"Farasi? What's that?" I asked, making sure to keep to that language.

"The language of my homeland," Zecora replied, her eyes still wide. "I never thought I'd hear it again."

"Well, I did explain that the person who helped me said they'd given me the knowledge of certain languages from all around Equestria," I replied. I felt like telling Zecora everything was the best choice. I hated lying, since it gave me an uncomfortable pit in my stomach, and for some reason she seemed like an extremely trustworthy woman, or mare in this case. I hadn't revealed Athena's identity, and Zecora understood when I said that Athena wanted to remain anonymous and that I'd promised not to tell.

"I hope I get to meet this stranger someday, if only to thank them for giving you the knowledge of my language. At least I don't have to force a rhyme when speaking Farasi."

I chuckled. "Why do you rhyme in Equestian anyway?" I asked, taking a bite of egg once more.

"It's a long story, but in short, I came here to try and be the first Zebra to learn magic. I don't know if you're noticing, but Farasi is a naturally rhyming language, well, most of the time anyway."

I tilted my head, thinking of a few simple Farasi sentences in my head. "Yeah, I can see that, but why do it when you're speaking Equestrian?"

Zecora got a faraway look in her eyes. "It helps me to feel closer to my old home," she said with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"I shouldn't have asked," I said apologetically as I took another drink slowly.

She smiled. "Don't be upset; you didn't know. I'm just so glad I have someone I can speak my native tongue to."

"Well, I'll gladly speak to you anytime you want. It'll keep me from going insane," I said with a teasing tone.

She rolled her eyes, but with an amused glint in them. "As long as we're neighbors, I won't let you go insane. Not when I can talk to you in Farasi."

"I don't doubt it," I replied, taking a bite out of my last bit of toast. "Hey, can I ask you why you were so close to the palace?"

"I was trying to gather some herbs and mushrooms from the forest that only grow near there," she explained, taking a sip of her own orange juice.

"Making anything special?" I asked.

"Ah, it was for my dinner," she said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Some kind of stew?" I asked curiously.

"Indeed. I actually made some for you last night."

"And I'm really grateful for that, it was delicious," I replied.

"So is this," she replied, pointing at her remaining bite of scrambled egg. "What did you season it with?"

"Some sea salt and some freshly ground pepper," I replied, tempted to imitate Binging With Babish's voice, but deciding against it. "Nothing too fancy."

"I have to admit, I normally don't eat eggs of any kind, but these are absolutely great!" Zecora said, taking her last bite and swallowing. "And the toast is amazing too!"

When did we get to talking about something simple like food? I wondered as I felt my cheeks get warm. "You flatter me too much."

"It's the truth," she replied.

"Well, what I said before was the truth, too. Your cooking was delicious."

How it exactly happened, I wasn't quite sure, but some pink came to Zecora's cheeks. "Thank you, my savior."

I just decided to give up on her constantly calling me her savior and finished up my breakfast. The next thirty seconds were full of somewhat awkward silence as I finished the rest of my breakfast. Zecora had already finished hers and was sitting politely. Seeing any kind of equine sitting like a she did was odd, but for her it seemed somewhat natural. When I finished, I stood and began cleaning up my spot at the table. Looking up, I saw Zecora holding the plate in her teeth. Everything else was stacked on top of the messy plate. "There's no need for that, I can take that for you," I replied.

"It's perfectly alright. Please let me help." How in the world is she speaking so clearly with something in her mouth?

I held up my hands in surrender. "You win then."

Chuckling triumphantly, she carried the plate over to the sink and, standing on her hind legs, gently placed the dishes in. I did the same, planning to place the dishes in the dishwasher later. "Well, now that we're all refreshed, let me get into some travel clothes and we'll be off." Zecora nodded in understanding and went to wait in the living room.

Heading back to my room, I grabbed the coat I'd worn a couple days before, along with some hiking boots. I grabbed my father's old hunting knife and strapped it to my belt. Out of habit, I grabbed my wallet and phone as well as a portable charger, slipping them into my coat pockets. Walking towards the living room, I grabbed my keys and slipped them into my pocket. "I'm ready whenever you are."

As it turned out, her house was actually quite close by, only fifteen or so minutes from my new location. I questioned her a bit more about the local area, while she asked me some questions about humans and our culture. I told her about why we wore clothes, about some of our accomplishments, and, to my displeasure, about our failings. I didn't like talking to her about it, but there was something about the Zebra that kept me from lying to her, either by omission or commission.

