“Let's talk.”

Ryan sighed and slouched in his chair as he took a second to think back on his situation. From his abrupt arrival, to his meeting with Rainbow. The walk through the forest and through Ponyville. He shook his head as he tried in vain to think up a way, someway, for this to all just make sense.

He shook his head and grunted as he noticed Twilight patiently waiting with a concerned expression painted across her muzzle. 'Okay, calm down. Having a panic attack or a fucking flashback won't help you now. You just need to figure out where you are and where your magic ruby slippers are. Wherever the Hell they are around here.’

Taking a deep breath, he slipped his calm facade back over his face and said in his usual dead baritone. “Okay then, let's talk. Now I have a lot of questions about where I am and I'm sure you have some questions as well. I propose a game of sorts.”

This seemed to intrigue the purple mare as she perked up and a shine came to her eyes as she smiled widely. Ryan idly noticed that her ears were pointed like an actual horses and stuck out of her mane. Said ears swiveled and pointed towards the man as she spoke.

“I suppose. I'm always happy to play a game with a potential friend.” She raised an eyebrow as her smile turned from jubilant to curious. “Though that does beg the question. What kind of game do you have in mind?”

Leaning back in his chair, Ryan closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Putting one leg over the other, he said. “It's pretty simple really. I ask you a question and you answer it. Then you ask me a question as well. It should help us figure out what we want to know.”

Ryan quickly raised a finger into the air, his eyes still closed, and heard the telltale clicking teeth sound of someone closing their mouth in haste. “There will be some rules though. You have to answer your own question as well as the other person. Say if I ask what gender you are, I'd have to answer as well.

You also have the chance to refuse to answer a question if it is too personal or not a subject to be shared.” He coughed lightly and said in a subtly quieter tone. “Our cultures seem to be different and we may come across a taboo subject for one that the other doesn't share. I'd like to avoid those for now, other than to know that I shouldn't bring it up.”

Ryan opened his eyes as he dropped his hand back down to his body. He noticed that Twilight had a surprised expression on her face. She cleared her throat and said. “Well, you seem to have a good plan for how you want this to go. May I start us off by asking how? I myself was just going to ask you somethings and maybe help you along as you needed it.”

Ryan shrugged and waved a hand in the air in a circular motion. “I had more time to prepare for this than you. Your friend Rainbow told me you would be able to answer some things and I came up with this little game to help speed up the process a bit.”

‘There's also no need to tell her that I've dealt with non-hostile aliens before and have a vague idea of how to handle this. It'll only confuse her.’

He barely noticed Twilight's small nod as he cleared his throat and said. “Alright, It's my turn. What is a pony? You all seem so different in your colors. It's very disorienting for me. Where I'm from, my people only come in so many colors, not nearly the palate you all have.”

Twilight smiled slightly and quirked her other eyebrow to meet the first as she thought on the question. “Well...We as a species are called ponies. There are three main phenotypes within our genus; the Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony. Our magic all affect us in different ways. A Unicorn can channel magic through their horn, like this.” Her horn lit up in a purple glow, startling Ryan. He barely noticed a subtle tinkling sound in the air that accompanied the glow. His surprise was compounded when a book from the shelf behind Twilight glowed in the same color and began to float towards them.

Setting the book down, Ryan's eyes widened as a new string of words splayed themselves across his eyes.

'Unknown energy source detected. Scanning commencing.’

Ryan stared in shock before narrowing his eyes. 'Now you wanna work! Well woopdee fucking doo. What happened to needing an upgrade earlier!’ Just as he finished his thought, another message displayed itself across the screen.

'Scan failed. Hardware missing. Upgrade required.’

The man let out a defeated sigh and slumped his shoulders as he buried his face in his hands. 'Of course. God dammit all. This is getting to be very annoying.’ shaking his head, he calmed his features and gestured for Twilight to continue.

The purple mare looked confused for a second before going back to speaking. “Well uh…Unicorns use our magic through spells that usually channel through our horns, but the more mana heavy spells require we use hand gestures as well.”

She seemed to relax as she spoke, clearly used to lecturing and teaching others. “The Pegasi use their magic through their wings mostly. It's what let's them fly, even though their wings shouldn't be big enough to provide lift, and it allows them to interact with clouds and change the weather.”

Ryan held his hands in the air and spoke up quickly cutting Twilight off. “Hold up! What in the Hell do you mean 'change the weather?’ That's fucking impossible!”

'Wow. That's the most expression I've seen out of him so far.’ Twilight let out a giggle as she took in Ryan's incredulous expression. Smiling, she shook her head. 'His culture must be so different if he doesn't know about weather control.’

She had to suppress a squee of excitement from the prospect of learning something new in favor of clearing Ryan's confusion. Taking a deep breath, Twilight calmed her smile from manic to slightly above super excited as she said.

