Writer's Block

by Darknyu

Rating: mature
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Comedy, Romance, Sex, Discord, Slice of Life, Human, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack
Length: 45442

James is a bit out of place here in Ponyville. But the local hero residents made sure he was very welcomed during his time while they figured out to send him back.

** Currently undergoing a re-write to first person. No estimate time until completion **

Life isn’t as easy as a story. There’s no single focused plot or convenient sentences that suddenly make everything better or clear. It’s a jumbled mess and you can only hope you’re making the right choices. But even deciding what the right choice is hard. On top of the normal difficulties of life, how much more confusing can it get when you add candy colored ponies? You might have a clear outlook on it, but I don’t. So, here’s my story, and all the choices I made. For good and for ill.

Big thanks to my editors Draxco & Shanenator for all their help and support.

Published 2013-07-30 16:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2014-05-17 17:30:23 UTC

Blue Popsicle

The sun sat high in the sky, cradling the land below with a comfortable and soothing warmth. With the addition of the heat, the gentle breeze carried the scent of dirt, moss-laden trees, and fields grass and flowers. It was the epitome of summer and paradise, the perfect place to rest and renew a weary spirit or troubled mind.

But such was not the case of the person who sat beneath one of those trees, far in the depths of a green field speckled with flowers. While such comfortable weather and environments should have eased his problems, his attention was instead locked onto a series of dilemmas, all while adding idly to the subtle sympathy of the nature around him with the tapping of his pencil atop his notebook.

“Hmmmm...”

James had been tapping away for the last hour, unable to come to a conclusion to the immediate situation he found himself in. He had travelled to the secluded tree in attempts to remain alone and undistracted ss he worked out a solution, having been unable to find any progress at his home, a cafe, or even the local library. But it seemed that no matter how he tried, he was just unable to figure out the course of direction his story would take. Besides recent events, James found that writing was one of the most difficult things of his life.

“So he finds himself in Equestria, and meets the Mane six. He spends a couple weeks learning that his once favorite cartoon show was as impossible as it seemed, was very much real.” He thumbed through the few pages beneath the blank sheet on top of the stack, skimming previous chapters as he rattled his brain for what to write next.

“He’s in Equestria, learns not only the show is real...” he repeated, “but also finds out loads of new things that the show didn’t cover. In addition, he runs into a few adventures with Pinkie Pie, meets Celestia, and nearly becomes trampled beneath a stampede of bunnies. All of that and more while he lays awake at night wondering how this was even possible, and if he would ever be able to go home again.”

The wind picked up for a moment, rattling the leaves above him that caused the sunlight that shined through their gaps to dance across his lap.

“But then what happens?”

No matter how much thought he put to it, he couldn’t figure out what would come next in the story, and it was starting to frustrate him to no end. With a sigh, he dropped the notebook and pencil onto his lap and leaned back against the tree. Watching the swaying leaves settle back into place from the sudden breeze, he let his mind wander; from food back on earth that he missed, to reflecting over the new streets he was memorizing. Whenever he faced a situation he did not have an answer to, he had found the the best to deal with it was to think about something else, and hope that the solution would present itself in time. It got him through his problems before—though they were more trivial than his new problems—and hoped the method would work for him here. He simply did not wish to get himself worked up on something he couldn’t solve at the time, and decided to let distance from the problem works its magic.

But as he rested beneath the tree, letting the world around him fade into day dreams, a distant voice was heard. “Hey, Jaaaaaames!”

Lifting his head from the calling of his name, he looked about the large field. He saw nothing that might have yelled to him, not even a silhouette of a figure in the far of trees. He thought he might have imagined it, but his name was shouted again, and much closer this time. “James!”

He leaned forward for a better view, and looked upwards to the sky, immediately spotting the distinct blue figure that had been shouting. Only needing a moment to recognize who the voice belonged to, he waved towards the approaching pegasus and leaned back against the tree to await her arrival.

The pegasus landed a short distance away, swishing the grass and dandelions around her with her wing strokes. And after tucking them to her side, she trotted casually towards him, the saddlebags on her sides bouncing, and her voice holding an edge of annoyance. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over Ponyville for you.”

Chuckling, James responded, “Sorry Rainbow Dash. I was trying to get some inspiration for my next chapter. I thought being a little ways from the town might help.”

“You're still writing that?” Rainbow asked, still annoyed at the fact she had spent the last few hours hunting for him. After she flipped her hair, she tossed her saddlebag on the ground, and sat beside him against the tree. “Why in Equestria are you writing a story about yourself?”

James shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve never been much for writing.”

“So why do it?

“If I had to guess... it kind of helps me make some sense of what’s happened to me. And even if I don’t ever figure out why I came here, maybe writing my own ending will help.”

“You’ve got to stop worrying about that. Twilight already explained how she thinks you ended up here.” Rainbow said before leaning back and closing her eyes. After watching her get into a comfortable position, James then eyed the saddlebags next to her. He caught the faint smell of fresh vegetables emanating from the bags, their noticeable smells and tastes being much stronger than the ones back on Earth. James had wondered at times how many people would go vegetarian for vegetables and fruits like the ones in Equestria.

Figuring that she had decided to join him for her lunch, Rainbow Dash reached into the bags and fished around before pulling out a slightly melted blue popsicle. She unwrapped it carefully as to not spill any of the juices onto her, and plopped it in her mouth before it could melt any further in the afternoon heat.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make it any easier for me,” James answered, propping himself up with his hands behind him. “Come on, how would you react if you suddenly ended up in, I don’t know, your Daring Doo series you like so much?”

Rainbow grinned. “I would kick butt and discover treasure,” she said between her teeth.

“Okay, bad example. What if you ended up in my world?”

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and stared upwards, a thoughtful expression passing over her face as she pulled the popsicle from her mouth. “I don’t know. From what you told me, it sounds kinda neat. There would be a lot of stuff to see and do.”

“Yeah, but wouldn’t you feel homesick, isolated, or lost?”

“Yeah I guess. But it would be the adventure of a lifetime! Come on, you have to be a little excited about being here... right?”

“Of course I am. I’m living what would be just about every bronies dreams.”

Rainbow Dash giggled. “Bronies, such a weird name. You humans are weird, you know that?” She plopped the popsicle back in her mouth, still smiling at the mention of the word.

“Like you're any better featherbrain,” James retorted playfully.

Rainbow Dash grinned wider and closed her eyes again, deciding to simply enjoy the shade of the tree.

“But seriously,” James continued, believing the conversation was not over yet. “You’d would still feel alone and confused. Like somethings not right no matter how good of a time you’re having.”

Rainbow Dash’s annoyed tone came out again as she snapped her eyes open and turned to him. “Hey, are you saying we haven’t been helping?”

“No, that’s not it,” James said. “All of you have been great. Like, incredibly great and helpful. You’ve really made me feel welcome here, especially when I had such a rough.”

“By Celestia you were weird back then,” Rainbow Dash said. “All that screaming you did saying how you were going insane, or how AJ and I had to chase you around town.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled before blowing at her bangs, and her head back against the tree again. He knew however, that she was not done yet, and mentally sighed when she flicked her hoof in the air. “Go on.”

With a grunt, James leaned back as well before spouting out the rest of the compliment he knew she would want to hear. “Thank you Rainbow Dash and the others for being so helpful, and convincing the town I wasn’t a monster from the Everfree.”

“And?”

James sighed. “... And thank you for being totally awesome.”

“Thank you,” Rainbow Dash said with a proud grin. Happy to have gotten her compliment, they sat in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying each others company in the sunny afternoon. At least until thought popped into Rainbow Dash’s mind. “Oh, I forgot, Twilight wanted you to come over tonight.”

“Yeah? What for?” James asked.

“I don’t know, probably egghead stuff as usual.”

“Maybe she made some progress on getting me back home,” James speculated. “She’s been working pretty hard on it lately, maybe she finally made a breakthrough.” Thoughts of home and seeing it again drifted across his mind. As much as he had become accustomed to Equestria, and the fact he was living a brony’s dream, he couldn’t deny the fact that had a desire to still go back to Earth. He didn’t know if he was crazy or sane for wanting to go back. One part of him said to accept the unbelievable opportunity he found himself in, and another that said he didn’t belong here.

At a first glance from the show, Equestria was supposed to be this magical place of friendship and happiness. And even though it was great, it was still far from perfect. Even the mane six didn’t meet the magical expectation the show had set. While they were all friendly, only a few had any real genuine interest in interacting with him. Equestria it seemed, was not the place where you would be the center of attention, with close friends only being a stone throw away. The feeling of disconnect James had back on Earth still persisted with him in Equestria, and made him wonder if he was even meant to be here at all.

As he sat in deep thought, Rainbow Dash pulled out her popsicle, idly staring at the remaining half before asking softly, “So...you're going go home then?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” James replied nonchalantly.

Rainbow Dash’s brow furrowed as she sat up. “Humans...”

James raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What?”

“What do you mean what?” Rainbow Dash replied as she turned away.

“Just that.” He looked her up and down for an answer. “Why are you upset?” However, Rainbow Dash did not reply, instead choosing to bristle her feathers in response. What is up with her? Is she okay? Worried that he may have offended her in someway, he reached out a hand instinctively, but pulled it back, choosing to use his words instead. “Rainbow, what's wrong? Why aren’t you talking to me?”

When Rainbow Dash turned her head back to him, he had expected a scowling glare that was typical for the hotheaded pegasus. But instead, got a sorrowful look he had not seen on her before. “You don’t have to go you know...” she said quietly.

James sat dumbfounded at her comment, unable to come up with anything to saw for a few moments. “Do...do you want me to stay?”

“Can’t you stay here in Ponyville with us?” She visibly gulped. “With... me?”

James heart skipped a beat at the question. “R-Rainbow...”

Rainbow Dash suddenly dropped the popsicle to the ground, and turned her body towards him. She placed a hoof between his legs while knocking his notebook and pencil away. James stiffened and pressed his body back against the tree as far as he could, unable to form a single thought in his head to her actions. Her head was close as she stared straight into his eyes with the same soft expression. “I’m saying... stay.”

In truth, he was expecting any moment for her burst out in laughter at him for being an idiot and hoof punch him in the arm. But her juvenal personality did not show in the slightest to offset the suddenly serious and intimate atmosphere that had descended beneath the tree. Instead, it only grew as she positioned her entire body between his legs, sitting upright and still holding close eye contact with him. James couldn’t help but remain motionless and watched the spectacle unfold before him, feeling his cheeks warm as he felt her flanks push against his inner thighs.

Rainbow Dash smiled gently and narrowed her eyes as she bent forward to whisper in his ear. “You know, there's one thing you haven’t learned yet about us ponies.” James’ heart rate steadily rose from her words “Ponies like to be close to those around them. And the one way you and I haven’t been close in yet, is physical.” James felt his pants suddenly become tighter at the implication. “You haven’t seen it because no pony wanted to frighten you but... some other ponies have had their eye on you.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His mind was still locked in shock of what was happening to even react. “And I have had my eye on you for awhile.” She reached forward with her hoof, and pressed it against the rising bulge in his pants

“R-Rainbow...D-?” James stammered.

“Shhhhhh.” Rainbow Dash whispered. “I’m going to show you the other reason why they call me the fastest pony in Equestria.” James found himself only able swallow the lump that had built in his throat in response. And before he could act further, Rainbow Dash in one smooth motion undid his zipper, and pulled down his boxers, revealing his bulging member to her.

James finally snapped too at the sensation of the air hitting his privates, squirming beneath the looming pegasus in obvious attempts to get away, but unwilling to shove her off. “Rainbow Dash!” he exclaimed in panic.

Before he could so much as shuffle an inch further, she pinned his shoulder with a hoof, and dived in with her mouth against his, kissing him deep and passionately. James’ eyes closed instinctively in attempts to block out what was happening, his brain screaming at him in more ways than one at the absurdity and wrongness of the situation that was developing.

But with his eyes closed, he noticed that the kiss she was giving him was not as alien as he imagined it would be. Unbelievably, it was very much like kissing a human. His tense resistant to the action held at first, but slowly gave away as Rainbow Dash continued with an intensity and passion he had never experienced before in a kiss. Besides the fact that mouth was slightly bulged, he could hardly tell it was a pony that had locked lips with him as he eyes remained closed. Her lips even held a chilled sensation from the popsicle she had been munching on before. And when her only slightly noticeably larger tongue gently pressed in, he was too taken aback from the ordeal and met hers with his own, finding her tongue was also chilled..

His brain could not think, having become too perplexed at the surge of emotion and feelings that emanated from Rainbow Dash’s lips, the lingering taste of popsicle, and the closeness of her body at pressed itself into his while slightly squirming in passion. It was a rare moment in James’ life that his mind would shut down, and even rarer when he acted upon the whim of the knot that had developed in his chest. Except that while his chest normally held a tightness whenever such moments occurred before, there was nothing but a sensation of being light and heavy at the same time. It was like he could float away in a sea of warmth. It was a feeling he had never had before.

Without thought, he wrapped his arms around her head, feeling the sensation of her flowing mane, and caressed her body against his. Rainbow Dash let out a soft moan at the sensation of his hands, and the eagerness in his kiss as he returned it.

And as if his heart couldn’t beat any harder, the feeling of a soft grip wrap around his member sent it pounding away. Slowly he felt what he could not believe but assumed was her hoof, gently start to pump his now throbbing dick up and down gently. Rainbow Dash’s ears fell down in excitement as she heard him moan as well as they still locked lips. After a few strokes, Rainbow Dash pulled away and opened her eyes partly. She was breathing heavily through her mouth from the intensity the kiss held. James’s eyes opened as he also regained his breath.

Still catching her breath, she chuckled at the sight of James. She had never seen him like this, and immensely enjoyed the fact that the normal calm and collected human was now lost in a surge of lust and emotion. His eyes that were normally distant and mysterious, were now wild and showed a depth of fire she had known was there. She had been wanting to see this side of him for awhile, and she wanted more.

Without breaking her eye contact with his, she dipped her head down to his chest, and over his member. Still lost in the rush of the moment, James watched as she slid his length into her mouth, unable to help himself but let out a small moan as her mouth enveloped him. It was still cold but wonderfully wet. Grinning to herself at eliciting such a reaction from him, she wrapped her tongue wrapped around his dick and began to tease him inside her mouth, exploring every inch with her larger and flexible tongue. Rainbow Dash’s head dipped forward as she slowly moved it all the way to the back of her throat, causing James to stiffen his back in reply.

When her muzzle was fully pressed into his pelvis, she opened her mouth as wide as she could, leaving only her tongue in contact with the underside of his member. Slowly, she moved her head backwards, dragging her tongue so that it slid across the base of the underside all the way to the tip. James’ hips rose with her automatically to chase her fleeing mouth.

Before Rainbow Dash’s tongue let the tip completely, she quickly wrapped her mouth around it again and thrust it deep into her throat. She let out a muffled giggle as he twitched from the action. Enjoying herself at playing him with, she repeated the slow teasing motion of sliding her tongue beneath him, before quickly sucking the tip into her mouth and shoving her head down again.

And only until she deemed he had enough of the teasing act, did she kept her mouth fully closed and begin to pump her head up and down his shaft. Slowly increasing in pace, she bobbed her head up and down, stopping just before the tip became exposed before thrusting her muzzle deep into his crotch, shoving it as far into her throat as possible. Besides soft moans that escaped them both, the wet noises that were created by her actions were the most audible sounds by the trees. By now the coldness of the popsicle before had vanished from the heat of his member, returning warmth to Rainbow Dash’s mouth.

James couldn’t believe how mind numbingly good it felt. It was better than any head he had received from the few girls he had been lucky to be with back on Earth. The force of her suction was unbelievable, and her mouth the softest he had ever felt. Her tongue was wide enough to almost wrap his cock in full, similar in fashion to how one’s tongue curved when whistling. He his body couldn’t make up its mind to buck his hips with the motion or to remain still from how good it felt. There was no way he was going to last long if she kept it up.

As if on cue, he began to feel the pressure deep within build. He was going to cum soon, and there was no way he could stop it. “Oh god, Rainbow I’m...”

She looked up to him and pulled away for a moment, letting her saliva trail from her tongue to his tip. “Come on, I bet you're only ten seconds away flat,” she said with a naughty grin before plunging her head back down on him voraciously.

Godammit Rainbow James thought. But the cliché comment didn’t slow the building pressure in the slightest. And just as she predicted, within ten seconds, he exploded. In reflex he jerked his hips up as cum burst poured from his dick, and he had expected Rainbow Dash to pull out to let him cum on the ground. But she kept it firmly in her mouth, choosing to suck on it and draw out every bit that leak out. He felt her tongue caress his cum out from his tip and down into her throat as she swallowed every drop. She was like a vacuum sucking all the excess it could get its suction on.

When it was over, James fell back against the tree while panting. It had been the best blow job he had ever received in his life. In fact, it was almost too good. It normally didn’t make him feel pleasure to the point that his mind was fuzzy from the experience.

Rainbow Dash finally released his member with a plop, and licked her lips while humming happily. She looked up at James with a grin of satisfaction. “Well? How was that?”

James had trouble finding his voice for a few moments, taking a moment before speaking. “That...was interesting to say the very fucking least. God, that felt better than most sex. Why did it feel so good?” Rainbow Dash only chuckled lightly before stretching a hoof towards her satchel and rummaged inside it. James was unaware of her actions as he continued in disbelief. “And seriously, how do you do that with your hooves in the beginning? I still don’t get how they work.”

“Hey James.” Rainbow Dash said.

Turning his head toward her, he replied, “What?”

“Open your mouth,” she said with a sly grin.

“Uh...why?” He was finally regaining control of his breathing.

“I brought a special treat with my lunch. I wanted to share it with you,” she said while looking away shyly. Thinking nothing of it, he opened his mouth. “And close your eyes,” she added.

He didn’t know what she was going to feed him, but he suspected it was another delicious cupcake from Pinkie Pie, or perhaps a popsicle of his own.

With his brain still recovering from the ordeal, he saw no reason to not humor the pegasus and closed his eyes. Ready to accept whatever tasty and sweet pastry she had for him, he instead got a dry and stale leaf. Frowning at the oddity she had fed him, he chewed it thoughtfully for a few moments before swallowing. He reopened his eyes and mouth to ask what it was she had given him, but the sudden bitter aftertaste caused him to gag. “Dear god! What the hell was that?”

“Just a local plant we have. It’s used in a ton of different potions and recipes like cooking and stuff. But it’s also used for something else. You see, it’s great at getting a stallion going again after some fun. And from the looks of it, it works on humans to.” Her attention was now downward as she bit her lip.

James followed her gaze, and saw he was fully erection again. And he could of sworn that he was even a little bigger than before. He couldn’t believe he was so hard just after cumming. Whatever plant she had given him must have been magical because its effects were nearly instantaneous. And as if to further defy the impossibility of it, it felt like he had become even more sensitive.

“Hey, James.” Drawing his attention from his suddenly hard again dick, he looked up and saw one of Rainbow Dash’s hoofs near her crotch, and pulling apart a very wet and dripping pussy. His mind locked up again at the sight before him. The Rainbow Dash, was sitting in front of him, with a wet pussy, and eyes that were almost begging.

Nearly cracking as he found his voice, he coughed politely. “Rainbow, I don’t know about this. I mean the blow job felt great but...I’m a human. And you're...”

Rainbow Dash’s face turned to surprise, then fell away completely, her ears flattening in kind. “...a pony,” she finished for him.

“E-Exactly. I just... don’t know about this. Were two completely different species, and we have no idea what might happen and...” James was purposefully searching for reasons to avoid what might happen next. It’s not that the blow job wasn’t the best blow job he had in his life, or that actually having intercourse with Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to be amazing either. He just couldn’t bring himself to actually follow through with the act, the open feeling in his chest closing off into a knot again as it usually was.

Grabbing anything to use to explain his actions without hurting her, he blurted forth a list of reasons. “I loved the show before coming here, and I feel even in more love actually meeting you girls. Your wonderful, really you are. But I never thought of you all as someone, I mean... somepony, that would be in a intimate relationship with.”

