Earl Jenkyns sat silently across from Zecora. The sagely Zebra mare regarding her human friend with a look of concern. He hadn't spoken much since arriving at her door, even when she had served out his favorite herbal tea he liked to drink with her. Her green eyes searched the young man. He had lightly tanned skin, tanned by the sun with the work he did, a lean build with not much discernible muscle at first glance. A head of closely cropped light chocolate hair, and dark blue eyes. At the moment he seemed to have come straight from work, having dressed in a long since stained white work shirt with denim overalls and heavy work boots. Zecora tilted her head and gingerly tapped his hand with a warm smile.

"Though your company is always welcome past my door," Zecora rhymed, "it's not tea I suspect you've come here for."

Earl glanced up with a light bit of embarrassment, "Is it that obvious?"

"Hoofing out wisdom and potions, seems to be my trend. But in all honesty," Zecora's warm smile never left her muzzle, "my ears are always open to the needs of a friend."

Earl smiled. Zecora always was a fun mare to be near. Her golden neck rings and ear rings always looked great on her and her hut was always an interesting splash of culture that always interested him a great deal. In fact, the land of Equestria was always a great interest to him. In some circumstances, most humans who were randomly pulled out of their houses while sleeping in their bed and waking up IN said bed which was resting in the middle of an active town street would prove very frightening. Earl always thought back and figured he handled it well, despite the fact that he had Ponies young and old poking and prodding him...which in turn woke him up....and resulted in him gently bopping a unicorn mare on the head thinking she was his alarm clock. Then the screaming started. She screamed, he screamed, THEY screamed, it was just a nightmare. Then Twilight came and played mediator. That purple alicorn always seemed to know what to say to calm a crowd...despite the fact she had been visibly giddy at the prospect of a Human landing on their doorstep.

She brought up something about a mirror, even noted that Earl himself had NO magic to speak of in his being, and when she realized that he came from a totally different UNIVERSE, well she started squeeing. After that, it was introductions to the present royalty whom he hit it off with great with a stellar first impression...who knew the ruling bodies liked playing poker. Twilight's friends thought he was neat and apparently after that, everypony was just really chill with him being there. He didn't mind it. Princess Celestia and Luna even managed to secure him a nice little corner house in Ponyville which he moved his bed into immediately, despite Applejack and Dash offering their assistance. In hindsight, that sore-back could've been avoided if he accepted their offer. After that, and a LOT of job searching, he got a job as a landscaper and has been living pretty solidly for a year ever since.

Zecora had been one of the first friends he had made, the two of them knowing about being outcasts among ponies for a time. She always listened to him whenever he spoke to her, offered her wisdom whenever he would ask. Plus he found her accent and rhyming adorable.

Though today, things kinda took a down turn in his opinion.

Earl sighed as he took a sip of the tea and glanced at his friend, "Alright...let me just go over the bullet points."

*

Earl cheerfully walked into Sugarcube Corner for his morning breakfast. The slightly chubby and motherly blue mare with her pink swirl of a mane turned her head and smiled at his approach, the three cupcakes on her flanks covered in flour splotches.

"Morning Mrs. Cake," Earl waved as he approached.

"Good morning to you Earl," she smiled a little as she bent down behind the counter and rummaged for something, "The usual?"

"You know me so well," Earl responded with a small chuckle as Mrs. Cake pulled out a flower sack and went towards the back with a nod.

Earl turned and leaned his back against the wood surface, but paused. Outside trotting down the street with some other mares...was her. Earl felt his heart pick up a few ticks as he continued to watch her with a small smile. She was a young adult mare with some envious curves that almost rivaled Rarity's. A slender body with some nice rounded hips and tight flanks. She had cool ocean blue eyes, a light honey yellow coat and a head of long wavy golden blonde hair. Her cutie mark was that of a golden locket heart with a white jewel ring around it. Her name was Golden Heart, but most of her friends called her Goldie. She was another one of the earliest mares he had befriended during his time here and he'd be lying if he didn't feel a little more toward her.

"Earl? Dear, your staring again," Mrs. Cake lightly prodded.

"Huh? Oh!" he blushed lightly as he turned around, "Sorry..."

"It's no trouble. One cheese danish, lightly toasted, and an apple crumble square for our resident human," she said sweetly.

"Much appreciated," he placed his bits on the counter and turned to leave.

"Dear, if you like her so much," Mrs. Cake said with a smile, "Then tell her! I mean you two know each other so well and I'd be lying if I said you two didn't look cute together."

Earl looked to the side, "I don't know...I mean..."

Mrs. Cake leaned over and smirked a little at him, "If you'd like, I could send her a cake with a lovely little confession frosted on the top."

"OH! LOOK AT THE TIME!!! I should really be going," Earl blurted causing Mrs. Cake to giggle, "ThanksforthefoodagainMrs. CI'llseeyatomorrowBYE!"

Earl was out the door like a lightning bolt.

*

"Don't see why you just won't talk to her," a burly pony with a dark orange coat in a matching work outfit like Earl's said, "I mean you like her right?"

"Yeah I do...I'm just not the greatest at talking to girls in....that way," Earl mused as he ate his lunch, "she's also KINDA one of my best friends."

