Survivors

Chapters

The Island
First Contact
Canterlot
A Walk Through The Castle
Breakfast
Black Holes and Revelations
Philosophy Through Film
Realizations and Comics *EDIT*

The Island

This is a work of total fiction, made entirely for entertainment purposes. No money is gained from the production of this prose.

Canterlot Castle. Throne Room. Noon.
Six young mares sat in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. As with all Capitol cities since the beginning of civilization, it was terribly busy. Ponies running around, trying to get all of the important business out of the way. Whether or not this business was delivering important legal documents to the Supreme Courts, or a simple errandpony delivering coffee to an ornery boss was irrelevant. The only thing that stuck out was the fast paced lifestyle all of these ponies lived.

"Consarn it!" Cried Applejack. A heavyset mare had bumped into the Element of Honesty, knocking the cup of coffee out of her hoof. Before She could chastize the chubby mare, she disappeared into the closest conference room. Applejack looked down at her spilled coffee with a forlorn look. It was actually kind of funny.

Of course, with funny came laughter, and with laughter came...

"Aww, don't worry about it Applejack!" Pinkie Pie was immediately at Applejack's side, consoling her. "There's more coffee stands around here!" She gestured around the room with her hoof. Sure enough, there were three Ponybucks carts hanging around. Coffee is awesome, but that's just overkill.

"There are so many ponies..." Fluttershy's voice shook. Despite being the Element of Kindness, crowds still terrified her. "They look so...busy." She commented. Rarity took this opportunity to speak up.

"Yes, of course." She claimed. "Canterlot is home to the elite and the powerful." She observed the busy throne room, ponies almost climbing over each other in their rush to work. "Although, it isn't an excuse to behave so abhorrently. They could calm down a bit."

"Yeah right!" Cried Rainbow Dash. She was hovering above the group, avoiding the large crowds. "These ponies wouldn't know how to relax if it bit them on the flank!"

"Uh, Rainbow?" Twilight spoke. "You might want to touch down right now."

"Twi, there's no way I'm I will land in that crowd. Not enough space for me to stretch my wings."

"But it's ill---"

"Twi, I'm not coming down. I'm perfectly fine where I---" A loud whistle interrupted her. A stallion wearing golden armor trotted up to the group.

"You!" He shouted. "Rainbow Pegasus! Get down here, now." By the tone of his voice, it wasn't a request. Rainbow Dash slowly lowered herself to ground level. The Guard glowered at her. "Are you aware that it is against the law for a Pegasus to be airborn in the Castle?"

"Uhh..."

"I'll take that as a no." He said. Using his magic, he lifted a yellow notepad and quill and proceeded to scribble some notes down. "What's your name?"

"Rainbow Dash."

"Rain...bow...Dash." He spoke while writing down her name. He quickly tore the page from the pad and hoofed it to Rainbow. "You have 30 days to contest this in court. If you decide not to contest this citation you have, starting now, 90 days to pay." He said authoritatively. "Don't let me catch you flying a second time or you will be placed under arrest. Good day." He quickly turned tail and left, returning to his post.

Rainbow Dash stared after the stallion. Her fellow Elements of Harmony all laughed behind her.

"I did try to warn you, Rainbow." Twilight laughed. Rainbow Dash shot Twilight an agitated look, then looked down at her citation.

"200 BITS!" She screamed. "Are you kidding me! That is just OVERKILL! UGH!" Pinkie Pie was laughing so hard she fell backwards and rolled around.

Before they could be chastised by the guards for disturbing the peace, A handsome stallion with a gray coat, and black mane and tail approached them. His cutie mark was a quill and paper.

"Ah! There you all are!" He exclaimed. "It's an honor to meet the esteemed Elements of Harmony." He seemed starstruck. Twilight stepped forward to address him.

"Thank you mister..." She trailed off, not knowing the stallions name.

"My name is Hot Secretary." He introduced himself. Ignoring the "Damn Right." from Rainbow, Twilight returned the greeting.

"Thank you Mr. Secretary." He nodded to her.

"Pleasantries aside," He began. "The Princess is ready to see you." He turned. "Please follow me to the throne room." He started walking, the six mares following behind him.

"May Ah ask you a question, Mr. Secretary?" Applejack asked. Hot secretary turned to look at her.

"Is it about my name?" He asked. There was an underlying edge to his voice. Applejack's ears splayed backwards at the stallions tone.

"Ne'ermind." She acquiesced. The attractive stallion nodded and turned around. After the awkward exchange, neither party said anything. The walk to Celestia's throne room seemed to go on forever. Finally, they made it to the large oak doors. Like the rest of the castle, they were ostentatiously decorated with gold trimming and bright paints.

"Here we are." Spoke up Hot Secretary. "Her Majesty is just inside. Have a nice day." After iving them a quick bow, he turned to leave.

"Dat flank."

The six Elements of Harmony all turned to look at one half of their benevelont rulers. Princess Celestia stood behind them, between the large oak doors, eyeing the retreating stallion and biting her lower lip.

"P-Princess!?" Cried Twilight, shock and disbelief on her face. "How could you be so...so..." She struggled to find a word.

"Horny?" Provided Fluttershy.

"Yes!" Twilight agreed. Then she blushed. "T-that."

"Well Twilight," She began in 'lecture mode,' "All living beings have an inherent desire to make more of themselves. It is only natural that life should desire to create more life. Many animals, including ponies, need a process to facilitate the reproduction of the species. That process is known as sex, and---"

"Princess," Twilight had a tired and antsy look on her face. "I still have nightmares over the first time we've had this conversation over five years ago. Let's not go down this road again." She pleaded.

Twilight's five friends couldn't help but laugh at her expense. Anypony could tell Celestia was messing with Twilight's head. Poor Twilight, however, still couldn't get her horn around the idea of Celestia making a practical joke.

Laughing, Celestia agreed and led the girls inside.

Inside the throne room was business as usual. There was a big desk, full of legal papers, also ostentatiously decorated.

"Now then," Celestia began. "I'm sure you ladies are wondering why I called you all here today." She looked at their waiting faces. She could tell that they were dying to know why they received a summons from her legal offices, rather than a personal summoning. "Simply put, I would like to hire you."

"Hire us?" Twilight asked. The girls all started talking amongst themselves.

"Well," Celestia walked over to to her desk and pulled out a map. "Every other time I've called upon you has been in service to Equestria. You girls have essentially been our first line of Defense s well as Offense. This time, I am in need of a different type of service." She laid out the map before the girls. On it was a single land mass surrounded by water. An island.

"This island rests fifteen miles off the coast of Equestria. It is unexplored and has never been visited. Recently, there has been talks of moving settlers over to it, as a response to the slight population boom that's been going on." The princess explained.

"How do we play into this, Princess?" Asked Twilight, not understanding.

"Well Twilight, before we send families over to this island, it has to be explored. We need to know what dangers, if any at all, exist on this island. On behalf of Canterlot University, I would like to formally hire you," She gestured with a hoof to the Mane 6. "For this job."

There was silence in the throne room.

"Princess?" Applejack spoke. "Ah'm rightly honored that you'd consider us for such a prestigious job, but what exactly are our qualifications?"

"Good question, fair Applejack." She acknowledged. "Simply put: you don't. At least, not all of you." Now she had their attention. "The only one who is qualified is Twilight, who has several degrees from Canterlot Uni, but these expeditions are not always just comprised of Doctors. No, there are others. In this case Applejack and Rainbow Dash will also act as security, should anything get out of hand you two are more than enough to quell the dangers. Should there be any dangerous animals there is no other to calm them than dear Fluttershy. Rarity and Pinkie Pie will be using their expertise of gems and minerals to help discover any deposits of precious stones or metals. Finally Twilight," The Princess looked down at her. "You will be in charge of documenting and categorizing this island."

"But Princess, aren't there more qualified ponied to be leading such an expedition?" Twilight asked. She was nervous at the prospect of an expedition on her own. The only times she'd ever been on one were with a senior professor. What if she messed up? She'd let the Princess down.

"You don't need to worry Twilight. This won't be the only expedition. This is only the intital exploration. All of your reports and discoveries will be published and distributed to the Professors of Canterlot University. After review, it will be determined if more expeditions will be sent. All you need to worry about is being thorough and exploring the island so that future explorers will know what to look out for. Besides," Celestia looked down at her student. "I believe its time you make your mark on academic history. You can't do that without going out and discovering something, can you?" The Princess smiled.

Twilight considered her mentors words. She had been away from academia for over two years already. Maybe it's time there were books and articles written by Dr. Twilight Sparkle.

The thought alone brought a smile to her face.

She turned to look at her five frineds. She eyed them all. They stared intently, silently suporting her as well as begging her to be a part of the monumental expedition. Twilight nodded to them.

She turned to her Princess.

"Alright Princess. We accept your offer."

30 Days Later
Noon. Southern Peninsula. Beach.
A tall, hulking figure quietly approached a sleeping woman. She was beautiful, the sun shone off her body giving her a divine appearence. Her skin was a dark tan color, an indication of hispanic descent and her waist-long, light brown hair was sprawled all about her giving her a wild, sexy look. Her muscles were toned, and her body curvaceous. She had everything a man could want in a woman: A beautiful face, a fit body, and she defined an hourglass figure. If there were such a thing as Goddesses, she would be one without a doubt. The figure observed her, watching her naked body and admiring every inch of her. Finally, it made its move and leaned forward to strike.

Only to receive a squirt of water to the face.

"Hijo de la-!" The figure leapt backwards, dropping a sack of fish to the ground, and began rubbing the water off its face.

The woman laughed. It was a melodic sound.

"That's what you get for trying to sneak up on people, pendejo!" She continued to laugh, and wiped her chin with her hand, renoving any exess water. Using his good eye, he watched, mesmerized, as her large breasts jiggled to the rythmn of her laugh.

"Tal vez, but I'm your pendejo." He responded. As he rubbed the stinging water out of his eyes, his female companion took her own opportunity to ogle her male comrade. He was incredibly tall. At least Six-foot-five. Despite her own six-foot-two frame, he still dwarfed her. Not only was he tall, but he was muscular. Broad shoulders, powerful arms, pecs and a six pack. He was the definition of Alpha Male. Like her, he had tanned skin, a reflection of his Hispanic heritage. He was incredibly handsome too, with hard masculine features and long, black hair that reached between his shoulder blades and a full beard, giving him a wildman look.

"So, whats in the sack?" She questioned.

""Fish!" He responded. She looked in the sack, noticing the large amount in it.

"There's quite a bit of fish in here. Are we having a party or something?" She joked. He nodded. Confused: "Seriously? What are we celebrating.?" She knew it wasn't anyones birthday. At her question, he took on a slightly more sombre look.

"We've been on this island five years to the day." He said. Yeah. They were stuck on an island.

"Oh..." She said nothing for a moment. "We've never celebrated that before, why now?" She asked.

"Well, its half a decade. It doesn't sound like it, but 5 years is a long time." She nodded. He was right. "Plus, we've managed to survive for this long." He said. "I don't know how we ended up here. I don't know why we're surrounded by magical creatures. And I don't know what happened to us." She kept silent, not wanting to interrupt his monologue.

"What I do know, is that things could have been much worse. We could have died in the plane crash. We could have been killed by the Dragon or the Hydra. Or, instead of being gifted with our abilities, we could have been killed from the inside out." It was true. Before their gifts, they could have died any number of ways. But somehow, they mangaed to not only survive, but THRIVE in this hostile world. Once their gifts kicked in, they DOMINATED their world. "I just thought that it was something worth acknowledging and celebrating." She smiled.

"You're right." She looked up at him, and hugged him close. "Despite everything thats happened, and no matter what happens, I'm glad you're with me. I love you Julian."

"Y yo te amo, Raquel."

He leaned down and kissed her.

Noon. South Side of Island. Jungle.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh---"

"RARITY!" Cried Applejack. "Calm down. It's only mud." She tried to calm her firend down. They had disembarked over a month earlier and Rarity was still fussing about the "horrid state of this Celestia forsaken island!" Her other friends were too busy to help calm her down. Or perhaps they just got used to ignoring her outbursts. Rainbow Dash was helping Twilight make sense of the map, Pinkie Pie, in a rare state of seriousness, was observing various rocks and soil samples, and Fluttershy was...playing with a family of Snakes.

They had examined every square inch of the island, except por the southern peninsula. Wait...was it a peninsula? Could islands have peninsulas?

Oh well...

"Alright Girls!" Twilight called. Her five friends came towards her, surrounding her and waiting to listen. When she was sure she had everyponies attention she began. "We've covered the entirety of the island. There were some rough patches, but we survived." She looked at her friends. They all looked haggard. Truly, the expedition had taken its toll on them. "We only have the southern peninsula to go. We're almost done, then we can head home." They all looked excited at that.

"How long do you believe it will take to scout out the peninsula?" Questioned Rarity. She was probably the most eager to leave the island.

Twilight pursed her lips in thought.

"Well, if we hurry we can finish by the end of the day." She thought out loud. "And even so, its a three day hike back to where we docked our ship. So its a max of four days before we can return home." Unfortunately, Rarity didn't hear the last half of Twilights pondering. All that was left of her was a Rarity-shaped dust cloud.

"LAST ONE THERE PAYS FOR THE SPA TRIP I AM OH SO GONNA GET WHEN WE GET BACK TO CANTERLOT!!" And she's gone.

Author's Note

The Equestrian School system is never elaborated on. We know they have kindergartens and grade schools. But in terms of Higher Education, nothing. I know theres an academy, but after that? So I'm going with the Degree system. Basically, you complete a set numer of classes, then you're awarded a Degree/Diploma certifying you.

