Twilight's horn flares and a bubble of translucent purple magic appears around me.

"Let's try this again."

I follow twilight around the corner once again, but this time, the hallway is completely different.

wut.

This is too weird. The last time we did this we ended up in a hallway that looks completely similar to the first. Or, maybe it was the same hallway? Glad I didn't pay too much attention or I might have seen myself leaving the same hallway. That would have been twice as freaky. Eventually we find ourselves in a large chamber. At the back end in the center is a staircase with a large throne on top, decorated with gold and symbols of the sun. In the center of the room are two crescent shaped enormous tables. There are chairs on the outer edge of the tables. The break between the two tables has the same red rug laid down leading straight up to the throne. The throne is golden with red trimming. The throne is decorated all over with depictions of the sun. Some of them more realistic in nature and others more cartooned with squiggly tendrils. Two guards stand on either side of the throne, wearing golden (maybe bronze if the light is playing tricks on me) armor. Each have a white coat and blue mane. On top of the throne sits a familiar large white pony.

"Greetings Mark, and hello again Twilight," says Celestia.

"Thank you princess," responds Twilight... in English.

Wait, did Celestia also speak English?

"Twilight, did you teach the princess how to speak English?" I inquire.

"No, this room is a crucial one. Celestia holds council here with many different races and cultures. To make things easier, an enchantment was put in the room to create a universal translator. She's not speaking English, but you're hearing what she's saying as it. I stopped by earlier on my way to your room and stored my knowledge of the language into the enchantment. It was a bit hasty, but it seems to have worked."

I nod to show my comprehension. This magic thing is just full of surprises.

"Cool," I state. "Well, how's it going Celestia?"

The room falls silent. Both guards and Twilight drop their mouths at the same time. Celestia lets out a giggle.

"Pretty dreary thus far. Normally I'd have a lot of work to do, but my schedule is relatively empty today. There was one issue with two of the guard duty though."

"Do tell."

"Where do I begin? The two have been at each others throats for the better part of the season now, and today I guess they decided to escalate it. They were interrupted before anything got physical."

"Ugh, workplace drama. Did you get it settled?"

"Indeed."

I look down at the two guards. Both of them have dropped their looks of disbelief and have replaced them with ones of guilt

"You put them on the same shift didn't you?"

She giggles once again. "But of course."

"And you've managed to put them right where boss-lady can watch them. You are quite the cunning manager Princess."

Celestia holds her head up a little higher.

"My my, flattery this soon. Though, it's not my place to get a big head about it. Thank you for the compliment Mark."

I look to my side and see Twilight still standing there with her mouth gaping open, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Close your mouth luv or you'll catch flies," I repeat what she said to me earlier.

"But.. but but but... b-but, you.. and and a-and s-she... What?"

"I think we broke Twilight."

"It's alright Twilight," Celestia begins. "You're used to seeing me only talking with subjects and dignitaries from other governments. Mark here is one of the rare exceptions where he is neither a diplomat or a citizen. Though he may choose to do so, it's not his duty to be formal when addressing me. In fact, he can say just about anything he wants to so long as it's not a threat to anyone. Perhaps I may have accepted it a bit too openly, but he chose for his first conversation with me to be laid back and open."

She's undeniably intelligent. Though she looks young, her experience seems to be immense. In all honesty, I was hoping for a more 'How dare you?' pretentious kind of response, but she has thoroughly impressed me. It looks as though politics are going to be easy here.

"So did I meet your expectations Mark?" asks Celestia.

"You exceeded them. Sorry if I may have come on a bit strong. Where I come from, a lot of politicians and royalty come off as snobby and pretentious A lot of the time I find that putting a shock value into your actions can reveal a lot about someone you're meeting. It seems you and I are going to get along just fine Princess Celestia." I bow slightly on and emphasize the word princess.

"Well Mark, there are a lot of things we need to discuss. Several of them we won't get to cover today, but the most important ones we can. Before we begin I need to ask you a question. Many of the things I'm about to tell you won't be pleasant. I can be light if you wish, honey my words, or give you all the facts coldly and wholly."

"Princess, I won't forgive you if you show an ounce of mercy."

Boy did I choose my words poorly, but then again, I didn't necessarily expect her to deliver. She comes out the gate swinging with her words. The one-sided conversation goes on for about thirty minutes, but my own pool of emotions and racing thoughts makes it seem like the conversation lasts simultaneously a second and an eternity. She basically tells me that there's only an infinitesimal chance of me going home. I am told that I am not part of some other world, but another dimension entirely. Because there are infinite dimensions, the chances of getting me back to the same one are slim to none. Now that I'm back to a stable condition and at least a temporary solution for it has arisen, my researchers have been given the task of finding a way to get me home. The complication is that I am one individual versus an entire nation of ponies that these researchers could be helping. After fours seasons, if the researchers haven't made a break they will be pulled from it and given a more productive task. Although not favorable for me, I understand the needs of the many outweigh that of the few and agree to her terms.

