Twilight glanced up from the book she was scanning with passive attention when a large creature stepped through into her study.

"Oh, Miles! So, how did the tea party go?" The purple princess pony gave the best smile she could muster for her new friend. As Miles raised an eyebrow and made for the seat across from Twilight, she cast her mind back to just moments before Miles arrived back at the castle...

"Surely you now see something is off with this creature?!" Twilight flinched at the obvious venom in Discord's voice; she would have liked to hope she and her friends had taught Discord better than to be so reluctant to accept a newcomer into their circle of friends, but she knew better than to question Discord's dedication to his best friend Fluttershy.

"Discord," she sighed, "he might be a little... Different..." She peeked reservedly at Discord from behind a wing. "But, he really doesn't seem to be mal-intentioned. There's clearly good in him..."

"Oh, please... He's done nothing but terrorise everypony but you ever since he got here!" Discord visibly fumed as sparkling steam blasted from his ears. "Didn't you see poor Fluttershy?! I just finished consoling her moments before I came here!"

"W-Well, we both know how overly sensitive Fluttershy can be..." Discord visibly frowned as Twilight attempted to reason with him. "Plus, all he did was make a joke, so I wouldn't call it 'terrorising'." Twilight ruffled her feathers and bit her lip before she continued, "Y-You didn't exactly respond in the best way, so the blame can't be placed completely on Miles..." Twilight brought her wing back across her face once again.

Discord gaped in disbelief with a belated intake of breath. "What?! You're defending him? He doesn't know us nearly well enough to be making such jokes. Who does that monkey think he is?" Discord's demeanour sank as disappointment spread across his features, his booming voice trailing off to almost a whisper. "Or - better yet - who are you, Twilight? I feel like I barely recognise you..." Twilight hesitantly stepped towards him with a worried expression and a frog in her throat.

Discord sighed and said, "Twilight. I can understand if you don't care about aiding my suspicions, or think I'm somehow to blame, but it breaks my heart to see you brush aside your good friend Fluttershy's plight just because you're attracted to the alien..."

"Wh-Wha-n-no! I-" Discord sorrowfully closed his eyes and snapped his talons, vanishing in an instant as Twilight ran over to him desperately. "Th-That's not..." Twilight collapsed, her ears and wings drooping towards the now damp, oak floor of the dingy study as tears began lightly dripping from her eyes.

"I'm the Princess of Friendship... How could I-?" Her head bolted upright at the sound of a door opening at the bottom of the stairs. Immediately, she fixed her mane and quickly wiped her eyes, bringing a book out from her desk in an attempt to look busy.

Miles maintained his raised eyebrow as the princess seemed lost in thought with an absent, clearly forced smile across her face. Upon closer inspection, he could visibly see her eyes were slightly puffy. He placed his tools upon the desk with a gentle clink. He mused, "Well, thank you for asking, princess. The tea party was fine. Although, I'm afraid poor Fluttershy may have been upset by the friendly banter between Discord and myself."

Miles leaned back in his seat and closely watched Twilight's expressions as he spoke. She did not seem at all surprised to hear what he had said about Fluttershy. "Don't worry - I'll be sure to make it up to her later." Miles winked reassuringly at the mare, and she couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved.

Miles was not perfect, but Twilight would remain steadfast in her belief that there was clearly a whole lot of good in him. Discord would calm down over time as Miles integrates into their world. "Oh, that's great to hear, Miles..." Twilight said. She made a silent vow never to downplay the problems of her friends in future. Gradually, her shoulders relaxed.

"That Discord character certainly can be fiery one, eh?" Miles chuckled, and Twilight couldn't help but giggle along with him. Sometimes she forgets how new Discord is to the concept of friendship, despite his countless years of life. Discord certainly was fiery, but only because he's sweet enough to care.

"...And I let him down..." Twilight muttered to herself.

"Hm? What was that?"

"Ah, nothing. I'm just feeling a little exhausted from our hasty trip around town, is all."

Miles did not look convinced. "Of course, yes," he said with a grimace. He fiddled with the cuff of his shirt as he spoke, brushing it for dust that Twilight's eyes could never hope to distinguish. "Hm, Twilight," he smacked his lips and raised a finger before he continued, "would you say that we're friends?"

