I woke up to darkness, though it wasn't unusual. I had an odd habit of waking up around 3 a.m. every morning, and I had grown used to it. I didn't feel like trying to go back to sleep though, so I got up and stretched out my sore muscles. I grabbed the remains of my shirt and jacket and put them on; inwardly cringing at the large hole I could feel in the both of them. I felt kinda bad about yelling at the Crusaders, but I knew it wasn't totally unjustified. Either way, I needed to do something until the others woke up. I stepped saw a ladder that led up into a hay loft and decided to climb up. It was nice up here; the breeze coming in made it cool, but not chilly. I sat down, hanging my legs out of the hole/window that barns had in order to toss hay down to the ground. Taking up a pose reminiscent of "The Thinker," I did precisely as the title stated; I thought. I sat and began thinking of ways I could've come here, ways I could get home, things to do, things I should do, and just random thoughts in general.

"John?" A voice knocked me out of my reverie, "Ya in here?" Applejack asked loudly. She had probably discovered my empty bed and was concerned.

I popped my head over the edge of the loft, "Morning Applejack." I said, climbing down, "We headed back into Ponyville soon?"

"Yep," She replied, "Right after breakfast," she smiled at me warmly, "But first, I have some ponies who owe you an apology." She stepped aside, revealing Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looking at the ground, ashamed. Scootaloo, meanwhile, was pouting and didn't look at me, though this didn't bother me as it was on par with her character. I crossed my arms and cocked my eyebrow as the three of them walked forward.

"We're sorry fer rippin' up yer stuff," Applebloom said, "We didn' know it wus important."

"Indeed," Sweetie Belle chimed (get the pun?), "Had we known of your situation, we wouldn't have done what we did." Her speech made the corner of my mouth twitch into a smirk, it was cute hearing her speak so formally.

Scootaloo huffed and looked away until her friends nudged her, "Sorry." She mumbled, looking down. I crouched down if front of the three of them, looking at each in turn. I raised my hand and they flinched, closing their eyes, waiting for me to hit them. I saw Applejack take a concerned step towards me, but I smiled and she stopped. I then quickly flicked each filly hard in the forehead, and then chuckled.

"That," I said as they rubbed their heads, "Is for ruining my clothes." Then I grabbed the three of them and hugged them gently, "And this," I said softly, "Is me saying sorry for scaring you last night." I could feel Applebloom and Sweetie Belle returning the hug while Scootaloo wriggled around a bit before doing the same. I let them go on their merry way after a few more seconds and then turned to Applejack who was smiling softly.

"Shoot John, yer just a huge softie, aren't ya?" She giggled softly, passing me another bowl of oatmeal and apple slices.

I blushed a bit, taking the bowl, "Yeah, yeah, I'm a big teddy bear." I mumbled, downing the mix. I was a big softy in general, but having people comment on it made me blush. I finished the food and handed Applejack the bowl, then stood up and stretched again, "So Applejack," I turned towards her, "Who am I being entrusted to today?" I asked.

Somehow Applejack had the empty bowl balanced atop her hat, "Rarity'll be takin' you fer today. Ah'll take you down there soon, just wait here fer a sec." I nodded and watched her leave, and then noticed the large pile of hay in front of the barn. There was also a ladder propped up against the side of the barn that led to the roof. Now normally I would be questioning how a pony would use a ladder, but I was too busy starting a stupid idea to bother.

Standing on top of the barn, I saw Applejack galloping towards me, "John! What in the hay are you doin?" She shouted up at me.

"Something really, really stupid or really, really fun!" I shouted back, "I'll let you know when I find out!" I took a step back, and then jumped off the edge. I hung in the air for what felt like a few minutes, and then quickly found myself inside a large pile of hay.

I crawled out and lifted my arms up high, "WOO!" I shouted before laughing like a maniac for a few seconds.

Applejack came over and hit me in the arm, "Yer a darned fool!" She scolded, "Ya coulda been hurt!"

I shrugged and started walking, "Could've, but I wasn't, so nothing to do about it now." I said, smiling like a little devil. I heard Applejack huff then trot up beside me.

As I picked hay out of my hair and clothes, Applejack looked at the hole in the back of my shirt and jacket, "Ah'm sure Rarity can fix that fer ya." She said, trying to sound reassuring.

I sighed bit, then shrugged, "It's fine dear, really." I plucked at the ruined clothes, "I'm sure Rarity would love to make clothes for me, seeing as I actually have to change them almost every day."

