It didn't take long for him to get an audience with princess Celestia. Nurse Red Hoof had sent a request right after her morning round as promised and Celestia had answered almost immediately and informed her that he could join her for lunch at noon.

Michael sat in a wheelchair as he was being escorted through an underground tunnel that connected the hospital to the royal castle where Celestia lived. They had decided to use the tunnel because it was more discreet. After all, it's not everyday a new sentient species appears out of nowhere even in Equestria. Rumours had started to spread about the sentient hairless monkey being treated in the hospital. Many journalists wanted an interview with said monkey, but Celestia had forbidden any and all media interference. This didn't stop rumours from spreading though. The fact that Michael was an omnivore had spread quite fast and while many argued that it's not that big of a deal since the neighbouring Griffin Kingdom consisted of omnivores, others were unsettled by the fact that an omnivorous monkey were being treated in Canterlot's hospital. Some had even demanded that he should be thrown out because they thought he would harm the many fillies being treated there. Red Hoof had told Michael about some of the rumors and even though he didn't like people falsely believing him to be dangerous, he could understand why.

It took almost 20 min to get to the other side of the tunnel. They exited through a pair of heavy iron doors that lead into a brightly lit corridor with huge windows. The walls and ceiling being made of white marble. There was a dark red carpet on the floor. Michael looked around in amazement at the wonderful and intricate designs. He was so preoccupied with admiring the scenery that he didn't notice that someone waited for him at the end
of the corridor.

“I'm glad you appreciate my home Mr. Happer.” Michael was brought out of his thoughts and looked ahead and saw that Princess Celestia was waiting at the end of the corridor. Suddenly he realised something. He had never addressed a royalty. What should he say? Your highness? Your majesty? Princess?

“Um...hi...eh, your highjesty. I mean...your majiness.” He closed his eyes and winced at his awkwardness. “Um...I'm sorry Princess Celsius. I MEAN CELESTIA.”

He developed a sudden fascination with the red carpet as he tried with all of his might to turn back time a few minutes. Celestia meanwhile had to fight hard to suppress a fit of laughter at poor Michael's ordeal. The guards had a similar issue and had to bite down hard so they could maintain a professional exterior. The Princess took a deep breath before addressing Michael.

“It's quite alright Mr Happer. I take it you don't have much experience dealing with royalty?” She asked with an amused smile. Michael looked up and chuckled a little before answering.

“What gave me away? I taught I did an excellent job of hiding the fact that know next to nothing about interactions with royals.” He said as he put on a mask of ironic pride. Celestia gave him a bemused smile.

“And you almost had me fooled, but you should know that when you address a royalty you always start with “greetings your majiness.” and not “hi your majiness”.Otherwise it was perfect. ” She said with a smirk.

“Ah...I should have know.” He said as he swayed his head in mock disappointment. Celestia giggled discreetly before turning her focus to the guards.

“You may leave. I'll take him from here.” The guards did a quick bow before excusing themselves. Celestia then looked down at Michael. “Now, we're going to the gardens for some refreshments and a little something to eat. I thought you might enjoy the outside after being cooped up in that room for 4 days.” She said as she escorted him to the garden. Although Michael felt happy about not eating in the hospital, he still wanted some answers, but decided it was best to wait until they reached the gardens.

“That sounds nice Princess.” He said as he began to think about what questions he most wanted an answer for.

“This is an informal meeting Mr Happer. You may call me Celestia. Although I think I'm starting to like the sound of “Your Majiness”.” She said jokingly.

“As you wish, Your Majiness.” Michael replied as they both chuckled a bit. He liked that Celestia was so down to earth despite being a princess. “But seriously though, what do I say if I want to be...correct? Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with calling you “Your Majiness”, but I think it might be good to know how to properly address you.” Celestia nodded in agreement before answering.

