"Two bits please," the raspy voice demanded.

"M'kay, just a moment..." James fished through his pockets for the needed coins, eliciting a raised eyebrow from the stallion as his pants jingled. "Here you go," James said as he deposited the bits onto the wooden table between him and the clerk.

The stallion merely gruffed as he swiped the bits over his edge of the table. Like most ponies in Ponyville, he had grown somewhat accustomed to James’ presence. But the little things about the human still bothered them or caused a sense of uneasiness when he was around. In this particular store owner’s case, it was his distaste for the little things called 'fingers' that were regrettably attached to the end of the human's forehooves.

"Here's your carrots," the clerk intoned before immediately turning away to work on something behind his stand. In truth, he was finding some excuse to bide his time until James had left, lest he would have to interact with the human any more than he already had.

"Thanks, have a good day," James said as politely as possible before turning away with his breakfast. He was fully aware of the pony's discomfort, and the clerks grumpy grunt as reply only confirmed the fact. He knew there were still ponies in Ponyville that were not used to him yet, and whether or not they ever would, he did his best to maintain a good impression. In a sense, he was an ambassador for all of Earth. It was a notion that of course seemed absurd, but was technically correct on some level he realized during his nights where he lied awake thinking over his predicament. If there was ever hope of him going home, the chances were that it could be repeated. And that meant two worlds suddenly becoming in contact. Which meant that on the chance Twilight was successful in sending him home, he had to be on his best behavior while in Equestria to cultivate the post positive outlook for all of humans. Even if it meant dealing with grumpy store clerks for his morning meal and not being able to confront them for their bad attitudes.

As he walked down the street, James looked down on the few carrots he had bought, their green leafy tops hanging down from his grip. Man what I would give for bacon right now.

In addition of the political implications of being in Equestria, it had also brought about a drastic change to his diet. Given that pony stores had no meat, he had been getting more vegetables, fruits, and pancakes than he had ever wanted in life. While he had argued with himself that at least he wouldn't get fat, he felt that his food intake wasn't nutritionally sufficient. He was hardly able to recall any knowledge on what he had learned about nutrients from health class, something he now beat himself up on for not knowing.

People in books also seem to know exactly what to do in survival situations like they suddenly memorized every fact back in boy scouts or school, he thought to himself. What I would give to have that kind of memory recall.

While he vaguely remembered beans might be a good source of protein, something he still was not entirely sure of, he desperately wanted to get some kind of meat into his diet at least now and then. When conversing with Twilight during his early days in Ponyville, he was nervous at revealing the fact that he did eat meat. It was such an obvious contrast to the ponies diet, and it was a detail he was not sure how they would handle. He had eventually told her of course, being that her inquisitive nature left no question unanswered. She had managed to squirm James into a metaphorical corner when she picked up that he was holding something back during their discussions. And while she was surprised about him being an omnivore, she had accepted it quickly and easily with few qualms. She of course listed off the variety of known creatures in Equestria that had the same dietary tastes, griffons being one of them that had special catering services during their stay..

With the purple alicorn's approval, something he knew he didn't need but felt better having, he eventually decided to try his hand at fishing the local rivers for his source of meat when a traveling group of griffon were not passing by. However, no matter the amount of time he had spent on it, he still hadn’t had a single meal with fish.

Ponies had no real need for fish, so they never got around to making the proper equipment for fishing, which left James plenty of pathetic attempts at making a fishing pole. What few fish he had managed to catch with his shoddy poles that gradually improved, he had aggravating failures of trying to learn from scratch how to clean and cook them properly, another thing ponies lacked knowledge on. Learning how to prepare them correctly alone would probably take him another dozen or more wasted fish.

Note to self, ask the next griffon you see how they would prepare it.

It was with those vague thoughts of hunger that he stared at his orange breakfast with reluctance. Deciding to stop wishing for the impossibility of having a meat filled breakfast, he let out a sigh and began chewing on one of the roots.

Looking about Ponyville, he had finally started to become accustomed to its sights. It took some time, but he was beginning to feel comfortable here. And while he had spent his time adjusting to the town, its residents had done just the same to him. Seeing the tall creature lope about and remain constantly covered in clothes was an experience and conversation starter that took quite some time before dying down as a popular topic. Most of the ponies now greeted him as if he was just another pony on a morning walk. Others were of course still a bit shy or uncomfortable around him, such as the clerk pony earlier. But they were friendly enough to at least give a small hello, or voice a polite excuse before deciding to pick a new direction to trot towards.

James on the other hand, continued to make it a point to assertively greet each pony that came close to him with a smile and cheerful tone. While he felt that it was a little fake and forced, and often times uncomfortable putting himself out in such a social way, he was following Pinkie Pie's instructions on making friends as best as he could. He still didn't know if he would be here forever or not, and decided it would be good at least being on friendly terms with everypony. But even with him being more friendly than he would be normally, he couldn't help but feel happy just doing something so small, finding that many days the action of smiling cheerfully made it hard for him not to feel cheerful as well.