The longer he spoke about it, the more he realized the entire thing was outside his comfort zone. He was about to have sex with a pony, and that thought just bothered him in a way that he couldn't fully describe. “I don’t know how it is in Equestria, but humans don’t get… intimate, it with other species. Well, some do, but they’re very rare, and often considered to be freaks. It’s just... not a normal thing for us...”

James’ voice trailed off when he actually looked at Rainbow Dash, and put two and two together on what he had just said. Rainbow Dash hung her head beneath her bangs, masking her face. James however, could imagine what kind of expression she was making based on the rest of her body language. Her wings limpy touched the ground, her ears following in-suit on top her head, and he swore he could even hear the quivering of her breath.

“Rainbow...” James began. “I didn’t mean...look I...you're-”

“I’m just a weird freak huh?” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “I’m just a pony, not a human. And you can’t be with anything else besides that. It’s just... gross and freakish to you! And you're just waiting to go home so can find someone instead of somepony else!

Rainbow Dash stood onto her hooves. “So why don’t you just head over to Twilight's so she can help find your way back so you can leave and-”

James didn’t give her a chance to speak another work.

Without thinking, James reached his arms out and around them Rainbow Dashs neck, and gently pulled her to him. She fell forward without resistance and landed against his chest, stunned at the sudden action from the usually collected and hesitant human. Her brain processed many things at that moment, all of them a surreal sensation that she wasn’t sure was actually happening.

For one, there was the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, holding her tight against him in an affectionate hug. It was in fact, the first hug she had ever received from him, perhaps the first pony to be hugged by a human at all for the matter. And while their embrace felt alien, it was also warm, and protective. He cradled her in a way a pony could not, and even if they were not as thick as a pony’s, they felt like they could shelter her from so many things.

But out of all the sensations she experienced that moment, the slowing of time, the particular smell on the breeze, her own breath escaping as a gasp from falling forward, the one thing that stood out the most, was his heart.

She could hear it in his chest, beating with rhythm in a way that captivated her, and doused whatever anger she had before. She couldn’t describe what it was about it, or why it seemed more pronounced and awing than any other heart. But it did, and it was the only thing she could focus on that moment.

So when he spoke, Rainbow Dash nearly missed what he said.

“Featherbrain, there's no person like you back on Earth. Why would I want to go back if you weren’t there?” James said.

Rainbow Dash was quiet for a few moments, before breathlessly asking, “You really mean that?”

“Yeah.” He replied.

James typically was not a man of spontaneity, rather choosing to remain distant and observant in most situations. He always did his best to act what seemed the most logical decision in a situation, and never give in to whimsical feelings that may cause more problems than doing nothing. He did his best to not get worked up in arguments, did not let his own frustrations from a difficult task cause him to delay his work with fruitless complaining, or let himself fall into a pit of despair or pain from hard situations.

He merely shouldered through those kinds of things, putting aside his own personal opinions on the matter so he could get by it as painlessly as possible. It served him well in getting through difficult times, and he almost always emerged unscathed.

The problem however, was that such a mentality and behavior persisted even outside tough times. It was one of the main things that made it difficult for him to connect socially with others. Always remaining passive, always thinking about how to act and behave around others, and always never letting himself get carried away with something that was illogical.

But in this particular moment, he failed to keep his usual reaction.

It was like a overwhelming force erupting from his chest and washing over his mind, drowning out all reason and objections to what he was doing. Equestria, ponies, Rainbow Dash… all of those complications were irrelevant. All that mattered was that someone that he felt different towards than others with was here with him now. And she he had guessed, felt the same way about him. There was only that feeling of closeness that made his breath catch in his throat, made his heart beat faster, and urge on his body without his control.

And he acted on it.

James pulled an arm from around Rainbow Dash, and cupped her chin to gently lead her eyes upwards, and into his. They stared at each other with searching and questioning eyes, wondering exactly what the other was thinking or feeling. It was a moment of uncertainty, intensity, passion, and mystery. The depths of the others eyes held more emotion and thought than either could put into words.

Still acting on the moment, James leaned forward and brought his mouth close to hers. It was in that proximity that both had forgotten they had been holding their breaths, and let out with heavy gasps from the lack of air, and took in the scent of the other.

Rainbow Dash had kissed him before, but this was much different. This, held a blazing fire that previous kisses in her life only held a candle flame to. And it was with her lips that began to quiver in suspense, James pushed the rest of the way, and electricity shot through their skin.

They became lost in that kiss, setting aside everything else for the simple and passionate act of two beings sharing and exploring each other. Rainbow Dash could almost feel the emotions inside of him, a side she had wondered was actually there or not. It was raw, unbridled, and she wanted more.

Her body moved without thought as she pushed closer and them both against the tree. And without breaking lips, she shuffled herself to straddle ontop of him, and began rub her crotch against his. The time for words had past, and the only thing left was for them to expend the pool of lustful and intense feelings that had built within them.

Rainbow Dash’s wet pussy soak his dick with her juices, quickly lubing it up from the now dried salvia from earlier. Even as their mouths explored the others, she gingerly slid his shaft between her lower lips, teasing her entrance before moving it to her clit. Each time it pressed the sensitive spot, she would let out a moan muffled by their kiss. From between their tongues now intertwining, to the sensation of his shaft pressing against her vulva and into her clit, and the burning feelings inside her she was sure was equally matched inside James, Rainbow Dash was beginning to become light-headed. It was all becoming so much, and she only wanted to push it higher. Refixing her grip to James’ shoulders, she rubbed him against her with more force.

After a minute of this, James’ dick was completely soaked and slick. It was to the point that Rainbow Dash had trouble keeping it firming affixed against her pussy, finding that it was beginning to slip out as she push her waist against it with all her might.

Feeling the apex of the foreplay, Rainbow Dash positioned herself directly atop of it, and her tail was flicking in eager apprehension. She was couldn’t stand waiting a moment more, and slowly sat her body down, biting her lip as she felt him fill her.

Catching her breath she push her hooves away and placed them behind her as she began to grind on top of it. Feeling it move around inside her, she couldn’t help but let her moans become louder as her breathing increased. Her hips pushing back and forth as it filled her up. The plant she fed to James caused his penis to swell larger than it was before. To him it was pure ecstasy. He couldn’t believe how much pleasure he could feel from Rainbow Dash’s pussy.

Beginning to move in full force Rainbow Dash propped herself up and rested her forelegs on his chest as she began to pump his dick in and out of her pussy. Her mouth was opened as she moaned as it was thrusted in and out by her wild humping. She continued to pumped over and over, her pussy was completely soaked but still tight. It sucked him into to her each time her pussy came back down, and pulled on it as she would pull away. James had a brief thought of never figuring he would have a horse ride him.

A familiar pressure began to build inside him as his penis swelled even more. Rainbow Dash keep thrusting and thrusting up and down as she felt it expand inside her. “Hey are you gona cum? Are yeah?” She said smiling. She was enjoying watching him squirm underneath her, his hips pushing up in unison to her from the pleasure. “Come on, cum in me!” She said smirking as she rode him harder.

The pressure was building up more and more in James’s cock. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. His mind was becoming blank from it, this was very different from something he had ever experienced. But being lost in the moment his mind didn’t care anymore as a urge overtook him and his thoughts. He grabbed Rainbow Dash’s hips and pulled them down against his. She let out a gasp. “Oh god, you are wanting it so bad!” But Rainbow Dash had no idea of the surge of emotion and pressure that was building inside of him.

James began to thrust his hips more as the pressure built up to the very tip of his penis. Completely enveloped by ecstasy he thrusted harder and harder. Rainbow Dash cooed him on, “That's it! Cum inside me!” James let out a yell as he erupted inside her. Rainbow Dash felt the warm cum spread deep inside her and stick to the walls of her pussy. She couldn’t help but moan from the sensation.

But before it was over James gripped her waist tighter and pulled her down. “Hey! James what are-” Before she could finish his hips began to pump like nothing before into her pussy. Rainbow Dash breath left her as he held her tight and pounded her. He was still cumming inside her as he thrust with speed and force unlike anything she had ever felt. Her back arched and her head tilted back as her tongue rolled out from the pleasure. Her mind began to go fuzzy and white from the sensation as she dimly thought Hes fucking me and cumming...he’s still fucking me and cumming!

Her pussy began to feel even more sensitive to the pounding that was ravaging beneath her. It seemed with each thrust that it felt better and better. She couldn't understand why it felt so much better than normal or how it began to make her lose her mind. But throughout it she didn't care, she just wanted it to continue. But it was starting to become more than she could handle as she herself began to build an orgasm deep within her. It was stronger than any other one she had felt before. Her pussy clamped down onto his dick without her control as the cum inside her continued to build up. “OOHHH CEEEEEELESTIAAAA!” She screamed as she was brought closer with each hard pounding.

Her body didn't even have time to fall down from the motions as he pounded deep into her pussy, she just shook lightly from the force of the thrusting. It was as if she was suspended in the air by a force that constantly kept her afloat. All she could do was sit there arms limp to the side as it penetrated fast and hard beneath her. Sloppy sounds of his dick smacking into her pussy filled her ears as she bounced up and down. Her tongue hanging loose from her mouth as she drooled from the pleasure. Her mind was completely enveloped by the pressure. She was almost there on the verge.

And as he pumped hard for the finale time that reached all the way inside her, she came. Her pupils dilated as her entire body began to twitch and shake. She couldn’t control a single part of herself as waves and waves of pleasure ravaged throughout her being. She sat there still staring up for much longer than ten seconds, not being able to move from the sensation save for twitching and short gasps for air escaping her mouth. After what seemed forever of her pussy reflexively squeezing from the most intense orgasm she had ever had, it finally passed and she collapsed on top of James who had become unconscious against the tree. Her head rested on his shoulders as her thought twinkled in and out. And finally, she fell asleep.

Some hours later James blinked his eyes open as he awoke. Oh man...did I fall asleep? He thought as his thoughts began to collect. He lifted his head still blinking as tried to wake himself up. He became aware of a very warm and soft sensation on top of him. Looking down he saw Rainbow Dash asleep on his shoulder. Her face was peaceful with her mouth barely open, and her cheeks glowing with a faint pink. Her soft breathing tickled his neck as she was nuzzled on top of him. While he woke up, he simply stared at her, admiring the serene scene and comfort of her close body. It wasn’t until a minute later however, that his memory came rushing back, and he realized that she sat atop of him in a very intimate way; his pants still remaining down.

Not quite sure of what to do to or say, he merely turned his head forward and looked out into the field. He sat there for sometime before his thoughts caught up.

I just had sex with a pony...

I just had sex with a pony....

I just had sex... with Rainbow Dash....

OH MY GOD! I JUST HAD SEX WITH RAINBOW DASH!

James didn’t know what to think or feel, his mind still whirling from the memory and sensation of the event. He had broken a plethora of taboos that had been ingrained into him as a human, and was more panicked and confused than even the day he had arrived in Ponyville.

He had been so caught up in the aftermath and his mind running a mile a minute, that failed to notice Rainbow Dash flutter her eyes open. Her soft groan however, reminded him of the fact she was still laying ontop of him. He remained very still as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes and sat up, looking slightly confused as to where she was before seeing him and smiling gently. “Hey.”

“Hey?” James replied, not entirely sure of what to say.

“Wow...just, wow,” she breathed. “I didn’t know if that plant would work on you. But by Celestia!. Best. Sex. Ever!”

“Uhhh” was all James could reply with. He quickly tried to remember the ending of their sexual experience. But his thoughts became hazy on anything before he had awoke, and after receiving the blowjob. He was only aware that at some point, he had become completely lost in the moment and had thrusted with vigor he didn’t know he was capable of. To remind him of this fact, his abs were sore as if from a workout..

“I still can’t believe the sex we had,” Rainbow Dash repeated, still not over how great it had felt for her. “Geez, that plant I gave you was is like, like...” she trailed off as she racked her mind for the right words.

“Crack?” he finished for her.

“Like crack!” she quickly agreed, even though she wasn't sure what it meant. “That stuff must be like, a super sex plant for humans! Oh my gosh, the girls are going to be so jealous when they hear about how I got to do it with you first and how amazing it was and-”

“Wait, what? Why would the girls be… what?”

Rainbow Dash’s face quickly changed to that of a filly that had just be caught red handed. “I, uh...”

“Rainbow Dash,” James said as calmly as he could. “What's going on?”

Rainbow Dash looked away while a guilty smile crept formed. “Well… you see, when it was decided that you might not be going home soon, and that you’ve been here for a while adjusting to pony life that… we might have decided you might be ready to… explore other aspects of pony life.”

“We?”

Rainbow Dash laughed like how one would deflect a bad joke. “We as in the girls… and maybe some other ponies that caught wind of it...” she added quietly.

James was expressionless as he listened to Rainbow Dash, unable to figure out how exactly he should react.

“When we decided it would be okay to ask if you wanted to, I flew straight away to find you. I never lose to a race, especially for a chance at a stallion. And that’s how I ended up here… with us.... doing the… you know.” Rainbow Dash turned away so as to look up into the sky. “But oh my gosh, I didn’t know it would be that good. I mean, you weren’t as big as a normal stallion so I was a little worried at first, but...” Rainbow Dash quickly shut her mouth at the realization of what she had just said, and quickly turned back to him. “But that’s okay! You were amazing! Really! The best I ever had!” she blurted to deflect her bumble on his manhood.

Rainbow Dash tried to play it off, but the subtle shift of James’ eyes being cast downward showed she wasn’t having a positive effect.

“Did I come across as too fake?”

“What do you mean?” James asked, shifting his eyes back to her.

Rainbow Dash wiggled off him to stand a few feet away, feeling that whatever intimacy had been in the mood was now gone.“Well, I may have read a few books about… erotic things. And most guys seem to like the cutesy girl that confesses her feelings and stuff. I don't know, I think stuff like that is a little sappy, but you'd be surprised how many stallions fall head over heels for it. But I promise the other girls won’t come across like that.”

If James did not know what to say before, that last line certainly demolished any prepared responses to the other head-spinning bits of information. He was so wrapped up in in his thoughts that he wasn’t even aware of the sullen look that was now spreading from his face.

Rainbow Dash’s ears drooped a tad when she saw his demeanor change. "Hey, are you alright?" When he didn’t answer her, Rainbow Dash reflected on why he might be acting like this after having what she thought was incredible sex. But after she thought over what she had told him, and remembered that he was a human, she mumbled quietly, "Oh..."

She had been so caught up at the chance to get intimate with him, that she had forgotten a lot of key details about humans she had learned thus far. While Twilight was interested in every little aspect of the human world, Rainbow Dash had only paid attention to the few things that stood out to her; their love for flying being probably their most important feature she believed. But she had been apart of the few conversations that had turned into more adult themed discussions. She had kept silent on her part, but her feigned interest had actually been suppressed interest.

Though James did not know it, Rainbow Dash had been apart of a group of mares that had been interesting in exploring more physically after he had been granted residence in Ponyville. Though nopony seemed to voice it, Rainbow Dash knew he had caught the eye of some ponies, most of them being notably known for sleeping with other species when the chance arises. Rainbow Dash herself was no stranger to the concept either, having had her own experiences with a few griffons.

But James was not a pony. In fact, he came from a world where they were the only intelligent species around. And to further dismay her at the possible fact she may have done something wrong, she recalled the bit of information she had heard from Twilight that humans preferably mate with only one individual once they had been married.

For all Rainbow Dash knew, she had just broken a big social rule for his species.

“James… I want to say that… that I’m sorry.”

James looked up, his sullen expression changed to one of confusion. “Why are you sorry?”

Rainbow Dash casted her head sideways. “I forgot that… well, you humans only mate with one pony in your life, and only after marriage.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“...From Twilight..”

James stared blankly at Rainbow Dash for a moment, then began laughing quietly to himself. Rainbow Dash’s ears perked at the sound and she turned back to him. “Why are you laughing?”

“Sorry,” James said. “That was something I had told Twilight. But it doesn’t mean that it’s completely true.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash asked, flaring her wings up in apprehension that she had not broken a human taboo.

“Well, yeah some people tend to wait until marriage. But that doesn’t mean everyone does. Plenty of people have sex before marriage. Hell, even I’m not a virgin.”

“From how you were, I could have sworn you weren’t,” Rainbow Dash chipped in with a teasing smile. “So does that mean I didn’t break some forbidden rule you humans have?”

“No, you're good.”

“Whew,” Rainbow Dash said, feeling the weight of worry lift from her. “Thank the headwinds. I didn’t want to blow it for the rest of the girls.”

The mention of the others was a sudden reminder to the detail Rainbow Dash had mentioned earlier. “Are you… are you saying the rest of them are…”

“Interested in you?” Rainbow Dash finished for him. “Some ponies here are. I know Rarity and Fluttershy aren’t, so you don’t gotta worry about them. But let’s just say you caught the interest of some mares.” The added wiggle of her eyebrows indicated it was more than he might have figured. “I’m just glad I got my chance at you first. Once again, I’m the fastest pony!”

The wave of feelings that had welled up inside of him, drove him to his actions with Rainbow Dash, and had vibrated strongly during the few moments he had watched her sleep, were sucked up into a vault as if they were never there to begin with. She wasn’t confessing feelings for me, he realized. I was just a pitstop, a quick fun ride to spent the afternoon on.

James had never figured he would ever be used for a quickie, and had actually dreamt of the idea happening back on Earth during some of his dry spells. While the concept of it didn’t bother him per say — being that sex was sex, and like many guys, he was always looking for it — he couldn’t explain the sudden wave of disappointment that had surfaced in him. It was like finding out an amazing secret, only to then learn that it wasn’t real to begin with. To him, Rainbow Dash only thought of him as a friend with benifits, and nothing more. And while he had imagined possibly having such a situation with a girl — pony aside for the moment — he could not explain why it bothered him now.

But this was neither the time or place to figure out what’s what he concluded. Rainbow Dash was his friend, and he didn’t want to make their relationship weird by complaining about something drama filled as love. Feelings for her aside that he hadn’t even known existed, or if that was just the aftersex talking, the notion that he just had sex with a pony still filled his brain. And the hint that other mares were also looking for the opportunity to share a bed with him didn’t help in the slightest.

The sudden sensation of the breeze flowing across his still exposed member brought him back to reality. Rainbow Dash’s faced reddened with his at the chilling sensation of the wind hitting the liquids that had begun dripping down her back legs.

“We should probably clean up,” James declared.

Rainbow Dash gave a quick nod in agreeance. “I'll be right back with towels from my place. Then, after a quick lunch with the food I brought, we’ll head over to Twilight’s. Sound good?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“Alright, be right back.”

Rainbow Dash pumped her wings and soared off into the sky, leaving her own breeze in her wake that caused the nearby plants to sway. James watched with a smile as she zoomed across the sky, flying faster than she usually does in what he assumed was to clean up as quickly as possible.

He always enjoyed watching the ponies here do their normal things that to him, were completely foreign. A unicorn using their magic, anypony somehow holding things with their hooves, and pegasus’s flying across the sky. Rainbow Dash in particular, had always been a comforting sight to watch. Some days he had watched her for hours performing her aerial stunts, being a one-man crowd that cheered her on from below while every other pony was busy with something. It always made her happy, and James was someone who enjoyed making his friends happy. It was also the least he could do for all the help they had given him since his arrival, welcoming him to their town as if he was just a new neighbor that had moved in.

And his desire to keep his friends happy overridden any desire to question Rainbow Dash’s motives further. In his mind, he had been used, plain and simple. She had no malicious intent behind it, and in the end, he himself had gone through the act.

But that still did not quell the breath catching feelings inside of him, slow to vanish back in their vault he had made for them. No, this is stupid. I shouldn't be getting worked up about this.

To him, it made no sense to stir up conflict that didn’t need to be brought up. And like how he had often done in the past, it only took a few moments before he felt his chest tighten, and the worry of the situation vanished altogether.

I was used. And while it was with a pony, something I will no doubt freak out about later, it was enjoyable. It was nothing more than that.

