Caden leaned back against the edge of the steam pool and closed his eyes. He settled into the water and inhaled deeply, letting the vapor fill his lungs. He exhaled slowly, hoping the heat would calm his nerves.

Six weeks.

It had been six weeks since his unceremonious dumping into an alien fantasy world. Six weeks since he’d taken up quarters in a castle full of pastel archmage equines and their dragon assistant. Six weeks since his entire reality had been thrown to the winds. Six weeks and Twilight and her friends still had no clue how he got here.

He looked down at his own reflection in the water. Brown eyes stared back over a healthy growth of beard. He hadn’t bothered to shave since he’d arrived here. There didn’t seem to be much point.

What the hell are you doing here?

His visage stared back in rippling silence.

You’ve been here too long.

At first, he’d lay awake at nights and listen to the strange sounds of the castle as his leg throbbed. He’d lay in a bed he didn’t know and stare at a ceiling that wasn’t his. He’d wake in the morning and immediately think about where he was. All the memories would flood back as he realized how far from home he still was. For weeks he had hoped he’d wake up and be back in his bed and in his home. That it had all been some bizarre dream or that whatever had brought him here had sent him back.

Then before he even realized it, he was falling asleep shortly after he laid down at night. The pain in his leg had gone and the sounds were no longer strange. The bed had become comfortable suddenly. Some time later, he was eating breakfast when he realized he hadn’t thought about his situation that morning. He had simply woken up and started going about his day. Going over the things he knew Twilight wanted to talk about and planning out what he needed to do. Suddenly this had become normal.

You’ve definitely been here too long.

He sighed and pooled some of the water in his hands. Pulling it up, he ran it through his hair, slicking it back. As his arms dropped, a sharp jolt shot up his right arm.

Son of a…

On top of everything, over the last week he’d started getting a weird tingling sensation in his right arm. At first he figured he’d pinched a nerve and that it would fade in a day or two. So far it was persisting.

Carpal tunnel in your mid twenties. Awesome.

He shook his hand and the sensation faded. At that moment, his bangs let go from his scalp and fell back into his face

He sighed again. I need a haircut too.

He settled deeper in the water and looked around. He did always try to remind himself that it wasn’t all bad. Living in Twilight's castle had certainly come with its share of perks. There was the enormous pantry, lack of meat notwithstanding. He had nearly immediate access to Twilight, who had proven a godsend when it came to teaching him about Equestria. He had a luxurious bedroom, a wardrobe fit for a king and many other bonuses that just came part and parcel when you lived in a castle.

But for all of them, none compared in the slightest to the castle baths.

Nestled in the myriad of lower levels that made up the roots of the tree of her castle, he had never seen anything like it. It was a massive crystalline cavern, separated into various areas. Near the door was a set of showers, used for the actual bathing. Just beyond it, the steam pool he was in. After that, a small cooling pool and rest area. After that was the true wonder of the room. A massive, multi leveled swimming area dominated most of the space. Crystalline grottos lined the walls of the cavern and magically poured waterfalls into the main pool below. Jagged crystal columns stretched from floor to ceiling at points and reflected the natural light off the walls and the pool. Above them, a massive crystal version of Twilight’s Cutie Mark dominated the ceiling, casting the entire room in a dazzling kaleidoscope of purple, blue and red.

When Twilight had first shown it to him, he’d nearly fallen over. It was like a small, private billionaires waterpark. But like so many things, the baths had come with a slight quirk. He snorted as a bloom of vanilla entered his nose.

I smell like ice cream.

He looked over at the showers. They were fairly normal, save for an elaborate series of nozzles that seemed to magically disperse all the soap and shampoo he could ever want. In another strange but convenient alignment between Earth and Equus, the products they used to clean their manes and bodies were as close to shampoo and soap as he needed. Each nozzle was labeled something different and combining them changed what was produced. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t read Poneish all that well. The translation spell only worked on speech. Even more unfortunately, everything combination he had tried produced something that was decidedly feminine in aroma.

It worked out well for the other residents of the castle. The girls always smelled great, at least far as he could tell when they had to get close enough to reinforce the translation spell. Twilight seemed to prefer some sort of lavender scent while Starlight and Sunset seemed to like citrus odors. All in all, it was rather pleasant.