However, new thoughts managed to creep into his mind, ones that brought his mood down a notch. Their coming was brought on as he passed a great oak tree that belonged to the aforementioned alicorn: Twilight's library. The sight of the tree brought back in full the memories of last night. Of which he couldn't help but run over his mind while he continued on with his breakfast...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James and Rainbow Dash walked back to the town in silence. The atmosphere around them seemed to be choked with apprehensiveness as they slowly fumbled their way towards Ponyville. Rainbow Dash had left to grab some towels from her home for the both of them, and while they left each other with a good mood, the time it took for her to get back gave them plenty of time to think over the experience that had just happened between them.

On one hand, he was still coming down of the feeling of finally being close to someone else, a small but possible connection that momentarily helped ward off the idea of being alone and a alien in this faraway world. He had briefly felt that maybe he wasn’t so far from home, a sense of ease and peace that had not once arose during his time here. And all of was literally dashed away when he found out he had been used for a quick experience. His mind told him to just push it off like one would do for a one night stand and laugh it off, but the small tremors in his chest made it hard to keep up that outlook. He didn’t know why, but he was having a much more difficult time holding back these feelings than others.

While James’ mind and feelings often clashed against each other, he had settled in the end to bury the problematic feelings so as to not cause any conflict or drama with Rainbow Dash. He chose to look at it in the most positive way he could, and silently being thankful that he had finally gotten some form of release besides masturbation.

It had taken him a long time before even attempting to masturbate due to a paranoia of a scrying spell that perhaps was watching him. He was in a world full of magic, and he did not know their capabilities or limits. If he was in their situation, he found himself agreeing to the logical decision of secretly observe the local alien so as to learn more about them.

Rainbow Dash had shortly returned with the promised towels, and had handed one to him as they cleaned up their 'mess.’ Glancing when he could, he couldn't detect if Rainbow Dash gave any more thought about what happened during her flight time. If she did, he couldn't pick up on it. Afterwards, they had spent their time eating the lunch she brought, idly chatting about various topics. She acted like she had always had when around him, carefree and casual. And James decided to stir relaxing moment with his own concerns, and simply enjoyed the evening with her.

By the time they finished and began making their way back to Ponyville, the sun had almost disappeared from the skyline. While they had chatted beneath the tree, their walk back was in complete silence. In fact their first words the whole trip over were to other ponies they encountered on the way back to their own home.

It was only until the library tree came into sight that Rainbow Dash gave a long stretch that matched an equally long yawn. James at that moment, had noticed she had been walking this whole time; not once had she even flown up to hover alongside him like she normally did.

"Well here it is, I guess I better leave you alone now," Rainbow Dash said nonchalantly. "I got an early start with cloud-busting tomorrow so I should hit the hay early."

"Yeah, uhm, that would probably be good. Gotta keep these skies clear like always," James jokingly replied, only to berate himself afterwards.

"Heh, yeah. Suuuure do," Rainbow Dash responded, her tone dropping a few octaves. A hint of uncertainty seemed to be on the edge of her voice.

"I'll... I'll go now. Wouldn't want Twilight to chew my head off for earlier, right?" Rainbow Dash added with a forced laugh. James only chuckled for the sake of the awkwardness of the conversation and the increasingly drawn out goodbye. Rainbow Dash's nervous smile turned upside down the moment she processed what she had said. Without hesitating for another second she blurted, "Uh, yeah. Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

Without another word, Rainbow Dash pumped her wings and soared off into the now black sky. He stood still for a minute as his thoughts lingered over her behavior. In the end, she was not acting like herself of that he was sure. Rainbow Dash is always a little bullheaded and rarely showed a lack of confidence or uncertainty like she had just displayed. He didn’t know if her own uncertainty over their experience had arisen in her, or if being sexually open with another person caused her to act like that.

James gave a small grunt at the thought. Who know’s how many ponies she had flings with. She even said she had been with griffons afterwards.

James felt a flicker of anger build in his chest, before he quickly shook his head. Stop it, that kind of thinkings not going to help. Why do I care about who she has and hasn’t sleep with? For all I know ponies do it willy nilly. Which actually might be true from what she hinted earlier…

Not quite sure what to make of it all, and finding no answers coming to him, James turned and headed towards the oak tree, feeling hesitant at being in close proximity with another pony. At this point ending this day as quickly was at the forefront of his mind.

But he would never get sleep if he didn’t find something to draw his mind off of everything that had happened. Needing a distraction, he focused his attention on upcoming meeting with the alicorn. He treaded across the dirt ground, crossing over the beams of light the library casted from its windows. Once he reached the door, he balled his fist, and thumped it twice.

It was only a moment before the muffled but familiar sound of magic that could only be described as ‘sparkly’ was heard, and the door creaked open. In the doorway, was Twilight Sparkle awaiting him eagerly. "Good, you're here! Come inside, and quietly please. Spike's asleep right now."

