn't need information overload.

Aaron was feeling a little unsteady on his feet. He was just too damn weak. His weight was being held up against the wall of the hut at that moment. Now another pony, a unicorn at that, was talking to him. Just his day. More conversation. Inwardly, he was shaking his finger at himself. "So first its lonely and crying, and now its too much attention? Man up a little." Aaron groaned and without meaning to, made the pony jump.

"I'm sorry...I just don't feel too well..." he grimaced and slowly let himself back down into a sitting position. The pony gave a nervous smile.

"Well that is fine. I understand they found you in bad shape. Zecora and Fluttershy I mean." Twilight was surprised that Fluttershy had gone out of her way for the hyoooman. He seemed...rather intimidating. But then again...she thought it was a helpless creature. So it wasn't all that shocking in hindsight.

"I have a few questions for you if it isn't too much trouble." Her saddle bag opened up with her magic and the quill and a bit of parchment floated out in a purple light.

Aaron was expecting something along those lines. He didn't expect the telekinetic powers to emanate from the unicorn.
"...you just..." All he could do was point at the floating objects.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked the slack jawed hyoooman.

"Its not everyday I see something like that. I suppose I should try to contain my shock...more to come am I right?"

She was confused for a moment, and then realized what he meant. "You mean my magic right?" She giggled a little. "It is quite common here...I suppose it isn't where you are from?" She had her quill in the air at the ready.

Aaron nodded. "No. It isn't at all...geez where is my head? My name is Aaron. Second time today I didn't properly introduce myself." He held out his hand to her.

"...what is...?"

"Oh this? Um...you have a hoof shake right?"

Twilight nodded and blushed in embarrassment. "Oh duh! Its the same thing essentially. The only difference is your..."

"Fingers."

"Odd..." The quill took notes as she examined his hand closely. "May I?"

He didn't quite understand what she meant by that. All he knew was that he was a stranger sight than they were to him. After all, he was the alien right? He felt his hand being moved under the same force as the quill, and she poked and prodded it with her hoof.

"I don't mean to treat you like this...its just that you are fascinating to examine..." She spoke to him intently examining his fingers and the palm of his hand.

It was an odd feeling. But it was his favorite feeling of all. Not the magic coursing around his hand though. It was a feeling he often felt when a dog was around him. The silent breaths, the concentration on his being, and the slightest touch to his skin. It was soothing, calming even. He didn't stop the pony until she started examining his ear. Then it was creepy. He gave his best smile and gently pushed her away from himself.

"Okay...enough of that."

She was red with embarrassment, "Sorry, like I said...you are fascinating to examine." She brought her hoof to her mouth a giggled a little. "So how are you feeling right now?"

"Well I'm still in a little pain...but its much better compared to earlier." He himself had a few questions for her. What better time than the present? "Hey...I have a few questions...I am sure I will have some more...how can we speak the same language?"

Twilight's head turned to its side ever so slightly, like a curious puppy. "You mean Equestrian? I was going to ask you the same thing."

"I call it English...you call it Equestrian...I should be thankful we are speaking the same language at all I suppose." That wasn't true on his part. He was still coming to terms with the world full of talking ponies he knew so little about. The pony Twilight Sparkle nodded and began going on about, "Scholars will be talking about this for centuries to come..." Clearly lost in her own world. He observed she was much more inquisitive than the zebra. And much less shy than the yellow pony who was peeking out of the corner of the doorway.

"Twilight, I can call you just Twilight right?"

She nodded for a moment, before talking to herself again.

"Is...is her name a cruel joke?" He pointed to Fluttershy who zipped out of sight.

Twilight laughed a little, "You will find that a lot of pony's have fitting names here. Its not cruel though." She looked over to the doorway, "You can come in Fluttershy!"

The yellow pegasus trotted in ever so slowly to him and smiled a little before mumbling something about "...safe."

Being unfamiliar with the quiet types, as he was never one to speak unless spoken to, he just gave her a little nod. "Thank you."

She squeaked out a "Not a problem." before crouching behind Twilight. Twilight rolled her eyes, "Hey you helped him earlier when he was a mysterious, unconscious, never-before-seen creature. He is really nice, I can tell." She gave her a nod.

Fluttershy looked to him and smiled, "What is your name?"

Aaron wanted to die from the adorable smile she had given him. "Aaron. My name is Aaron. And thank you fro earlier." It seemed right to add that in.