Zecora told me a bit about Equestria, especially about its founding. Hearing about the Hearth Warming holiday reminded me of Christmas and the Fourth of July mixed into one, especially when she told me how it was celebrated. A wave of sadness washed over me when I realized that I wouldn't be home for Christmas like the songs said, and it was very likely no one else here celebrated the holidays that I did.

An hour later, we reached her home. To my shock, it was less of a house than I was used to and more of a dwelling built into a large tree. It had a sort of 'Yoda's Dagobah home' vibe from it, but in tree form. There were various objects hanging from the trees and a green mask with wings above the door.

When we reached the door, she opened it with her hoof and went inside. The doorway was a bit low for my taste, so I had to lower my head. Fortunately, the interior ceiling was high enough for me to stand, although it felt a bit cramped. Various Africanesque masks lay everywhere, and a firepit was situated in the center of the main room. A large black cauldron lay to the side of the room. "You've got all the trappings for a Jedi in exile," I chuckled.

"What's a Jedi?" she asked as she closed the door.

"Ah, I'll explain later, or rather, I can show you the movies at some point," I said as I looked carefully around.

"I'm not sure what a movie is, but I would be glad to know more about you and your world," she said.

"As long as you teach me more about my new…home…" the weight of those words came crashing down on me in an instant. I was in a completely different world. Not that I had friends or family back on Earth, but I just being in a brand-new world where I was most likely the only human in existence tended to throw things in perspective. I wasn't even sure how I'd been coping aside from my near breakdown a couple nights earlier. I slowly sat on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. The sounds of the nearby swamp faded away, as did the ever-increasing concerned voice of Zecora.

I did something then that I hadn't done since that one night several years ago. I clasped my hands and closed my eyes, praying for the first time in a long time. My eyes stung as I prayed, God…I don't know if you can hear me in this new world, but if I'm going to be stuck in this world, please give me peace of mind and the strength to live among these Ponies and other mythical creatures. Amen.

Opening my eyes, I saw a worried looking Zecora saying something to me. Her worry only increased when she saw the tears streaming down my face. She rushed away for a moment and dabbed at my eyes with a cloth. Sound returned, and I heard her saying, "…okay, my savior? Did something happen? Are you hurt anywhere again?"

Smiling despite myself, I sniffed and took the offered cloth, wiping my eyes as best I could. "I guess it's hitting me again…that I'm stuck as the only human in the world."

Zecora looked downcast at that. Approaching me, she put her head against my chest, one hoof on my shoulder. "I didn't realize it was affecting you so. I wish some comfort I could bestow," she said softly in Equestrian this time.

I put an arm around her. "There's no need to talk in Equestrian to me. I know you prefer your language. But I appreciate the sentiment. It means the world to me."

She looked up at me, the worry in her eyes slowly vanishing and replaced with a smile. "If you like, would you care for some tea? It's my own special brew."

"I normally don't drink tea, but I would love some," I smiled gratefully.

Nodding, she walked over to one of the shelves and grabbed a small tea kettle. Placing it over the fire pit, she began assembling a small fire, pouring some water into the kettle. Crushing some leaves in her hooves, she placed them in the water. When the fire was nice and warm, she came over and sat next to me. "Are you feeling better, my savior?"

"You know you can call me Jethro, right? And yeah, a bit. I'm sorry for breaking down on you like that."

She smiled again. "Don't be sorry, I understand. It's hard to imagine a…human in your position who wouldn't be terrified and depressed."

"Yeah, I suppose so. Still, I feel silly breaking down when you invited me to your home." I paused, then continued. "I mean no offense, but why did you invite me here?"

"Ah, a few reasons," she said. "I was hoping to get to learn more about you, for one. And I was hoping to try and discover what kind of magic, if any, you possess aside from that dream magic you told me about. Morphean magic, you called it?"

"That's correct," I replied. "I'm guessing it has to do with you not being able to rhyme around me? I really am sorry about that."

"You can stop apologizing around me," she said with a small smile, "I hope it wasn't too presumptuous of me to ask you over here for that."

"And here I thought you enjoyed my company," I said in a teasing manner. I smiled wide, indicating that I was joking. "To be fair, if you do constantly speak in rhymes when speaking Equestrian, that does sound like a mystery that we could solve together."

