The Journals Of A Human

Greetings. I am Princess Celestia. Over the past few days, I have seen that John has been writing in this book frequently. So, while he is still asleep, I am going to add my point if view into his journal. I now know how he feels about me, so it's time for me to write my feelings about him down. But before I begin, Johnathan over the time we’ve spent together, I’ve come to love you with all my heart, but last night as we slept, I discovered something about you that I never knew… You snore… VERY. badly. But other than that, you make the perfect pillow.
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So now I shall start from the beginning I guess. four days ago, I was sitting in my throne when I received a message from my student, Twilight, informing me that she had found a human. At first I was surprised, but she then went on to describe him, I remembered back to the stories my mother and father would tell my sister and I. The human called himself John, he was about eye level with me, so at or near six feet tall, friendly, but he had no idea of how he got here. She said he woke up in front of the tree of harmony, so if I had to guess, I would say that the elements of harmony had something to do with his arrival. It was then that I remembered something. A message from an old mentor. I asked my sister to summon Princess Cadance and to take over for me for a minute while I went to write a message for the human. Immediately ran up to my chambers and I went to a section in the wall next to my fireplace. When I touched my horn to it, the wall moved away and opened up to a staircase that led up to the very top of the tower. This staircase had not been used in a while, left untouched since the days of Starswirl the Bearded. These steps led up to the personal library and archives of the royal family. But there were two books that I was interested in. I lit the torches with my magic and ascended the steps. At the top of them, sat a room, about the size of mine and Luna's, filled with bookshelves of ancient texts, stories, journals, and spells. But in the center of the room sat three books. The journal of my parents, the journal that me and Luna used to write in many many years ago, and the journal of Starswirl himself. The latter of which, has been magically sealed since his disappearance. And on top of it sat a note. A final message from my old mentor. It read

“Open it together with hoof and hand. You and the one of your heart.”

My sister and I have tried for years to open that book, but to no avail, and then when Luna turned…I……...When she was saved and returned to me by Twilight and her friends, we tried with a new vigor, but it still would not open. And now, hearing of this warrior, John, and his arrival, I couldn’t help but wonder, could he be it? I remembered the story of the humans and their fall from grace, but I also remembered the great things they did for this world, and a long-forgotten friend of my family. I walked back down to my room and sealed the passage again. I needed to be sure.

Upon re-entering the throne room, I was shocked to see Cadance standing beside my sister, “Cadence, it's lovely to see you, but may I ask how you were able to get here so fast?”

The princess of love smiled and walked up to me and we hugged quickly “I’ve been working on my teleportation spell, Shining will be here by the end of the day, he may be strong, but his magic isn’t at the same level as ours.”

“I see.”

“Auntie, may I ask why you summoned me here? Lunas letter said that I was needed here urgently.”

I looked to the guards in the room “Please leave us.”

They nodded and left, once they had closed the door, I locked it, and placed a magical orb around the three of us to prevent any sound from leaving. I did not want our conversation to be overheard by any passerby. “A human as arrived in Equestria.”

My sister took the information the hardest “WHAT!? Sister, you must be mistaken.”

“I’m not Luna, a human, who appears to be a warrior, has been brought back to our world by the elements.”

“Well in that case, we must place him into custody immediately, we don’t know what he may be capable of, you remember the stories our parents told us sister. They are violent, untrustworthy, and cruel creatures.”

Cadance chimed in “That was because they were constantly attacked by others because of their lack of wings or magic, and then fell victim to the griffin’s greed, and the zebra’s treachery. If I remember correctly from the stories Celestia told me, they were also capable of building great things, even falling in love with others outside of their race. I say we bring him here. He’s lost and confused. I believe that we should welcome into our world with open hooves.”

Luna retorted “You can’t possibly be serious, for all we know, he could be here to destroy our world”

“The elements wouldn’t do that” Cadance replied

I raised up my hoof and silenced them both “Both of your arguments have their merit. We shall invite the human here to the castle and have a room prepared for him.”

“Sister have you lost your mind!!”

“BUT, he will be kept under observation for the time being until we can be sure of his intentions. I will not throw him in the dungeon simply because he MAY be dangerous. That would make an enemy of him for sure. So, he will stay here under our watch.”

Luna was still not sure, “But sister, how will we know that he does not mean us harm?”

