Author's Note

As the story is coming to its end, I've decided to come back and do a bit of visual editing on this story and it's dialogue. I realize that I'm not the best at depicting who's speaking in a conversation, and that some sentences can get mixed up between speakers, so while I try to improve myself and finish off this story, I will be giving the characters tagged on the story their respective colors for their dialogue.

Other side characters listed in "Other" will also get their own color schemes, as they are important to the story in one way or another.

Twilight Sparkle
Rainbow Dash
Pinkie Pie
Applejack
Rarity
Fluttershy
Celestia
Discord

Nathan Schmidt

First Bond

"The night is really beautiful this time of year, isn't it?"

The human turned his eyes upwards upon mention of the glimmering little lights in the darkened skies. The words of his companion on this little stroll through the safer side of the Everfree Forest were correct. Whoever is said to raise the moon does a good job lighting the darkness with these beautiful spectacles. It's of no wonder that people stargaze every now and again. If you sit back, and leave your worries and focus to wane away, the sky becomes all there is, and you can truly appreciate what lies above you.

A nod of the human's head made Fluttershy smile as she awaited an answer.

"It is. Reminds me of the ever-changing night sky back on Earth. Not as coordinated and laid out like this, but looking up always takes your breath away."

This was Nathan Rea Schmidt, the first and only human to ever walk upon Equestria's soil. Being a species not native to the country, or the world, it was assumed that he was alien to the planet, and rightfully so. Back where Nathan came from, there was only one race that was sentient on Earth, and that was his own.

Now, he's spent three weeks in Equestria and found more sentient life here than he'd ever expected. Most of which come from mythology and fables written in books. Pegasi, Unicorns, Dragons, Griffons; the whole nine yards.

Of course, that didn't mean he was getting friendly. Coming from a... peculiar and rough situation before winding up in the unpredictable and highly-dangerous forest known as the Everfree, Nate was armed with the weapons of his people. Four of them, in fact, as well as the knowledge to gather the materials and assemble the ammunition needed to keep them going.

See, when Nate first arrived in Equestria, he was hurt, badly. Two bullet wounds were present on his arm, and a large gash ran down his chest, running deep into the muscle and even cutting a rib. Awakening in the Everfree wasn't pleasant, especially when a pack of wooden wolves came barreling at him in a ferocious pack. His shotgun was the only thing that stood between him and death, and when he had escaped them before they reconstructed, he met Fluttershy at the treeline of the forest. The first Pony who offered his hand, and the only one he wanted to give the time of day to trust and know.

He wasn't an expert on winding up on alien planets, but if this place was anything like Earth, then they'd do what humans would do if an alien ever appeared.

Capture, dissect, study...

Not what he wanted, and not ever going to happen so long as he had something to say and do about it.

Anyways, for the last three weeks, Nathan has been here, in Equestria, living as a sort-of neighbor to Fluttershy. Being foreign and not enthused by the idea of meeting the Ponies of Ponyville, Fluttershy understood his recluse, offering to, instead, start a bit of trading deal to help each other get by. Since Nathan decided to live back in the Everfree a bit, he would get her the herbs, plants, and spices needed within the forest, and in return, she would trade him those herbs for the various meats she has, which were primarily used to feed her carnivorous animal friends before the human came along.

It seemed to work. Nathan built his own little house about a mile into the forest, set up the old furniture Fluttershy no longer needed in her house within it, and has been sitting pretty with the anthropomorphic mare for a while now. It's gotten so easy for the two of them that they've had the time to hang out on occasion, often bonding over a cup of tea at Fluttershy's (or in Nate's case, a mug of Apple Cider), or having a picnic near Nathan's house.

It was quite a thing to see, a human and a Pony getting along so well. Normally, in either's case, the opposing species would find the other a freak, or a godly abomination of life itself, and while Nate's guard was normally up most of the time, he lessened his principles of hatred whenever Fluttershy was around. Her kindness is a mediator for his animosity.

But, for once, Nathan didn't oppose friendship. Where he was from, a friend was the death of you. No one was your friend for no reason. There was always something in it for them. Selfishness reigned over a caring gesture. Here, though, Fluttershy has proved time and time again that her motives were pure. She proclaimed herself the Element of Kindness, and she proved it. Slowly, and surely, Nathan's walls fell and welcomed her into proximity of his blackened heart while those walls remained up for all others he would meet in due time.

A gentle giggle from his left pulled Nathan out of his inner monologue and reminiscing. Glancing over, he eyed up the humanized Pegasus. Aside from the obvious equine features, Fluttershy, and those like her, represented humans in more ways than one. She stood around his height, if not a little shorter, and had all the curves and assets that made her a woman. She was definitely gifted with her well-endowed figure, and her kindness only amplified the attraction stallions here would have for her.