James gave a nod and stepped through the entrance after Twilight moved aside. Even though he had been in the library countless times before, the idea of being inside a tree that had such a beautifully carved interior never ceased to amaze him. Unique houses and wooden structures always seemed to catch his attention more than most buildings, and this certainly was one of the most unique buildings he had ever laid eyes on.

Twilight passed his side after closing the door. "Please take a seat on the couch, I'm just going to grab a few things."

After a few minutes in another room, Twilight returned and sat in her chair across from him. James then learned that Twilight only needed some hair samples from him, and merely wanted to chat some more about their worlds while she worked with them. James quickly figured out when he had first arrived that Twilight had a deep fascination for anything new. And the prospect of learning from him about an entire world was too large and tantalizing of a subject to pass up, and was often time the focal point of their discussions.

While James figured one would be normally interested about another world, he remained impressed and surprised at the level of interest Twilight held, as well as the amount of effort she went to recording it. She asked about every little detail she about everything, all while scribbling it down in an empty tome during or later; her knack for memory making him envious. She managed to fill four of the largest books James had ever seen already since his arrival. He had a hard time believing that what they had talked about so far took that much space, and figured that much of it was her own technical guesses as to the exact working of the technologies James told her when he couldn’t provide further details.

While he had no problem explaining the daily life of a human to her, he wished he could give her more understanding on his worlds technological feats. He knew Twilight was sorely upset about being unable to learn in full how they worked, but she never showed it in front of him. So he focused on giving her the best explanations he could, and had a feeling that given some time, Twilight would be fully capable of reproducing just about anything in his world now that she had the basic concepts ingrained into her books and mind. Already she had planned for a few experiments from the ideas James had given her.

There were of course some things in his world that caused horror to the young princess. Some of the darker sides of man's history that made James hesitate to even speak of eventually made their way into their conversations. And Twilight’s reaction to them came as expected. While there have been some wars in recorded in her books, barely any of them had happened in Equestria or involved ponies. They usually only fought in defense against a foe that threatened their lives and homes. They were also, unsurprisingly to James, not as horrid as some of the wars men have had. He had spared some of the darker details of things that happened during man’s wars to not completely terrorize the young mare.

In the end, James opinion of Equestria was that it was the Sweden of their world, remaining apart from most of the political going-ons of the other nations and being a neutral land with the tourism of the Carribeans. Whether it was due to successful diplomatic talks to remain as such, or the fact that their princesses had complete authority over the sun and moon, not many races challenged Equestria’s peaceful position.

On a lighter note, Twilight also made it a point to ask how he was doing in Ponyville each time she had a chance to speak with him. She and the rest of the girls were big factors in his integration into Ponyville, something he could not have done or faced without their support. As boring as it may be some days, she always listened patiently on how his day had been, and tonight of course was no exception.

"After breakfast I decided to head out of Ponyville for a bit. I was trying to find some alone time and inspiration for my story," James continued.

"Oh? How is it coming along?" Twilight called over her shoulder. While her ears were perked in a way to hear him clearly, her eyes were focused the newly acquired hair samples along with a set of beakers and vials laid out in front of her.

"It’s okay, I guess. Still trying to decide what happens next."

"Well, when you are done, or need a pair of eyes to look over it, please let me know. I think it's a great idea to be writing a story that's similar to your situation."

“Will do," James replied. As much as he would like her help, he felt his story wasn't worth the time for someone like Twilight Sparkle to look over.

"Then, Rainbow Dash showed up and..." his voice trailed off as he realized what he had almost spilled. Unfortunately for him, Twilight had a very good ear and the ability to multitask, being able to hear every little detail in the conversation despite simultaneously working on the pieces in front of her.

"And?" Twilight asked. She turned her head, revealing her glowing horn that shook the vials rhythmically.

James felt a moment of panic at his mistake. He could've easily completely left out the fact he had spent time with Rainbow Dash at all. But it already slipped out, and he scrambled to make something up so as to pass over the intimate incident.

"We... had lunch together! Rainbow Dash brought some lunch. We shared it under the tree.” He had nearly blurted the whole sentence as quickly as he could, but he managed to force himself to slow down and say it as even and naturally as one would.

"That's nice of her," Twilight said as turned her head back to her work. "I know it's been hard on your diet here, being omnivorous and all. Has your luck with fishing gotten any better?"

Thankful for the change of topic, James relaxed and responded easily. "Barely, I managed to finally get a basic form down for the rods. But I'm having a hard time... cleaning the fish," he hesitantly said. "Something I’m sure you're not too keen on hearing. I know you probably don't want to hear about the details or stuff like that."

Twilight shook her head. "No, it's okay. I admit it’s not a topic I particularly enjoy hearing, but the fact is you do eat meat. It's only natural that I accept it and make sure you're eating properly."

"Thanks," James replied. Having someone, or in this case, somepony look out for him was something he was finally starting to get used to. He wasn’t used to having the attention and interest of another person to the point that they took care of him in just about every single way possible. And so far, the six ponies in charge of him during his stay always managed to make time for themselves to see how he was doing. It was attention he had enjoyed, but also felt guilty for having.