“The answer to that is simple, we will each make up a trial for him to go through, I shall meet with him in disguise and lead him up canterlot mountain to the castle. I will ask him questions of his past, who he is, and what he does, I will keep a spell on him to ensure that he isn’t lying to me.” I answered

“Then I shall test him in a dream” Luna replied

“And I will test his heart” Cadance answered.

“Then it is settled. John will be here the day after tomorrow. I would like to ask the two of you to remain unseen by him for the time being. I fear that he may become afraid or suspicious of us if he knows that all three of us are here before he is.”

“Yes sister.”

“Yes auntie.”

“Good.” and with that I removed the orb from us and unlocked the doors “I believe that that is enough for one day, I am going to retire to my room and ready myself for what tomorrow may bring.”

“I shall ready myself for his tests.” Luna replied

“And I will follow him throughout the days and monitor his heart, and be there in case you need help Celestia.” Cadance continued.

I smiled, but I also was worried, knowing that both my sister and my niece could be right. “Then I shall see you both soon.” and with that I walked out and up to my chambers. As I lowered the sun, I looked out to Ponyville “I shall see you soon”. As the moon rose over the horizon, I walked back into my room and fell asleep.

The next day, I awoke and I went through the same routine of hygiene, taking extra care to make myself look as professional as possible. Especially since I was in a sense, meeting a foreign emissary. My sister was most likely in her room or hiding somewhere in the castle, and Cadance has gone somewhere, I suspect that she will be near John for most of this. All I could do is wait honestly. I have canceled most of my plans for today, and I have made sure that the castle staff understands that I will be gone for a few days and that he is coming here as a friend. I penned a letter to Twilight, informing her to make sure that the train is not in commission when Johnathan arrives at the station, and that I would be in disguise as a mountain guide who would be bringing him up the mountain. From the sound of things, the ponies in ponyville did not fear him, but the nobility of canterlot may see him differently. The problem is, is that zebra mythology on humans has gone to form most of the stories about them, and most of the nobility is well versed in mythology and the history of Equestria. The zebras portrayed the humans as monsters that eat ponies and destroy everything. But I know different. All I can do is wait and hope.

A few hours later, a letter appeared in front of me.

Dear Celestia,

I have taken care of the train to canterlot. John seems anxious to meet you. He says he has a few questions for you, but be warned he is armed. The weapons he has are nothing like anything that we have here. I have tried to get him to come unarmed, but he seems dead set on keeping them. According to him, he rehearses battles for fun, and that for the safety of others, he is keeping these “Guns” on him. He has not harmed any pony, but he tends to reach for his weapons in a dangerous situation or when he feels frightened.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

I read the letter over a few times, from the sound of it, Cadance was right, but the fact that he was armed suggested that Lunas theory may hold some water. I stood up and with a spell, I had donned my disguise. I decided to choose a younger form of myself, minus my wings of course. It was a form I was semi familiar with, and one that I felt would not tip Johnathan off to my true identity. I then sent a letter to Cadance, letting her know where to go before grabbing a saddlebag filled with various hiking materials that had been assembled by my sister and I, and with a flash of my horn, I teleported to Twilights castle.

With a flash, I appeared in the center hall of her castle, or as Twilight and her friends called it, the map room. Twilight was waiting for me there, and as I appeared, she bowed “Good morning Princess Celestia.”

I smiled at my faithful student “There’s no need to bow Twilight, you are a princess as well, technically speaking, I should be bowing to you” I raised up my hoof to gesture to my new body “How does my disguise look?”

“It looks amazing princess…may I ask what your new name will be?”

“Hmm...I had not put any thought to it…” I scratched my chin with my hoof when a possible name came to me “How about Majesty?”

“It sounds perfect… but you may want to change your voice up, that way we can be sure he won't notice.” she replied

“True” I replied, and with a flash of my horn, my voice had been changed “How does this sound?” I asked

“like a mix of your voice and rarities.” she replied “Which will work, but we should probably hurry, I’ve had them shut down the train to canterlot, and I’ve informed the conductor on what he has to say, but I only managed to get it shut down for a few hours, and John will probably be there in a half hour, so we best be on our way.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” After a short walk, we reached the train station, and already, a small mob of ponies had formed, and it was just in time too. Not even ten minutes after we arrived, I saw Johnathan walking towards the station. When I first saw him, I was surprised. He looked almost exactly like what I remember from my parent’s stories and then some, and he definitely looked like a warrior. I smiled as I would when I would meet any diplomat, and as he walked closer, I got a better look at him. He was wearing some sort of green shirt and pants, and over that was a black vest with small metal boxes on the front, and an odd looking black metal thing hanging from his vest, which I can only assume to have been his weapon. He also wore tan boots, a black helmet, and some sort of tan scarf. I saw him look over to the two of us, then to the conductor who was making apologies to the mob and assuring them that they were working to fix the train. he then muttered a vulgarity before turning to me and twilight and walking up to us

“So, I take it there’s been a delay?”