"Every DAY?" Applejack sounded incredulous, "Why in the hay d'you hafta do that?"

I rubbed my chin for a second, "Well," I began as Ponyville came into sight, "You wash your coat almost every day because it gets dirty, yeah?" I asked rhetorically. She nodded regardless, "Well it's like that in a way, only I need to put on a new "coat" every day so I can stay clean," I toyed with my hair, "Though I need to take a bath or something too, otherwise I'll start to stink something fierce." I figured I would find a river or something, jump in, and try to wash off the worst of it.

"Hmm," Applejack pondered the concept for a second, "Ah guess that makes sense. Still sounds kinda weird ta me though." She shrugged and led me through the streets of Ponyville towards Rarity's boutique. I was pleased to see the only looks I was getting now were from fillies on their way to school, but it was cute, so I let it slide without incident. Applejack and I continued to talk as we walked through town, just about this and that, general stuff. I occasionally asked a question about life on Sweet Apple Acres, which Applejack was more than happy to answer. Soon the Carousel Boutique came into view, in all its well designed glory. I gave Applejack a hug that she returned (interesting fact, she smells like apples and cinnamon), then she went on her way back to the Acres to start her day's work. I turned and went up to the door of the Boutique and knocked a few times, then waited. I looked inside one of the windows, admiring the level of expertise that Rarity had in her designs. I heard the door open and saw a familiar purple coif in the doorway.

"Ah, I assume Applejack went back to the farm, yes?" Rarity asked, looking around, "Fine, fine. Come in then dear." She held the door open for me and I gave a small bow of thanks as I walked by, "Oh my! What happened to your back?" I guess she saw the holes in my clothes.

I chuckled weakly, and then gave a summary of what had happened while Applejack had taken me in for the night, "So now I have to say a few things," I said, once I had finished reciting my lament, "The first is I wanted to apologize for the other night. While I'm sure you'll say its fine or something like that, it was pretty obvious I insulted you, so I wanted to apologize for that."

"It really is fine dear," Rarity said, then she smiled, "However, I appreciate your apology. It is difficult to find someone who is willing to own up to their mistakes so readily nowadays."

I smiled, and then cleared my throat, "Then next thing is that I have to ask you for a favor. See, I kinda have to wear clothes every day, as I don't have a fur coat, so I was hoping you could help me out with that." I looked down, rubbing my neck, "I'll be happy to compensate you for the cost of the materials, but for that I need to ask a second favor." I looked up and smiled, "Of course, we'll have to see how you do with the clothes first, since it'll be your first time making human clothes."

Rarity looked at me for a second with those azure blue eyes of hers, "Hmmm," She hummed softy, pacing around me, "Well, I do enjoy a challenge and, quite frankly," She sounded very excited, "I don't get near enough business here in Ponyville. I mean, I get orders from Canterlot, so it's not like I struggle, but I get rather bored in between." She finished walking and stood in front of me, a gleam in her eye, "I'll be more than happy to help you out darling."

I breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm happy to hear that Rarity, I really am. So, is there anything you want to do first or…" I let my sentence trail off as I saw her magic a measuring tape and a pad of paper, quickly figuring out what she had in mind.

"I'll need your measurements darling," She stepped closer to me, sniffed the air, then stepped back, "Ugh, perhaps after you bathe then." She put the pad and measuring tape onto a table, "Follow me dear." She started going upstairs with me trailing close behind. As we went through her home, I couldn't help but admire her sense of style. I'm not saying it was to my tastes, as my tastes in décor and clothing are rather odd, but I can recognize quality when I see it. Rarity opened a door and stood aside to let me in, though I was rather surprised when I did enter. I was not surprised at the luxury of the bathroom, it WAS Rarity's so luxury was to be expected, no, what surprised me was how similar it was to a human bathroom. A rather opulent human bathroom mind you, but it was similar nonetheless.

"Alright darling, the shower is over there, the left handle is for hot, the right is for cold," Rarity walked over to a small linen closet and grabbed a towel, "There is soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash on the shelf there," She gestured to a shelf along the back of the shower, "Feel free to take your time darling. I dare say you must have gotten yourself quite filthy over the past few days."