The mare perked up upon hearing this, seeming somewhat caught off guard. "Yes, of course!" she said, hastily.

"And friends help each other out, right?" Miles rose from his seat and approached the seated princess, slowly making his way around the desk.

"U-Uh, yeah, absolutely..."

Miles halted beside her as he leaned down on the desk, bringing his face close to hers from above. He made a show of checking to see if they were being observed and whispered, "Well, you see, while I was in town I came across some potential work..."

Miles knelt down to her level, commanding her to maintain eye contact. "O-Oh, that's great!" Miles smiled at the praise.

"Thank you, princess," he said. Twilight felt his breath wash across her face in a wave of hypnotic vapour, leaving her reeling and slightly aloof. "But I'm troubled," he continued, "as I do not yet have a place from which to conduct my work."

Twilight's ears slunk back down to the sides of her head as she forced another smile and said, "Oh, y-yeah..."

Miles brought a large, gentle hand around the back of her neck and gently maintained her full visual attention. He took her hoof in his other hand and held it tenderly, the mare becoming putty in his hands as he enveloped her entire world. "I could really use my own station of operations, so to speak. A house, if you will."

Miles felt her hoof begin to slip away very slightly as the mare appeared somewhat reluctant. "W-Well, houses are somewhat cheap, b-but I don't know if I can afford to disrupt my budgeting to buy..."

He smirked as Twilight trailed off in her hesitancy. "No, no, what am I saying? I'm terribly sorry, princess; I couldn't- no, I shouldn't ask so much of you..." Miles said as he looked toward the door and loosened his grip slightly. Twilight pushed her hoof back into his grip with alarm. She brought his face back to meet hers with her magic.

"W-Wait, no! I mean, uh..." she stammered. Miles peered wistfully into her eyes for a moment only to slink away once more. Twilight suddenly felt crushingly cold and empty. "I-I could- I, uh..."

"It's alright, Twilight; you've already done so much for me already, what with promised monthly financial support-"

"I could ask for you!" Twilight blurted, almost in a shout.

"...Oh?" chimed Miles.

"I could ask... Mayor Mare..." Twilight huffed, discreetly beating her wings to keep herself cool.

Miles steadily drew closer once more, this time placing one hand on her hind leg and squeezing ever so slightly.

"Of course, I would ask far too much by requesting a house, but... Friends still help each other to an extent, right?" Miles mused. He slid his hand not so much as an inch and restrained a victorious grin. Twilight was now breathing feverishly as her pupils dilated in anxious excitement, with the size difference between herself and Miles becoming increasingly apparent.

Miles continued, "So, how about I just ask for the right to build one myself right here in this little town... Where we'll still be able to-" He gently squeezed Twilight's thigh. "-Hang out."

"Y-Yeah..." Twilight slurred. She now audibly panted as her eyes were locked onto Miles's face. This feeling was unlike any magic she had ever seen or experienced. His somewhat unfamiliar, yet confusingly handsome features breathed fluid life into his pale flesh. His accent, the deep pitch of his voice, his form, his size; all of it was so excitingly alien to her. He was an entire alien world waiting to be studied, befriended and... She shook her head.

It was as though he was reaching out and engulfing her entire being; her soul was fully prostrated for him to dissect, and yet for some indescribable reason, she couldn't have been happier for it. "Yeah... I guess I could ask M-Mayor Mare for a..." Twilight trailed and continued to gently pant as she almost lost herself once more.

"Permit?" Miles finished for her with a slight smile. The mare absentmindedly nodded as Miles swiftly removed his hand from her leg and ruffled her mane playfully. His smirk became toothy and wry once he noticed the disappointment permeate her frame. "That would be perfect, Twilight. Thank you for helping out a friend in need. I only just arrived in this world, but I have always been the type to bounce back from complications and find my own way."

"N-No problem... Heheh..." Twilight couldn't help but let her ears droop slightly. Her throat was scratchy and dry from her rugged breathing.

Miles walked towards the door. "I have a client to take care of, but I'll be back later tonight." He cocked his head. "Alright?"

Twilight smiled sweetly at him and said, "A client...? O-Okay, no problem!" She failed miserably to hide the sadness in her voice.