This was less than optimal for him however. He had spent most of the last month and a half wandering around smelling of everything from cinnamon pumpkin to sandalwood all the way to cucumber melon and more fruits than he could remember. He felt like some sort of weird interdimensional spokesman for Bath and Body Works. He hadn’t bothered to ask the girls to show him how to work the system. Some small stubborn part of him assumed he’d work it out eventually.

Oh well. Could be far worse. Not like anyone here knows what Irish Spring smells like anyway. I should probably ask if there’s such a thing as “Stallion Shampoo”.

“Caden?”

A female voice cut through the steam from around the corner to the entrance of the baths.

“Caden? You there?”

“Starlight?”

“Yeah. Hey you have a visitor. I think it’s one of the nurse ponies from the hospital. She’s in the foyer.”

One of the nurses?

“Want me to tell her to come back?”

“No. That’s ok. Tell her I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

“Will do.”

“Thanks!”

He waited till he heard the door to the baths close and made his way to the impromptu dressing area Twilight had made for him. It was little more than a screen in a corner with a small basket for his clothes. Still, it was more than he’d asked for. He dressed and quickly got ready before making his way to the foyer. When he rounded the corner into the cavernous entrance, he was greeted to the site of a snowy white earth pony with a long, braided pink mane slung over one shoulder.

“Redheart?”

She turned, a smile erupting on her face as she cantered her way over to him. He smiled in return. He hadn’t seen her since he’d left the hospital.

“Caden! Glad to see you up and about!”

“Better than the alternative. What are you doing here?”

She stopped in front of him, looking up.

“I was out running some errands. I figured I’d come see how my first alien patient was doing.” She scanned him up and down. “Cripes you’re big. I didn’t get to see much of you out of bed. Are all humans this large?”

Her survey of him suddenly made him very grateful for the last six weeks. With little to do, he’d been filling the time with jogging and exercise. Between that and the vegetarian diet he had bled the little bit of paunch he’d developed in his post college years. He hadn’t looked this good in years. “Not all. I’m 5’10. That’s a bit taller than average for a guy. Some are much, much bigger than I am. Some are much smaller. Girls tend to be smaller in general.” He shrugged. “We’re not so different from you. Ponies seem to come in all sizes. Stallions bigger than mares, etc.”

“True.” She looked down at his leg. He’d worn shorts from the shower and the scar from the Timberwolf attack was on full display. “So how’s your leg?”

“Doing really well.” He leaned down and rubbed a hand along the blemish. “Still looks a little rough. Doc said I’ll probably have that scarring for the rest of my life.” He lifted his leg up and down a few times. “But I feel great! Still some occasional pain but I can pretty much run normally now..”

She moved closer and gave his leg a quick once over before looking up at him with a grin. “I’m so glad! I was really worried there might be some permanent damage but the Doc didn’t seem concerned.”

“I can’t thank you and him enough.”

She waved away his thanks. “Don’t worry about it. All part of the job.” She gave him a wink. “Besides I wasn’t about to let my first interdimensional patient leave with a bad review of the Ponyville Hospital.”

He thought back to the hospital. How she’d been the first voice he had heard after the attack. How she had calmed him down when he came to and how she had held him as he wept.

“I had hoped to see you when I got my bandages taken off so I could thank you but they said you were busy with patients.”

She laughed. “I heard you’d come by. Yeah it’s not exactly a job with a lot of downtime. I’ve been meaning to come and see you too but I’ve been working an off shift, so my free time’s been when most ponies are asleep.”

“Ah, got it. “ He gestured around the hall. “Would you like to come in? I think there’s a living room. Possibly several. I can just hijack the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

She shook her head. “Oh no. I have to be at work in an hour. I just wanted to see how you were doing and…” She stopped and scanned the foyer. “I’ve never been in here before. I kinda wanted to see it. It’s every bit as nice as I imagined it would be.”

He looked over the immense crystalline room. “Yeah it’s pretty impressive.”

She hoofed at the rugs running down the middle of the room. “Impressive? It’s almost obscene. This is a real Saddle Arabian rug.” She tilted her muzzle up at one of a series of huge purple crystals on each wall of the foyer.

“Those look like real amethysts. If they are, you could buy a house with each one.” Her eyes tracked down to a series of small tapestries hanging over alcoves in the walls.

“Those tapestries in those alcoves? Straight from Prance.” She whistled. “Hard to believe this all just sprang from some magical box under a tree. This room alone is worth a fortune.”

