>You sit cross legged at a rather small table, sipping a cup of coffee. Two spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of milk, just the way you like it.
>After you came to, this... "Twilight Sparkle" thing had her companions, as well as the three smaller ones that you had rescued, show up to help clarify some things you had some questions about, as well as introduce themselves to you.
>You glanced around the table, eyeing the multicolored equines with some reservation. This was just too damn weird.
>You sigh, setting down your cup of coffee.
"So, uh... Twilight, right?"
>The indigo-hued pony perks her head up at the mention of her name, setting down a book she had been glancing at. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a catalogue of the various creatures that inhabited the "Everfree Forest"; the place where you had been living in the past week or so.
"Just what ARE you? In my entire life, I've never seen a horse that could talk."
>Twilight frowned at the word "horse", and immediately corrected you. "Pony."
"Pardon?"
>"I'm a PONY, thank you very much. A Unicorn, to be specific."
"Pony. Right, sorry. I know it might seem kinda obvious at this point, but I am not from around here."
>"No kidding." was the sarcastic reply from one of the ponies, a blue pegasus with one crazy, multicolored mane.
>"Rainbow Dash, hush!" came the chastising reply from the purple one, Twilight.
 
>You take another sip of coffee, unsure of what else to say.
>Damn, this was uncomfortable.
>Finally, after a moment of silence, you speak up.
"So... mind telling me a bit about yourselves? I'd at least like to know the names of the, uh... Ponies that saved my life."
>And so the nine diminutive equines, plus the one dragon, introduced themselves, starting with Twilight Sparkle, then came Spike, the dragon. Then came Applejack, an "Earth Pony", as Twilight called her. She was followed by the boundless bubbly ball of energy called Pinkie Pie, then by Rainbow Dash, a Pegasus. Then you were introduced to the prim and proper Rarity, whom had been eyeing your clothes, or rather, what was left with them, with what could be called distaste. Finally, you were intoduced to the aptly named pegasus, Fluttershy.
>Your attention was then turned to the three fillies, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. First was Apple Bloom, the younger sister of Applejack, and an Earth Pony. Then there was Sweetie Belle, sister to Rarity. Finally, there was Scootaloo, who, shockingly enough, WASN'T related to any of the other ponies.
>"So..." began Applejack, eyeing you, unsure of what to think of you. "Mind tellin' us jus' what YOU are? Give us a name, maybe? We jus' can't go sayin' 'hey you' all the time, ya know."
>Damn, she had a point there.
 
>You look around the table, unsure of what to really say. Applejack had a point; They all introduced themselves to you, so it was only fair that you did the same.
"Alright then... My name's Anonymous, and I'm a human."
>There was a murmur of confusion from the group of ponies. Apparently, none of them had heard of a "human" before.
>Twilight, however, had slunk away from the others, and re-emerged, levitating a large, dusty tome over the table. With a dull thud, the book was unceremoniously dumped onto it. Craning your head, you could read the words on the spine of the massive manuscript.
"'Myths of Equestria: An Encyclopedia of Legendary Creatures'?"
>Twilight Sparkle nodded as her horn lit up once more, opening the weathered book, flipping through the pages as she spoke. "That's right, Anonymous. While you were sleeping, I had been looking through all the books I could find on all the animal found in Equestria, trying to find a creature that looked like you, and found nothing. Not even in 'Creatures of our Past: Extinct Animals of Equestria'. So I got an idea. If you weren't something that existed in our world before, then perhaps you were a creature that might not exist at all. That's why I decided to look through this book."
>You, along with the other ponies peered over her head as she flipped through the pages, watching as she slowed down upon reaching the "H" section. Everyone's eyes, including yours, went wide as she stopped on a section that read "Human Beings", complete with a detailed drawing of a human male and female.
"Well, I'll be damned."
 
 
>Twilight cleared her throat as she began reading through the entry, all eyes on her.
>"It says here that Human Beings were legendary creatures that brought culture into our world, giving us the gift of speech, as well as granting the Earth Ponies their amazing strength, the Pegasi their ability to fly, and the Unicorns their mastery over magic."
>There was an "Ooh" and "Aah" from the group, the ponies looking from you, then to the book, and then to you again. You laugh nervously. As far as you knew, you were like a GOD to these Ponies, yet you yourself knew that it was the farthest thing from the truth. Then again, you could move faster, jump higher, and think more clearly than you had before ever since you arrived here. Intrigued, you continue to listen to Twilight's explanation.
>"Human beings, like Ponies, come in all shapes and sizes. Though they are incapable of flight like the Pegasi, it is said that their vast intellect could allow them to devise a machine that could easily allow them to do so."
>"Hah! I'd like to see him try!" came Rainbow Dash's reply. You didn't argue; You were no aeronautics engineer, that was for sure.
>Twilight glared at her tomboyish companion for a moment before continuing. "It is also said that the Humans were capable of performing very powerful and elaborate spells with the aid of a focusing device, which allowed them to channel the innate magic from their surroundings, allowing them to bend it to their will."
>Twilight looked up from the book, eyed you up and down, shrugged, and continued. You weren't sure, but you felt that you should feel insulted right about now.
 