I chuckled as she exited the bathroom, and proceeded to get undressed and hop in the shower. The warm water was heavenly on my sore muscles, instantly relieving the tension in them. I looked over at the shelf to try and find some shampoo, but quickly realized that I had quite a few choices ahead of me. I decided on "Mane & Withers," hoping it was similar to the shampoo I used back home. The color and scent were the same, so I decided to just get on with the washing and hope for the best. I heard the door open and popped my head out to see Rarity walk in.

"Hey, y'need something Rarity?" I asked, curious as to her sudden appearance.

"Well yes, darling." She said, pulling out a quill and paper, "I was going to ask you about your clothes: how many of each you needed and what requirements you had for them. After all, I need to create something you would actually enjoy wearing, yes?" Her smile was a soft and I returned it in kind.

"Fair enough," I said with a shrug, pulling my suds covered head back into the shower, "I guess we'll go in layers," I said over the sound of the water, "First layer: Y'see that dark red piece with the grey band on top? Those are boxer briefs, I need at least one for each day of the week, and they have to be made of a gentle material. Color is pretty unimportant, so whatever you like."

"Alright," I could hear her scratching down some notes, "Though I must ask, why?"

I paused for a second, trying to find the right words, "It provides support and cover for my more personal areas." I replied slowly.

"Personal areas?" Rarity asked. Of course, nothing in Equestria wore anything to cover their nethers (Which was really awkward when I first got here, let me tell you) so the concept was probably odd to her.

I groaned softly, "My genitals Rarity, they are used to support and cover my genitals." I pinched the bridge of my nose and grabbed the bar of soap beside me, "That aside," I swear I could hear her blushing, "The next part of layer one is a shirt, that solid white bit. It can have long or short sleeves, but it needs to be able to breathe. For those I usually wear solid colors, any will do really, and I'll need at least seven, again, one for each day of the week."

"I see, alright," she replied, "And the purpose of a "shirt" is?" She questioned.

"It keeps my upper torso warm," I replied, "Also, it's something that we had to have in my world, except in a few circumstances, but I'll tell you about those later." I scrubbed my arms and back, "The third and final bit of layer one are those two white things with the grey bits at either end. They're called socks and I need seven pairs, and they're usually white, but I'm not terribly picky about color." I gave my legs a good scrubbing as she jotted that down, "They keep my feet warm and prevent my shoes from giving me blisters." I decided to go the extra mile and grabbed a bottle of conditioner.

"My goodness," Rarity said, "And that's just the first layer? You humans are an odd bunch." She said, though she didn't mean anything bad by it.

"Yeah, we are." I agreed, fingers going through my hair, "Alright, good news is that there is just one other layer, and it's pretty simple."

"Very well then," Rarity said as I washed out the conditioner, "Go on."

"Well, those dark blue things? Those are pants, specifically jeans. Often made from cotton or denim, they cover my legs and have pockets for storage. For those, I need three or four sets, and I prefer earthy colors, or dark blue. Oh," I remembered the job I had in mind, "And pockets, they usually have four, up around the hips, but I want, like, ten. I'll explain why in a minute." I turned off the water and grabbed the towel she had laid out for me, first drying my hair, then wrapping it around my waist and stepping out.

"Alright, that's all well and good I suppose," She said, as I grabbed my clothes, "Shall we go back downstairs? Feel free to continue while we walk." She went off and I was quick to follow.

"Fine fine, last bit is a jacket," I held out the tattered remains of my old hoodie, "This is for more insulation, made of thicker, heavier material to keep warmth in and cold out. It has a hood to keep my head warm, and for this I'd like darker, richer colors." We were, once again, in the main area of the Boutique, "That's all of it I suppose." I paused, "Well, there are other, more custom and specific pieces, but that's all I need for now."

"Very well then," Rarity said, "Could I take your old clothes? For reference I mean, after all, this will be my first time making things like these, and I'd like to make them as accurately as possible." I nodded and held out the bundle which she lifted and separated with her magic, placing them on an empty table, "Alright, now all I need is to take your measurements." She lifted the measuring tape with her magic and walked towards me. I lifted my arms and spread my legs a bit, tightening the towel around my waist before I did so, and let Rarity do her thing. She was done quickly, a mark of her professionalism, and went over to my old clothes.

"These are mostly made from cotton, correct?" She asked, looking back at me. When she saw me nod, she turned back to the table; "Alright, I should have the first layer done quickly enough, though I will need you to grab a few things for me every so often, understand?" he put on her glasses and smiled. Again I nodded, "Lovely. So why did you want all those pockets on your, what did you call them, "Pants?"" She asked.