Twilight stepped forward and spoke, “Unfortunately, yes, the train seems to be broken and they don’t know how long it will be to repair it.”

He looked to me and then Twilight, “So, what’s that mean for my meeting with Celestia?”

“I’m glad you asked.” she replied “I already sent her a letter informing her that you would be late, but that you would be hiking up the mountain.” An annoyed look came across his face, but Twilight intervened. “Don’t worry, it should only be a day’s hike, and I’ve arranged for a guide to help you.”

He looked to me and stuck out his hand “I’m John.”

I smiled and shook it back as I spoke, “Thank you dear, my name is Majesty, I’ll be your guide up to Canterlot.” he looked at me oddly for a second before reaching for his gun, which shocked me, and I saw out of the corner of my eye that Cadance was up in a cloud with her horn ready, but her hostility faded away as we both saw that John was only changing how his weapon was clipped to him, slinging it over his back instead of having it hang off his side before speaking “Well it's nice to meet you Majesty, when do we start our ascent?”

I placed my bags on my back “Right now if you’re ready.”

He smiled at me before he spoke, “Lead the way.”

I smiled back at him before making my way to the base of the mountain, where I had us stop for a bite to eat. “It's probably best if we stop for lunch here, we won't reach the city until late tonight so I think it will be best if we take the longer trail up the backside of the mountain, there’s a nice little lake there that we can set up camp at.”

“Ok, you’re the guide.” John replied as he dropped his bag down and began to look through it and pulled out a brown bag and sighing before saying “Well at least it’s not the creamy spinach fettuccine...” he then tore open the bag and added water to it…very strange.

Meanwhile I had pulled out a sandwich that Luna had made before I left, but I saw smoke coming from that bag that he had “what is that exactly?”

He looked to me as he spoke “The army’s greatest invention, the Meal Ready to Eat, where the majority of options are bland or taste horrible.” he lifted up some kind of sandwich before taking a bit from it “Take this for example, the Jalapeño and cheese burger, like a burger…but fucking disgusting…But it’s better than nothing...”

His commentary on his food had caused me to stop eating my own, and it had gotten me to laugh, oh if only some of the guards had his sense of humor “I see…you know from what I’ve seen your quite the card for a military man.”

“Yeah I guess.” I replied.

I took a few bites of my own sandwich before starting my round of questions. “So, tell me a little about yourself and your military.”

John took another bite of his ‘sandwich’ and a sip of water before he spoke, “Well you know my name already so…...well I’m 28, about 6 feet tall, don’t exactly know my weight at the moment, and I’m a computer engineer, and in my free time, I re-enact battles...Still don’t know how I got here though.”

Ill admit, I had no idea what a computer is, but that’s a question for later “So your military doesn’t know of our world?”

“To my knowledge, no. trust me, if your world was found by mine you’d be an internet sensation, I can already hear the news people” He raised his hands up and spread them apart suddenly, which was a slight startle to me, but did not appear to be hostile, and what he said next confirmed that, “Breaking news, tonight at six, NASA has found a world like ours inhabited by magic talking and flying horses!”

I did not know much about John at that moment, but his sense of humor had me laughing hard “Oh my goodness that is funny.”

He smiled at me sincerely, “It's good to have someone to laugh at my jokes.”

I smiled back at him, “Well it's not too often that I have customers, I mostly do work on the trail keeping it in good condition then I do leading ponies up it.” I replied as I finished off my lunch

“huh…interesting.”

With lunch finished, we began to make our way up the mountain. As we walked up, I would look out to see how far up we were, and to get a loom at the view. From what I saw, we were making good time to the campsite. The view from the cliffs was not as good as the view from my own chambers, but it was still breathtaking in a way. I looked back to John, and when I did, I did not see the rugged, comedic man that I had had lunch with not long ago, instead I saw the look of a defeated man…a depressed man…I saw myself after that fateful night…. I couldn’t let him go down that path, so I stopped and spoke to him “You ok back there? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

He didn’t offer much of a reply “Oh…uhh…. yeah I’m fine.”

I raised my eyebrow at him and walked up to him “Are you sure? You don’t sound good.”

