Once we had finished lunch, we decided to head back to Celestia's study. However, it was determined that instead of talking about their world, we would start talking about mine. I was mostly okay with this. 'Mostly' because there are aspects of humanity that, one, I really hated, and two, I felt uncomfortable talking about. The first one, how humans treat each other based on minor differences.

The second, well, the worst of the worst basically. Murders, rapists, pedophiles, Hitler, shit like that. I mean I could imagine they might have that stuff here as well, but I have a really hard time believing that with how awesome their world seems. Then again, I haven't actually seen anything beyond this castle, so I might be a bit biased. I mean yeah, humanity has done plenty of good stuff too, but to me it just seems like the bad outweighs the good.

When we finally get back to Celestia's study, I take in a deep breath to steady my nerves as I sit down. "Alright, so, what do y'all want to know?" I ask them, looking around. Twilight, obviously, was first.

"What's the most advanced piece of technology in your world?" She asked excitedly. I blink and have to think on that.

"Well that depends really, as there are several different lines of technology. There's gaming technology, there's space tech, movie tech, and a whole lot more that I can't remember at the moment. But the one I know best is gaming tech. The most advanced technology we have for gaming is a VR headset. Basically it's goggles with screens inside them, which are shaped in just the right way to make it seem like you aren't wearing anything, and you're just… there."

Their eyes were wide in awe as I did my best to describe a VR headset. "Then you also have two controllers, one for each hand. Obviously you use those to move around and do stuff in the game. I don't have one myself, though I've always wanted one, but to me it is the highest level of technology we've achieved when it comes to video games."

"That sounds incredible. You could go around the entire world from the comfort of your home!" Twilight exclaimed in excitement.

"And then some. Who says what happens has to be realistic? You could be the hero in an action movie. You could be a survivor of a zombie apocalypse. You could be an explorer of outer space." Twilight's eyes got wider and wider. "And that's the beauty of video games. Books allow you to imagine the story, movies show you the story, but video games? You are in the story. You are a character that influences the outcome of the story. You can make friends, build relationships, hurt, kill, protect, become sad, feel proud, be angry, be happy, anything is possible. Everyone says 'it's just a game'... But it's not. It's… an experience."

The others wipe a few tears away as the pink princess responds. "That sounds truly incredible Dylan. Perhaps one day you can bring such games here for us to experience?" Cadence asked.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't want to get copyrighted. Most I can do is tell y'all about them." They nod in understanding. "So, next question?"

"Yes, how do relationships work in your world?" I blink in a stupor from Cadence's question. That was something I hadn't thought of. Relationships might work differently here.

"That's… a bit of a loaded question. From what I know, seeing as I've never been in a relationship before, I think it works as a guy asks a girl out on a date and if it goes well they become boyfriend and girlfriend. Sometime later if the relationship is still going well then they get married. You know, a one on one relationship. Though that's how it works in America, the country I'm from. I think there are only one or two places in the world that do it like you ponies."

"Interesting. While you can have a one on one relationship here, it wouldn't exactly be seen as normal and the mare is usually seen as selfish by other mares." Cadence tells me.

"That… oddly makes a certain amount of sense. Since having multiple partners is the norm here, a one on one relationship could be seen as odd." I think out loud, rubbing my chin in thought. To me this was incredibly fascinating. There was so much nuisance and depth to everything here, I just wanted to explore it all.

"I think the next question belongs to me." Celestia says with a small smile. "If you were to live your life here, what exactly would you look for in employment?"

That gave me a good amount of pause. The silence lasted for a good minute until I spoke up once more. "I'm… not sure. I'm not really exceptional at any one thing, you know? A sort of, Jack of all trades kinda guy. You have me do something, and if I'm taught well, I can do it. But when it comes to jobs where your work is more open to interpretation or imagination, like clothes making or such, then I'll find myself overwhelming myself with even the tiniest detail. So I would like a job that's straightforward, something I can understand with enough effort."

Celestia nods in understanding. "Yes, there are a few ponies like that. If you'll allow us, we do have a few ponies in mind who would happily employ you." Celestia says, then gestures to the others.