Twilight's level of Education is never stated. After she becomes Celestia's student-nothing. So i decided that, given Twilight's early no friends only books attitude, I've decided to give her multiple Degrees of varying gradation, including 1 Doctorate.

These are the Degrees available in Equestria from lowest ranking to highest: Collegian, Expert, Masters, Doctorate/PhD

Collegian means you just graduated college. Expert is the lowest diploma you can get in your given field while Doctorate/PhD is the highest.
~~~~~~~~~~
Anything italicized is pronounced with an accent or is an entirely different language altogether. This will mostly be done by the Humans.

Be ready for chapter 2: First Contact!

First Contact

This is a work of total fiction, made entirely for entertainment purposes. No money is gained from the production of this prose.

Noon. South Side of Island. Jungle Clearing.
Mere moments after dissapearing into the south, and leaving her friends in the dust, Rarity let out a loud horrified shriek.

"RARITY!" The girls galloped towards the scream, hoping that nothing had happened to their friend. After a few moments of full gallop, they came upon a clearing in the jungle. It was wide, and bright with sunlight and blood covered the ground.

Standing a few feet in front of them, Rarity stood, staring, at the carcass of a pig. It was hanging by its hind legs from a tree, and its throat was sliced open. Rainbow Dash stepped forward and gently pulled Rarity back into the group, not taking her eyes off the pig for one second.

"I was j-just r-running when I s-saw it." She wimpered. "I almost crashed right into it!" She wailed in shock. Pinkie stepped forward, wrapping a foreleg around her friend in comfort.

"There, there Rarity." She consoled. "You're okay."

Interestingly enough, the meekest member of their group hardly reacted at all. Flutteshy was surprised at first, but was now eyeing the pig's body like a crime scene investigator would. Right beside her was Twilight.

"How could somepony treat a poor pig this way?" Applejack asked. She had raised pigs on Sweet Apple Acres. They were always playful and friendly. The idea that somepony, or something, could treat them so horribly made her sick to her stomach.

"Some demonic beast! Only the cruelest of monsters could be so callous!" Cried Rarity. Her face was streaked with tears and mascara, obviously still in shock.

"That's not true." Said Twilight and Fluttershy simultaneously. They looked at each other awkwardly.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Mumbled Fluttershy. "You can explain, if you want to, that is." She tried to hide behind her mane in embarrassment.

"No, no." Countered Twilight. "I'm quite interested in what you have to say, Fluttershy. You are our animal expert, after all." Twilight gave Fluttershy a supportive grin.

"Oh, alright. If that's okay with you, I mean." She whispered. Twilight nodded. "Okay, well..." She paused, not really knowing where to start. "First off, this wasn't some crazy animal attack, or an act of cruelty." Explained Fluttershy. "Whatever did this to the piggy was intelligent, and this was the kindest way to kill it." She stated.

Twilight kept her face impassive, not betraying any emotion. The others, however weren't convinced.

"Fluttershy, dear," Began Rarity. "How could you of all ponies not believe this to be an act of pure evil!" She demanded. The encounter with the carcass affected her more that the others, that much was obvious. It would probably be months before she would get over this.

"It has to be evil!" Cried Applejack. She pointed a hoof at the pig, "You said it yerself! Whatever did this was intelligent. That means that it chose to do this! Does this look 'kind' to you!?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah! Whatever did this is a big Meany McMeanPants!" Added Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash said nothing, but she obviously share their opinion.

At this time, Fluttershy was on the ground, cowering at her friends aggressive reponse to her observation. At this time, Twilight stepped in.

"Sorry to say this, girls, but Fluttershy is right." The four shocked ponies turned to Twilight. "Look closely at the pig." She requested. After observing it, Twilight began explaining Fluttershy's argument. "If you look at the trap, you can obviously tell it was intelligently put together. It was a basic tripwire activated animal trap." She pointed out. "Now look at the wound on it's throat." She requested again. "This pigs throat was sliced horizontally, severing all of the veins and arteries that led to and from the pigs brain. Whatever did this knew that the pig would be dead in less than a minue. They knew that hanging it upside down and cutting its throat would drain the blood from its body."

"But that's really messed up!" Yelled Rainbow Dash, scaring Fluttershy back to the ground. "Even if this...whatever it is was being all careful and nice while killing this defenceless animal it doesn't change the fact that it killed!" She cried. "What possible reason would it have to kill a pig?" She questioned.

"I-its a carnivore..." Offered Fluttershy. Everypony looked at her. "Well, the technique used by this creature to drain the blood from the piggy is the same technique that Gryphons use when they cure their meat."

"Hold on there fer a second," Said Applejack. "So yer sayin' we got some smart predator runnin' 'round these parts?" She questioned. At Twilight and Fluttershy's nod, she asked: "So what's stoppin' it from, y'know, attackin' us?"

"Nothing, really." Answered Twilight. "We don't know anything about this...thing." She realized they had no idea what it was. "We're going to have to find it and document it."

"What!" Cried everypony.

3 P.M. Southern Beach. Campsite.
The couple had long since dressed themselves since their little incident on the beach. Their clothes, if you could call them that, were made of animal skin, and it had dried into a brownish-beige color. Julian only had on speedo-type trunks, there was too much heat to make them into shorts or pants, and he forewent a shirt altogether. Raquel, on the other hand, wore an animal skin bikini. The bottoms covered her groin, but it was a thong in the back, exposing her buttocks. The bikini top looked pretty typical, there were two tringles of skin that were tied around the back of her neck and shoulders to support her large breasts, and keep them out of the way.

The intense heat forced them to wear such clothes at all times. In the five years they had been on the island, there were only three days where it was cold enough to bundle up. The rest of the time, it was over one hundred degrees, easy.

Thankfully, due to their mestizo heritage, they didn't burn easy and instead tanned. It was a relief to know they didn't have to deal with sunburns and peeling and rashes. Then again, now it probably wouldn't affect them at all.

Raquel stood up, admiring the fire that she had built. Julian was still busy gutting and cleaning the fish, not yet putting them in the fire. He looked over to her.

"Acabaste?" He questioned. She looked around, trying to see if she forgot anything. Nope, everything was clean.

"Yup." She answered. He nodded.

"Can you please go to the clearing and get the pig? It should be drained by now."

"Yeah, that's fine. We're eating like royalty tonight, huh?" She laughed.

"You're damn right!" He said, laughing with her. She turned and headed into the shack.

Their shack was built like a typical treehouse. The entrance was in the bottom, and only accessible through a ladder. The ladder led into a large circular room, about ten feet in height and a twenty foot diameter. On the north side there was an entrance to a larger space. It was actually a cave on the side of the cliff that overlooked the beach. It served as a shelter, if the weather got too extreme. It also had many other rooms inside it, so they used it as bedrooms, and storage rooms.

She headed into the storage caves to retrieve some rope for their kill. After retrieving some, she left the cave, descended the ladder of the shack, then headed out into the jungle in the direction of their hunting zone.

Approximately 3:30 P.M. South Side of Island. Jungle Clearing.
The ponies had argued for a while, trying to decide whether or not attempting to find the creature was a wise decision. Unfortunately, Twilight was the leader of the expedition, and she made the rules.

They ultimately decided to wait just outside the clearing to observe the pig carcass. The predator went to a lot of trouble of catching and draining the pig, obviously it would be returning for its dinner. What they did not know, was how long it would take for the creature to reclaim its prize. So, the ponies had been waiting for over three hours.

And they were bored.

Rainbow and Pinkie had tken to playing a game of Go Fish with Rainbow Dash's set of limited edition Wonderbolts playing cards.

Rarity was still busy applying make up and fixing her coat.

Applejack was reading a novel she had brought along for this very reason. She was also eating some apples.

Fluttershy had taken to playing with some of the local chimpanzees. She seemed to be having a good time with them.

Finally, Twilight was busy reading all of her notes regarding the island. Perhaps the creature had left some clues throughout the island. In fact she may have already found one. On the island was the skeleton of a massive decapitiated dragon. It was the only one there, and it seems to have died while guarding its hoard. There was evidence of a battle, but the ponies had a difficult time trying to figure out what could possibly have killed the dragon.

Dragons weren't just powerhouses, both magical and physical, they were also highly intelligent. Some mindless beast couldn't have simply overpowered the dragon. If something was that large and powerful it would have made itself known long ago. However, if whatever killed the dragon was an intelligent species, and it was smart enough to figure out how to defeat the dragon, then, theoretically, it was possible.

That just wasn't good.

Before she could notify her friends and colleagues about her concerns, there was some activity opposite the clearing.

"Everypony, look!" Said Pinkie. All the ponies turned and hid behind some trees or bushes, trying to remian hidden while observing the unknown predator. "It's coming!" Pinkie said excitedly.

Indeed, directly across their hiding spot, there was movement in the trees.

"So," Began Rarity in an ominous tone. "The beast reveals itself." Everypony rolled their eyes.

Across the clearing a creature came into view. They could not see it very well, but they knew it harms. Whatever it was, was swinging from branch to branch, brachiating at a high velocity. Finally, it used both hands to catch a tree limb, which it used to gain momentum, swinging itself upwards before landing in a crouch on the last available tree branch.

The ponies watched it closely observing its every move. Twilight was scribbling down notes like a pony possessed.

The creature stood up on its hind legs in an impressive display of balance before it jumped off the high tree limb. As it fell it gracefully turned its body in a back flip before crashing to the ground in another crouch. The creature stood up on its hind legs again, and walked casually to the carcass.

It was very tall. Most likely taller than even Princess Celestia. It had light brown hair, and light brown skin. It did not have much fur, just the hair that grew from the top its head, its eyebrows and eyelashes. It was also...shaped funny. On its upper body, just under the neck, were two large globes of flesh. They were held in place by some animal skin, most likely to keep them from bouncing around. Its waist seemed to become narrow down before its hips protruded widely. If Twilight could compare it to anything, an hourglass shape came to mind. She observed the creature much more closely. She noticed how its legs seemed to come together slightly at the knees. And interestingly enough, its knees locked.

'A biped! It's thigh bones are pointed inwards to maintain balance, and it's knees lock to facilitate walking!' She thought excitedly.

Finally, the creature reached he dead pig. It observed it closely, then sighed.

"Sorry little pig." Its voice was soft and feminine.

It was a female!

'Could those be her breasts?' Though Twilight. Every ounce of data that she had concluded that this was some sort of ape. An intelligent, talking, bipedal ape! She knew that a female apes breasts swelled when they were pregnant, could this female be pregnant?

The female ape spoke again: "But, we have to eat. It isn't my fault you're so delicious." She tried to joke. No one laughed though.

She began untying the pig from the trap and lowered it to the ground. Once there, she began to tie its legs together and casually lifted it up over her shoulder and tied the rope around its body, creating a makeshift harness. She turned and began walking away.

However, instead of walking throught the brush, she looked up. She seemed to consider something for a moment.

The ponies froze, thinking perhaps she had noticed something.

Instead she jumped high into the air, landing on the branch she had been crouching on minutes before, then jumping ahead through the jungle.

A few moments pass then: "Rainbow! Fly up into the air and track her!"

Rainbow Dash looked confused, but obeyed Twilight's demand, flying up over the jungle and disappearing from view.

"Twilight! Why did you send Dashie after that thing!" Cried Pinkie Pie. She voiced everyponies curiosity. Before anypony else could question her, she explained.

"I don't know what that thing was, but I do know that it was a unique creature not seen anywhere else in the world." She said. "We just discovered a new species." She claimed. The ponies didn't really know what to say to that so they stayed quiet.

"Do ya know what kind a animal it was?" Questioned Applejack.

Twilight considered the question.

"I think it was an ape of some kind. It had arms instead of forelegs, along with hands with opposable thumbs. Those are almost exclusive to primates. It was able to rotate its arm a full 360 degrees and it lacked a tail. Those trais are exclusive to apes."

"What do you mean, darling?" Questioned Rarity. She seemed a lot calmer now. Maybe it was because she knew what she was dealing with, rather than some unknown creature.

"Primates means apes and monkeys. The difference between apes and monkeys is that monkeys are unable to rotate their arms and they have tails. Apes can rotate their arms and do not have tails." She explained.

Fluttershy decided to step in now, happy to educate her friends about her animal friends.

"That's because monkeys climb trees. A monkey sits on top of the trees so it's arms are always in front if it, holding on. Their tails help them keep balance. An ape, like a chimpanzee for example, swings underneath the trees from branch to branch, like we saw the creauture doing, so they have a full range of motion in their arms. They also lack tails because a tail would weigh them down and make their swinging clumsy. Its just how they evolved." She finished with a smile.

The others nodded in understanding. So they were dealing with some sort of smart ape? It was hard to comprehend, but at least they had some idea of what they were dealing with. It was a few minutes before Rainbow Dash returned. She flew down, and landed beside the group. She looked alarmed.

"There's two of them!" She cried. This alarmed the ponies.

"What do you mean 'theres two of them?'" Questioned Rarity.

"I mean there are two of them! I followed the monkey-thing back to some camp on the beach. There was another one waiting for it. And it was bigger than the first one!" She cried.

This was definitely something to be worried about. They had absolutely no idea how this species would operate. What if they were hostile? Dealing with one was bad enough, but two of them? Twilight sighed.

"What else did you you see?" She asked.

"Well, they have this big shack-house that's like 30 hooves off the ground. It looked like it was built off the side of a cliff. A little ways away from the shack is some kind of fire pit. They put fish in the fire, and the second one grabbed a knife and started cutting the pig up!"

Okay, so they cooked their food. That was one more thing Twilight logged away for future reference.