He sighed and avoided my gaze, “I’m fine…just a….im fine.” he was most certainly not fine

I looked at him and then out to the sky, then back. “Well then let's get back on the trail, we’ve got a few more miles to the camping point” and with that we kept walking up the mountain. His condition was worse than I thought. We continued to walk, but eventually I stopped hearing his footsteps, I turned around to see what was wrong, and I saw that John was looking out at the sky.

I walked back to him, and I saw that he was fully enthralled by the view from the trail. “I see you’re enjoying the view.”

“Yeah, It’s amazing.”

“It's one of my favorite things about this job.” I replied “Honestly if I could I’d spend hours on end just sitting out here with the fresh air and watching as the setting sun turns the clouds into many beautiful shades-”

John cut in and finished my sentence, “And then watch the stars.” I was surprised that he too enjoyed the sky. I realized then that there was more to him than what I had seen and heard, that there was a piece of myself in him as he continued to speak “Yeah, I know what you mean, I used to do the same thing when I went camping, I’d set up my tent, but on nights when the weather was nice, I’d just lay out there under the stars.”

I set down my bag and sat next to him, “That sounds rather peaceful.”

“Yeah, it was…but it was never enough to hold over the sadness inside me.” he replied, giving me a glance at who he really was.

“What sadness?” I asked

“Well according to my shrink, depression caused by my Tourette’s.”

“What’s that?”

John sighed, at first I thought he wouldn’t say anything, but he turned to me and spoke “Well it’s a mental disorder, causes my brain to send to many signals to my body resulting in physical twitching and a small speech problem, I was diagnosed at six and since then my life’s been hell, at first my family was embarrassed of my existence…but eventually they got used to it, but my peers didn’t. I was harassed and abused day in and day out. Women left me when they found out about it, saying that I deserved to be dumped for a real man, that all I deserved was a lonely death and a funeral that no one would attend…I tried to join my nations military but the medical board said that my disorder disqualified me from serving.”

If he wasn’t military, then why was he dressed like that? “Then why are you in military clothes?”

“I was wearing them when whatever brought me to this world took me…...you see, before I came here I was at rock bottom, I was alone, I had let myself go, and I was on the verge of suicide, so I’m chalking this all up to that magic tree that I woke up in front of.”

I now had my suspicions confirmed, he was not a threat, he was a broken man, one who needed friendship…he was like me up until Luna returned. “That’s horrible! How could anyone be so cruel!”

“Because I was different I guess… honestly, I don’t know or care about it anymore” he then picked up a rock and began to study it, and I saw then what I had to do. I picked my hooves up and wrapped them around him, which caused him to freeze up. “Uhm…. I’m not going to fall, I’m okay.”

I kept hugging him, “I’m not holding you because I think you’re going to fall, I'm holding you because you need a hug” he kept trying to get me to stop, but I put my hoof to his lips, “And there’s nothing you can say to stop me so let it happen” he gave in and I eventually let go of him before asking him, “So you believe that the elements had something to do with it?”

He stood back up and put his pack on “Yeah, it makes the most sense, and I’m surprised that everyone-er-pony, says that I’m taking this well, I mean what else can I do? Panicking over something I can’t fix isn’t going to help me at all, so why should I worry about it?”

“I see… that’s actually very smart of you…. but may I ask if you’re worried about anything?”

“Well there’s the obvious part of meeting the Princess. I mean Celestia sounds nice and all, but I’m not exactly a good person, and look at me, I don’t exactly scream ‘I come in peace”

I almost chuckled at that, but years of diplomatic experience help me stifle it, oh if only he knew. “That is true, but I’m sure the Princess will be understand, and I’m sure she'd be willing to help you” I got back up, grabbed my things, and we began to walk back up the slope. He was worried about meeting me, but maybe I could ease his fear, “I’ve met the princess a few times.”

He looked down to me with shock “Oh really?”

I did not enjoy lying to john, but the situation required it. “Yes, like I said, my job sometimes involves leading ponies up the mountain, and sometimes, dignitaries do not wish to part with their carriages, so I get called to lead them up. In a way I’m sort of an ambassador.”

“Huh, interesting.” from the sound of his voice, my tactic was working

“Yes, and like I said, this means I’ve had some meetings with the Princess, and trust me when I say that she’ll understand, I’m sure that she’d even be willing to put you up in the castle for the time being.”

he smiled at me and I smiled back, “Thanks Majesty, that kind of helps ease my worry.”