He scanned the room again. “Huh. I’ve never given much thought to how much any of this costs.” He turned to her. “You seem to know a lot about this for never having been here.”

She shrugged. “I have a...familiarity with these kinds of things.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Nurses must make a whole lot more in Equestria than they do on Earth.”

She laughed. “I wish. My family owns an exotics goods boutique. I was raised around this kind of stuff.”

“Wow. That’s...really cool.”

“Thanks.”

He watched her peruse the room for a moment longer. “I’m really glad you came by. I’ve been meaning to come by the hospital again.”

She turned from her examination to him. “Oh? What for?”

“Well as I said, to thank you but…” He felt a slight heat bloom under his cheeks. “I was wondering if I could buy you dinner?”

She gave him a confused look. “Dinner? What for?”

He scratched his head sheepishly. “I just...you helped me a lot when I first came to. I’m not sure you realize how much. I was not doing well. It meant a lot to me.”

He didn’t fail to notice the subtle bloom of red that graced her white cheeks.

Great. I embarrassed her.

She hoofed at the ground. “You don’t have to do that. It was just the right thing to do.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. But I’m very thankful and I want to make it up to you.”

She looked up at him for a moment. He felt his heart jump as she contemplated.

Why am I this nervous? Wait….shit!

He held his hands out. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask if you had someon….somepony at home. If so, I didn’t mean to…”

She giggled. “No no. Nothing like that. I’m single.”

“Ah. Ok.” He wasn’t entirely sure why he felt relieved.

“You just caught me by surprise.” She thought a moment more. “You know what, sure! I haven’t been out to dinner in quite awhile.”

The nervousness blossomed into warmth as a giant smile cracked his face.

“Awesome! When works for you?”

“I’m actually only covering a partial shift for someone today. Is tonight ok?”

He nodded. “Sure! When? Where?”

She looked away for a moment in thought. “Have you been to Buck Lake Manor?”

“I haven’t even heard of it.”

“It’s a new restaurant on the far side of town. Opened about a year ago. I’ve heard Ponies from all over talk about it. I’ve been meaning to try them but…” She grimaced. “I forgot they’re supposed to be pricey. That’s not fair…”

He waved the comment away. “Don’t worry about money. Twilight gave me an allowance. She said it should be enough to cover just about anything I needed.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want…”

He held a hand up in protest. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t care how much it costs. I owe it to you.” He gestured at the foyer. “I don’t really have any other expenses.”

She smiled again. “Excellent!” Her smile took a mischievous turn. “I think you’ll like their menu. I’m told they have some...exotic options.”

Given that Redheart knew the extent of his circumstances, the fact that she pointed out how exotic they are concerned him slightly.

“Sounds great!”

Her ears shot straight up, tail swishing madly back and forth behind her. “Meet you in the town square? By the fountain with the statue? Do you know where it is?”

He nodded. “I know exactly where it is”

“Five work for you?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Awesome!” She looked back over her shoulder. “I need to get back so I can get ready for work.”

“Let me walk you out.” She turned and he walked with her towards the door. He opened it for her and she stepped out and onto the castle stairs. Stopping at the top, she turned and looked up at him. “Glad you’re doing so well Caden. See you tonight!”

He nodded. “Looking forward to it!”

She cantered down the stairs and waved back to him. He waved and shut the door. He was halfway to the stairs when something caught the corner of his eye. He turned to see Twilight, Sunset and Starlight, heads stacked on each other, staring at him from just around the door to one of the side rooms of the foyer. Each had a grin big enough to split their faces.

“What?”

All three simultaneously cooed at him. “D’awwwwwwwwwwwwww!!”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s not a date. I’m just thanking her.”

Starlight smirked at him. “Uh huh.”

“Don’t you three have...friendship problems to solve or something? Kingdoms to save? Anything?”

Twilight winked at him. “We do. We just happened to overhear you.” The three of them pulled their heads back into the room. He could hoofsteps as they made their way further into the castle. “Have fun on your date!!”

He rolled his eyes again and started making his way up to his room.

It’s not a date!

Sitting on the edge of the pink fountain, he watched as Ponies started closing up shop and retired for the day. Down the road, three mares pulled arrangements of flowers into a stand. Across from him, a silver maned mare locked up the multi storied town hall before giving him a warm nod and heading on.

I need to have Twilight introduce me to the Mayor at some point.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched a pink blur launch from Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie barreled down the road like some sort of happiness fueled force of nature towards Twilight’s Castle. She waved a hoof towards him as she pronked forward.

