Breathtaking

I gave myself up. No way in hell I was gonna tempt fate by running. The purple one (Twilight she called herself) could stop me in my tracks with magic, Rainbow Dash could move faster than the wind, and the orange one was a pile of muscles. Not good odds for me. I slowly raised my hands, palms out. I didn't want to look more intimidating than I probably already was. Looking around at them all, I decided to speak up.

"Y'all sure know how to roll out the welcome mat 'round here."

Twilight stood fast. Her face was a picture of resolution and determination. The other two looked at me like I was an oddity worthy of a place in the Ripley's Believe It or Not...

"Folks, can we at least be civil, here? My name is-" All of the sudden a voice called out nearby

"Oh Joooooohn!" Thank God, someone in my corner.

Rarity came around the side of Fluttershy's cottage supporting a bag and a couple of paint cans with her magic. When she noticed the rest of the mares staring me down, she dropped everything.

"Girls, wait!"

The orange pony spoke up. "Rarity, I know y'all are friendly with it, but now ain't the time fer a debate!"

"But Applejack, you don't understand!"

"I understand y'all been hidin' this critter from the rest of the town!" She said. "I cain't believe y'all wouldn't even tell yer own friends!"

At that moment, a very winded Fluttershy came flying over the lawn.

"Oh girls, please don't hurt him... He's not dangerous!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Fluttershy, stay out of it!" Fluttershy cowered. Poor thing never really could establish dominance.

This sparked an all-out argument between the four of them. I just rolled my eyes and stood there. The only pony still paying a lick of attention to me was Twilight. Well, let's see what I can do here. I walked forward and extended my hand.

"Miss Twilight, my name is John Marshall. I'll go with y'all, but let's stop the fightin' and get on with it."

She straightened up, nodding in agreement.

"Girls?" The fight was still going.

"Girls?!" And going.

"GIRLS!" She finally shouted and in unison everyone's eyes were on her.

"We are headed to the library. Perhaps you would like to join us?" They were all quiet except for Rarity, who tried to say something.

"But Twiiiiliiiight..." She whined.

"Not now." the lavender mare stated simply. "John Marshall? Please follow me."

I did as I was asked. The rest of the group fell into step behind us, either with their heads hung in embarrassment for their squabble, or eying my back suspiciously. If I said I wasn't a little nervous about heading into town, I would be lying.

I usually deal with awkward silences quite well, but once we came into Ponyville proper, things got downright uncomfortable. The town was bustling with activity when we came through, but almost as one, every living soul that could see stopped what they were doing to get a good look at "the creature."

Some ponies were just curious. Most others were frightful. Young foals were whisked away by guarding parents and as soon as a lot of folks got a good look, they ran for the hills. Excited whispering and gasps of shock were heard occasionally as I felt my face redden with embarrassment. Dammit John, what do you have to be embarrassed for? I asked myself. God knows this wasn't the first time a town greeted me like this.

I couldn't be more thankful when Twilight led me into a building carved out of a huge tree in the center of town. Once we all made it inside and the door closed, I felt better, but not much. Rarity and Fluttershy kept trying to flash me reassuring smiles as if to say 'its gonna be all right!' Regardless, the tension was palpable.

"Spike!" Twilight called out. Almost immediately, a purple lizard ran down a staircase off to my left.

"Did you find it Twilight? What's it like?!" Wow. Talking lizards. This is new. He got to the bottom of the stairs before he noticed me.

"Oh, wow!" Struggling with trying to figure out an appropriate reaction, I just smiled and waved. The lizard's eyes grew in size. Twilight walked forward into the library gathering books, parchment and quills.

"Spike, take a note." She said. Apparently, he didn't hear. he was still in awe of the new animal in front of him.

"What... IS it?" he said, squinting at my face. I laughed.. mostly because I didn't know what else to do.

"I should be asking you the same question, Spike. Can't say as I've ever met a talkin' lizard before." If he was in awe before, then it changed. The look he gave me was one of disgust.

