Author's Note

Another chapter. I'm sure it's gonna need some editing at some points. Give me your criticism, I'm braced for it.
I'll have you know one thing I learned about myself: I'm not good at writing HiE fics

Meeting the Residents

Harry leaned back on the sofa, relaxing to rest his tired and stressed muscles. The sandwich had vanished instantly, as well as a bit more of the juice. To occupy his spare time, he placed a few pieces of cheese on his skateboard and moving the mice around on it when they jumped on to eat the cheese. Thankfully Angel Bunny just ignored him for the most part, and kept to himself in a far corner of the cottage.
The pain of his arm and the aching of his body soon took over and he nodded off to sleep, aided by a singing yellow canary and a couple finches.

His sleep was soon interrupted by the squeak of the door’s hinges. Upon instinct he stretched awake with a groan, rubbed his eyes, and sat up, only to be greeted by not one, not two, but six ponies. They all looked different, each appearing to reflect certain traits or talents within them.

“Hello there, my name’s Twilight Sparkle,” a purple one said in a positive, slightly excited tone. She had straight-cut purple-and-pink bangs, along with large wings and a horn atop her head – a clear blend of an alicorn and a Pegasus. “You must be Harry. Welcome to Equestria.”

Equestria? Ok so that’s where I am, Harry realized. “Thank you, Twilight. So these are your friends, right?”

Twilight nodded.

“Fluttershy, is this guy your coltfriend or something?” Rainbow Dash interrogated rather harshly.

“Oh no, Rainbow Dash, this is someone I met. He came from the EverFree forest,” Fluttershy explained.

Then it was the turn of the pink girl. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Are you lonely? Do you wanna be friends? How about a party? You want a party?”

“Hold it, hold it!” Harry exclaimed, putting his hand to her lips. “To answer those questions and a bunch more I’m sure you have…well, I guess a party would be nice. Haven’t had one in a while and could definitely do with some good humor to lighten me up after all the crazy crap I’ve been through.”

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed and zoomed out of the house in a flash to prepare the party. In spite of this, Harry still looked sad and distraught.

“What’s the issue?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I…I’m lost,” Harry admitted. “I don’t know really where I am, how I ended up here, or how I’m going to return home – if that is possible. It is, right?”

Twilight’s face twitched in doubt. “Yes, it might be, actually. Tell me, Harry, how did you end up here?”

Fighting back tears, Harry told them the whole story – how he’d been chased down the tunnel, how he fell down the pit, crawling out of the tunnel, and ending up in the EverFree Forest. He also described what San Francisco looked like, and how it wasn’t anything like Equestria.

“Seems like you’ve ended up in one of those random portals,” Twilight said, nodding slightly. “I’ll need to look into it later. In the meantime, you have us, Harry. We’ll be here for you always no matter what.”

“Thanks a lot,” Harry replied, embracing Twilight in a hug. Her fur felt extremely soft and unique – softer than any fur he’d felt back on Earth. The warmth from her body also made him feel relaxed and content.

“Now for names,” he said, noticing one of them with a cowboy hat on her head, pointing at her. “You look like a cowgirl. Farm worker much?”

“You know it, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “Name’s Applejack, owner and worker at Sweet Apple Acres, grower of the best apples in Equestria.”

Harry’s eyebrows raised slightly and he licked his lips. “Sounds sweet. I’ll be sure to stop by sometime.” He turned to the one with a curly mane that was combed and brushed to impossible perfection. “You must be Rarity. Fluttershy here has told me about you.”

“Why yes, I am Rarity, Ponyville’s resident seamstress and fashionista. If you need anything textile don’t be afraid to ask me.”

Harry was frozen in awe. Fluttershy was a shy, peaceful girl, but Rarity’s appearance was on another level. Her flowing purple mane, bright expressive eyes, and merry little mouth made her hotter than a match under the summer sun. Rarity sensed this and briefly struck a beauty pose.

“Cut it out, Rarity!” Rainbow Dash snapped, tapping her hard on the flank. “We’re not at Sapphire Shores’s doorstep, you know!”

“Rainbow…” Harry began.

“—Dash,” the blue Pegasus finished.

“Makes sense,” Harry added. “I can tell you’re a girl meant for speed.”