>"But..." she paused, turning the page. "The Humans are mainly known for their adaptability, and ability to craft tools from almost anything to suit their needs."
>You nod at this; that much was true. Heck, you managed to craft a spear that you used to fish in that one river, right along with...
"Baloo!"
>Oh Jesus, how could you forget?! He had been flicked like a booger to god knows where in the forest, and here you were, chatting it up with these ponies, while your blue bear bud could be bleeding out for all you knew!
>"Um..." came the whispering voice of Fluttershy, who "eeped" when you made eye contact with you. "W-Who's Baloo?"
"I think you guys might have seen him when I was fighting that big purple bear monster."
>"You mean that Ursa Major?" said Twilight.
"Yeah. He's a bear like that thing, except he was much smaller, and, well... blue."
>"Oh!" squeaked Fluttershy as her eyes lit up in recognition. "You mean that poor Ursa Minor? We asked Miss Zecora to look after him."
>"Yeah..." said Applejack, rubbing her chin, deep in thought. "And as ah recall, she seemed all too fine with takin' care of that big ol' feller. In fact, she seemed real innerested in you as we were carryin' you back to th' library."
>Your eyes widen. You just HAD to know if your friend was alright. You grasp Fluttershy by the forelegs, holding them up as you speak to her.
"Can you tell me where this Zecora lives?"
>You're met with unintelligible sputterings as Fluttershy tries, and fails to speak, her face having gone as red as a tomato in the process.
 
>Applejack catches her limp form, preventing her from collapsing on the spot, Twilight turns to you, clearly concerned.
>"Well, we could, but..." she begins, unfortunately, she's cut short as you grip her forelegs much in the same way. You're shaking at this point, barely able to keep your emotions in check.
"But WHAT?"
>Applejack places a hoof on your shoulder, and shakes her head. You sigh, and release her from your grip. Twilight takes a moment to process what just happened before she continues. "Well, we could, but you're still too injured to go out into the Everfree Forest. You need to rest."
>You sigh. That made sense. You hated that it made sense.
>Releasing your grip on her, you sit back down, looking at the ponies that had gathered around Twilight almost as though it was on reflex.
"I'm sorry. It's just... I'm worried about him, you know?"
>There was an understanding smile and a nod from Twilight, which seemed to relax the other ponies.
>"It's fine, Anonymous--"
>"Anon. You guys can call me Anon if you want."
>"Er, right." she says. "Anyway, it's fine, Anon. Right now, you just need to rest; we can go visit Zecora tomorrow if you want."
>You smile and say your thanks before trudging back upstairs, and slumping onto the bed. Sleep sounded real good right about now...
 
>Your sleep is plagued with dreams and visions of a strange creature; a mishmash of various animal parts, of the ponies, sans the little fillies that you met today, with what looks like the shattered ramains of some kind of... jewelry, or something, facing off against this strange beast, whose words you couldn't make out, but his voice reminded you, oddly enough, of Q from Star Trek.
>There was one more figure in your dream. Squinting your eyes, it was a clearly humanoid figure, your eyes widening when you figure out just who it is.
>It's you, clad in some mildly ornate robes, a staff with a gem embedded into the top shining in your hands as what you think is electricity crackles around, well... YOU.
>You can't tell just what you're saying but whatever it was, it summoned what looked a HELL of a lot like a Kamehameha Wave from the palm of your hand, sending the beast skyward, past the moon, and into the stars.
>You jolt awake with a start, looking at your surroundings when a soft moan causes you to glance downward, where Twilight Sparkle seemed to have fallen asleep while watching you.
>You smile; when she's not talking all the time, she did look sorta cute...
>No. NO! You smack your head multiple times, in an attempt to purge the thoughts from your mind.
>As you do so, a tingling in your injured arm causes you to look at it; It didn't hurt, just... tingled.
"Man, I wish this cast would come off already..."
>Almost instantaneously, the bandages wrapped around your arm unravel, revealing an intact arm. You blink, and stare at your hand; this was the hand you were holding that staff in your dream.
>You groan. You were going to have one hell of a time explaining this to Twilight.