Miles winked at her as he made his way through the doorway. "Thanks again," he said, and the door clicked closed.

Twilight sat alone in the dimly lit room, listening closely to the heavy thuds of Miles's footsteps as he made his way back down the stairs. With each and every echoing thud, images of the day's events flashed through her mind one by one as though on a looping film reel.

The tour, the tea party, the blow-up with Discord and Miles being so close to her she could practically smell him. All but the former of those events had left a hole in her heart, yet not a single one of Miles's footsteps succeeded in doing anything but brutally forcing those holes to expand.

She put a hoof to her chest and resisted the urge to freak out. Miles had only arrived but a day ago, so now that she was cooling off, she couldn't help but feel surprised by how forward he was being with her.

Admittedly, his world and its culture was completely foreign to her. Perhaps such touch was not uncommon in his world. Perhaps he merely sensed her general unease and attempted to placate her in a way he knew how and she took it the wrong way... She sighed explosively as her hormones, brain and heart slugged each other to near-death in confusion.

"Twilight?" A tiny drake peered around the corner of the doorway in concern. Twilight gasped and sucked her sorrow into her back pocket before answering.

"O-Oh! Hi, Spike," she said, just a bit too cheerfully.

"Hey... Was that Miles just now? How's the big guy doing?"

"Yeah... He's just gone into town for some work he's found." Twilight peered down into her lap meekly.

Spike raised an eyebrow and said, "Already? Huh... And more importantly, how are you doing? He didn't hurt you, did he?" He began looking her up and down.

Twilight looked up in alarm and grabbed the dragon, pulling him to face her with his magic. "Nonono, Spike, of course not!" Realising she'd overreacted, the purple mare let Spike go as quickly as she'd grabbed him. She sighed. "I-I'm sorry, Spike... Just had a long day, is all."

Spike did not look convinced. "If you say so. Just, uh... Take it easy, I guess?"

Twilight gave a slight, yet very genuine smile of appreciation. "Thanks, Spike..."

As Twilight tried to bring him into a hug, the tiny drake slapped at her and slipped away in a hurry. "Uh, yeah no worries, so long as you're alright... Okay, bye-" In a zoom of wind, Spike vanished. Twilight giggled lightly at his antics before turning to her desk. She smushed her cheeks for a moment and sighed.

"Well, guess I have a letter to write..."

Miles strutted along back towards Sugarcube cornerwith a smile, a hammer in one hand and the rest of his supplies in the other. In the course of a single day, he was on track to having both a house and a form of income within the imminent future.

As he progressed, the various ponies he crossed paths with continued the trend of their reactions, ranging from awe to disgust or even fear. He couldn't help but enjoy being so much taller than the other inhabitants of this world. He was used to that, of course, but the feeling was even stronger here.

The recent series of events thus far had felt to him like destiny; the multiverse had chosen him to come here. It was in this world he could achieve that which his old one could not offer him. The thought brought a grin to his face. As baffling and unknown as this world was, it was nothing he couldn't get used to in the name of purpose.

The sun had been slowly sinking for a while now, and Miles could not help but recall Twilight's tale of the tall, white pony he had met being behind the Sun's movements. Such a notion remained ridiculous, but nonetheless endearing that these innocent little ponies were gullible enough to believe their ruler could move an astral body of such immense size in such a way, even with magic.

As Miles neared Sugarcube Corner, he began flipping the hammer around in his hand as though it were an oversized pen. He straightened out his clothes, and then noticed those three little mares from earlier that day back over by the square. They appeared to be fighting over something. After lingering only slightly, he returned his attention to Sugarcube Corner and pushed through the door.

"Look, look, there he is!" Match shouted. She pointed with her hoof as she prepared to sprint over towards the town's resident alien, only to be firmly jerked back by a comparatively smaller hoof.

"What did I tell you?" Muddy's disapproving gaze snuffed out Match's struggles.

The crimson mare sighed in disappointment and defeat. "Think with my head, not with my-"

"-Black hole..." Nougat interrupted with a snigger, making sure to avoid all eye contact with the other two mares.

Match's nostrils flared as she growled at Nougat and made to swat at her. "Why, you little-!" The two mares began wrestling in the mud, doing little other than pulling at each other's manes.

