Summer Bound

Chapters

Chapter One - Insane
Chapter Three - Waiting Game
Chapter Four - Electrify
Chapter Five - Adventure Bound
Chapter Six - Adventure Bound II
Chapter Seven - Adventure Bound III
Chapter Eight - Running Around
Chapter Nine - Overtime
Chapter Ten - Cracking Down
Chapter Eleven - Severed
Chapter Twelve - Results and Coffee
Chapter Thirteen - Short Fuse
Chapter Fourteen - A Different Point of View
Chapter Sixteen - A Celestial Journey II
Chapter Seventeen - A Celestial Journey III
[ARC II] Chapter Eighteen - The Spoils of War
Chapter Nineteen - Jokes on You
Chapter Twenty - To Stoke the Sun
Chapter Twenty One - Going off Improv
Chapter Twenty Two - Lunch at Dawn
Chapter Twenty Three - The Canterlot Express
Chapter Twenty Four - Digressing Delays
Chapter Twenty Five - Spending Rainchecks
[ARC I] Prologue - Summer Bound
Chapter Two - Unstable
Chapter Fifteen - A Celestial Journey I

Chapter One - Insane

Curled up in a little ball, I awaiting the eventual impact with the water’s surface. As I flew through the air my body seemed to hit something brittle yet solid. Which in turn confused me. I know that going at the right speed while impacting water can make it feel like cement, but I wasn’t going anywhere near that speed. So, you could imagine my thought process when then next thing that I noticed was the sound of shattering glass.

Still feeling the effects of gravity on my body, I kept myself curled up in the same small ball. If anything, being in this position will minimize any head injuries. That, of course, is assuming I’m not hurtling at the ground at Mach speed right now. If the sensations and sounds that I’m hearing were anything to go by, then I would at least live to tell this tale.

I’ve always been told that time slows down when something like this happens. Sadly, that’s not the case as milliseconds later my side made contact with a smooth yet very solid surface. The pain was excruciating as I felt the warm wave of pressure engulf my entire right side. As if the creators didn’t think that was enough, I experienced the feeling of hundreds of bits and pieces of glass stick into my skin.

To say that I was in pain was an understatement, and I made that pretty clear as I yelled out in an attempted to quench the pain. It wasn’t till seconds later that my adrenaline started to kick in and somewhat dull the pain. My mind right now was now focused entirely on surviving this ordeal that I didn’t even have the chance to see who, or what was coming to help me.

In fact, even if I was able to comprehend what was happening at the moment, I still wouldn’t be able to see anyone. This was mostly due to the fact that I was still curled up in my little ball. Man, I must have looked like a little kid crying over a small splash in the lake.

After about ten seconds of letting out cries of pain, my mind started to realize that I’m not going to die right away. So, it went on to think about other things. Like how in the hell am I able to breathe underwater? Or maybe, more importantly, why did I manage to hit two things instead of just the water’s surface.

The more and more I thought about the feelings I was feeling. The more and more my mind started to get curious. Yet it wasn’t tuned into my injuries like it should be right now. No, in this particular moment I found myself wondering where I am.

While I wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed by a long shot. I still prided myself on picking up things pretty fast, and these events that I found myself placed into unbeknownst just didn’t add up.

My first piece of the metaphorical puzzle was the ability to breathe. While it was an obvious one and probably one of the biggest give away, I didn’t stop there. That brings me to the second tidbit of information, which was the realization that I was laying down on a smooth yet warm surface. Characteristics that the bottom of a lake would surely not have.

Yet, out of all of the things that my senses picked up, the audio portion was the most important. It enlightened me that I was not alone. The notion of having someone near me was a welcoming thought as the injuries that I have seemed to inflicted upon myself would force me to inaction. Which at this particular moment was a godsend, seeing as any movement I did, spiked a new level of pain. Nevertheless, as time ticked on my senses kept updating me on what was around.

It was pretty cool to notice how when one sense is taken away from you, the others get a little boost. While it hurt to simply unfurl myself to take a look around, my other senses started to fill the gap. I could hear banners flapping in the early summer breeze, the crunching of glass as someone walked towards me, the gasps of others that just witnessed the event, and lastly the clinking of armor.

As I lay there motionless more words were spoken. The language they spoke was completely foreign to me. I saw no point in attempting to decipher what they were saying, so I turned to collect more information with my senses.

The ground I laid upon was hard and smooth, the breeze that my hearing picked up could be felt brushing against my skin. Yet out of all of the feelings, the last was the worst, I could tell that I was lying in a warm puddle which steadily grew in size. Only one thing came to my mind on what that could be, and it forced my eyelids to lift.

Cracking an eyelid open I took hold of the void. I was still in my fetal position my head tucked into my body. The easy part was done, and now the hard part has begun. I stated to myself as I slowly started to unfurl.

Pain wrapped my body in its harsh arms as I thrashed in its grips. If I were going to die due to blood loss, then I would at least die knowing where I was.

The first of my body to separate itself was my arms. Every centimeter they moved more pain pushed itself through my veins. Biting my lip attempting not to scream anymore I lifted my head to see what I had feared.

The first thing that caught my attention was the crimson pool of blood that spread out across the marble floor. A floor that I traced upwards to see multiple marble pillars holding up the grand roof of this establishment. The mosaic that detailed the walls were all spraying light across the floor in a multitude of colors. It would have been beautiful; would it not be that it was my deathbed.

Continuing to look at the windows I had noticed that one of them was shattered. Its pieces laid scattered around my battered body. While I knew that I crashed through some form of a window, I had not expected it to be something of this size and craftsmanship. That welcoming feeling I got when hearing those footsteps seemed to vanish at the thought that I had now destroyed something that was probably worth more than my car.

My eyelids started to gain a weight to them as my thoughts went back to the sound of the footsteps. Every passing second the room distorted more. Soon it was spinning around me as I attempted to find who was coming over to me.

Sadly, as I finally spotted a blur that looked to be moving towards me, my eyelids shut. I felt another shock of pain shoot through my head as I accept the darkness.

Call it cliché, but those stories have it right. As soon as I had awoken in what looked to be a cell of some kind I couldn’t help but think ‘where am I?’. Which of course could not be answered until I made some sort of contact with another being.

Looking around the room revealed to me that there were not many options I could utilize. In fact, the only things in my cell was an old, small and battered bed next to a pail of water. Whether that pail was used for drinking or bodily needs I had no desire to find out.

Shoving that thought right out of my head, I continued to take in the cell. It was cramped as I had expected a cell to be, but it also adorned a small window on the far wall. It seemed to look much more appealing to me than the metal bars on the other end. My curiosity told me that the window would be the best place to start. For a brief look outside would at least help me orientate myself.

This, however, was going to be a hard task. My body was sore all over, the pieces of glass that embedded themselves into my skin were all removed, but the cuts remained fresh and open. The bandaging they had done looked to be rushed, which in turn made it very uncomfortable for me to move. Then again when was a prisoner supposed to be comfortable?

Which brings me to another thought, why the hell was I put into a cell? I used a boat without a proper license sure, but I don’t remember ever getting caught. I broke a rather expensive window, but at that, they would just force me to repay them. Nothing I had done was worthy of being slammed into a medieval style cell. I had rights and I would be damned if I didn’t get a chance to explain myself.

Sadly, I would have to wait. My body protested every incentive to get it moving and the pain it brought was not worth the effort. So, in turn, I opted to just sit here and wait for either one of two things. One being I heal or two someone comes to check up on me. Seeing as most of my injuries were quite major, I would wager that the second of the two would be the most likely.

As time tends to do, it moved on. The birds chirping outside was the only thing that kept me company within the confinements of this dark and dreary cell. Occasionally I would hear the rare word or two being spoken, but since they were of an unknown language I just cast them aside. I would have to break this language barrier soon if I wish to communicate with the people here. Then again English was the universal language, so here’s me hoping they have a translator with them.

This idea was tossed to the wind as the first sign of intelligent life marched up to my cell. I could see from here that he or she had gold-plated armor, accompanied by a lone spear. As he or she opened the door, all I could hear was all of my science teachers yelling at me that gold is a weak element. Pushing those thoughts out the door they came from, I once again turned my attention to the person entering my cell.

Or that’s what I would have liked to have thought when the person or should I say pony walked into the light. At first glance, I thought it was a mistake or maybe a joke, but then I remember myself seeing it unlock the cell door. Not only that but when it came into full view it even talked to me.

The same gibberish I heard from before spewed out of its mouth, causing me to give it a confused look. My head started to hurt as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. Yet no matter how hard I tried, it just made my head hurt more.

Having utterly no idea what to even think anymore, I did what any other person would have probably done. I fainted.

For the second time today, I awoke in a different place. No longer was I in a cell, but on top of a metal table. All around me were ponies… yes ponies, wearing out of all things lab coats. As I registered their attire a cog in my head started to spin. I was no longer a prisoner, I was a test subject to these ponies.

As the neurons fired in my head I immediately started to panic. All the damage that I caused myself and my clothes seemed to have mysteriously vanished. With nothing holding me back I went to jump off the table, only for me to realize that I was tied down. Two lonely pieces of rope were all that kept me from a chance to escape.

Thankfully, however, none of the ponies in the room saw my attempt to run as they continued to work away. With the element of surprise still within my grasp, I started to formulate a plan to get out of these bindings. Just from what I can feel, they got my arms and legs tied down pretty tightly. They did, however, forget one important thing, and with that in mind I waited for the perfect moment to strike.

Two hours passed by as I sat there butt naked on their operating table. Every time I cracked my eyelid open I would see multiple ponies talking to each other over a hand drawn picture of my physic. I knew what they all wanted to do, but I would never imagine myself in such a position. This, to me, was something straight out of a nightmare.

It was as if this were but a dream and I was just blindly following its predetermined path. How I wished this was a dream. The pain I endured during my first entrance was enough to open my eyes to this weird new place. I don’t know how I got here, but it’s pretty clear to me that this is no longer Oaklyn lake.

My thoughts on the matter, however, were interrupted by the sound of hooves on marble as they approached the table. As I thought, the three ponies that were working started to surround me as they begun the examination of my body.

Before they could make any progress, I decided that this was the chance to strike. In the blink of an eye, I tossed the untied ropes off me and swung my fist around, successfully connecting it with the first stallion's face. A soft thump echoed through the now silent lab as the first pony slumped to the floor.

With the first threat dealt with I moved onto the other two. They were both situated on the other side of the table, both drenched in shock at their thought-to-be knocked out specimen attacked. In another fluid movement, I slid off the opposite side of the table. Reaching the ground on all fours I slid halfway back under the table. Waiting for nothing I pushed the table up and over the two ponies causing it to fall on them. Within seconds the other two followed the first on the ground.

Not wanting to stay in this room long I looked around for any form of exit. When none presented themselves, I did a double take. Once again, the room held no exit, curiously I moved towards one of the walls and examined it. As my glance told me before there was nothing to be seen, just a plain stone wall.

Scratching my head in confusion I turned my attention to the roof. The moment I did, I regretted it. Lining the top of the room was multiple vents that I can only assume had one purpose.

“Ah fuck me,” I stated out loud before the vents activated causing me to lose consciousness.

Once again like all the other times, I found myself in a new room. This time, however, I was actually wearing something. While it was nice having something to wear once again it annoyed me that it so happened to be a straitjacket. Oh, and the room, well it was a padded room. It has seemed that the ponies of this place have deemed me insane. Which with my current mindset isn’t too far off from the truth.

With nothing left to do in a room that provides no means of escape, I leaned against one of the walls and let out a long deep sigh.

“How the hell did I get myself into this mess,” I stated knowing full well how I was dropped here. It almost seemed straight out of a novel. I didn’t even attempt to understand how being tossed into a lake could transport someone to what looks to be another realm. My body was still hoping this was all some kind of cruel joke, but my mind knew better.

With absolutely nothing to do, I stared off into the foamy walls. Their comfort ruined by their purpose. As time went on so did my mind, new thoughts started to take hold and I soon found myself wondering if these rooms just made the problem worse. For if I was going to be stuck here for days on end I would surely go mad.

Thankfully it seemed someone was listening to me as a part of the padded wall opened up to reveal two figures. One was a white horse; she was too tall to be a pony. While the other one was a bit shorter and shaded to a dark blue. They both had wings and a horn, making the padded room I was in all start to make sense…

Shaking the thought out of my head I looked on as the two horses made their way over to me. They both seemed to be taking extra precaution, which around someone like me seemed appropriate. Who knows, I might just snap at any given time. I stated to myself as I watched the two continue to walk towards me.

After a couple of seconds, the two arrived before me. As they stopped, they both looked down towards my form. Their eyes told me the whole story, they didn’t know what I was and they were here to find out. I can only assume this was not their first attempt at figuring out what I was. Thinking about the lab room still sent shivers up my spine.

“Too bad I don’t speak the same language as you guys…” I stated. This seemed to get their attention as they started to talk to each other. “…would make this a whole lot easier,” I add albeit more quietly.

Once again, I found myself attempting to decipher how their language worked, but sadly it was all for nothing. I was never really all that good at learning new languages, and something like this just seemed way over my head. The only thing I could do now was wait for them to do something, maybe do something back to show that I can at least understand them.

It was at this time during my thought process that the white horse stopped talking and turned towards me. Her eyes told me that she was unsure of something, probably me to be honest. Yet as I glanced at the other mare she had a look of determination.

Utterly confused I just continued to stare at them. I must have looked really creepy, but what else was I supposed to do. My body had taken a beating today, and I knew full well that trying to escape again would not end well for me.

Without any warning, the two horns on their heads started to glow and a large white beam shot out from each towards me. With instincts kicking in I jumped to the side just barely missing the light. Their eyes -and no doubt mind- were filled with fear.

Once again like clockwork, the two horses fired another beam, and like before I rolled out of the way. This time however when I looked at the two I could see them getting more and more tired. It was as if the beams of light they cast required a lot of energy on their part. Who am I kidding they're using fucking magic! Of course it’s going to take a lot out of them! I yelled to myself as I successfully dodged another bolt.

Sadly, as I dodged the last bolt the white horse shot another one ahead of me causing me to slam right into it. The expected pain however never came, instead, I just continued on my path across the room. Being caught off guard with the seemingly useless spell they casted I looked towards the two. The white one seemed to have a smile on her face as she looked towards her sister and once again engaged in conversation.

The conversation this time took only a couple seconds as the white horse looked back at me. Seeing that I was out of breath she once again stepped towards me. Instead of the cautious approach like last time, this one was much more relaxed.

“Are all the beings of your race as stubborn as you?” The white horse stated in perfect English. Her tone was light and soothing to hear. The next thing she did was untie the straitjacket, something I had not expected my captors to do.

Nevertheless, I was not going to be talked down to by this mare. If what she said was true, then I would have to show her that us humans are not one to be reckoned with. So, in response, I got up to my full height, puffed out my chest and walked on over to her. For a brief moment, her eyes flickered with regret and fear but nevertheless stood her ground. I admired her state of mind yet that was not going to stand in my way of bringing us to an equal plane.

Reaching my hand out towards her, I slowly tipped the tiara on her head off. The whole room remained silent as the tiara clattered as it hit the ground.

“Since when did horses learn how to talk?” I replied.

This response caused the white mare to back up with a shocked expression on her face. The mare behind her looked like I had just slapped her mother in front of her. As if acting on her emotions her horn lit up with a blue hue before she fired another bolt towards me. The bolt took naught but a millisecond to impact its target.

I, however, looked on with amusement as the bolt dissipated across my chest doing absolutely no harm to me. Sadly, while the bolt of energy did nothing to me, it did set my straitjacket on fire. Seeing as I am now on fire I started to yell and run around the padded room like an idiot.

“Thou shall be punished for thy transgressions.” The blue mare stated as she watched me run around the room engulfed in flames.

By the time she was done that sentence I could feel the fire starting to burn my skin. The pain that I once thought was gone came back with a vengeance. The next thing I could remember was me rolling on the floor while a bucket of water was dumped on me.

It took a couple of seconds to recompose myself after that little stunt, but when I did I was not a happy camper. In fact, I was royally pissed. “What the fuck was that for you blue piece of shit!” I yelled out as I looked over my body for any damage. Which was actually quite easy to do seeing as all my clothes have burned off.

What I saw was not surprising. I had a couple of black splotches on my body but nothing too bad. If anything, it would all heal within a week or so. Still, I would have rather not liked being set on fire in the first place. So, after a quick glance at my body, I snapped my head right back at the two horses. If they were reading my expression, I made it all too easy for them.

It seems, however, that I was not the only one that was pissed. The blue horse also bore the exact same expression as I did. Yet surprisingly enough, she was not the first one to speak up. “I suggest we all calm ourselves down before one of us does something they may regret.” The white horse lectured.

“Who are you to order me around?” I stated more than asked.

“I only suggested, I never ordered.” The white mare replied.

Well she got me there. I stated to myself. That being said I didn’t stop my questioning. Oh no, I had a lot on my mind and it seemed that this white horse had some answers. “How can you expect me to calm myself down when you set me on fire, put me into a padded room, placed me on top of a lab table, and lastly but certainly not least, tossed me inside a cell!?” I continued.

“Ha! Tho-” The blue mare stated before the white mare turned around and gave her a pretty brutal look. After the small staring contest was done and the bigger horse stated her position as alpha. The white mare said some words in her language which caused the blue mare to leave the room.

“Sorry about that, I suppose you would like some answers.” The white horse stated as she picked up her tiara with her magic.

Just the notion of magic being real spun the world around me. Seeing it in action almost made me faint again. “y-yeah that would be nice.” I replied not taking my eyes off the floating tiara.

What happened next, in all honesty, scared the shit out of me. One moment the golden tiara was there, and the next it was gone. The part that made me almost jump out of my skin was the loud pop and the bright white light that it gave off.

“You have to realize that you are not the only one curious about the other, but I will let you ask the first question.” The white horse stated as her horn once again flared up. Before I knew what was happening the door to the padded room closed, successfully isolating the two of us.

After the doors closed the white mare seemed to visibly relax. “Alright, I’ll bite. I’m assuming I’m not on earth anymore, so where am I? or more importantly how did I get here?” I asked the pain that was running through my body seemed to have dulled itself momentarily.

My question seemed to have surprised the horse as she chewed on the question a bit before answering it. “interesting, I thought your arrival was planned. Nevertheless, you’re currently within the borders of Equestria on the planet Equis. As for your arrival, I have no idea, but you sure do know how to make an entrance.” She said and out of all things chuckled right after.

“To be honest I don’t even remember my entrance. I was in so much pain.” I continued.

“A story for another time perhaps. It is my turn, however, and since you asked two questions it only seems fair that I get two as well.” The mare stated.

My response was a small nod for her to continue. “You speak of ‘earth’ sorry if I mispronounced it, but what is it?” The white horse asked.

“Earth is the planet where I’m from.” I simply stated.

“I see, so you believe to have traveled the stars to have gotten here?” She asked.

“Maybe, who knows? Getting tossed into the lake might actually be the ticket into space instead of shooting rockets up there,” I stated sarcastically.

“Rockets?” The white mare questioned.

“A story for another time,” I replied with a shit eating grin on my face.

“Fair enough, as for-” The white horse stated, but was cut off by me.

“- I do believe you had your two questions already.” I commented. She stopped for a second before nodding me on. “So what is the name of my captors?” I asked.

The white mare recoiled at that question. “Since when am I your captor?” She questioned back at me.

“Since you slammed me into the cell,” I replied rolling my eyes.

“That was just for precautions, you were a being unlike any I have seen before. For all I knew you could have been a wild beast incapable of reason.” She quickly said back, it was almost as if I had offended her deeply.

Taking that answer for now, which still doesn’t explain why they tossed me onto an operating table I re-asked my question. “Either way I would still like to know who it is I am speaking to. Otherwise, you’re going to have to deal with ‘white horse’.”

“My name is Celestia, and yours is?” She asked me back.

“Kenneth, but everyone I know calls me Ken,” I stated simply. “So how am I able to talk to you right now? I know you horses or ponies have some form of language. Does English exist here?” I asked back leaving no room for idle chit-chat.

Celestia just shook her head. “No, English as you call it does not exist here. I and my sister Luna had to use a memory spell on you to gain the knowledge to communicate.”

Magic, I hope I don’t have to stay here long enough to understand it. Wait, wait, wait… does that mean she mentally raped me? I stated to myself starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I let her ask her question. “What is it that you call your species? For us, we are known as ponies.” Celestia lectured.

“Humans, or homo sapiens if you’re more scientific. Personally, I like being called a human over the latter.” I responded. “So do you ponies have a way to get me back or something? While it would be cool in all to stay and explore, I rather not leave my friends alone at my cottage any longer than I have to.” I asked thinking about the ways my friends would react to me vanishing.

“You have such a funny way with words. Do you not like to speak to others with respect?” Celestia stated.

“I’m talking to you like I would any other person, given they put me through what you did. You are nothing special in my eyes. Now could we get back to my question, I rather not dilly-dally and waste time that could be spent finding a way home.” I stated.

Celestia just gazed at me for a while after that before responding, “I know too little about what happened, but I will make sure to get my top mages on this problem. It is the least I can do seeing that we couldn’t heal you with our conventional ways.” Celestia replied.

“And what do you mean by conventional ways?” I asked back.

“Usually we can just cast a spell on a wound and it’ll mend it from the inside out. Quite useful in the right places. Sadly, for some reason, you expel some form of field that counters high intensive spells.” Celestia responded.

“What do you mean by high intensive?” I questioned Celestia.

“I take it that you don’t have magic where you’re from?” Celestia asked once again diverging from the ask-and-answer type of routine we had going on. she looked like she was absorbed in this conversation. As if the notion of not having any magic was such an interesting topic to discuss.

“Nope, it’s all just fairy tale where I come from. Man, I bet you ponies have it easy here?” I stated, thinking of all the possibilities.

“Interesting, how do you cope without magic?” Celestia asked.

“We use technology to help us,” I stated trying to end the train of questions so we could get back to the more important ones. Like what the hell is a high intensive spell and why am I immune to it? Do I have some sort of disease?

“That’s just its technology?” Celestia responded, obviously not impressed by my answer.

“Tell me, Celestia, what is the pinnacle of pony technology?” I prodded.

“Coal-powered train system, it has enabled us to get to places far faster than any other conventional means. While Pegasus can still fly faster, it’s more convenient to just sit and relax then do the workout.” Celestia boasted, she had a smile on her face.

“You are like a baby, watch this.” reveals the vast knowledge of human innovation gained by competition and war. I thought in my mind with a small smile. “As I thought, we humans have split the atom, gone to the moon and created a blanket that has sleeves.”

Celestia just sat there digesting the info bomb I just dropped. “A blanket with sleeves, why haven’t we thought of that.” She stated.

“That’s really all you took from that?” I replied.

“I wish I could believe all your accusations Ken, but what you’re telling me is simply not possible,” Celestia stated her mind.

There was nothing I could really do to prove my statements at this moment so I just let the whole thing slide. It was like a man watching a mudslide toss tiny cars off the side of a cliff. While there was nothing I could do about it, it was painful yet somewhat entertaining to watch.

After that the conversation kept going for many more hours. In all honesty, I was actually having a blast asking questions back and forth. Who knew that learning a completely different way of life would be so fascinating.

Nonetheless, as we all know nothing lasts forever, and this moment of questioning was no different. While I had no means of knowing what time it was, my bodies biological clock deemed it was night. It displayed that useful bout of information by letting out a long and exhausted yawn.

“Well, it looks like it’s getting quite late in the day Mr. Ken,” Celestia stated getting all formal up in here. To be honest, I think she knew it annoyed me, she was just going to drag it along like nails on a chalkboard.

“I wouldn’t know that would I.” I retorted.

“I guess you’re right. While I have grown to understand your somewhat unique ways, I cannot let you free. Trust is earned, and until that time comes, or until we can figure out how to send you back, you will have to stay here.” Celestia stated as she gestured to the padded room.

