Author's Note

This chapter is going to feel like a lot of fluff, but I wanted to make sure to set up quite a few things and build the world in my mind while doing so.
Also I kinda had to speed read this one, so I really hope mistakes are at a minimum. I know some people help each other with proof reading is there a group on here for it?

Act 2 - Comfort Zone

Act 2 – Comfort Zone

Over the two days Leo spent in the hospital, he was able to recall all sorts of things about his life on earth. His family, his friends and his job. He had told Twilight that he was basically a retail worker, but at an electronics shop where he had to often repair new and old electronics. Twilight had hoped he would have a skill that would translate well to pony society, but the closest thing they had to electronics were radios, and even they ran on magic. Leo described his place of work as a ‘Getto Radio Shack’, the term didn’t even get a snort out of Non.

Try as he might however he could not remember how he got off earth, let alone how he ended up in Equestria. During this time he also got to meet Rarity, who took his measurements for new clothes. As well as being introduced to Fluttershy who had tagged along with Rarity to ‘See the new human’ she barley spoke to Leo, which honestly was the highlight of Leo’s day.

Now that Leo’s ’totally not broken at all according to him’ leg was fixed, he would soon have to go out and greet the world. So with nowhere else to go Non and Rainbow offered to open their home to him. To which Leo replied with he would have rather slept outside and took his chances with Mother Nature. But when being told manticores and cockatrices and other things were a very real thing in Equestria he decided to swallow his pride and accept.

Seeing as today was they day Leo would finally leave they gave him back everything that had been on him when he landed. Which was a nice little box with his coat, a ring, phone, wallet, keys and all the other various other crap he had in his pockets. Such as candy, a pocket knife and random small tools he had.

“Here are your dismissal forms, just sign below and your free to go.” The doctor pony said to Leo. He quickly signed away and walked out without saying so much as a thank you. Meeting with Twilight outside to walk around Ponyville and get to know the place. ‘Guess I wasn’t too far off when I said ponyland’ Leo chuckled to himself.

“So where do we go first?” Leo asked the little purple pony of a thousand questions, he felt it only fair he ask one once and a while.

“Well I figured we could walk to town hall and work our way out from there! Then we can wait at the library until Rainbow Dash gets out of work.” Twilight said with a chipper tone.

“Alright, I just want this over with. “He said fiddling with his ring as he put it back on. As Leo felt his ring roll over his finger a thought came to him as they began walking. “Hey Twilight uh, are there any pawn shops?”

Twilight looked confused, “What’s a Prawn shop? Like a fish market?”

“No, like a cash for gold place?” Leo responded.

“Well our money is made of gold, so not really, why?”

“Well I don’t like being broke and I don't like the idea of having people-“

“Ponys” Twilight ‘corrected’

“....Ponys, pay for things for me. On earth there are places were people bring precious metals and can get some money for them. I’d really rather not if I could help it but…” he motioned to his ring “I was thinking I could do that with this and at least have SOMETHING to my name here.”

“Oh! Well you’d definitely want a jeweler for that. But that’d be only if your right and we value the same metals. What’s your ring made of?” Twilight was happy to help and if she was learning a bit about human culture at the same time she figured that wouldn’t hurt.

“Platinum” Leo said “Its valued highly by humans, I don’t really know why thou.”

Twilights ears go straight up and she says “Oh!” Turing around to look at the ring.

“You’re in luck we very much do, how big is the stud of Platinum in the ring?” She asked looking over it to see where it would be as Leo explains. “Stud? The whole ring is just platinum, you put studs of metal in your jewelry? weird..”

“Leo don’t be silly, there is no way that is solid Platinum. Enough with your weird jokes. Come on let’s get back to the tour.” With a grumble of annoyance Leo decides to just drop it.

So Twilight dragged him around the town basically giving the poor human a history lecture, but he did manage to learn were most things were. Leo tried his best to keep conversations with the locals to a minimum. He had managed to avoid too much conversation while in the hospital but now he didn’t have an excuse.

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“And that’s most of the town, except way down that road is Sweet Apple Acres, that’s where Applejack and her family lives.” Twilight says as the two sat on a bench talking a break from the walk. Leo thought he had managed to be decently polite. Meaning he had managed to answer most questions without having a breakdown. He had put up with the whispers of ponies all day and they were starting to grate on him a bit.

‘Why does he sound so annoyed’ ‘Maybe some humans just look like that’
‘He seems okay, Non is nicer’ ‘Wish he’d been made to clean up that hole he left in town’
‘Does he always look so mad?’

Leo’s mood was only soured by this, but the day was almost over so he resolved to just deal with it. “Okay, so how would I go about getting a job?”

“Well you’ll just have to look really. Applejack helped Non when he first came before he started working full time at that pegasus restaurant. Maybe you could ask her?” Twilight clearly was trying her hardest but had no clue where Leo could work.

“Worth a shot, I am guessing its mostly farm work?”