"Girls! We literally just got out of the spa, and now you're rolling around in the mud!" The miniature mare slapped a hoof to her face with a shake of her head. "I'm not sure that today's the day we make a move on the hairless monkey."

Match looked up at Muddy, her cheek being pulled comically by Nougat's hoof as she did so. "Wha-? B-But you-"

"Match." Muddy glared down at Match and the two larger mares went still, releasing each other begrudgingly.

"Fine..." muttered Match.

Muddy's frame went slack as she scraped idly in the dirt with her hoof. "Let's go home, girls... We could build a pillow fort or something and get some cups of hot cocoa, i-if you'd like..."

Nougat and Match perked up immediately. "I'm gonna build the biggest fort! Everypony knows I have the greatest sense of balance in Equestria..." Nougat raised up onto her hind legs and spun like a ballerina in an effort to illustrate her point.

Match gave her a shove, causing Nougat to tumble to the ground. "No way! I'll build the biggest and best fort!"

Nougat smirked at Match and replied, "Oh yeah...?"

The pair bent down as though readying for a race home, when Nougat suddenly whipped around and gasped, pointing behind Match. "By Celestia! It's the alien!" she shouted. "And he's naked now, like us!"

With a jump and a stumble, Match whipped around, her eyes scanning every inch of the town centre like a laser beam. "What?! Where?!" Upon not receiving any response, and noticing Muddy roll her eyes, Match turned back around to find Nougat already halfway down the street. "H-Hey! No fair...!" She immediately set off running after Nougat at breakneck speed.

Muddy had simply seated herself in order to enjoy her friends' light bickering. She stood up to her hooves once she noticed Match glance over her withers to check Muddy was following. "I-I'll catch up! See you both at home!" Muddy set off after Match to show that she was indeed following, but came to a halt once her two friends had rounded the corner at the end of the street.

After a few moments, Muddy set her sights on Sugarcube Corner. Match would be overjoyed if she arrived home with some good news to end their day, and she couldn't help but crave the ever so sweet ring of Match's grateful voice.

Casting aside any doubts or reservations, Muddy made for the door with a silent prayer.

Miles had begun work on the flooring of Pinkie's room, doing his utmost to ignore the clearly insane mare's million questions and incomprehensible speech patterns.

"So, Milesy, what's your favourite food, huh? Do you hyoo-mans eat ponies? Are there ponies in your world? You're real big; just how big are ya, exactly? What's the-"

Miles had heard just about enough. He grumbled, "Pink pony..." He then took his hammer and slammed the last of the nail he was working on into the floor in one almighty swing. The floor benath Pinkie's hooves shook, and she started to bounce in place with her mouth forming an 'o' shape.

"Ohmygosh! That was so loud! I'm good at that too, ya know? Like this!" Pinkie suddenly pulled an entire band's worth of instruments from her mane and played them all at once, the disharmonious cacophony of blaring white noise halted Miles's hand for a good twenty seconds.

Pinkie put all her instruments away as quickly as they had materialised. "Also, it's Pinkie Pie, remember?! You say it like this, easy: Pinkie Pie, Pinkie Pie, Pinkie Pie, Pinkie Pi-"

Miles placed his hands over his ears and cradled his head as the party pony continued to rapidly chant her own name. He eventually released his ears, with a large vein popping out of his forehead along with the whites of his eyes having some compromised blood vessels on account of his fury. "I'll take a shotgun blast to the chest before I allow such a ridiculous, inane name to pass my lips again," he snarled.

Pinkie was now bouncing around in circles. She briefly stopped and asked, "What's a 'shotgun'?" Miles did not respond and returned to his work, however found himself treating his tools a little more roughly than he should have been. Pinkie simply continued to bounce around the room, mostly talking to herself.

Miles heard a polite cough from behind him, and turned to find a meek-looking Mrs. Cake, seemingly shaken by all the noise. "M-Miles, there's somepony here to see you..."

Miles swallowed thickly before he smiled at the plump pony and then walked over to pat her on the head. "Thank you, Mrs. Cake. Tell them I will be finished up here shortly and then they can have me."