"I am NOT a lizard. I'm a dragon!" Ha ha ha ha... what? "So you can talk too?" he continued. I just nodded dumbly. A dragon? No fuckin' way. I had to ask.

"So... can you breathe fire?" Before he had a chance to reply, Twilight cleared her throat loudly.

"AHEM. Spike?" Briefly snapping back to reality, the little purple liza- I mean dragon looked to her.

"Notes?" She asked simply. Spike smacked his forehead.

"OH!" He ran forward, grabbing a bottle of ink, a quill and a scroll to write on. He found himself a comfortable spot to sit and waited patiently for the questioning to begin. The other girls slowly spread out through the library, settling in for what was sure to be a long interview.

"So... John?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to take some measurements and ask you some questions. Do you mind?" Twilight asked. I shrugged in reply.

"Not at all. Go ahead, please." She wasted no time in making a plethora of observations on her new subject. When I saw the happy smile start to develop on her face, I couldn't help but wonder if she was enjoying this too much. Like I was a new play thing she wasn't sure to be bored with too quickly.

"What are you called?" she asked.

"Well, I'm what we call a 'human.' "

"Height, roughly 6ft. How much do you weight?"

"About 180 pounds I think... I know I've lost a little weight since coming here." She thought for a moment about that.

"Ok, eye color, hazel... No coat or tail.. Mane, brown... Bipedal and has hands similar to a monkey or minotaur... So interesting!" She continued talking about me, but not necessarily to me. Something about her excited remarks reminded me of being in high school biology class. I guess if you like something enough, it can be just as fun as it was the first time.

The rest of the ponies listened intently to the 'research.' All except for Rainbow Dash. She fidgeted something awful and kept whispering to Applejack. Twilight then struck up a new topic of questioning.

"Could I see your teeth please?" I showed her and it almost looked like she flinched. "What does your normal diet consist of. Judging by your teeth, you seem to be an omnivore." Great. Sorry, Fluttershy.

"Well, recently its been mostly vegetables and eggs, but you're right. Meat is important. Common food for humans is... well, pretty much anything that moves." When the gasps subsided I continued. "But I've never eaten a pony before and don't intend to try." They seemed to relax. Twilight nodded knowingly.

"Do you supposed your weight loss could be due to a change in diet?" I shrugged.

"Sure?" Straightening herself again, Twilight continued with more questions.

"So, where did you come from?" Well, that's not a hard question.

"Well... I'm... I'm from..."

"Don't you remember?" she said, alarmed.

"I remember, I'm just tryin' to explain it so you'd understand. I'm from Earth. My world. I have no idea if this is still the planet Earth, but I'm pretty sure its not. Multicolored ponies ain't exactly common back there. Shit, until I woke up in Fluttershy's place, I thought I was still dreamin'." She looked contemplative.

"Do you remember anything about your arrival?" I proceeded to describe to her in detail my experience. Everything from remembering being shot (which they were obviously confused about) to bleeding out and dreaming, to falling out of the sky. Twilight's face was the picture of stoicism through my story, her eyebrows raising only when I mentioned opening my eyes a couple hundred feet above the ground. She was pensive for a few seconds before finally declaring,

"Spike, take a letter!"

Spike, apparently her personal secretary, produced a fresh piece of parchment and sat, ready to write.

"Dear Princess Celestia," She began aloud. "I feel that I must inform you that the new creature discovered two months ago outside of Ponyville has been located and is currently with me in the library undergoing research. I have made basic observations and am including my preliminary notes in this letter to you. The subject in question is a male 'human' by the name of John Marshall, has a wide range of speech and seems to be intelligent. Further observations are forthcoming and I will keep you updated and informed on all developments. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Go ahead and send it, Spike."

He rolled up the scroll, signed and sealed, then held it up as if to display it to us... before a gout of green flame from his mouth consumed the letter, turning it into a sparkling mist that flowed out of the window.

"Well, that answers that question.." I said aloud. He smiled in reply.