“Well yeah, that and applebucking.” Twilight said trying to comfort the human she reached out and gave his leg a light pat.

Having no clue what ‘appplebucking’ was he was about to ask when he felt Twilight's hoof on his leg. Forgetting his question he stands up and asks “How about we just go to your Library and wait. I have had enough of this sun in my eyes.” Leo stood up rubbing his eyes, having been inside for a few days left him a little sensitive to natural light.

“O-oh, okay. We can do that, and have something to eat before Dash brings you to her house.” She said a bit disappointed that Leo still seemed uncomfortable.

As she led the way to her home Twilight asked. “Have any requests for lunch?”

“As long as it’s not made of flowers I think I’ll be good.”

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“These are all of our books, the Daring Doo series is really Awesome. If you wanna read them sometime go ahead just be SUUUUPER careful with them.”

It was the fifth or sixth sentence Rainbow Dash had used the word ‘awesome’ in while she was giving the ‘tour’ of her and Nons house. Leo was beat, all he wanted to do was sleep, he had no idea how Non was able to match these ponies energy.

“And here you’ll be sleeping on the couch here. We sleep upstairs, and DON’T wake us up in the morning we like to sleep in.”

“Okay, I got it.” Leo said before face planting onto the couch.

“Uh dude, the tour isn’t over yet.”

“Yeah it is, sleep now. Stupid rules later.”

“You know maybe you should be more polite. We are letting you stay here after all.” Dash said as she poked the lump of a human, who was currently face down in her pillows.

“I neeeed sleep, I haven’t gotten an actual nights rest since I got here.” Leo pleaded from beneath the pillows

“Fine, but if you’re going to be up early tomorrow help yourself to some eggs in the fridge. But DONT make any noise.” Dash said as she walked out of the living room.

A half hour later Non came back home, seeing leo face down with the lights off he heads straight upstairs. To find his love reading one of her favorite Daring Do books. Feeling playful he sneaks up behind her and grabs her flank, causing her to yelp and zoom to the other side of the room.

“What! I- Hey DONT do that.” Dash said with a pout, “Now I lost my place….”

“Oh? So you dont want my hands on your flank?” Non teased her knowing that the mare loved it, even if she would never admit it.

“Alright you got me” Dash flew back onto the bed to nuzzle up with her coltfriend. “I am sure you saw Leo settled on the couch. I still don’t get how the two of you are so different.”

“Dash, that’d be like me being confused as to why you and Rarity aren’t the same. Humans are all different, just like Ponys.”

“It’s just weird, he acts like talking is painful for him.”

“Give him time, was I really all that pleasant at first?”

“Well, actually yeah. After you had that one mini freak-out you were pretty cool.”

“Huh” was all Non could say. It had been over a year but yeah he wasn’t nearly this distant.

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Downstairs Leo had been trying his hardest to fall asleep. He hadn’t move an inch from when he first fell on the couch. Although he felt like he was about to pass out, sleep still eluded him.

So his mind was left to wander.

‘This couch smells like horse fur. Maybe they were lying about the woods being dangerous. Doesn’t the yellow one live in the woods? What was her name? Butterfly? No that what her ass tattoo was. She was nice, she didn’t talk.’

Rolling onto his back hoping that might help. All it did was allow him to stare into the pitch black room.

‘Well they don’t seem so bad but, why are they so energetic? That pink was acting like a kid trying to get their older sibling to laugh or pay attention to them. Uhh maybe I’ll laugh the next time she makes a joke and she’ll be satisfied and stop. Also there was all that stuff the town ponies in town were saying today. Well at least I don’t have to worry about them like I do the pink one.’

Finally sleep started to take him, and for the first time since coming to Equestria Leo was able to dream.

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Screaming without making a sound, that’s what it felt like. Dirt stuck under his fingernails as he tried his hardest to crawl out of the ground that was sucking him in. The faceless features of those standing above him using shovels to pour more dirt over his screaming mouth. Leo begged them to stop to let him out, asking for some reason any reason to why they wouldn’t. No answer came, only looks of disgust from the humans above.

Frantically clawing barley holding his head above the dirt. This continued long after the people above him left, and after what felt like hours a new form came up. As the form leaned over him, it simply placed its hands on his head pushing Leo further down. Leo started to sink deeper having stopped clawing at the sides, as he silently agreed. As the dirt covered his face the form disappeared to be replaced by one concerned looking blue pony before Leo woke up.

His eyes shoot open, laying on his back completely still. Leo could feel the cold sweat cling to his shirt and it made him feel as if he had just jumped out of a pool. ‘Damn ponies, even in my nightmares they-‘

“Oooohh~”

A sound came from a certain blue mare upstairs, and interrupted Leos train of thought. Replacing his nightmare with something just as unnerving to him. Gabbing a pillow and sandwiching it over his ears he grumbled out in a mocking tone “You just need time to adjust”

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