She seemed to get over her initial reaction towards him and approached him looking at his bandages. "I was happy to help someone in need of care. And um..." she seemed shy again.

"Its okay, tell me what's on your mind." It was hard for that sentence to come out of his mouth, but she did help him after all.

"Its for."

"For?"

"You said fro."

Aaron facepalmed and laid back down looking at the roof of the hut. "I am seriously tired if I said that." He didn't think his speech was slurred, but just thinking about it, he knew he must have been. The tea was doing its job in relaxing his body, and that is what he really needed.

"If its alright with you Fluttershy...and Twilight..." He yawned, "I am..." Aaron's eyes closed and began to snore softly.

Twilight giggled a little and gave a nod to Fluttershy who quietly trotted out of the hut. Zecora was outside waiting for them with Spike who seemed disappointed.

"Spike, what's wrong?"

The dragon groaned, "Zecora said that she was going to be busy with the hyoooman in there-"

"Well she is. We all are. In fact I was going to suggest we move him to my place..." Twilight began going on about the arrangements she needed to make while forgetting what Spike was talking about in the first place. Spike didn't bother trying to get her attention as to what he was going to say, because he knew it would be pointless stopping her from going on about a new schedule.

Fluttershy softly asked Zecora, "Is he going to be alright? He was really sleepy...that tea usually only does that to ponies who are in a lot of distress or pain..." She was clearly worried again, seeing his condition had really made little progress from before.

"The tea will do its job quite fine, do not worry for his future care is now mine."

Fluttershy nodded slightly. "Twilight, what do you think?" She observed that Twilight was now working on a checklist with the extra paper she had in her bag. "Or you can do that..."

Twilight had planned his week at this point. She had so much to ask him and left a whole day for that. Including the time he may need to spend with a certain pink pony who would jump- no, spring at the chance to throw him a party. Clothing was also in order it seemed from her observation that he wore them often. She speculated it was because his skin was soft and needed protection. She giggled to herself, giddy with everything she could learn from him about his species. She happily put the parchment away in her bag. "For now, I need to make the arrangements to take him home with me." she mused aloud.

Zecora smiled and stopped her there, "I am afraid not today, perhaps tomorrow, who can say? He may need to spend a week or two, for his sickness is much worse than any flu."

Twilight's jaw dropped. A week? Two weeks? She didn't have that sort of time! She needed him now! "But Zecora, I sent the Princess a letter about him! I told her I would send a full report before the week was up! "

"It would not be right to rush him out, the human needs-"

"Repeat that."

Zecora was stopped mid-rhyme again, it flustered her for a moment. "Repeat what from my snout?" She hated improvising like that. It ruined her perfectly thought out rhyme from before.

"What did you call him? I thought he was a hyoooman."

"Not too many 'ooo's dear, just a short sound, he is a human-"

"Human?!"

Zecora sighed and gave up. She simply nodded.

Twilight's mind was racing back to when she first met another unicorn named Lyra. She was obsessed with proving the existence of such a thing for years! She had been taunted by the community for it...she herself had done the same since she met her... And now there was one here and now!

"I need to apologize to Lyra!" Twilight ran off suddenly leaving Spike to run after her himself.

"Twilight! Slow down! What is the rush?!" the baby dragon was doing his best to keep up until they were both out of sight from Fluttershy and the slightly irritated zebra.

Aaron woke up to a blue face staring at him intently. "So I wasn't dreaming-" He was cut off from a hoof connecting to his face.

"...and now my face is in pain...ow..."

"It talks!" The blue pegasus said surprised.

"Yes I talk! What the hell was that for?!" He yelled at the pegasus flying above him.

The rainbow colored mane of the pony was flicked to the side and its hooves were crossed, with a look of disdain on its face. "You scared me."

"Does that mean I should get hit?!" Aaron was seething at the pony. This was why he didn't involve himself with others. Unpredictable, dangerous-

His thought process was cut short by a pink pony who had his hand in her hoof, "I'M PINKIE PIE! NICE TO MEET YOU! WHAT'S YOUR NAME? YOU'RE A HUMAN LIKE LOONY LYRA HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT, ALTHOUGH SHE ISN'T QUITE LOONY NOW IS SHE?"

Aaron tried to process the new stream of information and reply to it, but all that came out was, "Uhwhag?" He knew he sounded stupid and tried to correct himself. "I mean...repeat that?"