I rubbed my neck and watched her scrutinize my old clothes, "Well, to hold things. See, I was gonna try and be an errand boy for the Ponies in town by grabbing things they couldn't normally get themselves."

"Whatever do you mean darling?" Rarity had summoned a bolt of cloth, "Much of what we need is readily available."

"Yeah well," Here came the hard part, "I was going to gather stuff from the Everfree Forest."

She turned so quickly I'm surprised she didn't get whiplash, "Why would you want to do that?" She asked incredulously, "It's dangerous in the Everfree! Not to mention one could get lost quite easily!" She seemed to be honestly concerned for my well being, which made my smile on the inside.

"Well," I began, "The thing is that I know there's stuff in the Everfree that ponies want but can't get. I know how to defend myself, so I figured use what I know and get the things ponies want and charge'em for it. Like a mail-order kinda thing: They give me a list of what they want, we hash out a price, I get it, they pay me. Simple as that."

"Dear, while I respect your wanting to find a job, it is still dangerous to go without something to protect you!" Rarity insisted.

"That's where that second favor comes in," I started slowly, "Rarity, how good are you at working with metals?" She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "I wanted to put metal plates on a pair of gloves," I pinched the bridge of my nose, anticipating her question, "Gloves are like socks for your hands, but have bits that fit my fingers," I wiggled my digits in front of her, "They would have to be almost up to my elbows, and I want them so I could defend myself if it were necessary." I jabbed the air in front of me a few times to prove my point.

Rarity sighed, "Lets finish your clothes first, then we'll see, alright?" She smiled at me and I sighed in relief. At least she was considering it, that much made me happy. For those of you who are thinking I was jumping into work too quickly, I want you to understand that I am a "Expect the Worst, Hope for the Best" kind of guy. While I truly did want to go home, I knew that the possibility may not be there for a while, or ever. If it took a while or never came around, I wanted to be able to get along by myself without relying on the Mane 6 to help me.

The next couple of hours were filled with Rarity sewing my new outfit together while I grabbed bolts of cloth and various tools for her while making sure my towel didn't fall to the ground. When she finished I went into a dressing room, then stepped out, wearing my new duds: A white t-shirt under a dark blue hoodie, fairly comfy underwear, black jeans that had tons of pockets and a fresh pair of socks.

I stepped in front of a mirror and posed, "Damn," I said with a smile, "I look gooood." I strutted around a bit, then pulled my shoes on.

Rarity giggled at my behavior, "I am happy to know that they meet your tastes. This experience has given me some ideas for new some new pony outfits, but I'll get to those once I finish your clothes." Rarity waved me over to a work bench, "Now darling, while I can do nothing with metals," She traced my hand and forearm onto a sheet of paper, then had me turn so she could trace the other arm, "There are a few things I can do that will work just as well." She whipped together a pair of gloves quicker than I could have believed, while she did have magic it was impressive nonetheless, "There, this material should serve you well." I slipped the gloves on, surprised at the texture, "They are made of a plant fiber that was dried then oiled, so they're tough and waterproof." My surprised increased at that, since the stuff felt just like leather. I would've commented on that, but I held my tongue since the idea of wearing animal skin for clothing may have upset her and everyone within earshot. Rarity walked over to a chest and propped it open, revealing a large cache of jewels. While I could recognize a few of them, others looked quite foreign to me.

"Umm, no offense Rarity, but bejeweling the gloves won't help much. I mean, I could crack a few teeth, but gems are pretty brittle." I knelt by the chest and was going to stick my hand in when Rarity put her hoof on my hand.

She shook her head, "Believe me dear, you do not want to do that." I brought my hand back and looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Now you would normally be correct: Gems would be terrible for protecting oneself. However," She levitated a few of the gems from the chest, "These are not normal gems. Quite the opposite, they are enchanted gemstones. Each one has a different effect, so sticking your, hand was it? Yes? Your hand into a chest filled with them would be unwise." She placed the gems onto a table next to her, using her magic to root through the chest.

"Ok, fair enough, that would be better," I nodded, "But I have to ask: Why do you have a chest filled with enchanted gems?"