"One choice is a pony named Saffron Masala-"

"Wait, based on naming conventions that I have gleaned, saffron relates to food, and masala sounds like an Indian dish. So an Indian restaurant, yes? Yeah, no thanks. I tried working in the food industry once, and I just couldn't keep up. I'm just too… detail oriented." Twilight was a bit put off by my sudden interruption but quickly rallied.

"Alright, well one of my friends, her name is Rarity, owns a boutique here in Canterlot. Maybe you could work there?" I think about this for a moment, but shake my head.

"Nah, I don't think that would be a good idea. If the customers are as high society as I think they are, and if their lines of thinking are similar to that of one of the old ages of my world. Even if I did do good work, me being a different species would deter customers." Twilight had to admit, she hadn't thought of that.

"Maybe you could work in the modeling industry?" Cadence suggested. This immediately earned her an incredulous deadpan. "I'm serious. You being another species will earn you points for being exotic." I wanted to argue against this, but she did have a point. If this world was as okay with other species as I thought it was, then maybe my being an alien in this world could earn me a few points.

"I suppose, but I'd need to work on my body a lot more. Not that I would be opposed to having a better looking body, don't get me wrong. I just have a confidence issue. Though maybe extreme exposure therapy could be what I need." I thought out loud.

"Our last thought would be something in the music industry." Celestia said. "Maybe music from your world could spark quite a bit of interest."

"A valid point, but if we do establish a stable connection with my world, even in the far, far future, then I don't want to be the target of copyright." Celestia hummed, nodding.

"While that may be true, that doesn't mean you can't sing some of the songs that are being produced." I shrug at that.

"Yeah, I suppose. Still, all of those sound like big jobs, you know? Me? I'm just… a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. I had a plan, sort of, and now… I think I just want to process it before I make any big life choices." They look at me with soft, understanding smiles.

"Cadence and I can understand that more than you think. Though it wasn't as sudden as yours. Before I became an Alicorn Princess, I was just a unicorn learning about friendship." Twilight said, a small smile on her face as she remembered the past.

"And I was just an orphaned pegasus that got lucky. Celestia trained us before we ascended to becoming Alicorns, so we were a bit more prepared, but neither of us would have ever thought we would end up where we are today." Cadence said in a more comforting tone than Twilight had.

I gave a soft hum, processing this new info. Maybe, just maybe, this was a second chance just waiting for me to take it? I knew that, for now, I wasn't prepared to take it. Maybe once I had properly acclimated to my new surroundings, I could take it. After all, it was waiting for me. "Thanks for telling me that. It's kinda nice to have someone who can sympathize with you. Or is it empathize? I can never remember which is which."

"Neither can I." Celestia and Cadence said at the same time. After that we all had a small laugh.

"Alright, alright, let's move on." I said after we had stopped laughing. The next one to ask a question was Celestia again.

"So Dylan, what can you tell us about your world's history? I imagine it must be quite bizarre if it churned out such amazing technology." Celestia said, a bit excited. However, that excitement soon went away at my barely visible wince.

"Yeah, that's one word you could use to describe my world's history." I sigh, leaning back and rubbing the bridge of my nose. "To be honest, bloody is a much better word. There's a lot of stuff in our recorded history, a lot of the more prominent stuff isn't exactly nice stuff. It'd take me at least a week just to cover a decade, so could I get another question?" They were a bit stumped at my response, but eventually Celestia nodded and began to think of another question. Eventually, she did come up with one.

"Alright, what about the food in your world? What is it like?" I had to think about this for several moments.

"Well… I can't say for the rest of the world, but food in America is pretty good, at least to me. And most stuff is easy to prepare, well, except for certain stuff which takes hours in advance to prepare. But the kind of stuff you can find from other countries is just crazy. I'm sure at least one of you can relate to that."

"Oh, me and Cadence can, most certainly. Though I do not think Twilight has yet to try out cuisine from the other lands. Though some of them have a carnivorous diet, which we simply can't eat." Celestia explained.

"No, not really, other than Spike that is. Speaking of, I should probably send him a scroll, telling him I'm going to have to stay here longer than I thought. If you'll excuse me." Twilight said, then teleported away.

"Spike?" I ask, turning to Celestia.

"Twilight's adopted dragon brother." I made a face of understanding then paused.