“You can stay at my house if you wish so,” Twilight offered, but Harry shook his head.

“Thanks Twilight, but I prefer to stay here with Fluttershy. It’s a lot quieter and I think I’d feel more relaxed. Besides, I like being distant from the masses.”

Twilight felt a little put off with him declining her kind offer, but accepted his decision. And she could see why – Fluttershy did have a nice home with a calm, almost therapeutic atmosphere to it.

"It's been great knowing you all," Harry thanked them. Then he leaned back on the couch to rest.

“Wait, why you laying back, darling?” Rarity asked. “Don’t you want to see the rest of Ponyville and meet its inhabitants?”

Harry nodded, but explained to them the ordeal he’d been through, and also showed the injury on his arm. “So yes, but just not at the moment. Give it another few hours.”

Twilight and the others agreed, and left, promising to meet him just outside the town in the afternoon. While Harry napped, Fluttershy went about her business, tending to Angel Bunny and helping out a few mice, before heading off to Froggy Bottom Bog to assist a few salamanders in crossing a particularly tricky portion of the bog.

The ringing sound of a kitchen timer snapped Harry out of his doze. With the late afternoon here, it was time for his Ponyville tour. Stretching awake, he washed his face in the bathroom sink and took a brief drink of juice, before picking up his skateboard and heading to the front door.

“Well, if it ain’t you again,” he huffed, glaring at Angel Bunny as he tied up his shoes. “At least we have an agreement of sorts.”

Outside, Fluttershy was patiently waiting, holding a bouquet of exotic flowers she’d picked on her way back.

“How was your sleep, Harry? What’s that?” she asked as Harry set down his board and hopped onto it, gliding down the path.

“It’s called a skateboard,” Harry explained. “I travel around on it and perform tricks with it, too. And why yes, I slept well. Your birds were really helpful in getting me to sleep.”

Right at the pathway into Ponyville, Twilight and the team were all waiting, looking rather surprised to see Fluttershy flying alongside Harry.
“Hi there!” Fluttershy called, waving. “You all ready?”

“Ready as ever!” Rainbow Dash declared, and they all walked into Ponyville, Twilight leading the way.

While the quizzical looks of many of the ponies was more than expected, it still made Harry feel uneasy. Twilight, Fluttershy, and the others, however, were totally unfazed. Rainbow Dash pointed to a tall, circular building at the center of the town. “That’s the town hall.”

"Lovely formally crafted building." Harry then noticed a certain building that looked a little like a gingerbread house. “Is that…”

Pinkie burst out of the building’s front door and came bounding over.

“Hi, Harry! How’s your stay in Ponyville going? The Cakes at Sugarcube Corner just baked some super delicious cupcakes! Do you wanna try some? Do you? Do you?”

Damn girl, you speak as fast as hell, Harry muttered under his breath. “It’s going…well, so far. Cupcakes? Sure!”

So Harry skated down the path towards the bakery, his new friends in tow, while the rest of Ponyville looked on in bewilderment.

“Well, who do we have here?” a sweet voice came from behind the counter, and Harry stuck his hand out in greeting.

“Harry here, a new visitor. Nice to meet you. Great bakery, by the way.”

“Mrs. Cake. Nice meeting you too.” The kind pony stuck out her hoof and exchanged a handshake with Harry.

After a nice chat with Mr. Cake, Harry sat down to eat some of the cupcakes which Pinkie had mentioned earlier, while Rarity asked a brief but thought-provoking question.

“Have you considered that we haven’t informed the rest of Ponyvile formally about Harry, let alone told the Princess?”

Harry’s ears snapped to attention, his mouth still full of creamy frosting and soft sweet cupcake. “Princess? You guys have a ruler here?”

Twilight nodded. “Several, in fact. Two sisters rule over the whole of Equestria at large, and one other rules over the Crystal Empire up north.”

Harry’s heart skipped a beat. “I never really got to travel much, but now that I’m sure, I might make the most of it in due time. I’m a bit nervous about the Princess though – should I just mingle about here in Ponyville, or inform your noble rulers of my presence in your world?”

“I’ll be honest with ya here, Harry, the latter is the wiser decision,” Applejack advised.