“Anything for a friend in need.”

John looked down to me like I had just spoken a different language “Friend?”

“Yes dear, everypony needs a friend…would you accept my friendship?”

I was worried that I might have said something wrong as john just kept walking in silence, but eventually, he spoke “You know what…I think I’d like that.”

I smiled back at my new friend, “Good.” We walked for a little bit longer before we came to the resting site, it was a small lake that me and Luna had found when canterlot was being built, “This is one of the lakes that the river around the castle drains into.”

“Wow…This is actually pretty nice.” John walked to the side of the mountain near the water and set his stuff down, I assumed that he would be setting up his tent, so I began to get a fire started to make us some tea or at least keep us warm if it got cold…the only problem with that was that I had forgotten how to light A fire by hoof, and I didn’t want to risk using magic to start it, as I may have given away my true identity.

“Come on you stupid thing, light”

I heard a small laugh from off in the distance, and then John walked up to me “Need a hand with that?”

I dropped the sticks and saw that my efforts had born no fruit, “Yes, I suppose I could use some assistance.”

He set up the logs and some sticks and then got a match. “Watch this” he struck the match, and placed it in the fire under the smaller twigs, after a minute or two, the log began to catch and he stood back up “There you go”

I smiled and placed a teapot over the fire, “Thank you John, may I ask where you learned that?”

“Yeah, I was a Boy Scout.”

“What’s that?” I asked

“It’s a group from where I’m from, its goals are to teach boys life skills and survival skills” it sounded similar to the group that Applejack's sister and her friends had going

“And is there a similar program for females?”

“Yeah, however, from what I’ve heard from family friends, even though they have the ability to, the Girl Scouts don’t usually do the same type of activities as the Boy Scouts, and there are also co-ed programs…needless to say there are lots of options for everyone.” he replied

“That is good to hear.”

“Yeah, well if you need me I’m going to make myself some shelter” and with that he walked off. I heard some a few crashes, and a small amount of profanity, but eventually, John had made himself a shelter and had walked back over to me “May I ask what your making?”

I smiled at him as I poured myself a cup of the pots contents, “Just heating up some water for some tea, would you like some?”

he shook his head “Thank you, but I’ll pass, I’ve never been much of a tea person”

“Ah so you’re a coffee drinker?”

“And proud of it, like most people, I need coffee in order to function in the morning”

I chuckled, his responses reminded me of Luna “Not much of a morning person then?”

“I’m basically a zombie before 8 am when things aren't exciting.” He replied which almost had me burst out in full on laughter. It felt good to talk to him

We sat around the fire, making small talk, and enjoying each others company, until eventually, I had to lower the sun. I was able to do it discreetly while I held my teacup in my magic. Eventually, Luna Raised the moon, and the night sky looked breathtaking from where we were on the mountain. As I began to think back to earlier today, I looked to John “I know now that you are not military, but I’ve seen those things on your back and side, so may I ask what are those weapons that I always see you carrying and why do you have them?”

he sighed as he brought out his weapons, “This is my Rifle, there are many like it, but this one is mine.” I just stared at him and he sighed again, “It’s a dangerous weapon” he pulled part of the weapon from it and then pulled another part back and lifted up a small brass object before speaking, “This is a bullet, it consists of a primer, a metal casing, explosive power, and the top of the bullet is what gets fired out. The bullet goes into the magazine, and the magazine goes into the rifle. The rifle then has a small pin that hits the primer which ignites the power which propels the bullet down the barrel of the weapon at the target or enemy. And it may be small, but it can do some damage, as for how I got them, I’m going to say it was the tree, and I carry them because I know how to use them and it could be dangerous for anyone who doesn’t know how to use them, or if they wish to use them to bring evil to have them.” He took the bullet, put it back in the mag, and ut that back in the gun and I then asked about the thing on his hip

“What about that?”

“Basically, the same thing, but on a smaller scale”

“Why would you need such weapons and how do you know how to use them?” I was beginning to get worried, these weapons could wreak havoc on my world, but johns response eased my worries.

“I think I have them for protection, be it my own or for this entire world, and I know how to use them because I used to teach people on how to use them, and because I might not have been in the military, but I did military simulation for many years.”

Again with this practice of his, “What is Military Simulation?”

“Basically, me and a few hundred-other people all get together for a weekend and basically rehearse military operations for fun.”

Interesting “Ah I see, so you train for fun?”