"You remember when I told you about my business from Canterlot, yes?" I nodded, "Well, on occasion, somepony will ask for a piece that has some sort of special effects. Usually for parties or a play, so I attach the appropriate gem and there you go, now you glow when its dark out, or you can shoot harmless sparks from your hooves." She grabbed two similar gems, simple square cuts, with each corner colored, though one had red corners, the other had green, "These, for example, are actually quite common. If you look closely at a school-filly's bag, you would probably see this one attached to it somewhere," She held up the one with red corners, "It is commonly known as a Homing Stone. Fairly basic magic really, you just attune it to a location and it will constantly point to that spot." Her horn glowed brightly for a second then quickly died out, "There, now it will always point you back towards the center of Ponyville. You'll be able to change the homing location, but this should do for now." She magicked the gloves off my hands and began to attach the Homing Stone to the back of the right one, "The other gem, with the green corners, is a Locator Stone. Fairly simple really, you don't even need magic to make it work. Just have the pony put their forehead against the gem, focus very hard on what it is they want found, and then it will start pointing towards whatever it is they want." She started attaching the Locator Stone to the back of the other glove, "The drawback is that it will only start finding the object once you get within a certain distance of it, so you will need to know the general area at least." Rarity then pulled out two small bags, one filled with orangey-brown gems, the other filled with smaller gems that seemed to be individually wrapped in cloth.

"I get the Locator and Homing Stones," I picked up one of the orange-brown gems, "But what are these?"

"Aside from being utterly fabulous for fall dresses," Rarity began, magically plucking the gemstone from my hand, "They will protect you. They are Shield Stones, or Miner's Spite. They naturally produce a small field that forces away anything that approaches it beyond a certain speed. Miners despise the stuff because it requires them to blast it out of the ground."
"Neat." I replied, watching her spread a few of the stones over the rest of the gloves, including the fingers, "Why aren't they used by the Royal Guard or something?" I asked.

"The effect spreads over a very small area," Replied Rarity, scrutinizing the gloves, "While larger ones produce a bigger "shield" one would need a gem the size of Owlicious just to have a barrier that was two or three feet at its widest point." She pulled out two of the cloth covered gems, "These gems are a curiosity," she pulled the cloth off of one, revealing a small, rectangular, blood red gem, "Spark Rocks. If two or more touch, they will constantly produce sparks until separated. Useful, but one must be cautious when transporting them, as they could easily start a fire." Rarity attached these to the inside of the wrist on the gloves, "There, that should do for now. You can find your way back, find what your looking for, and start a fire if you need too." Rarity gave me a tired smile that reminded me of my mothers own smile in a way. I put a hand on my chest as my heart twitched in pain.

Pushing the thought out of my head, I bowed in respect, "Thank you so much Rarity, I promise to repay you for this." I straightened up, "I'm curious though: Why does a dress maker know so much about enchanted stones?"

"Why does a doctor know so much about medicine darling?" She asked, though I could hear the sarcasm, "Simply because he must to do what he does. I must know as much as possible about gems, magic or not, as I use them frequently. If I were to unknowingly use a gem that had dangerous properties on a dress then somepony could be hurt. Naturally I would not want that." She chuckled a bit and levitated my newly blinged out gloves over to me, "How do they feel now?" She asked.

I slipped them on and flexed my hands, "Hmm, a bit heavier, but not uncomfortable." I held my arm up, Shield side out, "Try chucking something at me." I said. Rarity rolled her eyes, but used her magic to toss a metal spool at the glove. I was excited to see the spool fly back, though I was even more excited at the fact that I didn't feel any sort of impact.

I brought my arms down and looked at the gloves, "Okay, that is one of the coolest things I have ever seen ever." I noticed the Homing Stone had a red line pointing from the center out towards, what I assumed was, the center of Ponyville. The Locator Stone wasn't doing anything, though it made sense since it wasn't set to look for anything yet.

Rarity stretched out her legs and neck, "Oh goodness, that was fun," She shook her head a bit and took her glasses off, "What say you and I go out to eat? I'm in no mood to cook and I'm sure you're hungry." I was going to object, but the thought of food caused my stomach to let out a traitorous growl, "That settles that, come along John." Rarity walked out and I followed, glaring at my stomach, though I didn't expect it to apologize. As we walked I answered Rarity's barrage of fashion related questions, though my knowledge on the subject was limited to what I saw day to day, and I knew nothing about high fashion, but she didn't need to know that. It turned out that Rarity had taken me to a small outdoor diner, probably the one Twilight had found herself at during the whole Gala ticket issue. We went up to a table and I was thankful to see an upright log set up to be used as a seat. Props to ponies for being able to stand all day, but I was not designed to do that. I looked around a bit as Rarity daintily looked through menu, an activity that I did not know one could do daintily, but there you go. As I saw ponies I recognized I smiled, then jumped a bit as I felt something poke my lower back. I turned and didn't see anything around the normal height, so I looked down as saw, to my eternal delight, Ruby Pinch. I paused for a moment as my brain shut down from cute overload, then squatted down to see what the little filly was up to. She still had saddlebags on her back, so she must have just gotten out of school.