I just rolled my eyes as I once again leaned against the plush walls. I know I was being a bit of a prick to her… okay, scratch that, more like a complete asshole, so I wanted to give her a little compliment. You know, to end this whole event comprised of chaos and hatred on a light note. Kind of like those crap sandwiches teachers always seemed to give you throughout your schooling.

Seeing as I wasn’t responding, Celestia rose from her spot and opened the secret padded door. When she reached the other side of the other door and was about to close it I let out what I had set out to do.

“You’re a great leader Celestia.” Was all I stated.

The door was kept open for a couple more seconds before it was shut closed. My compliment no doubt settling into her mind. While it may be simple, imagine what kind of impact it made coming from an alien.

Chapter Three - Waiting Game

My eyelids were held tightly together, even in my dreams I was plagued with the pain. If you can even call floating around in the void a dream. Once again, the pain shot through my back and up to my head as if it was pounding for relief. Was this even a dream if it could inflict me physical pain? My whole body twitched as the pain increased to a point I couldn’t take anymore.

In a matter of seconds my eyes snapped open revealing a posh bedroom. The pain from my dream gone only to be replaced with a sense of confusion. I should be next to a fireplace, not in a bed? I thought to myself. Maybe someone had come to the cottage and helped me out.

Reaching my hand up to my head I ran my fingers through my hair. I soon came to feel a bandage wrapped around my forehead. That was enough evidence I needed to tell that someone, indeed, helped me out, but whom? Clearly it must be someone outside the family seeing as I have no correlation with this room.

Letting out a large sigh I slowly start to get up from the bed, using the wooden headboard as a support. My forehead still pounded, but at least the pain in my back was gone. I could probably ask for some Advil assuming they haven’t already given me some.

As I sat up, I took in the full extent of the bedroom. Lavish white drapes partially covered the windows allowing small rays of light to enter. The polished stone walls were well decorated with a multitude of paintings, small mirrors here and there. A plush rug lay beneath the bed which rested against the middle of the back wall. The tiled floor continued out from under the rug to all corners of the room, seemingly made out of marble.

The furnishing itself looked as if it was built just for this room. The colors and trim melted with the walls and floor. From here I could see a desk by the window, dresser by the front door, and lastly a large bookshelf spanning one of the large walls. The detail and craftsmanship on each were impeccable, definitely, all hand crafted.

Whoever lived here was seriously rich, I thought to myself as I got more comfortable under the covers. I didn’t really want to move from the spot, I felt like I would contaminate the purity of the room just by touching it. Nevertheless, that would not help out my situation. I had just met a pony that kept me in a padded room.

Yet, I knew that was just a dream. Such a preposterous thought would definitely have me placed in a padded room here on earth. No matter how real it felt I knew this was reality, a place where talking ponies did not exist.

Shuffling over to the edge of the bed, I placed my feet on the rug. It held a nice warm touch to it, in contrast to the marble flooring. Which would no doubt be a great deal colder upon my barren feet. Standing up I pushed myself off the bed and started towards the two oaken doors situated in the corner of the room.

Placing my hand on the door knob I gave it a little twist and shove, only for the door to remain still. It was clearly locked from the outside. The person who saved me must still be a bit cautious about me. Then again, I was a completely random person they found clinging to the edge of life in a cottage. I would give myself some extra ‘padding’ room as well if I were them.

Against my earlier judgment, I heard some shuffling on the other side of the door. It almost sounded as if they were hooves clopping around on the marble flooring. I took a large gulp and fell right on my ass. I knew what that sound was, and my mind wasn’t ready for what was about to reveal itself.

“No, don’t do this to me,” I claimed to no one in particular as I started to shuffle back on the ground.

The doorknob started to glow an eerie gray color as it slowly began to turn. Before long the large oaken doors swung open revealing my worst nightmare, a pony with golden armor. Closing the door behind him, he started to walk my way. Still, in denial, I continued to shuffle away from him until my back was up against the cold stone.

I was about to speak up, but before I could get a word in the stallion's horn lit up and I found myself being pulled sideways. It felt like I was being stretched and compressed at incredible speeds as I twisted around every plane. The headache I had came back with a vengeance as the sensation had gone as quickly as it came.

The feeling of nausea started to set in as I toppled to the floor. It was too early for this kind of beating.

As I lay there on the marble floor I couldn’t help but let nausea win. Unable to hold it back any longer I vomited next to me. I could see a bit of blood in it, which to my vast knowledge was never a good sign.

Rolling back onto my back, I looked towards the ceiling. All my energy used up from the previous days, my mind still a mess. The sound of clopping hooves made themselves known. Turning my head to the right I come to see Celestia trotting up to me; a look of horror upon her face.

“I am so sorry Mr. Kenneth, I had no idea the spell would affect you like this,” Celestia stated.

“You’re not real,” I claimed in a whisper, my voice was shot.

“What was that?” Celestia asked.

I looked at her with as much determination that this pounding head would allow, “You’re not real, you’re just a figment of my imagination! I’m laying down right now, in my cottage, by the fireplace!” I yell out with my course voice. The dryness of my throat makes me enter a coughing fit, more blood spraying against the pure white marble.

“We need to get you to the doctors. Guard!” She barked at the pony beside her, “Take him to the infirmary!”

The pony nodded as his horn started to glow that same gray color, “Without teleporting this time,” Celestia reminded as I found myself levitating off the floor. This was just not my week, was it? And just like that, I fell back into the black.

Cracking my eyelids open I come to see a bland white ceiling. The sounds of hushed talking in the background with more hoof steps. Great, I was still in this ‘pony world’ I claimed to myself as I slowly turned my head to the side. Celestia was talking to some pony dressed in a nurse’s outfit. As soon as the nurse met my gaze she stopped her talking and nodded towards my location.

Following her nod, Celestia’s eyes greeted mine, “Ken, great to see you awake. Please accept my apology for the teleport. I had no idea it would affect you like that.”

“No,” I state looking at her with a blank stare.

Even I knew that magic and I don’t really seem to get along. So, you would think that the princess here would catch the drift. I guess it really is hard to make due without something you lived your whole life having.

Celestia’s ears droop, “I see, I’ll just leave you to your own devices then.” She claims turning around towards the nurse.

“Leaving someone in the hospital is not how you gain their forgiveness,” I commented causing Celestia to stop in her tracks. Turning around she once again rests her magenta eyes on me, “Since I don’t have any other friends, you’re going to be here till I recover.”

This gets a small smile to form on her lips, “You consider me a friend?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves sun butt,” I comment catching Celestia off guard.

“Sun butt?” Celestia questions with an amused look on her face.

I nod to her question, “Yeah, you got that sun tattoo on your flank. I can see it’s a fad here as that nurse has one too.” I state while Celestia once again walks up next to the bed and sits down on a cushion that was placed there.

“They’re called cutie marks Ken,” Celestia answered sporting a smirk.

I give her the best ‘really’ expression I can muster, “And what are these ‘cutie marks’ for?” I prod for information as the nurse goes off to probably look after another patient.

Celestia then goes on a lecture about what they are, when they appear and so on. To tell the truth, it was pretty interesting learning about this special quality only ponies have. She, however, didn’t seem surprised when I told her that humans didn’t work the same in regards to special talents.

“You still think we’re a figment of your imagination?” Celestia changes the subject.

“I don’t know what to think anymore, I mean I just vanished out of thin air. Humans aren’t supposed to do that!” This seems to peak Celestia’s interest.

“Where did you vanish off to?”

“I appeared back at my cottage in the middle of a frozen lake. It seemed like I skipped two seasons in the span of a couple of hours. How long was I gone here?” I ask.

“Only a couple seconds. You reappeared with a pretty bad head wound, so I took you here to get patched up before placing you in my own chambers. The scans I took came up with nothing, which is strange. I think what ever is effecting you only appears right before you fade away.”

My mind immediately sprung two things. One: time was not relative between the two places. An hour here seemed to span multiple days back on earth. Secondly: why the hell did she store me in her own chambers?

I looked at her with an odd expression, “Your chambers? Why not just place me in a guest room? Or do what you did before and chuck me into the padded room?”

“I wish I could, but with us trying to keep you a secret I couldn’t place you in any normal guest room, ponies would start to get suspicious. As for the padded room, I myself thought it would be nice for you to stay in an actual bed, rather than laying down on the floor.”

I couldn’t argue with her there, “I guess, so how long am I here for?” I ask Celestia.

Firing up her horn, she levitates the clipboard from the end of the bed in front of her. A few page flips later she places it back. “You have a minor concussion, you should be out within a couple days.”

“Well, get comfortable because you're going to be with me every minute of it,” I state.

I wasn’t just going to stay here in the hospital all this time without some form of entertainment. This pony owed me one and if she didn’t want to pay me back then she could say goodbye to any cooperation.

Celestia gave out a large sigh, “Ken, I’m the princess of Equestria. I can’t just take a couple days off whenever I want. My ponies need me.”

“No they don’t, plus I’m sure you can get some ponies to do your work for you. Back in my world if the president took a day off nobody would really care.” I comment.

She seemed to be battling something within her mind as she looked down at me, “I thought it was you that was supposed to follow my orders, not the other way around.” Celestia commented as she levitated her tiara off her head before placing it on the stand next to the bed.

It’s funny how differently she looks without her tiara, she gives off a more relaxed vibe.

“You’ve probably just realized that maybe now is not the time to be bossing a person in the hospital bed around,” I reply with a small smirk. “I take it that you decided to stay?”

Celestia rolls her eyes, “Yes, I feel it is important that we repair our relationship. After all, we will be spending a lot more time together.” Celestia, however, doesn’t stop there, “By the way, when you came into our world for the first time you brought this with you.”

I was pretty sure that I had nothing on me when I got flung overboard. So, this revelation was quite surprising for me. Instead of levitating it like you would expect, she grabbed a small thin black box from the nurse's table. Bringing it closer, I come to the realization that it’s my phone.

“Just like you this ‘device’ is immune to magic. It unlike you, seems to completely resist magic altogether, rather than hold a resistance to it.” Taking the phone from her hoof, I turn it around in my hands. Nothing really looked off with it, but if it did fall into the lake like me then it's probably toasted.

Once again you never really know for certain until you try it out. With that thought in mind, I held the power button, hoping that it would by some miracle turn on.

Surprisingly it did turn on, but not in the way one would think. The phone immediately shocked me causing me to drop it onto the floor of the hospital. With the screen still facing up, both me and Celestia stare at the screen which to my disappointment displayed static.

“Incredible, a picture of some sorts,” Celestia comments going to pick it up.

Sadly, when her hoof came close to it an arc of electricity zapped her. Recoiling her hoof, she looked at the phone with a stern expression. One that a parent would give a kid for eating their dessert before their meal.

“Why do you have such a useless device with you?” Celestia claims rubbing her injured hoof.

It was my turn to roll my eyes, “It’s not supposed to do that. I guess the water did something to it. It’s supposed to be a device that lets you talk to other people around the world. Now, however, it looks like its nothing but a glorified electrified paperweight.” The pain in my head was starting to increase again. Maybe they did give me some medication that was now wearing off.

“Then how do we move it if we can’t touch it?”

“Get rubber gloves or something, I don’t know,” I claim taking my eyes off the phone and back onto Celestia.

Celestia looks at me with a confused expression, “and how would rubber gloves help?”

“They’re poor conductors,” I state resting my head onto the pillow. As I laid there I could hear Celestia open her mouth, “And before you ask I’m not going to explain what a conductor is.”

There was silence for a moment before she spoke up again, “do humans read minds?”

“Nope,” I state turning my head towards the door that was now opening. The same nurse from before came in levitating some pills next to her.

“Come to give me some pain medication?” I ask.

The nurse looked at me with a confused expression, she then turned to Celestia and started speaking the same gibberish I heard when I first arrived. Of course, I almost forgot for a second there that I’m in a completely different world with a completely different language.

Letting out a sigh I return my gaze to the ceiling, closing my eyes I attempt to listen to their conversation. The words sounded really long almost as if they were all jumbled up. Maybe their language used a lot of suffixes instead of prefixes, that would make a lot more sense. However, if that were the case, it would cause a lot more trouble on my end to learn.

Attempting to relax a bit I heard the door open and close again, then the clopping of metal on marble. It was quite obvious that Celestia was once again walking up next to me. “Do you humans have any games you like to play while you wait?” She asked causing my eyelids to open.

“Chopsticks, but you have no fingers so there goes that idea,” I claim sitting up once again. “we could play a question game like, ‘I spy’ or ‘two truths and a lie’,” I state looking over to Celestia.

“How do you play this ‘two truths and a lie’?” She asked the most obvious question ever.

“Easy, say three things about yourself two of them being real and one of them being fake. The other person has to pick out the lie.” Celestia smile widens at this.

“Alright, you go first,” Celestia ushers forth.

“shouldn’t we be integrating me into society instead of playing games?” I ask causing Celestia’s smile to waver.

She nods, then seems to perk back up, “Think of this as me learning a bit about your culture.”

“Alright, if you say so. Just give me a minute to think,” I comment.

A couple more minutes’ pass before I begin, “I have two older sisters and a brother, I’ve traveled around the world three times, and never failed a test.”

Almost immediately Celestia called out, “Traveled around the world three times is the fib.”

“Nope, I’m an only child,” I stated with a little smile upon my face.

“You must be an adventurer then? Did you spend your entire life for the soul purpose of exploring your planet?”

I let a little chuckle escape my lips, “No, we have these things called planes that take us around the world within hours.”

“Amazing,” Celestia claimed her eyes glossing over.

“It’s your turn now,” I commented shaking her out of her current stupor.

Just like me, Celestia mulled over the possible things to say. For her, however, it took much longer. It wasn’t till ten minutes later that she came up with what to say.

“I prefer living in the country, I’m scared of dark places, and I love red wine.” She listed them all off without changing her expression.

It looked like I would have to rely on my use of deduction. It would be ironic of her to be scared of dark places, and living out in the country seems plausible since she lives in the city. What I could not wrap my head around was her drinking red wine, it just didn’t suit her for some reason.

“Red wine,” I relayed.

“Impressive,” Celestia commented raising an eyebrow.

Sprouting a curious look, I asked, “Do you drink wine?”

“I like a nice aged white wine, to me it has a fruitier taste.” She stated.

As she continued to talk about white wine the door to the room once again opened. The nurse, however, was not the one to come barging in. Instead, a rather annoyed looking Luna came in. She looked as if she had just woken up.

She barks something at Celestia in their natural language. As she does so she shoots me a couple of daggers from across the room. I respectively glare back at her, the tension in the room was so thick you could almost see the electricity escaping our eyes. Then I got an idea.

Celestia looked over at the clock and gasped, “I can’t believe it's already 9!” as she said that Luna walked up next to Celestia.

“Hey Luna you mind picking me up that box down there, I accidentally dropped it,” I comment pointing to my phone which was still displaying static on the screen.

“Thou should be more careful when handling items,” Luna claims picking it up with her hoof. What I didn’t expect was for her to not so much as flinch when she picked it up. Holding the device in her hoof she held it out to me. “Here, next time you can get it yourself.”

Smiling sheepishly, I took hold of the phone only for it to once again zap me. “OW! Jesus fuck!” Of course, this would all somehow backfire on me.

Luna let out a large chuckle, “It should be wise not to prank the goddess of the night.” She then leaned in closer to me, “For we don’t like thou.”

Backing away Luna helped her sister back to her hooves. Celestia looked over to me with the same smile she had worn since we started the game. “I’ll be right back, I and my sister just have to do the nightly ritual.”

Before I could even ask ‘what’ they meant by ‘nightly ritual’, the two of them were gone. Leaving me to wonder what it was they were doing. The only pictures that seemed to flow through my mind, was them both sacrificing a goat or somethings. Obviously not the ideal picture to have in your mind when they’re the ones taking care of me.

Flopping my head back down onto the pillow I shut my eyes once again. The phone beside me playing idle static in my ear as I slowly started to drift away.

Chapter Four - Electrify

As I expected when I came to, I took sight of the same bland white ceiling. The mumbled voices in the background resembled the static coming from my phone. In all honesty, the talk could have been the static, seeing as I couldn’t understand their language either way.

Time at this moment seemed to drag on longer than it should’ve. Thankfully, one good thing had occurred, my headache seemed to be gone. The pain that was once pulsing inside my head had left. A welcoming feeling if I’ve ever felt one.

Using this to my advantage, I took the liberty of sitting up in the hospitals bed. My quick glance around revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Organized counters laid peppered with a multitude of medical equipment.

The only thing that really stood out was the nurse pony that shuffled through one of the many cabinets. Celestia herself was nowhere to be seen. Not really a surprise, I would have expected the princess to sneak out sometime during my slumber.

“Do I really have to lay in bed all day? Or can I just get up and walk around?” I asked the mare. As expected the nurse turned around and gave me a confused look.

“Say nothing if I can leave the hospital,” I state with a small smirk on my face.

The nurse didn’t say anything, she just continued to look at me with a confused expression. Letting out a little chuckle at my antics, I turned my body so my feet dangled from the bed. So far so good, the nurse was still just watching me.

What I wasn’t expecting, however, was for a voice to come from behind me, “Just because you stated your actions, doesn’t make them right.”

I almost jumped right out of my skin as I turned around to see Celestia sitting down on the other side of the bed. Why had I not checked the other side? I have no idea, probably something to do with the fact that I was still extremely tired.

Quickly recomposing myself from that mini heart attack, I replied, “It would have at least made me feel better, unlike your little stunt.”

“Stunt? I was here the whole time,” Celestia retorted. She seemed a little off, her tone almost sounded hostile.

Sighing I brought my hand up to massage the bridge of my nose. In doing so, I saw my hand flicker. I’m not even kidding either, it flashed on and off like a lightbulb. “Jesus, are you seeing this?” I question holding my flickering hand in front of me. After a couple of seconds the flickering stopped causing me to let out a breath of relief.

Celestia nodded, “You’ve been doing that for the past two hours in your sleep. Everypony including me and my sister are completely stumped as to what is affecting you. It doesn’t help either that I’m getting a lot more paperwork than usual from Cloudsdale. Pegasus being unable to move clouds, as new ones seem to form all on their own. Interesting that this would all happen the moment you arrived.”

“Are you putting the blame on me?” I question giving her a strong glare.

Celestia once again nods, “You’re a strange creature, Mr. Kenneth. One that I’m still not one hundred percent sure is innocent.”

“How could you just say that? I thought we came to an agreement with the integration program?” I countered.

I really had no idea why she was blaming me, sure it looked suspicions but I was out cold when these reports started to come in. Surely, there’s something bigger at play here rather than just the weather. Which by the way, was kind of hard to believe. Weather is natural not man made, ponies can’t just manipulate it.

It was my turn to question her now, “Then how do I know you're innocent too? Maybe you’re just using me as a scapegoat for something that went wrong while I slept?”

Celestia scoffed, “Fine if you won't take this matter seriously then I’ll just have to show you.” Celestia commented as I felt myself being pulled sideways again. My stomach lurched, twisted and turned as I floated throughout white space. Again as soon as it started it was gone, and I found myself lying on my belly against the cold marble.

Nausea once again wracked my stomach. Having nothing to prevent it, I once again vomited onto the marble. “A little warning would’ve been nice,” I commented as I struggled to my feet.

“I should be the one saying that to you,” Celestia stated as she motioned out towards the window.

My jaw could’ve hit the ground and I wouldn’t have noticed from the view I got. The city was in a mass panic, ponies all around were running through the streets. The skies above were covered in dark clouds as lightning flashed every couple of seconds. The rain droplets that battered the windows weren’t streaking down like they should be, they were sliding sideways from the gale force winds.

“Even, Discord claims he has no control over what is happening here. Which only leaves one person left. What is it that you wish to accomplish with this Mr. Kenneth?” Celestia prodded as she glared daggers at me. “My pony’s safety is at the forefront of my list and you are endangering every single one of them. Tell me one good reason I shouldn’t dispatch the world of you right now?”

This was insane! She was Insane! One bad thing happens and she immediately blames me for its arrival. I guess it is a bit suspicious that it would come when I first arrived here, but that was just it, a coincidence, nothing more nothing less.

“Because I may actually have nothing to do with it! Have you ever actually thought of the possibility that I may not even be the cause?” I yelled, anger filling my voice. I never did do well with blind accusations, “Killing me will do nothing to stop this.” I continued pointing my once again flickering hand towards her.

This time, however, it did not stop. Raising both of my hands I come to see that both of them are flickering out of control like some kind of glitch in a game. I was in a state of shock, mesmerized by what was happening to me.

Celestia on the other hand wasn’t looking at me, instead, she had a wide-eyed look as she gazed out of the window. Taking a look back outside I come to see that the lightning in the sky had frozen. Large beams of electricity staying stationary, lighting up the entire sky. Each one dimming from bright to dull like a broken light. Bringing up my arm to the glass I come to see them mimicking my own flashing.

“You claim to have not caused this, yet you seem connected to it,” Celestia points out.

I was getting quite annoyed at her constant bickering. Walking next to her I place a hand on her hunch in an attempt to defuse this situation. “I’m just as clueless as you-” And that’s all I got to say before the lightning outside continued with a bright white light that blinded both me and Celestia.

The light did not fade as a tingling feeling shot through my body and down through my arm. Soon enough my whole body felt like it was engulfed in flames as my vision turned completely white. I couldn’t even see Celestia that was supposed to be right in front of me.

Before I could yell out in pain, the sensation was gone and with it the white light. Looking around I found myself back next to the fireplace in the cottage. To tell the truth, I was really glad that I was back here. Pony world was messed up, and to make matters even worse I knew that I was bound to go back there. At least here nobody was pointing fingers.

“Where have you taken us?” An all too familiar voice commands.

Oh, for the love of god, please don’t tell me… I trailed off as my eyes met her magenta colored ones. I could have sworn I saw a small flame in them.

“Tell me, Kenneth, if that is your real name,” Celestia stated giving me an icy glare.

“We’re back on my world Earth,” I commented walking over to a nearby window. It was currently night time. Squinting my eyes a bit I could see that there was no snow on the ground, it was either summer or spring. I had jumped forwards in time again, or was it backwards?

Celestia, however, was not having any of it. Which in all regards is understandable, she had been taken out of her world and placed into mine.

“Why have you taken me here?” Celestia asks.

“For the last time, I’m not the one controlling anything. I’m just as confused as you are. You know what, screw this,” I state reaching over and grabbing one of her forehooves. She instinctively tries to wiggle free but is unable to, her magic fizzling out as if it were a sparkler.

“Unhand me!” She yells.

Rolling my eyes, I do the one thing I probably should have done a long time ago. I turned around and slapped Celestia straight across the face. “Get a hold of yourself! Your panicking isn’t going to get us anywhere!” I yelled right back at her. Her eyes turned wide, but this time when I pulled her forwards she harbored no resistance.

Arriving in front of the fireplace I gesture towards the pictures on the mantel. Celestia rubs her sore cheek as she walks over to the pictures. Taking one with her hoof she stares at it. It's a picture of me when I was a kid fishing out on the lake with my father.

“Does that look like someone that would cause your world trouble?” I ask.

Celestia doesn’t answer she just continues to stares into the picture emotionless. Removing the picture, I place another one in her hoof. This is one of the whole family a couple years back on my mother's birthday. We all had silly smiles, a large piece of strawberry cake lay in the middle with multiple candles depicting her age. Everyone was wearing those goofy party hats, some even had those party buzzers in their mouths.

“Does that look like someone that would put the lives of someone else in danger?” I state taking the picture away before placing the last one in her hoof.

This one was taken only a year ago, me and two of my friends were leaning up against a glass window in the terminal of an airport. The plane behind us was getting loaded up as another one took off in the background. It was my trip to Italy with my friends. We all had the stereotypical tourist shirts as we smiled at the camera.

“Is any of this getting through to you? I’m not some monster from another world out to kill you and your ponies. No, I’m just as confused as you are, maybe even more so.” I yelled really letting her have it. I guess that’s what you get when you place the blame on someone without any real evidence.