"So what did you two have for lunch?" Twilight continued.

"I had a veggie sandwich with side of carrots. Really wish I had the stomach for fries though... something even a little greasy right now would be amazing. Rainbow Dash had some apples and a sandwich of her own. Some kind of flower in it, I forget which. She also had a blue popsicle beforehand and... "

"WHAT!?" Twilight screamed.

James nearly jumped off the couch from the Twilight’s sudden shout. Immediately after, she shut her mouth and looked to stairs where Spike slept just beyond. When no sound came from the alcove above indicating that he had been awaken,Twilight turned around and marched straight to James.

"She had a blue popsicle!?" she hissed.

James sat stiff-backed against the couch, unsure of why she had become so furious. "Y-yes, she did. Is... that a problem?"

Twilight’s eyes became wide. "She didn't... you know. Did she? Did you?"

The guilty look from James was answer enough for her. She had learned what had happened between Rainbow Dash and him, and that fact left James flushed with embarrassment at having been caught.

Twilight’s face became narrowed as she gritted her teeth and growled to her side, "Rainbow Dash. You are. In so. Much. Trouble!"

She then closed her eyes and took in a series of deep breaths in effort to calm herself down least she wake Spike. She brought a hoof to her head and backed herself before settling onto her cushioned chair across from James.

James remained as still and silent as he could, unwilling to potentially anger her further, as well as still reeling at the fact that his actions with Rainbow Dash was now known.

After exhaling multiple times, Twilight finally gathered her thoughts and spoke with a calm voice, "I just want to apologize in advance. Rainbow Dash did not do as we planned and completely went behind my back and done something we all had promised not to do ever since it became apparent you were staying here longer than we thought. And to be frank, it really, really ticks me off. She should have known better."

James’ face turned red at what she was saying, wondering what exactly had everypony had been keeping from him. "What did you girls plan to do?" he asked hesitantly. His hands automatically shifted towards his crotch to cover up the boner that was beginning to appear at the rampant thoughts of ponies advancing towards him. While his mind was not in agreeance with the wild imagery, his body apparently felt otherwise..

With a final exhale Twilight replied, "We promised we wouldn't expose you to certain things in pony culture until we had a better understanding of you. That of course,covered a lot of things, including sex." Twilight finally lowered her hoof and gave James her full visual attention. "We didn't want to startle or freak you out with things that might have been different between us. That's why it wasn't until after so many discussions with you regarding yourself and your own world, that we decided you would be alright with living in your own home. There was no way of knowing what things might be considered strange or offensive to you. A simple hoof shake could've meant a death threat for all we knew."

James relaxed somewhat as he listened to her explanation, feeling the bulge in his pants fade away as the topic became more serious and logical. After all, he himself had done in many ways the same thing they had done with them regarding what information to reveal. And if there was one thing James felt confident in, it was in discussing topics with Twilight on a distant and analytical level, a trait he had come to admire in the mare. "That makes sense. I'm sure you've noticed I've done the same thing."

Twilight nodded in reply. "I have, and truthfully, I'm glad you did. It's nice to talk with someone else who considers things like this."

James gave a meek smile, feeling better at the turn the conversation was beginning to take. If he had to be honest with himself, he found that the ponies each held different aspects that he had, albeit in varying in degrees. When he had watched the show he had chalked it up to being simple and general character traits designed to fit in a kids show. But when he found that they were actually real and alive, those traits had taken on much deeper depths, and his opinion on the ponies personalities became much more complex.

Twilight on one hand, had no problem talking and discussing various different topics on a whim, even going as far as to spend hours on different philosophical points. It was a relationship he had never had to the extent that he and Twilight shared, finding that most of the time anyone who was even slightly interested in talking about such things turned into petty arguments. He never did understand why two people just couldn't discuss something without it ending sourly.

And that was one of the main reasons he had come to enjoy and even look forward to her company. She had been of course portrayed as a smart and intelligent pony in the show, but talking to her in the flesh was so much different than he had ever imagined. She had quirks and viewpoints that were not in the show, and it only added to her persona as a whole in a positive way.

And it was because of his experience with Rainbow Dash only hours before, that he was mustering all his effort to not look at Twilight in a way that would mean an even deeper relationship than the one they had already fostered. While her mind and heart held qualities that were very attractive to James, she was still a pony. And his stance on humans and ponies being together in such a way at this moment currently sat in a flux of fear, shame, and confusion.

. "But one thing we haven't introduced to you yet,” Twilight continued,”was our sex lives. It's no mystery that it is a very sensitive topic for most species, and I had no idea how you would react." Twilight paused for a moment in thought, then hopped off the chair. "Hold on, I'm going to get some juice. I'm going to need something to drink to talk about this. Would you like some?"

"Sure."

"Be right back."