"Dragon. There are dragons here? Fucking awesome! Oh, I wonder if they'll understand the dragon language of Skyrim! Oh, that would be awesome! I could finally flex my skill which everyone thought was useless!" I said, more to myself than anything.

"Hmm, maybe. Would you mind giving us an example?" Cadence asked. I nod and clear my throat.

"This is a part of a song based off of the game. 'Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin, Wah dein, vokul, mahfaeraak ahst vaal! Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan, Dovahkiin, fah hin, kogaan mu draal!' It's just the first part, and I don't do it anywhere near how it is done professionally, but still pretty awesome even without the soundtrack behind it."

"Hmm, no, I have never heard a dragon utter anything like that before, not even a thousand years ago. Though I must say, you have a really nice singing voice. Are you sure you wouldn't be interested in joining the music industry? I'm sure with some proper training, you could be the next 'big thing' in Equestrian pop culture." Celestia said, tilting her head a little bit.

"Eh, maybe. Just as long as they don't ask for anything from my world. Like I said, if we somehow manage to create a stable way back and forth, I don't want to be hit with any copyright strikes, sued for ripping off someone's song, you know, stuff like that." I said while wagging a finger in a no-no gesture. Celestia nodded in agreement.

"Of course. Though I would like to hear some more music from your world. As I'm sure Cadence, Luna, and Twilight would as well." I nod then give her a grin.

"Only if y'all return the favor. Like hell am I going to pass up the opportunity to listen to music from another world!" Celestia giggles then nods.

"Fair enough. You know, sometimes you remind a bit of Twilight's friends. A bit boisterous, yet also quiet and reserved, simply content to just listen and observe. Though you are by no means shy. And you always tell the truth how you see it." I shrug at her observations.

"All that is true to a certain degree. To say I always tell the truth is obviously a lie, and I'm actually quite shy when it comes to meeting new people, but after they don't immediately dismiss me they do find I get really excited really easily. It's part of having anxiety. I'm fucking terrified of everything all the time. Hell, most days I walk to work, even though I know I did nothing wrong, I just have this unreasonable sense of foreboding that my boss is just going to say, 'you're fired, get your stuff and get out'. Yet it has never happened. That's how scared of everything I am. I'm scared that if I say the wrong thing at the wrong time, y'all will just decide to lock me up." They look at me with wide, yet sympathetic eyes.

"Oh Dylan, that sounds horrible." Cadence says, coming over and giving me a hug, something I immediately try to wiggle out from.

"Yeah, no, none of that please." I say after she let me go. I shake my arms and chest, like I was shaking off a bunch of invisible bugs. "Unless I say so, please, don't touch me. Another condition I have is autism. One of the things that comes with it is that I'm wholly uncomfortable with others touching me that I'm not familiar with." Cadence winces at this.

"Sorry, I didn't know. Ponies by nature are really touchy feely. So if we see somepony in distress, we try to make them know they aren't alone, to give them comfort."

"Oh yeah no, I get that, but for humans, unless it's a really close friend or family, no further than a cousin, then it's just weird, and that's without having what I have. I sometimes don't like it when even my mother touches me." Cadence nods at this, understanding.

"I should have guessed, very similar to the griffins actually. Still, I'm sorry that I caused you that discomfort Dylan." I wave a hand a her.

"Water unda da bridge." Cadence giggles at the goofy voice I used. Suddenly, a purple flash of light announced the return of Twilight, and she was looking at me sheepishly. I suddenly had a bad feeling.

"So I know you wanted some time to adjust before meeting my friends… but my friends were kinda with Spike when I sent the letter." I facepalmed.

"And they are curious about me and want to meet me." I place my hands together in front of me, palm to palm, and take a deep breath. After a few seconds, I speak once more. "Fuck." I say, pointing my hands at the ground.

Author's Note

Well shit, seems like Dyl will be having a crash course in crazy ponies the next day. One more part, and that'll be the end of the first day. Hope you all have enjoyed the story so far! I know this chapter is a bit shorter compared to the others, but I just couldn't help but make that the end. I bet many of you thought I was gonna have him say boi, huh? Well, expectation subversion! Hope y'all have a nice day/night and I will see you all whenever the next chapter comes out.