"So, John," Twilight started again. "What can you tell me about yourself as a... human?" I didn't know what to say.

"Well.. What do you want to know?"

"How many more of you are there?" She asked. I had to think for a second on that one..

"I'm not sure... I think six billion? Maybe closer to seven billion people." Her eyes bugged out of their sockets.

"THAT MANY?! I don't think there's nearly as many ponies in Equestria!" I thought for a moment.

"Well, Equestria is just a country right?" She nodded. "Then I suppose a better number to give you is about three hundred million. That's how many people there were in my country." She shook her head.

"My goodness that's quite a lot. It is safe to assume you have some form of culture then?" Rarity and Fluttershy knew a little about what life was like there, but only what I told them. Twilight wanted a full detailed description. One that I wasn't necessarily eager to give. Shifting in my seat, I tried to dodge the question.

"Uhhh, I'm not entirely comfor-"

"This is purely in the interests of science, of course!" she said cheerfully, trying to get me to open up. At least she was more relaxed. Rarity started up again, trying to get Twilight to leave me alone.

"Twilight, really, is all of this questioning necessary? You can obviously tell that he is not going to try and destroy Equestria, just-" Twilight interrupted her again.

"I'll leave it up to John whether he wants to continue." She looked at me expectantly... almost eagerly. I sighed.

"Sure, Twilight. But can we do this alone?" She nodded.

"Alright girls, could you leave us for a bit?" she said. "We'll meet up later and talk more about it."

The rest of the group got up reluctantly and left. Fluttershy and Rarity both put a hoof on my shoulder. I perceived a slight hint of jealousy from Spike. Mental note for later. Rarity made sure to voice her concern before she left.

"John, you really don't have to do this now. I'm sure that-" I had to interrupt her.

"Chica, its ok. Go." Looking a little put out at first, but smiling nonetheless, she bid her farewell.

"Um, John?" Fluttershy asked. "Are you going to come back to the cottage as soon as you're done? You know you're still welcome to stay as long as you need, don't you?" I smiled.

"Of course. Y'all take care now. I'll see ya in a bit." As soon as they walked outside and closed the door, I turned
towards Twilight.

"You have to understand, Miss Sparkle, that I'm obviously not home anymore. Do you mind?" I said, pulling a smoke from my boot and pointing at a candle.

"Of course, if that would make you more comfortable, feel free." She said.

"Thank you." I lit the cigarette and took a long drag. "You see Miss Sparkle, the place I'm from... We're a long way from Equestria. Sure, we've got great music, film and art like most societies. Huge advancements in technology, and serious leaps in medical care, as well. Hell, humans live sometimes for a hundred years. We've even gone as far as to create huge devices that propelled us from the surface of our planet into outer space.

"The problem with this... the problem is every American generation has seen war. Every generation. Our technological advances were mostly because of this war. Those rockets that took us to outer space? Built so we could gain access to space before our enemies. The idea was that we could destroy entire nations from space using these devices... and more dangerous ones. Before I was even born, there was enough destructive power amassed to burn the world dozens of times over, but that was considered "power" not carelessness. Cultures advanced by conquering others and even my nation, lauded as the last superpower and leader of the free world was built on the backs of slaves, taken from their homes and tossed into an unforgiving life of servitude.

"I was a soldier. In the name of my country and democracy, I was sent to a hostile land to defend them, but that's not how it felt to me. When I finally came home, people thanked me for my service and told me I was a brave man for fighting for their freedoms. People I know died at war. When they were taken home to be buried, people protested at their funerals. They used their freedoms that we "provided" to publicly denounce us. To say that when we die, we were to burn for eternity. That was when I lost my faith in humanity.

"I left the Army, but what was I going to do? What were my qualifications? I ended up doing more of the same. The only difference was I was getting paid more to do it. In the end, I was killed. My life was taken because my lifestyle was different than theirs. Don't get me wrong, I'm no angel, but I wasn't the worst humanity had to offer. Crime, violence, hate, discrimination... Those were the words of my culture and that is why I didn't want your friends to know. You're a researcher. Objective. Fair. Once I got in here and sat down, I knew you'd give me a fair shake. Now, I've got to tell you what I think about coming here to your world. I love it here, Twilight, and I can't go back. I wouldn't go back even if I could."