“Well for me it was kind of therapeutic as when I was out doing it, my Tourette’s would almost disappear, maybe it was because my brain was already operating on high because of the adrenaline, I don’t know, but it helped me and made me feel happy so…yeah.”

This disorder of him…it's caused him so much pain…I was happy to hear that he has a way of helping it. “Ah, so it meant more to you than others then?”

“Not really, but yes, it did hold a special place in my life.”

“I see, but what will you do now?”

“I don’t know, I mean it's safe to assume MilSim is out…...maybe I’ll take up wood carving? I used to do a bit of it before I came here but now that I’ll have my weekend free, I guess I’ll need a new hobby.”

“That sounds nice.” I replied as I put more tea in my cup. John needed to cut himself some slack. “…You know contrary to what you may believe, you are a good person John.”

“I don’t know.”

“I think that you will fit in very nicely in Equestria, your strong, caring, and you’re a good person.”

“Thanks Majesty…. you know, I think that maybe I’ll open up a woodshop here.”

“That sounds like a good idea” I smiled at Johnathan. Partly because it was nice to have a friend, but also because I loved the idea of a little wood shop near the castle. However, I knew that for the time being he would have to be a guard…but perhaps maybe someday, hell have a quaint little shop, or maybe he’ll use his engineering skills to build something for this world…though I know that he’d probably build it for me

John smiled back at me before standing up, “I think I’m going to call it a night, I’ll see you in the morning.”

I smiled, knowing that tomorrow, I would be able to tell john some truths. I hated lying to him, especially since he’s been so kind…since he reminds me so much of myself. Sure, he may have a more rugged exterior, but underneath it, there lies a very big heart. I pulled out a small book of my own, one that was enchanted to Luna, Cadance, and myself could secretly communicate on this venture. “Okay goodnight John, if you need me I’ll be over here, I think I’m going to do some reading before bed.”

“Fair enough.” he replied, and with that he began to walk away, but before he got to his shelter, he turned back to me “…. And majesty…...Thank you for being my friend.”

I smiled back at him wholeheartedly. I was happy that some of my efforts to help him were working. “You're quite welcome my dear, goodnight.” And with that he walked off. I saw john lay down in his shelter with his head propped up as he watched the stars. I looked down to my “book” and I saw that my sister had left me a message

Is everything going alright sister? Should I send the guard?

I sighed as I wrote back There’s no need Luna, the more time I spend with Johnathan, the more I seem to believe that Cadance may be right about him

At the mention of her name, Cadance chimed in See, I told you so, and his heart proves it. I must say you’ve had quite the effect on him auntie, its been a while since I’ve seen some pony so depressed, but thanks to you, his heart is starting to beat it

That is good to hear I replied We shall be arriving at the train station in the morning, from there I’ll bring him to the castle, however, I’m going to need a distraction in order to cast off my disguise without him noticing

My sister replied, and I could hear her mischievous grin from here I’ll come up with something

I sighed, but I then also began to worry for Johns safety. Just don’t do anything too crazy, I’ll fake an injury, a few guards showing up to take me to the hospital and escort Johnathan to the palace should do the trick.

Luna's reply helped stay my I will have the captain lead the team

Very well…goodnight sister, goodnight Cadance

Goodnight Celly

Goodnight Auntie

I awoke the next morning to a familiar smell, the smell of coffee. I expected to open my eyes and see Luna, however, when I did, I was greeted by the view of my tent, and as I opened the flaps, John was sitting there, with a pot over the fire, and a cup of the seaming liquid inside. I stepped out of my tent and John greeted me with a smile. We had a small discussion, which lead to me trying coffee for the first time, and from that experience, I have promised myself that I will never try it again. It felt nice to talk to John, and I was happy to see that he had come out of his shell, maybe not all the way, but still, he had come out. He even provided me with proof of this, by giving me a rose that he had carved himself. Eventually we began our hike up the mountain, and as we neared Canterlot, I put my plan into action. While John was again distracted in his own thoughts, I “Fell” I collapsed to the ground with a scream, and two seconds later, John was by my side

“Majesty, you ok?”

“Y-Y-Yes, I…I just tripped.” I then tried to get up, actin like my front right leg was too hurt before yelling out in pain again, “I…I can't stand up.”

John kneeled down next to me and inspected my leg “It looks like your leg is hurt.”

“How badly?”

“Bad enough that you’re not going to be walking on it” I was expecting him to stay with me until I could get the guards down here to help, but what he did next surprised me. he took my pack off me, and then picked me up, and placed me over his back to carry me. “So…I'm going to have to carry you.”