Nathan wasn't among them. While he does have his basic human desires every now and again, he had the sense to not act on them. Fluttershy had only ever valued him as per their friendship, and never once stepped over her boundaries. Hell, the only times where she got bold was when she planted sweet kisses on his cheek for either in gratitude for his help around her home, or whenever he showed genuine kindness back.

Nevertheless, he wasn't crossing the interspecies line just yet.

"I remember how beautiful the night was way back when the girls and I went to our first Grand Galloping Gala?"

"The Triple-G? Didn't you mention that night being a bust or something during our last hangout at your place?"

"Oh, yes. It wasn't the loveliest of evenings, but it didn't make the aesthetics any less beautiful. Princess Luna always works hard on making the night sky so wonderful."

The two turned a corner down the path as Nate held the shotgun by the stock, the actual weapon itself slung over his shoulder while his other hand was shoved into his hoodie's pocket.

"I wasn't sure about a lot of things when going to that party. I wanted to meet all the new and exotic animals that lived upon castle grounds, but I'm not a big fan of crowds, and I didn't really have any confidence in the dress I was wearing. It was a little... revealing, and plain."

Fluttershy's ears folded back as she gave a sheepish smile, the two approaching the edge of the Whitetail Woods and heading back towards the southwest entrance to Ponyville. Not wanting to go directly through town, Fluttershy had been leading the two around the town to reach her cottage, the excursion in Whitetail Woods drawing from mid-evening to late at night.

"I should have known better than to doubt Rarity's craftsmanship by now."

"You showed me that dress, didn't you? The green one?"

Fluttershy nodded as they found themselves on the path that narrowed between the Everfree and Ponyville.

"I don't think it was that bad. Your fashionista friend does have a good sense of style when it comes to each person's personality. The green in that dress brought out your affiliation and content with nature rather than the standard or industrial city life. It was a good look for you."

"Oh! Thank you! I-If you want, I can always put it on and show you how I looked in it."

Nate patted Fluttershy's shoulder as they came up the adjacent path to the latter's home.

"Flutters, you don't need to go out of your way to do that. If Rarity made it to make you look "dazzling", then I'll believe it."

He ushered her forward as he stopped at the bridge going over the small river.

"You'd best head on inside. Here's the stuff we collected out there."

Nate handed the bucket full of different materials gathered at Whitetail Woods to Fluttershy, letting her take it and sift through it to ensure they had everything.

"Excellent. This will help me with Harry's back troubles wonderfully. Thank you for helping me scavenge for all of this, Nate. Even with one of my animal friends, and maybe even Angel, I would still have too much baggage to carry home alone, especially since it's so late already."

"No problem, Fluttershy. You've scratched my back a lot these past couple weeks. Aside from the few batches of herbs, it's high time I paid you back for your troubles."

"Nate, helping you has never been a burden on me. If anything, I believed making you go get those plants and special spices for my medicines troubled you."

She trailed the toe of her shoe on the old tile of the bridge as she gave a shy look down at the railing behind her.

"I don't like going into the Everfree. Even in the day, it's so dark and scary in there. So many unpredictable creatures and monsters live in there, and it's a wonder that Princess Celestia hasn't destroyed it."

"She may very well have tried, if the threat is THAT real. In all honesty, aside from the supernatural aspect of the forest, those woods are exactly like the jungles and forests back on my planet, so it's less of a hassle for me to learn to survive and adapt in there."

Fluttershy gave a narrowed stare at her human friend as he walked up to the side of the bridge beside her.

"I wish you could have, at least, tried to come live in Ponyville. I know I live on the outskirts of town, but I still go in every now and again for my friends and household needs."

"... You know how I feel about that, Fluttershy... Not yet... One day, but not yet."

A sigh was all Nate got in response as she shuffled in place.

"I know. I won't push you, but it would make me so happy if you could give one of my other friends a chance."

"You DO realize I work at Sweet Apple Acres, right? The Apple Family doesn't really see me as a friend, but we all respect each other enough to keep my existence a secret."

"I know... Again, I won't force you to do it, but seeing you all alone just makes me sad. It's your choice, but if you want my opinion, please give it a chance. I promise you, it's not like where you're from. Everypony's really nice once you get to know them."

Nate glanced at her, seeing her mildly-pleading expression. Grunting in defeat, he waved her off as he turned and walked down the way they came.

"I'll think about it... For now, let's leave it at that. I have to get up in the morning and head over to Applejack's to help with the apple-bucking."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Are we still up for that picnic for lunch?"

