Project DracoBreaf

I then saw just how large the room ahead was. If I thought the hallways were huge, I hadn't seen anything yet. At the end was a large throne, and sitting on it was Princess Celestia. The Princess Celestia. The very pony that ruled Equestria for years. No, decades. No, centuries. How a singular pony was able to live this long and still look like she had just reached middle-age was far beyond my comprehension.

Something else far beyond my comprehension was how she was able to manage all that she was tasked with. Passing laws, keeping things secure, catering to her prized students, heck, even raising the sun with just her magic alone. I had been sent to see her in pony. Live.

But now was not the time to be awestruck. Now was the time to pay attention to what she had to say. Right after inspecting me, making sure I was the one the guards were sent to pick up, she firmly nodded and boldly said "Yes, that is the pony you were tasked to have sent to me. You have done me proud, guards."

The guards then let out sighs of relief, and said "Thank you, your highness," and left the room. Could I have been the wrong pony? Was there a risk in delivering me here, to where it all could've been one big mistake? Stop getting distracted. I thought to myself. I gotta pay attention.

"May I have your name, sir?" The Princess asked.

"Oh, uh, are you talking to me?" I replied, intimidated by her presence.

"Why wouldn't I be? I sent you here for a reason. Now, name, please?"

Looking around for a few seconds, I finally responded with "I'm Sharpfeather." Realizing again that I was facing the princess herself, I hastily said "Wait a minute! I almost forgot!"

Apparently confused, Princess Celestia questioned "What, exactly?"

I then bowed down, saying "Your Majesty," with respect to the princess.

With a smile, she responded "Thank you kindly, Sharpfeather. Now, we've got a welcome supper prepared for you. I figure you'll feel right at home when you attend."

I became confused. "What exactly am I doing here? You took me out of flight school, for pete's sake!"

"Now, now, Sharpfeather. Don't be alarmed." The Princess assured me. "Now, of course, I brought you here for a very good reason. A reason I'll get to later." Just then, I could hear a small bell ringing. "Oh! Right on cue!" Princess Celestia said as she excitedly stood up from her throne and turned to her left. She trotted over to a door much smaller than any of the other doors I had seen today. She opened the door with her magic, like she was just ripping through paper. When the door opened, I soon followed the Princess through to find a giant table, just sitting there, with many, many guards occupying most of the seats.

"I hope you're into noodle soup!" The Princess cheerfully said with a smile.

"Uh, yeah, I'm down with that!" I gladly answered before taking one of the seats in between two guards. The guards both looked at me funny, as if I wasn't supposed to sit here.

"Who's this filly?" one of the guards asked before giving me a noogie.

"What? I'm not a f-filly!" I whispered to that same guard.

Then, another guard realized something, and whispered something to the other guard.

The first guard replied with "Oh yeah!" He then looked at me and said "Dude, you sit over there," pointing to a seat at the end of the table.

As I got up, I questioned "Well, how come?"

The second guard responded with "Pff, I don't know. Princess protocol, I guess."

"Okay..." I reluctantly said as I was making my way to my designated seat. I noticed it had a distinct look to it. It was green, had a reptilian scale pattern to it, and had a couple of dragon arms as foreleg rests.

Admiring the design as I sat down, I said "Hey! Nice design! How did you guys know about my interest?"

All of the guards just shrugged. The Princess, on the other hand, had an answer. "I'll explain later. Glad you like it, though! It certainly had us working hard for 3 moons."

"Tell me about it." A random guard pessimistically added.

Princess Celestia cleared her throat at him, and as she did, the guard optimistically replied with "Oh, uh, I-I mean, tell me about it!"

"That's better." The Princess proudly told him.

I then finally got to look down at my dish: fresh noodle soup, with a biscuit on the side. I picked up the bowl, and gulped down the broth. As I was doing so, a guard exclaimed "'Scuse me sir! Mind your manners for Celestia's sake!"

Just then, I hastily set down the bowl, saying "Whoops! Uh, sorry about that."

Another guard rebutted with "You do know he doesn't have a horn, right?"

The other guard reluctantly said "Eh, you're right. Should've looked more closely."

The second guard then said "Please, carry on, Sharpfeather."

"Alright," I said as I finished my noodle soup, and ate my biscuit. Now, I was never a food critic, but wow did it taste good. This was probably the best noodle soup I ever had, despite that I never really had noodle soup that often. The taste was juicy, warm, and easy to eat. Swallowing it was like swallowing hot cocoa. I loved every part of it; The broth, the noodles, even the biscuit.

Now that supper was over, I went up the Princess Celestia and asked her "Excuse me, your highness. Is now a good time to talk?"

She looked from side to side a couple of times, and quietly replied with "Follow me."

I followed the Princess around, and we walked out of sight of any guards. She then began to use her magic, making a yellow aura appear on both herself and I. "Hold tight" Princess Celestia said. Just then, I could feel myself dissolving.

"W-what's going on, your majesty?" I managed to stammer, fearful of what was happening to me.

In a matter of seconds, me and the Princess were both gone. Next thing I knew, me and her were in a completely different room than any of the other parts of the castle I had been to. This room was gray, dark, and had just a few unlit candles hanging from the ceiling.

"Where are we?" I asked Princess Celestia before she looked at me directly in the eyes.

"I want you to bear with me under any and all circumstances. Promise me that you won't back out, because if you do, this could lead to Equestria's demise. Understood?"

I nervously nodded. I was frightened of what she was going to do, but if saying no meant that all of Equestria would cease to exist, I had no choice. "Proceed, your highness. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

Princess Celestia then responded, in a serious tone, with "Very well, then. Let's get started."