What happened next hit me like a freight train, no scratch that, a freight ship. Celestia’s hoof started to tremble, the glass from the picture rattling against the frame. That’s when it hit me, a lone tear dropped from her muzzle and impacted the glass. She was crying, Celestia the princess of Equestria was crying right in front of me.

All my anger seemed to wash away, only to be filled in with guilt. I may not have caused the chaos that was reeking havoc on Equestria, but I single handily caused the chaos shooting through Celestia’s mind. The metaphorical tables were flipped, she was now a lost soul in my world.

Then with one simple word she broke through my shell, “yes.” Still, with tears in her eyes, she looked at me, “Yes you got through to me.” And just like that without even a warning, she latched onto me in a large hug. I could feel her trembling in the embrace, this really got to her.

Seeing as she realized her mistakes, I gave her a soft hug back. She let the dams open fully now as she continued to cry into my shoulder. I patted her on the back not saying a word. She was clearly overstressed from the sudden events, it was good that she was letting it all go now. I out of all people know that keeping your emotions bottled up is not healthy.

I had no idea how long it lasted, but eventually, Celestia’s cries stopped. Looking over I could see both of her eyelids closed as her head rested on my shoulder. She was fast asleep.

Which was cute in all, but in reality, really problematic. Of course, I would take her to the bedroom to get some proper rest, but she wasn’t exactly all that light. Taking in a large amount of air I reached my left arm under her back hooves and stood up. I’m no athlete so doing just this much was impressive for me.

Like a penguin, I waddled my way through the cottage until I came upon one of the three bedrooms. Not wanting to carry this heavy mare any longer I placed her onto the bed and pulled the covers over her. Wiping the sweat from my head I wander over to the closet.

Having been waiting for a long time to do this, I slide open the closet door and take out a simple t-shirt, pants, underwear, sweater and socks. The family always liked to store some emergency clothes in the cottage just in case someone forgot something back at home.

Knowing that she’s sound asleep, I don’t even bother leaving the room to change. Within seconds I’m back into some normal clothes. No longer running around in my swim trunks. Kicking my swim suit into the closet I close the door and make my way back into the living room of the cottage. Having thrown up twice, it came to no surprise that I was a bit hungry. In fact, I was starving, I hadn’t had a proper meal in what felt like forever.

Walking over to the kitchen I open the door to reveal a whole lot of nothing. We never left a lot of food in the fridge when we were gone for obvious reasons. Next up I opened multiple cupboards around the kitchen. Finally, I came up to one that had something actually edible in it. Some canned soup.

Taking the can out, I slide it over towards the stove and take out a pan from the other cupboard. Tossing it onto the stove like the can, I move onto another drawer that held the basic cutlery. Reaching in I take a knife and a spoon out and place them next to the stove as well. Having everything in front of me I started to cook myself up a nice bowl of chunky soup.

Time flew passed as it usually does when you’re occupied, and I soon found myself sitting down in the living room eating some soup. It wasn’t really all that good, but it brought forth the nurturance I needed to live another day. Setting the bowl down on the table I take large swig of water from my cup.

My mind was going a mile a minute as it usually does in these types of situations. I was contemplating whether or not I should tell my friends about what was happening here. That idea was thrown out the window, I had no idea how much time passed here on Earth. Sure, it looked like it just changed seasons, but it could have been years. If that was the case it’s probably best that I don’t contact anyone and solve this problem myself. That way I don’t have people waiting around for me.

Reality as it usually does, started to settle in. I couldn’t believe that this was all happening to me of all people. I was teleporting! The things of science fiction! In truth, I was scared out of my mind. What if I messed up? Not only that but I seemed to have been thrown into this mess in Equestria. Why me? Why now? I continued to ask myself.

Letting out a large sigh, I look out the large window and passed the porch towards the lake. It’s wavy waters reflecting the light of the moon as it hung gently in the night sky. It was then that I wondered how long it would take to get my life back to normal, or if it would ever return to normal. With that in mind, I let my eyes slowly shut.

A small poke to my right arm rustled me from my dreams, “Five more minutes.” I commented flicking away the intruder with my left arm. This, however, made my situation worse as the intruder poked me again this time harder.

“What? What do you want?” I state slowly cracking my eyelids open.

The moment I did, I regretted it, the sun's rays bombarded my eyes. Shutting them closed again I brought my hand up to shield the light before opening them again. This time I came to see Celestia looking down at me, her hair drooping onto my chest. Her soft smile she gave looked beautiful on her as the sun rays came across her face. It looked like a little angel.

Yup, mornings really did make me think weird stuff.

“I require your assistance Ken,” Celestia commented.

My eyes still locked onto her magenta ones, “And why do you need my help?”

“I have set your stove on fire,” she stated in a completely normal tone.

“You WHAT!” I exclaimed rolling off the couch. Why did I pick the couch instead of a nice warm bed? I’ll never know.

Sitting up in my spot I look over to the kitchen where a small fire lay in a frying pan. Black smoke bellowed from the pan as the fire slowly spread to the entire top of the stove. Quickly running towards the door, I grab the nearby fire extinguisher and haul it over.

I’ve never used such a device in my life, but I was not going to let this fire win. Pulling the pin, I take the hose and aim it at the stove. Pressing the clamps together the fire extinguisher spewed forth what looked like powder.

I honestly didn’t care about the mess as I swept over the entire stove. Within seconds the fire was gone. I stood there watching the dust settle, the entire kitchen was a mess with this powder substance all over the place. Looking onto the pan I come to see a burnt pile of something.

“What the hell were you trying to cook?” I asked putting the pin back into the fire extinguisher and hanging It back on the wall. In all honesty, it was probably overkill to use an extinguisher on such a small fire, but when shit happens you have to act fast.

Celestia walks over to the frying pan with a frown on her muzzle, “It ‘was’ supposed to be a pancake. The servants back home make it look so easy.”

Maybe because it ‘is’ easy, I commented to myself as I learned a valuable lesson this morning. Never let Celestia cook again. “Why were you trying to make pancakes if you’ve never cooked before.”

“Because I wanted to make it up to you for placing the blame on you,” Celestia stated with a defeated sigh.

I let out a little chuckle at how absurd this all was, before walking up next to her. “It’s the thought that count’s, but a simple pancake is not going to magickly mend our relationship,” I comment.

“I know, but it was a start,” Celestia replied.

“Yeah, it’s a start. Now you can start repaying me by helping clean this up,” I motion towards the kitchen. It looked like someone dragged a large broken bag of flower around. This was going to take a while.

This inadvertently gave us some time to discuss what was going to happen. “What are we going to do when we get back to Equestria?” I brought out the elephant in the room.

“We need to find out why these teleports are happening, and more importantly why they’re connected to the weather,” Celestia stated as she attempted to sweep the floor. I say attempt because her hooves aren’t really the best things to hold a broom with. Not only that but the broom wasn’t really cleaning it up. It smeared the powder rather than group it.

“Do you have any ideas as to what may be the cause?” I question bringing out the vacuum and plugging it into an outlet.

Celestia nodded, “It’s definitely you which is causing the disturbance. I know now that it was unintentional- WHAT IN MOTHERS NAME IS THAT!” Celestia screamed as she backed herself into a corner from the sound the vacuum made when I started it up.

I let a little smirk adorn my face as I pushed it towards her. Immediately she lifted up her left for hoof trying to squeeze herself further into the corner. A look of pure horror adorning her face, she was just like an oversized cat.

Chuckling I pulled the vacuum away from her and started to clean up the mess. “Think of it like a broom but better,” I state cleaning up the floor in a matter of minutes. I would have to mop it as well, but that can always wait.

As I shut down the vacuum Celestia seems to visibly ease as she walks circles around the vacuum. “Why is it so loud?” She questions poking it with her hoof. When it does nothing, she turns her gaze towards me.

“The motors that spin the bristles and create the suction is what makes the noise,” I comment cleaning the counter and stove with a wet cloth.

Celestia now looks at the vacuum with awe sparkling in her eyes, “So this is the technology you’ve been talking about. You were not fibbing.” Looking back at me her smile fades, “It is time.”

“Time for what?” I question looking towards Celestia. I, however, didn’t need an answer as I looked towards my hands cleaning the counter. They were once again flashing on and off. It was time to switch worlds.

“Right, grab a hold of me,” I state.

Celestia nods as she brings her hoof into contact with my leg. Within seconds the flickering increased in speed before I felt the same tingling sensation. A bright white light blinded both me and Celestia. The burning sensation came back, but just like before I couldn’t yelp in pain. The process was over before my mind could even figure out how to react.

I and Celestia found ourselves back where we left off, in front of the window. It looked as if not even a minute had passed here when a full day passed on earth.

“We must speak with my sister and get to the bottom of this before the storm hurts somepony,” Celestia commented. Clearly, time was of the essence, I could easily be whisked away at any second. In order to save time Celestia once again lit up her horn and I felt the same sideways pull.

Chapter Five - Adventure Bound

The teleportation was swift, yet brutal. Unlike before, the action seemed forced which of course caused me to experience the entire process with the intensity dial cranked up to 10. Which meant more pain, more spinning and most of all, more nausea.

Yep, this time when I was thrown from this ‘white space’, I immediately started the evacuation procedure for my stomach. My chunky soup I had eaten last night came right out onto the surprisingly not marble floor. Instead, I looked down upon was some sort of blue-hued rock? It was actually quite fascinating that they were able get this shade of blue into a rock.

Thankfully, Celestia seemed to think of this before hand. With a quick spell she immediately popped my mess out of existence. Which gets me to think. Where does it go? Did she just vaporize it? Or did she teleport it? Questions I would have to ask another time. As of right now, we had bigger matters to attend to.

“I thought we told you that we can’t trust him, sister?” Luna’s voice echoed against the decorated walls. At least it was nice that she spoke in my language.

I, myself was having trouble getting up off the floor. My eyes were still spinning as I tried to make out objects in the room. At first, it was a bed, then a window, until everything started to settle in. Having my senses mostly restored I finally took in the room.

It was just as lavish as Celestia’s chambers. Even though its walls and floor were colored darkly to accent who was living in it. The room itself seemed to be well illuminated, all its windows were covered with thick blue drapes. Making the only sources of light the candles that were scattered throughout the room. It kind of gave off this ‘Gothic’ vibe with how many candles were laid about.

Unaware of my current state, Celestia moves forward to explain the situation, “Kenneth here has proven his innocence. While he may be the direct cause of our ‘weather’ problem, I can say with the utmost certainty that he plays no role in controlling it.”

I would give Celestia a nice warm smile, but my headache seemed to have returned. I guess the two sudden teleports will do that to a man. Letting out a low groan at the dull pain, I move myself to stand by Celestia’s side.

“How can you be so sure of his innocence? He could be acting for all we know!” Luna retorted, and she wasn’t totally wrong there. I could just be acting, I can see now that Celestia put a lot of trust in me that those pictures were genuine.

Of course, those accusations can easily be countered, “If I had control of the weather, don’t you think I would have struck you with lightning by now?” I stated causing Celestia to let out a little chuckle.

“He does have a point dear sister,” Celestia continued from my point.

I found it rather amusing and calming at the same time that Celestia was still able to remain calm during this whole ordeal that was taking place right outside. Even now I could hear the crackle of thunder off in the distance, and the tapping of the rain as it bombarded the glass windows.

Luna rolls her eyes as she looks towards me, “So what have you come here for?”

I give her the evils as Celestia states her plan, “River Breeze”

And that’s all she said, just one lowly name. Maybe pony world is fucked, I commented to myself as Luna repeated.

“River Breeze?”

“River Breeze,” Celestia cements with a nod.

“River Breeze,” Luna once again states, this time however she has a knowing look upon her face.

“Livers Cheese,” I stated.

Luna and Celestia both look towards me with confusion clearly marked across their faces. I looked back at them with a stoic expression.

“You guys were just spouting nonsense so I thought I would join in. You mind actually telling me what you have planned?” I quipped.

Celestia nodded as Luna rolled her eyes once again, “River Breeze is a unicorn that has a unique field in which she studies. So unique, that she herself lives in the Everfree forest in order to test her hypotheses more efficiently.”

“What are we going to do with River Breeze? Invite her here for a little chat?” I ask as the nauseating feeling starts to finally settle down.

“I would if I could. River Breeze is a very solitary pony. The only way to contact her would be to go there ourselves,” Celestia states.

I look at her like she’s grown another head? “You expect to make it there in this storm?” I claimed sliding one of the thick curtains aside.

She then did the most logical thing I’ve seen her do so far, she simply shook her head horizontally. “No, I expect us to make it there in this storm.” She fixed.

I guess I should have seen that one coming. This was kind of all my fault, even though I had no hand in it what-so-ever. “Fine, so are we taking the train or something?” I ask dreading the one response I knew I was going to get.

“Nay, the train has stopped running due to the storm. Too many things can go wrong if it we were to travel in these conditions. Pegasus won't be able to take thy either, the winds are too unstable. Sudden vertigo could kill a Pegasus or even a failed landing attempt at these wind speeds. The only way thou and my sister will make it to the Everfree is if thou hoofs it.” Luna stated smiling.

“My sister is right,” Celestia cemented, “we’ll need to leave right away if we hope to reach Saddle Lake by nightfall.”

“Can’t we just teleport there?” I question as the two of us start making our way out of Luna’s chambers. I really doubt that meeting with her sister did anything but set us back. I mean, did she really have to know we were going out to fix this problem?

“We would be leaving our lives up to chance. Teleportation is a very ‘sense’ driven spell. I would have to have been there and remembered the location well in order to complete the spell.” Celestia once again shoots down my idea. Her smile -that’s right she’s actually smiling at a time like this- never faltering.

“Why can’t we just send some pony else to do it. You’re a princess, I’m sure you’ll have your hands full with your court or something.” It was then that I saw Celestia’s smile waver. I then knew what was going on.

She had responsibilities here and she knew it. The fact that she could go on this adventure and escape her title for a while was probably a dream come true.

Letting out a sigh I continue, “Or maybe that would be a bad idea. Don’t want to risk someone else going when we have all the information. It would also take to much time to brief someone else.”

Celestia smile returned, “Yes, that is why we must go alone,” With a flash of her horn a safari hat was placed on top her head as a beige button-up wrapped around her body.

really? I questioned mentally as we ran through the hallways of the castle. Celestia smiling away with her stereotypical safari explorer kind of get up, and me struggling to keep up. She’s having way to much fun with this. I concluded to myself.

All the guards that lined the halls were looking at us with confused expressions. Probably because they never thought they would see a creature like me chasing after their ruler looking like Steve Irwin, god rest his beautiful soul.

Panting, I question, “You really going to be wearing that? I thought ponies don’t wear clothes?”

Celestia looks back at me as we finally reached the castle's main doors. Which were obviously closed due to the chaos unfolding outside? “What? Don’t like my outfit?” She questions as her horn ignites to open the two massive doors.

I wasn’t even able to get a word in as the storm outside quickly announced itself. The first thing I felt was the large gust of wind punch me right in the stomach. As if that wasn’t enough the torrential rain battered me in my face. I could just tell that this was going to be one hell of a trip.

“Come on, Kenneth! Adventure awaits!” Celestia comments tipping her pith helmet down to block the rain as she jumps forwards.

Groaning in protest I follow after her.

“How long is this journey going to take?!” I yell over the wind and rain. It’s been two hours and the weather hasn’t stopped, nor has it let up. If anything, it had gotten worse.

Celestia now with a drenched coat and shirt turns to look at me. She’s still sporting that smile of hers, a spark flashing in her eyes as she says, “Another hour till we reach the base of the mountain and another five till we come across Saddle Lake. Which we’ll be staying at overnight!”

While my body protested going any further, my mind was actually okay with it. The view we got walking down the mountain side was nothing short of spectacular. The light haze coated the ground bellow the mountain. I could see a large forest that snaked in-between the mountain ranges. A lowly river following it, all the way to a decent sized lake.

The lights from multiple villages could be seen, yet my eyes were only locked onto the one bordering the lakes shore. That was Saddle Lake no doubt, our destination. Funny how close something looks from the air, but as Celestia said, is quite far in reality.

Another flash of lightning arced across the sky, its brethren the thunder chased behind. Its load roar boomed against the rocky mountains creating an even more menacing sound.

“It’s quite odd seeing no ponies on this road. Usually, it's packed, day in and day out,” Celestia states as she slows down to walk by my side.

Looking over to her I ask, “Ponies still use these roads even though there’s a train system in place?”

Celestia nods, “The train can only do so much, most merchants rather carry their goods themselves. As of right now, the cost of transporting items via train is costly. Roads like these are still widely used around Equestria due to that fact and the fact that the train doesn’t run everywhere.”

Avoiding a large divot in the gravel path I point over to the lights on the edge of the lake. “So, is that saddle lake?” I ask retrieving my had to wipe the water from my face.

Following my finger, she smiles, “Yes, one of my favorite towns actually. They host all the best events, especially the summer sun festival.”

“Back in my world, the summer sun festival is celebrated with large bonfires at a beach or park. Do you ponies do the same thing?” I question, generally interested if there are more similarities between the two realms.

Celestia shakes her head, “No, but that does sound like a nice way to celebrate. Maybe some party planners down there will get a tip this upcoming celebration.”

Before any of us knew it, we were reaching the bottom of the mountain. The path turning from gravel to dirt as it entered the forest.

The trees here were like the ones up north; tall and skinny. They kind of reminded me of toothpicks. Each one looking so frail, like they were ready to fall. Yet here they stood, fighting against the storm together.

Each gust of the wind that pushed up against their trunks created an eerie groan as the wood protested. Their leaves now sheltering me and Celestia as we traveled deeper into the forest.

However, the more the leaves sheltered us from the rain, the darker the forest became. Looking over to Celestia I could see her smile has faded. Her delicate magenta eyes darting around the forest floor for any sign of movement.

“So, you really are scared of the dark?” I question.

Surprised by my voice she quickly turns her head to face me, “Though I hate to admit such a childish fear, yes. I have never been one for dark places.”

I was glad to hear her confession, yet from that fact alone I could tell that she probably won't get over this fear. As my mind wandered and we continued down the dirt path the area around us continued to get darker. Each step forwards I found Celestia an inch closer to me.

“Can’t you cast a light spell or something?”

“I must save my strength for the journey ahead,” Celestia replies.

My eyes never leave her form, “you expect to run into something here?” I ask.

This conversation seemed to have gotten me on edge too. I soon found myself looking around the forest. The once magnificent trees now looked demonic. As if they themselves were scheming against us.

“No, but one could never be too safe,” Celestia stated her trademarked saying.

Even though she put a lot of confidence into her tone, she was almost leaning up against me. Any and all attempts to act strong would be thwarted by that one fact.

A large caw pierced the air as two birds that were perched on a branch took off. This seemed to set Celestia off as her horn glowed brightly as she leans up against me. It was pretty funny seeing a being so powerful cower over the dark.

“It’s just a bird, no need to freak out.”

Looking around she calms down a bit. Her horn dims but stays lit. It’s light illuminating a small area around us.

“Yes, just a bird,” Celestia confirms as she shakes her head.

Getting herself back into a decent frame-of-mind she -to my disappointment- distances herself from me. The nice secure warm feeling I got when she leaned up against me was replaced by the harsh cold wind. The fact that our clothes were soaked didn’t help us out either.

“You should take off that getup, it's soaked,” I commented once I realized that ponies don’t usually wear clothes.

Celestia glances at me, one eyebrow raised.

“What?” I question.

“Are you asking me a mare to undress in front of you?” She states with a small smirk on her face. At least I could say I got her distracted from her fears.

I look at her with a stoic expression, “yeah, I am saying that. Now strip before you get hypothermia.”

Having hiked five hours, I was not the one to be joking around. I just wanted to get to Saddle Lake and pass out at the local inn. And I wasn’t going to do that if my ticket in was killed by the weather.

Hearing my words Celestia’s muzzle adorns a nice shade of scarlet. Nevertheless, her horn brightens as she levitates her cap off her head and into my face.

Surprised by her actions, I quickly take the hat out of my face. Looking back at Celestia I can see that she has already taken off her button up. She, herself is giving me an unamused expression.

“Oh, so you ponies don’t mind being seen naked, but you mind someone seeing you take off clothes,” I state rolling my eyes. Ponies are weird.

Celestia levitates the hat in my hand back to her head. Her mane was soaked as well, clinging to her neck. “It is considered ‘very’ intimate for some pony to watch another take off their clothes.”

“Yeah, well you're naked now and in my world, it is considered even more intimate,” I comment bringing back the blush on Celestia’s muzzle.

There was an awkward silence that arose after that. Our steps drowned out by the wind and rain. Taking a glance towards Celestia I can see her moving her mane around trying to get it into a comfortable position. Sadly, every time she does, it just flops back down to its original place.

Stopping, I rip a little strip of cloth off my sweater. Seeing me halt Celestia looks back at me with a confused expression. “What are you doing? We have to keep moving.”

“Just hold on one sec,” I reply walking up to her.

Before she can intervene, I grab her mane and tie up the bottom in a ponytail fashion.

“Heh, a pony with a ponytail,” I state with a small little chuckle.

Celestia rolls her eyes, as she turns her head back forwards. She tries to hide it, but I can see a small smile grace her lips.

It took us a lot longer then Celestia had originally planned. By the time we hit Saddle Lake the moon was already reaching its peak. Which meant that we would have to make due with four hours of sleep before we head off again.

Taking the first steps out of the forest and into the clearing I took a sight of the village. It’s cobblestone buildings with thatched roofs from which smoking chimneys poked out. Lantern light from inside the houses illuminated the streets where ponies ran about.

Exiting the forest, I was also graced with the knowledge of the storm taking place. Like before, the rain poured down in buckets soaking my clothes within seconds.

“Nice little town you have here! I can see why you like it so much!” I yell bringing my voice above the wind and the rain.

Celestia walked beside me, her coat following the same fate as my clothes. “You haven’t seen anything yet! The inn we’re staying at is my personal favorite!”

Neither of us wanting to stay out in the rain any longer, hurried along. Celestia leading the way, and me attempting to catch up. These ponies sure know how to run.

“Usually there are more ponies here, but due to the storm it seems most have taken up shelter!” Celestia commented as she followed the dirt road as it soon turned into cobblestone. Her metallic shoes clinking against the cold stone path.

Our journey halted when we came across a large building with a swaying sign out front. I myself couldn’t make heads or tales what the gibberish was on it, so I just looked over to Celestia then to the sign.

“It reads: The Misty Spring Inn,” Celestia states as we both walk under the wooden awning and through the two front doors.

The 'shock' would be one word to describe our entrance. As soon as we entered the Inn every patron's eyes fell on us. It was like a western movie when a new guy walks into the bar.

Not a single word was spoken, and even the music that was playing stopped dead in its groove.

“Does this happen to you often?” I question.

“More then I would like to admit,” Celestia replies as we both wander up to the Inn-keepers desk.

The walk was pretty awkward as ponies all around didn’t know how to respond. Some bowed to Celestia, while others gave me the stink eye. I guess ponies aren’t so lenient with new races as I was lead to believe.

Arriving at the desk the Inn-keeper breaks out of his stupor and greets us. “Ah, Princess Celestia,” He states out loud with a smile as he bows. “my most cherished customer and beloved ruler. How may I help you? A room? Some ale? Or do you want us to whip you up something to state your apatite.”

My mind was wondering where I heard something like that before. But I couldn’t lay a finger on it. Maybe because I couldn’t understand a thing he was saying! This language barrier was really starting to grind my gears.

Sure, it's kind of fun the first couple hours not knowing their language, but it gets old real fast. If I ever find myself with some free time, I’m going to learn their god damned language!

Celestia speaks something to the pony in her native tongue. Her tone was dry and to the point. It not only made the Inn-keeper a bit nervous but me as well. Which is really saying something when I don’t even know what she’s saying.

I’ve only seen her happy side, even when she was accusing me, she wasn’t this scary. I guess you shouldn’t mess with the princesses sleep schedule.

Nodding with a forced smile, the Inn-keeper flicks his tail which caused a key on the board behind him to fall into his hoof. With a quick smile and bow, he hoofs us over the keys.