"Could you describe the second one?" Asked Applejack. Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Well, it was only a couple'a inches taller than the one we saw, but it was...bigger. It had a lot of muscles. It's body was kinda like that Minotaur's---Iron Will---only toned down some. It was hairier than the one we saw, also." She finished.

Twilight nodded. Okay, it made some sense.

"It must be a male." She said. "The one that we saw was female, I'm sure of it. So it makes sense that this second ape is male. Its muscular and hairier than the one we saw."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Asked Rarity. Fluttershy answered this time.

"Since males have testosterone it makes them more muscular than females. Males will oftentimes also grow more hair as a result. Think about lions and lionesses. Lions have a thick mane, and lionesses don't." She explained. Everypony nodded.

"This might also explain the females swollen breasts." Twilight added. "Female apes breasts swell with milk when they become pregnant. If there is a male on the island as well, than they must be mates." She concluded.

"Aww, how adorable!" Said Fluttershy. "They're a little family." Apparantly, she was not on the same page as the rest of the group.

"Fluttershy, what if these things are dangerous?" Said Twilight. She was speaking calmly, hoping not to upset Fluttershy. "We have to find out whether or not these creatures are dangerous. We can't just take them back with us to Canterlot. Worst case scenario, we'd have to leave the island and warn Princess Celestia to prevent any colonizstion of the island."

Fluttershy sighed. She knew Twilight was right. If they were dangerous, it would be best to simply leave them on the island and hope they never made it to the mainland.

"Okay." She acquiesced.

"Alright Rainbow, take us to their campsite. We have to finish observing these creatures." Rainbow nodded and led them through the woods.

2 Hours Later.
South Side of Island. Beach. Campsite.
Once again, the ponies found themselves observing from a distance the two apes that they had discovered. When they arrived, they were still cooking the pig.

They had discovered some new things about the creatures. For one, they weren't carnivores, but omnivores. They had observed the creatures eating fruits, vegetables and various nuts. Twilight was sure their diet varied more than that, but this was only one dinnersworth of observation.

They also learned that the creatures weren't all that violent, as they had feared. In fact, they were very amicable. They joked, and laughed, they played around with eachother and they touched eachother. A lot. Twilight was certain now that these creatures were mated.

One very surprising thing they discovered was that these creatures had more than one language. They heard the male speak in some strange tongue they had never heard before. Sometimes the female would respond in kind, but she mostly spoke Equestrian.

Now, however, the creatures had become a little...amorous, so the ponies decided to start searching their shack/cave. It was both to give them some privacy, and Twilight was sure they would find some intersting stuff there.

The circular room was fairly barren. They probably only used it as a means to get up to the cave, which was there real dwelling.

The cave itself was large and it branched off into some smaller caves. So the decided to split up.

"All that I found over here is some pieces of plastic." Twilight called out. She used her horn to hold up a rectangular object. On the smooth plastic surface there was a small logo of an apple that had been bitten. Whatever it was, she had no idea what it was for.

"The only thing o'er here are some weapons." Applejack called. Both herself and Rarity were looking at some homemade knives and spears. Some were made of stone, and others were made of bone. Others were simply fire-hardened wood. Rarity magically levitated some strange looking metal handle before her. It seemed to be designed to be held by one of the creatures. On the handle was what looked like a trigger. Rarity examined it closely, rotating it and peeking through the hole at the end, but gave up and tossed it to the floor.

Then everything went wrong.

When the metal handle collided with the stone ground, it went off. It sounded like a cannon firing, and a brightly lit object rocketed out of the metal tube and straight out of the cave. When it collided with the wall of the wooden shack, it exploded.

The explosion was more deafining than the original blast, and it lit up the cave, as well as the outside.

When the lights and sounds finally died down, there was a far more intersting sound that reverberated in the cave.

It was the sound of a baby crying.

The explosion completely destroyed their home. It lit up the whole beach, and the sound was deafening. Julian and Raquel, ran as fast as they could, praying that the cave was still intact, and that nothing was destryed. Especially...

"Alejandroo!" Cried Raquel. "No! Not my baby!" Julian wanted to cry as well. He wanted to scream, and to go crazy, but they had to make sure. They had to know whether or not their baby was...gone.

They reached the cliffside, looking at the destruction. For a second, they both hesitated. The only sound was Raquel's wimpering. Swallowing, they jumped up to the mouth of the cave expecting the worst. Instead, they heard something that made their hearts soar.

Crying.

Alejandro was still alive. Maybe he could still come out of this okay. Maybe everything would be okay.

They ran inside the cave, turning right into their makeshift bedroom. It was full of animal skins to cushion the ground. Alejandro had been fed and put to sleep by his mother, she layed him down on the animal mattress. It didn't look as though the explosion did any damage inside the cave. Perhaps he was only startled.

When they walked in the whole way, and Julian raised his torch, they were shocked at what they saw.

Inside their bedroom were 6 ponies. A butter-yellow one had their baby in its forelegs, comforting him. She, along with the other ponies, were watching them.

"So," The butter colored pony started. "What's his name?"

Author's Note

Hopefully, whatever made everyone hate my story right off the bat will be redeemed by this chapter. Let me know what you guys think. And instead of downvoting me indiscriminantly, why don't you guys actually let me know what sucks about this story so i could change it.

My goal is not to write a bad/mediocre story. I want it to be amazing! And to do that, i'll need your input.

By the way, English and Equestrian are interchangeable. As is their alphabet. If you pay attention in the show, they use the exact same alphabet as we do.

Also, for your reference:
1 hoof=6 inches
30 hooves=15 feet
1 inch=1 inch

Canterlot

This is a work of total fiction, made entirely for entertainment purposes. No money is gained from the production of this prose.

3 Days Later.
9:00 A.M. Canterlot. Canterlot University. Biology Lab.
The biology department of Canterlot University was completely abuzz with activity. Scientists and Grad Students alike were scrambling to the labs and the libraries doing everything in their power to be ready for the arrival of the 'Humans.'

It was supposed to be a normal expedition to an unexplored Island. Doctor Twilight Sparkle and her team, otherwise known as the Elements Of Harmony, were meant to document the local ecosystem and determine whether or not the Island was suitable for pony colonization. Not only was the expedition a success, but Dr. Sparkle and her team discovered a completely new species!

There were rumors going around that were in fact an extraterrestrial species, but those have not been confirmed or denied by the Crown. For right now, that wasn't important. Scientists were meant to observe and document the universe, and that was their only priority at this time regarding the 'Humans.'

Honestly, what were the chances that they were indeed beings from beyond their planet? They probably just became lost at sea and separated from their tribe, or something.

Some ponies were just so gullible sometimes.

9:00 A.M. Canterlot. Catsle. Throne Room.
Celestia was over a millennia old. She had seen many things in her existence. She could not, however, lay claim to meeting an extraterrestrial being.

Now, however, there were three standing before her.

Luna, Cadence and her husband, the Elements of Harmony, and herself were standing in the throne room, looking at the three beings.

The first thing she noticed was how tall they were. She herself measured in at 11 hooves, 4 inches. She towered over the average pony who stood at 6 hooves, 5 iches. These creatures, however, stood taller. The female, who she learned was called Raquel, stood at 12 hooves, 2 inches and the male, who was called Julian, stood at 12 hooves, 5 inches.

Their skin was a medium colored brown. Like coffee with cream. They had little to no fur or hair to speak of, except for the hair on their heads. However, she did notice some hair in the armpits, and on their legs. Nowhere near the average for a mammal. Except those who lived in the sea, of course.

She did not know what to make of these creatures. They simply looked very...alien.

"Welcome to Equestria, Humans." Began Princess Celestia. "I had hoped to conduct our business in a more discreet manner. This is, of course, a very delicate situation we find ourselves in. It is not every day that a new intelligent species is discovered in this world." She explained. "Unfortuantely, it appears that information of your discovery has leaked. I do apologize for any discomfort you may very well receive at the hooves of my citizens." She spoke elegantly.

The male stepped forward. They had not been tended to at all since they arrived in Canterlot. It had been a straight shot from the island to the castle. They had not settled in, or even been given rooms. They looked exhausted.

"Princess Celestia, it is our hope to not cause any unnecessary turmoil for you or your citizens. Our discovery is just as traumatic to us as it is to you. This is the first time in five years that my wife and I have had in intelligent conversation with someone other than each other. This is our first time within a civilization in five years." He explained. He seemed to pause, not knowing what else to say.

Raquel, sensing his discomfort stepped forward.

"It is also our hope to reach a mutually beneficial relationship. There is much we can learn from each other, and it would be foolish for both of us to refuse a chance to grow and learn. It is also our hope to perhaps one day learn of the circumstances that brought my husband and myself to this world." She said regally.

"Indeed," Luna said. "We read Twilight Sparkle's report on you, and what happened to you is very intruiging. It is our hope as well to discover the source of your displacement, to perhaps prevent any other being from being ripped from their reality, as you were."

The whole reason Celestia ordered this meeting was to try and understand the Humans a bit better. She prided herself on her judge of character. So far, the Humans did nothing but try to appease the Princesses and maintain a respectful demeanor. They were well mannered, and did not seem to try and cause problems. They genuinely hoped for good relations between their people.

Perhaps this would not be a disaster as she had originally thought.

"Now, it seems to me that in their eagerness, my little ponies did not allow you to get enough rest." Celestia had stepped off her throne and approached the humans. She shot an amused look at the Elements Of Harmony, who all looked sheepish. After reaching them, she spoke again. "Please allow me to give you a personal suite in the castle. It's the least I can do for you at the moment."

Before either Raquel or Julian could answer, Alejandro reach over from his mothers arms with his pudgy arms and placed his hands on Celestia's muzzle. The baby laughed at the feel of her soft, white coat. For a moment no one said anything. The humans were horrified at perhaps offending the Princess, while the ponies froze with bated breath, unsure of what would come next.

Nothing horrible happened, however. Princess Celestia laughed along with baby.

"It seems that baby Alejandro agrees with me." She chuckled. The couple, alng with everypony else in the room, released the breath they had been holding.

"We'll be happy to take you up on that offer, Princess." Said Raquel.

"Marvelous!" Cried Luna. "You shall want for nothing in the care of the Royal Pony Sisters. Do not hesitate to request anything." The human couple laughed nervously. "Twilight Sparkle and Friends! Please escort our new friends to the most luxurious rooms available!" She demanded.

Twilight stepped forward and bowed. Her friends along with the humans followed suit.

"It will be done, Princess." She turned and led her friends out of the throne room, leaving Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Shining Armor alone.

The four remaining ponies looked at each other.

"How does Twily always find herself in the middle of these situations?" Shining Armor sighed.

"She does seem to attract trouble." Chuckled Cadence.

"What of the Humans?" Questioned Celestia. "What did you think of them?"

"They seemed fairly genuine to me." Said Shining. "As far as I could tell, there was no deception." He said seriously.

"They seemed more at peace." Claimed Luna. "I saw in their eyes the look of relief. No doubt their experiences on that island were full of hardships and uncertainty, they are content to be back to, as they said, civilization."

"I could feel their love." Offered Cadence. "It's different than any other kind i've felt before."

Celestia looked interested.

"How do you mean?" Intruiged by the idea.

"Well, their love is more...raw." She seemed uncertain. "Typically, the love between the creatures of this world is very positive. It only generates feelings of warmth and peace. The love between these humans doesnt just contain these positive feelings, theres more." She explained. "Lust, anger, frustration, pleasure, fear, peace, these creatures love, not just with their hearts, but with their bodies and souls. They give absolutely everything to eachother. Its a love that was formed in turmoil and fear and rage, and yet it can be gentle and pleasurable. They share an intimacy that very few terrestrial beings are able to generate. They are completely bared to eachother."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Asked Shining Armor. "Does that mean that they love each other more than we do?"

"Not necessarily." Cadence responded. "Their love isn't better or worse than any other couple, including us. It just means that they can express themselves in ways that the rest of us may not think to."

"Perhaps we must understand our visitors on a more...spiritual level?" Suggested Celestia.

Luna turned to her sister, shock on her face.

"Are you suggesting we enter the Consciousness of their species?" Asked Luna. Cadence also regarded Celestia with an incredulous look.

"Hold on, Consciousness of a species? Am I missing something here?" Questioned Shining Armor. He knew what consciousness meant. He knew waht species meant. But together?

"The Consciousness of Species is the culmination of a species's learned behavior throughout their evolution. It is realized through higher planes of consciousness and serve as a...manual for a species." Explained Luna. Seeing his perplexed look, she tried another tactic. "Do you read any science fiction?"

Shining nodded, unsure of where Luna was going with this.

"Have you read any books or stories regarding different dimensions or planes of reality?" He nodded. "Well, this is a plane where nothing but information is stored. It is where all the history and learned behavior of a species ends up. Every living creature is connected to it, and by default, every other member of their species. It can even be manifested." She explained.

"In what ways can it be manifested?" Shining asked, curious.

"The most common connection you know of is instinct." Luna said. "Have you ever tripped and fallen, and used your hooves to protect your face? That is because you share the memory of millions of your kind suffering a similar accident, and your body responds by protecting itself, so that it may not share their fate."

"By examining their Consciousness, we will be able to learn about their kind in a very quick and intimate way. We will learn of their nature, and only then will we decide whether or not they are here to harm us." Interrupted Celestia.