I gently tapped her on the side, "Hey there little one," I said when she looked up at me, "Whatcha doin'?"

She looked down again, scanning from left to right frantically, "I dropped my homework and I can't find it and if I don't do it Miss Cheerilee will get mad and she'll tell my mom and then she'll get mad and-" I put my gloved hand up as she began to get teary eyed.

"Chill out for a sec, breathe." I said, smiling softly, "Alright, how about I help you find your homework?"

She sniffled a bit and looked up at me, "You'd really help?" she said, smiling brightly.

"I could never say no to a cute face." I chuckled holding up my left hand, "Alright, just put your forehead on this gem and think about your homework real hard, alright?" I said, smiling

as the little filly closed her eyes and pushed against the gem in concentration.

I looked up at Rarity as the filly focused, "Sorry Rarity, do you mind if I help her out a bit?" I asked, concerned that she would be upset.

Rarity giggled a bit, "Applejack was right, you are a big softy," She nodded and smiled, "Alright, you can help her, but I want you back at the Boutique as soon as your done, agreed?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "Yes Mom." I looked back at Ruby Pinch, "Ready to find your homework?" I asked, noting the little green line on the Locator gem.

Ruby Pinch jumped up and down eagerly, "Ready!" She said.

I quickly lifted her up and placed her in the hood of my new hoodie. She seemed a little scared at first, but quickly became excited again as I started following the green line on my glove.

"So whats your name mister?" Ruby asked as she perched herself atop my head, "I'm Ruby Pinch, but everyone calls me Pinchy."
"Well Pinchy," I started, turning a corner, "My name is John and I'm not from around here. Though I guess you could probably see that." The line on the Locator was wide and pulsating, so I assumed I was close, "Alright Pinchy," I said, placing her on the ground, "Your homework is close by, so I'll need you to scan the ground in case I can't see it, okay?" She gave a little salute and went off in the direction I pointed, her adorable face set in determination. We soon found the missing work underneath a bush, thankfully in one piece and without stain.

"So. You seem I happy." I said to the filly embracing my leg, "How about I get you home, yeah?" She nodded and I put her back in my hood, "Alright, think about it real hard for me, okay?" I asked, lifting my hand so she could put her forehead on the gem. After a few seconds, I looked at the gem and, seeing the green line pointing elsewhere, started walking off in the direction it indicated.

Pinchy perched herself atop my head again and hummed happily to herself, homework tucked safely in her saddlebag. I asked her about what her homework was about and she went off on the typical school kid rant. The homework was dumb evidently, but her teacher was nice, and she had some classes she liked and some classes she didn't like. I was more than happy to continue walking and listen to Pinchy talk, taking in the sights as we walked around Ponyville. I got a few odd glances as other ponies saw Pinchy riding in my hood.

"My house is right down here Mr. John," She pointed down the street I had just turned onto, "It's the purple one on the right."

I started walking when I heard, "Ruby Pinch! Just what do you think you're doing!" being shouted from my right, "You get down from there right now!" I turned and saw, to my delight, Berry Punch, the Ponyville overprotective mother.

"Hi Momma!" Pinchy waved enthusiastically, "Hey John! C'mon, I want you to meet my momma!" Pinchy wriggled with excitement as I took her out of my hood and set her down on the ground. She ran off to her mother who picked her up and held her protectively. I was kinda hurt at the hostile expression on Berry's face.

She looked back down at Pinchy, "Are you okay honey?" She asked, frantically stroking Pinchy's mane, "It didn't hurt you did it?" Again with the "it" thing.

Pinchy wiggled out of her mother's death hug, "Geez Momma, I'm okay," She looked over at me and waved for me to come over, "John's my friend! He may look kinda weird," Ow, my pride, "But he's nice and helped me find my homework." Pinchy quickly told Berry of our quest as I walked over.

By the time I had come up to the both of them Berry was looking at me with a kind smile, "Well, Mr. John, I seem to have misjudged you." She bowed her head slightly, "Thank you for helping my daughter find her homework, is there any way I can thank you?" She looking me with a smile.