He watched the last remnants of the streaks of rainbows fade away in the sky, waiting patiently for Rainbow Dash to come back so that they could clean up and have a lunch. Sex with Rainbow Dash, her warning of other ponies also being interested, the numerous cultural differences he was still figuring out, and the gentle mind fuck of a reminder that he was in a completely different world, all of that and more, were set aside so that he could enjoy the coming meal with a friend.

I’m not going to get through all this if I start worrying about the small things. I’ve got to remain calm and focused so I don’t do anything stupid while I’m stuck here. I’ve got to focus on the bigger issues. Not the unimportant ones…

Appointment with Purple

"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.

Orange Sunset

“Well howdy, James!” Applejack called from a distance. James turned around at the sound of her voice, confirming it was the apple-farming mare before returning with a wave. She looked just as cheerful as every morning, maybe even a little more so today he noticed. She wore her trademarked friendly smile, and had a slight spring in her step as she trotted towards him. When she was but a few pony-lengths away, she stopped and spoke again, "How are you doing this fine mornin’?"

"Uh, good,” James mumbled, his mind shifting from the more serious thoughts of yesterday’s. “I'm doing good. Yourself?"

"Ripe as an apple. What are ya doing today?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing really I guess.”

Applejack looked down from his face to the carrots held in his hand, one of them half eaten. “Breakfast on the go, I see.”

“Uh, yeah.” James said with a forced laugh. “Just… eating carrots for breakfast. They’re, uh… good sometimes out in the sun. At least, I think they taste better… outside.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow as she gave him a once-over. “Yeah… I guess so.”

Okay, now I’m just being awkward… James thought. “So, what are you doing? Buying stuff?” he quickly said while pointing to the saddlebags on the pony.

Applejack flashed her smile again as she motioned her head towards the bags. “Ah was just finishing buyin' a few things fer Granny Smith. She's got a special dinner in mind ta’night and asked me and Apple Bloom tah pick up some stuff around town."

"Cool, what’s she making?"

"Not sure yet, she said she wanted it to be a surprise. Ah’m guessing it’s one of her famous soups, but Ah can’t figure which one though. She has a couple stashed away in tha family recipe book that even I haven’t seen yet."

"Hmmm".

Applejack turned back to James and opened her mouth to ask a question, but paused when she saw him starring of absently. She waited for some moments before asking, “You okay there, fella’?”

“Sorry, what?” James replied.

“Ah said, are you okay?”

James paused before flashing her a smile. “Yeah, everything’s good.”

“For some reason I doubt that,” she commented as her brow narrowed slightly.

“W-why do you say that?”

“Call it… a mare’s intuition.”

“Well now that I think about it,” he muttered while racking his mind for a reply. “I do have a list of chores to do today at my house. Not really looking forward to them.” He gave a small chuckle. “So yeah, you can say today is going to suck.” Turning away from her, James held his smile as he began move away. “I’m’a head home now to take care of stuff. See you around later!”

“Hold it,” Applejack said, stopping him in his tracks.

As nonchalantly as he could, James slipped his hands into his pockets and twisted half of his body to her. His face held a blank curious look, but a tightening sensation was beginning to work at his stomach. His efforts in acting normal as possible caused him to forget that he was still holding onto his carrots, which presently left their leafy tops sprouting from his pockets.

Applejack regard green leaves sticking out of his pockets before shaking her head and giving him a firm look. “You may have a list of chores tah do, but the first one on it is helping me. So come along now and keep up.”

“What?”

“How many times are you going to make me repeat mahself this morning? Ah said you're helping me.”

“With what?”

Applejack shook her saddlebag side to side. “With mah list of course.”

“Applejack, I really-“

“Nope! No but’s or sorry’s, you’re coming,” Applejack interrupted as she walked past him.

“But-“

“What did Ah just say? And Ah’m done repeatin’ mahself. If you keep saying no then Ah’ll be forced to get mah rope and drag you around town mahself. We don’t want a repeat of me tying you up again, now do we?”

The memory of his first day in Equestria flashed across his mind. The bizarreness of it all, the notion that he had somehow gone insane, and when Applejack had wrangled him with her rope. It was the only way they were able hold him down long enough to calm down after he gave them a run for their bits across Ponyville.

With no desire to relive that experience that would prove equally embarrassing as it was originally terrifying, James quickly moved in step next to Applejack. “Yes, ma’am.”

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

“Let’s see,” Applejack said while looking over the paper. “Carrots, potatoes, spices, celery, peppers, Mr. Hugh Jelly’s Woo-Tang jam, and…” Applejack squinted over the rest of the items on the list. “Ah think that’s everything.”

“You sure you can carry all that?” James asked.

Applejack gave a frown while she replied. “Of course Ah can! What do you take me fer?”

James raised his hands defensively. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant did you want some help? You know, like you asked me to?”

“No, Ah got it. And don’t worry, you’ll be helping soon. Besides, looks like you got your own thing to carry,” Applejack replied with a knowing grin.

Before James could ask what she meant by it, a sudden weight came crashing down onto his shoulders, sending him stumbling forward. The soft shape that had just collided with his back side clung tightly as he wobbled to regain his balance, all while being careful not to drop the unexpected load. It was shortly accompanied by a filly’s voice crying, “gotcha!”

“Whoa there! Apple Bloom, did you get heavier since the last time you jumped on my back? You’re harder to carry than a basket of apples,” James said without turning his head, already fully aware of who had jumped him. There was only one pony in Ponyville that was daring enough to surprise tackle him and not be able to knock him over.

“Hey! Ah’m not fat!” Apple Bloom retorted. She leaning forward and over his shoulders in an attempt to grimace directly at his face. Their interaction was noticed by ponies nearby almost immediately. Then again, it was hard not to notice a small filly riding the shoulders of the tallest creature in the marketplace. If they gave him room before, they were certainly keeping a respectful distance with Apple Bloom now on top. The residents of Ponyville could only imagine the dangers the two of them could create together, some first hand from the games the filly and human learned to play when around a potential obstacle course.

James let out a laugh at Apple Bloom’s scrunched up face. “Of course you’re not fat. With all the running around you do, you probably do more exercise in an hour than a classroom of kids do in a day where I’m from. No, what I meant was, you must be growing.”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, her hard lines instantly vanishing. “Really? Ya think Ah’m getting bigger? Ah wonder how big Ah am compared to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle? WAIT THAT’S IT!” she suddenly shouted while rapidly waving a hoof in the air. “Why didn’t Ah think of this before? Cutie Mark Crusader Body Measurers!”

James let out another laugh as he reached hand behind him to tousle her mane. If there was one thing he had been good at in Ponyville, it was entertaining the infamous three fillies that lived here. Most of the other mares and stallions hadn’t trusted him to let their children hang around him, even with him assuring he had worked at a daycare for a few years prior to his arrival. It was only due to the fact that Applejack and Rarity had spent so much time around him that they decided it would be safe enough for him to interact with their sisters. And the fact the three girls were simply too curious to stay away from him even if they were forbidden to didn’t hurt either. James never did hear how Scootaloo managed to convince her parents, but given who she and her friends were, it didn’t seem hard for them to convince anypony of something they wanted to do.

It was due to their constant interactions that James had come to learn how to read them like a book. He knew most of the time exactly what to say in a playful way to confuse or spark them off that would turn into an idea for them to get their cutie marks. Some days their never ending search for their marks were annoying, but those kind of days were few and far between. They’re excitable and adventurous nature was simply to heartwarming to bother him as much as it should.

“I’m sure you girls will be the best measurers in town. I’m sure everypony would love to know about their BMI.”

“BMI?” Apple Bloom asked. “What’s that?”

“Oh shi- I mean shoot,” he caught himself. “Trying to remember. I think it’s… body mass index? That may be right, but it’s supposed to tell how overweight you are in proportion, I think.”

“Ah get it,” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Ah can’t wait to tell Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo! I bet Sweetie Belle can ask Rarity for her measuring tapes! Why, we could tell everypony their sizes for everythin’!”

“Not today little sis,” Applejack chipped in. “We just finished picking up Granny Smith’s ingredients, and there’s a lot of work tah do on the farm today. We’d best be getting home now and start workin’. Speaking of which, do you got yours?”

“Of course Ah do, Ah set em down just over there so Ah could sneak up and jump James.”

“I better let you down then,” James said. “Let me know if you girls get your cutie marks from the body measuring thing. I'm sure your sister wants you and her to be back home as soon as you can to get all that stuff to Granny,” James said.

Apple Bloom’s face immediately shifted to a pout. “Awwwww... but getting piggyback rides from you is one of my favorite things.”

“Then stay up there on the way back home,” Applejack said with a sly grin. “Because he’s helping us today.”

Apple Bloom shouted a ‘yay’ the same time James exclaimed a ‘what?’

He was about to protest before Applejack cut him off. “Do Ah need to repeat mah’self again? You’re working fer me today. Now go pick up those bags, and let’s get going.”

He was about to argue against it, but the combination of Applejack’s dead set attitude and a filly smiling expectantly from his shoulder defeated anything he could come up with. Resigning to his fate, he simply replied, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good,” Applejack said while sprouting a smug grin as she began to walk through the busy street. Apple Bloom giggled as she bounced up and down as James walked over to her bags and fell behind Applejack. Though he never voiced it, James couldn’t help but inwardly smile at the ironic situation of an equine riding on top of him.

“Your first chore is to help me and Big Mac buck some apples today,” Applejack added once he had caught up.

“You’re lucky I’m tall enough to reach the apples, an exploit I notice you’ve taken advantage of often.”

“Well, most other ponies aren’t strong enough to buck ‘em down, so you’re the next best thing.”

James gave a grunt..

Applejack gave him another look before turning back to the road. It was only a few steps later that she spoke up, “Besides, it’ll do you good. You haven’t helped on the farm for a little while and you could use the exercise.”

“Are you calling me fat now?”

“Don’t worry, you still look in good shape. Or at least I think you do. You’re the first human I met so I can’t really say. Speaking of being in shape, there’s Rainbow!” Applejack said, looking up.

James and Apple Bloom instinctively lifted their heads to follow her gaze. Above the town a low-flying, rainbow-colored blur was making its way across the sky. James’s chest tightened somewhat at seeing the pegasus. He had no idea what to say or do if she decided to come to them.

“HEY, RAINBOW DASH!” Applejack shouted much to James’s horror.

However, his worries were quickly alleviated when Rainbow Dash continued to fly past them and beyond the roof tops of the nearby houses.

“Wonder what’s got her feathers in a bunch, Ah know she heard me,” Applejack said with grunt.

James’s eyes remained fixed on the spot she had vanished behind.

“Well, must be important for her to ignore us like that. Come on, let’s get going.” Applejack turned away and resumed making her way out of the bustling market.

James still did not move until a soft tap on his shoulder grabbed his attention. “Come on! We’re gonna lose Applejack!”

A smile quickly found its way onto James’s face as he turned to look back at her. “Not with you being lookout. Spot for me and guide us forward!”

Apple Bloom replied with a grin of her own before heroically leaning forward with a hoof above her brow. “There she be! West! Ah mean… East! Ah think… whatever, just go that’a way!”

“Aye aye!” James replied.

It was one of the Cutie Mark Crusader’s favorite games with the human: ‘Captain of the Legs’. One filly would ride on his shoulders and cover his eyes with their hooves while shouting out directions and when to turn. It was a familiar sight to the ponies nearby, and it was the reason for the sudden increase in distance between them and the potentially dangerous duo; especially with swinging saddle bags full of groceries. Apple Bloom was at least generous enough to wait until they were away from the busy marketplace and out on the road back to the farm before covering his eyes.

Before they knew it, they were at the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom had stopped playing ‘Captain of the Legs’ sometime ago and was now occupied on swatting the leaves and branches of the trees they passed underneath with her hoof, a feat that was only possible when she was piggyback riding James.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” Applejack spoke. “We’re gonna drop off these here ingredients for Granny Smith to start cooking with. Apple Bloom, you get to help Granny while tidying up the house. It’s about time it got some dusting done. James and Ah will go out into the west orchard to help out Bic Mac as we move towards the south field.”

“Sounds good to me,” Apple Bloom said.

The three of them headed towards the farm house. Along the way James took in the sight of the place, something that was always hard not to admire for its beauty. It was a perfect little farm, one you would only see in a painting or a cartoon. A big red barn, a grain silo, and endless hills of apple trees. The sheer amount they owned still amazed him and made him question how on earth —or Equestria, a phrase he still had trouble adapting to— they managed to collect them all. He had seen it before, and even helped out now and then. But it always seemed impossible whenever he stood near the house and looked out onto the never ending tree farm.

“Granny, we’re home! And we brought a guest for dinner,” Applejack called out as they walked onto the front porch.

“Hi, Granny!” James called as they walked in through the front door.

“Is that you, James? Oh my, what a delight! Ah bet ya heard Ah was making something special tonight and wanted a taste of it yerself didn’tcha?” Granny Smith said with a mischievous grin.

“You bet!” James smiled warmly.

Her face turned into a warm glow as she spoke, “Well yer welcome to enjoy every bite of it, sonny. I got lunch all made fer everypony as well. And my special dinner will be done and ready when you all come back from the fields. Fresh and piping hot from the oven.”

“Can’t wait, Granny,” Applejack said while unloading her bags.

“You made sure you got everything dear?” Granny Smith asked as she poked her head into one of the bags.

“Yup, got everything from avocados to Mr. Hugh Jelly’s Woo-Tang jam, freshly made.”

“Fantastic, I’ll start getting on that dinner.”

“Ah’ma help cook too!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. She patted James’s shoulder, signaling she wanted down. He knelt down low enough for the filly to hop off with no problems, setting aside his bags as well. Apple Bloom ran over to Granny Smith and starting pulling things out of the bag she had inspected earlier.

“Well now Apple Bloom, are you sure you want to know this secret recipe?” Granny Smith asked.

“Of course! It’s an Apple family recipe, right?”

“Sure is, but Ah wonder if you're old enough to know it,” she said with feigned concern.

“Ah’m old enough!” Apple Bloom said with resolve.

She stared in determination at Granny Smith until the older mare finally let out a chuckle and patted the filly on the head. “Well Ah say it’s about time you learn it. After all, every Apple needs to know how to make freshly served Jim Jam Apple Croissant Surprise. It’ll knock the socks off your hooves if you’re wearing any!”

Apple Bloom let out a gasp of delight. She had only heard them talk about it before, and now finally had a chance at not only eating it but making it as well.

Applejack moved towards the door with a knowing grin. “I had a feeling it was that one. That, or the Criss Cross Apple Tart Jelly Snacks.”

“Don’t worry,” Granny Smith called after her. “I’m making that next week!”

“Come on, James!” Applejack shouted as she left the building.

“That’s my cue,” he replied to the two ponies in the kitchen. “I can’t wait to taste it, and thanks again for having me, Granny.”

“Don’t mention it dearie, you just run along now and build up an appetite,” Granny Smith replied.

James gave a wave and smile as he headed out the door to catch up with Applejack. After a short jog he had caught up to the farm pony walking to the orchards.

“So…” he spoke. “Can she really make all that stuff into something edible? And a croissant for that matter?”

Applejack gave a laugh. “You bet! That mare can whip up anything into anything, as long as it got some apples in it.”

“You guys really stick to the theme don’t ya?”

“Stick to what you know.”

“Hmm,” he hummed.

“And yours happens to be being tall enough to pluck apples.”

“Oh joy.”

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

“Here’s the last one,” James said before heaving the full basket onto the wagon. “Whew!” he exhaled while settling against the wagon upright.

Applejack shifted the basket closer to the rest, wiping a bead of sweat off her brow. “Welp, that’s that. Thanks fer the help again.”

“No problem.”

Applejack moved towards the tail gate and sat down besides James who remained leaning against it. They said nothing at first from the mild exhaustion of the day’s work, but mostly because they were both caught up in the view of the orchard. It was a sight Applejack had seen just about every day of her life but it somehow never failed to awe. For James, it was something you would only see in a painting, and possibly one that one would rarely see in real life in most places of the world. What held their gazes so easily, was the simple sight of a perfect sunset.

The sun itself was now past the trees and the distant mountains, leaving only its fiery trails to light up the land as it dimmed. Everything was basked in an orange and yellow hue that softly accented the already bright colors of Equestria. The apples themselves held a soft glow as they shined in the setting light, and the trees cast long shadows. The sky above was a mixture of dark and light, and everything in between. Bright orange clouds faded to a red, then a deep purple as the skyline began to mix with the night.

It was moments like these that James felt a longing to stay in Equestria forever. Earth simply did not have beautiful sunsets like this every evening. In fact, this place was paradise in most terms. Something that could become boring over time, if it were not for the ponies that inhabited this wonderful land with happiness. And the occasional disaster helped liven things up.
James was completely content to stare out at the sunset after working spending half the day working on the field. Funny how some hard work seems to put you at ease.

“So…” Applejack spoke suddenly, breaking the silence and grabbing James’s attention. “What’s wrong with ya?”

He turned towards her to read her face as to why she might be asking, but she held a flat poker façade as she continue to stare on into the sunset.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what Ah mean,” she said. “You haven’t been acting yourself all day. You didn’t even greet other ponies in the marketplace.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“That’s not how you normally act. You’ve made it a point to adjust to being here since the beginning. Something’s bothering ya, and you’re not letting it out. So spill it.”

“Nothing’s bothering me, I promise I’m-“

Applejack whipped her head and fixed James with a piercing stare, causing him to flinch. Her brows were furrowed and she looked to be somewhere between upset and disapproving as she gave him a scowl. “What did Ah say about repeating mah’self? You got something on your chest and you’re not budging even a little to get it off. I know it’s hard.” Celestia knows Ah do, she thought. “But you can’t keep it to yourself like that.”

James stared blankly at Applejack who somehow was hitting the nail on the head. He knew he was off, and he knew exactly why. The problem was that he was unwilling to admit it to her, or anyone for the matter.

“H-how would you even know? What makes you so good at reading other people?”

“Ponies,” she corrected.

“People, ponies, semantics. Even if I did have something on my chest, how would you know?” James said with a raised eyebrow and shifting himself against the wagon.

“Have you met my brother?” asked Applejack sarcastically. “He’s one of the most silent and hardest types of ponies one could ever read. And in some ways, you’re no different.”

“Whelp, glad to have help out, but I think I’m going to go now,” he said quickly.

“Like Tartarus you are!” Applejack said as she jumped off the tailgate. She immediately trotted in front of James and barred his path; her legs spread defensively coupled with a stern look letting him know she was keen on not letting him pass.

“Come on, Applejack, just let me by,” he sighed.

“No, you’re running away from it and trying to distract yourself like ya always do.”

“What are you talking about?” he said while trying to sidestep her, but she reactively shifted, still intent on staying in front of him. When it was clear after a few more attempts that she wasn’t going to let him walk by, the thought of awkwardly stepping over her crossed his mind.

“Ah’m talking about how yer avoiding whatever is bothering ya. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from you it’s that you always find distractions when something is bothering you.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” he snapped lightly, crossing his arms and staring back at her, his own brow furrowed from his growing agitation.

“That’s fine and dandy sometimes, but not all the time. You push it aside until it becomes forgotten and try to move on like it never happened.”

Anything he would retort with he knew she would dish right back at him. While that was fine when he got in heated discussions—which were few and far between with her—he wasn’t about to deal with the accusations she was making.

Ever since arriving in Equestria, James had gotten used to attention he never had back home, attention that was some in some ways annoying, but nice at the same time. It was the kind of thing only a stranger who had gone a life of being normal suddenly being shoved into the focus of everyone and everything; unusual, awkward, but appreciated nonetheless. Everyone had a story, and most people wouldn’t mind theirs being put in the forefront for a change instead of being a background character.

Having those around you genuinely involved in your life and interacting with you in a meaningful way, and the sense of community and family was one of the reasons Ponyville was such an attractive place to live in. They legitimately cared for one another, and without tons of bullshit to get there. It was something he had definitely gotten used to and felt grateful for. And thus far being the only human in the world, it was the kind of attention he has come to accept and even looked forward to.

However, the spectrum didn’t simply end there, as the close and supportive lifestyle in Ponyville also mean that there would be those that cared enough to pry into deeper problems, just like Applejack was doing now.