"Okay, I understand. I guess we'll know tomorrow then." Said Shining.

"Very well then, this meeting is adjourned. I will summon you all tomorrow." Declared Celestia.

The Next Day.
7:30 A.M. Canterlot Castle. Royal Suites.
"Do you guys really think it's okay for us to go and wake them up? It's seven-thirty in the morning." Asked Spike.

The Elements of Harmony, and Spike, were traveling upstairs to the Royal Suites of the Castle. These rooms were typically reserved for important guests like political embassadors, rulers of foreign nations, and the occasional celebrity. Rarity herself stayed in one of the rooms during her time in Canterlot.

"They've been asleep since yesterday morning, Spike. I'm sure we can work something out with them." Responded Twilight.

"But you said yourself that these guys are an unknown species. What if they need a lot of sleep? Don't I get cranky when you wake me up?" He questioned.

Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Spike, you're just lazy."

Spike hurrumphed indignantly.

"Do ya'll really think they been sleepin' this whole time?" Asked Applejack.

"I believe so." Said Rarity. "They have been on a wild island for five years. They were probably always worried for their safety, as well as the safety of their child. This must be the first time the poor dears have had a good night sleep."

"Oh, I can't wait to see little Alejandro again. He's just so adorable!" Fluttershy squealed.

"I can't wait til we get them down to the labs. I wanna know what these humans can do!" Said Rainbow Dash. She flipped through the air, telegraphing her excitement.

"Forget that!" Whined Pinkie Pie. "When do you think Princess Celestia will let me throw them a 'Welcome To Equestria' party?" She wondered.

"I doubt that will be happening anytime soon, Pinkie Pie." Answered Twilight. "Celestia wants the humans fully documented and studied before actually letting them roam around Equestria. She has to make sure they aren't carrying any unusual pathogens, or can be dangerous to themselves or others."

Pinkie Pie said nothing.

Finally, climbing the last few steps, the group came up to lrge oak doors. Like everything else in the castle, they were ornately decorated with paint and jewels. Twilight stepped forward and knocked. After a few seconds, the doors opened.

Julian stepped into view, but he looked vastly different than before. His long, coarse hair was now cut at shoulder-length, and much softer looking. The hair on his face was cut short into a modest beard. His skin had a better complexion, no doubt thanks to the many professional grade soaps available to them.

"Ah, buenos días!" He smiled at them. The ponies looked unsure for a second. Noticing their questioning looks, he tried again. "Good morning." He repeated in english.

"Oh, my. I had no idea that you could look so...different!" Said Rarity.

"It's the beard, huh? I felt like keeping it, so I decided to go with the Thor look." He laughed. "Oh! Where are my manners? Please come in." He invited.

The six ponies and singular dragon entered. It was a typical room, nothing had really changed for the humans, except there was a crib next to the bed. Fluttershy immediately flew over.

"Oh, is Alejandro asleep?" She quietly asked. Julian was walking over to the vanity mirror when he responded.

"Nah, he's probably playing around in there." He was fixing his hair in the mirror, looking to make sure he had cut it correctly.

Fluttershy hovered over the crib, and picked up the now laughing baby.

"Aren't you just the cutest, wittle human! Yes you are, yes you are!" She nuzzled the baby, and spoke to it in baby talk.

"Fluttershy?" Said Julian. "If you're goin to be holding my son, please make sure you do it on the ground, not floating ten feet in the air." He said. There was a hardness to his voice that let her know he meant business.

"You don't have to worry," Twilight spoke up. "Fluttershy is very careful when it comes to babies."

"When you have your own children, you'll understand why I feel apprehensive." Twilight said nothing.

Before things could become more awkward, Applejack asked where Raquel was.

"She's in the restroom, fixing herself up." Answered Julian. Rarity's ears perked up at this.

"Oh? And what does that entail?"

"Well, she'll cut her hair, trim her finger and toenails, brush her teeth, shower and shave." He answered. "Those are the only things that come to mind right now."

"Shave?" Asked Rainbow Dash. "She didn't have a beard. What's she gonna shave?"

"Well, in our culture women are actually expected to have little to no body hair. The majority of women shave or trim any unwanted hair."

"What is considered 'unwanted?'" Questioned Rarity, interested in the grooming habits of this new species.

"Well..." He lifted his arm, revealing the hair in his armpit. "For starters, armpit hair." He said.

"But why? It's there for a reason right?" Asked Spike, finally getting involved in the conversation.

"Yeah, it is. Armpit hair is there to prevent chaffing when the flesh rubs together. I don't really know why western women do that though." He looked at the petite dragon. "You're Spike right? Twilight told me about you. It's a pleasure to meet her number one asistente." Spike blushed.

"Thanks man."

"What else do yer womenfolk shave?" Asked Applejack. It wasn't that this whole conversation made him uncomfortable, but he hoped to change the subject with his introduction to Spike.

"Their legs. And I do know the answer to this one." He said with a grin. "During the second World War the people were encouraged to donate things to the war effort. At the time, it was considered fashionable for women to wear nylon leggings. Nylon was one of the things that was donated." He explained. "Because nylon leggings were no longer available, women began shaving their legs and drawing a line up the backs of their legs with a pen to create the illusion of wearing clear nylons, and thus remaining fashionable. I suppose that after years of doing that, it just stuck." He said.

"Oh, my. It sounds like the women of your world have a lot to do to become presentable."

Julian nodded.

"Yeah, and men hardly do a damn thing!" A voice snarked behind them. Turning around, Raquel came into view. Like Julian, she looked different.

Her hair was cut from it's waist length to the middle of her back, and the coarseness was washed out. Her skins complexion had improved, and looked much softer. Unfortuantely her body was covered by her towel, so that was all the ponies could see.

"Good morning Raquel!" Exclaimed Twilight. "You look refreshed."

"That's because that's the first real shower she's had in years." Commented Julian.

"How did you guys stay clean on that island?" Asked Pinkie curiously.

"There was a river that we used for water. For soap we used aloe vera plants." Commented Raquel offhandedly. Her attention was on Fluttershy, who was playing with Alejandro. "Hey, what time is it?"

Observing the clock on the wall, Rarity responded.

"Seven Forty-Two." Raquel nodded.

"It's feeding time, then." She walked over to Alejandro, who was currently making faces at Fluttershy and picked him up. He laughed from his mothers arms.

The ponies watched as Raquel undid the towel with one hand, dropping it on the floor. She walked, nude, to the bed where she sat. She lifted Alejandro up to her chest where he latched onto her left breast and began suckling.

"So, what did you guys need, anyway?" Questioned Julian. He was busy trying to put on the simple pants that Princess Celestia had prepared for them. She predicted that their animal skins probably wouldn't last long so she had a set of simple clothes made for the Humans, at least until they could order a complete wardrobe.

She was such a considerate pony.

Twilight, suddenly remembering their original purpose, explained.

"We are here to escort you to the Royal Dining Room for breakfast." She said regally. "After breakfast, we will proceed to Canterlot University for your evaluation and testing."

Author's Note

This chapter was the hardest to write so far. I knew how I wanted it to go, but I can't help but feeling I blew it for the whole "humans meet the princesses" scenes. In retrospect, we don't actually see a lot of the princesses. Celestia is always portayed as a joker, or very serious. Luna was pretty much used for comic relief during the whole Nightmare Night episode. Cadence has only been shown twice, and one wasn't her and the other she was exhausted the whole episode.

If I pissed anyone off with my portrayal of them, I totally get it. Hopefully, when I write more of them, i will be able to find some common ground between my visions of the chracters and their portrayal on MLPFIM.

Also, I apologize to Sonson21 if you feel i ripped off the whole Spirit reading idea from you. I had something like this planned when I layed out the story, but you published it before me. So I retconned the whole thing and only alluded to it happening off screen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some of you might be curious as to why Julian and Raquel have no real sense of modesty. Well, after being stranded somewhere for years, devoid of all human contact, I highly doubt you'd care if someone saw you naked.

They're just not used to practicing modesty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I also apologize for ending this chapter so abruptly. I want to make sure that I update once a week between Friday and Sunday. Setting a strict schedule will force me to write more. This chapter was going to be much longer, but I don't need 8,000 word chapters.

I don't want to seem too long winded.

A Walk Through The Castle

This is a work of total fiction, made entirely for entertainment purposes. No money is gained from the production of this prose.

7:50 A.M. Canterlot Castle. Royal Dining Hall.
The Royal Pony Sisters, and the Crystal Emperors sat at a long dining table in the finest dining room in all ofEquestria. They had not started eating or drinking, but they were discussing the humans.

"So, what did you manage to find out about our visitors?" Asked Shining Armor. He was curious to know what kind of secrets the humans may be keeping. They seemed friendly to him, he would hate for them to become enemies.

"Well..." Cadence said. SHe, along with her mentors looked thoughtful. "It's rather complicated." She finished. Shining looked between the Royal Mares.

"Then un-complicate it." He stated simply. "Are they friendly, or are they dangerous?"

"The answer is subject to change." Stated Celestia. "These humans are absolutely unique amongst other animals. They are unbound souls, with no real place and no real purpose." She stated somberly.

Shining looked confused.

"What does that mean, exactly?" This was getting ridiculous.

"These Humans will never be satisfied with their existence. They can never have enough. They will never know true peace, because no matter what they accomplish they will always want more. The humans have conquered their planet. There is no where that humans have not been. Now, they have set their sights on planets outside their own solar system. One planet does not satisfy them, they have a need to conquer the universe." Celestia said sadly. "It is a cruel existence to be subjected to."

"The entire human spirit is a spectrum ranging from the purest of good, to the darkest of evils." This time Luna spoke up. "Throughout their history, the humans have committed some of the most evil atrocities we have ever seen. Many of them even the most evil of beings in our own world could not commit. But at the same time, they are responsible for some of the most beautiful creations that even the purest soul could not imitate."

"Their capacity to love is the most pure and raw that I have ever encountered." Added Cadence. "And so is their capacity for hate." She said sadly. "A human can be the greatest friend and ally to you, but if you ever betrayed them they could become the greatest monsters that even your darkest nightmares could not live up to." She said.

"Okay." Shining Armor nodded. "So what kind of Humans did we get? Are they friends or enemies?" He asked.

"For now, they are friends." Answered Celestia. "The Humans have been in isolation for a long time, and they are thankful for us rescuing them, but if anything we do is perceived as a threat to them, or worse their child, they would not hesitate to assault us."

Shining accepted the explanation. As long as they did not threaten the humans, they could remain friendly. That seemed simple enough.

"So, how do you plan to proceed regarding the humans?"

"For now, we will proceed with the original plan. We will ease them into our society. The first step to achieve this is to take them down to the University so that they may be examined by our biologists." Stated Celestia.

Before Shining could respond, they were interrupted by the opening of the dining room doors. As soon as they opened, they could hear a masculine voice singing.

---Raised in Carolina, she says:
"I'm not like that"
Trying to remind her
When we go back

I say the right things but act the wrong way
I like it right here but I cannot stay
I watch the TV; forget what I'm told
Well, I am too young, and they are too old
Oh, man, can't you see I'm nervous, so please
Pretend to be nice, so I can be mean
I missed the last bus, we take the next train
I try but you see, it's hard to explain

The Royal Ponies turned to look towards the opened door. Walking towards the large dining table were the Humans along with the Elements of Harmony.

The ponies and Humans walked through the large halls of Canterlot Castle. A silence had befallen them. It wasn't awkward or nervous, they had just ceased their conversation and enjoyed the beautiful morning.

During the sunrise, the sunlight would shine throught the stained glass windows and illuminate the hallways with bright reds, pinks, yellows and oranges. It shined on the white porcelain walls and floor, and enriched the red carpet. It definitely looked like it belonged to royalty.

"So...what kinda stuff did you guys do for fun?" Questioned Pinkie Pie. She didn't seem to realize her disturbance of the peace that had settled amongst them.

"Well, we'd go swimming." Answered Julian. "And hiking, hunting and fishing." He looked thoughtful. Did they really spend 5 years just playing around on an island? He grinned. "We had a lot of sex---OOF!" His laugh was interrupted by Raquel's elbow in his ribcage.

She had a look on her face that seemed to be a cross of irritation, amusement and embarrassment.

"I can't believe you'd be so tactless." Despite the look on her face, there was laughter in her voice. Even Alejandro seemed to giggle a bit.

The ponies were rather confused by the behavior of the humans. If they were lovers, why would they react in violence with eachother. It may not have been rather extreme or gory, but still to hit him like that. Twilight couldn't help but ponder the possible paradigms of human relationships.

"No, no." Pinkie shook her head. "I meant before you came here---to our world. What did you guys do in human-land!?" She asked excitedly.

Raquel laughed at the excitable young mare. It had been years since she herself had the same wonder and innocence. Her naivete was lost, long before she had even thought of making the trip that ultimate led her to this magical world.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Pinkie, but there was nothing exciting about us before we came here." She said. The ponies likely did not understand the concept. Here, their humanity was something to be marveled and studied. They were, as far as the ponies were concered, a new species that needed to be protected and learned about. They probably hadn't considered the idea that they were simple beings who had no real remarkable abilities back where they came from.

"Up until Julian and I met and ended up here, we were just two regular kids." Raquel said. "Just two stupid 15 year olds who thought nothing could hurt them. We made dumb decisions, and we payed for it by ending up on that hell for 5 years."

"Ah believe what Pinkie Pie was trying to ask was, what was yer home life like?" Rephrased Applejack. She gave a weak glare to the blunt party pony.

Raquel seemed to think a bit, considering her answer.