As we turn to walk away he yells something over to us. Probably some sort of ‘thank you’ or ‘enjoy your stay’.

By the time we exit the main lobby and into the hallway the patrons when back to normal. Laughing, cheering and dancing it all held a very positive atmosphere. Not only that but the interior of the place looked rather cozy.

The whole place was built out of logs from the nearby forest. The main room had a huge fireplace that sat in the middle with seating all around it. The walls all held pictures and prized fish that someone had caught.

“Is there a way you can beam your language into my head like you did for yourself?” I ask as Celestia levitates the room key into a nearby locked door.

“Beam my language?” Celestia turns to face me with a small smirk and a raised eyebrow. “If it were only that simple,” Celestia continued with a small chuckle.

“It seemed pretty simple when you did it in the padded room,” I retorted as Celestia opened the door and walked inside.

“In order for you to learn our language, you would have to be the one to cast the spell. Now if you had magic to begin with, you could have just entered my mind during the spell in the padded room. The spell I used is like a door, once in, you can walk through both ways.

Sadly, since you possess no magical capabilities. You couldn’t even find the door if you wanted to.”

“Shame, guess I’ll have to learn it the old way then,” I claim defeated once again as I enter the room after Celestia.

The room was quite dark, but a quick spell on Celestia’s part ignited all the candles.

It was a nice room at first glance. There was a bed in the corner of the room, a desk with a small typewriter laying on it, as a chest lay beside the bed. The thin white curtains were drawn back, enabling me to look out the window and towards the lake. I’m sure it would have been magnificent to look at without the current storm taking place.

Looking back towards the bed I realize another slight problem. There was only one, and while it was pretty big for one person, it would definitely not fit two people on it. Or in this case a pony and a human.

“You going to ask for another room?” I question.

“Why bother? We’re only going to be here for four hours anyways. I rather not take up a room if we’re barely going to use it.” She comments levitating her ‘hat’ on top of the chest.

Taking off my soaked sweater I hang it up by the candles. I do the same with my pants and shirt, leaving me once again in my under-ware.

“I call the bed!” I yell jumping onto the bed. With a large smile etching its way onto my face I can feel my eyelids start to get heavy the moment I impact the sheets.

Celestia walks up beside the bed and looks down at me, “You expect a princess like me to sleep on the floor?”

Cracking one eyelid open I look up at her, “uh, yeah.”

This gets a little chuckle out of her, “Have it your way.”

With that, I close my one eyelid assuming my victory. Yet, that's all it was, an assumption. Two seconds later and Celestia kicks off her shoes, tiara and jumps onto the bed with me in it.

Before I could figure out what was going on, Celestia was sprawled out on top of me completely knocked out. I could hear her gentle breath as it brushed up against my neck.

Unable to find the will to push her off I just lay there staring at the ceiling. Her warm wings draped over me on each side. They felt like the softest polyester money could buy, while her body felt like silk upon my skin.

No matter how much I wanted to be mad at this mare at this moment, I couldn’t. I’m not even going to lie, with her soft fur and warm embrace, I fell asleep like a baby that night.

Chapter Six - Adventure Bound II

A roar of thunder awakened me from my slumber. As my eyelids snapped open I looked up at the ceiling. The sound of falling rain filled my ears as I shuffle to get up. I, however, wasn’t able to as I came to remember a certain white coated pony laying on top of me.

Letting out a large sigh, I looked down upon her. She had her hair undone, and covering a portion of her face. I could feel her chest rise and lower as she took in short breaths before harmoniously pushing them back out.

The entire scene I found myself in was actually quite soothing. The pouring rain and distant thunder relaxed me. As the mare sleeping peacefully kept me warm. But this was not how it was meant to be, and I knew it. I was a stranger in their lands. The sooner we figure out what is causing all this chaos, the sooner I get to go back home for good.

So, with a large amount of joy and a little bit of regret, I push Celestia’s sleeping form off the bed.

“Whaaa!” Was all I heard before she impacted the wooden floor.

The sight was quite entertaining to watch. Her wings shot straight up in an attempt to save herself. This, however, only served to worsen her predicament as she pushed herself to the side, hitting the rooms wall in the process.

“I’ll give that a seven out of ten in the ‘bad morning scale’,” I chuckled getting up off the bed.

Celestia shot me the evils as I walked towards her, “I have you know an act like that could have you thrown in the dungeon.” Celestia complains as I reach out my hand to help.

Taking her hoof in my hand I pull her in. What I forgot, however, was that she wasn’t light. In fact, since she herself gave no effort to help herself to her hoofs. I found myself being the one pulled towards her. As you can imagine, within seconds I was now the one laying on top of Celestia.

“My, my, aren’t we a bold one in the mornings,” Celestia chuckled at my embarrassment. The laugh ended when we both looked into each other's eyes. It has seemed that the metaphorical tables were turned. Is it getting hot in here? I pondered to myself, pretty sure that my face looked like a strawberry at the moment. This was getting quite out of hand fast.

Quickly, I stumbled off Celestia and get back onto my feet. Looking behind me towards her I can see I was not the only one with a beet-red face. Clearing my throat, I say, “So, River Breeze?”

“Yes,” Celestia quickly replied getting back to her hooves by herself, “but I think we’re due for a quick meal before we continue our journey.”

Nodding my reply, the two of us adorn our apparel and head out into the hallway.

To say that the walk to the lobby was awkward was an understatement. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Celestia snatching quick glances at me.

Thankfully, the owner of the Inn was still up. Seeing as we’ve only been out sleeping for a couple of hours. I was about to speak up to break the awkward silence, but I was beaten to the punch from the inn-keeper himself. Of course, when he spoke out. I quickly came to the conclusion that if I were to speak, nobody would understand me. Rolling my eyes at the language barrier, I once again let Celestia do the talking.

Their conversation was short and to the point, at least that’s what I assume. Only a couple words were exchanged between the two before I found myself being seated beside Celestia at a large table. Other patrons were also here, eating large bowls of what looked to be vegetable soup.

“So, what’s on the menu?” I question as a large stallion to my right belches.

Celestia giggled at the act, “Potato soup with bread.”

At least I got the soup part right, “So what makes this your favorite Inn?” I question trying to break the ice that had formed between the two of us recently.

“Simple, I enjoy the atmosphere. At first, ponies may be hesitant to be themselves around me, but here they seem fine with doing what they always do, no matter who sees.”

As if to nail that very thought home, the same stallion chugs the last of his soup before letting out another burp. This time, however, when he finishes he passes out right there on the spot. The stallions and mares at the table all laugh at his expense. The next pony over carries him into the hallway that I and Celestia had just come from.

“I see,” I state with an amused tone. At least they were all pretty accepting of me, besides the odd glare here and there.

With that said, a mare in a dirty apron walks on by and places two large bowls in front of us. Turning back around she grabs a loaf of bread and places it between us. She says something before leaving, but I pay no mind to it, not knowing the language and all.

Taking the spoon they gave me, I take the first bite. It was actually quite good. In fact, it reminded me of my grandmothers cooking back home.

Seeing the smile on my face Celestia levitates the loaf of bread and splits it into two. “The best part is the bread,” She claims before dipping it into the soup and taking a large bite. A smile instantly graces her lips as she does it again and again. It isn’t even seconds later before it’s all gone.

Following in suit, we soon find ourselves sitting back on the bench, a satisfied look stretching across our faces.

“That was some good stuff, but now we need to go,” I state bringing Celestia back to the world of the living.

“It would seem so,” she replied as she got up from the bench and started towards the door.

I followed closely behind, another question itching to be asked, “So aren’t you going to pay for that?”

Celestia looks back at me as she motions for me to walk beside her. Accepting her command, I increase my pace a bit so we’re walking next to each other.

“When I, or any other royal member purchases something. The funds are immediately taken from the royal treasury.” She states opening the front door to the Inn.

Like all the times before, the wind is the first to slap me across the face, “So what!? You take money from the taxpayers to pay for everything you get!?” I yell over the wind and the rain.

Closing the door behind her, the two of us once again walk out into the cobblestone streets. No pony could be seen wandering the paths. The storm doing a good job at halting all progress.

“I like to think of it as a payment for my ruler-ship!” Celestia replies back with a smirk on her face. Of course, she would find a way to make it sit well with her conscious. Then again, this could just be viewed as her own little pay-cheque. Everyone has to make money somehow, it’s just that she has a easier way of doing it.

It didn’t take long for me and Celestia to get back into the groove of things. The sting of the rain numbed my body as we continued onwards. The little town named Saddle Lake slowly growing smaller behind us.

With another two hours of walking, we found ourselves re-entering the forest. This one was quite different then the one on the other side of the town. The trees here had large arching branches that steemed from their thick trunks. Leaves on these trees reminded me of oak trees back on earth.

“This is whitetail woods, the border between Saddle Lake and Ponyville,” Celestia commented, “It is home to the running of the leaves. When we could control the weather, the running of the leaves signified the end of summer and the start of winter.”

I looked over towards her with a confused expression, “so you’re fall and spring are basically one day long?” I question.

“What is this fall and spring?” Celestia answers with her own question.

“You know the season between summer and winter. All the leaves turn color,” I lecture back.

Celestia looked at me with an intrigued expression, “I guess you could say that this ‘fall’ and ‘spring’ are only a day long here in Equestria. We very rarely get to see the colored leaves on the trees. Usually, by the end of the day, everything is cleaned up.”

“Huh, maybe next time I teleport it’ll be fall or spring so I can show you what it looks like,” I replied taking my gaze away from her and back to the forest ahead.

Celestia, however, stopped in her tracks.

“What?” I question.

“You’ve yet to Teleport? Yet the storm still goes on?” She points out.

“Yeah, I count it as a blessing in disguise. This way we can continue on the journey undisturbed,” I reply.

Giving me an odd look Celestia goes back to walking. It seems like she has something she’s not telling me, but then again, there’s probably a lot she’s hiding from me. After all, I could still be considered and enemy to her, even though I highly doubt it with her past actions.

Walking a couple more hours, I catch something off the corner of my eye. Turning my head, I come to see a small white orb off in the distance.

Intrigued by this weird orb I stop in my tracks and turn my whole body towards it, “Hey, Tia what’s this?”

“Tia?” Celestia questions with a smirk, “What happened to ‘sun butt’?” she continues, walking up beside me.

“Got old, now shut up and tell me what that is,” I state pointing towards the mysterious orb. Its light was so beautiful that I was starting to be drawn by it. Almost as if it was calling for me to come get it.

Celestia looks over to where I pointed as she lets a small smile appear on her lips, “That’s a rare flower called midnight sun, it only blooms like that during daytime. What makes it unique is that it only blooms in the dark.”

“Is it dangerous?” I ask walking off the path towards it.

“No, but we really must be getting back to the path ahead. This is no time to be playing around with flowers.” Celestia calls out still on the path.

Not listening I keep up my pace, pretty soon I find myself right over the flower that emitted the light. It looked a lot like a white lily back on earth. I could hear Celestia calling out to me from the main path, her voice drowned out by the rain.

Bending down, I pick up the flower and twirl it by its green stem. Now, I was never a flower person, but something about this flower hit all the right places.

Looking up from the flower I almost drop it. Bellow a shallow dip in the earth a few feet away from where I stood, lay a blanket of the same flowers. It looked like stars in the night sky were all scattered across the forest floor.

“You said this flower was rare, right?” I yell back at Celestia not taking my eyes off the beauty in front of me.

There was a long pause before she replied, “Yes, why do you ask?”

I give off a little chuckle, “Well you should come and see this.”

A couple of shuffling sounds later, and Celestia arrives next to me, “Now what is it that you want me… to… see…” She trails off as she looks over towards the bed of Midnight Suns.

“In mother’s name, I have never seen so many,” Celestia states as she looks over the flowers.

Carefully walking forwards, me and Celestia position ourselves in the middle of the bed of Midnight Suns. My head starts to spin as I look at all the lights. It’s so mesmerizing I can’t seem to look away.

Beside me Celestia seems to be stuck in the same trance. Before long I fall to my knees and lay down in the flowers. Celestia instantly joins my side as we both take a little break from walking.

Hearing a faint giggle, I look over to Celestia to see her wiping a tear from her face as she suppresses another chuckle.

Not knowing how to reply to something like that I keep quite as I look up. A couple Midnight Suns block my view, their glow fading in and out.

I then hear a light sob. Alarmed I shake my head out of its current stupor and look over to Celestia. She has a smile on while tears streamed down her muzzle.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had this much fun,” She states in a hushed tone, “I’m glad you came Ken, I really am.”

“Eh, stop with the tears or I’m gonna start crying too,” I comment getting her to chuckle once again.

Deciding that was enough of a break, I get up and hold out my hand towards her. She gives me a skeptical look at first, but once again reaches out her hoof. Unlike before, I managed to get her up this time. As she’s regaining her composure I stick the Midnight Sun’s stem -that I picked up- into her mane.

I had no idea why I did that, the flower just seemed to fit her so perfectly. It would be a crime to just let an opportunity like that pass by.

Once back on her hooves, Celestia looks over to me with a small smile. Our eyes lock once again, but it was Celestia’s time to break away as she quickly snaps her head towards the trail.

“We must hurry up if we wish to regain our lost time,” And just like that the two of us were off wandering the dirt path again.

Even with our increased pace, we were now way behind schedule. Which meant that we would have to spend another night in another town. And the only other town that was on the way to the Everfree was this ‘Ponyville’. A name so flamboyant that it hurt me to say.

It seems that all the delays we had experienced would cause Equestria another day of horrible weather. Let me tell you, it was totally worth it.

Putting one foot in front of the other, I and Celestia stepped out of white tale woods and into another opening. The dirt path winding ahead of us eventually turning into gravel.

“It’ll be so nice to catch up with my student while we’re here,” Celestia broke the silence.

I gave her a confused look, “Student? You’re a teacher now?”

“I plan to have my student eventually rise to my status. But as for now, she has much to learn,” She commented.

Looking up ahead where the path lead, I could see the small town of Ponyville. Just beyond the buildings I could see another forest, this one much denser than the other two we had traveled through. Taking a well-educated guess, I assumed that is to be the Everfree forest. Where we would meet up with River Breeze and attempt to solve this problem.

Unlike Saddle Lake, most of the buildings were made from wood with thatched roofs. To me this made the town look more fantasy than reality. Either way, the both of us continued our walk into the town.

The streets laid barren, all the shops and stalls in the town square were closed. The entire place looked like a ghost town. Not one pony poked their head out. The only reason I knew ponies lived here was from the lights in the windows and the smoke coming from the chimneys.

“So, which one of these houses does your student live in?” I ask glancing around the different houses.

Tilting her hat to combat the rain Celestia answered, “Her name is Twilight, and she lives in the town's library.”

Talk about dedication to education, I stated with a small smirk. That rhyme was completely unplanned for.

“You think your student will know anything about what’s going on? I mean she’s got to be smart living in a library,” I ask as a large oak tree comes into view.

Celestia thinks this over a bit before shaking her head, “I don’t believe so. While she is well versed in many fields, she has yet to step into the field in which we need.”

“And that field may be?” I ponder out loud.

“Natural magic, a scientific field so dangerous that no pony is crazy enough to study.”

“Other than River Breeze,” I finish for her.

She nods ‘yes’, “Precisely.”

Getting closer to the oak tree I come to see that parts of it were hollowed out. In fact, the whole thing looked to be hollowed out. The closer I got the more I cemented that fact. Windows could be seen where branches once poked out of. A door lay at the base of the tree as two balconies sat on the top.

“That’s one hell of a library,” I state with a whistle.

Chuckling Celestia knocks on the door, “I’m sure if you tell that to Twilight she’ll be more than ecstatic.”

“So, what is this ‘Twilight’ pony like?” I question.

Before I could get an answer from Celestia, a purple pony answers the door. She looks like she’s been up for days with her mane all frazzled like it is.

Shaking her head, she looks up towards Celestia. The moment her eyes meet her magenta ones she instantly perks up. Eyes wide as dinner plates she begins to freak out.

She yells something in her language as she nervously looks back into her house. Looking back out she starts speaking again. This time however it looks like she’s apologizing.

“Oh, so she’s that kind of pony,” I conclude causing Twilight to look at me. I thought I had seen all the reactions to my presence, but it always finds a new way to surprise me.

Instantly I’m shot in the chest by a purple beam. Like all the other high intensive spells before, this one just sizzled away leaving behind a nice hole in my sweater.

Great just perfect. I mumbled to myself as Celestia starts talking back to Twilight. Her tone, however, is harsh like a scolding mother. A couple seconds later Twilight's horn once again lights up as she points it at me. Apparently, she wasn’t satisfied with the results from the first attempt. Unlike before, this spell hits but doesn’t do anything. Connecting the dots together in my head I speak up.

“Twilight Sparkle I presume?” I ask with a none too pleased expression upon my face.

Smiling sheepishly Twilight brings up her hoof for a shake, “Heh heh, a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kenneth.”

Shaking her hoof, she invites both me and Celestia inside. The house was a complete mess, as Twilight warned us about. Towers of books lay all around the library floor. Scrolls and used up inkwells covered the places that lay in-between them.

“Once again, I would have cleaned up if I knew royalty and an alien were coming over.”

Celestia this time apologized, “I truly am sorry that we had to pop in on you like this. But we got a bit delayed heading over to the Everfree. We only wish to stay the night, and we’ll be out first thing in the morning.”

Twilight looked a bit disappointed at this but nevertheless jumped at the opportunity to house royalty.

“Sure, you can stay as long as you like! You can take the spare bed in my room.” She then looked at me, “And Mr. Kenneth here can take the couch.”

Not seeing any problem, we agree to the terms. Celestia immediately excuses herself as she wanders up to the bedroom leaving me and Twilight alone.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard is that spell to cast?” I ask.

Twilight gives me a confused look, “The memory scan spell?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“11” she nonchalantly states with a smirk on her muzzle.

I roll my eyes, “I wish I had magic, I have to learn this stupid language the hard way.”

Twilight's eyes light up, “You know I could help you to learn some basic sayings tonight. That is, if you don’t mind staying up.”

Well I did say I would jump at the chance to learn the language, I comment to myself. Letting out a large sigh I nod in acceptance.

“Great! Then we can get started right away! Oh, this will be so much fun!” Twilight excitedly claims as she bounces over towards her pillars of books.

As she goes around picking up random books, Celestia comes back downstairs. Her coat and mane once again dried and done up. The flower from the forest still in the same spot I placed it.

Arriving next to me she smiles, “I feel sorry for you.”

“Pardon me?” I state giving her the best-confused expression I could muster.

“You will see,” Celestia ends as Twilight comes back with a pile of books in her magical grasp.

Chapter Seven - Adventure Bound III

Usually, when you think of being transported into a fantasy-like world, you think of fighting dragons, and slaying orcs. But not me, no. I had to face down a beast so terrifying, that even Hercules himself would cower in fear.

“Kenneth,” Came a soothing voice behind me.

My brain required more sleep so I pushed the silk like tone of whoever was bothering me away. Mumbling something incomprehensible, I turned my head on the hard surface and attempted to get a couple more minutes of shut-eye.

“Kenneth,” Once again the hushed tone of a mare spoke out.

Hoping that doing nothing will bore the creature, I did as such. I just laid there face down on a cold hard surface, praying that the mare will get the idea.

“You can’t say I didn’t warn you,” Came the same voice as the sound of wind chimes picked up. My mind immediately entered panic mode, I knew very well what that noise meant.

“Don’t you-” and that was all I was able to do before the chair I was once sitting upon vanished beneath me. With a large ‘thunk’ my body hit the hard-oak floor.

There was a long silence as I just laid there on the floor looking up at a smiling Celestia. “I would give that a five out of ten on the bad morning scale,” she chimed.

Oh you thought I was talking about Twilight? Huh, how cute. Staying up late and studying I can handle, I did it in college, but this mare. I comment to myself as I reached out to grab Celestia’s outstretched hoof. This mare, is worse than any dragon or orc out there.

“I have a feeling this is going to be an ongoing thing,” I say getting back up onto my feet and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

Celestia lets out a little chuckle, “We are even now, but it will continue if you do it again.”

“Point taken,” I said looking over where I was passed out.

It was just a normal desk with a pile of books on Equnish. Twilight herself actually passed out before I did, surprising, I know. I guess all her excitement caused her to become tired faster.

Speaking of the purple devil, she was nowhere to be found. I swore she ate the dust right next to me.

“Where’s Twilight?” I ask looking around the room.

“In her room. Once I awoke I came to see her asleep beside you. So, I carried her up to her room for some proper rest.” Celestia relayed.

I gave her a stern look, “and why the heck didn’t you do the same for me?”

“Well, if I did it for you as well, I wouldn’t be able to wake you up.” She stated with a sheepish smile. This little mare had the whole thing planned from the moment she saw me passed out on the table. “Nevertheless, did you accomplish much with your study session?” Celestia continued.

I shook my head, “Only a couple words, and even then, I can’t really pronounce them. I don’t think my voice box was meant to make those types of sounds.”

Celestia looks a bit disappointed but continues on nevertheless. “I’m sure one day you’ll learn the language. Either way, we need to get going. I already packed us some little meals for the road ahead.”

“Alright, just give me a couple minutes to get up,” I comment sitting up on the couch. Looking down I can still see the same hole Twilight made in my clothes. Looks like I’ll have to wait for another teleport to fix this.

This train of thought got me thinking. I have yet to teleport in two whole days. Either something went horribly wrong, or it somehow fixed itself with me on the wrong side.

Shaking my head, I wipe the sleep from my eyes and stand up. Like always in the mornings, my mind was clouded and my vision was a bit off. I needed a quick rinse and something in my belly, before I would be in any condition to go anywhere.

With that in mind, I slowly wandered towards the stairs. Other than the fact that the library was a complete mess. It actually had a lot of defining features.

Every bookcase was carved into the very wood of the tree. Multiple pictures of different ponies lay both on the walls and upon the desk. Lastly, a few statues carved out of wood were occupying either corners or key areas.

Arriving at the bathroom upstairs, I instantly walk over to the sink. Turning the tap to full cold I cup my hands under the stream of water. As one would expect, the bite of the cold water across my hands instantly shook me from my dazed state, but that wasn’t enough.

Waiting a couple more seconds, my cupped hands soon started to overflow with the water. Taking a large breath in, I splashed the water into my face. It almost felt like a jolt of electricity ran through my body, slapping every organ on the way through. It was a crude, but effective way to wake up in the morning.

Releasing the water altogether, I turned off the faucet and exited the bathroom. In all honesty, I really needed a shower, but I came to accept that even if I did take one, the journey ahead would just undo it in a matter of seconds.

Reaching downstairs, I come to see Celestia already by the door. Her flower in her mane, and a saddle bag on her back. By now, I come to accept that her safari get-up is something that will stay with her until the end of the journey.

“Ready to go?” She started shuffling the bag on her back.

Shaking my head, no, I quickly turn into the kitchen. In a matter of seconds, I pick up a nearby apple. Having gotten what I wanted, I exit the kitchen and walk up next to Celestia.

“Alright, now I’m ready.”

With a small chime, the doors glowed golden and opened up. What lay on the other side left us both speechless.

Snow was falling down from the sky, blanketing the entire town in a thick layer of white fluffiness. It was snowing so hard that I couldn’t even see the end of the road. Not to mention the wind that swept into the house, it was so cold I was already shaking.

“Well this is new,” I comment stepping outside with Celestia.

Celestia hoofs the snow causing her to leave a little divot in the snow. Having enough proof, her horn lit up once again causing the door behind us to shut close.

Yet, her horn did not stop glowing. In fact, it started to glow a bit more. In the span of a couple seconds my face was pelted with a rather large snowball.

Caught completely off guard I fell down to the floor. The snow softening my landing.

Looking up I can see an amused Celestia standing there. “Shouldn’t you be worrying about the weather?” I questioned getting myself back up to my feet.

“Why worry about something you cannot control?” Celestia questions back as I dusted the snow off.