Twilight may have figured out the cause of his grief last night, but she had not pressed further. Instead, they were able to treat it as an object of discussion that stemmed more discussions, keeping it mainly as an abstract subject which for him was more bearable.

But he had a nagging feeling that that would not be the case with Applejack.

He didn’t see the point of getting upset or bothered by it. He figured out why it happened, learned a little more about pony behavior, and it was already done. Nothing else to talk about. So why is it bothering me so much to have Applejack bring it up?

“Look, Applejack, I’m fine. Really! Just… let me go home. Tell Granny Smith I’m sorry I can’t stay for her dinner tonight.”

Applejack stomped her hoof on the ground. “You’re not leaving this farm until I get whatever is inside you out. And you know I can chase you down no problem.”

“What if I climb a tree?” James.

Applejack lowered her head and spoke coldly. “Then Ah’ll buck you down.”

“Well then I’ll just have to hold on-”

“Dangnabbit, James, you’re doing it again!”

James was quiet for a moment before snapping back, “Doing what!?”

“Distracting yourself, again! You’re avoiding the point whether you know it or not! You always find a way to wiggle your way out of something you don’t like and move forward like it was nothing. You bury it deep down where it wont affect ya. Well I’m not letting you slide, not this time. Answer me truthfully, what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing is bothering me.”

“Yes! Something is!”

“Just… leave it Applejack, there’s nothing wrong,” James said as he moved the opposite direction.

Applejack grimaced and quickly ran past him and threw herself up in front again. “Ah told you, you’re not leaving ‘till I get an answer from you.”

“So what? You’re going to hold me hostage?”

“Yes, Ah mean, no. Ah mean…” Applejack murmured. “Ah just want you to be honest! With me, and with yourself.”

“I get that is your thing, but just cut it out for now Applejack,” James said. “Look, I’m tired from working all day, I didn’t sleep well last night, and I want to head home. Good night.”

This time when James moved away, Applejack didn’t chase him. She watched begin to walk up the path that would lead out of the orchards and out to the main road, all while she dug her hooves into the earth.

She didn’t let him get more than twenty feet before trying one last time.

“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO YOURSELF AGAIN!?” Applejack screamed. James visibly flinched at the shout, and slowly turned around to face her with a look of shock.

“I don’t-” James tried to say before being interrupted.

“Ah saw you,” Applejack said harshly. “Ah saw you that day when you broke down. Ah didn’t bother you then because Ah didn’t know you too well… but Ah was with you the whole time.”

With no clue to what she was talking about, James searched his memories on what she might be referring to. Applejack waited patiently for him to remember, her face not giving an inch in her sternness. The hell is she talking about?

Though night was approaching, he was still able to see her gaze, and how her eyes slowly shifted down into the orchards. James followed her hers, and recalled all he had done in that section of the fields. Memories of working along side the Apple family, playing with Apple Bloom and Winona, and taking an afternoon nap filled his mind. But Applejack had been either in or nearby each of those memories, remaining vigilant on her task to keep an eye on him during his early days in Ponyville. However, there was one instance where he had been down there, and he had thought he had been alone.

James turn back to Applejack, and the look in her eyes sent a dreaded confirmation. “You… you don’t mean when I was out in the orchard by myself?”

“The third week you were here since you arrived? Yeah, Ah’m talking about that.”

James felt as if his chest had tightened by string then promptly dropped.

“You let it all out, everything ya had in ya,” Applejack began. “You were down by those very trees just over yonder. Ah was coming by on a walk, enjoying the noon sun and inspecting tha apples, when Ah heard you crying. Ah didn’t know who it was at first or why they were crying on my farm, so Ah figured Ah would sneak a peek first before barging in. Ah figured it would have been any other pony, you’d be surprised how many come out here onto the farm for privacy of all sorts. But Ah didn’t reckon it’d be you there, under one of mah trees.”

Applejack’s stern face fell away as she continued to speak, her voice growing softer. “You were bawling harder than Ah had seen most stallions do in my life. You even gave Big Mac a run for his money on a time Ah remember that was especially hard for him. You looked like you were fighting Discord himself the way you were shaking and gripping your clothes. Naturally Ah was confused considering Ah had saw you only that morning fine as a rooster at the crack of dawn. You had no cares in the world and everything seemed mighty fine fer you. Heck, you made amazing strides in trying to fit in and being friendly to everypony to the point you made even Pinkie Pie proud. Ah figured you were alright in most senses of the word. But it wasn’t till then that Ah realized it was all just a facade, something to hold over all the pain and sadness that was tormenting you and eating ya alive from the inside. That you’d been pushing it all aside all along.

“Ah figured at the time… you had finally broken down on what had happened to you. That the fact you were really… stuck in Equestria was real. You wouldn’t be able to see your ma, your pa, the rest of your family, or your friends. Ah didn’t know who was who, but Ah heard the names between your breaths as you let it all out. You looked like a pony who had just lost everything in the world. And you were trying to hold it all to yerself.”

James had stopped looking at Applejack for awhile now, his gaze instead downwards and sideways on a random piece of dirt. Applejack had dropped a bombshell on him, one that held him firmly and place, and one he had hoped no one would know.

Remembering how he felt then, coupled with the fact that such a vulnerable moment for him had been revealed was nearly enough for his legs to buckle then. Like a sense of vertigo, the ground felt oddly misplaced as if his legs were actually above him, and he himself was standing sideways.

“It was after that when Ah started to pay more attention to you,” Applejack continued. “When we first met Ah didn’t exactly sit right with ya. You were something we’ve never seen before, and tah be honest, Ah was worried about having you around sometimes. But after seeing you pour your heart out at the base of these here apple trees, I realized you weren’t some creature that was going to do something bad. You were actually just a lost stranger who was whisked away from home and everthin’ you knew and loved, only to be stuck here. You were alone, distraught, and you were scared, no matter how brave of a face you put on.”

Applejack began stepping forward. “Ah know we try our best to help you feel welcomed here since you came, but we can’t help with everythin’. Not if you don’t let us.” She walked right up to him, and stopped only a few feet away, her eyes looking up as she searched his face. “And Ah know you’ve had more than one breakdown.”

“What do you mean?” James immediately said, more defensively and less calm than he had intended. He ran through his mind on where else he might have slipped up.

“Ah know you’ve gone off by yourself whenever you can’t handle it. You show the same signs each time, and you look bright as day the next morn. They may be subtle, but they're there.”

James mentally relaxed somewhat, relieved that one of the other girls hadn’t witnessed his personal moments either. It had been difficulty bouncing from bed to bed, house to house, as it was unfair for any one of them to be solely responsible each and every day. In addition, until he had received a home for himself, it had been an eye opening experience to live the life of each of the girls as he adapted.

“James… Ah can’t understand your pain, not entirely.” Applejack’s eyes grew forlorn and her eyes began to water up. “Ah wouldn’t know what ta do with myself if Ah lost my family or the girls, Ah can’t even imagine it. Ah certainly couldn’t have been dealing with it as well as you have day by day. Being patient and learning about us and our home, all while worrying about going back to yours. But Ah know you can’t deal with it all on your own. You don’t have to keep it by yourself, were here to help you. We’re your friends.”

“And why are you my friends!?” James snapped, unable to keep his calm exterior up any longer. Applejack had been hitting the right buttons relentlessly, bringing back the months of despair in cold fact that he may never get home again, and it was causing cracks in the proverbial dam that was his inner wall. “Because you’re a pony and that’s what ponies do? Make friends with everything and everyone because why the fuck not!?”

“No, that’s not it!

“Then why!?” he shouted louder.

“Because you deserve it!”

“WHAT MAKES ME SO SPECIAL!?”

“BECAUSE YOU’RE WORTH BEING FRIENDS WITH!”

A hush fell over the orchard as both stared at each other. James looked downward to Applejack angrily, then eased some of his features, and finally changed into a passive look. “Why?” he asked quietly.

“You’re a good human. Ah’ve seen who you are. You’re nice and kind, and you’re amazing with my sister and her friends. James, you don’t realize how much Ah trust you to let you be with them by yourselves. You’ve done good around here, and you’ve shown heart and effort. A lot of ponies didn’t like the idea of you being around here, but you kept showing that smile of yours and pushed on, you pushed aside things that are supposed to be pushed aside. And you’ve become a good friend to us, and friends take care of each other. So please, let me help you.”

James averted his eyes again, settling on a patch of dirt again. He couldn’t look her in the face, to see her furrowed brow of concern, her held back lip, or her eyes that had seemingly seen right through him into places that he had done so well to keep away from others and himself. He had little doubt that if this kept up, she could pry apart the rest of him with ease. “Applejack… please don’t take this the wrong way. I am thankful for what you’ve all done for me, but I… I just want to be alone right now,” he said wearily.

He began to turn around before her hoof stomped the ground again. He was ready for another lecture to come his way, but instead of a harsh and disapproving tone, she spoke with a gentle voice. “Please, just talk to me. You might be surprised how much it can help.”

It was a strange thing to feel a wall most of your life, feeling isolated yet protected from never bringing your worries to another. In some ways it was viewed as a source of strength, a trait some had that let them face even the most troubling of times. It was easier to flash a smile to another, than to bear the shame of burrowing your head into there chest. But when a crack appears, as exciting and tempting as the other sounds, it is just as much if not even more terrifying to actually pursue.

Lifting his head, he stared into Applejack’s eyes. They were warm, kind, and meant every word of what she had said. It was like a rope he could grasp to let him take a step outside of the place he had made for only himself.

With a sigh, he plopped onto the ground, and placed his hands over his head while balancing his elbows on his propped knees. Applejack smile, then sat in front of him.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

The two of them sat in the grass as the sun was finishing its descent over the mountains. One minute passed, and a few stars began to shimmer in the night sky. Then two minutes passed, with the stars coming out in more numbers. Then the third minute passed, and Applejack spoke, “Well, feel free to tell me any time now.”

James met her gaze briefly before looking back between his feet. He was still hesitant on the whole situation as his eyes darted back and forth between his feet as he figured out what to say. But Applejack had given him the chance to open up, something he never felt able to do around others. And while the thought still terrified him in a way that did not make sense, he was set on taking this chance, if not because that there was some inkling in him that said it was right, it was because of Applejacks good nature and his trust in her that it would be okay with her.

It was however, pure embarrassment that was preventing him from taking it further. Twilight had at least done all the work in figuring it out, only leaving James to pull back the situation as quickly as he could. But to actually admit the cause of his confusion and bad mood willingly and out loud was proving to be harder for him than he thought.

“Well… I…”

“Yes?

“You see… yesterday…”

“Hmhmm.”

“And well… I sort of…”

Applejack sighed. “James, Ah understand if you need a bit of time on trying to tell me… whatever you're trying to tell me. But you can do it. Just let it out.”

“I sort of… had sex with Rainbow Dash…”

“What was that?”

“I… had sex with Rainbow Dash”

“James, please don’t act like Fluttershy. Just say it.”

Risking it all, he finally said it, albeit louder than he thought he would. “I HAD SEX WITH RAINBOW DASH! OKAY?”

Applejack went slack jawed. James avoided looking at her by leaning back and propping his arms behind him and staring up into the night sky. She didn’t know what had been troubling the human, but that was certainly not what she expected.

“You… and Rainbow…?” she asked tentatively.

“…Yeah.”

“Wow… um, okay. So Ah guess that cloud chaser went ahead then and explained everythin’?”

“Not exactly… Twilight actually explained it all to me.”

“Hold on, Twilight was there too?”

“No! That was later that night!”

“So you had done it with both of them on the same day?”

“NO! Just Rainbow Dash!” James shouted, his face becoming flustered even further.

“Okay… so what’s eating ya sugarcane?”

James stared at Applejack blankly for a few moments. “What’s wrong? Well maybe it’s because I had sex with Rainbow Dash! Just up and out of nowhere!”

“Is this one of those human things? Like how you wear clothes all the time? Because if having sex is not normal back on ‘Earth’ then Ah-“

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

James exhaled as he fell backwards and laid on the grass while watching the stars twinkling above. The thought of how they were more noticeable than back home briefly crossed his mind. After a few moments of staring out into the night he spoke. “I don’t know, isn’t that what you’re supposed to tell me? I thought you were so good at figuring out guys.”

“Ah can’t do it all by mah’self.” He heard Applejack stand up on her hooves, followed by the soft swish of grass as she made her way to him. A sudden plop to his left let him know that she taken fallen onto her her back as well, and stared out into the sky with him. “But Ah do know that’s still not it. You are a human so Ah could be wrong, but Ah’m pretty sure you’re worked up by somethin’ other than just doing it with Rainbow.”

The two of them continued to stare up as James thought about what she said. Applejack all the while remained quiet and patient, waiting for him to figure it out.

Why am I bothered? It’s obvious isn't it? I had sex with a pony. That isn’t normal. Beastiality isn’t normal. Well… is it beastiality? James stared thoughtfully at a particularly bright star that was shimmering more than the others. No… I don’t suppose I could call it that. They’re not animals. It’s more like doing it with an alien. A brightly-colored horse like alien.

James sighed. “I don’t know. I have no idea what to say.”

“Don’t think about it. Just let it out. How do you feel?”

“What kind of a question is that?”

“An unanswered one. How do you feel?”

“Frustrated? I think…”

“And?”

“Just… I just feel like there’s a pit in my chest, and it’s not going away.”

“Keep going.”

“I don’t know… I just...” he mumbled. After watching a few stars twinkle in and out, he sighed and tried again to put the words together. “I had sex with a pony, isn’t that reason enough? No offense.”

“None taken, but no, that’s not enough. Do ya honestly feel being close like that to a pony is the problem?”

“Besides the fact I would probably be shunned by most of my species? Maybe.”

“That would really happen?” Applejack asked sternly. With the sound of rustling grass, James felt Applejack’s eyes burrowing into the side of him.

“Yeah, probably.”

Applejack grunted. “Well that’s just shallow and low. You saying that you humans think you're too good to be with other species?”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” James said with a sigh. Twilight understood this much more easily. “Applejack, you know where I’m from were the only intelligent species, and you know that ponies resemble some of our animals.”

“Yeah, but were not animals,” Applejack said defensively. “If you're judging off what you said, then ponies meet yer standards.” She then extended a hoof into the air. “We can think, feel, and dream. We had hopes, joys, sorrows, and pain. We have a mind and a heart. And by we Ah mean you and Ah, everypony in Equestria, and every human back on Earth. Inside, were the same, through and through. Can you honestly believe it’s wrong to want to connect to another who are the same where it matters?”

James turned his head towards Applejack, and saw something more beautiful than the stars. Where he had expected a scowl, she instead wore the warmest of smiles he had ever seen. Her eyes were emerald eyes were alight with starlight, causing them to shine more than any gem he had seen. In the show ponies eyes were simple plain colors, but that was beyond pale in comparison to how they were in real life. Like a humans, if not more, they held intricate details that seemingly went on forever, almost as if he was staring into a nebula itself. There were so many shades of green, and they were vibrant. But beyond the color, they looked alive. She looked alive. Lying there in the grass, with the smell of the surrounding apples, Applejack looked positively alive staring up in the night sky. It was a moment that James had not seem from her before, and it held him like a charge of electricity in the air.

James swallowed a lump in his throat before asking quietly. “That sounds pretty wise of you…”

Applejack chuckled, and for some reason, it sounded even more adorable than normal. “It’s something mah parents helped me realize. They always said that all of us are able to connect in more ways than one. Were like a bunch of different trees in the same field. But no matter how different we are, were all plants, and we can share the same soil, the same water, and the same sun together.”

Applejack turned her head towards him, unaware that she was sending him sinking into the depths of her eyes like a pool. “If ya can’t tell already, mah folks were also supportive of unusual relationships. Something about them being apart of a peace movement when they were teenagers back when the Griffon and Minotaur kingdoms were starting to have more open involvement with Equestria.”

“Groovy,” James replied.

Applejack blinked and gave a small chuckle. “But that’s enough about me, were talking about you. Figured out what’s eating ya yet?”

James turned his head back to the sky, not so much out of embarrassment, but because he was finding it hard to think with Applejack staring at him so closely. Taking into consideration what she had said, and forcing himself to look at the issue as if race had nothing to do with it, or more so that they were the same species, he spent some moments mulling over his feelings.

“I guess when it comes down to it... I think that the problem is… is that I’m still alone here. I mean not a ‘sit at home by myself alone’, but ‘I’m the only one of my kind in a world of ponies that really doesn’t fully get me’ alone. Or ‘I don’t fit in’ alone works too, I think. Sorry to bring species back into the matter, but that’s how I feel. It’s not so much that you are ponies… but that I’m away from my family, my friends, everyone and everything I ever knew or cared for. All of it just gone! I-I don’t… I don’t even know what to say or do. I just act on what’s happening at the time!”

He paused before murmuring softly, “This is stupid… I don’t even know why I’m complaining about this. It’s not like I can do anything.”

“It’s not stupid, and not talking about it will do you worse. Keep going, Ah’m listening.”

“I’m just rambling, not even making sense.”

“Don’t think about what to say, just say it. Even if it doesn’t make sense.”

“I just… I thought… I thought I had finally somehow filled up this hole in me, even if it was just a little bit. That I had some kind of a real reason that made me not feel so bad being stuck here. Something that made this place worthwhile over my home. Something that felt like I could actually have a connection that made me feel I could belong here. But as great as a picture I paint about my home in sometimes, it still isn’t the best thing in the world. In fact, I think it’s also part of the problem.”

“What’ya mean sugarcane?” Applejack asked sweetly.

“Home is home but… I don’t know, it still was not exactly what I wanted. Yeah, I had friends and family, people that cared about me in some ways. But I never felt like… like… that I had much going for me with them I guess if I had to say it. I don’t even know if that’s the right way to even say what I mean.”

“Applejack, you have no idea how amazing it is here. Everyone, sorry… everypony, actually cares about one another. I mean, yes, you have your differences and conflicts, but there is an actual connection here between you all that I didn’t have back home. At least not on the level you have.”

“That can’t be true,” Applejack said. “I’m sure your family loves you with all their heart.”

“Yeah, they do,” James sighed. “But I still don’t feel like there’s a real connection there…” James let out a deep breath and exhaled before trying to figure out his words again. “I know I told you about some of the troubles my family had.”

“Like Ah told ya last time, every family has their problems. It’s being able to forgive and move on that’s important.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t say last time that they did.”

Applejack became quiet. She was sure the few times they have talked about his family that even with all the problems, everything was still alright. Just the way a family should be. But it was then she realized James just had been holding out on the more apparently deeper issues. Of course, you dummy. If it was this hard just to get him to admit this then he sure as hay never would have let on more back then.

James continued. “Remember how I said our whole family, aunts, uncles, and cousins, would always get together once a month? Well, it kinda just fell out. Everyone just… stopped coming. And the sad thing about it? I really missed it and would ask my parents why no one hung out anymore. I didn’t understand why everyone just grew so disconnected. Even my cousins who we made every kind of blanket fort imaginable with as we grew up just seemed to grow away. I know its a childish memory but… it was one of the happiest times I had with them. But then everything all just stopped. I guess I…” James stopped and gave Applejack a brief look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to let out a sob story of some poor kid that was just dealing with family issues.”

“It’s alright, you can keep going if you want,” she softly coaxed.

“No, its alright. I… I feel better now. Really, I do.”

Applejack gave him a thoughtful look before turning back to the stars herself. He hasn’t gotten all of it out, but Ah suppose Ah can’t ask for him to dig out every little thing. It’s enough for now.

“I just don’t want to make this a pathetic open session of a divorced kid,” James said. “People go through plenty of other hardships that deserve more grief. It’s not like anything terrible happened, at least not enough to make a big deal over.”

“Yer parents are divorced?”

“Yeah, but please, I don’t want to go into it tonight. I feel lame enough.”

“Whatever hurts ya is never lame or unimportant, no matter what it is,” she said firmly.

“Well, to get to the point, which I think I may have finally figured out, If I couldn’t get a connection even with my family and friends back on Earth let alone strangers, how in Equestria am I supposed to here? I don’t deserve to be here if I couldn’t even be happy at home.”