The sounds of Twilight rummaging through cabinets could be heard from the kitchen. James sat patiently on the couch, dreading the conversation he was about to have with her when a sudden thought crept into his mind. Normally he wasn’t to be aware of any subversive actions others may do, something that made him an unfortunate and easy target of pranks. But with his experience with Rainbow Dash still fresh in his mind, James couldn't help but have an inkling of paranoia run across his mind. She's not going to put in what I think she is... is she? The memory of the herb Rainbow Dash gave him caused him to fidget more as he slid his boner under his belt to prevent it from being noticeable.

Moments after shifting himself about, Twilight returned with two glasses floating before her. As she sat, she floated one of them to James. "Here you go."

James nervously reached for the glass and brought it towards him, warily peering inside the cup.

Twilight had already taken a few sips before she noticed James staring into the cup, not having taking a sip yet. Thinking maybe he was lost in thought, she watched in mild curiosity as he lifted it up to his nose and attempted to smell it. Twilight raised her brow. "It’s just plum juice. You've had it before, you know."

Still unsure, James decided to bold the question that was nagging him. "You didn't... put anything in this, did you?"

"Besides plums? No. Why would I?"

James shifted about in his seat, feeling reluctant at revealing anymore information that what had already been figured out. "Well... you see, when Rainbow Dash and I… you know. She gave me this plant and-"

"SHE GAVE YOU EMBER SHADE!?!" Twilight again shouted loudly, nearly causing James to spill his drink from flinching. After a quick realization on her repeated action, they both looked up to the alcove for any sounds of a waking baby dragon. With all quiet again, Twilight turned her returned furious gaze back onto him and repeated and whispered, "She gave you Ember Shade!?"

If there was one place James wished he could be, it was definitely not under the scrutinizing gaze of the increasingly furious mare. "Yes? I think. I don't know what it was called but it was bitter and... well she said it helps with... sex," James finally said, the word that he had been trying to avoid using the whole time. Vocally saying something was confirming it had happened, and James was trying to do anything to avoid the embarrassing conversation he was now having about it.

Before he knew it, Twilight was by his side with a hoof on his forehead and the other checking his pulse. "How do you feel? Any noticeable symptoms that are not normal for you? Do you feel light-headed? Clammy? Chilly?"

James brushed Twilight's hooves away gently at her sudden proximity. While he had undergone plenty of simple body checks from her for her studies of him, he was in no mood to let her perform another one. "I feel fine, nothing’s wrong," he replied in annoyance.

"Are you sure? What happened after you swallowed it?"

James opened his mouth to answer, but stopped short when he recalled the memory gap of how it had all ended. He did remember having sex with Rainbow Dash, and that she was on top of him, but his memory became more faded and hazy the more he tried to recalled how it all concluded. He could only faintly recall her riding on top, then suddenly waking up with her asleep on him. "I-I'm not sure, Twilight. I remember being with Rainbow Dash and just... nothing after that, only waking up later afterwards. I can’t really remember how it all ended."

Twilight’s face frowned as she listened, and after a few moments to herself in thought, she asked, "Did it have the, as I'm sure you know by now, intended effects?"

"Yes," James said quickly, a color red flashing over his cheeks.

"Hmmm," Twilight hummed as she moved back to her seat again. "Memory loss, even small amounts, aren't normal with Ember Shade. If anything it enhances things such as memory so that ponies can remember with even more vivid detail."

Twilight was quiet for some time, working through the information he had given her and its possible implications. James waited patiently again, and finally began to drink from his glass, feeling it was safe now based on her reaction.

Once he had finished a third of the plum juice, Twilight finally spoke. "James, I don't want you taking any more Ember Shade from anypony." She gave him a hard look, and her tone held the meaning that it was more of a statement than a request. Her eyes had a touch of concern along with the message of ‘don't-even-think-about-it.’

"I will warn you, you will have to be vigilant and keep an eye on any food or drinks handed to you. I'll tell the rest of the girls so you shouldn't have to worry about them, but until we have deemed it safe for you to consume Ember Shade, I can't in good faith have you take anymore."

James’ brows furrowed as she spoke. He immediately asked the first question that came to him. "Is it normal for ponies to unexpectedly sneak Ember Shade into someone else?"

Twilight sighed as she mentally prepared herself. "I don't know how it is in your world, but let me explain a few things about ours.”

Twilight took a deep breath and prepared herself, something she frequently did James noted whenever she was about to begin a new topic in their talks. “Sex... is a very popular recreational activity for ponies,” she began. “It's actually considered as normal as just about any other activity. We take great enjoyment from it, and are generally comfortable about and around it. It is actually common for one to put some Ember Shade or Ember Root into another's food or drink of the particular pony they are interested in. A surprise erection or sudden wetness causes some surprise to the taker, and they look for the knowing glance of the one who invited them."

"Hold on," James couldn't help but interrupt. "You guys have a rape plant?"

With a raised eyebrow, Twilight asked curiously, "What's rape?"