“Hi Caden!!”

He waved back. “Hi Pinkie!”

“Have fun on your date!”

He responded out of reflex. “Thanks!” It wasn’t until she was already out of sight before he thought to argue. It was even a moment longer before he bothered to wonder how she even knew about his meeting Redheart in the first place.

“I…nevermind”

“Nevermind what?”

He jerked and whirled around to Redheart standing next to him. She looked around him.

“Who were you talking to?”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Pinkie Pie.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ah. Enough said. I told you that first day she’s a hooffull.”

“You weren’t kidding and….wow...you look great!”

She was wearing a simple, purple dress clenched around her trunk with a bowed sash. Her mane was pulled into the same over the shoulder, thick braid as earlier but now in a tighter, more elaborate knot. It was capped at the end by a blue ribbon the same color as her eyes. She had clearly put on makeup. He’d met Rarity enough times that he was both familiar with seeing Ponies in makeup and yet still confused how they managed to make it look normal over fur. Gems of blue sat in gold rings at the base of each ear and a small purple choker capped by a ruby of her cutie mark finished the ensemble.

She blushed, tail swishing behind her. “Thanks. You too!”

“I….huh?” He looked down at himself, resplendent in his jeans and black t-shirt. He nearly facepalmed in front of her at how underdressed he was in comparison.

“I’m sorry. I look like I just rolled out of bed compared to you.”

She giggled. “No you don’t! I think you look fine. You even shaved!”

He reached a hand up to his face. He’d reduced the patchy forest growing there into a halfway respectable goatee. “True. Kind of needed to. My beard isn’t the greatest thing anyway.”

She looked up. “I like what you’re doing with your mane too!”

He ran a hand through his mop of hair. It had turned out gel wasn’t a thing in Equestria, so he’d had to fiddle with something Sunset referred to as “Mane Lock'' for a while before he managed to get his hair into something that looked like a poor man's version of Keanu Reeves from the late 90’s.

He sighed. “We just call it hair. I normally keep it shorter than this.”

“Like how it was when you got here?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

She thought for a second. “Honestly, I think it looks better like this.”

He ran a hand through it again and gave her a smile. “Thanks!” He looked her over again. “Seriously though, you look great. I feel seriously underdressed now.”

She waved his comment away. “It’s fine. I felt like dressing up. I don’t get to all that often. It feels nice” She pointed a hoof down one of the roads forking off of the main square.

“The restaurant is down there. Ready to go?”

He nodded and they began making their way. As she walked next to him, they made small talk about their day and he felt his gaze keep drifting to her, studying the intricacies of how her dress fit on her frame. A breeze pulled a bloom of honeysuckle off her and towards him. He started inhaling deeply when we realized what he was doing and forced his eyes back to the road.

It’s not a date…..

They shared small talk as they made their way down the road and in a short time they had made it to the outskirts of town and to their destination.

“Here it is. Buck Lake Manor.”

Manor indeed. The restaurant had clearly been some kind of large lakeside house at one point. It sat on the edge of a large, mirror calm lake overlooking the hills and countryside beyond the town. The entire thing had been recently renovated, with stately wooden accents framing the entire house and a large, romantically lit dock jutting out over the waters edge. Ponies and a smattering other species sat in pairs at formally dressed tables as they clinked wine glasses and made small talk.

Caden whistled. “You weren’t kidding about the fancy part.”

She blushed. “Are you sure about this? I really didn’t want to impose…”

He shook his head and pulled a small booklet out his pocket. “I’ve got it. I promise.”

She looked at it, clearly impressed. “Bit vouchers?! Did Twilight give you those?”

He nodded. “Early on she set me up an account at the Ponyville Bank. She figured since it was going to look like I was gonna be here awhile, I might need some spending money. She deposited some for me and taught me how to count in bits and to use these for larger purchases.”

“Has she taught you how to write in Poneish?”

He nodded again. “She has. I can’t do full sentences yet but I know some basic words, reading numbers and doing basic math were pretty easy to learn. It’s really not all that different from what we use. Just different symbols.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Color me impressed.”

He shrugged. “When you don’t have anything to do but study it doesn’t take that long.” He looked back at the restaurant and at the Ponies in white shirts and bow ties carrying plates out to the other guests in similar regalia.

He grimaced. “I am….seriously underdressed for this place.”