“You think this place is just going to unicorn yerself to happiness?”

“No, I don’t,” James said. “At least, I may have at first but… being here now, I know this place can’t magic-in happiness for me. From what you’ve all told me, there are plenty of hardships here alone to make this officially not the happiest place in the universe. I know I’m not going to out of a stroke of luck find whatever it is I’m looking for here, and I guess that worries me. If I can’t find it here, how am I supposed to find wherever I’m supposed to be.”

“You know…” Applejack began. “Let me tell you another thing mah pa told me when Ah was a filly. And it wasn’t just something he made up during his grass-piping days. It was the same thing told to him from his father and so on, all through the Apple family. It goes, “Happiness isn’t a place you find. Its something you make, no matter where you are.” Whether you’re here in Ponyville James, or back home, being happy is for you to decide. And Ah’m not talking about making yourself happy like Pinkie Pie does at times, Ah’m talking about setting yourself up for happiness. You just gotta open up to the ones around you that are also willing, even if it’s painful.”

James took in a breath that caused his chest to shudder more than it should have.

“And Ah hope you know that you’ve been a good friend during the time you’ve been here.”

“Yeah, so? I mean, how can anyone not be friendly here? Especially with Pinkie Pie around,” he laughed lightly, trying to shake off the mood.

“That’s true, but let me finish now,” Applejack said softly, not giving him the chance to wash over everything they just talked about. “Like Ah said, you’re a friend. And that means something around here. Whether you know it or not, you do have a connection here. You’ve made ties to this place and the ponies that live here. Hay, you even got a house. If you ask me, that’s all Ah need to know that Ah can belong somewhere. You’ve become our friend and we are open to you, we’re just waiting for you to do the same.”

“And even if we can’t find ya a way home to reconcile with yer family... Ah know we can’t replace them, but that… that doesn’t mean we can’t be your new one.”

James turned his head towards her. “Applejack…”

“Let me finish,” she said with a raised hoof. “We are here for you, through thick and thin. And Ah’m sorry if it’s still a tad sensitive but so is Rainbow. Now,, Ah don’t know exactly what passed between you two, but if she is a part of it, Ah know she’ll do right as much as she can. But again, we are here for you, just like you’ve been for us. From now on, you’re a friend who is open to us, and no matter what, as long as we keep helping each other out when we can, we're not gonna let each other deal with things by themselves. Especially with stuff like you’re going through now.”

Applejack gave him a smug look. “Face it partner, you’re stuck here for now and that means yer stuck with us too. And Ah’ll be a rotten apple in a compost pile before Ah let one of my friends suffer alone anymore like you’ve been doing.”

James blinked hard he turned back towards the sky, grunting somewhat as he rubbed an arms across his face. “Sorry, got a bit of dust in my face.”

“Heh, stallions are all the same,” she said softly while turning her eyes back to the stars as well. He may be trying not to show it, but it looks like he took it to heart. At least Ah hope so.

“Applejack…” James said.

“Yeah?”

“…Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s what friends are for.”

“I know but… as you already probably guessed, you’ve been more of a friend than most have back where I’m from.”

Applejack held off for a moment before speaking, not entirely sure she wanted to ask a certain question. But with all the cards being laid out on the table, she decided to. “Would you still want to head back home if you could?”

“…”

She heard him fidget in the grass as she assumed he was thinking it over. For some reason her eyes just remained glued to the sky, not willing to look at him to read his face.

“Honestly, I don’t know anymore.”

“James, Ah-“

“WHERE ARE YOU TWO!? DINNER’S BEEN READY SINCE SUNDOWN!” Granny Smith’s voice echoed across the orchard.

“Ah guess that’s our cue,” Applejack said quickly while lifting herself up. “You still coming to dinner?”

James gave a stretch before joining her in standing. “I think I can stay for some grub. Besides, I worked the orchards pretty hard today. The least you can pay me with is some food,” he said teasingly.

Applejack gave a small chuckle. “Well then, let’s go get your payment.”

The two of them made their way back to the farm house. Shortly, the table inside the Apple family’s house was filled with food and the joyous sound of laughter and merriment. All the while the stars twinkled overhead.

Green Advice

Rays of sunlight beamed through glazed windows and colorful curtains, basking the wooden floor in warmth. The rays revealed bits of dust that drifted through the air, bringing an old and homely feel to the living room. As the sun continued to rise, the angle of its light shifted slowly across the house. Minutes passed and the beams eventually shined upon pieces of glassware atop fabric that decorated a standing table. Reflecting off the multifaceted glass surfaces, spots of light were scattered across the room. The glass was purposely placed there due to the spectacle it created from the sun every morning; performing a display of light and wonder. However, there were no observers present to enjoy the sight this morning, save for one, who was currently fast asleep and unaware of the show. Or at least until one of these spots shined directly on closed eyes, causing them to squint in agitation.

James flickered his eyes open, only to close them tightly immediately to prevent exposing himself further to the sudden glare of light that awoke him. He let out a groan of discontent as his groggy mind focused on the single goal of sleeping in more. But the light was growing more bothersome with each moment.

With a grunt he flipped his body away and stuck his nose against the back of the couch he laid upon. With a relaxing sigh he shifted into a comfortable position and attempted to fall back asleep. However as his mind began to sink back down into slumber, a single thought nagged at him. Why am I on a couch?

James reluctantly opened his eyes again to verify that what he had seen was right, and was met with a back cushion decorated with flowers.

He stared at the floral fabric until his brain fully began to comprehend he was not in his own bed. With the sudden realization, James immediately propped himself up onto his elbows and looked about the room. He was indeed on a couch that was slightly tacky for his taste, set up in the living room, surrounded by other various furniture and antiques. It took him a few moments for the memories of last night to finally catch up in his head. Right, slept over at the Apples’. After remembering where he was at, he slowly laid back down on the couch and began to stare up at the wooden rafters and ceiling.

Still tired, his eyes absently traced the various notches and marks of the wood above him, his mind recalling every detail of last night that he could remember as he slowly became more awake. Memories like the food Granny Smith made that somehow turned out delicious, the laughter around the table as they played games, all the way to the Apples letting him crash on the couch when they all realized how late it was. But the memory he focused on the most was the very embarrassing and regretting event before any of that had happened. When he and Applejack were alone in the orchard, talking about him.

Oh god, he thought as he recalled all the details. Why did we have to have that conversation? He placed his hands on his face half in regret and half in tiredness. Groaning in contempt, he slowly pulled his hands down, drooping his face along with it. I can’t believe that happened. What was I even thinking? James sourely reflected on the conversation, still causing him to cringe at some of the things he had revealed last night, his insides becoming a knot as he played the memory over again and again in his mind. What am I going to do now? .

But after a minute or two of self-loathing, a different perspective popped into his head. Maybe… she’s right.

Applejack’s words from the night before still struck loudly in his head. How she said that he did not have to keep everything to himself, bottling everything up until he explodes. That he could open up to others that would help him, that there were ponies around him that he could trust to do just that and confide in. That he didn’t have to be alone through his pain.

But as nice as all that sounded, the idea of repeating anything like last night did not seem worth the effort to achieve. I do not want to go through that again, he thought. He hated feeling exposed and vulnerable, no matter how much good it might bring. Just the idea of letting everything out immensely bothered, and also scared him. The more he thought about it, the more he hated it.

However, as he dwelled on the idea and consequences of going through it again, he did have to admit —albeit slowly— that he did feel different than yesterday. Possibly even better than the times he tried to get through everything by himself, he realized.

No… there is no way in hell I am going to acknowledge the ‘magic of friendship’. It can’t be that easy. There’s no way it could work like that, that is not real life. James thought about the last sentence in his head for a few moments before correcting himself. Okay, so I thought talking ponies weren’t part of real life too. Turns out they are. But just because they are real and make some sense, doesn’t mean I can accept the ‘magic of friendship’ as something tangible and that easily.

Despite any revelations that happened last night withApplejack, James was still unwilling to let loose the emotional pressure inside to another soul. But as much as he tried to push it away, everything Applejack had said to him still nagged on him. But on the one chance that isn’t even remotely possible, what if she’s right?

His mind spun in every way to figure out his full thoughts and feelings on the matter. But no matter how he looked at it, he still couldn’t figure out if he would be able to go with it or not. Letting out a sigh he defeatingly thought, Lying here while going in circles is not going to help figure out what to do next. I need to get up and move around, figure this out while I do other stuff.

As much as he hated to admit it right now, he wouldn’t get any closer to figuring out this self conflicting mess he was in until he let it go. Something like this will just has to take time to figure out. Turning away from the ceiling, he looked out the window, where the deep blue sky seemed to bring about the promise of a new day. It was so blue that he couldn’t help but get lost in it, attempting to push away his worries and troubles. A day like this would be perfect to just find a spot to sit down at and work on some of his writing. What with the sun shining brightly and— SHIT! THE SUN’S UP! his brain finally clicked.

James jumped off the couch and rushed to the window. Looking out across the farm, he figured it might be nine or ten o'clock in the morning. “Dammit, slept in again.” With a grunt he made his way out of the living room in silent frustration. Seriously, how many times do they expect me to be okay sleeping in when they all get up before the sun does? If she wanted help in the orchards she should have just woken me up.

As tempting as sleeping in was, the idea of the people —or ponies— that hosted his stay while they worked made him feel to guilty to just lie around. Especially if they gave him a free meal to boot. He could never stand the idea of lazing about when others were doing something productive.

He was determined to get outside right away and see if there was anything he could still help with. As he moved into the kitchen and towards the porch door however, a voice stopped him before he headed out. “There you are, James, how did you sleep last night?”

He turned his head to see Granny Smith sitting at the kitchen dining table, a cup of steaming tea on a coaster beside her and the newspaper sprawled out in front on the table.

“Oh, morning, Granny. Sorry I slept in so late, I’m on my way outside right now.”

“Nonsense, they got it all under control,” she said, waving a hoof dismissively. “There’s not too much work fer today so they all will probably be done and back in before noon. Come, have a seat and keep me company,” she said while motioning for him to join her.

“Oh, um… okay.” James walked over and pulled out a chair that was on her right.

“So,” Granny Smith began after he settled into his seat, “how did you like mah dinner last night?”

James put on a friendly smile as he spoke. “I already told you, it was delicous. I was pretty surprised by it.”

“Oh?” Granny Smith asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why did it surprise ya?”

Shit, James thought. “Umm, because… I … don’t really like avocados,” he said. ”But I could barely taste them and when I did, they actually tasted good!”

“Ah see,” she said. Reaching down for her teacup she gave him a curious glance. James held his smile straight as she took her time to sip from the cup and set it back down on the table. After smacking her lips a few times from the drink she asked, “Ah take it you had fun last night then?”

Relieved to not have to come up with any more excuses for dinner, he replied, “Yeah, it was fun. I always love hanging around the table with everypony. Some of the word games you guys have are pretty interesting I think.”

Granny Smith laughed at that. “We Apples got quite a few of them. Helps pass the time in the orchards. But Ah already know everything after dinner was a good time, Ah’m talking about before.” She gave James a knowing smile as she waited for him to reply.

“You mean picking the apples?”

Granny Smith’s smile fell. He can’t be this daft, she thought. “No, not that, Ah’m talkin’ about you and my granddaughter. Did you two have fun last night?”

“Applejack? Yeah, we did,” James automatically responded. Granny Smith’s devious smile came back, only to vanish as quickly when he continued. “We just hung out by the trees and talked while stargazing.”

She gave him a dissatisfied stare before speaking. “Jeeze boy, you don’t have to hide it from me. Ah’m just asking if tha two of you had fun.”

“Fun?” James repeated the word, not quite sure what she was getting to.

“Yes, fun,” Granny Smith implied, adding a small wiggle with her eyebrows to send the point home.

“Oh… OH!” James exclaimed in sudden clarity, his cheeks beginning to bring a lovely shade of red to his face. “NO, OF COURSE NOT!”

Granny Smith’s mouth fell slack before she scrunched up her face and gave him the stink eye. “Why? My granddaughter not good enough fer ya? Is that what you think buster?”

James waved his hands in front of him. “NO! It’s not that! Its just...why are you even asking this, Granny!?”

“Sheesh, I used to be young too you know,” she said. “An old gal is deserving of knowing if her granddaughter had a good time with a stallion. Er… I guess a human in this case.”

James could not believe where the conversation had just taken a turn to, rapidly becoming more uncomfortable and awkward with each passing moment.

“G-Granny Smith!” he stuttered. “I don’t think this is appropriate for us to talk about!” he said as politely and frustratedly as possible.

She raised her eyebrows curiously. “Hmm? And why’s that?”

“B-because! People, I mean ponies, don’t talk about stuff like this!”

She stared at him for a few moments, the look on her face as if she had just seen a timber wolf dance and ask if she would be its dinner. “Why sure we do, it’s just casual conversation folks have. You saying they don’t talk about stuff like this back at your home?”

“Of course not!” James immediately replied.

“Well that’s odd of ya, why not?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“Because it’s embarrassing! And private!”

“Why is it embarrassing?”

“I-it just is!”

Her face turned to a thoughtful look as she asked, “Is this here one of them taboo thingy’s you humans have? Like always wearing clothes and what not?”

“Yes! It’s exactly like that,” James said, desperately reaching for anything that might end this conversation.

“I’d sure hate to be where you’re from then. Can’t go walking outside unless you’re dressed for a blizzard, and can’t talk about good old-fashioned sex? Sounds awfully boring to me.”

James cringed slightly at hearing Granny Smith use the ‘S’ word.

“So what did you two do then? You were out there fer a long while, Ah could have sworn you had finally gotten used to your predicament and took tha chance to relieve yerself.”

“I told you, we talked! That’s it!”

“Hmmm,” she hummed. Granny Smith held a thoughtful face before continuing. “So Ah take it you haven’t been told how it works here then? What with how ponies are open folk? Which is odd to say because I’d never consider something normal to be ‘open’. But Applejack convinced me not to talk about it and leave ya be.”

James would rather confess his feelings to Applejack a hundred times over if it got him out of the talk he and the senior family member were having.

“Ah guess it’s up to me then. Don’t worry James, Ah’ll explain it all to ya,” she continued. With a small cough to clear her voice she said,“You see, when a stallion and a mare are friends with each other—“

“IT’S ALRIGHT! TWILIGHT ALREADY COVERED IT!” James nearly shouted, his whole body stiff and straight against the chair.

“Oh, she did? Well good, saves me the trouble of explaining. Now Ah just gotta do the asking. Why didn’t you to do it then?”

James’ face became beet red. Think of something think something think of something… James fumbled as he tried to find the words. “Uh… because we… weren’t…. married. YES! Married. Can’t do it without marriage,” he said, hoping that this would bring about the end of the talk.

Granny Smith leaned away slightly as she looked at James with the strangest of faces. “You wait till you’re married?”

Oh lord, James thought.

“Sheesh, no wonder you’re so pent up. So you’re a virgin then?” she asked, not skipping a beat.

“Of course not!” James said automatically, immediately regretting it.

Granny Smith let out a chuckle at his growing fluster. “Relax boy, it’s nothing to be ashamed of if you were. But Ah know you’re not married and haven’t been, but you just told me yourself that you're also not a virgin. Which Ah’m assuming means you can still have fun in the sack. So why didn't ya rut with my granddaughter?”

James was unable to continue anymore, it was just becoming too much for him. As politely as he could as to not offend her he said, “G-Granny... this is really uncomfortable and I don’t think we should continue this conversation. Ever again.”

Her face fell away slightly. “Why’s that? James, you're more wound up than a snake wrapped around a bed spring.”

“Look, I don’t know how it is here… well actually I think I do, but back where I’m from, s-se-… that!” he emphasized, not able to say the word in front of her. “Is something between two people in a relationship. Yes, sometimes people do it now and then for fun, but it’s for people who are dating or are married.”

“You mean you only do it with one pony? And you have to be dating or married?”

James’ face became redder as he tried to explain. “It’s considered cheating if you do it with another person while in a relationship,” he said, not even attempting to address her second question. He was trying to keep his voice calm and level, his throat already tired with the repeated outbursts she solicited from him. I just shouldn’t be surprised by anything she says at this point.

“Hmmm,” Granny Smith hummed while leaning back in her chair. James waited patiently for her to speak, half tempted to get up now and out the door before she could ask another question. Unfortunately she had finished musing over whatever she was thinking and spoke before he could move. “Ah think Ah know your problem.”

Here we go. He mentally sighed, not in the slightest looking forward to receiving a lecture from her. Especially about sex of all things. “What’s my problem?” he asked.

“You only do it with ponies that are closer than friends. Which is something Ah’m having a hard time getting past because if you can’t have fun in the bed with somepony and have it feel right, how do you know you're even dating the right pony to begin with?”

“We just do,” he said with an exasperated voice, his will to fight the strange conversation diminishing.

“Fer some reason, Ah don’t think you do.”

He opened his mouth to try and find the words to counteract her, but the ordeal of it all was making it difficult to come up with something that he could actually use against her.

“In case you haven’t figured it out,” Granny Smith said before he could speak, ”friends bed with other friends here. It’s just one of the ways we bond. There’s nothing wrong with working out your natural needs and pleasures with another you’re close with. But Ah think that there’s another problem of yours.”

“And that is?” James asked, regretting pushing the conversation further.

“You are emotionally closed off.”

James’ embarrassment calmed down a notch as she confirmed the very thing Applejack had tackled last night. To have Granny Smith point out the same flaw right off the bat was a little jarring to him.

“It also sounds to me that humans are only able to open to one soul at a time if at all. Whether that’s from being a human or you all just never learned how to be open to love more than one, Ah don’t know. If it’s the latter, than that’s an unfortunate thing for you and all of your kind.”

James stared blankly as she continued.

“Let me clear some things up for ya. For ponies, being connected to each other is one of the many things that make us who we are. We share the good times and laughter from them with one another, to feel happy and close to them. And that includes tha more intimate things. Now don’t get me wrong, we don’t do it with everypony that comes our way. We’re not mindless beasts who are slaves to our instincts and passions.”

“We do it to strengthen our already existing bonds. To become closer to tha ponies around us, and in turn, deepen our relationship. Just like sharing a good meal together in merriment, or dancing a jig to a good ol’ folk song. It’s nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of, but somethin’ to appreciate and enjoy with one another.” Granny Smith paused for a moment as James took in what she said. “But hot damn if the act itself ain’t one heck of a stress reliever! Ah can’t imagine how stuck up and tightly wound up everypony is where you’re from.”

James had never had the urge to facepalm before in his life, but the last thing she had said gave him the strong desire to perform one. He resisted the urge and instead forced himself to think about what Granny Smith said while she reached down for another sip. As much as he wanted to end the conversation, it was something he couldn’t pass up if it was important to know. As awkward as it was, having both Granny Smith and Twilight mention it showed how important it possibly was to their culture, something he at least realized he should attempt to understand.

As much as it bothered him to explore said knowledge from the source next to him at the table which was definitely not a first choice, he was becoming genuinely curious and it was already the topic of the conversation. James turned back to Granny Smith as he spoke. “But… aren’t you worried about hurting others that may already be in relationships? Doesn’t any rivalry happen?

“Why not at all! It’s something to pass the time with and have some fun while you’re at it. Normally you’d only do it when your special somepony isn’t available, but it isn’t a big deal. You’d probably do it with a close friend.”

“How on earth, I mean, Equestria, does that work?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, how does nopony get emotionally hurt from it?”

“Why would that happen?”

James stared at her, brow furrowed and mouth ajar for a moment before replying, “Because you’re doing it with somepony else. Doesn’t that say you don’t love your special somepony that much?”

“Of course not. Like I said, most ponies would rather do it with their special loved one.”

James stared at Granny Smith for the longest time before dipping his head into his hands. “I don’t get this. Even when Twilight explained it, it sounded unbelievable.”

“What did she say to you?”

“Something about how it’s basically a popular recreational activity and is very normal.”

“And Ah take it that it’s not that popular back at your home?”

“No, it is, it’s just… it’s hard to explain. People just aren’t that open about it.”

“That’s a shame.”

Deciding to continue to at least attempt to figure ponies out, James said, “So even when married, you can still do it with others?”