For the next few hours, Zecora performed a few experiments with me, with my permission every time. The tea she made for me was actually sweeter than I'd imagined, with a flavor I couldn't exactly identify. When I asked, Zecora provided me with some seeds for the plant the leaves were from and told me how to tend to them. I thanked her and we continued our experimenting.

She explained the basics of magic as she understood them, but every time I attempted to utilize magic, nothing happened. Anytime I tried to cast any kind of spell, Zecora had her hoof on my back. She said it was to try and detect any kind of magic flowing through me, but she said she couldn't. We were so wrapped up in experimenting that we both failed to notice that it was getting late. When sunlight came in through some of the windows through a break in the branches, Zecora jumped up. "Oh my! Look at the time! I didn't realize it was so late! You won't be able to get home before nighttime."

I pulled out my phone, which read just past seven. "I'll make it, I promise. I remember the way."

"Are you sure, my sav-I mean, Jethro?"

"I have this and this," I said, showing her my long knife and the light on my phone. "I'll be fine-"

"I can't let you go out there. It's much more dangerous at night than the day. Tomorrow, I'll take you back home."

"…I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" I asked.

She chuckled, a mirthy and amused laugh. "Not with me."

Looking at my phone, I saw that I did indeed have signal. "Well, who am I to refuse your offer? I graciously accept."

"I shall prepare a meal for us," she said, running over to the cauldron and rolling it towards the fire. Something told me this was going to be a very interesting night…

That evening was one of the most fun ones I'd had in a while. Zecora tried to insist I take her bed for the evening, but I convinced her that it was okay for me to sleep on the floor with some soft bedding instead. She made some more of the delicious stew she'd made the night before, only this time it tasted much better. When I asked how she'd made stew back at my place, she explained that she'd used one of my pots and the firepit in my backyard.

After we ate, she expressed some interest in watching the My Little Pony show. I replayed all the episodes I'd watched and we stopped after the episode Look Before You Sleep finished. I wondered what the plot of Bridle Gossip was, but decided to watch it another time.

To say that Zecora was stunned to see the world she knew animated in such a way would be an understatement. Almost terrified. I asked if we should stop, but she insisted on watching. When we eventually stopped, her face was more than a bit pale. Her legs wouldn't move. I knew now how I must have felt. Not knowing why, I reached over and put a reassuring hand on her upper back. "Zecora, I-"

"N-No, please don't apologize," she said, forcing a smile. "I'm still finding this all hard to believe, after all."

"Trust me, you're preaching to the choir," I replied, although the literal translation for what I'd just said was You're singing to the singer. "Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded slowly. "I'll be fine, I promise. I just need to sleep this off."

"Good idea." I moved to my temporary bed and patted it.

She tilted her head. "Wait…you want me to…?"

"I can tell you need to be close to someone to be able to sleep tonight," I said, not entirely sure why I was doing this in the first place. I'd only just met this Zebra. Maybe it's because she kinda reminds me of my mom, I thought.

I saw a small smile form on her lips. "It's been so long since I've had a stallion in bed with me. Aside from last night. And even then…"

Well…I knew sex had to be a thing in this world, but I never expected that. I chuckled. "I know what you mean. I've slept in a single bed for years. But I think you need it. Especially after all you've been through. And I do mean sleep."

She laughed. "Oh, my dear savior, I know what you meant. I was simply teasing you for our enjoyment."

I chuckled back. "Well, are you joining me tonight or no?"

"If we're going to sleep side by side, let's do it in my bed. I can fit you easily," she replied. "Come." She led me into another corner of the treehouse which had a bed. She pulled aside some yellow tiger print covers. "Apologies if the material is coarse."

"I'll be alright," I said as I removed some of the articles of clothing I still wore until I was in only some slim pants and a t-shirt. Zecora removed her golden jewelry and set them on a few hooks in the wall before getting into bed beside me.

The bed was smaller than my own, slightly bigger than a twin but smaller than a full. When we were both in bed comfortably enough, Zecora covered us with the blanket. Thanks to the size of the bed, and the size of us, we were a bit close. I could feel her warm body next to mine. Zecora's dark blue eyes were full of amusement. "Don't try anything in the night, my savior. I know I owe you a great deal, but I'm not easy."

I chuckled. "I promise, there will be no hanky-panky."

She smiled and closed her eyes, looking much more relaxed than she had earlier. Grateful that I could help, I closed my eyes, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.