"I'd say my home life was okay." She stated. The ponies looked at her, expecting her to elaborate. "Well, my parents were gret, but they were hardly around. We were pretty poor, you see, and both of my parents had to work two jobs for us to get by. Despite that, they always made time for me. They were always at my soccer games, always at my school plays, and they always made sure to have dinner with me. I know they loved me, and I know they tried, but I couldn't help but want them around more." She smiled weakly. "I guess that's pretty selfish of me, right? They're out busting their asses, and it wasn't enough for me."

Julian put his arm around Raquel, and brought her in close. She leaned her head into his neck.

"Querida, you weren't selfish. You were a little girl who wanted her parents. There is nothing selfish about that." He said.

"Yer parents sound like great ponies." Said Applejack. The rest of her friends nodded their agreement.

Another comfortable silence fell upon the group. They walked some before it was broken again.

"And what about you, Julian?" Asked Rarity. "How was your life growing up?"

"Not too dissimilar from this." He gestured around them. "My family was vastly wealthy. We never wanted for anything, and only the best was available to us. My father was an inventor, you see, and he invented the Tissue Growth Unit. It was a machine that facilitated the growth of various cells and tissues. It was used in hospitals to grow entire organs for transplant. My father was responsible for saving the lives of millions of people around the world." He smiled with pride at his fathers accomplishment.

The ponies looked amazed at such a prospect. A machine that could regrow entire organs!? These humans must have been a highly advanced species.

"He met my mother when he attended the first organ transplant that utilised his invention. My mother was the head surgeon." This time he spoke with pride for his mother. "Anyway, they got married and had me, Isabella and Ana María---my two younger sisters. My parents were pretty strict, but they gve us the best of everything. Clothes, food, education, we wanted for nothing." He had a faraway look in his eyes, remembering his family.

"We constantly had problems though." He admitted. "My parents knew that I was smart, that I could do great things in the future, but I was always too lazy and aloof. All I ever wanted to do was play music, and nothing else really interested me. Now I wish I could take all of those stupid, idiotic fights back." He lamented. No one said anything, and an awkward silence did settle this time.

As interested as the ponies were, they were realizing how similar these humans were. They had disagreements and conflicts with family members, as did any other pony. As alien as they appeared, they seemed to be more alike than originally thought.

Pinkie Pie, however, not wanting to let an awkward silence reign in on their little group, spoke up again.

"What kind of music did you like?" She asked excitedly. Julian instantly brightened at he question.

"Well, I like all kinds of music. But if I had to name one, I'd say Indie Rock is my favorite genre." He said.

"Indie Rock? What's that!?" Questioned Pinkie.

"Well, I don't have my computer or iPod on me..."

"Then sing!" Pinkie cheered.

"Well, it's been a while since I've actually---"

"PLEEEAAASEEE?" She interrupted him. She was smiling up at him pathetically, practically begging with her expression alone.

"Okay, geez! Dame un segundo para escoger una canción." He said, thinking. The ponies looked a little confused at his sudden change of language, and Raquel looked on, amused. She probably thought it was funny how easily he was bullied into singing.

"Alright, this song is called 'Hard To Explain' by a band called The Strokes." He said. Finally, he opened his mouth and began to sing:

Was an honest man
Asked me for the phone
Tried to take control

Oh, I don't see it that way
I don't see it that way

Oh, we shared some ideas
All obsessed with fame
Says we're all the same

Oh, I don't see it that way
I don't see it that way

Raised in Carolina
"I'm not like that"
Trying to remind her
When we go back

I missed the last bus, I'll take the next train
I try but you see, it's hard to explain
I say the right things, but act the wrong way
I like it right here, but I cannot stay
I watch the TV; forget what I'm told
Well, I am too young, and they are too old
The joke is on you, this place is a zoo
"You're right it's true"

Says he can't decide
I shake my head to say
Everything's just great

Oh, I just can't remember
I just can't remember---

The group walked in, approaching the dining table.

"WOW!" Cried Pinkie. "That was a great song! Are there any more!" She asked excitedly.

Julian looked down at the excitable pony.

"Yeah, tons more where that came from." He said. He seemed to notice the Royal ponies watching them. He gave them a slight bow from the waist. "Your Majesties."

"Welcome, my little ponies, and honored guests." Acknowledged Princess Celestia.

"I hope you guys are ready for breakfast!" Cheered Cadence.

Author's Note

Sorry if this chapter seems too half-assed. I rushed this one. Classes just let out for summer, and my band and I have been playing at parties all week. Not only that, but on wednesday night in the middle of a set, some bitch/asshole (never found out who it was) thought it would be funny to pull me off stage in the middle of my solo. Now my hand is sore as hell because I fell on it. And my guitar was busted.

That is seriously not cool. I make a living playing music. If my hand was busted I would have been out of work. Maybe even forever if I damaged my hand enough.

Sorry if it seems like my chapters are getting shorter. Life seems to enjoy making sure I have little to no time to write. Next chapter will be longer---I Promise!

By the way, expect more music throughout the story. Either referenced or actual inserts.

Breakfast

This is a work of total fiction, made entirely for entertainment purposes. No money is gained from the production of this prose.

Everyone was sitting at the large table getting ready for breakfast. Celestia had even brought out chairs specifically made for bipeds, and a high chair for Alejandro. Not long after settling in, a couple of well-dressed stallions entered and brought in plates of salads. They used their magic to set one down before each individual.

"Here are your appetizers," One of the stallions said with a heavy french-like accent. "Bon appétit." He said with a smile.

The two humans looked at eachother incredulousy, which did not go unnoticed by their pony hosts. That definitely sounded like a french accent. They were surprised when they were able to communicate at all, but now they had several languages in common? There was only one way to find out...

"Monsieur? S'il vous plaît attendre." Julian spoke out. All ponies present looked at him in shock. "S'il vous plaît dites-moi, quelle langue parlons-nous en?"

The stallion gave the shocked human a confused look. How could he not know what language he was speaking in? And so flawlessly as well. It had been almost a decade since he had been in his native Prance. Almost a decade without speaking his natural tongue. He licked his lips, speaking Prench for the first time in almost ten years.

"Vous parlez prançais." He answered. A bewildered look came upon the humans face, one that his female compatriot shared.

"Prançais? Je comprends... Merci de me le dire." He thanked the stallion. He nodded slowly, still eyeing the human before finally turning away and walking back into the kitchens. He had hoped to chat some more, but the human apparently got whatever he needed from him in that brief exchange.

The ponies stared t the human, impressed and shocked at his knowledge of their languages. How could a human possibly know a foreign pony language? It was a question asked by Luna.

"Pardon me, human? But how is it that you know Prench?"

"I know several languages." Stated Julian. "I was raised in a very wealthy family. My parents spared no expense in my education." He looked regretful every time he mentioned his family. Twilight briefly wondered what he could possibly have done to them. "Raquel knows them too." He smiled. "Tons of free time on the island, we just learned from eachother." Everypony nodded. "As it turns out, French, or Prench as you call it, is another language that our species have in common."

"So, what languages could you speak?" Questioned Cadence.

"The Latin languages." Said Raquel. The ponies looked at her, expecting her to elaborate. "Back, over two thousand years ago on our planet, the Roman Empire was at the height of its power. In Rome they spoke Latin, which traveled with the Empire. Over the course of history, Latin evolved into thousands of different dialects. The most common ones are known as the Romance Languages; these consist of French, Italian and Castilian, though, Castilian is more commonly known as Spanish." Said Raquel.

Twilight perked up at the thought.

"Would you be willing to demonstrate these languages?" She asked, excitedly.

"What do you want us to say?" Asked Julian.

Twilight thought about it, but Rarity beat her to the punch.

"Say: My love for you burns with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns!" Said Rarity. The others stared at Rarity, who looked sheepish. "What? They are Romance languages, are they not?" She defended herself.

Laughing, Raquel agreed.

"Okay, in Spanish." She said. "Julian, mi amor por ti quema con la intensidad de mil soles!" She turned to Rarity. "French: Julian, mon amour pour toi brûle avec l'intensité chauffé à blanc d'un millier de soleils!" She turned to Rarity once again. "And finally, Italian: Julian, il mio amore per te brucia con l'intensità bianco caldo di mille soli!"

Twilight was rapidly taking notes. Though, everyone wondered where was keeping her quill and notepad.

"Yes, at first it doesn't sound like they have any similarities, but if if you really listen to the languages you can hear some basic similarities." She mumbled to herself.

"I'm rather surprised." Said Julian. "We appear to be speaking English, and French exists in this world as well. But you don't seem to have Spanish or Italian. Why is that?" He said to out loud.

"Actually, they may have existed before." Raquel offered. "Or, at least Italian existed before." She looked at Princess Cadence.

"What do you mean?" Asked Shining Armor.

"When you first introduced yourselved to us, you said your wife's name was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, correct?" Both Cadence and Shining nodded. "Mi Amore Cadenza is Italian for My Love Cadence." At this, Cadence looked saddened.

"You may be right." She acquiesced. "Before, the Crystal Empire was a thriving nation with its own language and culture. But when King Sombra took over, he destroyed everything. In his attempt to modernize the Empire he destroyed the old ways and reeducated everypony, including forcing everypony to speak Equestrian." She looked up at the two humans. "You may be right to assume that the old Crystal Empire spoke a language similar to your Italian, if my name is anything to go by."

They settled into an uncomfortable silence. NEither human knowing what to say, and nopony wanted to insult Cadence's loss by brushing her off. After a few moments, Twilight continued her questioning.

"So..." She started, breaking the ice tentatively. "Do you know any other languages besides the, uh, Latin languages?"

"Japanese." Julian answered. He used a fork to bring the lettuce leaves to his mouth. He briefly pondered why ponies would need eting utensils. The Unicorns could use their magic, sure, but the rest of the ponies?

"Japanese." Repeated Twilight. "And what is that language like?"

"Sore wa anata no daiichigengodenai baai, soreha, manabu no ga muzukashī gengodesu." Responded Raquel.

The ponies only stared at her, confused.

"Hontōni? Watashi wa sore ga manabu koto wa hijō ni muzukashī to wa omoimasendeshita." Julian questioned Raquel.

"Tsumari son'nani anime o mite, gengo ni wa donkan jibun'node." She shot back. Julian laughed, which caused Raquel to laugh. The ponies looked between the humans and each other, curious about their laughter.

"So, that's Japanese." Said Julian. Twilight began scribbling down some more notes, but said nothing. "It's an interesting language. One cool fact is that every word in the Japanese language ends with a vowel. If it doesn't end in a vowel, it's not a native word." Twilight scribbled even more.

"I guess Japanese isn't a local language, either." Said Raquel.

"Any more?" Questioned Spike. He was chewing on a raw, uncut ruby stone. Looking closely, Raquel could see that his salad utilized gemstones as dressing.

"Just two more. German, and Swahili." Said Julian. "German actually developed around the same time as English---the language we are speaking now---so if you listen closely you can hear the similarities." He explained. He then turned to Raquel.

"Also, wie ist Ihr Salat?" He asked.

"Es ist sehr gut. Danke für die Nachfrage." Raquel responded.

The ponies enjoyed watching the humans exchange. Learning about new cultures and languages was certainly very fascinating. Of course, none could match Twilights enthusiasm.

"Finally, Swahili. This language comes from Africa, which is also the birthplace of the human species." Said Raquel. "Twilight inaonekana kama yeye ni kuhusu kuwa na aneurysm, wala unafikiri?"

Julian snickered.

"Yeye kweli gani. Sidhani nina milele alikutana mtu yeyote ambaye alikuwa hivyo msisimko kujifunza." He responded.

Listening to the humans speaking sparked a flash of recognition in the Elements of Harmony.

"Isn't that Zebrakin?" Asked Raibow Dash.

"Sure sounded like it." Added Rarity.

"Zebrakin?" Asked Julian.

"We have a friend named Zecora, she's a Zebra. Her native language sounds very similar to your Swahili." Answered Twilight.

The humans looked mildly surprised. An African Zebra who spoke Swahili? Things were starting to get weird.

...Well, weirder than they were before.

"So, what's for breakfast?" Asked Julian.

"Well, what would you like? I'm sure our chefs would be glad to prepare something for guests as important as you." Smiled Celestia.

"Damn, what I wouldn't do for some Huevos con Chorizo right now..." He responded wistfully.

"What's that?" Questioned Pinkie Pie.

"It's scrambled eggs with pork sausage." He saw their faces turn green. "But I guess in a country full of herbivores, that's out of the question." He chuckled.

"We'll just have scrambled eggs." Raquel shot Julian a look. Celestia laughed.

"My dear humans," She began. "Ponies are not the only sapient species on this planet. Equestria does have allies and residents who are carnivores. I'm not sure my chefs have ever prepared this 'cho-ree-zo' but we do have meat for your consumption." She offered.

"In that case, we'll have scrambled eggs with bacon strips!" Raquel said.

"Some hash browns would be great too!" Added Julian.

Celestia laughed at their enthusiasm.

"And to drink?"

"Orange juice." Said Julian. Raquel nodded.

It didn't take long for their orders to be taken. As delicious as the food was, the human pair felt uncomfortable at the looks the ponies were giving them. Celestia, Luna and Cadence and Shining Armor didn't seem to mind, but the Elements of Harmony and Spike seemed to cringe every time either human to a bite of the bacon.

"So, Julian." Began Twilight. She was always eager to ask questions and learn about the humans. "When we first met, you introduced yourself as Julian Guadalupe Casablancas-Espadas. But Raquel said her full name was Raquel Zamora. Why is it that you have so many names while Raquel doesn't?"

Julian drank from his glass of orange juice to wash down his food.

"Culture, mostly." He said simply. "In Mexican culture---that is the country I am from, Mexico---children take the names of their parents starting with the father. My father's name was Emilio Casablancas and my mothers name was Guadalupe Espadas. And while Julian is my first name, my mothers family has the tradition of naming their first born Guadalupe. So I was named Julian, my first name, Guadalupe, my middle name, and as per Mexican culture my last name is hyphenated between the family names of my parents: Casablancas-Espadas." He explained.

"So humans track their lines through family names?" She noted. "What happens when you get married? How is the new line decided?"

"The majority of humanity is patriarchal, so it is decided by the man." This time Raquel answered. "My father's name is Hector Zamora-Bernal and my mother's is Alma Gonzalez-Cisneros. They were born and raised in Mexico, but they both emigrated to the United States in their late teens. After they met and had me, they chose to conform to American culture and they named me Raquel Zamora, only after my father." She paused for a second. "Although, maybe it should be Raquel Casablancas now." She said, smiling at Julian.