“Well sure, but like Ah said, your loved one is much more preferrable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a close bond with others. Sex is something friends do. Love, well thats something that can only happen with your special somepony.”

“And there’s a big enough difference between the two for you that ponies don’t get them mixed up?”

“Yes, very much so. It’s all about the heart and emotions behind it. It’s a physical need most of the time. That’s not to say that it isn’t special with your close friends of course. But when you add your very being to it for your special somepony, well… it definitely becomes something special.”

“And what happens when you get the same feelings with another pony?”

“Can’t seem to think of a time that happened that it caused any issue. There are friends who are closer than others, but I think there will always be that one who holds your heart the most.”

“And if they don’t return it?”

“That’s a part of life,” she said flatly. “But Ah am a firm believer that somewhere out there, there’s a pony who will love ya just as much as you love them.”

James looked down at his hands as he thought it all over. The whole concept seemed so simple and alien at the same time, that it just didn’t seem possible. After a minute and another sip of tea, James spoke slowly. “I don’t know if that’s something I could do. The idea to be able to have s… sex with those around you so carefree, hell that might be every guy’s fantasy, I’d be lying if I didn’t imagine it myself.” James let out a breath as he formed his words. “But in all honesty, I don’t know if I could do that. The whole interspecies thing alone is hard to handle.”

“Do you think it’s better for… people,” Granny Smith said after a pause, “to be doing as you’ve told me now?”

He continued to look down at his hands as he tried to work that answer out. How much would society change if we were more like ponies? I guess things like rape wouldn’t exist. A quick flashback to him talking to Twilight ran across his mind. But… who knows how it would actually be. James lifted his head and stared at Granny Smith, his face held a mixture of confusion and defeat. “I don’t know,” he said simply. “I can’t even begin to answer that question… not in the slightest.”

Granny Smith nodded as she reached for her cup again. “To be honest mahself, Ah don’t think anypony could. Who’s to say for an entire race?” She took another sip and held the cup in between her hooves as she stared into its brown colored surface. Both of them were at a loss at what to say next from the question that was too big even for the both of them to figure out.

Eventually Granny Smith set down her cup and looked at James with a smile on her face. “Well this isn’t about what everypony at home would do, it’s about what you would do.”

“And exactly what am I supposed to do?”

Granny Smith shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, “Beats me. That’s fer you to decide. You’re in a new world, and that requires changin’ some things about you. The question is, what will you change?”

James was again lost for words as he considered what she said. How the hell is someone supposed to answer questions like this? I love philosophical discussions but this… He wasn’t sure what he could change, or would be willing to. The words from Applejack last night and Granny Smith minutes ago came back to his mind once again. Both of them separately picked on a single issue that he had, one that he felt maybe he could get an answer to. “How am I supposed to just open up to everypony here? How in Equestria do you love more than one person let alone a single one?” God that’s a stupid question, he thought immediately, feeling foolish in even asking something so cliché.

Granny Smith gave him a smile as she responded, “James, there are many types of love. There’s the love of a hobby, the love of your family, the love of your friends, and the love of your special somepony. It’s really not that hard to open up to those around you. Sure it might be scary and leave ya vulnerable to all kinds of pain. But to share those special connections with somepony else? Why, Ah think that might be even better than eating one of my Zap Apple Pies.”

“But if there’s one thing Ah gathered from ya it’s that you’re a pretty closed up fellow. Oh, you may laugh and have fun around us, but when you’re my age, you’re able to pick up on the small things. Now, Ah know you shouldn’t be pushed into it. You are a human after all and you gotta do what’s right for yer kind. But you should know there are ponies out there right now you’ve managed to become close to, my granddaughter being one of them. Ah can’t tell you how happy it would make me to see a smile on her face from becoming closer to another friend, especially one like you that has my full blessings if they would even matter. But it’s all up to you if you want to pursue that or not.”

She reached out a hoof to his hand, gently grasping it in the odd way ponies could. “Ah don’t think you should shoot down this opportunity. Now Ah don’t know how ponies, er people, in your world are. But there’s good folk here that won’t do you wrong, and they're willing to let you into their lives. So why don’t you do the same?”

James looked up, hoping to see something in her face that revealed some perverted nature or demented expression that would betray her line of reason, that she wasn’t right about the whole thing. Something to confirm his suspicion he had deduced so far that ponies are secretly sex addicts.

But when he looked up at her in return, he found nothing but a genuine smile and caring eyes on her face. As odd as their conversation was, she really meant it as something normal and heartfelt rather than dirty and vulgar. She fully believed that it was something that could bind ponies together in more meaningful friendships and relationships, and that she believed it would help him.

Do they really view it so differently than humans? That it’s something so natural and can be acted on without worry? That… there’s more to it than just a physical act? That it doesn’t ruin a friendship or make it awkward, but rather strengthen it and bring it closer? James would be lying if thoughts of being so close to Applejack didn’t run about his head just then. It was immediately followed by the memory of Rainbow Dash and the actions he shared with her two days prior. Does... this mean she only wanted to become closer to me? And I wasn’t just a fling?

Granny Smith interrupted his thoughts as she went on. “You really shouldn’t be afraid of letting others into your heart. You’ll be surprised how heartwarming it can all be when you do. And you never know when you’ll find that one that makes it spark more than a fire on Hearth’s Warming Eve.” She gave him a reassuring and warm smile, the kind only a grandmother could pull off. Conversation aside, he felt like a kid talking to his grandparents again. Albeit perhaps dirty grandparents, but it felt similar all the same.

She held an air of wisdom and sweetness about her. She seemed so sure of herself talking about being closer to others and opening your heart, that it was hard to say anything against it and you should just accept it as a fact of life. It was something a wise elder would pass on to their grandchildren that could very easily be the secret to happiness or something along those lines.

James gulped as he dared to ask a question that had been creeping up on him after remembering Rainbow Dash. “Do… would, a pony do it with those that aren’t their friend? Like, without the intention of becoming closer?”

Granny Smith looked up to the ceiling while she replied. “Ah don’t think so. There might be a few exceptions here and there. But in all honesty, Ah’d say anypony willing to bed with ya is just trying to be a good friend and become closer.”

James felt a mixture of tightness and emotions swell in his chest. His wall was still there keeping everything in check so it wouldn’t spill out, but after hearing Granny Smith confirm a growing feeling, he couldn’t help but feel a small weight lift off his chest.

“Besides,“ Granny Smith continued. “Ah don’t think you will have a problem getting other ponies with ya. You look something of an exotic experience if you don’t mind me saying,” she said while giving him a sly wink.

And the moment’s gone, he thought dryly.

James sighed and leaned back in his chair. His eyes returned to the wooden ceiling as he sat deep in thought of everything they had just talked about.

Granny Smith gave him another small smile before sitting back and picking up where she had left off on her newspaper. They both sat there for minutes in their own thoughts. James trying to piece it all together, and Granny Smith giving him all the time in the world as she read the latest town gossip. Eventually, noon rolled around and sure enough, the rest of the Apples’ voices could be heard from the orchard as they came trotting back towards the farm house.

“Goodness does the time pass, looks like they’re done now,” Granny Smith said. “Ah better start some lunch for everypony.” Granny Smith pushed herself out of the chair, a small crack emanating from her joints as she made her way to the kitchen counter. She turned her head towards Jame before she got started. “Will you be staying for lunch, dearie?”

James opened his mouth to answer that he should probably head on home, but instead he paused for a moment. After which he gave her a weak smile and replied, “Yeah sure, why the hay not. Just make sure I can do some work next time to repay you for all the food.” And never bring up this subject again if possible.

Granny Smith returned it with a grin of her own. “Sure thing.” She shuffled about the kitchen gathering various items to begin cooking before looking over her shoulder and calling towards him, “Could you fetch me a wooden spoon from over there?” She motioned to the jar of utensils across the kitchen

“No problem,” James replied.

Granny Smith watched James from behind as he went to the task, her own mind looking back at the moment shared between the two. Fella’s got some growing to do on the inside, but he’s getting there, she thought to herself. James had grabbed the spoon and was on his way back just as the porch door opened. Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Applejack all walked in together. James moved to greet them as they entered, all four of them exchanging good mornings with each other. He gave a small scolding to the elder sister and brother about leaving him to sleep in and not letting him help about the farm, but the laughter between his and their words as they bantered showed that there were no hard feelings, and that it was all in good and playful nature.

Granny Smith watched the scene in silent amusement, paying close attention to the human chatting away at her grandchildren. A small twinkle in her eyes shined as she regarded his behavior. The grin he had on now, she noticed, wasn’t the one he normally wore. She wasn’t sure if he even noticed himself, but the smile he held now was one of true and genuine happiness, something she had failed to see in such a way in the human since he had arrived. It was a hopeful smile, the kind one would give after a heavy burden had been lifted, even if it was just for a moment.

Ah think Ponyville’s going to be good for you, sonny. You’re gonna be just fine here.

Purple Couch

“So… what do you think?”

“It’s not bad. I think it’s nice.”

“But…” he urged on, despite not entirely wanting to know her answer.

“Well… if I had to give it critique, I’d say it is a little jarring…” she sheepishly replied.

Taking a breath as his head hung down in preparation to hear his faults, he asked, “Okay. And why is that?”

Taking a few moments to rifle through the papers encased in a purple glow, she gathered her thoughts as to what to address first. “Well to start off, it’s a little odd to begin your story with the character already in this new world and having a rapport with the others. We have no idea how he got there or how he even managed to become friends with his hosts. I imagine that would be kind of important.”

“I felt like starting off where I did just because,” he replied defensively. “It’s not like I’m expecting it to be read by a lot of people anyways.”

“Ponies,” she corrected.

Groaning at forgetting he replied, “For the record, I’m not doing any of that in my story. Just because I’ve been trying to change what I say in real life doesn’t mean I’m going to go the extra mile to do it in my writing.”

“And we’re all thankful you were willing to do at least that,” she replied with a smile.

Shifting his eye’s to the side of the room he muttered, “Yeah, well I’d feel weird if I was one the only one who didn’t do it. It’s not like I need anything else to separate me.”

She giggled lightly at his reluctant agreement to try and incorporate their sayings into his speech. Maybe I’m developing Celestia’s humor? she idly thought. “Even so, I’d thought I like to say thank you, James. Even if it’s been a few months I’m sure you’re probably still having difficulty adjusting.”

“Guess I should be grateful then for you, Twilight, and the rest of the girls. Speaking of, how are you all doing? I’m sure you’re probably getting tired of seeing me nearly everyday.”

“Did we do something wrong?” Twilight asked, her brow creasing slightly in worry.

Smirking at her slight misunderstanding he responded, “No it’s not that. I’ve already told you all that you’ve been really great. I’m just still a little confused as to why you would devote so much time to me instead of, I don’t know… putting me up with somepony else whose job isn’t saving the world. I know you guys are my ‘secret’ rater for my citizenship, but you must get tired of having to put up with me all the time.”

“James, it really is no problem for us to watch over you. And after a year has passed the trial period will be over, and then you’ll be completely out of our hooves, able to do whatever you want, even move if you desire.” Twilight then lowered her ears and lifted the papers in front of her. “But if you do decide to stay in Ponyville, I don’t think us not longer being your raters is going to change the amount of times we see you.”

“While I wouldn’t mind seeing the rest of Equestria, I don’t think I’ll be moving anytime soon. But I promise to give you girls some space that you all are probably craving.”

“Like I said, it probably wouldn’t change much,” Twilight said. “Ahem, if you wish, we can get back to the review of your story,” she cautiously asked at having realized he had become lost in his thoughts again. It seemed like something he often did whenever he thought over his predicament of being in Equestria. He was getting less taken aback by it each time the topic came up, now only gazing off for a moment or two. But she still never liked seeing him get stuck on the fact and wanted to do anything possible to cheer him up, which was in this case, with more critiquing on his story. What pony doesn’t like finding all their grammatical and plot errors?

“Sorry,” he mumbled while blinking his eyes at his returned focus. Resting his back against the couch. “I just felt like that was a good place to start, the story I mean. I only wanted to write a few things down at first, but I guess it just kept growing. I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be this long.”

“You could always rewrite it with a more informative beginning,” Twilight recommended. “Maybe even starting with how you got here?”

“Hmm… no, I think want to keep going where it’s at. Besides, there’s no way I will ever want anyone else knowing my embarrassing first few days in Ponyville.”

“Still… hung up, on the fact AJ had to chase you with her rope?” Twilight teased.

Groaning at the memory James put his head into his palms. “Applejack, the rope, or anything else that you girls did to me. I would rather not want to be reminded of that. Awkward and embarrassing stuff like that in public makes me just cringe from thinking about it. I could never watch video back home with awkward stuff in public, let alone write what I did.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have run like you did.”

“Yeah, I’ll remember that the next time I somehow end up in a world that’s full of strange and colorful creatures.” Lifting his head up, he turned his attention back to his story. “Maybe I can salvage it if I come up with some stuff that aren’t journal entries from what has happened to me. You know, add something interesting here and there.”

“That was actually another thing I wanted to touch on,” Twilight interrupted as her eyes scanned the floating pages again. “There isn’t really any story here. It’s just kind of jumbled things happening that are meshed together. There’s no overarching plot, antagonist, or even a recurring villain. And there is a lot of exposition.”

Furrowing his brow as he returned to his defensive attitude he countered, “Maybe I’m just an informative author writing a slice of life story.”

“A what?”

“You know, just tidbits of someone’s life being highlighted.”

“… Why would anypony want to read that?”

Tempted to snatch the papers from her magical hold right there and then, James sat back forward with his elbows on his knees. “Like I said, I wasn’t expecting anyone to read it. You’re lucky you even managed to convince me to bring it with me tonight and agree to this.”

“I still think you should consider forming into some kind of story,” Twilight replied as she neatly stacked the pages together.

“Moving on,” James replied a bit louder than he intended. “What did you want to do tonight? You know, besides bash my work in progress story?”

“Work in progress is no excuse for not having a good base in your story,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “And as to why you’re here tonight, I actually wanted to see if you would be willing to test your reactions on Ember Shade some point in the future.”

James stared at the alicorn for nearly ten second straight before exclaiming loudly, “WHAT!?”

“James… lets be grown up here,” Twilight said in a serious tone. “You already agreed that it would be best to carefully study how all of our consumables in our world would affect you, and Ember Shade is one of those things. Granted, it was last on the list due to the nature of its effects, but I’d say it has the option of anytime now that you are aware of our… well, tendency to have sex. Anything we don’t already know is outright poisonous needs to be checked if you can safely digest it. If you’re going to live on your own eventually, maybe even out of Ponyville, then we need to know what you can and can’t have.”

James stared at the alicorn for another ten seconds before repeating, “WHAT!?”

“Ugh, James I-“

“No, just… no,” he replied while standing up. Putting a hand behind his head in frustration he moved towards one of the windows. “Look, Twilight, I don’t really want deal with those kind of issues right now.”

“I understand if you’re hesitant,” she said as calmly as she could. “And there’s no problem putting it aside until some other day. But ignoring it isn’t going to make it go away.” When he did not responded back Twilight got off her cushioned recliner and took a few steps towards him. “James… we’re doing this for your sake. We need to know if it’s safe for you or not.”

“And what makes you think I will take it!?” he snapped back at her.

Twilight flinched at his voice and expression, not having seen such a reaction from his before. Her ears flattened instinctively as he continued to glare at her, causing him to immediately change his mood when he saw how she was reacting to him. “Twilight…” he said softly before sighing heavily. “I’m sorry, I’ve just… there’s been a lot on my mind lately.” He walked past her and sat back down on the couch, still tempted to just leave the library then and there as to not have to explain anything which he knew full well she would eventually coax from him.

“What’s been bothering you?” she asked in concern, deciding to hop up and take a seat next to him, resting one of her hooves on his arm in comfort.

Turning his head towards her, he felt a tug in his chest from her large eyes that were so close to him, filled with worry at whatever was bothering him. Godammit… I should have just left when I had the chance.

“What’s wrong?”

Tilting his head back so he wouldn’t have to look at her, he stared up at the knotted ceiling while he took a breath in. After a few times of heaving breathing and a gentle tug on his arm, he eventually built the will to speak. “Look, it’s really hard for me to say… but… it involves Applejack and Granny Smith when I was over at the apples the other day…”

It was Twilight’s turn to be silent for a while, removing her hoof from him and scooting away slightly to give him some more personal space. After she received a quick glance from James as to why she moved, she coughed politely into her hoof and tentatively asked, ”Did you… have sex with them?”

James’ eyes shut tight as he clenched his jaw at the sheer absurdity of the question, barely able to contain himself from hopping up from the couch and leaving at that exact moment. But stomaching the awkwardness of that question and his own butterflies of having yet another discussion that would probably turn into something emotional, he answered with gritted teeth, “No… I did not.”

“Okay…” Twilight said blankly, her expression still remaining neutral. “So what did you do?”

“Talk,” James replied quickly. “All we did was talk. One talk with Applejack, and one talk with Granny Smith.”

“What did you discuss if you don’t mind me asking,” Twilight replied curiously, her behavior returning to a more natural and familiar state.

Sighing yet again, James forced himself to speak despite the squirms inside him. “Applejack and I talked about what’s wrong with me. On how she… saw me crying a few times when I broke down. And I guess a few things about my childhood. While Granny Smith enlightened me on how you ponies love to have sex.”

“Granny Smith… gave you a sex talk?” Twilight said in disbelief.

“Eeyup,” James replied sarcastically.

Twilight was silent for a few moments before she promptly got off the couch and headed to the kitchen. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

Puzzled as to what she was up to, James followed her with his eyes and stared off into the kitchen entrance way, listening intently as the sound of glasses clinking and some kind of liquid being poured was heard. Shortly after the alicorn returned back into the living room with two floating glasses. Taking back her original spot in her chair, she floated a drink to James and grabbed hers with a hoof.

“What’s this?” he asked cautiously, paranoid ideas of Ember Shade being slipped into his drink passing his mind.

“Cider. Alcoholic, cider,” she simply stated.

“Um… why? I thought ponies only drank during the Summer Sun Celebration?”

“A, that was a lie. And B, because I don’t care who you are, having a conversation about sex with a grandma is probably one of the worst things anypony or person could experience,” she said flatly. “I don’t know if it’s a common thing for ponies who lived in the countryside all their life, but that is certainly not something that is okay in Canterlot or any other city for that matter.”

James stared dumbfounded at the mare being turning his eyes back to the drink in his hands. “Wow, wasn’t expecting that.”

“Come on, let’s take the first drink together,” Twilight ordered as she dipped her head back and took a large gulp. Not entirely sure of exactly why this was happening, James just reacted to the command and took a large gulp himself, both of them sticking their tongues out afterward and shuddering as they said in unison, “Bleeeehhh.”

Trying to smack the taste away from his mouth, James looked at her with a new sense of awe, wondering exactly what she was trying to do. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t been looking at everything ponies were doing lately was secretly some ploy to get him in bed, but he felt at least seventy-percent sure that Twilight was just simply sharing a drink with him at a still awkward conversation he held with the senior pony.

“As Princess and Librarian of this town,” Twilight spoke sarcastically, “I offer you sincerest apologies you had to go through with that.”

“Thanks, but I guess nothing can be done about it now,” he replied. When Twilight nodded in agreement and took another but much more moderate swig of the drink, James commented in disbelief, “Have to say, I never thought you had a side like this to you.”

“Well, since you said that we apparently exist in your world as a cartoon show for fillies and colts, and explained what kind of content and behaviors it displayed, I figured acting similar to it would be the most easing thing we could do,” Twilight explained with a smile, not entirely sure if she was imagining the tingle that was building in her head or if the drink had already begun to buzz her. “If we behaved how you already imagined we would, then it would be easier to gain your trust and get your cooperation.”

Thinking on what she said for a bit, James shrugged his shoulders as he replied, “Guess I can’t argue with that.” Taking another sip himself, he waited until the taste departed somewhat before speaking, “So besides sex and apparently alcoholism, what else have you ponies been hiding from me?”