I was worried that the weight of me and his pack may hurt him, and I tried to tell him that “Johnathan what are you talk-”

He put his finger up to my lips “No, I’m not leaving you, this time I’m the one who’s not changing his mind.” and with that he began to make his way up the mountain, however he had to leave my pack behind, but that was simply teleported to my room when we got away from it, however, every once in a while, John would grunt. Eventually, he stopped and looked up to me, “How much farther to canterlot? Because I don’t mean to sound rude, but you’re not exactly the lightest individual in the world”

I chuckled, “I'm going to overlook that comment as your currently carrying me, and I’d say that at this rate, we should be there in a half hour.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic” his vulgarity would have warranted a bit of a verbal chiding from me, but given the situation, I let it slide

It took us longer than what I had said, but that was not an issue, the true problem began as we walked into the train station on the edge of town. The second my little ponies saw Johnathan, they began to scream and run away in fear. John paid it no mind, and he gently set me down on the platform as a squad of guards, led by the captain ran onto the platform with spears at the ready. John looked to them as he pointed to me “Hey, I need a medic here! She’s got a hurt leg!”

The guards only responded by lowering their spears to point at John, and he in turn, sat down so his body was shielding most of mine, as he raised up his rifle and swept it from guard to guard as he spoke. “Drop your weapons or I will shoot!”

I saw Shining Armor step to the front of the group, and I expected him to defuse the situation, but he only responded by drawing his swords with his magic and pointing them towards John “Step away from her you monster!”

John focused his weapon to the captain, and I feared the situation might have been getting worse as John spoke “Never bring a knife to a gunfight. Now take your men and tell them to back the fuck off. I’m not leaving her until she’s safe.”

John was doing this to protect me?...I…I had to help him, unfortunately, the captain didn’t back down “Safe? Yeah right, you’re the one who hurt her, just so she wouldn’t run right?”

I saw Johns thumb adjust lever on the rifle, the two were about to fight. “This is your last warning, back off or I shoot.”

Seeing no other course of action, I stood up behind John, and with a quick spell, my disguise had been cast off. Seeing my true identity, the captain and the guards all immediately snapped to attention, “That won't be required gentlemen” Upon hearing my true voice, John just turned around, and when he saw me, he stood up, adjusted that little lever, and bowed deeply. I smiled at him as I motioned for him to rise, and as he did, he stared at me with a look of surprise on his face

“Where…Where’s Majesty?”

I smiled at him, even though I felt horrible about lying to him. I explained my reasons, and John seemed to understand, though I’m afraid that I had driven him back into his shell.

The walk back to the castle was uneventful, though when I saw the looks that Johnathan was getting from some of the nobels, I am happy that my sister decided to send more guards. My meeting with Johnathan also went rather well, I was happy to hear that even though I had lied to him when we met, he was still willing to accept my offer of friendship, and even more delighted when he accepted my offer of dinner. When the time came for our meal, I felt that it would be better for me to personally lead John to the dining hall. I owed him that much, especially after he carried me up the mountain and after he forgave me for my actions. John was surprised to see me, and even more surprised to hear that he would be my personal guard, but in his eyes, I say the conflict between his heart, and a tantavis of his own. During the dinner, things went well, and I found myself doing some bonding with John. I’m happy to say the he left the table in a better mental state than when he arrived…. until I bid him goodnight. I should have known that he had feelings for me, I was foolish to answer his question. Especially one that hurt him so. Fearing for Johnathan’s safety, I waited until he had returned to his quarters before sneaking to my door and quietly made my way to Luna's room. My sister was just about ready to start her night shift when I interrupted her

“Luna, there is no time to explain, but you must test Johnathan tonight?”

“Why sister, I thought you said that we should take our time with this test?”

“Because I fear for his safety.”

My sister snickered “Because you have developed feelings for him?”

I stopped as I thought, I didn’t think that I had developed feelings, not at least in a sense of love, but then again, I feel attracted to him… and he’s wasn’t bad- looking either…. “He reminds me much of myself after I lost you.”