James couldn't believe the absurdity of the moment. He had been asked what are humans, what kind of world he was from, and even nearly as embarrassing how humans deal with excrement. In short, he had been asked many things, and a good chunk of those were uncomfortable questions.

But having a pony asking him what rape was brought a new level to the absurdity of questions. Namely it was a topic he never thought for a million years would ever be brought up, and because that he was hesitant on explaining it to her. "Well, it’s when you... have sex with someone. Or somepony... but..." James trailed, unsure if he could even finish. He couldn't imagine how such a dark topic would be met from the gentle nature of a pony. It certainly fit in with the other more grim topics such as finer details of the wars on Earth that he remained set on not delving into.

"But?" Twilight asked. She was aware if how hesitant he got over random topics, some of them for good reason, but others she did not understand why he would become so worked up. "Buuuuut?" she repeated, egging him on.

Knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to leave the library until she got her answer, he finally said, "Rape is... is when you have sex with someone against their will. Usually by force or... drugs to prevent them from resisting." James couldn't help but feel his heart sink at the growing horror that spread across Twilight's face.

She sat there stunned at what he said, unable to say anything for a moment or two.
And when she had found her voice, she spoke with a small crack in her tone, "W-why would anypony do that? That's horrible! That actually happens where you're from?"

James leaned back against the couch, hating himself for having to reveal and confirm the evil of his planet. "Unfortunately, yes."

"I can't believe you came from a place that does such... such... such things! That's awful!"

"So I take it it doesn't happen in Equestria?"

"Of course not! I can't ever recall an event like that happening in pony society. What would ever lead someone to do that?"

James sat forward again, preparing himself to face the hard spoken topic in full. "Well, I imagine it is because someone isn't getting any sex so they become desperate and force someone for it. For others, it is a psychological power trip. And sometimes others do it because it happened to them, and they repeat the action to others. I'm not a psychologist, but there are multiple reasons for it.”

Twilight by now had calmed herself down somewhat as she listened to his explanation of such an atrocity, being perhaps the worst thing she had ever heard. In search of some understanding, she raised questions on various points. "There are ponies who reach for power, but it's never been a sexual thing. But what I can't understand is why they aren't able to get any... well, you know. Here, if a pony turns you down, it's probably only an apple’s throw away from another pony that would."

"It doesn't really work like that on Earth. Actually, I'm really surprised to hear how things are done here. You guys apparently seem so... open to it. It's treated more like a topic of taboo where I'm from. Yeah it's popular, but we’re not as open about it as you seem to be," James said. As Twilight mulled that bit of information over, James quickly finished the rest of his drink and set it aside. He then clasped his hands together to keep them busy during their conversation.

Before Twilight could ask another question about his world, James decided to ask one about hers. "Why is it called Ember Shade?"

Snapping from her thoughts Twilight replied, "Hmm? Oh, well Ember Shade has many uses. It's actually a very popular plant due to its versatile nature. But its main attraction is, as you know, the sexual performance increase it provides. It gained the name Ember Shade due to the common symptom of causing cheeks to turn crimson after eating it. Ember Root, on the other hoof, is a different plant that often grows near Ember Shade. It affects the mares in the same way, often increasing arousal. Both are just mild arousal inducers to create an intimate effect."

"Um," James replied, thinking back on what little he remembered. "I don't think it was mild for me."

"What do mean?"

"Well... what I remember was..." James tried to explain, but found difficulty in doing so. It was hard enough to talk about the fact he had done it, but another to go into the details. Normally he could talk about anything with Twilight, finding even abstract and unusual topics a joy to discuss with her. He had figured something about sex would be brought up eventually, having only given Twilight a brief discussion about human mating. But he never thought he would find it so hard to openly talk about it.

"James," Twilight said sternly, seeing through the reason for his hesitation. "I'm a researcher. I've done plenty of studies on pony and other species’ mating habits. Believe it or not, but inter-species dating is common."

"Really?"

"Yes, another reason why we agreed not to bring the topic up with you is when we found out you're the only intelligent species in your world. We figured the idea of having intimate experiences with another species would probably freak you out."

The mention of the word ‘freak’ caused James to recall the reaction Rainbow Dash had when she said that he thought of her as one. "Yeah... its not really a common thing where I'm from. Some people do it with animals but again, its not a common thing. More of a taboo."

Twilight nodded in understanding. "I hypothesized as much. The not being normal with other species part that is. As you were saying?"

"Hmm?"

"The effects of the Ember Shade."

"Oh... right."

James mentally prepared himself, a fleeting thought of he couldn't believe he would be recounting his sexual experiences with a pony crossing his mind. Heck, it was only some time ago that he never thought he would have a sexual experience with a pony. "Well, the size seemed to increase... and I became more sensitive. It actually felt much better than it normally would. However, I wouldn't call it 'mild.’ In fact, I don’t even think we have something that effective where I’m from."