“Yeah, well two can play that game,” I stated grabbing a bit of snow that was on me and throwing it at Celestia’s face. Before it could hit, it was engulfed in a golden aurora.

I really hate magic, I stated to myself as the snowball reversed vectors and smacked me straight across the face.

Celestia couldn’t keep it in, she started laughing at my expense. I was just standing there with a face full of snow. That’s when I heard it, a small snort on Celestia’s part. It was small, almost inaudible, but it was still there.

Quickly covering up her muzzle she flushed red, “You heard nothing.”

“Oh, I think I heard something,” I comment starting the walk towards the Everfree. “I wonder how much bits it would cost to keep my mouth shut,” I continue.

Celestia scoffed, “are you blackmailing me?”

“It would be ashamed for your image to be ruined,” was all I said as the both of us traveled through the knee-high snow.

“It will never work you know. I’m a princess and you’re an alien, who do you think any pony here will believe?” She brought up a good point.

My mind, on the other hand, was somewhere else entirely. The snow that we now walked through was getting into my shoe, and the blizzard taking place wasn’t making things any easier.

The hole in my shirt and sweater made the hole thing worse. By the time the two of us hit the Everfree my whole body was shaking from the cold. I’m pretty sure that if I kept this going any longer I would be the one getting hypothermia.

Thankfully, it seemed that Celestia was keeping an eye on me. Once we reached the forest’s edge, she stretched out her wing and wrapped it around me.

I didn’t argue one bit when the warmth and softness of her wings brushed up against me. My man card was definitely going to be taken away for this, but this was totally worth it.

“Thanks,” I whispered as the two of us weaved through the dense forest. If you can even call it that anymore.

The sudden change in temperature caused all the leaves to shriveled up and die. The trees themselves were just husks of wood sticking out of the earth. Yet, it was that very fact that made the whole thing that much scarier. For now, it wasn’t the leaves that were the canopy above us, but the twisted branches.

Celestia’s smile seemed to break away the tension growing within me as she replied, “You’re very welcome. I can’t have the first alien in Equestria go dying on me, now can I?”

“Glad you care for me,” I state sarcastically.

A couple more hours passed by till we came to a small wooden house in a clearing no bigger than the house that rested on it. A small brick chimney lay dormant, the windows all covered in planks of wood. To me, it looked like the entire place was abandoned long ago.

Celestia, on the other hoof, thought nothing of it as she walked up to the door and knocked. A couple seconds and there was no answer, Celestia knocked again this time a bit harder.

“May I help you?” Came a coarse voice behind us.

With the building tension of the forest, the voice set me over the edge. I jumped a good three feet in the air and landed in the snow.

“Ah, River Breeze. I can see you are as skilled in stealth since we last met,” Celestia stated.

River Breeze rolled her eyes as her horn lit up and opened the door to her house. With another glow, a couple of logs followed behind her. “Yes, do you always speak his language?”

It wasn’t till she said it that I noticed it. River Breeze was speaking English. There was no way she should know the language in less she casted the spell.

“How do you know my language?” I state getting up out of the snow and following her into her house.

River Breeze looks back at me with a smirk, “that’s a secret.”

“She was following us ever since we arrived in the forest. She must have cast the spell on you once she realized we were speaking in a different tongue,” Celestia stated unamused as she closed the door behind her.

The shack, River Breeze lived in was pretty cozy, but nevertheless cramped. There was unknown machinery laying around in every corner. A lone cushion that laid in front of a small fireplace that River Breeze was currently starting up.

The walls were all barren besides a few scientific equipment here and there. To have two ponies and a human in such a small space was awkward, to say the least.

“So, what brings the princess and… whatever you are to my little piece of hell,” good to see that River Breeze is optimistic.

Celestia walked up, “I assume you’ve taken notice of the weather.”

“Kind of hard not to,” River Breeze retorted. The fireplace she was setting up was now going strong. I could feel the heat even from this distance.

“Well, Kenneth here,” Celestia lectured pointing to me, “is the main cause of the disturbance. Ever since he has arrived the weather has been out of control.”

This got River Breeze’s attention, “Really?” was all she said.

“Yes, really,” Celestia commented.

I was my turn to join in on the conversation, “You think you can figure out what’s going on? Celestia said that it had something to do with natural magic.”

“It would have to be natural magic. Nothing else can affect the weather. That is why I am out here in the first place.” River Breeze commented.

“So, you think you can figure it out?” I question.

River Breeze mulls over the options in her head, “I won’t know until we start some tests. Sit over there,” she commands pointing towards a cushion by some weird machine.

I do as she said, and within seconds she is right next to me with her horn glowing. “So, tell me, have you been experiencing anything unusual when you first arrived here in Equestria?” River Breeze ponders.

“Yeah, the random Teleportation between here and my world. That’s how I got here in the first place.”

River Breeze jots some stuff down as she points her horn towards me. I was going to tell her that high-intensive spells don’t really work on me, but was silenced when she casted the spell.

This one didn’t sizzle like all the others. As it spread throughout my body. It felt like small insects were crawling all over me.

Thankfully, as fast as it started, it ended.

“Interesting, you must not have magic where you come from. Am I right?” River Breeze questions.

“Yeah, how did you know?” I ask as Celestia wanders up next to us. She takes a seat next to me as she watches River Breeze complete test after test.

“Your body, having not been exposed to magic is siphoning it. It would also explain why you randomly teleport. Since you do not know how to expel the magic you are taking in, the magic finds another way to be released.

“In short, you are like a crystal in this regard. You can store magic but can’t use it. If, however, you start to overflow with magic you break -just like the crystal- and release all your magical energy.”

Celestia has a confused look on her face, “While that explains his teleports, how does that affect the weather?”

“While he is the one causing the weather, you are the one enabling him to do it. Tell me, Kenneth, have you teleported recently?” River Breeze asks.

I shake my head, no. “When was the last time you teleported?” She asks.

“Back in Canterlot, with Celestia,” I state.

“And you princess, when was the last time you’ve done a large taxing spell?” River Breeze questions Celestia this time.

“A couple moments before the teleportation occurred,” Celestia comments as a knowing look spreads across her face, “You mean to tell us that I am powering up Kenneth? Which is the reason for his teleportation?”

River Breeze shakes her head as she adds, “Teleportation is only the side effect, you’re one of the strongest ponies in Equestria. Your magic being absorbed by Kenneth is what’s causing the storm. At least, that’s my theory.”

“Is there any way to fix this?” I question.

“There is one thing I can do, but it will still force you to expel magic every time you fill up. Which if you’re with Celestia a lot, I can imagine it would be pretty often.” River Breeze states.

Celestia enters the conversation this time, “And what is this ‘fix’ anyway?”

“I’m going to see if I can get the magic to latch onto another spell. I have no idea if it’s going to work, or what spell it will grab, but if it’s something more taxing, it might give you more time between bursts.”

“Will this fix the weather?” Celestia questions.

River Breeze sighs, “Keep in mind, this is all just a theory, and a pretty weak one at that. I would be amazed if I actually got Kenneth here to use another spell other than teleportation. The weather is a much bigger problem. I doubt only the two of you are causing such a massive disturbance.”

Looking over to Celestia, I look back to River Breeze. “Well, lets at least see if this works. One step at a time, right?”

“Right, now this might hurt… a lot.” River Breeze comments as her horn lights up a brilliant green hue.

My eyes grow wide at the mention of pain, “Wait! Hurt?!” was all I was able to say before a beam of light smacks me right in the forehead. Immediately my vision blurs and the headache returns.

The pain at first is subtle, a few aches here and there. Sadly, it doesn’t last. Every second my body increases in temperature till I feel like I’m on fire. My head is pounding like a kick drum as I attempt to hold it together.

Pressure starts to build up around me. It feels like I'm being squeezed through a tube of toothpaste. Finally, I can’t hold it in any longer and let out a cry of pain. The sensation lasts what feels like hours but in reality, is only a short few seconds.

When the pain fades and I regain my senses, I come to see a rather confused River Breeze and Celestia.

“What did you do to him?!” Celestia states, anger clearly in her voice.

I was about to speak up but River Breeze beats me to the punch, “I have no idea. I was just fiddling with the magic stored in him and suddenly poof he’s gone.”

Wait gone? I look down at my hands to see they're not there. Slightly in panic, I get up to look at myself. I’m completely invisible, is this what death is like? Did River Breeze just vaporize me?

It was then that things started to click into my head. The gears started to turn and a smirk grew on my face. This was the other spell my body latched onto, and let me tell you what, I was going to have some fun with this one.

“You’re telling me that you have no idea what happened to Kenneth!” Celestia roared.

She did not look like a happy camper. Either way, I walked up next to her and flicked her in the ear. She recoiled a bit before looking in my direction. I could see it in her eyes that she was confused, but she turned back to harp on River Breeze some more.

Before she could say anything, I full on smacked her on the flank. This seemed to get her undivided attention as she spun around with a furious blush across her face. I didn’t know if it was due to her anger or embarrassment, but it was hilarious nevertheless to watch.

“Kenneth, I swear if you’re just hiding I’m going to solve this weather problem the easy way,” Celestia barked out.

Walking up next to her ear I whisper, “do all mares get this possessive with their friends?”

Once again, her blush deepened as she started to stumble with her words, “Y- n- I don’t” was all she could say before River Breeze stepped in.

“Fascinating, so this is the spell that your body latched onto. We’ll at least we solved the teleportation problem. Although we just switched it with another one.” River Breeze mumbled the last part.

I smile, even though they couldn’t see it, “At least we’re getting somewhere, progress is progress no matter how you look at it. So how do I get back to being visible again?” I question kind of worried that I might be stuck like this forever.

“Quite simple actually,” River Breeze states as she brings out a crystal. She then looks around the room before sighing, “all you have to do is be around any empty crystal and the magic should lock onto it. With a clear destination, the drain should be faster than just naturally releasing it. In short, without the crystal here, you could be invisible for days or weeks.”

Grabbing the crystal from her hoof I feel no different. However, by the time I look at myself again, I can see that I’m no longer invisible. “Oh, thank god, I was starting to think I was going to be like that forever.”

Celestia clears her throat, “So, River Breeze, I take it that you’ll continue to look into the matter at hoof?”

“I don’t think I have a choice in this matter. After all, it is affecting every pony at this point. I’ll see what I can do, no promises.”

“That’s all I could hope to hear,” Celestia states with a soft smile.

Looking over to River Breeze I ask, “So this spell thing can be reversed, right?”

River Breeze nods her head, “Yes, we just have to re-introduce the old spell to your body. That way it can fall back into its natural state.”

Knowing full well that I could always return home, I look over to Celestia. “So, what now? Was that all we came for? Seems a bit anticlimactic. You would think something huge would have been revealed after a journey like that.”

“But we did, we now have a hoof hold on where to start. River Breeze has also agreed to help us find a way to stop the weather.” Celestia reminds me.

“I guess, so do we have to walk all the way back?” I state with a monotone voice. I really don’t want to go through all that again. While there were some nice moments, they hardly lived up to the time spent trying to survive.

Celestia gives me a small smirk, “Nope, I know Canterlot fairly well. Since I saved my energy before, I think it would be wise to just ‘pop’ on back to Canterlot.”

She looks over to River Breeze, “You do know we have labs well equipped to house you in the castle.”

River Breeze shakes her head, “As much as I want to see all your fancy gizmo's I have a good thing going here. I’m pretty sure I’ll be more use to you here.”

Celestia nods, “Alright, you know where to find us if you come across a breakthrough.”

“You’ll be the first ones to know if I do,” River Breeze replies with a small smile.

Saying our goodbyes, me and Celestia walk outside. Bending down I pick up a bit of snow to play around with. Celestia’s horn ahead of me lights up as we both glow golden.

Bracing myself, I feel myself being pulled sideways. The flips, twists, and turns last longer than before. Since I was ready for it, when the spell ends I’m only moderately disoriented.

“Back to work, it seems,” Celestia sighs as she walks down the hallway. She pops her get up out of existence and replaces it with her normal tiara and shoes.

Watching her walk away I look to my hands, the pieces of snow still there. Smiling a bit, I choose to get a little revenge. Clumping the pieces of snow together I aim and chuck the ball of snow.

I watch as the white ball soars through the air and smacks Celestia in the back of the head. Her tiara clatters to the ground as she stops instantly in her tracks. Turning around she looks at me with fire in her eyes.

The ground around her actually starts to glow red hot as her horn lights up. She slowly starts to make her way back to me. Each step she takes leaves a horseshoe divot on the ground behind her.

No words needed to be said at this moment, actions obviously said more than words. Run? I asked myself.

Celestia’s hair starts to ignite into an inferno. My eyes grow wide as a smirk appears upon her muzzle. RUN!

Chapter Eight - Running Around

There are lessons in life that you’ll never forget. This is usually because of the events that lead up to that lesson being learned. Some are sad while others are beautiful. For me, the simple premise of ‘do not throw things at Celestia’ was branded in my brain by nothing more than a small chase around the castle.

1 hour ago…

My feet pounded at the marble flooring as I ran restlessly down the corridor. Not only had my actions caused Celestia to chase me, but a couple of the guards as well.

It seems that they thought I was assaulting her, even though it was just a snowball. Nevertheless, since Celestia was hellbent on getting revenge, she had yet to alert them that it was nothing serious.

So, long story short; I’m now running away from every single pony inside this castle. The only way out of this mess I could see would be to slip away, wait for Celestia to literally cool down, then come back out. A simple plan in theory, yet difficult in action.

Sliding around another corner I come to find myself reaching a dead end. The corridor came to a halt in front of me with only a glass window. Thankfully, outside that window was a roof of another part of the castle.

Putting myself into fourth gear I jump over the little ledge and onto the snow-covered roof. The blizzard was still raging, and the cold wind bitterly bit into my skin. I could barely make out where I was going as the snow obscured my vision.

Taking my chances, I tilt my head back to grab a quick peek at who was still chasing me. I didn’t know my body was capable of shifting into fifth gear, but it did when I saw Celestia still hot on my heels.

The snow on the roof melted as she landed, the snow instantly evaporating around her. That's right, it skipped the melting phase completely and just turned to steam. It was both a terrifying and exhilarating experience being chased by such a powerful creature.

Shaking my head, I focus back forwards. The roof I was running on ended a couple feet in front of me. The only way down was a rather long fall. It was either jump or face the wrath of Celestia.

Counting my losses, I skid to a halt by the edge of the roof. A few specks of snow slid off and fell down.

“It’s time you learn some manners, Mr. Kenneth,” Celestia commented.

She only uses prefixes for names when things get serious. The fact that she used it now made me rethink jumping off the roof.

Moving closer to the edge I put on a sheepish smile. Celestia walks closer to me, her same smirk etched across her face.

“It was just some harmless fun, I doubt it hurt that much.”

“Harmless? You do realize that is considered an assault against the crown?” She questions stopping a couple feet away from me. I can feel the immense heat coming off her form. Even from here I could see little embers float around in the air around her. If she was any closer I could kiss my eyebrows goodbye.

“With a snowball, you did the same to me. I was just getting you back,” I counter.

“Oh, so like this?” Celestia questions picking up a large ball of snow, easily the same size as me with her magic. “Was your little stunt at River Breeze’s house off the record then?”

I gulp, “Well,” I clear my thought, “I would like to think it is. Plus, my snowball wasn’t that big,” Taking a quick glance bellow I see my chance. A window had been opened by a maid as she dusted some sort of sheet.

“I guess you won't mind me-” Was all she could say before I fell backward. Time seemed to slow down as I tipped over the edge. The look in her eyes was priceless as they changed from anger to worry and fear. Her mane instantly extinguished as she galloped towards me horn glowing.

She was too late as I slipped out of sight. Time resumed to normal as I quickly grabbed the rug. The maid holding it was completely caught off guard but nevertheless held the other end.

Looking up I come to see Celestia looking down at me. Her worried look was once again replaced with anger. Okay maybe faking my own suicide was not the best thing to do. If it was even possible, I think I pissed her off even more, I ponder to myself as I quickly climb up the rug.

Not wanting to wait around for Celestia to come and get me, I run through the rooms main door. Leaving the maid behind me, still in a state of shock by the window. The rug still held tightly by her magic.

Turning to my right, I am greeted by two stallions clad with golden armor. The moment they see me they charge at me. Turning the other way rewards me with the same result. It looks like staying in the castle is not going to get me anywhere but at the hoofs of a raging Celestia.

Sighing I turn back into the room and run towards the mare. Grabbing the rug I twist it and throw it over a nearby support wire. The two stallions barge through the door and look directly at me. Their intentions clear as one of their horns lights up.

Giving them a quick two finger salute, I jump off the window ledge and zip-line myself all the way to the castle wall. In hindsight, I should have seen what was coming up after I got to the wall.

Many more guards were stationed here. Mentally face palming I bolt it towards the gate where two guards rush me. I could feel my adrenaline pumping through my veins. I felt as if I can do anything, for all intensive purposes I was James Bond escaping the bad guys.

The guards halted as one brings his hoof back. It was all or nothing now, I pushed my legs to the limit as I aimed right between the two. Running right in between them, the stallion brings his hoof across my chest effectively clotheslining me. All the air that was once in my stomach escaped my lips.

Crashing back down to the snow-covered surface, I let out a pained wheeze, “Fuck that hurt.” Note to self, life is not an action movie. I commented to myself as the other stallion levitated me back into the castle.

Present…

So, here I sit. In the throne room with the one and only princess Celestia. To make matters worse, she’d insisted that all the guards leave the room. For what purpose? I can only imagine as I twiddle my thumbs behind my back. Even now, I can see her stern expression locking on to me as she stands on the dais.

As the last of the guards make their way out of the room, Celestia approaches me. The heat she is extruding is unbearable, but they have me roped to a nearby pillar, forcing me to inaction.

At first, I thought she was going to vaporize me right where I sat, but then I realized my immunity to harmful magic. Which only caused me to panic even more as I started to think of how she was going to get around that fact.

Thankfully, I was proven wrong, but not in a way I foresaw. As she looks towards me strapped to the pillar she lets out a soft, beautiful laugh.

“Look at the two of us,” She states in between breaths, “Like little foals running around playing tag.” She wipes a tear from her eye, “If I had one wish it is that you never change Kenneth.”

I raise my head to look at her, “I don’t plan to.” I comment as the heat dies down, “So, you’re not mad about the snow-” Was all I got to say before a white ball slapped me across the face, “-ball”

“A princess always wins,” She chuckles.

Rubbing my cheek, I reply, “I guess I deserved that.”

“Indeed, you did, I really thought you had jumped off that roof with the intentions of killing yourself,” Celestia stated as she popped the ropes binding me to the pillar away.

“But with our little ‘game’ out of the way. I really must be getting back to work.” She continues.

Raising up from the marble floor I ask her, “What exactly do you princesses do?”

“A lot of things, but my days mostly consists of signing warrants and listening to ponies complain at day court. I’m sure I’ll have a stack of scrolls waiting for me in my study as well as a line at court. Mother knows how many ponies are going to be there just to ask about the storm.”

Celestia gets a long look in her eyes as she stares off into the distance. It’s clear -at least to me- that she already misses the adventure we went on.

“If you really have that much work, you mind if I lend you a hand?” I offer.

Breaking her thousand-yard stare, she looks towards me with a humbling smile, “You really wish to help me with my duties?”

“Yeah, must be pretty boring doing it all by yourself. Least I can do is keep you company while you work.” I reply getting Celestia to wrap me up in her wing.

This feeling will never get old, and each day that goes by I find myself wanting it more and more. Shaking my head out of the clouds I look towards Celestia.

“So, what's first? Court or Paperwork?”

“For you, neither. As much as I would like someone to keep me company, we must continue our search for the solution to the weather problem.” Celestia lectures as she walks us out of the throne room.

The guards on the other side looked at me with awe sparkling in their eyes. I guess they expected to see a pile of ash, rather than their princess ‘wing hugging’ me.

“Isn’t River Breeze already doing that?” I question as we continue down the corridor.

Celestia nods, “Yes, but we cannot expect her to do all the work. Here in Canterlot, we have multiple ponies that are well qualified to study how magic affects you, and in turn the weather.”

“All assuming that River Breeze’s assumption is correct,” I fix her statement.

“Yes, assuming that River Breeze really was onto something,” She cemented, “So, as I was saying. I will escort you to the labs where some of our top scientists and mages work. Hopefully, with some extensive testing, we can solve this problem once and for all.”

I glance over to her, “I’m not sure I like the word ‘extensive’ you used there.”

“Think about the ponies lives that are in danger, Ken. The sooner we figure out the connection, the sooner we can find a way to sever it.”

“What happens if you can’t sever it?” I ask the golden question.

Celestia stops in her tracks as she looks deep into my eyes. I could see sorrow, fear, and guilt all wash over her as she responds, “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

My translation for that was my execution. Who could really blame her though? I was an alien wreaking havoc on their once peaceful lives. It was a necessary evil for her to make in order to ensure the safety of her ponies.

It was that part about her that I really admired. She would go that extra distance to save the ponies she cared about. Even now, she could easily solve this problem by dispatching me. Yet, here she is attempting to not only save the world but save my life as well.

Nevertheless, the feeling of dread from that statement set in. Continuing our walk to the labs our conversations dwindled as the atmosphere turned dark. Not two seconds ago we were laughing and smiling. I guess reality always has to rear its ugly head around.

The walk to the lab lasted no more than a couple minutes. The door we stopped in front of was like any other, but behind it was quite different. The walls were made of what looked like iron, each adorning strange markings upon them. Lab desks were scattered all around with beakers and test tubes. All the while ponies in lab coats ran in between them.

It looked like the New-York train station, except instead of busy business people it was frantic science ponies.

Clearing her throat the room hit pause. The ponies that were once running around all halted and turned towards her. Their eyes immediately snapping to me. Most with scowls, but some with curiosity.

Saying something in her native tongue she pushed me forwards. Without a second to lose three unicorns stepped up. Each one with their horn glowing.

A couple casts later and Celestia broke the silence, “These are my brightest scientist; Snowy Mist,” Which had a white coat just like Celestia. Her bright blue eyes and light pink mane seemed to suit her well.

“Clever Spark,” Gave off a small scowl. His brown hair and olive green coat gave him a fairly serious look.

“And lastly Rainy Day.” As her name would entail she had a navy-blue coat with a very light blue mane.

All the ponies gave their own little welcome. It was quite nice to meet other ponies that could actually understand me. I guess Celestia had given up on the whole ‘integration’ process.

With the introductions out of the way, Celestia left it up to the scientists to show me around and tell me what was going on. Saying her goodbyes she exited the lab promptly.

“So, this is the guy that has been causing me to work overtime. I thought you would be more intimidating,” Snowy Mist comments.

Clever Spark agreed with her statement, “Yeah, should have just stayed back on your own planet. Instead of bringing all your problems here.”

I was about to step in, but Rainy Day pulled me aside. “Sorry about those two. Ever since the weather started up, the science department here has been given a really bad rep. Most of the ponies here,” She comments gesturing to her coworkers, “Are going to need a little warming up.”

Looking down at her I give her a nice warm smile, at least not everyone here was pissed at me. “So I guess from what Snowy and Clever said, that everyone here puts the weather blame on me?”

Rainy Day nods, “While Celestia has informed us that you are not doing it intentionally. You can’t expect ever pony to believe it right off the bat.”

“I see you’re point. So, why aren’t you like them then? Why take my side? As you said, I could be lying.” I state as she leads me to her lab desk.

“Do you want the sweet version or the honest version?” Rainy Day asks.

I smile, “let's keep it real here.”

“I wanted the source of the problem. What better way to get it then to kiss some flank,” Rainy replied.

I roll my eyes, “ah, I see, having me with you will speed up your progress. In truth, I rather it that way. The sooner we figure this out, the sooner I can relax.”

Rainy Day smiles, “I think you and I are going to get along just fine Mr. Kenneth.”

“Please, just Ken is fine,” I smile back as we shake on it, hand over hoof.