"Why would you take his name?" Asked Rarity.

"Like I said, most human cultures are patriarchal, including Mexican and American culture. In American culture, when a woman gets married, she is expected to drop her family name and adopt the name of her husband. In my case it would be Raquel Casablancas." She stopped. "Although, it's worth mentioning that this is happening less and less. Women are keeping their own names, or, at the most, hyphenating."

"In Mexico, it's a little different." Added Julian. "Women keep their family names, but get 'de' added. So Raquel would be Raquel Zamora de Casablancas, which translates to Raquel Zamora of Casablancas."

Rainbow Dash looked uncomfortable.

"It kinda sounds like you're branding her." She gave a snort, clearly not liking what the humans had to say.

"Well, you'd be kind of right." Answered Julian honestly. "For the most part, women have been savagely oppressed by men in human history. There were very few matriarchal cultures to begin with, and every other culture women have been little more than slaves. They were expected to cook and clean for their men, and in the case of husband they could not even refuse to sexually service them."

"I'm sorry, sexually service?" Said Twilight.

"For thousands of years, a wife could not say no. It wasn't until very recently, within the last half-century, that laws were passed that protected wives from 'marital rape'."

"Kinda sounds to me that humans are a bunch of savages." Said Applejack, not caring that two humans were sitting right before her.

However, instead of becoming angry, the two humans laughed.

"Maybe we are." Said Julian. "But, unfortuantely, we're wired that way."

"What do you mean?" Asked Pinkie Pie.

"Well, what do you know about primate behaviour, specifically the Great Apes?" He asked.

"Oh!" Cried Fluttershy. "Well, they're very social animals." She said. "They typically form large communities, usually with one leader, the Alpha Male."

"Very good. And how do these cummunities interact with eachother?"

"Sometimes they fight." Said Fluttershy. "The males of one group will fight the males of another group. And the winning group will kill the offspring of the males and adopt the remaining females into their troup."

"Very good, Fluttershy. You sure know your animals." Julian complimented. "Unfortunately, humans have similar behavior. We go to war. We discriminate against each other. We kill and rape each other. In many ways, we are savages. But our behavior is common in the animal kingdom, even moreso in our genetic family." He pondered for a bit.

"One big difference between humans and primates is that human females will typically engage in similar behavior." Added Raquel. "While females can be dangerous in the animal kingdom, human females are the only female members of an animal species that will engage in destructive, violent and sadistic behavior. Women kill, women rape. We're pretty fucked up." She concluded.

The ponies looked a little alarmed at her declaration.

"It's actually rather strange, considering the way the human brain works." Julian Pondered. Twilight perked up at this.

"What exactly do you mean?" She questioned.

"Well, we told you how humans don't have access to magic, right?" Twilight nodded. "As a result, humans just kept making more and more technological advancements. Our tools became more and more sophisticated until our whole world is connected at the speed of light! Many of these advancements help us understand exactly how humans work, starting with the brain.

"By using very powerful magnets, humans have been able to map out every signal sent in the brain. We don't fully understand how it works, but we know what it does to acheive certain things." Twilight kept jotting things down in her notebook. "One of the things we learned is the the human brain is identical to the brain of the Bonobo Chimpanzee."

"Oh my," Giggled Celestia.

"What's so funny!" Demanded Pinkie Pie. "How come I've never heard of a Bonobo and why is it funny!"

"The Bonobo is a type of ape, Pinkie. Many ponies don't know about it because it is not allowed in zoos." Explained Rarity. At her questioning look, she continued. "They are also known as the 'Pornographic Ape' because Bonobos use sex as a social lubricant." Everyone giggled. "Pardon the pun."

"That is exactly right." Explained Julian. "And it shows. Humans, when we're not coming up with ways to kill each other, we're coming up with new ways to fuck each other." He said. "Vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex, orgies, gangbangs, bukkakes---Humans love fucking." He laughed at the blushes that could effectivly light up the room. "What I don't understand is that, if we're literally wired to have sex, why do we spend as much time killing each other off?" He wondered.

"Perhaps it is something that we will be able to determine." Said Luna. "It is time for us to meet the professors at Canterlot University."

"Wow, is it time already?" Asked Twilight. "Time sure flies."

Everyone stood and made their way out of the dining hall.

Author's Note

Sorry for not getting this chapter out last week. My band and I were booked for the past two weeks, so I had no time to finish this chapter. Truthfully, I'm not that satisfied with it. However, next chapter will deal with some very important issues regarding the humans, and it will most likely be the end of the Introduction arc of this story. I won't put a rush on it, but hopefully I'll be able to get it out quick.

Also, who's going to see the Man Of Steel? I'm gonna go the midnight release! It is gonna be so awesome!

Translation:
J-Sir? Please Wait. Please tell me, what language are we speaking in?
Stallion-You are speaking Prench.
J-Prench? I understand... Thank you for telling me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Japanese
Raquel-It is a difficult language to learn if it is not your first language.
Julian-Really? I did not think it was too difficult.
Raquel-That is because you desensitized yourself by watching so much anime.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
German
Julian-So how is your salad?
Raquel-It is very good. Thank you for asking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swahili
Raquel-Twilight looks like she is about to have an aneurysm, don't you think?
Julian-She really does. I don't think I have ever met anyone who was so excited to learn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I apologize if the whole Languages thing through you guys off. It seemed to flow naturally, given that the humans are very interested in the similarities of their worlds, and the inquisitiveness of the ponies. Some of you might also find it unbelievable for the humans to know several languages. I have a friend, Richard, who comes from a rich family. His dad pulls in like $600,000 a year. Fucker speaks like 8 languages.

Black Holes and Revelations

This is a work of total fiction, made entirely for entertainment purposes. No money is gained from the production of this prose.

Canterlot University. 10:00 A.M.
The two humans stood naked in a laboratory. Like any typical lab, everything was cold and steril; the smell of disenfectant permeated the room. What set this lab apart though, was that is was full with all kinds of doctors.

There were biologists, primatologists, general practitioners, even some physicists. All there for the humans.

And it wasn't a very pleasant experience.

They took skin samples, blood samples, urine samples. They had been poked and prodded. One of the doctors even wanted to subject all three humans, Alejandro included, to test their threshold for pain.

She was removed by Celestia's order.

Then things got interesting.

Zoo File was a talented Zoologist, his primary subject of study were the Primates. After explaining Human evolution breifly, and their origins from the Apes, Zoo File was eager to get some data from the humans. He attempted an MRI, or Magical Resonance Imaging, to magically extract data of the human's skeletal structure.

"I am going to magically scan you. There will be no pain or discomfort, but you may experience some tingling or warmth spreading throughout your bodies. Using magic, I will scan your skeletons and every detail, including full sketches, will be magically transferred to my notebook. After you, I will do the same with Raquel and Alejandro." Zoo File said.

Julian nodded his head.

"That sounds awesome. Let's get started."

It started out simple enough. The blue Unicorn's horned sparked and crackled to life with a sapphire aura. Finally, he directed his horn towards Julain, who was standing still, and a beam of sapphire colored energy was launched towards him.

Julian's body absorbed the energy, and continued to siphon the magic from the Unicorn.

"W-what's happening!" Zoo File cried. "I can't...my magic!" He screamed. More and more magic poured from his horn, the magical connection thickening.

Naturally, everyone panicked.

"What's going on!"

"What's wrong with your magic!"

"Somepony do something!"

Somepony did do something. Twilight lept between the the human and unicorn, and disrupted the connection with her own magical aura. Julian, as well as Raquel looked on, confused and terrified. In the excitement, Alejandro started crying. Everyone else in the room started murmuring and whispering to eachother, eyeing the humans suspiciously.

"SILENCE!"

Celestia's voice pierced the sound of everyone else in the room. Effectively silencing the room, she slowly approached Twilight and Zoo File. He was panting and sweating, his eyes were bloodshot and he couldn't make it to his hooves.

"Zoo File? Can you tell me what happened?" She asked softly. The worn out Unicorn slowly nodded his head, his panting never ceased.

"Spell...wasn't working. I added...more magic...but nothing. Felt like...a drain. Eventually...took over...losing my magic." He panted out slowly. Twilight nodded, confirming the unicorn's claim.

"He's suffering from magical exhaustion." She said. Her statement seemed to incite the others in the room, who glared at the humans intently.

Celestia slowly appraoched the humans, and turned to Julian. She rarely ever had to look up at someone, but she lifted her head to look him in the eye.

"Julian, were you deliberately draining Zoo File of his magic?" This incited the others in the room once more.

"What!?"

"Of course they won't admit it!"

"Lock them up for attempted murder!"

"SILENCE!" Celestia yelled once again. "I want to hear it from him."

She turned back to Julian, waiting for his response.

Julian stared back in her eyes, hoping to convince her of his sincerity.

"No Princess. I did nothing to knowingly harm Zoo File." He said calmly and sincerely. Everyone else scoffed, or continued to glare in their direction.

Celestia studied him, searching for any kind of deceit, but found none.

"He's telling the truth." She concluded, much to the ire of everyone else. "Can you tell me what you experienced then?" She questioned.

"Nothing, really." He answered honestly. "I felt the tingling like he said, but I didn't feel anything that would lead me to believe that Zoo FIle was in distress, let alone pain."

Celestia turned around. Everypony in the room was watching her, except for Zoo File and Twilight, who was busy trying to inject some of her own magic into the weak Stallion.

"Sister?" Called out Luna. "I propose an experiment." She said simply.

Celestia nodded, wondering where her sister was going with this. Regardless of her reservations, she trusted Luna. This time Luna approached the humans. Her horn lit up with deep blue energy that danced and spareked around her horn. Gently, she pressed her magically-charged horn to Julian's abdomen. Instantaneously, the blue magic vanished.

Luna only nodded at this, as if confirming some suspicion that she had. SHe repeated her experiment, only this time on Raquel, with identical results. When she attempted to repeat it on Alejandro, Raquel resisted.

"Please, Raquel. No harm will come to your baby. I simply need to touch him with my horn to complete the experiment. The amount of magic I am using isn't enough to harm an insect, much less a creature as large as a human infant." She compelled.

"I'm not comfortable letting you prod my baby with magic to satisfy some curiosity you might have." She defended.

"I Understand that you wish to protect your child. That is every mother's sole goal in life, but I beg of you to trust me." Luna pleaded.

Raquel looked torn. On one hand, she truly disliked the idea of her baby being used in experiments, magical or otherwise. But on the other hand, she DID trust Luna not to do anything harmful to her child. She was brought out of her reverie when Julian placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Querida, if you're not comfortable with this, you don't have to do it." He reassured. "But I think you should let Luna run whatever tests are necessary." She opened her mouth to respond, but Julian cut her off. "Whatever is going on with us, is most likely happening to Alejandro. I would like to know."

That stumped her. Julian was right. If this anomoly was going on with them, it was highly likely that it was happening to their child as well.

Reluctantly, she held Alejandro out in front of her. Luna gave her a thankful look and proceeded cautiously. Gently, she pressed her glowing horn into Alejandro's chubby arm.

Nothing.

Luna's horn remained aglow. She tried again.

Nothing.

Obviously, whatever Luna was thinking failed with Alejandro.

"Sister?" Asked Celestia. "What were you searching for?" She asked. Luna looked to Celestia. Then to the Elements of Harmony, then directed her attention to everypony else in the room.

"Julian and Raquel's bodies are actively absorbing magic." Luna stated simply. "Their bodies lack their own magic and they seem to be compensating by constantly absorbing the magic from the atmosphere." There were murmurs moving through the group as the scientists tried to understand Luna's claim. "When Zoo File's magic was deliberately fed to the human, it, for lack of a better term, latched on and began to actively drain from the source, in this case: Zoo File."

"Princess Luna, could you tell for what purpose their bodies are absorbing the magic?" Questioned a glasses-wearing Earth Pony mare. "They can't be storing the magic, it neds to be released. It's obvious that the magic is being used, but how?"

"That I cannot tell you." Luna said. "But, after absorbing the magic, it spreads throughout their whole bodies."

"Princess Luna," Twilight said. "You specifically mentioned Julian and Raquel, but not Alejandro. Why?" She questioned.

"Because the infant is not absorbing magic." She said. "Perhaps he is to underdeveloped..." She thought out loud.

"Or maybe he doesn't have to." Said Julian. Everyone's attention was placed directly on him. "Maybe, the magic accomplished in Alejandro what it can't in us." He gestured between himself and Raquel.

"And that would be..." Questioned Twilight.

"Evolution." He said. That got a rise of everyone in the room. Questions were being shouted, ponies scribbling things down into notebooks. It took Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice to silence everyone down once again.

"Please, explain your theory Julian." Requested Twilight.

"I think our bodies are using magic to enhance our natural abilities." He began. "Humans are relatively weak if you compare us to our closest relatives, the apes. We don't have much durability or agility either. But when Raquel and I came here, that changed over time." He said. "You said you saw us on the island, right?" He questioned the Elements. At Twilights confirmation he continued. "Did you see how we moved? How fast we ran? How high we jumped? Humans can't do any of that. We knew that something changed we just didn't know what.

"If you're saying that our bodies are actively absorbing and using magic, then it makes sense that it's making us stronger, faster. It's bolstering our immune systems, and enhancing our healing ability." He ran his hand over the top of his head, pulling loose locks of hair backwards.

"Even if what you're saying is true, that doesn't explain why the infant is not absorbing energy." Called out one of the pony scientists.