“Well the magic that allows Pegasi to fly also allows them to touch clouds. They can stand on them and move them, putting them where they need to be and then coax the needed weather out of them.” She chuckled and scratched the back of her head. “Well that's the simplified version anyway. I could tell you the more inde…”

Twilight trailed off as she noticed Ryan's condition. His hands were covering his face as he faced towards the table. He was shaking and his eyes were darting everywhere, as though he couldn't focus on just one thing. Twilight reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. She could faintly hear him whispering to himself. “This can’t be real. This can’t be real. This can’t be real.”

He flinched and looked her way, focusing on her as she adopted a calming smile and said. “Hey, it's okay. Calm down, it's alright.” Though she kept it hidden, Twilight was starting to panic. 'Okay Twilight, stay calm. You need to calm him down. Spike is out looking for that quill, so no tea.’

Ryan seemed to be calming slightly as his shaking stopped and he closed his eyes. He began taking deep breaths, stopping his whispering as well. Twilight sighed in relief before leaning back in her seat. Looking around, she called out. “Owlicious? Are you awake? Can you bring my friend here a glass of water?”

She noticed Ryan looking at her with a quizzical expression before she heard the sound of wing flaps. A couple of minutes later, her pet owl flew up with the requested water, the glass resting in it's talons, and placed it in front of Ryan. He watched the owl fly over and perch itself on a coat rack near the lavender mare. Said owl closed it's eyes and seemed to go to sleep.

Clearing his throat, he took a drink of the water and said shakily. “You have an owl, huh? Cool. They are smart animals where I come from.” Twilight smiled inwardly as she saw Ryan relax again. He was still tense, but he seemed to not be on edge anymore.

Nodding her head, Twilight looked to Owlicious and said. “Yes, I just recently got him. Owlicious is smart and he helps me with my late night study sessions.” She looked back at Ryan and continued in a worried tone. “Are you okay, Mr. Mathews? I would hate for you to have another panic attack over what I said.”

Ryan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, squeezing the glass, just enough to make Twilight worry for it's safety, before relaxing and saying. “No, it's okay. I'm just getting overwhelmed and it's causing me to freak out more than usual. I just have to get used to this.” Shaking his head, he continued with the same calm baritone as earlier. “Let's just finish my question.”

Twilight slowly nodded her head and spoke even slower, to try and prevent the man across from her from being overwhelmed again. 'I should take this slowly. It seems like this has taken a toll on him. Why though? Why is this so different for him? Who, no, what is he?’

Shaking her head, she collected her thoughts and said. “The Earth Ponies are the strongest of the three tribes, what we call our different phenotypes. Their magic gives them a special connection to the earth, hence their name, that makes them excellent farmers and craftsponies.”

Ryan calmly nodded his head as he listened, something that caused Twilight to let out a sigh of relief. 'Okay, crisis averted. For now. Let’s try and keep it that way.’

Clearing her throat, Twilight waited for Ryan to look at her before asking. “Now you know what I am, but what about yourself? I've never seen anything like you before and I've read up on every known sapient species on Equis.”

The man was about to speak, before he was interrupted by the sound of Twilight's front door opening. A smile formed on Twilight's face as she watched her friends file into her home.

Twilight's ears swiveled and she smiled as she looked over to the door. Ryan turned in his chair as well and raised an eyebrow in question as her friends walked in.

Being the first in the proverbial line, Rarity sauntered into the library with a purposeful step. The Unicorn's simple white dress cascaded down her body, hugging closely to her to accentuate her curves. The color blended perfectly with her coat, making it look as if she wasn't wearing anything at all. The purple of her mane and tail and her icy blue eyes clashed brilliantly with her clothing, bringing the focus of any passerby to them.

Next was Rainbow, still wearing the same clothes she arrived earlier in. While most of the dirt and dust was cleared from them, Twilight could still see that they required a wash. While the brash Pegasus was outwardly calm and smiling, she could see the exhaustion and apprehension in her friend's eyes as she looked over at Ryan.

Applejack was the last to come in, her emerald eyes instantly locking onto Ryan as she regarded him critically. She had her golden mane and tail in their usual ties and brown stetson was perched atop her head as always. The blue jeans and flannel shirt she was wearing looked to be clean, meaning that the Earth Pony had already finished her chores for the day. The simple pair of work boots clacked against the wooden floor as she approached Twilight and Ryan first. The Unicorn in question smiled as she stood up to talk to Applejack.

Ryan watched with an impassive eye as the three new 'ponies’ walked into Twilight's house. His mind was racing with the possible outcomes of his scenario as he discreetly took in all of the libraries exits. He stood up with the purple woman as she walked up and embraced her friend. Ryan casually took in how all four of the ponies where around the same height, the orange one being the tallest, though none of them going farther than his shoulders.

When the two separated, Twilight said aloud. “Applejack, Rarity! Thanks for coming over.” She then looked to Rainbow and said. “Dash, where are the rest of the girls?”

Rainbow shrugged her shoulders and said nonchalantly, “Busy. Fluttershy and Pinkie got some stuff that needs done. They said they'll come over when they can.” Though she hid it well, Ryan could tell that the Pegasus was still wary of him, refusing eye contact and shivering slightly whenever he looked at her.