The day went by faster than I would have expected. Rainy Day had me on my toes the entire time. Performing everything from some simple movement tests to attempting to cast a spell. Needless to say, I completely flunked the latter.

Clever Spark, and Snowy Mist both came by as well to perform their own hypothesis. Each one shot down in almost an instant. This, as you can imagine, only made my relationship with the two of them even worse.

I guess you can’t win them all. Out here there will always be people -or in this case ponies- that simply dislike you for who you are. The only thing you can do at this point is smile and walk away.

Nevertheless, a tired brain is often worse than no brain at all. So, by the time the sun started to set all the ponies in the lab started to pack up their test's and leave.

“Well we at least crossed off a couple of theories. Hopefully tomorrow we can get you in the test chamber and perform some spells to see what exactly is going on inside you.” Rainy Day stated.

Stretching my arms up in the air I yawn, “Yeah, maybe that will shed some light on the problem.”

With our little exchange, we both head out of the lab and walk our separate ways. Luckily for me, the moment I turned the next corner I came upon a blue alicorn walking down the hall. A lone cup of coffee floating gently beside her.

“Hey, Luna!” I called out to her as I picked up my pace to catch up.

Letting out a sigh and rolling her eyes she responds, “What is it Ken, I have to get to night court.”

“Do you know where your sister is? I need to talk to her about where I’m going to be staying while I’m here.”

Luna raises an eyebrow, but answers me nevertheless, “She is currently in her study. I’m sure she’s still working on the reports and warrants that came in during your ‘adventure’.” She states taking another sip of her drink. “Which reminds me, you forgot this in the hospital.”

She brings out her hoof to show me my cell phone. The screen was still covered in the same black and white static. Dropping it in my hand, the phone once again shocked me.

“Son of a -” I bite my lip as I drop the phone onto the ground again. Luna chuckles at my expense as she slowly continues her walk away from me.

Seeing her walk away I quickly shout, “Do you know-”

“Down the hall, up the stairs, first door on the right.” She interrupts once again catching me completely off guard. I swear that these ponies do in fact know how to read minds.

Rubbing my hand, I look down at the phone on the ground. I couldn’t just leave it here. Yet, at the same time, I’m not stupid enough to just reach out and grab it again.

I wonder how Luna does it? Is it magic? No, it can’t be, the device is even more resistant to magic than I am. Hence why she had to hold it with her hoof. Pondering those thoughts around in my head I look around the hall.

Nothing was out of the ordinary, pictures of famous ponies and beautiful vistas lined the walls, as candles basked the marble halls with their amber light. It was in all honesty, pretty relaxing to take in the beauty of the castle itself.

Gazing over the walls, my eyes land on a tapestry. One that I’m sure nobody would notice if I took. Walking over to the small cloth mural, I unhook it from the wall and head back over to the phone.

Is cloth a good insulator? I ask myself as I drop it over the phone. Guess I’m going to find out one way or another. I state wrapping the cloth around the phone and picking it up.

Thankfully, the shock from the phone was unable to breach the thick fabric of the tapestry. Leaving me with a little bag that contained my phone.

With that problem taken care of, I walk down the same hall Luna did, following her directions. Within no time at all, I found myself at the door to Celestia’s study.

Not even bothering to knock, I open the doors to find Celestia on a cushion reading a book by a large fireplace. Hearing my entrance, Celestia’s ears perk up as she looks my way.

“Ah, Kenneth, I presume all went well with the science team?” She questions.

I nod with my little white lie, “Yeah, got a lot of tests done today. We’re slowly making progress it seems.”

Celestia smiles as she motions for me to sit on the cushion next to her. Having no objections, I do as she commands.

“You done with court and the paperwork?” I ask sitting next to her, my feet stretched out towards the fireplace.

“Yes and no, I had way more work waiting for me then I had originally thought. It seems like the storm has done a lot more damage than it would seem.

“Ponies everywhere, are asking for funds and or supplies to help them through the storm. Rationing all these supplies is really giving me a headache.”

The pain of guilt set in, I was the cause for her and everyone else in Equestrians misfortune. I always like to stay optimistic, but at this point it was hard.

Nevertheless, I hid my thoughts away deep in the reassess of my mind as I looked at her study.

It was quite remarkable, hundreds of thousands of books and scrolls lined the many bookshelves around the room. A lone mahogany table sat off in the corner by a window that portrayed the city in all its glory as well as the storm that raged on.

The floor unlike everywhere else was carpeted a dull gray, as the walls were made from dark spruce. Together they gave off a serious atmosphere. One of which suited the purpose of this room quite nicely. Whoever built this castle sure knew what they were doing.

Letting out a dainty little yawn, Celestia went back to reading her book as I finished up my look around the room.

Looking back towards her I come to see the book she’s reading. The text upon the pages held the same weird symbols that were on the wooden sign in Saddle Lake. The sight of it again, made me feel even more depressed. I was really starting to get homesick now.

The fact that I hadn’t been able to teleport recently was nagging in the back of my head. Even now when I knew teleportation is impossible due to the spell swap, I wished that it would happen so I could see my world again.

Maybe when this is all over, I would go back to River Breeze and ask to change back the spell.

A small shove against my left arm rustled me from my thoughts. Looking over to Celestia I come to see that it was not a shove but her body leaning up against mine.

Her eyes lids were shut as she breathed gently in and out. A small smile adorning her muzzle as she wandered the dream realm.

Shuffling a bit to get more comfortable, I found myself at a loss. What was I supposed to do? Yes, it was cute, and at any moment I could keel over from how sweet the entire motion was, but was I just supposed to sit here till she woke up?

I’m sure if I wandered through the halls carrying a knocked out Celestia, the guards would not be too happy. Especially since I tried to escape them earlier on today.

Letting out a small sigh, I gave up. Leaning my head against hers I welcomed the idea of sleep.

Chapter Nine - Overtime

My eyes crept open as a low growl of thunder shook the study. The fireplace that was once keeping us warm was now out, leaving behind nothing but ashes and scattered embers. I didn’t have to know the time to wager it was still late in the night.

Taking my head away from Celestia’s, I gently laid her down. Thankfully, she didn’t wake up allowing me to get up and wander over to the window in the study.

Reaching the window, I pushed back it’s thick velvet curtains. A flash of lightning striking off in the distance. A world so unlike my own was revealed in an instant before fading back to black.

My mind wandered to times I had back on earth as I stood here watching the storm I had caused. I wanted so badly to believe Celestia, but the more I looked out into the storm the more my mind strayed from her light.

Like yin and yang, another bolt of lightning lit up the study. Celestia’s form still laying peacefully on the polyester cushion. The sight made my heartache. She was going through so much, just to save me.

I wonder what she would say if I told her about the small town I grew up in. How I was meant to be nothing more than a commoner in my world. Would she change her mind? Would she go on and tell me I’m not worth fighting for?

Turning my head back towards the window, I closed my eyes and listened to the rain tap rhythmically against the glass window. It’s soft beat, soothing my worries and relaxing my muscles.

I knew I had to fight on, as selfish as it might sound I really didn’t want to die. Nothing more then primal instincts kept me from opening this window and stopping the hard times. Bringing back the world they once thrived in.

I’m sure there would be hundreds, if not thousands of beings out there that would push me off themselves. And the funny thing is, I wouldn’t blame them. If the tables were turned and I was back on earth with storms like this happening twenty-four seven, then I would want to kill the person behind it too.

The only beacon of light in this dark time was Celestia. Anchoring me down in one place, giving me a goal worth fighting for. But most of all, keeping me moving, my mind occupied so thoughts like these would not pop up into my head.

Looking back over to Celestia I let out a small sigh. Why is she doing all this? I asked myself.

Closing the curtains, I wandered back over to the cushion that Celestia lied upon. She smiled happily in her sleep as a portion of her mane covered her face. The same flower from the forest nestled between her ear and mane.

Even though she was a completely different species; I had to admit that she looked beautiful.

Letting my own smile escape my lips I got up and wandered towards the door to the hallway. If she was going to work hard to solve this problem, then so would I.

Grabbing my phone in its tapestry bag, I opened the door I slipped out and into the hallway. A couple of guards that lined the hallways looked towards me. Thankfully, none of them seemed to have any other intent other than a quick glance.

Celestia must have told them I was okay. I concluded to myself as I continued through the corridor and down a flight of stairs. Following Luna’s directions backward I soon found myself at the laboratory once again.

Since nothing of value was in the room other then a couple of beakers, the door to the room was left unlocked. Slipping in I come to find someone -or rather somepony- that I didn’t expect to find down here this late at night.

“Luna? What are you doing here in the lab?” I questioned the blue alicorn as she gazed at a couple beakers on a desk.

Surprised that someone was down here at this time she jumped in her spot, “I should be asking you that question. I am the princess of the night do you not remember?”

“Yeah, but the lab?” I ask.

Luna looks at me with a serious expression before spilling the beans, “Night court is rather dull, not many ponies -if any- show up. I thought I would help in the efforts of my sister. Finding a solution to this problem is indeed the most important matter at hoof at the moment.”

“Ah, so you have the same idea as me,” I reply.

“Pray-tell?” Luna questions.

I walk up to the other end of the lab desk, “I came down here as well to speed up the process. I wanted to do some test myself and see if I can come across anything.”

For the first time, I can actually see a small smile etch its way across Luna’s face before quickly reseeding. “Understand that I’m here so that we can solve this problem. We only wish to undo what thou have caused. No matter if it is indirectly or directly.”

I frown at her response, “I see. You still don’t trust me, do you?”

“Nay, and I don’t think I ever will,” Luna states.

“At least you’re honest. So, while we’re both down here with the same goal. How about we join forces; if only to speed up this process?” I ask dropping the tapestry bag onto the lab bench.

Luna looks at me skeptically before nodding, “I will accept this offer. Now, what is the theory you came down here to test? And what may I ask is in that bag?”

“When I and Celestia met River Breeze she came up with the idea that I’m like a battery. That every time I’m ‘fully charged’ with magic I expel it in a form of a spell. While that sounds very logical, I think she has it wrong.” I comment moving the bag to the front of me.

Luna once again gives me a quizzical look but nevertheless gestures me to continue.

Getting the message, I unravel the bag to reveal my phone inside, “I think that while the battery theory holds merit, the true problem with the weather is my device.”

“And what brings you to this conclusion? As you explained before, that device is only used to communicate with others around your world. Here, it is utterly useless, just a lump of metal and plastic.” Luna retorts.

I nod before bringing up my main theory I wanted to test out, “yes, but before I came here I used my device here to connect to a network that shouldn’t have been there. When I did so, everyone that had the device in a small vicinity around me got shocked.”

“What is this network?” Luna asked.

“It would take way to long to explain right now, but maybe later. As of now, I think that network might be causing all this trouble.” I retort.

“It could just be a coincidence,” Luna pointed out.

I shake my head, “I hardly think so, the probability of all our devices doing so at the same time is almost impossible.”

“So, what do you hope to do with this device now?” Luna questions.

“As a last resort, given enough evidence, destroy it. It would be nice, however, to keep it intact till we know there is nothing more it can provide us,” I reply.

Luna shakes her head, “That is not what I meant. What I meant was: what do you wish to do right now? What was the test you came down here to perform?”

I shrug my shoulders, “I have no idea, I was just going to fiddle around with the phone to see if I can get something to happen.”

Luna rolls her eyes, “You sound like a primitive being banging two rocks together.”

“I have you know that's how they discovered fire,” I reply with a smirk.

Luna sighs, “Either way, it’s inefficient to test without prior thought. Not to mention dangerous to anypony attempting it as well.”

“Do you have a better idea?” I quipped.

Luna doesn’t say anything as she takes her eyes off me and back onto my phone.

“That's what I thought. Now, lets start with the basics. Since it hurts like hell for me to touch it, I’ll leave it up to you to handle the device.” I comment sliding the tapestry over to Luna.

“How very thoughtful of you,” Luna claimed with her statement drenched in sarcasm, “So, what is it you wish for me to do?”

“Turn it over and take off the case. I want to see if the device will still run without the power, or if it’s even connected to the weather at all. If it powers off and the weather still goes on, then there is a chance we’re wasting our times with this theory and should just move on.”

Luna looks up at me with an eyebrow raised, “I’m actually quite impressed you can think that deeply about this test.”

Taking that as a compliment I continue, “Thanks, now let's get going we’re burning daylight.”

“I think the correct term would be moonlight at this time,” Luna mutters under her breath as she fiddles with the back of the phone. Within a couple of minutes, she finally finds a way to take the back part off with her hooves.

“Alright, now you see that black box that is separated from the rest.” I point out the battery and the grove around it. Luna nods and I continue, “I want you to take it out and flip the device over.”

Following my instructions to the T, she successfully takes out the battery and flips the phone over. What happens is a whole lot of nothing. The phone still displays the black and white static on the screen.

“Any other ideas?” Luna asks with an unamused look on her face.

I can see that the testing tonight is going to drag on way longer than it ever should.

I and Luna work diligently throughout the night and by diligently, I mean Luna forcing me to touch the device for every single one of her theories.

I soon came up with another more accurate theory of my own, and that was that Luna is just using this time to fuck with me. Either way, it was very frustrating when none of our tests yielded any results. We eventually hit that stage where you just kept throwing test after test at the thing till something or someone stops you.

Sadly, it was the latter as Snowy Mist enters the laboratory with a mug of coffee. The text “Science’s best friend” written on its face.

She says something in her native tongue to Luna which gets her to stop her testing. Looking over my shoulder I come to see her walking up next to me.

“Care to explain? Can’t really understand Equinish or whatever you call it.” Yup, I was a bit grumpy that I was up all night, but it was all in the name of science.

“She just told me the time,” Luna commented as she walked towards the door, “It seems that it is time for me to rest. I take it we will continue our research tomorrow night?”

I nod, at least we came to some agreement that will yield more results than most of these persnickety science ponies.

As she leaves the room Snowy Mist wanders over to the desk and reaches for my phone, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I comment in a monotone voice.

“And why not ape?” She retorted bitterly.

Wow, she sure got me good there. I think I’m crying a bit. I say to myself as I just shrug her off and let her find out for herself.

As it did to me multiple times last night the device shot out an arc of lightning that connected with her hoof. One pained yelp later and I realized why Luna enjoyed doing it to me so much. A small bit of satisfaction, that if it had a taste, would be as sweet as honey.

“Should have listened to me, ” I comment taking the tapestry bag and sheet of paper that I and Luna recorded our observations on.

Rubbing her hoof Snowy Mist shot me the evils. Not really paying attention, I wander to the lab door with my belongings. As I reach for the door it opens for me, Rainy Day on the other side.

“Here early I see,” Rainy Day states as I pass her the observations I and Luna made. She raises an eyebrow, “and what is this?” She comments starting to read the sheet.

“My excuse to take today off,” I stated giving her the bag as well, “I suggest that you keep your hoof away from it.”

With that said, I pass her and walk into the hallway. If there was one science pony I could at least trust with my findings it would be her. Even though she didn’t like me, she made her goal clear.

My walk down the hallways of the castle were uneventful. Not like that was anything bad, in fact, it was quite nice to wander around with nothing popping up.

Speaking of popping up, as I turned the next corner I came to see Celestia herself exit the study. With a confused expression on her muzzle, she looked down the hallway opposite of me than towards me.

When her eyes meet mine she lets a small smile grace her lips, “There you are Kenneth. Sorry for falling asleep on you last night. I had a long day,” She stated as she shuffled one of her fore hoofs on the marble flooring.

“It was nothing, I’m just glad you got the sleep you needed. So, what are your plans for today?” I ask seeing as my own timetable has been cleared up. Who needs sleep anyways.

Letting out a cute little yawn she answered, “Same as yesterday. I have to pick up where I left off. I haven’t even been able to put a dent in the pile of paperwork.”

“Would you like some help?” I ask like I did last time.

Celestia raised her brow at me, “Shouldn’t you be in the lab helping them?” She asks.

“Yeah, but they’re all doing individual tests, none of which need me present for.” I lie.

Smiling she nods, “Well if you really want to help out, I wouldn’t mind having a bit of company. I must warn you though; my work can get rather dull at times.”

“Isn’t that why I’m here,” I reply with a smirk.

Chuckling at my response she nods, “I guess so.”

Our little conversation seemed to end there as she proceeded to lead me through the hallways of the castle. The sound of metal on marble made themselves known every time Celestia took a step.

Once again, I found myself at peace. No matter how hard life was at the moment, it was better than not having one at all. The fact that Celestia gave me this goal of retribution only made things that much better.

Arriving at another door we enter another room. A lot like the study this one had only one desk that sat in the middle. Three cushions that surrounded it and a nice large window. One that I’m sure would have been magnificent to look out of.

“Why not use the study to do the paperwork?” I question walking in behind her.

The paintings on the walls here were all different. Instead of famous ponies, they depicted nice vivid sceneries. The room itself had a very light and bright atmosphere about it. Even though there was no fireplace here, the candles and natural lighting seemed to make up for it.

“It is true that I could simply use the study, but I rather be in a more calming atmosphere when dealing with stressful decisions.” She lectured taking a seat at one end of the table.

Following her, I as well take a seat by the table. I could understand her reasoning. This room did -at least to me- give off a more optimistic atmosphere.

Taking one of the top sheets of the pile, I look it over, “So this is what keeps the mighty Celestia of Equestria locked up in a room most of the day?” I question as I read the title of the document, “A permit for an ice cream parlor?”

Celestia chuckles as she takes the page and stamps it with a seal of approval.

“You didn’t even look at it,” I argue.

“Ice cream is a very serious matter ken. One that I’m sure will work out to benefit Canterlot and in so, Equestria as a whole itself.” She nodded with a look of satisfaction upon her muzzle.

“Pfft, Equestria, more like a certain white mare with a thing for ice cream.”

“What was that?” Celestia questions with a stern look on her face.

I recoil from the look alone, “nothing.”

Instantly her stern look fades and is replaced with a soft smile, “One down, many more to go,” she cheerfully states as she picks up the next paper and starts to go over it.

“So, what is your favorite type of ice cream?” I question taking another sheet from the top of the pile. It was about getting a loan to help some ponies receive proper medical attention. A part of my stomach turned as the guilt I harbored showed its face.

Humming in thought she stamped the paper before answering, “Strawberry Sundae.”

Of course she would pick something with the word ‘sun’ in it, I commented to myself. Then again that was a pretty good pick. You can’t really go wrong with some strawberry.

“And yours?” She questions taking another sheet. As she does so she looks towards me waiting for my answer.

“I would have to say either orange sherbet or cookies and cream,” I say causing Celestia to look at me with a confused expression.

Looking over the sheet a bit, she states what's on her mind, “What is this cookies and cream ice-cream?”

Immediately I stop reading the scroll in front of me and look at her with a serious expression, “you don’t have cookies and cream? I’m so sorry for you Celestia I truly am.”

“What are you sorry for?” Celestia questions back with more confusion etched into her expression.

I look at her like one would look at a homeless person. Saddened that they had to go through their entire life like that. I then get a brilliant idea in my mind, “Don’t worry, when we solve this weather problem, I’ll take you to get some.”

“Are you asking the princess on a date?” Celestia questions with a small smirk.

Her attempts to make me embarrassed are thwarted when I reply, “If you want to look at it that way sure.” This causes her face to glow a tinge red.

Stamping two sheets of paper in close concession, she quickly gets up from her seat, “I have to go to the little fillies room for a sec.”

It was now my turn to be the confused one as I looked at her walk out of the room. Shrugging my shoulders I take a look at the two sheets she just stamped. One of them not even a request but a letter from a kid, and the second one a request to have someone arrested because he sneezed.

Whatever it was that I had said, sure distracted her from actually reading the reports. Taking the two away from the pile I place them aside.

Sadly, the only thing I could do at the moment is read the papers. My tired mind skipping over unimportant details, trying to get the point of each request. I didn’t want to stamp anything, after all, it was the royal seal. I would just have to tell Celestia when she gets back what they were about. Also for her to remove the two seals from the papers I pulled aside.

Having a couple minutes’ pass by, I take the time to get up and walk around the room. Celestia has been gone for quite a bit. Maybe the bathrooms are farther away than I originally thought.

Walking over the large window in the room I look out towards the city of Canterlot. The lights in the buildings below held firm throughout the storm. From here I could already see flooding in the market square.

I could only imagine what panic Saddle Lake would be in if the water levels rise too much. Funny how spending time with Celestia has gotten me to start thinking about others more than thinking about myself. A good habit I am sure, but one that will probably be my downfall.

Author's Note

Woo, last chapter of April.
So what are your favorite ice cream flavors? :twilightsheepish:

Chapter Ten - Cracking Down

It wasn’t till many minutes later that Celestia returned from her trip to the bathroom. She claimed that she was sidetracked with some recent development in the labs, but that was an unlikely story. Either way, by the time she came back we dove right into the paperwork again. From there, it took another couple of hours to reach for the last paper.

A wave of fatigue finally hit me as we finished up. While I was used to long nights of working -usually getting three to four hours of sleep a day- I was not used to long mornings full of politics. Who would have thought that political work is dryer than a school textbook?

Seeing that there were no longer any scrolls left on her desk, she got up and stretched her back. As one would expect, the stretch lasted pretty long. In all honesty, it made her look kind of like a cat the way she arched her back.

“Off to court then?” I asked as I looked towards her. Never once in my life had I thought I would say that with a smile on my face. Things truly are different here in the land of magical ponies.

Nodding to my question Celestia responds, “Yes, but there is still time for you to save yourself.”

I chuckle at her little joke, “Very funny. If anything, I’ll let you take the ropes and take a nap if things get boring.”

“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Celestia comments as she opens the large double doors to her throne room. Like all the times before, the room never ceased to impress me.

The lone throne on top of its dais as a large red carpet spanned the length of the room. Pillars of marble held the gargantuan roof up, as mosaics depicting the species history lay in between them.

Sadly, unlike before there were no rays of sunlight that shattered upon impact with the colorful windows. Instead, it was replaced by the relaxing sound of rain.

Guards that were stationed all around the room stood at attention as Celestia made her way up to the throne. Lagging behind I continued to look around the room, spotting little intricacies here and there that I missed before. Like how the marble was a cracked at the base. The wear on the carpet from where the multitude of ponies trod on. Or how the roofs mural was starting to weather away.

But no matter how much I looked, and how much blemishes I found. I couldn’t find myself to call it out. It was almost as if the intricacies blended with the atmosphere, giving it a richer feeling. Whether or not that was intentional I’ll say it again. The thought and effort put into building a place like this is just remarkable.

Reaching her throne, she sits down and turns her gaze towards me, “I see you’re taking a liking in the castles a-ar-architecture,” Celestia claims seemingly stuttering with the last word. I sounded like a glitched up audio recording.

Shrugging it off as nothing I reply, “How could I not? The level of detail that someone had to put into building a place like this is unbelievable,”

“Believe it or not, I still have the same feeling every time I enter this room. It keeps my spirits up when the nobles come to court,” She replies as I look over the throne.

“So where do I sit?” I question walking up to the throne, “I doubt you would be willing to scoot over and let me sit on it as well.”

Chuckling she replies, “That would be something, a human and a mare occupying the same throne whilst ruling court.” With an amused smile she carries on, “Anyway, you’ll be seated here, right next to me.”

Pointing to a small cushion beside the throne, she gave me a warm smile. I know she didn’t mean anything by it -seeing as all their seats here in pony world are cushions on the ground- but yet is still felt a bit degrading for me. To any other human, I would have looked like the royal pet sitting on the floor next to her.

Nevertheless, beggars can’t be choosers, so I sat down without a single complaint. Within seconds of me taking my seat, Celestia motioned for the guard to let the first pony in.

What surprised me wasn’t the pony walking in, but the pony that sat down next to me. She had a gray mane and a brown coat. The one item that really stood out was the glasses that sat on her muzzle.

Before I could say anything, the mare spoke up, “I’m Quill Stroke, I’ll be the translator for this session. Celestia had informed me that I would be of great assistance to you.”