"Actually, it does." Raquel said. "Simply put, he doesn't need to. Julian and I are not natives. We have never been exposed to magic before. As such, we need a constant flow of magic to maintain whatever mutation we currently have. Alejandro...Alejandro was conceived in this world. Julian and I were constantly exposed to magic, and as such our reproductive material was charged with magic too. Not only that, but Alejandro grew for nine months in my womb, while my body was locked in a mutated state by magic.

"Like I said, Alejandro doesn't need to absorb magic to maintain his state because he is ALREADY been mutated." Raquel brought Alejandro up and held him tightly. Julian brought his large hand down and gently smoothed the babies hair.

"Does this mean that your son is the first of a new species?" Questioned another.

Julian seemed to think about it.

"I'm not totally sure." He answered. "Technically, his abilities are beyond human. But they are only enhancements of what was already there. I think it's too soon to qualify him as a separate species. So no. He's a Homo Sapiens Sapiens."

"Do you believe your bodies will eventually stop consuming magic and complete their metamorphosis?"

"Doubtful." Said Julian. "They've been doing the same thing for years, I believe that whatever biological processes that need to take place would have occurred by now. But I could be wrong."

The how's and why's ceased to interest the ponies, and have since moved on to the recording the human's physical capabilities. They recorded every ounce of dat retrievable: strength, speed, stamina, endurance. They were running, jumping, swimming, climbing, and everything was noted.

As it turns out, they had a limit.

They knew they were stronger, but they never knew by how much.

They were able to lift approximately 5 tons. Their speed peaked at about 200 miles per hour. And their ability to maintain such speeds, or to carry a load went into hours.

Their bones were stronger, and their muscles were completely recreated. It was Twilight who could finally tell them how the magic had changed them. By biopsying their muscles, they knew exactly how the magic had mutated their bodies.

"This is amazing!" Exclaimed Twilight. She had taken muscle samples from each human, including Alejandro, and examined them under a microscope. "Your muscles are shaped like normal muscles, but when we get down to the actual muscle fiber, they are totally different."

"Different how?" Questioned Raquel.

"Instead of your muscles being comprised of straight muscle fibers, they are coiled!" She explained, unable to contain her energy. "Your muscles are like thousands of springs put together, just storing high amounts of potential energy. Not only that, but your muscles are also highly saturated in myosin, which stregthens them. All of this, combined with your highly dense skeletons, results in tremendous strength when you utilize your stored energy."

"And Raquel and I need constant access to magic to maintain these changes?" Julian Questioned. "Can our bodies simply...change back if we are cut off from magic? Or could we die from the shock?"

"That is something that we are not going to find out." Stated Celestia. She continued before anyone could protest. "This information is irrelevant. We already know for a fact that any children you produce witll be born with a magical body. Whether or not isolation from magic will indeed change you two back to normal is not knowledge worth risking your lives over."

Julian nodded in agreement. Celestia was right. Every child produced by them wouldn't share their need to to absorb magic, so it did not affect anyone else. Besides, he wouldn't risk his child being orphaned over some petty info.

All in all, the examinations weren't tht bad. They were pretty standard, even by pony standards. According to Celestia, all of the recorded information was going to be stored and published into encyclopedias and almanacs. Of course, they would be placed among the Great Apes, like on their home planet.

"So, is there any magical explanation on how Julian and I ended up in some new world?"

"Many, actually." Said a grey unicorn stallion. His hair was stark white, and he had yellow eyes. "Magic likes to manifest itself in different ways. Random portals have been documented coming into existence where high concentrations of magic tend to settle." He said. Everyone seemed to agree with the Unicorn's "Portal" Theory. Julian, however, shook his head.

"I like that you're thinking with portals, but you have to eliminate magic from the equation." He stated. "Remember, magic doesn't exist in our Universe."

"Wait!" Cried Rainbow Dash. "I thought you guys came from another planet. Not from another dimension!"

"We didn't come from another dimension, we came from a different Universe." JUlian said.

"What are you TALKING about!?" Cried Rainbow. Julian sighed. Looking around, he stepped up to the whiteboard behind them, and grabbed a black marker. He poked the whiteboard with the marker, leaving a single black dot.

"This point," He gestured to the board, making sure he had everyones attention. "Doesn't have any dimensions. They exist only to define relationships." He created another dot a few inches from the original. "The First dimension is defined by length." He connected the two dots, creating a line. "A single line can only exist in the first dimension, because it only has the one dimension. But when you add width plus length," He created three more lines, all connected with the first, turning it into a square. "You enter the second dimension. The second dimension is always flat because it lacks depth. When you add depth," He drew a second square that intersected with the original, then connected all the corners, turning it into a cube.

"You enter the third dimension." Finished Twilight in understanding. Julian nodded happily.

"We are currently in the third dimension because we all perceive length, width and height."

"What about the FOurth dimension?" Asked a curious pony.

"Well, some scientists believe the fourth dimension is where time resides." He said. "You see, we can only experience cross sections of time. This instant," He snapped his fingers. "Just came and went. I can never get that moment in time back. The fourth dimension is where time exists all at once. The past, present and future don't exist, there is only time. I even remember a theory that said time travel, should it ever be brought to fruition, would be utilizing the Fourth dimension as its medium. Like a boat uses water, or an airship flies through the air. Time Machines will use the Fourth dimension." He said. "Of course, this is all just conjecture." He finished.

"Well, we've established that you aren't from another dimension, what makes you think you're in another universe altogether?" Asked Rarity.

"Because magic doesn't exist in our universe." Raquel reiterated. "We know for a fact that this is true. Humans would have found magic if it existed. Our universe is bound by unbreakable laws of Physics. Magic has no place in our universe. Whatever brought us here originated in our universe, therefore a scientific explanation must be applied---not a magical one." Her words brought a pensive look upon everyone's face.

"I always believed it was some sort of black hole that brought us here." Said Julian.

"Black Hole?" Questioned Twilight. "What's that?"

"Well, It's a celestial body." Said Julian. "We know they exist because we can see their effects on the universe around them, but we can't actually detect them." He tried to explain. "When a star dies, it usually does it in one of two ways: explosion or implosion. When a star explodes it is known as a Supernova, they are one of the most cataclysmic events in the universe. They oftentimes consume their entire system when the expand. When stars implode, they will either shrink into a nuetron star until they fizzle out of existence, or they become a Black Hole."

He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.

"A Black Hole is when a star is compressed into a single point in space. All of the mass of a star being forced into such a small space creates high density, which in turn effects gravity. A Black Hole's gravity is so immense, that even light cannot escape it. Hence, Black Hole."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Cried a random pony. "If such an anomaly truly brought you here, wouldn't it have torn you apart with it's tremendous gravitational pull? And even if you happen to survive, what about it's effect on your planet? Is there even one there anymore!?"

"All very valid questions." Responded Julian. "And you may be right. What I meant to say, however, was the even that brought us here was a singularity, not necessarily an entire Black Hole."

"What do you mean by singularity?"

"That's a bit of a loaded question." Julian answered. "No one can ever really understand time. We know that it is fluid: not as linear as it appears to be." Julian smirked. "People assume that time is a strict proggression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more of a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey...stuff." Raquel couldn't keep the grin off her face as she tried to keep herself from laughing. Julian was faring no better, especially when he saw how the ponies were eagerly writing his words down.

"We know that time and space are one in the same. Albert Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity proved this.Theoretically, a Black Hole doesn't need to be a devastating force. Instead, they could be used to warp space-time to create the Einstein-Rosen Bridge. A wormhole, as theyy are more commonly known."

"How does this work, exactly?"

"Well, the easiest way to explain it would be: think of space-time as a fabric." He stepped over to a table and grabbed his neatly folded shirt and unfolded it. He handed one end to Raquel while he held the other end. "Now, it's been proven that time-space aren't fixed, as everyone believes it to be. When there are gravitational anomolies in space, they warp space-time." Julian grabbed one of the markers and placed it on the shirt. It's weight created a sinking effect on the shirt. "Stars, planets, whatever generates a gravitational field warps space and time. The more gravitational pull they have, the more they warp it. Black Holes create such a gravitational pull, that it bends space-time to the breaking point." To demonstrate his point, Julian lifted his leg and placed his foot into the shirt. He forced his foot through slowly, never lowering the shirt, and placing more stress on the fabric. Eventually, the shirt tore, and his foot went through.

Everyone in the room stood, speechless, looking at the pathetic article of clothing.

"Of course, this is all theoretical." Added Raquel. "And even if we passed through a tear in space-time and were tossed out of our universe, how did we end up in this one? Why are Julian and I not dead? Or floating through an endless void, between universes and dimensions?"

No one could answer. Even if they ever found out how they left, they would likely never know what brought them to their Universe.

Alejandro broke the uncomfortable tension with his wimpers. Raquel lifted him and held him close. She lowered him to her breast and allowed him to suckle, calming the infant.

No, it wasn't worth knowing, anyway. This was their home know.

Author's Note

Sorry this was late. I spent the weekend in Arizona, celebrating an Aunt's wedding.

It's hot as fuck over there!

Philosophy Through Film

This is a work of total fiction, made entirely for entertainment purposes. No money is gained from the production of this prose.

Julian was busy fiddling with his laptop. He was looking through his film collection, searching for movies that could help give the ponies an idea of earth cultures. They had moved from the laboratory, finally finishing up the physical and biological examinations. Now they were in an empty auditorium. It was large with a stage, and seats that rose up one level the further they were from the stage.

Behind him on the front row was Raquel who was bouncing an excited Alejandro on her lap. Filling the seats around her were the Elements of Harmony, the Princesses, Shining Armor, and several Philosophers and Sociology Proffessors. They all seemed eager to see human films and experience even a small part of their culture.

Of course, Twilight got excited and tried to question how the laptop worked, but Julian managed to convince her to wait on that particular aspect of Humanity.

"Now then, what kind of film is it that you want to see? Action? Adventure? Drama?" He questioned. Of course, everypony jumped up and yelled their own preferences. A few moments of yelling, Luna managed to silence everypony, before speaking up.

"Do you have any films that can highlight human morality? Something that will allow us to understand humans in extreme situations?" Luna said, highly interested. Celestia looked to her sister. She knew what she was doing, of course. Luna still felt guilty about herself becoming Nightmare Moon, and no doubt wanted to see what a human might have done in her horseshoes. Julian tapped his chin thoughtfully before he grinned.

"Yeah, I've got a movie like that." He said. He turned back to the computer and started to load it up. "It's one of my favorites. Before I show the film, do you guys have the concepts of the seven deadly sins?" Everypony shook their head. That confused Julian. Even without Christianity, the Sins were usually frowned upon no matter the culture. "Well, in some human religions there is a concept of the seven deadly sins. They are the sins that will bring ruination upon its practitioners. And if one does not repent then they are enough to condemn you to hell."

"The sins are Greed, Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Envy and Wrath." He explained. "The whole film is centered around them. Just so you guys aren't caught off guard, the film is pretty violent, and it centers around a Serial Killer." He warned.

Some ponies looked a little worried. Shining Armor, however, scoffed.

"I'm sure we can take a little violence." He commented confidently. Julian just shrugged.

"Well, if you're sure. Twilight, could you get on with it?" Twilight was going to enchant the laptop to project the screen onto the larger one behind the podium. The spell would also amplify sound.

Nodding her head, her horn sparked to life, and the laptop glowed with a purple hue as well. The wall behind it lit up.

"Great! This film is called 'Seven' and stars three of the greatest actors of all time, Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey. On with the show!" He clicked play and the film started.

The ponies wathced, horror and awe on their faces as they watched the scene unfold. The murderer had been caught, and was now the prisoner of the Detectives, but he managed to claim the life of the young man's wife.

They watched in disgust at the realization that the young man's wife's head rested in the box, delivered to them in mockery. They watched in sympathy as the young Detective Mills cried, demanding the contents of the box.

They looked on in horror as the young man executed the murderer and avenged his wife.

Finally the credits began to roll, and Julian stepped up and exited the video.

"So, what'd you think?"

"A-are there actually humans like that?" Muttered Fluttershy.

"You mean sociopathic serial killers?" Answered Julian. "Yeah. Crimes of this nature are actually fairly common amongst humans."

"But, why...?" Asked Twilight. She couldn't comprehend why anyone would simply kill indiscriminantly. Sure, there was the occasional tragedy, even amongst ponies. But, those were usually motivated by something. Greed, revenge, and even jealousy. But to kill just because you felt like it? Something must be wrong with humans.

"A lot of times, crime is fairly simple. The criminal wants to achieve a goal. Sometimes, there are humans who just do it for pleasure, to fuel their own egos" This time, Raquel answered. "Rape, for example. You guys know what rape is, right?" She asked. She was surprised when they responded negatively.

"Well, we told you that humans have sex for pleasure, right? Well rape is when a human forces another human to perform sexual acts." She explained. "Typically, a male will force a female to have sex with him. It is also one of the most heinous crimes a human can commit. The only thing considered to be worse than rape is murder." She added. "But, the strange thing about rape is that it isn't a sexually fueled crime. No one has ever been so attracted to another human that 'they couldn't help themselves.' Rape isn't about sex, its about power and dominace."