The white Unicorn woman spoke up next, a slight British accent evident in her tone. “It appears it shall only be us four darling. Now Rainbow said you wanted us to see something unique and I must say…” Ryan regarded her with a raised eyebrow as he saw her icy blue eyes take in his whole figure. He calmed somewhat from her smile as she said. “...if you mean this stallion here, then you do not disappoint.”

'I sure as Hell hope that she's not flirting with me. I'm not Malcolm. Not into aliens like him.’ Shaking his head, he took a step towards the Unicorn. Her icy blue eyes met his light brown ones with a calm professionalism. Smiling lightly she stuck her hand out, the back of her hand facing upwards toward Ryan's face.

With a light airy tone, she said. “It is very nice to meet you darling, my name is Rarity Belle. I'm the local fashionista here and I must say you have…” She looked over the man's clothing, her smile straining a bit as she took in the details of his apparel. “...a very unique style.”

Recognizing the Unicorn's gesture, Ryan gently took her wrist in his hand and planted a kiss on her knuckles. Letting both of their hands drop, he noticed her smile become genuine again as he looked at his own clothes and said. “...Hmm, not exactly what I usually wear. I just kinda woke up here, wearing all of this. The shirt could be different, but I'm okay with the rest here.”

His focus was shifted when he heard Twilight behind him say. “What do you mean 'woke up here?’” Looking back at the purple Unicorn, he arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Moving his eyes to the ceiling, he said.

“I'm gonna ignore the fact that you skipped my turn with your second question.” Taking a moment to think, and to let Twilight recover from her slight embarrassment, he continued. “I'm not really sure, honestly. Something happened to me back where I'm from. I blacked out and then woke up in a forest with Rainbow over there getting stoned out of her mind.”

All three of the ponies in the room looked to the aforementioned Pegasus, questioning looks in their eyes. Rainbow, for her part, chuckled embarrassingly and said. “Not really sure what happened. I was flying around The Whitetail Woods, practicing and stuff. When I landed, I felt really tired and sore.” She shivered as the memory came back to her. “When I looked down, my legs were all rocky. I tried to fly again, but I was too tired.”

Ryan took in the information with a calm, detached mind. The woman, 'No, mares.’ all looked shocked at what they heard. Rainbow seemed to be struggling to talk as the near death experience seemed to have gotten to her. Clearing his throat, he got their attention before finishing for the Pegasus.

“I was asleep in a clearing when I felt something get thrown at me. Woke up, freaked out, and saw her sitting against a tree. Her body was gray up to her neck and when I went to touch her, she gasped and the stone literally leaked off of her. She passed out after that”

The mares all looked to be speechless, Rarity and the orange mare comforting Rainbow while Twilight had an inquisitive look on her face. He scarcely heard her whisper. “I know that spell from somewhere. Where did I hear it?” She shook her head and looked to Rainbow before saying. “Dash, if you want, you can go take a nap in my bed upstairs. I don't mind.”

The Pegasus smiled appreciatively before walking away and up the stairs to of the library. When she left, Twilight looked to Ryan and said “Okay, Mr. Mathews. Why don't you introduce yourself to Applejack and we can get back to answering some questions.”

Ryan nodded his head and looked to the orange mare. He made a subtle flinch as he noticed the sheer similarities that she had to one of his friends. The golden hair, the emerald eyes, and the smile on her face almost caused him to break down then and there. Pulling himself together, he walked up to her and thrusted out his hand.

The mare smiled and grabbed his hand. His eyebrow raised at the strength that she boasted, her grip strong enough to make Ryan grunt in sunrise. Her shake would have popped a normal aman's shoulder out of it's socket as she said. “Well howdy there partner. My name's Applejack, owner of Sweet Apple Acres right outside of town. Nice to meet ya.”

When she let go, Ryan shook his own hand out before saying. “It's nice to meet you Applejack. I hope I can see these acres soon, maybe see what it's all about.” Looking back to Twilight, he said to her. “Okay, let's get this done. I want to see what this place is about.”

Twilight nodded her head and pointed to a pair of couches. Walking towards them, she sat down and said. “Let's all sit down. Girls, I'll explain what we're doing and maybe you can participate as well.” The three people standing quickly moved over to the couch and sat down as well.

Twilight sat down attempting to look calm, but failed as her excitement showed through her sparkling eyes and slight bouncing in her seat. Rarity sat next to her, her open palms against her lap as he she adopted a calm yet attentive expression. Ryan and Applejack sat on the other couch, the man leaning forward with his elbows against his knees while Applejack leaned back with arms against the backrest.

Rolling his shoulders, Ryan grunted as he cracked his neck. Shaking his head, he calmed his expression and watched idly as he Twilight explained the 'game’ to the others. After, he loudly clapped his hands and said aloud to the ponies who were now watching him. “Alright, let's get back into it.”

Author's Note

Welp. I'm back. Not gonna lie, I have no excuse for my absence. I just... didn't write. I'm going to try and invest more time into this story. Hopefully, someone can enjoy my drivel.

-Epic