Pinkie Pie laughed, "Silly filly, I said my name is Pinkie Pie and it was nice to meet you!" Her big grin in his face was unsettling. The situation was quite ridiculous before. And now a pink, bouncing, pony was staring him in the face. Taunting him almost.
"This proves there is a cruel god I suppose" was the stream of information going through his mind.

"Name is Aaron." He shook her hoof and gave her a nervous smile. "I suppose you are the life of the party-"

"YES I AM! THAT IS WHAT I AM BEST AT ALRIGHT, PARTIES FOR EVERYPONY AND EVERY OCCASION! WE NEED TO GET YOUR PARTY READY AS SOON AS YOU ARE FEELING BETTER, SO FEEL BETTER SOON!"

The pony scared at least a year's worth of life from him.

There was a cyan unicorn pony prancing in the streets, her head held up high. Today, everything had gone right. It had started with Twilight Sparkle knocking on her door early in the morning. She looked frazzled, from her mane to her face, and the last time that had happened, her roommate Bon Bon had run off chasing after an enchanted toy.

"Lyra! I need to talk to you. Right now!"

Lyra had half a mind to slam the door in Twilight's face. The pony she had often debated with, admired at times, and feared a little, was clearly not in her right mind.

"What do you want Twilight?" She was cautious and kept the door opened only a crack.

"Humans."

"Oh. Came to bump a theory of mine down again?" Lyra sighed and looked to the floor. "I have my beliefs and you have-"

"No! I wanted to say I was...wrong." The words seemed painful. A pony who was based in fact and who stomped in the correct answer to embellish her authority on the subject, this was embarrassing for her. To top off a hunk of guilt.

"Oh?" Lyra was listening halfheartedly, the subject of Humans was her favorite, and she usually enjoyed talking about them. Being the only one who believed in them after all.

"They do exist."

Lyra perked up, wide awake. "What?"

"...I wanted to tell you I was sorry..."

"Shush shush shush...repeat that again." She needed to hear it again.

Twilight's mane seemed to return to its sleek appearance She sighed, "Humans do exist."

"No the part about me being right and you wrong."

"...I didn't-"

Lyra practically flew up into the air, through the ceiling into the sky, before hitting the ground on all four of her hooves.

"Lyra?! Are you okay?!"

"I am in the most pain I have been in a long time but it wAS WORTH IT!" She squealed with delight. "Humans are real! I knew they were! Who was right? I was!" She began to trot in place, dancing a victory dance that seemed very well rehearsed.

Twilight smiled to herself anyway, at least she had done and achieved what she came to do. "I'll let you meet him later on today, just don't tell anypony. And that means anypony. Got it?" The unicorn gave Lyra a look.

"Aw...but..."

"Don't worry, this needs a little time." Twilight could only offer her a smile. She was just as anxious to get back to talking to him when he was better.

Lyra nodded slightly. "But when can we?! This is something I've been waiting for most of my life!" She didn't want to wait anymore. Not when it was so close.

"Lyra, please. I will tell you when you can. It will be when I can as well..." She trailed off remembering Zecora's words.

"Well...who did you tell?"

Twilight was surprised and a little embarrassed. She had told her close friends and the Princess... "I told the Princess...and my friends..."

Lyra gave her a long look. "You told Pinkie Pie. But I'm not allowed to tell anypony else?" She had skipped the other five close friends of hers and went straight for the kicker.

"I did-"

"You told Pinkie Pie."

"Yes but-"

"And I'm not allowed to tell anypony else."

She sighed. "You can tell Bon Bon...but nopony else! This is serious business. Princess Celestia had to know for obvious reasons. And my friends being the embodiments of the Elements of Harmony-"

"Pinkie Pie Twilight. Pinkie Pie." Lyra wasn't going to have the main point tossed aside. Pinkie Pie was the most unpredictable ball of pink in Equestria. And she was supposed to be one of the ponies keeping a world changing fact from the rest of them for an extended period of time?

"I get your point, but she did Pinkie Promise. She never breaks one." Twilight countered. It was true. She never broke one.

Lyra groaned and her ears drooped towards the floor. "You're right. If she Pinkie Promised...then there isn't any going back on it."

Twilight patted her on the head. "Don't worry, you will get your chance to meet him and prove to everypony you were right. Now I need to go." She waved goodbye to a gloomy looking Lyra. "You will get your chance Lyra, and that's a promise."