A stocky Zebra stallion shrugged as he spoke in an accented tone. his dreadlocks tied behind his head, "What stallion is good at talkin ta mares?"

Earl looked at the stallion, Hard Hat and the zebra Ekon, "I don't know...she's my friend. I don't want to wreck anything..."

Hard Hat shrugged as he sipped his coffee, "Look, you're young, I get it. We've ALL been there, but if you don't go for it, you'll be sitting at your house on that hill regretting it for the rest of your life. How do you think I might my sweetheart Toffee Dream?"

"Didn't ya smack ya head into her rear cause ya were looking at a bird?" Ekon smirked as Hard Hat snorted in annoyance.

"THAT ASIDE," he growled, "I talked to her and we got to know each other a lot more, had some dinners, rocked the house pretty well too-"

"OKAY, we going to get to the point here before we get into kinky-town?" Earl quickly stated.

Hard Hat blushed a little, "Right. Well what I mean is, just talk to her, ask her out."

Ekon nodded knowingly as he sipped his own coffee, "Trust us Earl, deh worse she'll do is turn ya down or ya find out dat she's crazy."

Earl thought for a second and nodded, "Alright. After shift, I'll go by her place and talk to her."

"Dats the spirit," Ekon said as he smacked him on the back, "Now, let's get those pavin stones moved. Dat path isn't gonna pave itself."

Hard Hat groaned, "Ekon, I love your work ethic, but I HATE you sometimes."

Ekon gave a teasing smile.

*

"So you moved the stones, and made your way to her home," Zecora surmised, "I believe I'm starting to understand why you came here alone."

"Yeah," Earl sighed, "just wait, it gets better."

*

Earl stood at the front door to the two floor house. He inhaled to steady his nerves, then rang the doorbell. He waited for a few more minutes and soon the door opened to reveal the mare in question. Golden Heart glanced up and gave a goodhearted smile.

"Oh, hey Earl! What brings you by this afternoon?" she asked sweetly.

Earl rubbed the back of his head, "Uh, Goldie, we've known each other for a while right?"

Golden Heart nodded as she tapped her chin, "Yep! About a year now if I remember correctly. Why do you ask?"

Earl got down to level with her, most adult ponies came up to about his stomach, "I'm going to admit this. I've, been lonely for the longest time since I came here. I mean, there's no other humans around here and well...you've been so great to be around and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have the thought of the two of us crossing my mind."

Golden Heart nodded as she heard him out, "So let me say this. Your beautiful, caring, and have a great laugh. Your personality makes you so great to be around and well...I wanted to ask you," Earl smiled, "Would you want to go on a date sometime?"

Golden Heart blushed at the compliments, but then she looked to the side and bit her lip slightly. She sighed and placed a hoof on Earl's shoulder.

"Earl, I really appreciate your honesty and I do like your company but...," her smiled faltered lightly, "I...can't."

"What?" Earl replied quietly.

"Don't get me wrong! You're a great guy and I love being around you too, but I mean...we're two different species and I just can't see it working out in the long run," Golden Heart smiled sincerely, "I would love to stay friends though. Is that okay?"

Earl nodded as he stood up, "Yeah....it's fine. Sorry for bugging you."

Golden Heart tilted her head a little worried and gave a slow wave as he turned to depart, "Thank you for understanding..."

*

Zecora nodded knowingly as she finished her drink, "Ah, the taste of rejection can be bitter and tart. More so when it affects the heart."

Earl nodded solemnly, "Maybe I'm just overreacting, but it just...I don't know what I'm going to do. I've been alone for so long here and I don't think I can stand it."

Zecora nodded, "I know the feeling of isolation all to well, it can be consuming and infuriating. But I discovered that one shouldn't be debating. In order to change your place," she smiled a little with a bit of mirth, "you must grab isolation and spit in it's face."

Earl glanced at Zecora, "So I shouldn't be sitting here and feeling sorry for myself?"

"I find that would help. Earl, one such as you shouldn't be lonely," she chuckled as she poured him another glass, "I assure you, if you look hard enough, you will find that special somepony."

Earl waved a hand as he sipped his tea, "Yeah, but the problem is. I'm NOT a pony, I don't even come close."

Zecora tapped her chin in thought before perking up, "Well, in cases such as these, I can devise the solution with ease. It's always an odd notion," she stood up and turned her back to him as she rummaged through some of her shelves, "But I find some problems can always be solved with a good hard potion."

Earl perked up after hearing those words.

Zecora turned with a bottle in her mouth that read 'Hard Potion; Zebrica Spirits. Drink with responsibility.' She stopped when she noticed her door was ajar and Earl was gone. She sighed as she placed the bottle down on the table, but noted he had finished his tea and couldn't help but smile.

"Polite, handsome, and a victim of circumstance," she shook her head and put the spirits away and tapped the bottle, "I'm no longer on the fence, but he can just be so dense."

She ran a hoof through her mohawk and went to meditate.

Author's Note

Yeah, I'm back. HOPEFULLY for the foreseeable future. Bunch of stress has FINALLY been lifted from my shoulders, this an M-Rated project I've wanted to start for a while and since Imma start writing more what I want, I hop y'all like it. Comments and critiques are appreciated.

The next chapter is when stuff happens. I apologize for the pacing here if there's an issue, just establishing stuffs.