“You are quite right Michael. “Your Highness” is used when addressing somepony who is either a prince or a princess. “Your Majesty” is used to address somepony who is either a king of a queen.” She turned her head to Michael. “I wouldn't worry too much though. Even some of the nobles get those mixed up occasionally. Just the mere fact that you are humble enough to admit a mistake and show a willingness to correct it, is more than most.” She added with a smile. Their conversion continued until they reached the garden. Michael took a deep breath as he enjoyed the feeling of the warm sun on his face. He took in the sounds and smells of the surrounding. They seated themselves at a table that had been set up near a stream of water and in the shade of a nearby tree. Michael looked around the garden, admiring the scenery. He took a sip of the tea that had been put out for them.

“I gotta say. Your home is not too shabby.” He said as he continued to look around. “As for myself I have a luxurious apartment with barely enough room for 2.” He added as he took another sip of his tea.

“Trying to impress me.” Celestia said in a mock tone as she raised an eyebrow.

“Trying being the operative word there.”

Celestia chuckled a little before she spoke. “Nurse Red Hoof informs me that your recovery is going smoothly. How are you coping with the situation?” Celestia asked in a sincere tone.

“Surprisingly good actually. I'm recovering almost twice as fast as the doctors predicted so hopefully I'll be able to walk soon, but I'm still not used to…” He said as he gestured around the scenery.

“Being in another world?” Celestia finished for him.

“Yes...that.” He said as he refocused on his tea. Celestia gave him an understanding look before she spoke.

“I’ve spoken to nurse Red Hoof about you. She seems to have spent the most time with you and thus have a better understanding as to what may have happened. You’ve told her that it was never your intention to end up here in Equestria. Could you tell me what happened?” Michael had a thoughtful expression on his face as he tried to recall what happened. After a minute he spoke.

“I honestly have no idea how I ended up here, but I can tell you what I remember.” He paused for a moment as he collected his thoughts. “The day I...was transported here wasn’t unusual in any way. Sure I had been working for 15 hour straight, but that’s what I get for being a musician in the middle of Christmas. Anyway, it happened when I got home.” He paused for a bit, unsure how to describe what happened next.

“What happened?” Celestia asked hoping to find some sort of clue that might help her send him to his own world. Michael was silent for a few more moments before he spoke again.

“Well...I was at the door, I unlocked it and stepped in.” He paused a little to make sure he remembered as much details as possible, but unfortunately his memory was a bit vague. “I turned around and closed the door and when I turned again everything...just went black...I don’t know how long it lasted. Could have been hours or even days for all I know. Next thing I know I’m waking up in a field of grass and I can’t move my body.” He was silent for a while as he tried to recall more details, but he couldn’t. He looked up at Celestia who seemed to be deep in thought. eventually she looked up at Michael.

“You say that everything just went black. Did you feel anything when it happened? Did it hurt? And do you remember if anything happened between the moment you left your home and the moment you awoke here?” Michael stared ahead at nothing in particular when he answered.

“It kind of felt like falling asleep, but almost instantaneously. When I woke up It felt like waking up from a reeeeally long sleep. I can’t remember anything that happened in between.” He said as he took the tea to his mouth.

“Hmm...I don’t think that I will be able to give a satisfactory answer as to why you’ve ended up here and It pains me to say this, but you may very well be stuck here for a long time. This may be hard to hear, but I’m not going to lie to you Michael.” He looked down. Her answer didn’t surprise him. What the f**k was he supposed to do now? Eventually he looked up.

“Soo...How long is a long time. Are we talking days, weeks...years?” He said as he looked up. Celestia gave him a sad look.

“It is almost impossible to say. It could take as little as a few month, but most likely it’s going to take years. I’m not going to say that it is impossible to send you back, but I can’t give you a timeline for when it will happen I’m afraid.” She reached over and lifted his chin with her hoof. “But I can give you a life here in Equestria. It may not be your home, but with time you may come to make this your new one.” She said with a smile. “I can’t tell you why you’ve come here, but I believe things happen for a reason. You coming here is not an accident.” Celestia had initially planned to ask a few more questions, but seeing Michael in his current state made her push those to the back of her mind. She had already decided that Michael wouldn’t be a threat to anyone so answers could wait.

