Kyle was decidedly not ready for what he had to sit through. After the sweeping speech and long walk through the hallways, the horse led him to what he had to assume was the medical wing of the castle. It was a humble place, with a small array of white beds and a modest amount of recognizable medical supplies. He was then led to a curtained area, where a collection of different colored ponies in lab coats waited. As if on cue, as soon as the horse stepped back, the mob of coated ponies swarmed, poking, prodding and manipulating various joints and portions of his body while notebooks, either floating in magical light or being held by assistants, were filled with notes from their examinations. The examination of his body, which was none too gentle, was considerably uncomfortable for Kyle. It lasted only a few dozen minutes then they all took a step back, almost in unison to Kyle’s suspicion, and started barraging him with medically inclined questions. The cacophony of overlapping, enthusiastic questions began giving Kyle a headache. A loud, authoritative cough from nearby silenced the small crowd immediately. Kyle turned to see the white horse, standing by the edge of the screening curtain the assembled group were situated behind, smiling patiently.

“Perhaps we should do these questions in a more organized fashion.” She remarked, feigning a casual demeanor that everyone probably saw right through and that Kyle suspected was meant to be transparent. After all, a suggestion from someone of authority carries more weight than a suggestion from an equal.

So the medically inclined ponies resorted to another style of asking questions, one probably learned in their early days of education. They all, collectively, raised their hooves in the air and waited patiently for Kyle to choose one to ask a question. After a moment, Kyle selected a short, yellow, pot bellied pony with a gaudy haircut who seemed particularly enthusiastic about his question.

The pony cleared his throat, “Well, what can you tell us about the interpersonal relationships between humans? Can they be friends? Enemies? Are there tribes or do you live in wild collective packs like wolves?”

Kyle thought for a moment before answering. “I don’t know about the humans you know, the feral ones, but the humans I grew up around were quite tribalistic, but we didn’t live expressly as tribes. There was your immediate family, your close family, your extended family, your lovers, friends, neighborhood, town, etcetera etcetera all the way up, to some, to the entire human race being one tribe.” The ponies starred in fascination as Kyle continued, “Ultimately, we are members of a number of tribes, some we create ourselves, others we join though not always of our own volition, but we are free to leave tribes as we wish in most cases. Our whole history is fraught with tribalism. In the past we had expansive kingdoms and mighty empires. These days modern states prefer pseudo vassalization to outright conquering territory.” He saw a few puzzled looks in the mixed crowd, and decided to brush the point aside. “In any case, yes, to answer your question we have friends, enemies, and tribes just like any other sapient species.”

The hooves immediately went up again when he stopped talking and Kyle selected a tall, slender, light blue pony who wore a pair of thick glasses on the tip of her nose. “What is the approximate lifespan of a human where you’re from?”

“We can live for quite a long time. Some humans can live well past 100 years of age while others get to their 60’s and don’t make it much further. There’s a multitude of reasons for a human’s life span like diet, exercise, sleep variances. Then there’s other factors like the stress they put their body through, damage from injuries, alcoholism and drug use, etcetera.” Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not the greatest expert on everything that goes into a human’s lifespan, I was more of a historical and cultural bent.”

More hooves went into the air, and this pattern continued on a variety of topics, like a human’s typical diet, physical ability, how susceptible to diseases they are, and other medically inclined questions. After about an hour of questions and scribbling notes, most of the ponies seemed satisfied and began comparing notes, leaving Kyle a moment of pause. He turned to the horse, still sitting patiently by the edge of the screen, and she smiled at him.

“Thank you for enduring this, Mr. Williams.” The horse said politely. “I’m sure this isn’t what you expected when I asked for your assistance.”

“It’s no trouble, I’ve been through worse.” Kyle remarked with a casual wave of the hand. “By the way, you know my name but I never got yours. I take it you’re some form of royalty?”

“I am Princess Celestia,” The horse said in a regal tone. “Ruler of the land of Equestria alongside my sister, Princess Luna.” She bowed her head slightly. “A pleasure, Mr. Williams.”

“T-The pleasure is mine, Your Highness.” Kyle stammered out as he bowed his head to her. He had guessed at royalty, but he hadn’t guessed she was in fact the ruler of the land. “And please, call me Kyle.”

Princess Celestia giggled slightly, but even that small sound felt like the soft chime of gentle music. “Very well, if it will make you more comfortable, I will call you Kyle.” She paused for a moment. “If you don’t mind, I have some questions of my own.”

“Of course. Whatever you need.” Kyle responded, trying his best to sound relaxed.

“What was your profession before you arrived here?” The Princess asked calmly.

“I was an anthropologist, specifically a cultural anthropologist.” The cocking of the Princess’s head told him these words were not familiar. “I studied human culture, past and present. I hold a doctorate in anthropology, the study of humans, and a bachelors linguistic degree, specializing in native american and meso-american languages.”

“And these ‘americans’ are different types of humans?” She asked with genuine curiosity.