Twilight looked as if she was about to say something, but quickly closed her mouth and shook her head. Before James could ask what she had been about to say, she spoke. "It doesn't sound like it had any large negative effects, but the memory loss at the end concerns me. Hay, the entire thing concerns me! I still can't believe Rainbow Dash went ahead and did that."

"Do you know why she did?"

Twilight sighed and gulped the rest of her drink before levitating both empty glasses to a nearby table. "Originally we promised we wouldn't expose you to the more intimate side of pony culture. Not at least until we figured out more about you. After what I felt like was enough time for you to adjust and we learned more about you, I let the girls know during our meetings that it may now be a safe time to introduce you to it."

One of James’ eyebrows rose questionably. "You have meetings about me?"

The look on Twilight's face was a moment of sudden shock before turning away sheepishly. "Kinda..."

"Why?" James asked, trying to hide a hint of amusement. It was nice being on the other side of the scrutinizing end with the mare.

"Well... we decided that us six would keep an eye on your adjustment to Ponyville, as designated by Princess Celestia for your one year trial period.”

“And that means exactly?” James was already aware that the trial period was a year long probation period before he would become a citizen of Equestria. After meeting Princess Celestia and the fact that getting him home would be more difficult than anticipated, she had set in motion a chance for him to have a life here should they be unsuccesful in sending him back. The reason it was set to a year was for James to adjust to their culture and learn their laws, as well as give him a window for his way home to be developed. She and Twilight had come to the conclusion that if it could not be done within a year with a high priority, then it was an occurrence that could not be replicated artificially, and his arrival was a by product by forces they could not presently understand.

But what James did not understand was why the girls were apart of the probation process. There was a minute of silence as Twilight fidgeted beneath James’ stare, before she finally caved in.

“It means... that we are your judges on… on whether or not your citizenship will be approved,” Twilight said as her ears lowered.

“And why didn’t I know about this?”

Twilight shifted her gaze. “We wanted you to act as naturally as you could given your circumstances, and we didn’t want the possibility of you knowing there was a test or judges at should you change your behavior of how you might act. Or if you knew who the judges were, act favorably for them as to sway their opinion. So... we have meetings to discuss your progress.”

"I see,” James said calmly. Twilight fidgeted under his searching eyes, wondering exactly was going on in his head, and for revealing the test portion of his trial period. She was not only worried that Princess Celestia might change the process due to his learning, but also on how James felt on learning they were essential the sole decision makers on whether or not he could have a complete life here.

James on the other hand, felt a mixture of feelings that were not helping him think logically on the matter. Regardless of how one would feel having learned that the possibly closest people, or ponies in this case, in a strange world were secretly meeting with each other to decide your future, he could not let himself become petty and miss the importance of their actions and reason.

"I can't really blame you,” James said. “I mean, what else would you do? I'm a stranger and you need to be cautious with me. It's fine, really. I would probably do the same." In truth, his mind told him he definitely would. There was nothing wrong with the pony’s logic about the situation, he reasoned, which meant there was no point in becoming bothered by it.

Twilight became relieved at his statement. "Thank you for being understanding." James simply shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head to the side at the same time in reply. His mind had no problem with it as it made perfect sense from her perspective. But a small nagging feeling in his chest couldn't help but arise at the whole situation. He quickly quelled it so it would not escalate the issue.

Deciding to jump back to the main point he asked, "So part of your judging process was to let Rainbow..." James paused as he tried to find the right words. Thoughts of 'jumped' or 'sic em' came to mind, but he just couldn't seem to treat the experience as such. As much as he might have been jumbled about it, he wasn't sure he regretted it.

"No, that was certainly not part of the plan,” Twilight said, the sharp edge returning to her voice. “The plan was to have you come over for me to subtly start a conversation about the mating habits on your world, then I would talk about ours and gauge your reaction. It was most certainly not leaving immediately after we decided to do that to grab some food, Ember Shade, and somepony's notorious 'blue popsicle' and meet said person under a tree," Twilight finished in a huff. She clearly had a bone to pick with Rainbow Dash the first chance she could get.

"Blue popsicle? Why is that so special? In fact, how did you know Rainbow and I did it after I mentioned it?" James asked.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Whenever Rainbow Dash is alone and brings a 'blue popsicle,’ she means to have sex with the accompanied pony. It's her signature move. She likes to start with a cold mouth or something."

"Oh..." James merely said. The mention of it being a popular move with Rainbow Dash for other ponies caused him to draw inwards. He wasn't sure why he was feeling like this. His mind tried to convince himself that it's just normal for ponies and apparently a part of their culture, and that he shouldn't feel bad about it.

But for some reason he just couldn't drive the feeling away.

"James? Are you okay?" Twilight asked, taking notice at his sudden quietness.

James lifted his head in response, unaware that he had been a little lost internally in front of Twilight. "Hmm? Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking about everything, that's all," he said as nonchalantly as he could.

Twilight regarded him for another moment before immediately asking in panic, “Oh my gosh! You don't feel like Rainbow Dash raped you, do you?"

James gave a deadpanned look before shortly turning to beet red. Of all the things he thought he would hear.