Coming out of shock, I nod my head. Celestia sure has thought of everything has she, but I couldn’t help wonder. How does she know my language? She’s not a unicorn, so she must have went around the long way, just like I have to do.

Yet even with that logic, this mare would have to be excellent at picking up languages. Since after all, I only arrived here a week ago. Did they already have the basics of my language down pat? I didn’t know if I should be shocked or worried. I think at a time like this, both are required.

Nevertheless, the pony that was let in looked like to be a local farmer. He seemed to dress up for the occasion, a nice shirt covering his barrel. Ponies must not be able to meet their ruler as often as I had once thought if this is anything to go by.

“What brings you today to court?” Celestia starts off with a nice warm and welcoming smile.

The farm pony twiddles his hooves on the red rug, clearly nervous about something, “I-I would like to request a couple bags of winter wheat seeds. The storm outside won't let anything else grow. Once it passes we won't have anything to get us back on our hooves.”

For somepony that was nervous, he sure did compose himself rather well. The more he started to talk, the more he seemed to gain confidence. Not only that but his request sounded genuine.

“Denied, you may have a hundred bits for compensation and that is all.” As she said those harsh words the guards escorted the stallion out of the throne room.

Looking over to Celestia I gave her a confused look, “Why deny him? He had a valid reason.”

“My ponies are never nervous talking to me. I easily saw through his lie. He was after the winter wheat because those seeds are worth a small fortune here.” She claimed.

“I don’t know, I would be nervous too if I had to speak with the ruler of my country,” I reply.

“Yet you were very brash when we first met. I wonder what happened there?” Celestia smiled, “Either way, what really gave it away was the fact that winter wheat would not survive the storm taking place at the moment. If that was the case, I would have a lot more farmers coming to court.”

My mind started to spin. I guess it’s good that I’m not in charge of the country. Heaven only knows what would happen if I was the leader.

Much like the paperwork, day court lasted well into the afternoon. Which was very beneficial to me seeing as I now dubbed this time of the day as my new designated nap time. In doing so, it will allow me to both stay up to help Celestia and also test late at night with Luna.

People that say they don’t have time for something, just mean that they don’t want to put in the effort to make it work. Because in reality, most things -if not everything- you can schedule around.

Wow, getting a bit cynical there. I stopped myself as Celestia wrapped up day court. The last pony to show their face was a noble requesting more bits to steer the current market towards his favor. Needless to say, he was denied and escorted out as well.

Getting up from her throne, Celestia looked towards me with an expression I was unfamiliar with. Taking my gaze off her, I follow it to the mare that was sleeping up against me.

Right, the translation pony passed out with me. I comment to myself as Celestia’s horn ignites.

Before the poor mare could even awaken she was teleported away, “Where did you send her?” I question getting up from my spot.

“That is none of your concern,” Celestia commented as she walked down the dais. A bit forceful with the response, but I think I’ll let that one slide. After all, I was not the one that had to stay awake during the whole court session.

Looking at her walk away from the empty throne, my mind hatched an idea. Walking over to the throne with her back still towards me, I move to sit down on it. I, however, was stopped by a golden aurora that floated me back to Celestia’s side.

“Ah come on! It’s not every day you can say you sat on a throne,” I commented as she let her grip on me go.

Chuckling, Celestia shook her head, “Only royalty can sit on the throne.”

“Well, I don't see your name on it,” I retort. If she was going to act childish, I would too.

“Actually, my name is on it, as well as my sisters. It was engraved on the back when the castle was made,” She states with her same smile adorning her muzzle.

I, however, roll my eyes. Walking with her passed the double doors we once again start to wander the many halls of the castle, “so what now? You got anything else planned for today?”

Beaming at my question, Celestia shakes her head, “I was thinking that we could go-” was all she was able to say before someone interrupted her.

The language the pony spoke in was once again gibberish, but nevertheless caught the attention of Celestia. Once the mare was finished talking to Celestia they both started to run off towards the lab. Whatever they were talking about must have been something pretty serious if they just up and bolted like that. Of course, I was not the one to sit idly by while others made their way to the front lines.

Letting out a large sigh, I say to nobody in particular, “Here we go again.”

By the time, I had caught up to them they were already inside the lab. Stopping by the door to catch my breath, I look over to where Celestia and the science pony stood. What they were looking at almost caused my jaw to drop.

My phone was levitating two feet off of the table. Science ponies all around were gathered in a circle taking notes. On key factor that I noticed was that none of the ponies got within a three feet radius of the device.

Eyes glued to the scene in front of me, I slowly start to walk up to the edge. It was such a bizarre feeling to see something you used almost every day, floating in front of you.

“Does your device normally do this?” Celestia questions me as she makes her way to my side.

I shake my head, “No, but I’m sure you already assumed at least that much.”

“They say that no pony can get within two feet of the device without getting shocked,”

“Oh is that all-”

“By 0.15 ‘amp’ is what you humans call it?”

I look over to Celestia with a dumbfound expression. “So, you ponies do have electricity?”

“Rudimentary in your eyes, but yes, we do have an understand of the concept,” Celestia lectures, “But what is more important right now is the fact that your device is acting up.”

“I don’t know what you expect me to do? My device has never done anything close to what it's doing right now,” I state truthfully, my eyes slowly wandering back to the phone floating in the air.

I brief moment of silence hung in the are before Celestia broke it. Sadly, it was once again in a language I had yet to grab the basics of. Nevertheless, the guard that the words were directed to quickly saluted as he ran out of the room.

Looking over to a group of science ponies she once again spoke up. This time when she was finished talking the science ponies got back to their desks in a blink of an eye.

Giving her a confused look, Celestia explains to me that she got the guard to collect River Breeze and for the Science ponies to come up with a way to transport the phone to a safer location. In truth, I was actually quite surprised that she was able to regain a level head so quickly. Another perk -no doubt- from many years of being the leader of a country.

“What does that leave left to do?” I question, my gaze still locked onto the floating phone.

“The only thing left to do is wait,” She answered slowly walking around the phone, “You do realize this is a great hoof hold for proving that you are indeed doing this on purpose.”

I looked at her like she just slapped me across the face. I got that she might be a bit suspicious, but to be enough to openly say it to my face was a real punch to the gut.

“Going back on your words?” I ask walking around the device. This way I and Celestia are across the device from each other.

“Think of it the other way around. I come to your world, claim to be innocent, then my device starts to act up.” Celestia comments still looking at the floating phone.

“I see, so you no longer believe that I’m not doing this under my free will?” I question causing Celestia to stop in her tracks. She looks at me with a serious expression.

“That is not what I’m trying to get across. I still trust you, but there are other ponies out there that will take this to strengthen their attack towards you.”

“Like your sister,”

“Like my sister exactly,” Celestia cemented as I caught up to her.

This seems to complicate things a little bit more than she realizes. Celestia doesn’t know that the two of us are actually working on a way to solve this throughout the night as well. If she is correct with her assumptions then I can only assume she will be very hostile towards me tonight when we continue our work. Hopefully, we can put it aside, but something is telling me it’s not going to be that easy.

Having nothing left to keep us in the lab, I and Celestia take our leave. The ponies we left behind, frantically jump from one lab bench to the other attempting to solve the problem of transporting the device.

As we walk down the halls of the castle, Celestia breaks the silence that has grown between us, “I suggest that we retire for the night, River Breeze shall be here tomorrow morning.”

Nodding my head, I question, “So am I going to be sleeping in your chambers again?”

Celestia chuckles, “I think the integration plan has been thrown out of the window. I’ll take you to the guest room.”

“My own room? Wow, that's a first,” I retort with a bit of sarcasm.

“With that kind of attitude, I guess you won’t mind sleeping in the halls?” She states with a sly smile.

Not wanting to push this joke any further I just give it to her straight, “Do whatever you want, but remember I’m not your citizen. While I do have to obey laws, I don’t have to obey you directly.”

Her smirk disappears, “I guess now is not the time for jokes.”

“And you would be right in that assumption. If you don’t want me to die and not risk the lives of anyone longer than is needed, I suggest we utilize our time effectively.” I know I was laying it down hard, but with the mess happening outside, it’s only a matter of time before something truly horrible happens.

Nodding her head in response, we quickly come across the guest room that she was talking about. Saying her farewell's and wishing me a goodnight she goes her separate way.

Entering the room, I come to see what I expected to see in a guest room in a castle. The bed was huge even for a human, the floor was tiled like Celestia’s and the same dresser and desk lay in their respective places.

Every wall was decorated to the nines, pictures of ponies to decorated ornaments dotted the stone chiseled walls. The window that the desk sat behind was open letting the room air out.

Since the room was on the other side of the castle the rain didn’t enter the window but instead blew passed it. Walking over to the window I look out to once again see the city below. It reminded me of my apartment in the city.

I would look down at the sprawling city, cars rushing by, people running through the streets. It was almost like I was there right now. Even the window that I rested my head upon…

My mind started to tick as it started to pull the information together. My head was resting on a glass plane, I was indeed watching cars roam the streets bellow as well as other people. Turning around I come to find myself back in my apartment in the city. It, however, was completely different. My stuff was all gone replaced by someone else's.

Funny how something so normal looked so surreal to me. I was so used to the prospect of living in the castle that I started to forget just how advanced humanity really is.

Nevertheless, that was not the problem, what was the problem is the fact that I’m now in someone else’s apartment. The time skips were defiantly years, and they no doubt kicked me out seeing as I never came back.

Thankfully, nobody was home so leaving was as easy as opening the door and walking into the hallway. At this point, I was safe as far as I could tell, but that didn’t stop my mind from going crazy. Every thought from: how the hell did I teleport without the effects of the spell? to what am I going to do now? Raced through my mind.

Using my memory, I find myself navigating the hallways towards the elevator. A strong feeling of nostalgia wrecked my body. I was just getting over the fact that I might not be able to return to the simple ways of life yet here I am in the blink of an eye.

Yet, this experience of coming back to a place that held so many memories only seemed to push salt into my wounds. The homesickness I felt this morning when I looked out upon Canterlot came back as I looked around the hall.

All the times I and my friends walked this same route. The mundane laughter, crying, and excitement that each one held. I soon found my eyes watering by the time I reached the elevator because I knew that I would be forced back to Equestria.

A little part of me wanted to believe that I would come back here, but my mind knew what was likely to happen. The times between jumps were extending exponentially. First, it was a couple of hours, now days, next months then years.

Could I really go on leaving like this? Always having a constant reminder of the thing that I will eventually have to give up? Or will Celestia pull through and find a way to cement me in one place?

In all honesty, I didn’t know what to think anymore. My jumps seemed -at least to me- random. For all I know I could be stuck back here on earth.

A small ding chimed as the elevator doors opened to reveal the lobby of the building. People all around wandered about talking to one and another. Everything was so normal, it brought both a smile to my face and a pained jab to my heart.

Walking over to the entrance of the building, I took one last look around before I headed out into the busy streets. The rain was coming down here as well, although in a normal way. Positioned under the awning of the apartment complex I looked out onto the streets. The sound of cars rushing past as they spray water behind them. The random tapping of rain against the awnings cloth.

Wait that seemed a bit odd, random… tapping?

“Ken?” Came a voice beside me bringing me out of my stupor.

Looking next to me I come to see someone I really wish I didn’t, Shawn my best friend.

Chapter Eleven - Severed

Shawn’s voice rang out louder than the rain, “Ken?” he asked. A look of pure confusion stretched across his aged face, with a little bit of anger thrown into the mix. Rightly so, I deserved to be the one on the receiving end of this cold expression.

Time once again -like it always did- skipped forwards deeper into the future. I didn’t have to be told that I was gone for years. Right in front of me was living proof of that very fact.

His hair was already starting to gray, his eyes no longer held that fiery spark of determination. The two dull blue orbs sat there fixated on my form, sending an unwanted chill down my spine. In truth, it really hurt me to see him like this. My friend once immature, now nearing the end of his life. Could I even call him the same person anymore? Was he really the Shawn I new?

It was so much to take in that I couldn’t even move, let alone respond to him. I must have come off as rude just standing there as he asked the question again, this time with a bit more force present.

“Is that really you Ken?”

The question hung in the air, like mist caught in the morning sun’s rays. It was as if time itself had stopped flowing, every single sense I had was locked onto this man.

It was at that moment I knew what I had to do. Even if I might be stuck in this world, I couldn’t pull myself to tell him. He was no longer the person who I grew up with.

Turning to face him I replied, “Who’s Ken?”

Memories flashed through my head as I gave him a small smile. Times of old when we were in our bicycle gang, riding down the street to get some Popeye cigarettes at the general store. Times when we got in trouble for skipping class to hit on the chicks.

The smile on Shawn’s face disappeared as he shook his head, “Sorry,” he claimed, his voice dry and raspy, “I’m… I’m really sorry. I thought you were someone I once knew.”

As he turned away I let a small tear escape my eyelids as I whispered, “I thought you were someone I once knew too.”

Every step he took away from me punched me in the gut. Not only for the sake of Shawn but from the realization that not only him changed over the years. My parents -probably long gone- were whisked away from the sands of time. Eddie and Brian, no doubt have a home and family of their own.

I was the man that stayed still, the one that was left behind. Yet, no matter how much I tried I couldn’t stop my emotions from surfacing. Tears started to flow from my face, little sobs broke out of the prison my lips created. I didn’t even get to say goodbye, just a silly little outing with my friends on a boat and now I’ll never have the chance to go back.

The strings holding me back here were severed. The knife that cut the links masqueraded as something so beautiful. The pain that came with it was more than anything I could ever imagine.

Yet, strangely enough, I didn’t want to leave this place. I wanted to stay here where I belonged, where I grew up, and most importantly where I fit in. Even now, I could start clean and make my way up again, but I knew that was not to be. Whether it be today, tomorrow or next month I was bound to go back to Equestria. To the place where I was shunned upon by the ponies for a problem that I unintentionally created.

The rain continues to fall at its own pace. The color of this world started to wash away. My friends were the only ones keeping me here, but I owed them enough to keep myself away. Bringing my problems to them would only set them back in their new lives.

Another crack of lightning arced across the sky catching my attention. Looking up I come to see something that made my heart stop. The night sky was cracked in half by a large rift.

Without even knowing it my body found itself running up to the nearest person, “do you see that thing up there! Why isn’t everyone panicking!” I yelled.

“Where the hell have you been these past three years? Under a rock?” The man retorted as he pushed passed me and down the city street mumbling something under his breath.

“Three years?” I asked myself.

Had the general public already gotten used to it? Was the media portraying this huge ‘rift’ like thing as something harmless? So many questions spun around my head. Figuring out what was happening with the sky was now my number one priority.

Asking people would take to long if I had to keep explaining myself. So instead I turned around on the sidewalk and made my way over to the nearest news stand. Rushing under the awning to escape the rain, I pick up the first magazine with the ‘rift’ on the front page.

“5 cool facts about the Tear,” Read the title.

So, they were calling the ‘rift’ the ‘tear’. I wonder if they know more about this phenomena then I do? If so, then it would be my top priority to figure out what they do know. Any information could help out Equestria as well, even though they don’t have this huge tear. Maybe they were connected somehow?

As I flipped through the pages of the magazine my mind stumbled upon the most important question. Was this happening because of my teleports? Was all this happening because of me? As much as it made sense, I didn’t want to believe it. How could I -someone so normal- be the cause of something so surreal.

The thought itself was nauseating, but nevertheless, I continued to swift though the magazine. Sadly, as I rushed through the articles there was nothing that I already knew. Which was both a good and a bad thing.

Good because the article stated that it first started to appear on the day I left. Which could only mean that I was indeed the cause of the rift? Bad because it was now my responsibility to try and stop it.

Which lead me to another crossroad. Do I go to the government and try and convince them that I’m the one that's causing this? Or do I try and solve it myself?

The obvious answers would be to alert the government, seeing that they could probably do more extensive tests. But something was telling me that was not the way to go. Usually, if you want to get to the end of something you have to first go back to the beginning. Which meant that I would have to visit Oaklyn lake once again.

“You either buy it or get out,” The store clerk commented, rousing me from my thoughts.

Shaking my head, I placed the magazine back on the rack and make my way back onto the sidewalk. Many obstacles still laid ahead of me. How was I going to get to Oaklyn lake? What do I do when I get there?

Taking another step forwards, I come to see that those questions would have to wait. My trip here to earth was at an end as I looked at my transparent leg. I wanted to fight it, to stay here and fix the 'tear' problem. But there was nothing I could do, this was something out of my control.

Continuing to walk down the sidewalk I slowly faded out of existence before fading back into my new room. Just like all the times prior, while multiple hours passed on earth, not so much as a second passed here.

Opening up the door to my room I step out into the hallway. Looking both ways up and down the corridor, I make my way back to the castle labs.

Since it was still late in the evening most of the science ponies were still working at their desks. My phone was also in the same place floating harmlessly where it did last time. It almost felt like I wasn’t in control of my life anymore, as if this entire experience was just one long vivid dream.

“And here I thought that you were all out of surprises,” Came a familiar feminine voice from behind.

Turning around I come to see River Breeze smiling up at me. She looked pretty worn out, no doubt from the journey she had to make to get here.

“I tend to surprise myself from time to time as well,” I state truthfully as I turn my attention back towards the phone.

River Breeze walks up next to me and looks towards the phone, “That's what I like about you, surprises keep you on your toes. They make sure you don’t go soft in the noggin.”

I let a small chuckle escape my lips, “So did you figure out anything since last time we met? Seems like things just keep getting worse to me.”

“Quite a lot actually, seems that the weather is not getting its power from you, but from a secondary source. And before you say the obvious, I’ll have you know I already looked into the matter. Your device here has nothing to do with it. I’ve already done some tests when I first arrived, it seems that the device is reacting to the magical energy not generating it.” River Breeze lectured.

I rubbed my temples with my hands, this was starting to get way out of my league. Yet, maybe River Breeze knows where to start looking for the solution.

“So, if it isn’t my phone then what is it?” I ask.

River Breeze just shrugs, “I have no idea, but I do know how we can figure out.”

“I’m all ears,” I reply.

“Since your ‘phone’ as you just called it is reacting to the change in magical energy. We may be able to use it to get a better understanding on what is causing all of this. For all we know, you may not even be involved at all.” River Breeze relayed.

Looking over to her I shake my head, “I know I’m the cause.”

“How can you say that with such certainty?”

“Because it’s happening in my world too. Theirs this massive ‘rift’ like thing splitting the sky in half. After seeing it I read up on it, apparently, it started to appear the day I first teleported.”

River Breeze was speechless at my response. She looked like she was battling her thoughts when I continued. “I have a strong feeling that we have to start looking not here but on earth. I think the answers to this problem lies in Oaklyn lake.”

This seemed to snap River Breeze out of her stupor, “How do you think you’re going to manage that? These teleports of yours are random.”

“That's what I used to think, but not moments ago I managed to seamlessly teleport just by remembering a memory of mine.” River Breeze looked at me like I was completely crazy.

“A coincidence that's all, I hardly think memories alone would trigger you to teleport.” With that, she leads me out of the lab and into the castles hallway.

We continued to chat back and forth between ourselves as we made our way further into the castle. “So you plan to go back to Oaklyn lake where this all started?”

“Yes, as soon as Celestia awakens in a couple hours I’ll inform her of my intentions. Even if I can’t teleport back willingly, maybe she can find a way around it. If you really think using my phone is the right way to find the solution go ahead, but I’m going to go with my gut.” I started turning the next corner.

River nods to my statement as we continue down the hallway till we reached the main dining area. Since it was already starting to get late into the night not many patrons lingered about. The room held an empty tables and chairs.

“Nothing like a late-night snack to get the juices flowing,” River commented as she wandered up to one of the ponies running this place. To be honest I didn’t even know the castles diner ran around the clock.

It was then that a question popped into my head, “Are you going to be staying up as well to study?”

“Isn’t that the only way to study?” River questioned with a smirk upon her face. Turning back ahead she made her order to the worker. Once she was done, I myself ordered a small sandwich. Well… I didn’t really order it myself per-say, River did, what with this language barrier still up and all.

Since both of our meals could be eaten on the go, we planned to leave right when they arrived. But, until then we sat at one of the many vacant chairs.

“So, I take it that you also study your phenomena at night as well,” River stated more than asked.

I nod, “I and Luna just started to. This way I can not only help Celestia with her day but put my knowledge to use as well. To be honest, I don’t think those science ponies really know what they’re doing.”

River Breeze lets out a little chuckle, “I know how you feel, those science ponies seem to look at everything ‘but’ the problem at hoof. Nevertheless, sometimes on the off chance that they look at the right thing. They can be very useful, not to mention they’re an excellent safety net.”

“I guess, either way, they don’t really like me that much. I can only really trust one of them with my findings,” I state as the waiter comes by and hoofs us our meal. River gives him the required bits and we both start to head back to the lab. “And even then, she’s only using me as a tool to further her studies. At least you’re not out to use me,” I comment with a little chuckle.

“What can I say I’m a humble mare,” River claims in a joking tone.

The rest of the walk to the lab was uneventful, as all we did was exchange some small talk and ate our respective meals. When we finally came up to the lab and opened the doors we came to see Luna was already there circling my phone suspended in the air.

The moment the doors opened, her ears swiveled towards the source. “You’re late Ken,” Luna commented as she continued to look at my phone float.

“Just getting a snack with River here. Can’t work on an empty stomach now can I.” If Luna heard me, she made no attempt to reply as she charged up her horn and cast an unknown spell at the phone. Just like spells did to me, the spell liquefied before it even reached its destination.

Seeing her failed attempt, she let out an annoyed huff. “This device of yours seems like a dead end. No matter what I do, it always resists.”

“Looks like I’m not the only one thinking my phone is a red herring,” I comment with a smug smile as I nudge River.

Rolling her eyes in response, she walks up to the phone and circles it. “Like I told you before, while it may not be the cause. We can still use it to figure out what is.”

“But what happens if what is causing it, isn’t even on this planet? You’re just wasting your time with it,” I sate walking up next to Luna as all three of us just stare at the device.

“I think I have an idea,” River claims.

“And that would be?” I question turning my attention to her.

Shuffling on her hooves River speaks her mind, “I want you to get closer to the device. If possible, I want you to come into contact with it.”

“Are you crazy! Celestia told me that anyone who goes near that thing will be killed!”

“That’s my sister for you, always trying to protect others. What exactly did she say to you?” Luna out of all ponies spoke out.

“She told me that anyone that got within a three feet radius would be killed by the resulting shock.”

“Did it ever occur to you that she may be withholding some information in order to save you from getting hurt?” Luna continued on from my statement.

The library flashed through my memory as well as the infirmary. Was she really lying to me? Shaking my head, I look back at the phone. “So, you’re sure that I won't be incinerated the moment I come into contact with that thing?”

“Well I can’t say I’m one-hundred percent certain, but it's pretty close.” River commented.

“How close,” I ask.

“Fifty-eight percent.”

“You’re calling that ‘pretty’ close?!” I yell back.

River Breeze nods, “It’s above fifty percent is it not? You have a more likely chance of surviving this encounter than not.”

“Gee, that sure makes me feel a lot safer now. Thanks,” I retort as I look back towards the phone. “So, what exactly do you gain from seeing me touch the device.”

“A good laugh,” Luna commented, but quickly shut it when both I and River gave her the stink eye.

Looking back at River, I motioned her to ‘actually’ answer my question. “If what I’m thinking is true then you should be able to absorb the power the ‘phone’ is emitting. If you can, then maybe what you said is possible. Maybe you can truly travel between worlds at will, rather than have it been set off randomly.”

Even I had to admit this was pretty cool, maybe by touching this phone, I would be the next Dr. Manhattan. I always dreamt of having a superpower. Who knew, that I would have to risk my life in order to have a 50-50 shot at it.

Letting out a large breath I gave in, “Fine, but if I die I’m blaming Luna.”

“Why me?!” She exclaimed.

“Because I don’t like you,” and with that said I walked forward towards my phone and reached out. When my hand came into contact with the phone a little spark came out of the phone and into my hand. At first, it didn’t feel like anything and then in an instant, it all changed.

