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.
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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.
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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.