He found himself rushing his work as he hammered in the finishing nails, not of course without making sure they were placed as perfectly as his brain would allow him first. At this point, he was desperate to escape the pink party pony, lest he truly do something he would regret.

As Miles arrived back at the front of the store, Mrs. Cake wordlessly handed him a bag of bits with a nervous smile and pointed over to an extremely small, brown mare seated in the corner of the store. "There's the mare asking to see you... Thankyou for your help fixing the floor, Miles..." she said.

"No problem, Mrs. Cake. Feel free to call on me any time you find yourself in need of-" Miles trailed off as the mare had already slunk away back behind the counter and was serving a new customer.

He frowned as he readied his hand to snap his fingers, but begrudgingly let it fall back to his side. He then made his way over to the colourful corner of the store.

Immediately, he recognised this mare: her amethyst mane shimmered slightly in the light as she fiddled with her faun hooves in wait, clearly unaware of his current presence. The mare's muddy brown coat almost reminded him of home. As he approached, the mare looked up into his face. Her deep-purple irises seemed glazed as though she were about to cry, yet upon her face he could read no sorrow.

The pair stared each other down for a few moments before Miles signalled to the seat across from her. "May I...?"

"O-Oh, of course..." The mare's tone of voice distinctly reminded him of Fluttershy; perhaps excessively shy females were common in this world? "Do you remember me? I'm Muddy. We met earlier today... W-Well, sort of..."

"Of course I remember you, Muddy. My name is Miles. How could I forget a face like yours?" he said, his lids drooping and his chin tilting upwards by just a few degrees.

"Oh?" The mare's face hardened for the briefest of moments and the tone of her voice completely changed. Miles's eyes ever so slightly widened as a glimmer resounded from behind his flesh-mask, awaiting a response from a potential doppelganger concealed beyond a thin veil of glassy eyes and short, dark fur.

The mare quickly corrected herself, however. "I-I mean, thanks... Heh..." she mumbled.

Miles strummed his fingers for a few moments along the table, watching her closely. "So," he said, as he crossed his arms and inclined his head slightly, "how can I help you?"

"W-Well, I remembered you were looking for 'odd-job' work when you spoke to me and my friends earlier..." she trailed.

"Yes?"

"Uh..." Muddy appeared lost in thought for a moment. "Chairs."

Miles allowed a few moments of silence to pass, expecting more. "Chairs?" he questioned.

Muddy looked at him somewhat eagerly. "Y-Yeah! Our chairs have been, uh... N-Not working properly..."

"Your chairs 'aren't working properly'?" Miles deadpanned.

"Yeah, so maybe you could come over and... Fix them...?" Muddy tucked her fore-hooves between her hind legs much as a shy child would back on Earth. Miles sighed with a slight chuckle.

He glanced over at the clock on the wall. The day was not much longer for this world. "I might be able to find time, I suppose."

Muddy's features became hopeful as she raised her head. "Oh, thankyou! What time will you be able to come?" Her eyes went wide for a moment. "I-If you don't mind finding time for us today, that is..."

Miles interlocked his fingers and rested his hands upon the table-top. "Hmm... Alright. I'm going to purchase some things in a moment, so I'll come over after that."

"Great! Thank you, Mister Miles..."

"Just Miles is fine, little pony." He then stood to his feet and ruffled the tiny mare's mane. "So, where do you live, then?"

"O-Oh, silly me! Eheh..." Muddy bashfully bumped her hoof into her head, likely in an attempt to appear cute. A muscle twitched just below Miles's left eye. "We live just down the end of this street going towards Twilight's school," said Muddy. "Turn left at the end and we're three houses down on your right. We have a little cockerel on the side of our postbox, so you can't miss us..." Muddy lowered her head once more. "O-Of course, it's okay if you do... We'd just have to rearrange..."

Miles shook his head and chuckled. "No worries, little pony. I'll see you soon." He then swiftly made his way out of Sugarcube Corner, leaving the chocolate mare to her own thoughts.

After a couple of minutes, she silently hoof-bumped herself as she hopped off her chair and cheerfully skipped out of the door to go home and deliver the good news.

She and the girls had better get ready...

Author's Note

13/10/2024 - Touched up with some additions/changes.