She was quiet. Judging from her reactions throughout my little story, she was not comfortable with me being so close. Spike stopped writing halfway through the notes and looked at me. His jaw practically on the floor. I just sat there, puffing on my cigarette and waiting for a new reaction. After what felt like forever, Twilight cleared her throat.

"I... I think that will be fine for the day Mr. Marshall. Thank you." I nodded and rose to my feet,

"Does this mean I can go... or am I still kinda under arrest?" She smiled.

"If you don't mind, I would like you to see me here in the next couple of days sometime. The princesses may want to see you, but other than that, I don't see any reason to keep you!"

I nodded and turned, ready to step out into the town again. I could tell that it was nearing the evening; the sun rays were slowly fading to darkness through the windows. I heard Twilight clear her throat behind me. "And John?" I turned around.

"Yes?"

"My brother is a member of the Canterlot Royal Guard. I imagine it is something comparable to your army. I know what its like for family to be sent away into danger and I know it can be scary for you. Just know, that if you find yourself a better life here... I'll be very happy for you."

I didn't know what to say. The calm understanding that took the shape of the lavender unicorn in front of me was... touching. It almost brought a tear to my eye.

"Thank you, Twilight." She smiled and nodded in answer as I turned back and headed for the door.

Stepping out into dusk, I dropped the remains of my smoke to the ground. Whew... that... was rough. I heard the clip clop of hooves coming towards me down the street. Looking up, and seeing Rarity trotting over towards me brightened my mood considerably.

"Finished already, John?"

"Yeah. Didn't take too long at all. Seems like I'm free to go."

"Is everything alright? You seem positively glum." she said.

"Well, I don't feel too hot right now."

"Come with me, we are in town, are we not? I'll show you around!" I couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, chica... Where to first?"

We wandered around the small town. Spending time just talking to each other about what happened at what times of the year and when the stalls were open. She laughed aloud when I told her about Walmart.

"You mean to tell me, that there's one store where you can buy anything... at a cheaper price than anywhere else... and there's thousands of them!?" I laughed.

"Oh yeah, and then there's fast food chains. They have the worst food imaginable for a person, but people still buy it. You know that corner restaurant we just passed? McDonald's would have been half the price, twice as quick to make the food, and eating it would have made you gain 3 pounds on the spot, but there's thousands of them. They're popular, too!" She was just rolling her eyes now.

"You don't have to exaggerate for me, John."

"Not an exaggeration, Rarity!" She shook her head. Looking around, she immediately perked up.

"Oh, darling, THAT is Sugarcube Corner, our local bakery. Come along and I'll show you where to get just about anything that comes out of an oven!" She trotted forward and opened the door disappearing into the darkened shop. Nevertheless, I followed her inside. Standing in the darkness for a whole ten seconds, I began to wonder if we were really supposed to be in here at this time of the evening.

"Uhhh, Rarity? Where'd you go?" All of the sudden the lights snapped on and a huge pink face filled my vision. Ohhhhhhh, flashbacks. Now that I wasn't trying to escape and not hurt, she was able to tell me just what was going on.

"HI! I'm Pinkie Pie! And I threw this party just for you! You didn't get a welcome party when you came into town, and that made me really bummed out. But I promised myself that I would make it up to you and throw you a party when you got better! But then you escaped! And I had to wait AGAIN! So this time I made SURE that you would get a party! Rarity brought you here and told as many ponies that she could that you were a great guy! SOOOOOOO, here we all are.. SURPRISE!!!"

My head was spinning from the onslaught of words. Looking around, a dozen or so faces showed in the crowd. I heard the door open. Turning to look, I saw Twilight and Fluttershy escorting in a grumpy Rainbow Dash and a wary Applejack. Looks like the party was about to get started.