“Well, yes and no.” Kyle responded, unsure the best way to describe it. “It’d be like… the difference between a normal pony from far to the east and a normal pony from far to the west. They are both decidedly ponies but over time their cultures, traditions, values and such would change in different directions depending on their environment and the other ponies around them.”

“I see.” The Princess said, nodding her head. “So, if you have a doctorate, I guess I should have been calling you Dr. Williams.” She laughed quietly. “I suppose you must have been rather insulted.”

“Not at all, Your Grace.” Kyle said quickly. “To be honest, I’ve been so overwhelmed by this new world that I hardly cared what you called me, as long as it was respectful.”

“That was my next question.” The Princess said carefully. “How exactly did you get into our world? You’re certainly not a native human.”

Kyle pondered the question, trying to best remember how exactly he got himself there to begin with. “I was in my office, reading some letters from some associates of mine, when my assistant brought a curious artifact someone found in storage. She asked me if I could identify it.” He scratched his chin. “I took it from her, held it up to the light to get a better look at it, and then I woke up in a cage, in a train car, bound for who knew where.” He shrugged. “Honestly, how I got here doesn’t seem nearly as important as how I’ll get back.”

“What if you can’t go back?”

The question rang in his ears, and for a moment a very real and tangible fear overcame him. What if he was stuck here, in this world where humans were still feral and were barely respected by the various intelligent species that occupied it? What if he was left here to make a life for himself? What if he was the lone intelligent human?

He looked away from the Princess and sighed to himself outwardly, trying his best to appear calm. “I guess I just have to not consider that right now.”

He couldn’t see it, but he felt a pitying look coming from Princess Celestia’s general direction. He also noticed the assembled medical ponies had stopped comparing notes and were staring intently at Kyle. After a tense silence, one medical pony stepped forward and bowed low to the Princess.

“Thank you for this opportunity, Your Highness.” The male pony said in a humble tone. “We’ll compare our findings here with records on human behavior and anatomy and get a report to you as soon as we can.”

“Thank you, Dr. Swab.” She then addressed the assembled group. “Thank you all for your diligent work and professional demeanor. I hope to see your findings in the near future. If you have any questions regarding our human guest, send them to your point of contact and we will get an answer to you as soon as we possibly can.”

The group of medical ponies bowed as the Princess moved aside, and the group shuffled out of the curtained area in murmured but excited discussion. Once the two were alone, Kyle sat on the only bed and rubbed his head.

“Don’t rest too long, Kyle.” Princess Celestia smiled at him again, and Kyle got the feeling he’d be seeing that smile a lot regardless of how genuine it was. “We still have other business to attend to.”

“Such as?” Kyle asked, more than a little curious.

“Well, at the very minimum we need to prepare a place for you to sleep.” The Princess remarked. “It wouldn’t do to have you sleep with the other humans of the castle.”

Kyle looked up, his curiosity piqued. He remembered some discussion of humans being used by the guards but not much else. “There are other humans here?”

The Princess nodded. “They are not as amenable as you are but we have quite a few. We have a small pack dedicated to guard duties, a group for combat practice, and a small handful meant as a way of feigning support for trading humans. They are kept more or less as pets by myself and my sister, though my sister is far more fond of treating them as pets than I am.”

Kyle sighed and lay down on the slightly too small bed. “I guess that’s my lot here, as a pet to royalty.”

The Princess walked over and stood by his bed. “I hardly think of you as such. You’re considerably more aware than these humans are. I like to think I gave them an opportunity to present themselves as more than just labor fodder to the dignitaries that visit my castle, but you are my ace in the hole. You are my proof that humans can be intelligent.”

Kyle sat up on his elbows and faced the Princess. “But I’m not a human from this world. Maybe it’s possible that humans here will never gain my level of intelligence.”

“There are signs.” Princess Celestia clarified. “Humans learn at a shockingly quick rate when given proper training, they’ve been shown to be able to organize into groups and follow commands as well if not better than other animals, and they can even learn to follow complex routines, like escorting a pony or ponies on an erratic path or carrying a variety of objects to constantly changing destinations.” She gave an enthusiastic grin. “In my mind, humans are just as intelligent as ponies, they just haven’t been given the correct education.”

Kyle pondered the idea. If these humans were indeed like the humans back home, then their ability to grasp ideas and grow as a species would be more than adequate to becoming similar to himself in general intelligence, though probably not on the same level in specific matters and only after literal generations of education on top of education. Still, if the possibility was there, it should be explored.

Kyle sat properly now, an idea growing in his head. He looked to the Princess and asked, “Would it be possible for me to meet these other humans?”

“Certainly.” She replied, “It was on the agenda, regardless. I’m hoping to see if our humans will have a different reaction to you than they do to other new humans we bring in.”

Kyle nodded to himself. “It’s possible the reactions will be different, but to what degree remains to be seen.”

Celestia stood up gently. “If you’ll follow me, we’ll start with what the staff term the ‘House Humans.’ They are our more docile and agreeable humans.”