"Now that the unpleasantries are out of the way, I'd like to discuss something a bit more bright," Celestia says with a change in tone.

I almost forgot there were going to be several points it this conversation. I'm going to have to take time to process all of this information later.

"As you've probably noticed, this castle is filled with many enchantments and incantations to make it safe and productive. Mark, your presence in this castle slowly drains away these enchantments, therefore, it's no longer ideal for you to reside here. After some conversing earlier with Twilight, we have agreed to allow you to live in Ponyville, the town Twilight currently resides in. You will be staying with Twilight initially, but the hope is that the townsponies will open up to you and allow you to purchase property and maybe even work a job."

"That actually sounds like it would be a good time. When do we leave?"

"There are many things that need to be squared away before we can get you to leave without any mishaps, but those shouldn't take more than two days to get settled."

"So what do I do in the meantime?"

"If you're going to be living with Twilight and interacting with other ponies, you'll need a crash course on Equestrian law and customs."

Celestia giggles, "That is, if she's conscious enough to do so."

I look around. At some point during the conversation, the three of us ended up laying on cushions on the floor. Celestia is laying with her legs folded beneath her like a horse from home. I'm sitting criss-cross with one arm behind me giving me support. Immediately beside me is Twilight, sprawled out on her stomach with her head and front legs resting on my lap. I've been stroking her head and mane with my free hand. She's lightly snoring. It's the most adorable thing I've seen. I let out a chuckle.

"When was the last time she got a full night's sleep?"

"She hasn't slept more then three or four hours a day since you arrived. She didn't sleep at all the first two days."

"Is she always like this?"

"I've watched her grow from a filly and the one thing that stayed consistent was her dedication to her task. Although, this particular instance is more personal to her. Though under a completely different set of circumstances, she was in your position not too long ago, but it's not my story to tell."

She looks down at Twilight. She smiles affectionately, but her eyes become sad.

"She's even legally my equal, but seeing her like this reminds me of how young and naive she is. She's the closest thing I've ever had to a daughter. I need you to know something Mark," her face becomes stern and her eyes become daggers. "Twilight trusts you, and from what I've seen so far you seem to live up to her expectations, but we know nothing about you, and your mere presence in this world has been proven toxic not only to yourself, but every pony around you. If you do anything to purposefully hurt Twilight, not only will you receive the full punishment of the Equestrian court for harming royalty, but my personal wrath as well. For your sake as well as hers, you better keep yourself in line."

Truth be told, I knew this talk was going to happen, but I didn't expect to become truly frightened by the white princess pony.

"Y..yes ma'am."

Her expression goes back to the bright and confident one it was. Thank god, back to cute.

"Excellent. That should conclude our discussion today. Now to wake up my little pony. Normally I would let her sleep, but if she's going back home in the next couple days, she'll need to get her sleeping schedule back on track."

Celestia stands up and moves closer to Twilight. She puts her muzzle near Twilight's ear and whispers, "Pop quiz."

Twilight's eyes fly open.

"Huh? Who? Wha..?"

I can't help but laugh.

"That's not funny you two."

"You're right, it's hilarious!" I retort.

Twilight scowls at me, she's still sprawled out and halfway on my lap, I can't take the look seriously.

"Up and at em' sleeping beauty. We got a lot to talk about."

Twilight groans and her head slumps back onto my leg. I reach over with my hand and pinch her on the flank. She yelps and quickly stands up. She throws me a dirty look. I shrug my shoulders and she rolls her eyes.

Meanwhile, Celestia is giggling like a maniac watching this unfold.

"You two have known each other for barely two days and yet you act like you've known each other your whole lives."

I stand up and glance over to Celestia and smile.

"He just assaulted me. Can't we throw him into the dungeon?" Twilight asks, hopefully jokingly.

"Absolutely," responds Celestia.

...uh-oh...

"Unfortunately he's a foreigner unaccustomed to our laws, and we wouldn't want to cause an international incident."

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. Now the girls have a quick laugh at me.

"Alright, alright. Haha, very funny. Let's get going. Thank you for having an audience with me Princess."

The three of us stand and stretch. I manage to contain my usual yell. The girls put their front hooves out on the ground and push them forward while keeping their back legs stationary.... they stretch like cats. Giant white and purple cats. They then return to a neutral position.

"I should be thanking you. You've taken your condition rather well. Whether that's because you haven't fully registered it or it's really not trouble, I sincerely appreciate your calm attitude. We'll talk once again tomorrow about your living arrangements."

Twilight and I exit and head back to the room.

Author's Note

This is a shorter chapter, so I do apologize. Thanks peeps and peepettes for watching. Drop a like if you desire more. It keeps me feeling fresh and ready to tackle my day.