She looked him up and down for a moment before a cheeky grin spread across her muzzle. “Are you?”

He nodded. “I am.”

“Says who?”

He shook his head in confusion. “Says who?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Says who? Who says what human fashion is here? For all I know that’s your most formal outfit.”

He raised a finger to make a point before her words crushed his logic. She was absolutely right. No one in this world had any idea what human clothing customs were except for him and Rarity and even she was guessing based on his horrible descriptions. For all they knew, humans wore shorts and t-shirts to weddings and funerals.

He grinned down at her. “I see your point.” He gestured towards the building. “Shall we?”

She nodded and they made their way into the building. Inside it was much the same as out. It reminded him pretty much every other fancy restaurant he had ever been to. Dark wood, romantic lighting and the clinking of wine glasses were everywhere. As they entered, two things hit him immediately. The first was the distinct sound of a cello from the back of the restaurant. He looked up to see a grey, dark maned mare at the back of the dining room performing on an instrument larger than she was. Her hooves maneuvered in tandem, gliding their way up and down the neck and pulling the bow across the strings. He watched for a moment before the almost daily question crossed his mind.

How in the hell is she…...nope...I don’t even want to know

The second wave was much more important to him. Much more enticing. Almost immediately upon entering, he was bombarded by something he hadn’t smelled in weeks. He instinctively sniffed at the air, trying to lock down the odor.

Is that? No. No way.

As they approached the host stand a diminutive Pegasus mare beamed up at them. “Welcome to Buck Lake Manor! How can I help you?”

Redheart stepped forward. “Table for two please.”

The hostess looked down at the stand. “Do you have a reservation?”

He looked down as Redheart’s white face somehow went pale. “Oh no.” The corners of her mouth tugged down. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Of course at a place like this…”

The hostess looked up, looking genuinely upset. “I’m sorry. We’re full for the evening. If you’re willing to wait I can see if something opens up…”

He wasn’t sure which one looked more downtrodden, the hostess or Redheart.

His companion looked up at him. “Caden I’m so sorry, I completely forgot.”

He was about to wave her concerns away when a voice sprung forth from somewhere.

“Jasmine dear, I’ll take this. Block off 36 please.”

The three of them jerked as a pony materialized next to the hostess stand. Seemingly from the ether, a heavy set Earth mare scooped up a pair of menus in her tail and gave them what might have been the warmest smile he’d ever seen. “Table for two correct?”

Ruby eyes stared over half moon spectacles at them. The mare was clearly older than her Pegasus counterpart. A grey mane sat in a tight, neat bun that offset the deep burgundy color of her long dress. The tips of her ears and snout held the remainder of what had once clearly been a deep blue coat now overtaken by a glacier of grey fur.

The Pegasus looked between them and stammered, “Manager! Ma’am I apologize I thought we didn’t have a server for 36.”

“Not a problem. I’ll handle the serving dear.” She winked at them and tilted her head back towards the dining area. “This way please.” The charm of her Virginian drawl was like a Mint Julep for the ears. It was a noticeable difference from the almost Texan quality to Applejack’s voice. He stopped his brain before it went too far down the rabbit hole of wondering where the Pony equivalents of Texas and Virginia were.

Caden and Redheart looked at each other and took their cue to follow the mare. In short turn she guided them to a table in a back corner of the dining room. They sat as she passed out their menus.

“Now then, as my hostess said, welcome to Buck Lake Manor. My name is Ruby. I’m the manager and owner here.”

Caden and Redheart shared a look before he looked back up. “I really appreciate you opening a table for us. You really didn’t have to do that. It was our fault for making last minute plans.”

The mare waved the comment away. “Do not give it a second thought! What would it say about my hospitality if I turned away Ponyville’s most exotic visitor and his lovely companion on their first visit?”

Redheart blushed and Caden blinked as he processed what she said. “Exotic visitor? Do you know me?”

Ruby held her hoof up to her mouth and chuckled politely. “Well of course I do dear. Any restaurateur worth her salt keeps tabs on her local community. I was hoping you’d make it in sooner than later. I’ve heard many ponies talking about our newest resident.”

It didn’t shock him that she had heard of him. Twilight had asked him to keep a relatively low profile but given that he was literally a one-off in Equestria it was inevitable word would get around.

She gestured back to the menus. “Now if you don’t mind my presumption, may I make a few recommendations?”