“That’s pretty much it,” Twilight said casually. “From what little I’ve gleamed of your world, adults are adults no matter where you are.”

“Guess here’s another sip then to something in common,” James replied. They both drank together, shortly shuddering again at the taste and speaking in unison, “Bleeeehhh.”

They sat there in silence for a minute, just letting the mood the room take its place and be lost in their own thoughts before James decided to break the ice. “So… I hear from a well-seasoned source that ponies will sleep with other ponies, even if they are in a relationship. That true?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she floated a pillow behind her back for extra comfort, confident that the buzz forming in her head was for real this time. “Yeah, so?”

Seeing the confused expression on James’ face Twilight began to explain. “Oh, oh my, I’m sorry. I completely forgot how a non-monogamous relationship is the standard on your world.”

“It’s alright,” James said idly as his attention was shifting to the alcohol set in his gut. “One question though before we get into this discussion, how did this kind of thing start for ponies?”

Twilight’s eyes and focus sparked immediately at a chance for a history lesson. “My theory is that back then it wasn’t uncommon for a pony be gone for days or even months at a time to conduct business or trade in another town. This was especially true in towns that had just formed as they still required a lot of supplies and assistance from a more well established settlement or city. Magic and technology hadn’t improved to the point that those kind of things could be done in a short amount of time and well… a pony can get kind of lonely while they’re loved one is gone.”

“So you cheat?” James pointed out casually, having decided to let the conversation reach its full potential and not care as much about the direction it might go.

“This is Equestria remember?” Twilight said with a knowing smile. “If you hadn’t caught on now, a pony doesn’t define their relationship with another pony with sex alone. It only matters how they feel for you.”

“That must be nice,” James sorely responded as he took another sip, briefly observing he was already halfway through the glass and deciding it would probably be smart to slow down.

“Well, deal with it, that’s who ponies are,” Twilight countered smartly. “As I was saying, it wasn’t uncommon for the other ponies you were close to help keep your bed warm at night and have a good time with. Over time, it was found out to actually be helpful in making one closer to the ponies around them. However, I will say that it is probably a little less frequent than it was back in the day.”

“And that’s because?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Twilight responded, “Most likely that travellers rarely stuck around long enough to get a friendship started before parting ways. These days it is considered a little uncouth to hook up with a pony at random considering how easy it is to stay in contact with friends thanks to larger towns and easier modes of travel.” Twilight stared into her cup for a moment before she giggled slightly. “I’m going to go out on a limb, but I bet there are some in your world who do the same thing, albeit not very many.”

“Yeah, you’re right on that one,” James said admittingly.

Twilight grinned hazily at being predicting something right again about his world, something she enjoyed to no end during their discussions. The more he revealed about his world, the more she was able to figure out the gaps of knowledge and even accurately guess what something may be, almost like a game of crossword.

“So you also had a talk with AJ?” Twilight said aloud, as if suddenly remembering the fact.

James sat back in the couch, resting the drink on his belt while he reflected that night in the orchard. “Yeah, we did. But it’s not something I really want to get into. Getting torn open once is enough for me for a while” He felt the small sensation of a tear beginning to build up in his eye at the memory of opening up to Applejack on the back of the wagon, actually having the chance to confide to another person or in this case, a pony. Godammit, don’t cry. It’s just the drink.

Twilight wasn’t sure if it was she actually beginning to understand his way of talking that slipped out now and then when he wasn’t trying to be polite, or if it was the alcohol giving her a new perception, but she had a pretty good idea of what had happened. Knowing Applejack, she probably got him to spill a few things he didn’t want to. She reminisced her own times with the farm pony she had spent late nights with, wondering how she was so good at being able to wiggle her way in getting Twilight to open with her own issues.

“Whatever you two talked about, it’s between you and her. I won’t pry into it,” Twilight announced as she took another sip, relieved that the bitter taste was starting to lessen the more she drank.

“…Thanks,” James replied, not entirely sure how he felt about it. Twilight merely hummed in response as her muzzle was currently dipped into her glass.

Suddenly feeling a strong sense of déjà vu from the situation of sharing a drink with the mare, James’ suddenly remembered a few points they had discussed the last time he spoke with her. “Okay, hang on now,” he said slightly slurred, drawing the attention of the mare. With a slightly confused expression he asked, “Didn’t… didn’t we already talk about sex the last time I was here? And that you said ponies find it a very recreational activity?”

“I recall that,” Twilight replied, her head tilting lazily to the side just slightly.

“Okay, then answer me this. How come you said that it’s like a stones throw away from a pony that will do it with you, but I’m also hearing to only do it with friends?”

“Most ponies have lots of friends,” Twilight simply answered. Seeing the look of confusion on the human’s face turn agitation along with a heavy sigh she quickly added, “But I think I understand you’re inability to not notice the subtle signs and differences between the relationships on whether if they are open or not.””

“Of course ponies have that many varying levels to friendship, like Eskimo’s and snow…”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at his changing mood throughout the conversation, realizing that this could be a wonderful time to study in detail the effects of alcohol on humans. But due to the nature of the conversation, such a study would have to be done another night where the mood wasn’t so serious.

“If you want, I could teach you how to recognize all the types of friendships,” Twilight offered with a smile.

Staring at his drink while idly wondering how he managed to almost get to the bottom already, James responded, “There’s no way I could learn all that, but maybe I’ll try another night.”

“Very well,” Twilight said, shifting in her seat for a more comfortable position.

They both remained quiet for a few minutes in their seats, staring into their glasses after a sip now and then while lost in their own thoughts, neither of them sure of what to say next. For Twilight, she was enjoying the evening spent with a friend while becoming slightly buzzed on some cider. She felt like she helped him understand her world better, and gave some corrections on his story. James on the other hand, was starting to silently fume.

He didn’t know if it was because he still felt vulnerable after talking to Applejack, the sheer awkwardness of learning a whole new side to ponies, or if it was the drink that was getting him buzzed more than he thought it would. Or a combination of the three.

Eventually he could hold it anymore and despite his internal warnings to not let it out or make a scene, he slowly got to his feet and gripped the cup tightly.

“James?” Twilight asked curiously at his action. “Something wrong?”

He didn’t know why, but he felt like throwing the glass against the wall as hard as he could. “… Yeah… no… I… I don’t know…”

Hearing the strange edge to his voice, Twilight slowly flared her horn and gently tugged at the glass in his hand, relieved that he let loose of his grasp so she could float it down onto the table and away from him. After setting hers down as well, she asked, “What’s bothering you?”

“Twilight… do you mind if I scream right now?”

“… uh… no, go ahead. Spike isn’t here tonight so it should be fine.”

James remained quiet for a bit, hesitating on whether if he should go through with the random urge or not. But he decided to jump it anyway instead of just standing there quiet any longer, and let loose the loudest yell he could.

With his fists clenched tight her shouted, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

An eerie silence filled the room as James still stood standing, and Twilight staring in slight shock at the odd behavior from him. His fists were still tightly gripped, apparent on his knuckles as they were beginning to turn white. Before Twilight could ask further on how he felt, or if he wanted to scream again, James went off onto a rant without regard.

“I’m tired of flipping from one thing to the next! Just when I finally think I’m starting to get used to this place, this drops onto my lap! And since then I’ve been just bouncing from one side to the other,” he argued. “First it’s with Rainbow Dash, great sex followed by shitty feelings, then somehow ending on a happy note. But then I still feel awful afterward! Or how about with Applejack! First she gets me to open up and I think I’m starting to feel better afterwards, then it’s back to square one first thing in the morning with me regretting it. Then I get the pep talk from Granny Smith! And I still somehow swing into a good mood after that!”

Twilight was having difficulty following everything he was saying, not entirely sure what it was he was exactly complaining about. But what she could figure out from it all was that the stress had been building up in him for some time, and perhaps he was now venting it all out.

“I always did that back at home too! And I have no idea why!” he exclaimed.

“What do you mean?”

“Just going along with whatever someone says!” James said with a wave of his hands. “I think I got a handle on something, having my own opinion on the matter and what I should do. But every fucking time I somehow see it from the other person's point of view and just magically switch to their side, only to regret it later when I’m away from them. For godsakes I even thought Granny Smith was onto something after our talk! Why would a human even consider something like that!” James briefly reflected that he had cussed in front Twilight, something he tried very hard not doing since he appeared here.

But at this point he simply just did not care about anything, even going as far as just letting out whatever was on his mind and chest without a second thought. I blame the alcohol, he thought, which was an explanation he liked better than the fact he just might be fed up with everything and finally broke.

“It’s like I expect everything someone says so be some special wisdom that will somehow make my situation better! Maybe it’s because I read too many books or anime where some old guy gives a bit of advice at just the most perfect time.”

“Well… even heroes need a new perspective in their stories to help them figure things out,” Twilight quietly said.

“But this isn’t a story!” James nearly shouted. “People don’t just find some magical insight to a problem at a convenient time and just magically continue on like it solved that problem forever. People’s minds change! Other shit gets in the way and new perspectives pop in your head while you lay awake at night wondering about everything!”

Twilight waiting for his fuming to run its course, watching carefully as he slowly bent himself back down onto the couch. She wasn’t sure how big of a drinker he was, but he hadn’t had any to her knowledge since his time here and it could very well affect would he would handle having some now, especially considering the fact that she didn’t know how quickly humans got drunk. She figured one glass was okay based on what he told her of his previous experiences in drinking, but nonetheless decided to play it cautiously.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable sitting up, James slowly propped himself to lay down on the couch and stare up at the ceiling, letting his mind work through his stupor at everything he had just spouted.

Maybe he’s going through an identity crisis, caught between what to keep in from his human customs versus what to accept from ours, Twilight reasoned, somewhat surprised she even could despite the haze in her mind.

But her logical view onto the situation quickly gave out when she saw how agitated he looked, quickly changing her scholarly attitude into a worried and caring one. Is it my fault for not noticing how much stress he has inside him? He’s obviously had a lot to get out, and may even have more in him but… how could I not have seen it?

Sadly she reflected on her time with him, trying to see if there was some sign of his unhappiness that he had just recently showcased. But thinking back, she couldn’t remember a single moment that could have indicated such a thing. Am I... am I a bad pony to not have noticed? Applejack apparently saw through it… so why couldn’t I? I thought I was supposed to have studied the magic of friendship enough to see these things… Shifting her eyes to his face, she watched closely as his features noticeably began to soften. The muscles around his mouth that had been held tight in a scowl started to loosen, and his forehead slowly even out from his furrowing. It was almost a complete transformation in moods as she almost literally saw the fire extinguish in his eyes. Or maybe… he’s just good at keeping everything inside, she realized. Watching in interest at his behavior change, a sudden urge to yawn overcame Twilight, forcing her mouth wide open as her soft voice gave out a tiny yawn.

The noise she gave distracted James from his own thoughts, causing him to turn his head to her direction. He watched as her wide mouth was just closing from the tired action, smirking slightly as she smacked her lips and blinked a few times. Then, his face began to grow red as if he had just remembered the mare had been there the entire time during his rant.

Feeling embarrassment wash over him, he shifted about until he completely turned around on the couch, his face buried into the back piece and away from the mare’s eyes. But Twilight had not missed the redness on his face, and lazily smiled at the reaction.

You know, some girls may not like it when a guy gets wishy washy with his feelings and doesn’t know what to do. But I think it’s kind of cute. She suppressed a giggle that threatened to show her amusement at his shyness, deciding it was better to let him have whatever dignity he thought he was preserving, not realizing that to her he had not lost any from his outburst.

“Is it… is it alright if I just fall asleep here?” James suddenly asked as his nose pushed up against the backside of her couch. He didn’t realize how hard the drink had hit him until he had turned away from her, feeling a large amount of nauseousness build just from the small movement. What the hell was in that cider…

“Yeah… sure…,” Twilight replied sleepily as she herself laid down in her comfy recliner, not even given it a second thought. Glowing her horn, she flipped a hidden lever built within the chair that caused the bottom part to flip up and extend to allow her to rest her back legs on. After wiggling a bit for a comfy position, she rested her head rested on the raised side of the chair and gave out a happy hum in relaxation and grogginess from the cider. Afterwards, Twilight flared her horn to flick up the light and cast the room into darkness, shutting her eyes as she hummed happily again in comfort.

James looked over his shoulder briefly from the lights being turned off, staring dimly at the mare’s dark outline on the chair before turning back and mumbling softly, “So weird how that’s for your whole body to lay down on and not just your legs…”

“Hmmmm,” Twilight simply responded.

The two of them laid down in their improvised beds as their heads still spun lightly in a semi drunken stupor, letting the combination of the alcohol and sleepiness over take them.

“Twilight?”

“Hmm?”

“… Sorry about that…”

“I already said don’t, *yawn* mention it,” she replied sleepily. “I know all of this is tough for you, and I can’t even begin to imagine how it must all seem. But you know, we are here for you. Believe it or not, we actually do consider you as a friend.”

James was silent for sometime before he softly replied, “… Thanks…”

“No problem” Twilight responded, her content grin still plastered on her face.

And with that, the two drifted off to sleep, their minds a blur between everything they talked about, whatever thought was born from the alcohol, and what the future might hold for them. The only last thought, was James’ idle observation of the furniture he was currently laying on. Hmm… this couch is purple…

Author's Note

A few things about this chapter and the direction of the story. This story was original an experiment in clop writing, and was supposed to be a quick stop clop. But due to comments and points people raised, I felt the desire to do more with it. Now I know I haven't been that great going forward with it, and it's kinda getting sloppy, but I want to finish this story someday for the fact that as messed up as it will be, it will inevitably help me improve as a writer. Thus the strangeness of this chapter compared to the other ones in its pacing. I will do some experimenting in writing on this story, and some of it is Slice of Life realism. Stories are often flowing and clear, bringing concise conversations that usually move the plot forward or help character progression. But life isn't like that. It's muddy, confusing, and people's mind change all the time even with all the advice in the world. And I wanted to try and capture some of that. If you all really don't like it, let me know and I will try to stop incorporating it in future chapters in like how I did it in this one.

Additionally, this chapter will still probably be slow to update as I am more heavily invested in another story of mine called Second Princess of the Night. Also, I will admit, it will be difficult continuing this story as what I had envisioned for it has changed so much. Honestly, I can only say thank you for all the criticizing comments because they made me pause and think about my story in a much greater detail than I had originally given it. And it is because of that, that I want to try and provide some meaningful story line. I had also made the comment way earlier on that it was similar to Xenophilla when someone made a comparison. At the time I hadn't read it and just did a skim through the description and answered yes it was. But then I eventually read the story and realized that mine doesn't even hold a candle flame to it. It was actually one of the reasons why I considered abandoning this story a few times due to how good it was and the similarities that I had made with it unintentionally. But I am forcing myself to continue, and I hope I can at least provide something decent for all of you to read. Sorry for the rambles, just wanted to get this out there. Also, I changed the story description and added the Slice of Life tag to reflect all of this.

And one last last note, James will be making mistakes in this story. He might do things that will piss you off, or seem very stupid, but regardless of his problem he will still grown and learn. It's hard to figure out your life when you are stuck in Equestria.

Yellow Crumpets

“Would you like some orange juice?”

“Sure…”

Twilight eyed James briefly, then opened the fridge and pulled out a box of orange juice. She remained as casual as she could while she prepared breakfast for them, but would sneak small glances at James whenever she could. What is he thinking right now? Is last night still bothering him?

James had been rather unresponsive and stoic since they had woken up, only talking to her in short mumbled answers whenever possible. His gaze constantly shifted about from the floor to some object on the other side of the room. It pained her to wait as quietly as she had while he worked whatever was going through his mind, but it was one she was willing to bear. Just be patient, he’ll speak when he’s ready. At least, I hope he does…

“Breakfast is ready,” Twilight announced cheerfully, flashing him a smile as she slid him a plate of eggs with toast.

James stared blankly at it for a few moments before nodding his head, and digging in.

Just like she had during preparation, she constantly flashed her eyes at him while they ate, looking for any hint or sign that he would say what was on his mind. The morning however, remained silent save for the bird songs that drifted through the windows.

Twilight daintily wiped her mouth with a napkin and grabbed both their plates. His appetite doesn’t appear to be affected, she noted at the clear plate. She then proceeded to the sink and began cleaning them, all the while resisting the urge to look back at him. What should I do? Should I send him home? Or just keep being quiet until he’s finally ready?

“Twilight.”

“Yes?” Twilight said hopefully, nearly throwing the plate across the room as she turned her head towards him.

James turned towards her and said, “…I’ll try it.”

“Try what?”

“Being… more open with friends, living like you guys do.” James looked back down to where his plate had been. “I’m going to give it a try, sex and all.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight said, immediately discarding the plates into the sink and reseating herself. “I understand it’s not a part of your culture. You’re not obligated to do it.”

“I know.”

“And I don’t want you to feel pressured. This isn’t something you should do lightly.”

“I know, I know,” James said while leaning back into his chair. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and I’ve decided to at least give it a shot.”

“I’m happy to hear that you’re willing to try, but I don’t want you doing it if you’re uncomfortable.”

“Twilight, it’s alright, I-“

“Because if you feel uncomfortable then it’s just forcing it, and forcing it doesn’t help the situation at all because all it will do is make both of you feel weird-“

“Twilight.”

“-and then you won’t be able to look at each other the same way again, forcing the rest of the time spent together to be nerve-wracking fits of awkwardness, then you wish you weren’t here and instead back home-“

"Twilight.”

“-which will lead to even more awful moments and-“

“Twilight!” James exclaimed.

“Huh?” Twilight muttered as she finally looked up to him.

“Are… Are you blushing?”

Twilight stared at him with wide eyes as she registered the heat in her cheeks. “Maybe,” she said, her voice cracking.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing!” Twilight blurted before jumping from her seat and moving back to the sink. The clinking of plates being furiously scrubbed then filled air the kitchen as James watched Twilight curiously. The fact that she was keeping her head turned and away from him made James blink in confusion.

Nothing was said for some time, until realization hit James harder than the first time Rainbow Dash had tackled him when he had first arrived in Ponyville.

“Twilight… are you hinting at…” James said slowly. The fact that her back straightened as he spoke, and the scrubbing of the plates increased in intensity, were all the more signs to the conclusion James was forming.

“Do you… want to… with me?”

Twilight immediately ceased cleaning the dishes, bringing a stifling silence into the air. Ever so slowly she turned her head in his direction, and looked at him behind her bangs, and with crimson cheeks.

The way her eyes were bent, silently speaking of guilt, embarrassment, and uncertainty, brought a heat to James’ cheeks as well. For him, his chest felt hollow and light, as if it could float away at any second, and his gut heavy and dense, as if it was causing him to sink into the floor. It was a vertigo he was only dimly aware of.

But as quick as the moment had come, so too did it vanish beneath a torrent of thoughts and counters from his mind.

“B-but… you’re a princess! Wouldn’t that be, I don’t know, wrong or something?”

Twilight shifted her gaze away while idly rubbing her leg with the other hoof. “Normally yes. You see, princesses aren’t supposed to be as open as normal ponies. But it’s not like we can’t at all. We just… have to be selective of who we choose to be close with, and were limited in how many we can have.”

“And you think a human is a good choice?”

Twilight turned her eyes back to him, but still kept herself beneath her mane. “As long as who we choose are model citizens, it’s okay. There have instances of close guards, chiefs, gardeners, and more being close with Celestia and Luna. Were just held to a higher standard, so we have to be more conservative.”

“But… I don’t…” James flexed his hands as fidgeted in his seat.

“What is it?”

“I just… I don’t want you or me to get in trouble. I mean, I’m not even a citizen yet, and I don’t want anything bad to happen from it. What if ponies get the wrong message?”

Twilight lifted her head, but leaned backwards as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Is that what you’re worried about?” she said quietly, but with a bitter tone.

James did not reply, and instead, simply stared at her with a guilty look.

Twilight’s lips twitched momentarily, then became unusually still. She shifted herself back into a more relaxed posture and flipped her hair out of her face. Her demeanor was passive and calm, not a hint of emotion or shyness she had shown earlier left on her face. “You’re probably right. It was inappropriate of me to seek.”