“I see” my sister rubbed her chin with her hoof before sighing “Fine…I shall move up my test for you sister. Now come along, he is most surely asleep, we need to begin the dream manipulation quickly.” With that being said, I followed Luna into her room, and with a flash of her magic, we were watching Johnathan in his dream. I was hurt to see how my response had crushed him, and me and Luna were both scared at how he physically abused himself. It took every fiber of my being to keep me from intervening…and then when Luna came is as Chrysalis…and when John sacrificed himself…I myself was crushed. John reminded me so much of myself…my sister was right, I did have feelings for him. I was elated when he asked me out for a date, even though it took some motivation, and even though Bluebloods little stunt did hurt the evening, I’m still happy to see that I’m starting to break down the walls around Johns heart… that he may be my one.
--
Now for my more serious message. The day I got that letter from Twilight about your arrival in Equestria was one of the best and worst days in my life. I had heard stories of humanity from my parents. My sister and myself were fixated on the stories of their great fighting abilities and how humans, creatures with no magic, or wings, could do and build so much. But I also remember how they became a cold and distrustful race. Unfortunately, it was due to their own lack of magic that lead others to believe that they were weak. That they were vulnerable. So, they were constantly under threat of attack. I can still remember my parents sorrow as talked of how they had to cast them from this world. That is why I was worried when I heard of your arrival, I feared that your world may have sent you here to reclaim its lost land. The night I heard of your arrival, I sent for Princess Cadance and my sister to meet with me and discuss what we should do. My sister Luna, much like our mother, suggested the idea of placing you into custody until we could verify that you were in fact, not a threat to our world. My niece Cadance wanted to go to see you immediately. She believed that you were just a kind and gentle soul who was stuck in a new world. She always sees the good in ponies, or in this case people. So, I did what I could to mediate. Both sides had their virtues, but they also had their flaws. So together we devised three trials. My trial, The Trial of the Sun, came first, and it would decide the course of the other trials. As you know, it was our trip up the mountain to Canterlot. I wanted to meet the real you, the you that comes out when your alone, not the façade that you put up when you’re in public…. the you that I feared you would try to hide in your meeting with me…. And you passed it with flying colors, so I moved on and gave you a position in the guard as my personal protector to help aid my sister in her test, but I also gave you that job because of what you did at the station. I was surprised to see that you were so willing to sacrifice yourself to ensure the safety of some pony who you had only met. I was discouraged that the actions of the guards forced me to reveal my identity to you, and I am sorry that I had to deceive you that way, but we had to make sure that you would not hurt my little ponies… And I saw how you were looking at me, I saw your internal struggle when I thought I felt your feelings for me. I was hopeful that you would pass the remainder of the trials, but I was worried for you when you asked that last question about my immortality. I saw how much my answer deflated you. Worried for your well-being, I accelerated the time table of the next trial, having it take place that night, instead of over the course of the next few days. So that night, Luna conducted her trial, the trial of the Moon. In this trial she would simulate the real world in your dreams and then have a power attack us and see what you would do. To see if you could be trusted. We were watching you when we weren’t participating in the test. I was heartbroken to see what my response combined with your past had done to you. And to hear that your own life meant nothing to you. it devastated me. To hear that you hated yourself so much, to see the damage that others had done to you was saddening. But the fact that you were willing to cast your own happiness and well-being aside to fulfill your duty and protect me that sparked my own feelings for you. I saw how you held others before yourself, that you were willing to do so much to keep others safe from harm. I didn’t need Cadance there to know that you were in love with me, and that your heart was in pain. And as the day went on, I saw that you were doing whatever you could to hide your pain. You would have been able to hide it from anypony else, but I have been around for thousands of years. I’ve seen that look before, and as much as I wanted to confront you on it, I couldn’t. I had to let Luna do her trial.

It was your actions when Luna simulated a chrysalis attack that proved your intentions to Luna that broke my heart. The fact that you were willing to give your life for a pony who you knew for only 24 hours at the most, was proof enough to Luna that you could be trusted, and it was proof to me of your love. And when you read this John, I want you to know one thing. That if you ever do something like that to me in real life, then I will slap the living daylights out of you. Damn it, I love you! Do you know how devastated I was when you died in my hooves!! Don’t you ever, EVER do that to me, even if it is just in a dream! Your life may mean nothing to you, but it means everything to me! I meant what I said last night, and I want to spend everyday with you and every night, I want to lay down with you and hold you close to me. I don’t care about your disorder. I know that you wanted to take things slowly, but we can both agree that Lunas test has changed our relationship. Especially since we confessed our feelings. You are the first stallion, or should I say, man, to actually see me for me, and not some god. And yes, I may get the occasional love letter from a noble, but none of them are like you. none of them actually love me for who I am. They love me because of my position of power. You are the man for me. I hope to one day call you my handsome prince.
Your beautiful princess,

Celestia.