"So, some humans will simply commit heinous acts because they feel like it?" Questioned Celestia.

"Yeah. It's that simple. Although, many people like that have been found to be mentally unstable." Said Julian. "There is a condition known as sociopathy. Essentially, it means that a human is physically incapable of feeling emotions such as remorse, empathy, sympathy, and guilt. The neurons that connect in ones brain that enable you to feel those emotions never came together, so it is impossible for these humans to ever feel those types of emotions."

"Wait!" Interrupted Rainbow Dash. "You're saying that some humans CAN'T feel bad or anything? Like, no matter what they do they just don't care?"

"Nope. You can't grow a conscience." He said.

Silence reigned for several minutes. Perhaps pacifistic ponies were a band audience for human entertainment.

"What did you thing of Detective Mills's actions? Was he jstified in executing his wife's murderer? Or was it a simple act of vengeance?" He asked.

"His actions were unjustified, and disgusting." Said Celestia simply.

"Sister, how can you say that? His actions were that of a grieving stallion who just lost his family!" Demanded Luna.

"I understand he was grieving, and I understand the pain of losing one's family, but the killer was already captured. He would have been brought to justice properly, and if the state chose to execute him, that would have been fine. Detective Mills acted out of grief and rage unbecoming of a stallion of his character. He forsought justice for revenge and the only one who lost was himself. As extenuating as the circumstances were, I highly doubt he would simply be released after what he did." She said.

"The problem is you are speaking as a Princess, a leader and example to a nation. You need to think like a pony, with your heart. If a monster knowingly and purposefully murdered all those you hold dear, simply to satiate his or her own pleasure, and you had them at your mercy, you would stay your hoof?" Luna snorted and shook her head. "Nay, no sane being would allow that to pass. No sane being would walk away."

"You call me insane because I desire justice?"

Just like that, the room was divided into two opinions: Justice and Revenge.

Author's Note

I overestimated myself. I figured I would be able to properly introduce an argument of good vs. evil but it's way harder than I thought. No version I made was passable. So fuck it. I'll try again later, maybe introduce more philosophies, other than just western ones. Any ideas for good films to introduce to the ponies? Movies that highlight history, different human cultures, and, of course, philosophy are welcome.

And don't worry nerds, I will also include a chapter on superhero movies.

Maybe Ill use superheroes to examine the human element of Good vs. Evil. Hmmm....

Also, don't be too hard on Celestia. I always felt she was a "Lawful Good" CHaracter, so I tried to write her that way. Luna always seemed to be a "Chaotic Good" to me. Maybe I'll highlight some of that later...

Also you guys, check out my new story "Non Soli Vos." It's a sci-fi first contact story that features highly advanced humans in Iron Man suits. Give it a look and tell me what you think!

Realizations and Comics EDIT

IMPORTANT BLOG POST! PLEASE CLICK TO VIEW!

This is a work of total fiction, made entirely for entertainment purposes. No money is gained from the production of this prose.

After everypony calmed down, the all agreed to disagree. It seemed that even across universes the concept of good and evil was subjective. Some ponies agreed that, under extreme circumstances, some evil acts could be justified, while others believed that under no circumstances could they be accepted.

"What other films do you have that can give us insight towards human culture?" Asked Twilight.

"Well," Julian ran his fingers through his long hair, pulling it backwards. "I guess superheroes have been dominating pop culture recently." He thought out loud.

"Superheroes?" Queried Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah. Humans are relatively grounded when compared to other animals in the world. We can't fly, we aren't all that strong, we're not fast... Back in the early twentieth century, things like science fiction and fantasy were becoming popular, and they soon gave birth to superheroes. The idea is that a human will gain superhuman abilities, and he or she uses these abilities to help the world at large." Said Raquel.

"The adventures of these heroes are published in monthly periodicals called Comic Books. As the comics gained more popularity, filmmakers realized that they could exploit the popularity of these characters and make money off them. Superhero films have only recently become popular in the last decade, and it's all thanks to Marvel."

"Marvel, dear?" Asked Rarity.

"Marvel is a publishing company that prints comic books. They own hundreds of characters that they own the rights to. No other publishing company can print a character that it owned by them. They also have a film studio that works on bringing their characters to the big screen." Julian responded as he was busy loading up the films.

"How many of these publishing companies exist?" Asked Twilight.

"What, for comics? Dozens, I'm sure." He said. "But the two biggest companies are Marvel and DC."

"So, what films will you be showing us?"

"I'm going to introduce you guys to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many characters published by Marvel supposedly share a universe, it is called the Marvel Universe. Sometimes characters from different books will be crossed over and superheroes will team up. Marvel decided to create a Cinematic Universe that will culminate in an Avengers film. The Avengers being a superhero team." Julian explained. "Before showing you the Avengers film, there are origin films that you have to watch to understand the Universe that they share."

Raquel rolled her eyes. Julian was a big nerd sometimes. She loved superheros as much as the next person, and Marvel did an excellent job putting together their Cinematic Universe, but she wasn't crazy over the movies like he was.

"In order, the films i'll be showng you are The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and finally The Avengers."

"Can you tell us a bit about these characters before you start the films?" Asked Shining Armor.

"Sure, no problem." Said Julian. "Okay, The Hulk is a sad character. Basically, a brilliant scientist named Bruce David Banner is involved in an accident with Gamma Radiation. The radiation has the side affect of mutating him into a powerful green giant whenever he becomes too excited. In his giant form, also known as The Hulk, he has very little intelligence and is driven entirely by rage. Because of his incredible power, the American Military, who was funding his experiments, come after him in order to harvest whatever they can from him in order to create Super Soldiers. So, Dr. Banner is constantly on the run, never staying in one place for too long."

"Iron Man is another genius, Tony Stark, and the heir to a billion dollar weapons corporation. He's rich, handsome, intelligent and he gets all the girls. He's also an arragont narcissist with a drinking probalem. Because of his high profile he is captured by terrorists who try and force him to create a super weapon for them. Instead, he builds a high tech suit of armor to escape. He later uses it to combat injustice in the World."

"Thor is an Asgardian, not a human. He is banished to earth by his father for his arrogance and stripped of his power. After learning humility and calming his great temper, he becomes worthy of his gifts and ascends once again."

"Captain America is another Military invention. During World War 2, a young, patriotic Steve Rogers tries to join the Military to fight for what he considers to be justice. Unfortunately, he is small and weak and keeps getting turned away. A military scientist sees the good in Steve signs him up for a military experiment to create Super Soldiers. It makes Steve big, endows him with super strength, speed and agility, and he takes up the title of Captain America."

"On with the Show."

It was interesting to say the least.

The ponies were enthralled by films. All throughout The Incredible Hulk they were at the edge of their seats, hypnotized by the action and hoping to see more of the Hulk. Fluttershy even cried over the unfairness of Dr. Banner's life.

The Princesses, Twilight and Shining Armor were very interested in the Iron Man films, mostly because of the high tech weapons in the film. Twilight openly admired Tony Stark's brilliance, and his knowledge of mechanics and physics.

Rainbow Dash had seemingly fallen in love with Thor. It made sense, as they had similar personalities. As a pegasus, the idea of a Weather God intruiged her.

Even Shining Armor developed a strong admiration for Steve Rogers. As a soldier and a patriot, he probably identified with the Captain on a personal level.

Finally, there was The Avengers.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Cried Pinkie Pie. "The humans were all Woosh! And Iron Man was all Nnyoo! And Hulk was all Rraaagh! And Thor was all Kapow!" Pinkie ran around, pantomiming the actions of the Avengers.

"I enjoyed the femme fetale Natasha Romanoff. She is every bit as dangerous as she is beautiful." Said Rarity.

"Mr. Fury is an excellent leader and strategist. It's such a shame he is only a fictional character. I would have loved to talk over strategy with him." Said Celestia.

"A-actually, I felt bad for Loki." Whimpered Fluttershy. At everone's look, she 'eeped' and hid behind her mane. "It's just...um...well...he seemed so sad. All he wanted was to be seen by his father, who preferred Thor. He made dumb decisions only because he was desperate." She explained.

"I s'pose that's true." Agreed Applejack. "Though, I sure did enjoy seeing Hawkeye kick flank. Unlike the other Avengers, both he and Miss Romanoff didn't have any powers, just good old talent and tenacity. They'd make great Earth Ponies."

"Tch, all of your choices are lame! Thor kicked major flank. And he's a GOD! You can't beat that!" Claimed Rainbow.

"I think Mr. Stark is the best. He uses his genius to help solve problems. Dr. Banner is great too, but since he loses a lot of intelligence in his transformation, he is only a scion of destruction. Now, the Hulk with Dr. Banner's intelligence, that would be frightening." Said Twilight.

"I don't know, that Steve Rogers has a lot of heart. He might not be a genius, but he is smart. And he's super, not Godlike like Thor and Hulk, but he's the strongest human there, that's for sure."

"These stories are amazing. You must have talented writers in your world." Luna addressed the humans. "Films here in Equestria rarely go over fourty-five minutes, and are nowhere near as well put together."

"Yeah, humans are bored a lot of the time, so our entertainment has to be very engaging." Said Raquel.

"So I take it you guys enjoyed it?" Asked Julian.

"Oh, yes. And we get to learn what humans do for entertainment!" Said Twilight.

"You got any more superhero movies?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah I got some more. How would you guys like to experience the DC Universe now?" Asked Julian.

"So what's the difference between the DC Universe and the Marvel Universe?" Asked Cadence.

"Nothing really. It's just that each company owns certain characters. Though, DC tends to be a bit darker than Marvel. You'll see what I mean when I show you guys the Dark Knight Trilogy."

"Alright. And what, pray tell, is a Dark Knight?" Asked Luna.

"Alright, here's a quick rundown: Basically, there's a very wealthy family, the Wayne Family, who own a multi-billion dollar company. The heir to the family, Bruce Wayne, unfortuantely watches as his parents are murdered before him by a petty criminal. This traumatizes him and he develops a hatred for criminals and a desire to bring justice to the streets of Gotham City. This drive festers in him for years as he starts wandering the world, practicing martial arts. Soon after, he returns to his home in Gotham City and becomes a vigilante. He uses trickery and deception to confuse his enemies. He uses the darkness and the night to hide him. He dresses up in advanced body armor to protect himself and he dresses it up to look like a bat."

"A bat?" Asked Rarity.

"Why would he dress up like a bat?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Because he is afraid of bats. In the film, he says: 'Bats frighten me. It's time my enemies share my dread.'" Explained Julian.

Their reactions were...interesting.

Instead of the awe that came from observing other superheroes, they were mostly shocked.

They were disgusted with the state of Gotham. The idea that a civilization could be so corrupt, from the police to the highest jugde, was incomprehensible to them. It went against everything they believed in.

Police were meant to protect the people, not extort and threaten. Judges were meant to be fair and just, not taking bribes.

It was an affront to everything just in the world.

Even Celestia could agree that Bruce Wayne was just in his methods. He worked outside the system, but in such a way that allowed the few good people in the system to properly punish the wrongdoers in a court of law.

What horrified them the most were the villains.

The Scarecrow was indeed a frightening foe. The idea of facing an enemy that could force you to view your worst nightmare was not a very comfortable one.

And Ra's al Ghul and his League Of Shadows were even more terrifying. A group so old and well connected they could infiltrate any government on a whim? As leaders, that idea horrified the princesses. Honestly, it made them a little paranoid. Were all of their subjects completely loyal? Or did some serve with ulterior motives?

Justice no matter the cost. At what point did it stop being justice?

Perhaps the most frightening villain of all was The Joker.

Suddenly, Celestia felt very appreciative of Discord's brand of chaos. If Discord truly desired, he could do much more damage. The Joker was an insane, and extremely brilliant individual. As much as he preached about chaos, he was cold, manipulative tactician. He truly lived up to his title of the Agent of Chaos.

And Bane? He was an extension of the League of Shadows. All for the sake of Justice.

How could these humans be so deranged? Every villain in Equestria was tame when compared to the villains of Earth---even the fictional ones!

Discord, Nightmare Moon, Sombra, Chrysalis---they all desired to rule. They wanted to usurp those in power and place themselves at the top.

That was the worst they had to fear in Equestria.

The humans however, existed in a world where the villains didn't desire wealth or power. No, they wanted death and destruction.

Just because it was fun.

Discretely, the ponies stole glances at the humans. Raquel and Julian were playing with baby Alejandro. Raquel would bounce him in her lap, while Julian was making faces at him. The baby would light up and giggle at his arents antics.

They looked like a happy family.

They didn't look evil, or violent. Even though they admitted that they wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who threatened their family, the ponies couldn't see them as fearsome creatures.

But they were.

As entertaining as the films were, the ponies more than had their fill of the action and violence. In fact, it was too much. The humans loved conflict and had a fascination with death. Even their love stories had to have it.

Titanic had an enormous body count.

And Romeo and Juliet? They ended up killing themselves off!

As much as they looked like a happy little family, the ponies prayed that nothing happened to threaten their happiness.

They didn't want to know what would happen if something were to upset their human friends.

Author's Note

I know I said I was going to include a chapter with pop culture, but I fell like this kind of got away from me?

Did I go on too much about comics and stuff?

I wanted to give the ponies insight into our violent culture. Everything that we love has violence in it! Films, music, art, sports, even our religions are violent. Poeple sometimes say that calling humans a Warrior race is cliche and an overused trope, but frankly it's true.

You might think it's not but c'mon, you guys know you would punch me in the face if I said something about your moms.

Humans are violent.