“Twilight…”

“I’ll let you see yourself out. Have a good day.” Without a second glance, Twilight turned about and walked out of the kitchen casually.

“Twilight!” James scooted his chair back and headed after her. When he entered the living room, he caught the last second of her landing atop the balcony of the stairs and folding her wings. Without looking back, she continued up the rest of the stairs, disappearing into the upper section of the library.

James stared defeatedly up the steps, unable to make a sound from his open mouth. Do I go after her? Or do I leave? Shit, what do I do? James looked about the library for something that might help him decided, but found his eyes moving back and forth from the stairs and to the front door. She went to her bedroom. Maybe she isn’t too pissed at me. This is something girls do isn’t it? But if I do, what would happen then?

The conversation he had just had with her flashed across his mind again. Her coy behavior, her hinting at picking only a few individuals, revealing that he would be considered one of those lucky ones, and the way her face looked beneath her mane with blushing cheeks.

If I go up there… would… we do it?

That was something that James, despite all of the events of the recent days, did not know the answer to, or even knew if he wanted to know.

His knuckles became white as he gripped his hands. What do I do? What should I do? He turned his eyes to the door. Dammit, I don’t want to leave her alone. Not after I hurt her feelings. But I… I don’t know if I…

His eyes flicked back to the balcony. If I just go up there only to talk, I would probably only make her feel worse. And that… is something I don’t want to do…

The tension in James’ fists left as he slowly relaxed his grip, and eventually, left them hanging open. I know what I said this morning, but… I don’t know if this is right.

Staring upwards a few seconds more, James reluctantly turned away, and stepped towards the door. Or maybe I’m just full of shit…

There was no more thinking left for him. Not because the decision was clear, but because he was too overwhelmed at all the possible situations, all the possible perspectives on it, and all the possibly outcomes. He could only numbly follow the one action he knew would lead him out of the situation, and hopefully allow him to mend whatever damages he had caused at another time.

With heavy steps, James stepped outside, and closed the library door behind him, leaving a clear echo that reached even up to the second floor.

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

James walked through Ponyville quickly, feeling a small burn in his calves as he kept his legs stiff and constantly moving, never slowly down in the slightest even as he moved past other ponies. He received many curious looks, from those who knew it odd for him to not have greeted them as he passed, and others flinching in surprise as he passed and overtook their leisurely pace. To where he was so determined to get to in such a hurry, none of them knew, not even James.

He was simply walking somewhere, anywhere that his legs and whim felt like going to. He didn’t know what to think, didn’t know what to feel, and he didn’t know how to sort out the flurry of thoughts and emotions that did bounce about inside him.

Eventually however, he was not able to keep up his pace, and he fell into slower gait, and continued to slow, until he found himself no longer able to move. He simply stood there; staring at the ground, letting his mind became a haze from possible decisions, thoughts, and countless doubts. And he did not know how much longer he would have stood there, were it not for the soft shout that faintly reached ears as if it were a breeze.

“Good morning, James.”

James turned his head, and immediately spotted Fluttershy waving at him from a distance. It was then he noticed that he had ended up at the park. The grassy hills were as green as ever, with little buds of flowers beginning to form as spring approached. The trees were vibrant, and the grass swayed from random breezes that seemed to avoid him or Fluttershy. In fact, he noticed curiously that despite some of the more erratic gusts of wind that came, not a single strand of hair of her mane, or feather on her wings ruffled. Not even the red and white speckled picnic cloth that she was laying on ruffled.

It was then James realized that she was looking at him expectantly, and he recalled that she had waved him over. Welcoming a distraction to his turmoil, James strode over. “Morning, Fluttershy.”

“How are you today James?”

James’ eyes hardened faintly. “I’m doing good.”

“I’m glad,” Fluttershy said, smiling softly. “Would you like to join me?”

“I already had breakfast, but I wouldn’t mind something to drink.” James sat down and crossed his legs, and looked over the assortment of tupperware and baskets. There was at least three kinds of pie, four types of sandwiches cut into tiny squares, and over a dozen different cupcakes, all of it spread about the blanket in a decorative fashion.

“Sure you got enough food?”

Fluttershy let her hair fall in front of her as she reached for a nearby pitcher. “Oh no, it isn’t all for me. I’m actually waiting for a friend to arrive. Is orange juice okay?”

“Yeah, that’s alright.”

James waited quietly as she poured a cup for him and handed it over. After taking a whiff of the drink, letting the smell of the oranges stew his anticipation, he a series of sips, and gave out a small ‘hmm’. After downing a third of it in a few seconds, James pulled it away and let out a ‘ahh’ from the refreshing drink. “I don’t know how many times I will say it, but your guys’ fruit taste so much better than mine back at home.”

“I’m sure if you lived near a farm that grew them, they would be just as delicious,” Fluttershy said.

Always the first to defend something, even if it’s someone you don’t know, James thought happily. “Maybe, but who knows if I will ever find out.”

“Oh my goodness, I’m sorry!” Fluttershy immediately spouted. “I didn’t mean to make you miss home!”

“It’s alright,” James simply said, knowing full well that if he gave it her imagined slight any more attention, she would only continue to profusely apologized. He instead did what he normally did around her, something that he had grown used to over his time in Ponyville, and something he felt confident she enjoyed as well.

He remained silent, and leaned back and enjoyed the day.

Silence wasn’t something he got often with the rest of the girls, or any other pony for that matter except for the ones that directly avoided him. But with Fluttershy it was easy to obtain, and even better, it felt natural. It wasn’t that they didn’t talk at all, just that it had become normal for the two of them to simply enjoy each other’s company without the need to speak, and take in the moment of wherever the two of them were.

When he first spent time around her, he was worried that the repeated silence was a sign there was something wrong between him and her. He had no problem working off conversations others started until he grew more accustomed to them. But finding that he would need to be the one to start nearly every conversation with Fluttershy caused him to lock up, and just continue to remain quiet. Thankfully, he found out what would be an awkward thing between others, was a welcomed—and at times even looked forward to—mutual and pleasant time.

It was because of that that Fluttershy had worked up the courage to begin talking to him more, and he found that ever so slowly, she was beginning to initiate talking with him on a regular basis. But today didn’t appear to be one of those days. Instead, they sat there as they usually did, enjoying the refreshments of the picnic, and the sweet spring air that was prevalent around them.

Wait… spring?

James straightened his back and began inspecting the park with closer detail. Indeed, the flowers were just barely beginning to form, and the grass was green from all the fresh rain. The problem however, was that it was currently summer.

“Uh... Fluttershy.”

“Yes?”

“I know ponies can change the seasons, but can they reverse them?”

“You mean, like winter into fall?”

“Yeah, but more like summer into spring.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy exclaimed before looking around her as well. She only glanced about before a few moments before giggling lightly and turning back to him. “That’s just the way he likes it when we go for picnics.”

“The friend you’re meeting?”

“Hmhmm,” Fluttershy hummed with a bright smile.

“And who exactly is he?”

“Who indeed?” a voice suddenly said.

James turned his head about in every direction, searching for the source of the voice. It was masculine, it purred with a sense of smugness, and it was very familiar.

“You should really try swimming in it next time, helps clean the oils right from your skin.”

James turned his eyes downward, and into his cup. Inside, doing a backstroke, was a small figure who looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself, and flashed a toothy grin up to James.

Discord, James thought in disbelief.

With a snap of his tiny claw, he immediately vanished, and reappeared by a nearby tree. “Nothing like a morning swim to build up your appetite!” He casually reached for the bark of the tree, and pulled it off like it had been merely velcroed to it. Bending it in a way that defied its normal flexibility, Discord dried himself off with the makeshift towel, humming happily as did. “Innovative advice, drying yourself off with bark doubles as a massage.”

With a satisfied smile, Discord drew the bark into a rattail, and whipped the tree, causing it to jump out of the ground with what James swore was an audible yelp, before it reappeared around the tree as if it had never left.

“Discord,” Fluttershy said with her hooves on her hips.

“Terribly sorry Fluttershy, it just looked like it could do with a bit of stretching and I thought a friendly locker-room prank would help it out,” Discord replied innocently.

“Just please, don’t do that again. Trees have feelings to you know. At least, I think they do.”

“They most certainly do!” Discord replied cheerfully. “But with exercise set aside, good morning Fluttershy! How are you today?”

“I’m doing fine, thank you,” Fluttershy said, her smile now returned to her face. “Discord, I would like you to meet someone,” she said without skipping a beat as she stretched a hoof towards James. Were it not for the fact that Discord gave him a devilish smile with the widest eyes James had ever seen, he would have thought it odd for Fluttershy of all ponies to start the introductions. “Discord, James. James, Discord.”

“Ah, so this is the human I have heard so much about!” Discord plopped his lion arm with his claw, and held the disconnected limb towards James. “Charmed to meet you.”

James stared at the severed arm briefly, before cautiously reaching out and grasping it. He surprised every urge to scream when it casually gripped his hand for a shake. “N-nice to finally meet you too.”

“Finally?” Discord asked aloud. But his look of confusion changed into a fit of laughter. “I forgot, you’re from there. Oh, how silly of me.”

James then felt a grip on his right shoulder, and turned to see Discord’s claw resting on him, with his face appearing moments afterward from somewhere behinds James vision. “Tell me, how does Equestria stand up to its televised counterpart?”

It was one thing to know about Discord and what he was capable of. It was another to actually see him in person and flex his chaotic powers. It had left James with a sense of awe, and fear that made him remained stiff the entire time. “I… I think… I mean, it’s different…”

“Come come now, don’t be shy. I simply must hear your opinion on everything. It’s not like its normal to have a human come here.”

“Normal? You mean… it’s happened before?” That bit of information had James’ attention, allowing him the strength of mind to get past his reality defining abilities and speak more assuredly.

“No, you misunderstand,” Discord said as he slithered past James and sat atop a pitcher as if it were a chair. “You happen to be the first human to arrive in Equestria. But does that not mean you will be the last.”

“What do you mean?” James said, leaning forward intently. “Do you understand how I got here?”

“Understand? No,” Discord replied as he picked up a muffin, undid the wrapper, and revealing a pool of liquid already within it, the same juice James reasoned that he was sitting atop of. “Expect it however, most definitely.”

“Expect it? How?” James asked eagerly. Discord did not respond at first, choosing to instead sip from his cupcake cup of juice every so daintily. “What do you know?” James asked insistently.

“Not much concerning anything useful,” Discord replied with a content smile. “It just so happens that I have been waiting for the barriers between worlds to fluctuate just right to allow one to travel from one to another. You, my dear fellow,” Discord said while pointing his tail at James, “are merely the first I’ve come across.”

James’ mind reeled over at the potential implications Discord was revealing. There had been no clues on how he had arrived here, or if it was even possible for him to get back. Not Twilight, Celestia, or Luna were able to offer any insight on the matter. And though James had briefly considered Discord being a potential source of information, his absence since his arrival had gone by as normal while life in Equestria had swept him up and kept him busy.

“Can you send me back?” James asked breathlessly.

Discord merely closed his eyes and returned to sipping his drink.

“Discord,” Fluttershy said curiously, ”is it possible?”

He opened his eye a fraction and looked back and forth between Fluttershy and James, before exhaling and setting his cup onto an invisible ledge. “No, I cannot. Nor can I offer any help in achieving a way to sending you back.”

“That’s bullshit,” James said right away. Discord raised an eye brow at him and looked at him in a bored like fashion. “You are practically a god of chaos, there’s nothing you can’t do.” James forced himself to not grit his teeth as he spoke. “Sending me back should be as simple as snapping your hands.”

“Unfortunately, I am nowhere near a god, nor do I have the means to send you back. I won’t repeat myself,” Discord stated.

“And why’s that? Exactly what rules does chaos follow that doesn’t allow him to?” James pressed.

“I’m so glad you asked!” he replied, his eccentric behavior swinging back into force. With a snap, the red squares from the picnic blanket swam to the pitcher, up its side, and onto Discord’s body. It a few moments, they settled all about his body in the form of a plaid jacket. With a swing of his wrist, a pair of bulky glasses appeared on his face, and he coughed politely into his hand.

“I’m assuming you know what a computer is?”

“Yeah… do you?”

“Ah ah ah, save all questions until the end of the presentation,” Discord tutted with a wave of his finger. “Now, imagine a series of folders on a hard drive.” Discord showcased the front of his jacket, which displayed the plaid squares rearranging into a series of vertical folders.

“Each folder represents a different world, dimension, reality. Take your pick, each file type is valid.” Tapping on one of them, it expanded outward to the right. “In each folder, is every file pertaining to that world. Every flora, fauna, and object are files that can work within their respective permissions, and interact with other files.”

“Equestria for example,” Discord did a scrolling motion with his fingers, and opened up another box down the way, “has Celestia as an object which has permissions over ‘Sun.exe’.”

Fluttershy stared dumbfounded at the display on the jacket, having been lost on figuring out what a hard drive was. James on the other hand, had his eyes growing wider as he pieced it together. “Discord… you aren’t implying what I think you are…”

“That the universe is nothing but a simulation?” Discord answered. James looked up to him with his mouth open, and a long pause was had between them. “Nothing of the sort,” Discord finally said with a chuckle. “This just happens to be the easiest way for you to comprehend it. Implications aside, things are actually a lot more complicated and simple than just being a simulation.”

James said nothing as he perspective on existence was ushered back into a more relieved state. It’s probably something I don’t even know if I want to know.

Discord was closing folders and wrapping up the presentation as per the squares beginning to flow back to the blanket when James spoke up. “Wait, so where does that put you? And why can’t you send me back?”

“Me? Why, I’m one of the ‘special’ files,” he replied happily. “Think of it like this. I have full admin permissions for the Equestria folder, allowing me to do nearly anything I want save some permission restrictions that exceed my own. I can modify, copy, create, and even delete.” As if it needed an example, Discord pulled out a bouquet of roses from nowhere, before promptly throwing them up into the air and turning them into soap bubbles. “Most sections of free will on objects being one of the areas I can’t access. Have to use a hack for that just to get anywhere in that business.”

A ‘humf’ from Fluttershy caused Discord to bend his head backwards and give a shrug. “Apologies, Fluttershy, but it was a different time and a different me. Long before your magical touch helped me see things better.”

Fluttershy gave a skeptical look, before she shook her head side to side and gave him a smile. “It’s alright, I already forgave you for that.” Discord gave her a playful wink, then came back to the conversation.

“However,” Discord said as his head slid beneath him, and somehow back into position, “those rights do not extend to your folder. I have absolutely no permissions outside of Equestria. Make sense?”

James looked up to Discord with a blankly, barely even able to nod his head up and down. “Yeah… I think it does…”

“Good. Now, let’s not waste any more of this lovely meal that Fluttershy has so kindly put together for us.”

The rest of the time was spent with Discord and Fluttershy chatting amongst each other on whatever topic, with James only adding a word here or there. He was still focused on the explanation of things Discord had given him, and what had happened with Twilight only earlier that morning. If it wasn’t for his mind being blown on how existence might have worked, James might have excused himself then and there.

An hour or so later, and with all the snacks devoured—mostly by Discord in unusual methods—Fluttershy began wrapping the blanket up into the basket, while Discord had the plates do an elaborate dance number before piling themselves neatly.

James stared idly at the dancing platter where, smiling slightly at the display. He was unaware that during this time, Discord's keen focus on him.

After the last fork did a double-back flip into the basket, Discord snapped his claw, and the flowers in the field suddenly bloomed in spectacular display. It took James a few moments to realize that all he had done was simply set the season in the park back to the current time, and with it the smell of the summer breeze.

James stared idly off at the sudden change before Discord spoke up, catching his attention. “It looks like something is bothering you, my boy.”

James gave a raised brow at the sudden title, but shrugged it off like his answer. “Just… thinking.”

“About home?”

“Yeah…”

Discord observed him for a moment, before putting his hands behind his back and walking over with a smug toothy grin. “Are you sure it isn’t about the new love life potentials you seem to be avidly failing to avoid?”

James felt his cheeks become hot again, and whipped his head upwards.

“Don’t worry, I’ve made it so Fluttershy can’t hear us talking man to man. Or rather, man to draconequus,” Discord said with a wink.

“You expect me to trust you with my problems?” James said with a frown.

“Not at all,” he replied rather proudly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not aware of them. After all, how could I not pay attention to such an interesting person.” Discord craned his head downwards and sideways. “After all, you have such an interesting soul. Much more varied and dare I say, chaotic than a pony's.”

James hardly felt it would help, but he crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned away. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing much,” he replied as he straightened out and made his way back to help Fluttershy finish packing. “Just that I will be keeping an eye on you. I’m sure you will be quite entertaining as you figure things out.”

James was at a loss for words, before embarrassment and irritation caught up with him. “Y-you! You better not be secretly watching me!”

Whether Discord heard it over his humming however, or was simply ignoring it, James wasn’t sure. He kept an eye on him the rest of the time, and even threw glances over his shoulder constantly as they said their goodbyes and departed the park, with Discord joining Fluttershy for some afternoon tea at her cottage.

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

The rest of the day proved uneventful . James managed to squeeze a bit of shopping in, a load of laundry, and some cleaning done. He noted that when he had time to do nearly every chore needed for the house done with, it was a sure sign that his mind was weighed heavily with problems. It was here that he found himself lying in covers, Luna’s moon rising into the sky, and completely awake as he stared up at the ceiling.

What the hell am I going to do?

Twilight popped into his mind. What should I have done? I didn’t want to hurt her feelings anymore, but I didn’t want to do something wrong either. She’s a princess for god sake! I would be lying if I didn’t consider her as a possibility though. We get along pretty well, she has an amazing mind, and she’s not bad looking for a pony. At least, I don’t think she is.

The look on her face when he denied her however, reappeared. What did she expect popping that up so quickly? I only just decided that morning to try it out. I figured I had at least a week or something to prepare myself for it. It’s not like she was interested in me the entire time and has been secretly holding feelings out for me.

Or has she? Memories of the talks they’ve shared, the laughs they’ve had, and the intensity their conversations had at times danced across his mind. Shit, did she? God, why am I so bad at reading girls?

Applejack was next in line. What am I going to do about that? She already knows I’ve broken down. And it’s not as easy as she makes it sound to be to just be open about it. How the hell does she just expect me to do that? I barely even know all of them! James furrowed his brows at the ceiling, dismissing the few cricket noises that made their way through the windows. No… that’s not true. In fact, I know them better than anyone back home. And I think… they know me better than anyone else either. Shit…

A toothy grin of Discord appeared next. And just what the hell am I supposed to take away from that?

Closing his eyes, James breathed in heavily as he attempted to force himself to calm down, clearing everything from his mind as she tried to fall asleep and put the day behind him. But as the images of everyone faded, one of Rainbow Dash formed clearly in his mind. Rainbow Dash…

His eyes opened in half slits. And what am I supposed to do with you as well?

Memories of her smiling face, her mane blowing in the wind, and the night she had fallen asleep in his lap, looking more peaceful than he had ever seen of her. James let out a small chuckle at the recollection of how she suddenly snorted herself awake and looked about in confusion. He had told her that she had fallen asleep on him. He couldn’t recall if she had blushed at the time, but she had suddenly shifted herself away from him, and kept her attention on the fire for the rest of the night.

It was then he realized, that moment while they were out camping, that that had been one of the happiest, and peaceful moment he had since arriving.

Rainbow… what do you want? What do I want?

The longer he thought about it, the more it became too much. And soon, the thoughts of everyone else came rushing back into his mind. It was just all becoming too much, and there wasn’t a clear answer, or a way out for him for any of the situations. So he turned to the only reasonable option. The only thing that could help vent some frustration, and help him fall asleep.

Fuck it, I’m just going to rub one out, then go to bed.

Turning to his side, James began to reach for his drawer for the stash of tissue paper, but stopped before pulling on the knob. Recalling the conversation he had at the park, James lifted his head and peered about the room suspiciously. He scanned every object, every nook, and every shadow for anything that may have not been there before, or looked different than he remembered.

“…Discord?” James cautiously called out.

There was no reply.

Waiting a minute longer, James grunted and buried himself back into the blankets. Great, now I’m never going to be able to masturbate again.