Caden nodded as the mare flipped around the menu. “For the lady, we have many fine Equestrian options. The Green Goddess Salad is my personal favorite and our Gazpacho is superb. In my biased opinion of course”. She gave Redheart a warm smile before turning back to Caden. “For the gentlemen, might I recommend something a little...different?”

Caden nodded and she turned to a small section of the menu near the back. As his eyes settled on the section she pointed at, he had to read it several times. Surely he was misreading the word. It had to be something else.

“Meat? You serve meat?”

Ruby chuckled again. “We do indeed my dear.”

He glanced between her and the menu. “But….Ponies are…”

“Ponies are not the only species on Equus. We get plenty of creatures from outside Equestria who are either omnivorous or carnivorous. We pride ourselves on being able to serve anyone. Even some Ponies eat fish.”

Caden remembered his first impression when he had walked into the restaurant. That was meat I smelled. His mouth started watering at the very opportunity.

He looked up at Ruby. “How did you know I’d like meat?”

She winked at him. “You have a lovely smile dear.”

I....what? Then it hit him. My canines! She IS good.

He scanned the menu, doing his best to translate. Gentle help from Ruby and Redheart completed the words for him. Hydra Steak, Fried Cockatrice, Manticore Stew…

Something clicked in his brain and he looked across the table at Redheart. “I’m sorry….I don’t want to offen…”

She cut him off with a smile before he could even finish. “I’m a nurse Caden. Meat doesn’t bother me. Order what you want. If it makes you happy, I’m glad.”

“Ok.” They scanned the rest of the menu and ordered. Charcuterie to start with Green Goddess Salad and a Merlot for Redheart, Medium Rare Hydra Steak and a Griffonwhiskey Old Fashioned for him.

Ruby repeated their order back and Caden watched as she retreated to the back of the restaurant.

“See something you like?”

Caden’s head jerked around to Redheart giving him what could best be described as a ‘shit eating grin’.

“What?”

The grin widened. “She is attractive for an older mare. Can’t say I blame you.”

His gaze shot from Redheart to where he’d been staring a few times. “What do you…” Then it hit him that he’d essentially watched Ruby saunter away.

He shook his head. “No..NO..I’m sorry. I wasn’t…”

His companion giggled. “I’m teasing Caden.”

He sighed. “I know.” He glanced back one more time. “She just seemed to know more about me than any other Pony I’ve met.”

Redheart shrugged. “You are unique.”

He nodded. “True but….”

“But what?”

“Most creatures don’t give me a second look. I actually asked Twilight about that after a few weeks here. She said this world is full of bizarre, one off creatures. Especially here in Ponyville. It didn’t surprise her at all that they just glanced over me. And….”

“And?

“Only a few here know what I am, let alone what I eat back home. I’ve only told a few…”

She thought a moment. “Maybe you mentioned it in passing to someone?”

He mulled it over and sighed. “I don’t know. Probably? The last six weeks have been kind of a blur.”

She nodded. “I can only imagine. You seem to be doing well.”

He nodded. “I am….I think.”

“You think?”

“Yeah...I mean...I think. Yes? No? It’s hard to explain.”

She leaned forward in her chair and set her chin on her hooves. “Try me”

He leaned back and thought a moment. “I feel like….like I’m living in a dream I’m aware of.”

“What do you mean?”

His face furrowed in frustration. “It’s like….one part of my brain has completely accepted where I am and what happened to me. It’s coping with the fact that I’m sitting at a table with a talking horse…”

“Pony.”

He shook his head. “Sorry. Pony. It’s accepted that I woke up in some world full of magic and strange creatures and a million other things I thought only existed in fantasy until six weeks ago. That side of my brain has a bank account and is learning Poneish and is sort of interested in seeing the Crystal Kingdom.”

She nodded. “And the other side?”

He shrugged. “The other side wonders if I’m stuck in some sort of...hallucination or I’m in a coma or I’m dead or…..”

“I can see that being tough.” She thought for a second. “Want my thoughts?

He nodded. “Sure.”

She was about to respond when Ruby returned with their drinks. “The Bridlestar 987 Merlot for the lady and an Old Fashioned for the gentlemen.” She set them down. “That's the 22 year in the Old Fashioned. My personal favorite. I do hope you enjoy!”

She retreated again as they grabbed their libations. Caden looked across at the table. “Can I propose a toast? Do you do that?”

She chuckled. “We do and of course. To what?”