I tapped my chin and thought, "Well, I only know of two things you could do for me." I said, after a moment of consideration, "First thing you could do is help advertise for me."

"I'm sorry, advertise?" Berry sounded confused, "Advertise what?"

"Well, you can probably tell I'm not from around here..." I began, proceeding to tell her about how I was from a different world and wanted to be a courier as a job in case I was stuck here for a while, "... And that's it really. I don't like relying on people, so I want to support myself."

Berry nodded in understanding, while Pinchy had headed home a few minutes ago, "Fair enough, what was the other thing you had in mind?" She tilted her head and smiled.

"Well," I said, an easy smile on my face, "You could take me out for a drink." I said, chuckling softly. Now I know some of you think I was asking her out on a date, well that's not it. I asked for this because of two things: the first being that I enjoy drinking with others, the second being that I was a Berry Punch fan and had always wondered what it would be like to go drinking with her.

Her eyes widened a bit, "John, are you asking me out? Because I have a daughter as you know and-" I cut her off by lifting my hand.

"Berry, relax," I said, "I'm asking because I enjoy drinking and you seem like a decent pony."

She nodded, "Alright, when will you be free?" She asked.

"How about two days from now?"

"That's fine, where can I find you?"

I shrugged, "I'm kinda rotating places right now. Ask Twilight Sparkle, she'll know where I'm staying for the night."

Berry nodded, "I'll see you then John," she walked by me and bumped her flank against my side, "It was a pleasure to meet you." She winked at me as she walked away. My brain shut down for a bit after that and I'm pretty sure I sorta stood there for a solid five minutes before it started back up. I shook my head and started heading towards the center of town, using the Homing Stone to guide me. Now, I am just plain awful at telling when someone is hitting on me, but I am not blind. A pony had just flirted with me, a fact that caused my inner fanboy to just jizz his britches, but caused my rational brain to scream and rant at me. I groaned inwardly and decided to think about it later as I spotted Rarity's boutique appearing nearby.

I opened the door and saw Rarity hard at work on what was either another hoodie for me, or a simple dress made of cotton. Seeing as it had sleeves, I figured it was probably for me.

"Hey Rarity, I'm back." I said, taking my gloves off and tucking them into one of my many pockets, "Did I miss anything interesting?"

Rarity turned and smiled, "Hello darling, no, nothing really," She put her glasses on top of her horn, "How did your little adventure go?" She asked, handing me a cup of tea, then pouring one for herself.

I spent the next couple of minutes telling her of my epic first quest, "So then Pinchy introduced me to her mom, Berry, and now she and I are going out for drinks the night after next."

The pitch at which Rarity squealed actually made my teeth hurt, "Oh John, deary!" She said, pacing, "There's so much you have to plan! What you'll wear, where you'll go, and goodness, what WILL the two of you talk about?" Rarity began rattling off questions and answers to the questions.

I watched her do this for a minute while I noshed on an apple before I interrupted her, "Rarity," I put a hand on her withers, "Chill. I did her kid a favor so shes paying me back. Since I don;t know much about Ponyville or Equestria, outside of what you guys have done, this will be a good way to get out and start having ponies get used to me. I mean, I'd love to think I was getting home soon, but I realize it may take a while." I shrugged, "Now, since its late, is there anything you wanted to know about me besides fashion?" I sat on the floor and took another bite of apple.

"Well darling, there are a few things, but I was afraid to ask." She settled down next to me.

I shrugged again, "Its fine. Its hard to make me uncomfortable and I like answering questions, so its all good." I replied.

Rarity nodded and tapped her hoof against her chin, "Hmm, well" She began after a moment of thought, "You mentioned you had favorite ponies, correct?" I nodded, "Why are they your favorites? From what I can understand, myself and the others are the main characters of the story, why do you like ponies who hardly, if ever, show up?"

I cocked my eyebrow, detecting a small hint of jealousy, "Fair enough. See, I like Berry Punch because she is just a fun character. Not wild and capable of defying physics, but a good pony with a sweet kid. Octavia and Vinyl have her beat though, and thats just because I love music. I'd play an instrument, but I'm incapable, so I listen and sing a bit." I finished, tossing the apple core into a trash can.

"Incapable? How so?" Rarity asked.