Kyle got up off the bed and followed behind Princess Celestia. As the two left the room, Kyle couldn’t help but remember a certain other “house” race from his own world. He didn’t like the history of that term then, and he didn’t believe this term for humans had any more kind of a history.

The two walked once again through the hallways of the castle, though now Kyle felt he was beginning to understand the system of rooms and hallways a little better. While most doors were identical to others, there were a few with signs or plates with names or descriptions on them. As far as Kyle could tell, everything was divided up into wings. There was the medical wing, where they had just been, a guest wing, a general quarters for staff, and a smattering of broom closets between the different rooms and at corners. At least that was as much as he could determine by the rooms they passed. After a moment the pair arrived at a room far off the normal path for the servants and guests, and on the door was a plate which read, “Human Room.”

‘At least they get an entire room,’ Kyle thought to himself. ‘Beats a pen out in a stable somewhere.’

Princess Celestia opened the door and stepped inside with Kyle following curiously behind her. The sight he saw was, well, not what he had expected. It was a clean, well lit room, stocked with ground level beds and painted with calming colors. A few ponies, mares by Kyle’s estimation, turned and then subsequently bowed to the princess. The humans in the room also turned, but none bowed. They were all female, dressed in light, colorful cloth that covered their upper bodies. Their hair was kept in a practical style and their skin was cleaner than the humans Kyle had seen on the train. There was a moment of silence as the mares rose from their bowing positions, and the humans seemed to be anxious. One approached Kyle, a tall black haired woman. She looked Kyle up and down, sniffed his hair, and ran a hand along his arm. She then turned to the other human women, and the whole group descended on Kyle, sniffing and running their hands on him.

Kyle, not wanting a second helping of unwanted touching, fought his way out of the group with as little violence as possible. The human women continued to stare, and one tried to pet his head in what some would assume was a comforting motion. He brushed her hand away and the humans seemed more confused than anxious after the initial mobbing. The mares also stared, confused at what Kyle, a male human, could possibly be doing there.

The Princess cleared her throat. “Kyle, these are our humans meant for life inside the castle. These five are the ones we found most agreeable to their routine here.” She raised a hoof and began gently pointing to each human. “That one is Shade, then there is Vanilla, Flame, Hummer, and that last one is Gorgeous.”

Kyle looked up at the Princess. “Hummer?”

“Yes.” The Princess said confidently. “We taught her how to hum basic musical pieces, ranging from children’s rhymes to simple melodies.” The Princess turned to one of the mares. “If you’d please, Mrs. Ways?”

Mrs. Ways, a grey, blond maned, portly mare bowed and moved to Hummer, motioning her to lower her head. Hummer responded dutifully and the mare gently whispered into Hummer’s ear. Then, the human raised her head and cleared her throat, then hummed a simple repetitive melody, her voice a velvet smoothness that was clearly a result of practice. The show was short lived, as Hummer wrapped up her song with a simple vocal flourish. She bowed her head and the small assembly of mares stomped their hooves repeatedly in what Kyle assumed was an applause. Hummer seemed to smile a little, and the other humans began to pet her head and hair, also smiling. Kyle smiled despite himself. It was a good performance, but his initial meeting with humans from this world was a little depressing. Not without hope, however, as there was some intelligence there even as basic and childlike as it was. He could work with that.

The princess leaned her head a bit too close to Kyle’s for his comfort. “What do you think?” She asked expectantly.

“It was a nice performance.” Kyle responded casually, though not without making the mares stare dumbfoundedly. “You were telling the truth, they can learn fairly well, and there are other signs that there is some intelligence underneath the simplicity.”

“Told ya.” The Princess said softly, winking at him. She raised her head and turned to the mares. “This human is named Kyle. He is the first intelligent human we’ve ever discovered, and he will be treated as any other intelligent creature is to be treated. Please address him accordingly.”

The mares hesitated, looking at Kyle again, before turning to the Princess and bowing low. “We’ll treat ‘im fair, your Highness, don’t you worry.” Mrs. Ways said politely. Her distinctive accent was a bit jarring to Kyle, but he supposed if Equestria was an approximation of the English speaking world, there would be a range of accents just like any other language base.

The Princess turned to Kyle and nodded toward the door. “If you would, Kyle, we have a few more humans to visit.”

Kyle nodded in turn, before turning and bowing his head to the mares. Hesitantly, the mares bowed their heads in turn. Satisfied, Kyle turned and followed the Princess out of the room. It hadn’t really occurred to Kyle how the staff of the castle would react to an intelligent human. Given the mares’ reaction to him speaking, it was going to be a rocky road, but he was confident he could manage. Afterall, these are civilized creatures. They would have their biases but they could be worked past. He put that concern to the back of his mind and pondered what the next group of humans would be like.

Author's Note

Apologies about not getting this chapter out sooner for everyone. I had some job difficulties and some other dramatic things happen IRL, so I didn't have time to work on the chapter. But I got it out. I'll try to be a bit speedier getting these out, and again I apologize to those who were looking forward to another chapter for having to wait so long.