"No! I mean, it's not like that! I even kissed her and..." James trailed off as he realized what he said. Remembering back, there was a moment where he could have avoided it all. He could have stopped it if he wanted to. But instead, he choose to pursue her with that sudden kiss. As conflicted as he felt on the inside, he knew he didn't regret it happening. As much as he rationalized it, it was an experience that he wouldn’t take back. Even if his mind couldn’t understand why.

Which in the end, only brought more confusion and frustration for him; with one side saying it was a good thing, and the other chastising him for doing something a human should have never done. The only time he had ever felt so conflicted and lost was when he had first arrived in Equestria.

Suddenly, a single chime echoed throughout the room, and they both looked up to the clock carved into the tree. Twilight gave a small gasp. "Goodness, is it that late already? I'm sorry for keeping you up. I'm afraid we’ll have to call it a night."

"It's okay," James replied, a little more eagerly than he intended to show, having been ready to depart the tree house since the conversation had taken a uncomfortable turn.

"I’ll walk you out the door," Twilight said as she scooped up the glasses with her magic and trotted into the kitchen. James stood up and gave a wide stretch and waited politely until she had returned, and then followed her to the door.

As Twilight opened the door for him and he made his way out, she spoke. "I just wanted to say that even though this wasn’t the best of discussions, I’m glad we had it. I hope we cleared some things up, and I apologize again for you learning about… that in the way you did. And don’t worry, I’m going to talk to Rainbow Dash about it.”

"It's alright, you don’t have to,” James replied. “What's done is done, so it doesn’t have to be brought up anymore."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, before slowly replying, “Okay… if you're sure.”

A silent moment passed between them before Twilight coughed into her hoof, and spoke in a more cheerful tone. "I hope the next time we get a chance to talk about things is about more pleasant things. Honestly, I’m always looking forward to when we have our talks.

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. Who else can I have long winded and detail conversations without them becoming agitated? I mean, you don't get bored or mad about whatever we're talking about like some ponies do, even when I drag it out for hours on end. Most of the time it either ends with them suddenly saying their laundry is calling them, or becoming a heated argument saying I’m wrong.” Twilight then tilted her head. “Although lately I’ve been getting the laundry excuse a lot more than them becoming angry and arguing with me.”

“Might have to do with the fact that you are a princess now,” James pointed out with a smile.

Twilight looked at her wings, then lowered her head slightly as a touch of red grew on her cheeks. “That would explain a lot.” Twilight then looked up towards him. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about that with you.”

The sight of Twilight looking up to him with her chin slightly pointed downwards, the small smile on her lips, and the blush on her face made James’ heart skip a beat, followed by an awkwardly long silence between the two of them.

"Ahem,” Twilight said as she tilted her head down and flexed her wings. “Well, I should go to bed."

"Uh, yeah, I should to. See you later,” James replied as he fumbled his hands into his pockets.

"Bye then," she said as she began to close the door while James turned around and walked off. He didn't make it more than ten feet before hearing the mare call out to him. "James!"

Looking back, he saw her standing in the doorway. "I forgot, can you stop by this Thursday again? There are some more experiments I want to try. I'll need you present for them."

"Sure, what time?"

"Oh, anytime in the evening. And we wont have to worry about being quiet either like tonight. Spike will be in Canterlot so no need to worry."

"Okay, sure thing."

"Alright, see you then," Twilight added with a wink before closing the door.

James, thinking nothing of it, continued walking back to his house. It wasn't until he was halfway home letting his mind wander, before he recalled a similar situation he had experienced like this back on Earth. A girl he knew had asked him to come over because everyone else in the house would be gone so they could watch movies as loud as they wanted to. It was however, to his surprise and enjoyment, not the real reason for his invitation. He had fallen for similar tricks like that all his life, always apparently oblivious to comments or hints that most people would pick up on. However, after tonight's discussion, he couldn't help but wonder if Thursday would lead to something other than the normal routine with Twilight. And if that wink had meant anything or not...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To his frustration, the morning did not bring further clarity on the matter of subtle hints from the events of last night. His paranoia on it however, vanished as a familiar voice called out his name in what was an unmistakable country accent.

“Good morning, James!”

He turned his head towards the approaching farm pony down the street. Normally he would think nothing of bumping into her, as a chance meeting with one of the girls was practically a daily occurrence in the relatively tiny town. But with everything that had happened within the last twenty-hours, events and discussions that had radically changed his view on the Equine world, bringing concerns that he did not entirely know how to feel about, he simply thought, Great… What’s going to happen now?

Author's Note

Well here it is, second chapter of a fic I never thought would have gotten so much attention. What started as a one shot is now developing into a story with hopefully more to it than clop but nonetheless still has it. Thank you everyone for giving it so much attention and I hope I can deliver a story you all can enjoy :D

Big props for the two Editor's for this in-progress series Draxco & Shanenator. It's only thanks to them that my chapters will come clean as possible and bearable.