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.