“To you?”

“To me? Why me?”

“To you for being there when I woke up. I told you it meant a lot. It was one of the nicest things anyo….anycreature has ever done for me.”

He watched as she flushed a deep crimson before waving away the compliment. “I told you, it was nothing…”

“It was way more than nothing. Thank you.”

She stared down for a moment. “Well….you’re welcome. Let’s toast to something else instead…”

“Oh? What?”

She clinked his glass and smiled. “To new friends.”

He smiled as finished the toast. As he pulled his glass away, they caught each other's eyes and he caught himself lingering.

Jesus her eyes are blue…

He realized he was staring and dropped his gaze as he took the first sip of his drink. He nearly moaned as the cocktail washed over him. Oak, orange, sugar and fire danced across his tongue in perfect balance.

“Mmmmmmmmf.”

Redheart swallowed her sip of wine and giggled at him. “Good?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “It’s better than good. It’s..amazing. The only alcohol I’ve had since I got here is the Cider Twilight keeps at the castle and it’s very, VERY sweet.”

Redheart stuck her tongue out. “Ewwwww. I prefer dry cider.”

“RIGHT?! When I asked Twilight if she had any she looked at me like I had a hole in my head.”

They chuckled and took another sip. “So...what were your thoughts on my situation?”

She thought for a moment. “Have you tried asking yourself what to do here?”

"Not entirely sure I understand."

“I said that wrong. Wasn't exactly what I meant.”

She leaned forward. "I guess I meant...what are you DOING here?”

His mind snapped back to the bath. What?

He shook his head. “I don’t know what I’m doing h….”

She held a hoof up to quiet him. “Caden...we all know you don’t know WHY you’re here. We don’t know why you’re here either. Right now you’re living with the best group of Ponies I can imagine to help you figure that out.”

He nodded and she continued. “That said, the fact is you’re here. We aren’t hallucinations or angels of death.”

He grimaced. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

She gave him a warm smile. “I know what you meant. And I can’t blame you for thinking that way. I know I’d do the exact same. But….listen….I’m a pretty practical Pony….I often have to give people bad news or ask them to make hard decisions at work…”

He nodded. “And…”

“And what are you going to do if Twilight NEVER finds a way to get you home?”

His head drooped. “I don’t know. I really don’t.” He felt a familiar stinging at the corners of his eyes.

She reached out and grabbed his hand with a hoof. “Caden...I dearly hope you find a way home...truly I do. And I think you will.”

He nodded as he tried to swallow back a wave of worry.

“But...I think it might be healthy for you to consider what to do with yourself in the meantime.”

He looked back up at her, barely holding on. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “Have you considered getting a job?”

He stared at her for a few moments as the emotions faded.

“A job?”

She nodded. “Yes. A job.”

“Why would I….” As soon as he really thought about, it hit him.

She’s right. I might never go home. Whereas the thought had seconds before nearly brought him to tears, now it conjured another feeling. Am I just going to sit in Twilight’s castle the rest of my life? Even if I do get home..it could be years...maybe decades…. He realized all he’d done the last six weeks was sit and let the world circle around him. He was just….existing.

What am I DOING here?

He squeezed her hoof and gave her a smile. “You’re…..absolutely right. I hadn’t even thought of that.”

She squeezed back. “Caden...if there is a Pony in Equestria who can help you get home, it’s Twilight. I promise you that. But….until she does…”

He sighed. “IF she does…”

Her ears dropped slightly and then perked back up. “UNTIL she does….is there any point in sitting around and worrying about it?”

He knew she was absolutely right. Him sitting in the castle and worrying about it didn’t change when or how he’d get home one bit.

“Thanks Redheart.”

They squeezed once more before separating. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “It’s a good point but…”

She tilted her head. “But what?”

“What would I even do here? I’m a gym teacher and part time coach. It’s not really a species compatible occupation. Most of our sports require hands.” Well...not all.

She thought for a moment. “Well…..why don’t you tell me about yourself? Maybe we can come up with something…”

He sighed again before leaning forward. Talking about his past wasn’t his favorite thing.

“Sure….”

Author's Note

I AM NOT DEAD!

I am so sorry for any who have been waiting for this update. The story is still alive and so am I. It's been a crappy six months dealing with issues (mental and otherwise) but thing's are improving. As always, I hope any and all enjoy! We should start leaning more about Caden...REALLY soon!