He stopped at the intersection, looking back at her.

"You still got that bottle of Stalliongrad Bourbon?"

"Um... Yes."

"Then count on it. We'll toast to another day of boring, or wacky, events."

Fluttershy smiled as he turned and walked down the path to the Everfree.

"Catch you later, Fluttershy."

"Bye-bye, Nate. I'll see you at the picnic."

Giving one last wave, both disappeared into their respective homes. With Fluttershy, she meshed into the darkness of her home as soon as she opened the door, closing it behind her as Nate blurred out of sight through the shadows of the trees. Going through the Everfree Forest was, indeed, dangerous, as mentioned before. It was one of the few reasons why Nate always kept, at least, ONE gun on him at all times.

Timberwolves, Manticores, those damn chicken things that turn you to stone if you look them in the eye. Seriously, FUCK this forest Nate calls home.

Making his way down to the dead-end of the path, Nate did an immediate right, circling through a few marked trees and finding the stakes he set up that led to his home. His house wasn't that big. In fact, he could compare it to Fluttershy's cottage. The differences are the fact that it's one-story only, and everything was essentially one big room. The kitchen, the living room, the bedroom; only the bathroom was separated from everything.

Opening up the door to his house, Nate finally took the shotgun off his shoulder, setting it aside within a special cabinet he turned into a safe he's locked down with one of those Runes he found in some castle ruins. Apparently, it only ever reacts to his touch, so unless he physically touches the cabinet, it stays locked tight. Inside the cabinet itself were his other three guns.

One was a bolt-action rifle. A Remington Model 700, to be exact, and one fit with some very powerful FMJ rounds and homemade 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition.

Another was a revolver. A Ruger Blackhawk that packed a serious punch with its .44 Magnum rounds. Unfortunately, Nate had used up all of this ammunition, and knew only how to make homemade .357 Magnum rounds. Not as powerful, but still bucks and puts large holes in its targets.

It was quite a bitch for Nate to have to continuously scour the Everfree for the materials needed to craft these bullets, and quite frankly, he was surprised that he was able to find the correct minerals and gunpowder buried just a couple inches above rich, undisturbed dirt, but his Tracking Rune always pointed out these locations picture perfect.

These separate Runes seemed to become increasingly handy, even though he doesn't have one that can simply duplicate the original ammunition for his guns. It sucked, but that's why he learned to make his own bullets, even if they could never be as great as the original made by professionals trained to do this.

The third was a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield model pistol, his first and most dearly treasured handgun. Reliable, concealable, and was the easiest to handle and craft 9mm bullets for. He ALWAYS had it on him, even when he was going to sleep.

Lastly, there was the aforementioned shotgun in his hands, a Mossberg 590. It was, arguably, the most lethal out of all of them at certain ranges. It was the gun to save him from those Timberwolves, after all, and making the 12-gauge shells for it was as easy as the pistol cartridges, as shotgun shells were the first of many cartridges he learned to make by his father.

That isn't to say making the ammunition was easy at all. Sure, forty-three million hunters and sport shooters make their own bullets and shells, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it was still a strenuous and delicate process making all these bullets in great amounts. Without them, his guns were useless, and without his guns, he wouldn't last long out here or in the towns beyond the forest.

His involvement with bad people in a bad family gave him that edge to survive, and now that he's here in Equestria, he couldn't be any more thankful for it.

Stepping away from his safe, Nate wandered over to his kitchen, grabbing some leftovers out of the fridge and plopping down on his couch. Opening up the most recent newspaper on the block in Ponyville (don't ask how he got it), he flipped through the various articles broadcasting what was going on throughout the Kingdom. Didn't seem to be anything interesting. The monarchy meets with new diplomats, the stock prices are going up again thanks to some asshole in the nobility, there were sightings of some ape creature near the Everfree Forest, and there was a discounted holiday at some cake shop in Las Pegasus.

...

Wait, what was that third one?

Nate flipped the paper back to the previous article, seeing a bit on the sighting of an ape creature wandering about the Everfree. There weren't any clear pictures, but there was a description by a mare giving a testimony.

The creature was described to be about five-foot eleven, and wearing clothes like a Pony does. It walked and talked like them, and was seen fighting it out with a Manticore using some sort of projectile weapon. Literally, the testimony said it was a "monkey with a boomstick".

Yeah, that was cause for concern, because now, his carelessness just exposed him to the news before he could come to Ponyville on his own terms, and as he read the big bold words on the front of the article, he couldn't help but scowl to himself.

New monster spotted near the Everfree Forest.

"Goddamn it..."