Aaron was feeling loads better after having some more of Zecora's home brews. He didn't question what was in them, not wanting to spit it out in disgust. He wanted to get better and out of the way as soon as he could. The constant interaction with peo-ponies, was tearing him apart. And no one more so than Pinkie Pie. She was so annoying, and yet, he didn't have the heart to yell at her. He didn't mind doing so to Rainbow Dash, as the blue pegasus referred to herself, her being familiar with such treatment apparently. She had already hoofed him a few good ones for talking back to her.

"Oh Rainbow Dash...I'm sure he didn't mean to make fun of your cutie mark..." Fluttershy had interjected for Aaron.

"Thank you-" Rainbow Dash cut Aaron off, "If you call my cutie mark a tramp stamp again, I will hurt you. That is a promise." She was in his face, her eyes almost on fire.

"Well I didn't know what it was called, and I still don't know what the heck it is. Is it something you get for being a part of the circle of friends here?" Aaron was usually good at keeping himself together. But he felt like arguing with this crazy chick at every turn, no matter how many times he was hoofed.

"You don't know what a cutie mark is?" She began laughing and fell on the floor in hysterics. "This guy doesn't know what a cutie mark is!"

Pinkie Pie joined her in laughter. "What did you think my balloons on my flank meant?"

Fluttershy kindly patted Aaron on the back. "You see...a cutie mark is something we ponies get when we discover our special talent. Don't you have them? You called hers um...a tramp stamp?"

Aaron gave up at that point trying to make any sense of the world he had landed in. It didn't make any sense how he came here, it didn't make any sense that ponies could talk, but other animals couldn't, and it really didn't make sense that day and night were controlled by two goddess ponies. He was hoping to have his strength back in time for nightfall. Maybe then he could catch a glimpse-

He was hoofed for daydreaming and not answering Fluttershy.

"Oh dear...he looks like he is going to pass out...you should be more careful with him Rainbow Dash..."

"He is a guy, he can take it, sick or not."

The sad thing was, he couldn't and had passed out.

He woke up to the sounds and smell of morning. He felt his clothes were back on. And he was on dirt.

"Damn it..." He groaned to no one in particular. "I got knocked out by a talking flying...tramp stamped pony...and missed seeing that so called goddess..."

"So called Goddess?"

He turned to see the most beautiful ray of light coming off an enormous pony- no this could be classified as a horse. But that word seemed almost insulting. He did not note he was outside the hut, it was irrelevant. The horse wouldn't fit in the hut, not with those wings, stature, or elegance. He wasn't one to feel the breath of god or holy spirit as more widely accepted within religion, but it was all he could describe being in her presence. It demanded attention, and drew him in. He wanted to pour out his heart and soul. Her mane glowed in vibrant colors he couldn't imagine seeing before in his life. Her fur was pure and white, almost as if it reflected her inner being.

"You are Aaron the human?" the Goddess spoke softly.

He nodded, mouth slightly agape.

"I am Princess Celestia, one of the alicorn sisters and in charge of the day. And you are a long way from home."

He felt like the most worthless being in the universe. He wanted to take back everything he had ever done, change his attitude, and pray to her. Something kept him from fainting. He knew in the back of his somewhat coherent mind, it was her preventing him.

"We have much to talk about. My little ponies have told me as much as they could piece from you. And they were so kind to treat you. The one thing I would like from you is to talk over breakfast at my palace. We have much to discuss."

He was very concerned he was drooling in the back of his mind, but he didn't quite care. All he wanted to do was his best to please the deity.

"If you are up to it, you may join me in my chariot to my palace." She raised her golden slippered hoof to the chariot being pulled by six stallions in matching armor, at the ready.

He nodded again, not knowing what he could possibly do to please her. His legs didn't fail on him and he got up from the dirt. Dirt! His mind raced with horror. He was lying in the dirt. He was as low as dirt, he couldn't possibly go next to the Goddess looking like this!

Celestia seemed to take the hint from just looking into his eyes and he felt the dirt swept from his clothes by her mighty power. It was only dirt being swept from his clothes to her, but to him, it was unlike anything he felt before. He wanted to grovel. But he felt that would be a bad image to give her. He was at a loss on how to act. He read so many books about heroes and peasants treating royalty in a certain manner, and he couldn't for the life of him remember how they did it.

"Come Aaron."

Aaron almost floated behind her into the chariot.

His only thought and concern was for his soul in her hooves.