I held my hands up, "Look at the smallest finger on the outside." I said, wiggling my pinkies, "Those are my pinkies and, due to genetic fault, the muscle that moves them doesn't work well, so they jerk instead of moving smoothly. That makes it hard to play quite a lot of instruments, ones I've expressed interest in anyway, since they require the use of every finger." I stretched out, cracking my back slight and sighing happily, "I've gotten used to it though, so instead of playing instruments I learned how to sing a little."

"Would you sing for me?" Rarity asked, her eyes big and pleading and adorable, "I'd love to hear some human music."

I would have said no, but the puppy eyes just did me in, "Fine, fine, I'll sing you a song." I said, rubbing my neck, "Just wait til I'm done to say anything, alright?" She nodded and I began to sing "Follow Me" by Uncle Kracker. I was always fond of that song and it was easy enough to sing, especially with my vocal range.

I finished and looked at Rarity with a cocked eyebrow, "Well?"

Rarity gave me a small round of applause, "That was lovely John, simply lovely." She glanced at a clock on the wall, "Its getting late, perhaps one more cup of tea, then off to bed?" She questioned, looking at me with a smile.

I nodded, "That would be nice," I watched her warm up the tea with magic, then pour us each a cup, "Anything else you want to know about my world?" I asked, adding a bit of sugar to my cup.

Rarity paused, then looked outside, "Why do other humans think I'm Sweetie Belle's mother?" She asked quietly.

I would never do a spit take, but I was close, "Umm..." I ran my hand through my hair, "Are you sure you want to know? I'll tell you, but it might be upsetting..." I finished, twiddling my thumbs.

She looked me in the eye, "Yes, I'm sure." She replied with conviction.

I sighed and looked at my reflection in my tea, "Well, here's the thing, none of us, humans I mean, have ever seen your parents. Hell, we've barely heard anything about them, so we figured that you had an estranged relationship. And seeing as you are a blindingly white pony, we figured that could only come from pure breeding: White mom and white dad." I began, going over the genetics idea, "And we all noticed that Sweetie Belle is, well, gray." I gestured vaguely, "See where I'm going with this?"

Rarity, closed her eyes and sipped her tea, "Either my mother cheated with a black or dark gray stallion," Rarity opened her eyes and swirled her tea absently, "Or I did." She looked at me, "What do you think happened John?"

I considered my words before I spoke, "Hmmm, in all honesty," I looked at Rarity with a smile, "I don't care." She raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Rarity, what happens to you or your family is between you and yours. Sweetie Belle is a sweet and talented filly with a good heart and a family that shares those traits. No matter who her mother may be, she's a good kid, that isn't going to change." I smiled softly, "The quality of a person, or pony, is not determined by their family, but by their actions." I finished, drinking the last of my tea.

Rarity laughed softly, "You are an odd sort John." She walked up to me and kissed my cheek, causing me to blush instantly, "But you are sweet." She started walking upstairs, "You're room is the second door on the left. Go to bed when you like, I'll see you in the morning." She vanished up the stairs.

I sat there for a moment, cursing my natural, and apparently literal, animal magnetism. Then I sighed and chuckled, because it wasn't exactly a bad thing. It meant that Rarity liked me at least, and may become a good friend as time went on. I stood up and looked at the gloves and piles of clothes she had made for me. I smirked, thinking of how I would try to pay her back. Another thought came to mind, unbidden but in need of noting. Knowing Twilight she had probably already told Princess Celestia of my existence, which in itself is not a bad thing. What I was concerned about was the fact that I knew so much about Equestria and that she knew so little about me, so I was likely perceived as a threat. The lack of guards swooping in to capture me was reassuring, but that didn't mean she wasn't watching. In a way I hoped I could meet her soon, though I was more excited at the idea of meeting Princess Luna. I can hear the Celestia fans scoffing from here, so hush, I'm a Luna fan, deal with it. That aside, I got the nagging suspicion that I would be meeting Equestrian royalty sooner rather than later. I went upstairs, deciding to cross that bridge when I got to it, as I was tired and wanted to go to bed. I knocked on Rarity's door and said good night, then went to where I was sleeping for the night. The room was nice, considering it was Rarity's house I wasn't surprised, but not opulent. I went straight to the bed and laid down, putting my new gloves on the nightstand beside me. Today I had new clothes made, a date with one of my favorite ponies set, and the start of a possible job. Was I happy to be stuck in Equestria? No. Was I totally miserable? Looking at the last few days, I can't say I was.