I Danced With the Sun

The wind whistled through the mountain spruce trees, and it sang a sad song. A ballad, perhaps. It sang of the forgotten man who stumbled onto a stranger's property and could never go back home. It sang of how he came to learn those sad tidings and where he was now, on a bench, looking back into the woods the way he came.

Nick held his head in his hands and stared longingly back through the trees and up the mountainside. His eyes weren't red from crying because he wasn't all that sad; "depressed" captured his emotional state better. After a few minutes, he got the impression he was being watched.

"Nicholas?"

Nick picked his head up to see Celestia approaching him. He gave her a weak smile and wave. That was all he had the strength for. Celestia came closer and stood above him. Looking up at her face was like standing at the foot of a mountain and trying to glimpse the summit, because even standing up, she was about a foot taller than Nick. She held out her hand and said, "Walk with me. I think it'll do you good."

Since he really had nothing else to do, Nick got up and they began a trek out of the garden and through the Royal City. Neither of them said anything for a long time, but finally, Nick spoke up.

"This is a really nice palace."

Surprised that Nick head even said anything, Celestia answered, "This is actually a city, built a millennia ago by a unicorn tribe as testament to their skill and power. Most of it was turned into the royal palace, recently." She chuckled. "And by 'recently,' I mean a couple-hundred years ago."

Nick smiled. "Nicholas," Celestia began. "I came here to tell you that being stuck here isn't all that bad. It certainly isn't the first time..." Nick perked up.

"What? You mean other humans have inexplicably come here, too?" he asked in amazement. Celestia nodded. "The first recorded contact with your kind was found in a cave high in the northern mountain ranges near the Crystal Empire. There was a prehistoric painting depicting ponies gathered around a tall being dressed in flashy, aristocratic clothes, and he held glowing scrolls in each hand. The ponies appeared to be holding him above them, as if he was a god."

Nick was speechless and fascinated. He wanted to hear more. "There was a second time," Celestia continued. "Sometime after the various pony tribes activated The Fire of Friendship, another human appeared in Equestria." Nick listened intently. "He was dressed in green, his face burned and dirty, and he wielded a stick that could shoot fast, small, deadly projectiles. He called it a 'gun.' "

"Wait a minute...you met an actual World War One veteran? That...that's insane!" Nick exclaimed.

Celestia smiled modestly and said, "Our third run-in with a human is you. You should be honored to have been accepted."

" 'Accepted?' "

"Yes. I know it sounds confusing, but I and a few of my subjects have come to believe that there is a higher power that calls your kinsmen to Equestria for a purpose," she said. "The first man, he is suspected to have taught ponykind the secrets of fire and agriculture and the soldier taught ponykind how to organize their new society when they all joined forces." She stopped and looked high into the clear blue sky. "I wonder what you can accomplish...?"

She stayed there, looking up for a few minutes while Nick stared at her in awe. He had never met a monarch so compassionate, so sincere, so wise...so motherly. She finally finished her daydreaming and turned back to Nicholas.

"I'm sorry, Nick, if I may call you that. I suppose I should show you around the city, seeing as you'll be staying here awhile," Celestia said.

"Oh, thanks, princess-" Nick stopped short. "Wait...I'll be living here?" His jaw almost dropped. Celestia smiled. "Of course," she told him. "The foreigners, the strangers, the lost...they're all welcome here...you know, you're very modest, Nick. I like that." That's when his jaw dropped.

Celstia turned and walked ahead of the still-dumbfounded Nicholas. After noticing he wasn't at her side, she turned and motioned for him to follow. Nick only stared for a minute before coming around and running to catch up.

"...And back to the entrance hall," Celestia finished.

Celestia had taken Nick all around the castle and its grounds, starting with the foyer. It had taken nearly two hours, but the castle was absolutely fantastic, and Nick enjoyed seeing some of the places that were normally off-limits, like the Solar Guard's Barracks.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Celestia said. Nick nodded. The hall was long, and both sides held stained-glass windows depicting portraits of the Princesses, the Elements of Harmony, and various scenes of Equestrian lore. The ceiling was almost pure white, accenting the colorful marble tiles of violet and gold. Nick kept staring and thought out loud, "It's missing something, though."

Celestia turned to Nicholas and asked, "Hmm? 'It's missing something?' What do you mean by that?" Nick jumped back a little, not realizing how loud he had spoken. He didn't want to give the impression that he didn't like the interior.

"Oh, this is nice, don't get me wrong, your majesty. Hell, it's beautiful. I think it's just...it's missing that pop, you know?"

Celestia stared at him with an eyebrow raised. Nick coughed awkwardly and continued, "Well, see, if someone was to walk in, I know they'd be blown away by the...everything, I guess, but I think there needs to be something that really catches the eye...like a painting! A big mural, right across the freaking ceiling!" He had been gesturing wildly, waving his hands from one end of the corridor to the other. He realized what he was doing and put his hands down, hoping he hadn't looked too stupid.

Celestia looked up and thought for a minute. Then she smiled and said, "You're ambitious, aren't you?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "My friends would think so."

"Do you really think you can do it?" she asked. Nick looked at her in disbelief. "Wait, are you saying I can seriously paint the ceiling?"

Celestia nodded. "Of course," she said. "Maybe you can get Stone Wall and Topspin to help you." Nick glanced up at the white stucco. He grinned.

They were silent for awhile until Celestia said, "Do you want to stay in that room we put you in when we found you?"

"Does anyone else use it?" Nick replied. Celestia shook her head.

"Well, then I guess I can't refuse," he finished. He started walking up the stairs that led to the upper floors. Before he got out of earshot Celestia called, "Hey, by the way, why did you suggest painting the hall?"

Nick turned and said, "Well, I don't want to be sitting on my ass in my room, being useless." He laughed a little, then went back upstairs.