“Soo...” She started. “Would you care to tell me something about you world?” Michael looked a little happier at this. He chuckled a little.

“Trying to change the subject eh?” He said in a joking tone before he continued. “I don’t mind, but I want to thank you.” Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?...Whatever for?” She said, curious what Michael was about to say.

“For being honest. I may not like the implications of what you just said and I don’t like the idea of being stuck here for years, but I appreciate your honesty.” He sighed before he decided to ask a question that had been plaguing his mind for the past days. “Anyways, could I ask you a question?” Celestia looked at him and gave him a curious look.

“Of course you can.” She stated as she took a sip of her tea.

“What I’m about to ask may seem a bit...insensitive? and I apologise if that’s the case, but I must ask, do you and Princess Luna really raise and lower the sun and moon?” He asked as he hoped that he hadn’t offended the princess. To his surprise she chuckled a little before answering.

“I don’t mind at all. There are even some ponies that aren’t entirely convinced that we can. It is good to question old beliefs, but in this case I can assure you that they are not lying when they say that we can bring forth both day and night.” Celestia found Michael's sceptical look very amusing.

“Doesn’t your world have somepony...or should I say someone that takes care of the sun and the moon?” She asked curious to find out more about Michael's world.

“Well...no. In fact it would even be wrong to say that the sun rises at all.” He then went on to explain how the sun and the moon worked back in his own world and Celestia felt like a curious filly for the first time in centuries. They talked a lot about the differences between their respective worlds. They were both so invested in their discussion that they didn’t even noticed when two guards approached them. One of them cleared his throat which caught the attention of Celestia.

“Pardon our interruption your highness, but they are awaiting your arrival down in the courtroom.” Celestia looked slightly embarrassed that she had lost track of time during her discussion with Michael.

“Oh my, Is that really the time?” She turned to Michael. “As much as I enjoyed our talk I must be elsewhere. These guards will escort you back to the hospital. When you are fully recovered we shall talk again. Until then.” Michael was about to answer when Celestia disappeared in a flash of brilliant white light. He blinked a few times in confusion.

“Did she just?...never mind.” He looked up at the guards who seemed unfazed by the display. “Well I guess it’s back to the hospital for now then.”

As they escorted him back to the hospital, he was deep in thought the entire way back. What would he do if he couldn't go back to his own world? Were there other humans living somewhere in Equestria? Or was he the only one?

There were many questions looping in his head that needed answers. He needed to speak to Celestia again even though he realised that she probably won't have all the answers. She was certainly one of his best bet though and he had managed to make a good impression with her despite his...less than successful introduction.He also hoped that he could talk to her again. Not only because he had gotten some answers, but because he genuinely enjoyed their conversion. She was down to earth and very humble person despite the fact that she is the ruler of Equestria and raises and lowers and sun. Even though Michael wasn't fully convinced of that fact yet.

After a while he was back in his hospital bed. He lay there and pondered about the event of the day. His thoughts were interrupted when nurse Red Hoof entered the room. She frowned a bit when she saw that something seemed to trouble Michael.
“How did it go?” She asked, a little hesitantly. Michael sighed.

“I...don't wanna talk about it right now.” He said as he looked out the window. “Ask me again tomorrow. Right now I think I need some rest.” The nurse gave him a sad smile.

“I didn't mean to pry Michael. I'll come back in a while with some food.” She said with a reassuring smile as she left the room.

Michael couldn't help himself and smiled a little. “I could have ended up in a worse place I guess.” He said to himself as he looked out of the window, lost in thought.

Author's Note

Disclaimer: I do not own Hasbro's My little pony
Claimer: I own my OC character Michael Happer