My hand became numb and when I looked towards it, it was starting to be engulfed in blue electricity. Milliseconds later my body felt like it was on fire. I tried to yank my hand away but my body wouldn’t respond.

Before I could scream out for help, my phone shot another bolt of electricity through my arm tossing me across the lab and into one of the marble walls, effectively knocking me out.

Author's Note

Had a real trouble pumping this chapter out. Writers block really hit me, typing 100 words a day instead of 2000. As a result this chapter might be really choppy. Either way I think I got through the worst of it. I hope to keep this up and get back on the wagon.

Chapter Twelve - Results and Coffee

For some people, it may have seemed like the end for me. Touching an object laced with high voltage electricity with just the amount of amperage to kill a human. Of course, these were all rumors told to me by the sun goddess of this planet in order to keep me out of harm's reach.

Sadly, the young -at least in her perspective- tend to not always do as they are told. In fact, it is that soul reason of being forbidden that spark the curiosity to venture and discover if what was told was true.

Of course, in my experience, I should've followed the sun goddess’s words of wisdom. For now, I hear the familiar sound of a heart monitor beeping, shuffling blankets, and people -or in this case ponies- coughing. A tell tail sign that River Breeze's experiment didn’t go according to plan.

“You can open your eyes now, I know you’re awake,” Came the motherly tone of Celestia. I could already tell from the way she worded that statement that I was about to get a good talking to.

Before opening my eyes, I let a small smile escape my lips, “Ah, you caught-” A sharp pain erupted in my back as I attempted to sit up in my position. The action was thwarted as soon as I thought of it and I landed back down on the hospital bed.

“Sneaking off in the middle of the night to continue your research. A noble yet idiotic idea, you think I would not find out sooner or later?” Celestia commented as I just laid there looking at the white marble ceiling.

Turning my head towards hers, our eyes met. Her soft gentle irises fixated on me, laced with worry. The magenta orbs that floated in the white plane was like a gateway to her soul.

“Idiotic? We made some great progress me, Luna and River,” I started with my raspy voice.

Celestia rolled her eyes, “If you’re referring to your attempts to bring down the lab wall. Then yes, you did make great progress.” Letting out a large sigh she continued, “Either way, Luna has told me everything. This was not the first time you came at night to help her in finding a solution to our weather problem.”

The jig was up, and it was Luna of all ponies that tattled on me. I will remember this, and save it for a rainy day. With nothing left to hide I come clean, “It was the only way I could both help in discovering the solution and assist you in your daily chores.”

For a moment, I saw the faintest tremor in her eyes, accompanied by a small genuine smile. This, however, was lost moments later with a scolding look, “I have my position for a reason, Ken. I can do my job fairly well without help from others. The sleep you have lost in doing so is not healthy.”

“I wasn’t doing this for you,” I commented causing Celestia to give me a confused look, “I was doing this for myself. I just wanted to see that beautiful smile of yours.”

And with that being said her muzzle adorned a nice shade of scarlet as she covered it up with her hoof. I was almost sure I saw a small tear come to her eye, but before I could look again she was gone with a loud pop.

This left me alone in the room once again with one of the nurses. Hearing the sudden pop, she quickly turned around and looked in my direction.

“What? Don’t look at me, I just complimented the mare.” The nurse scrunched up her expression in confusion. Clearly, she was trying to make out what I had just said to her.

Leaving her to deceivers ‘Kenneth's Code’ I turned back around and attempted to get some more shut eye. Hell, if I was here might as well make the best of it.

In her chambers, the wind picked up as a light that shone brighter than the sun made itself known. The final pop made itself known to Luna’s ears causing her to fall off her bed.

“How infuriating! I try to warn him, sister, I truly did! And what does he do? He goes ahead and does what I warned him not to do!” Taking a breath Celestia continues, “I go to scold him, and I come out completely… completely…” Celestia trailed off as she paced around the room.

“Flustered?” Luna added in as she groggily got off the floor.

“Yes! Wait no! I’m not flustered!” Celestia stomped her hoof hard on the wooden flooring.

Luna let out a chuckle as she made her way towards her sister, “I’m sorry to tell you this sister, but you’re clearly flustered. Not only that but you’re quite red in the face.” A small smirk crept onto her own, “I have not seen you in this state for quite some time. I wonder if it was Kenneth that caused this?”

Walking towards on of the mirrors, Celestia gasped causing her face to glow an even darker red than before. It was all Luna needed to know to cement her theories, “You’re wondering if Kenneth saw this embarrassment?”

“Nay sister, that was not on our minds at all!” Celestia retorted as she took a minute to calm herself down. Sadly, Luna had other plans for the poor mare. It had been so long since she had the upper hoof, she was going to enjoy this time she has now.

“Would thou like to join us for a walk?”

It’s always the perfect time and place where you find yourself unable to sleep. I laid on this bed for two hours, eyes wide open with not even a single yawn coming from my lips. I guess all the excitement that lead up to now finally caught up to me.

“Oh, look you’re still alive!” Chimed River as she walked into view.

Shifting my position on the bed to get more comfortable I reply, “Yeah, that forty-two percent got nothing on me. So, you here to just check up on me? Or did that experiment of yours actually yield results?”

River smiles sheepishly, “A bit of both actually.”

“I feel so honored, so what did you find out?” I ask cutting right to the chase.

“Okay, you want the good news first or the bad?” River asked walking up next to the hospital bed.

“Save the best for last, I always like to say.”

“Alright, so that experiment that you did, caused the magical energy inside you to be ripped out and absorbed by your ‘phone’. This proves my theory that's it’s not causing the weather, but fuelling what is. Like one giant magical drain.”

“I fail to see how that is bad news?” I question River with a confused expression.

“Did you not just hear what I said? The ‘phone’ as you call it has just ripped out your magical essence. You’ll no longer be able to teleport back and forth between worlds.” River restated.

It was a weird feeling being told that I couldn’t go back. When she relayed me the information I just felt empty inside. I didn’t know how to react, the last string between me and my home planet finally got cut.

“So, if that's the bad news what's the good news?” I questioned River to whom smiled back at me.

“It’s a lovely day outside, I think I might take a little stroll.” Was all she said in return.

A ‘little’ stroll! Was she nuts! “Are you crazy River, the storm outside will…” The words of her last statement echoed throughout my mind. ‘It’s a lovely day outside’ “will…”

River nodded her head, “Yes, that is correct. Since you have been severed from your home planet the rift closed naturally. You were like a door stopper on an intergalactic scale! Too bad you never seem to find them when you need them the most.”

“It’s all over?” I asked, unable to believe this news myself.

“No,” River continued, “While the weather did seem to calm down, it’s still uncontrollable. The ‘lab foals’ are still hard at work trying to solve the problem.”

Rubbing my temples I let out a large sigh, “Well, at least working towards a solution will be less stress driven.”

“Indeed, but I’m still going to go on like nothing happened. This sudden change could be misleading. Maybe this is just another, deeper, stage of what is happening.” River stated as she walked back towards the door.

“Very perceptive, I’m happy you’re on our side.” I stated in a demonic tone that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Before I could say anything to River she answered, “Yeah you’re lucky to have me.” And just like that, she left. It was as if she never even heard the change in my voice. Even the nurse in the room didn’t react.

Now I know she doesn’t even know English, but I’m pretty sure you would pick something as strange as that up. Strange thing is, I myself am starting to have second thoughts about if it actually happened in the first place. Unable to come to a logical conclusion, I let the topic go for another time.

With the nurse now leaving the room to check on other ponies, I was left alone in the room with my thoughts. Which is never a good thing, seeing as I almost went insane last time in the padded room.

As a laid there sideways looking at the clean counter and walls decorated with medical posters my mind wandered towards what River said. I was severed from my old world for good. The magical energy inside me had left during that experiment. An event that I still am unable to react to, and how could one?

I guess the ‘normal’ reaction would be to cry, or to lose it, but was that really ‘normal’? My mind this early on from receiving the information was still confused if it was the truth, or if I heard it right.

“Kenneth,” Came that same smooth voice.

Shoving my thoughts into the corner for later. I take my gaze off the wall and towards Celestia. One of which was standing under the door frame.

“Looks like I’m popular, ponies keep coming in.” I comment with a small chuckle, “So, you finished with… well, whatever it was that you teleported off to?” I asked.

Nodding she entered the room, “I was wondering if you would like to take a walk with me through the city?”

“Um that would be all nice and dandy, but my back-” was all I was able to say before her horn fired up. Seconds later a warm feeling moved its way up my spine pushing and pulling at different kinds of muscles. It was a weird feeling, but one that left me feeling amazing afterward.

Once the feeling faded, and the glow from Celestia’s horn vanished. Looking her straight in the eyes I said, “and you couldn’t have done that sooner?!”

“I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure that the spell would even affect you. Seeing that you are resistant to magic.” She commented as I took a couple of test steps. When no pain came to me I proceeded to lean from one side to the other. Once again there was no pain that shot through my back.

“What made you attempt it anyways?” I asked walking towards her.

With a sheepish smile, she answered, “Today is the first day I can actually see my sun rather than those pesky storm clouds. To go around alone would be rather dull. The guards don’t really make good conversations.”

Either she was a good liar or this thought was genuine. Nevertheless I responded with, “You know if you have any ulterior motives you should just say them.”

“Are you saying you do not wish to join me?” Celestia questioned with a small smirk. “I guess if you like the hospital's food that much I can always reverse my spell.”

As her horn started to glow its beautiful golden glow I quickly corrected myself. “N-Now, I never said that I didn’t want to come. I was just curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, Ken,” Celestia stated with a little chuckle. Her horn and my body ceased to glow and my worries on how she was going to ‘reverse’ the spell vanished.

“But the satisfaction brought it back,” I mumbled to myself as we both left the hospital.

It wasn’t long after that when we exited the castle altogether. The nice summer breeze wafted by my face as the bright sun bathed the land in its glow.

“It’s about damned time that the rain stopped,” I commented out loud as I stretched my arms. With a small pop and a satisfied smile on my face, I continued to walk forwards.

Following my lead, Celestia caught up, “My point exactly, it would be a shame to let this day go to waste.”

“So where are we going?” I questioned as we walked down the cobblestone path and passed the large castle walls.

What I was not ready for was the sight that lay beyond the walls. Canterlot, the jewel of Equestria in all its glory. Buildings of stone and marble rose high in the sky as the roads filled with ponies cut through them.

From building to building banners were strung as large oak trees created a canopy over the street. The whole place had a natural feeling to it, almost as if the city was destined to be placed here. Even the small shops that littered the side of the streets accented the atmosphere nicely.

The views I got from the castle's windows definitely did not do it justice. Never in all my life did I think a city could be this beautiful.

Celestia watched on with an amused smile on her muzzle as I continued to walk down the street. My eyes darted from store to store, tree to tree as I took in the city.

Before I could say anything Celestia spoke out, “Beautiful isn’t it?” She questioned.

“More so than any city I’ve seen on Earth,” I commented as I broke my trance and looked over to Celestia. “So, like I asked before I got side-tracked, where are we going?”

“One of my favorite coffee shops,” She stated with a little too much excitement, “Then after I’ll show you around the city.”

“Huh, even the almighty goddess of the sun needs coffee in the mornings,” I joke.

Celestia lets a little chuckle escape her lips, “Do not underestimate the power of caffeine. If I don’t get my morning cup, I’m quite the different mare.”

“I can only imagine what you would be like without it,” I commented as we continued down the street. Ponies everywhere were cleaning up branches and leaves that the storm tore off the trees. Even a couple of banners were ripped out.

Every now and then one or two would stop what they were doing and looked over at me. Genuine curiosity masked their faces, while others seemed to be rather angry.

“I guess the news got leaked that I was the cause of the storms,” I stated as I looked back over to Celestia.

Nodding her head, she replies, “No matter how hard you try and hide something, it's always revealed at one point or another. I’m sure that in a couple of weeks everything will be back to normal.”

“Whatever the ‘normal’ is in ponyland.” I joked.

Looking over to me Celestia’s right eye twitched, “It’s called Equus not ‘ponyland’,” Celestia corrected.

“Whatever you say, princess,” I stated causing Celestia to scrunch up her muzzle, “Heh, you look adorable when you're annoyed,” I added on with a little chuckle.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back forwards, “Anyway, the shop is right on this corner.”

Just like she said as we arrived at a four-way intersection, the shop on our corner was a coffee shop. It was a pretty average looking shop, hell even the name was pretty average. I mean, you don’t catch a lot of eyes with the name, ‘Coffee Bean’.

As I expected, when we entered the establishment not many ponies were here. In fact, I and Celestia were the only ones here.

Despite that fact she continued towards the counter and spoke to the mare manning the register. When she was finished talking the mare in the back bowed and went to prepare what she ordered.

“So what makes this place better than any other?” I questioned looking around the normal coffee shop. The smell of coffee beans was strong, just being in the building I was starting to wake up.

Walking to one of the window seats in the coffee shop Celestia sat down, “It's better, simply because it's quiet. A coffee should be enjoyed while one relaxes, rather than one being pestered all the time from fellow ponies.”

“I guess it would be rather annoying to have to deal with ponies always coming up to you to chat,” I replied taking the seat across from her.

As I sat down, the mare that Celestia was talking to walked up to the counter and set down two filled coffee cups and two plates with croissants on them. After she had the items down on the table she bowed, said something then took her leave.

“I hope their coffee is good,” I comment taking the cup and plate she set down. Placing the plate in front of me I took a small sip from the coffee cup.

Instantly the bitter taste of the coffee hit my tongue. I never really liked to drink coffee straight, but I felt like after what I’ve been through I needed it.

Celestia on the other hand -or hoof as it was- took a couple of four sugar packets and dumped them in her coffee. After which she delicately picked up the mug and proceeded to down it in one fatal swig.

“I thought you said in order to drink coffee you had to be relaxed,” I commented with a little chuckle. It completely came as a surprise that a princess that is usually so elegant would down a cup of coffee that fast.

“The second cup I will enjoy, the first was to keep me from going crazy,” She stated as the mare came back with another cup and replaced the empty one.

Placing my mug down, I pick up the croissant. “So are these just plain croissant?” I asked flipping it around in my hand.

“Take a bite and find out,” Celestia commented as she once again dumped four packets of sugar into her mug. This time, however, she picked up the mug with both hooves and took a small sip of it. After which she smiled contently as she looked out the window of the coffee shop at ponies cleaning the streets.

Following her statement, I took a large bite out of the pastry to find out that it was indeed filled with something sweet. After playing around with the taste a bit I finally gave up and asked Celestia what it was.

“It’s a cross between strawberry and blueberry. I myself thought it was strange the first time I ordered it, but was pleasantly surprised by the results.”

“Yeah, it’s actually pretty good,” I replied as I slowly ate the rest of the croissant.

Celestia followed, eating her pastry and drinking her second cup with a lot more grace than previously. Before long both our plates and mugs were empty. Our conversation had seemed to dwindle to nothingness as we simply sat there and enjoyed the street side view our seating gave us.

“What's the first place we’re going to?” I questioned bringing Celestia out of her stupor.

“I’ll take you to the outskirts first. If there’s one place you have to see while in Canterlot it's that” Celestia commented as she placed the required bits onto the table.

Getting from my spot as well I ask, “And why is that? Is there something amazing on the outskirts of Canterlot?”

Celestia smiles at me, “Why don’t we go and find out ourselves,” with that said she grabs my hand with her magic and pulls me through the streets. It seemed like the caffeine has started to do its work on the princess.

Road after road we passed till we came to the end of an alleyway. From the looks of it, I could see that beyond the alleyway was some sort of open area. I, however, was unable to get a good look as Celestia stopped in her tracks and turned towards me.

“Alright now close your eyes,” She stated with a wide smile.

I gave her a confused look but nevertheless followed her orders. When my eyelids closed I felt her take my hand again as she led me forwards. Before I could ask any questions, my hand was dropped onto some sort of railing.

“Can I open them now?” I questioned feeling a bit uncomfortable having my eyes closed this long. Not to mention being in a completely different area now.

I could hear a small chuckle come from Celestia’s lips before she replied, “Yes, you may now open them, Ken.”

Cracking my eyelids open, my breath was taken away from me. I was standing up against a railing that lined the small cliff I was on. Beyond the cliff was a perfect view of a large valley nestled nicely in the mountain range.

A large river snaked in between the mountains till it settled at a nice large lake at the base of the mountain. I could see the houses that bordered the waters as well as some small fishing boats bobbing in the water.

The mountainside was just as beautiful. Canterlot was apparently not only limited to the large plateau that the main castle rested on. Even from here I could see multiple buildings and streets built on the mountain side. Even the main road that I and Celestia walked on to get to saddle lake was there. However, this time it was packed full of ponies both making the journey up and down the mountain side.

I must have been gone off in my own little world for a quite some time as Celestia stepped in, “And you thought the city was beautiful.”

I felt like I should reply, but the view in front of me was so mesmerizing that even Celestia’s words couldn’t break me from it. It was just what I needed, a little bit of time to relax and enjoy the world I’m in. Here I was so worried that I would never get home when all along a fresh new slate was here in front of me.

Breaking my gaze from the scenery, I looked over to Celestia who was resting her head on her two hooves looking out onto the valley below. A small smile resting on her lips as her ethereal mane blew in the summer breeze. She is the sun, she’s my friend and she at this very moment, she was perfect.

Author's Note

Think the moon gets no love? Well here's a little sneak peek at what the next book I write will look like.

Chapter Thirteen - Short Fuse

The days after the weather settled down seemed to fly on by. Without the constant storm raging on, I could finally take things at my own pace. Not only had my work been lightened, but Celestia’s as well. With all the ponies out and about fixing up the mess, it left her with a surprisingly large amount of free time.

With the both of us having flexible schedules we soon found ourselves following a little routine of sorts. I would wake up, head on over the Coffee Bean with Celestia and lastly come back to help the lab boys wherever they needed it.

In fact, I even started to get paid for my work with the lab boys. An event to which no matter how much I protested, Celestia persisted. Claiming that having me work for free was unethical or whatever. Either way, life as chaotic as it once was, now seemed to settle down nicely.

“You think your phone will ever stop floating,” Snowy Mist, or Misty as I come to call her now commented.

I shrugged as I moved back to my high-tech device I was creating, “We’ll find out sooner or later if my device works as it's intended to.”

Misty rolls her eyes as she takes another sip from her trusty ‘sciences best friend’ mug, “The only thing you and that stick of yours are going to accomplish is another hole in the wall.”

“It’s not a stick! It’s a magical energy dispersal unit,” I retorted back at her.

“Oh for crying out loud, It’s a stick with crystals taped to it. If this device has as much magical power to throw you across the lab, then it’ll blow up that stick in your stupid hands,” Misty exclaimed as she walked over to her own lab bench.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going. Weren’t you the pony that claimed that she would work with me?” I question taping the last crystal into place.

“If you’re going to do this then I’m going to a place where it’s safe,” as she said this she erected two magical shields, placed a pair of goggles on her head and hid behind the lab bench. “Don't worry I have full confidence that your ‘test’ will go on without a hitch.”

I let out a large sigh, “says the mare hiding in her little fort.”

Without any further input from Misty, I picked up my magical dispersal unit and aimed it at the floating phone. Slowly and carefully I inched the rod closer and closer to the phone. I could tell the tension in the room was rising as all the other lab ponies stopped what they were doing and watched on behind their own magical barriers.

“Alright, just a little bit more,” I commented to myself.

Summoning up all the courage I had left within my system, I touched the rod to the phone. Instantly the tip of the rod sparked as the crystals attempted to siphon all the magical energy that was being released.

A couple seconds passed and still nothing happened, no shocks, no disintegrations, and thankfully no explosions.

“HA! I did it! See!” I claimed to everybody as I pushed the stick a bit further to move the phone. As expected the phone floated to where I pushed it. “Kenneth:1 Phone:1!” I commented out loud as I moved to retract the stick from the phone. Sadly, the rod stayed in place almost as if it were glued to the phone.

Giving it a quick yank only served to move the phone closer to me, “Hm, alright, I seemed to have run into a slight problem-” Was all I was able to say before the crystals on the rod began to glow bright blue. Before I could react the crystals shattered and a large magical wave flung me across the room.

Thankfully, the blast wasn’t as strong as the one when I touched it. This one only flung me over two lab benches. Landing me right next to Misty.

“Kenneth:1 Phone:2,” came Misty’s chuckling voice.

I gave her a deadpan glare, “Oh shut it, at least I was able to move it. What have you been able to do?”

“Not get flung across the room like an idiot,” Misty commented as she helped me up onto my feet. The other science ponies all started to record something into their notes causing me to look at Misty in confusion.

Rolling her eyes she explained, “You just proved that the device outputs magic with an alternating current. While interesting, doesn't really tell us much of where it’s getting this energy from. Or more importantly what it’s powering.”

“Well, you continue to work on this thing. I’m going to call it off early,” I commented rubbing my back. I’m surprised I haven't thrown it out yet with the amount of abuse I’ve been putting it through.

Misty nods as she brings out her notepad, “Yeah, you do that. Just let me get a swab sample and a scan. This way I can see if this phone of yours did anything more then fling you across the room.”

Nodding in agreement I grabbed a nearby stool and sat next to Misty’s bench. With a quick flash, the scans were done, and a couple seconds more of Misty swabbing me down I was free. At least free until I hit the main corridor in the castle.

As much as I become accustomed to the pony language, it was still out of my reach to decipher. That being said I could tell when somepony was calling out to me. Turning my head around I looked towards the direction that somepony was calling to me from. Turning around I came to see Celestia walking at a brisk pace to catch up to me.

“English, not Equinish,” I reminded her as she caught up.

“Right, sorry,” Celestia corrected herself, “So, you done for today?” Celestia questioned as she walked with me down the corridor. “You were only in the lab for three hours?”

“Yeah, well I did all I could for them today. I have a feeling this test will give us way better results than the last one.” I relayed looking at each guard we passed by. Their golden armor always seemed to catch my eye.

Letting out a little chuckle, she reminded me, “The last test you did put you in the hospital. Seeing as you’re not there now means that it's already more successful. Either way, are you free for the rest of the evening?” Celestia asked quickly changing the subject.

“Should be, why?”

“Well, there’s a party of sorts going on later today. I was wondering if you’d care to join me?” she asked looking everywhere but towards me.

“Is this a date?” I asked in a mock shocked tone.

This, of course, caused Celestia’s face to adorn a nice shade of red. With the amount of time, we had been spending together recently. I had come to the realization that Celestia was a bit sensitive around the subject of romance. Ever since that day I’ve been toying with her.

“I’m just joking, of course, I’ll come. So what’s this party for? Who’s going to be there?” I asked changing the subject.

After recomposing herself she answered my questions, “To be honest I have no idea. Canterlot Castle hosts a multitude of parties every week. It’s simply impossible to keep on top of them all. However, it must be worth it seeing as my prized student will be there with her friends. This would be an excellent time to meet them all.”

“Ah, that Twilight mare, maybe she can teach me more of your language,” I comment with a small chuckle. “She’ll probably end up following me the entire time trying to get more information on humans out of me.”

Celestia joined in with a little chuckle of her own, “That would be ‘interesting’ to watch. Either way, the party is at twenty-one-hundred sharp and will go throughout the night. Of course, no one is expected to stay later than three in the morning. Oh, and my sister Luna will also be there.”

“Great, nothing like a little bit of rivalry to get the party going,” I retorted as I stopped where the two of us would go our separate ways. “Well if that’s all I guess I’ll see you at the party in a couple of hours.”

“It’s not going to be that bad. Plus I think my sister is starting to warm up to you,” Celestia commented as she moved in closer to me.

With small one hoof hug, we both said our farewells and went our respective ways. The walk to my room was rather uneventful. Lone pictures upon the walls and the periodic guard were the only things that kept me company.

When I finally reached my room I immediately headed straight for the bed. With a small leap, I flopped down onto the plush mattress. An action I quickly regretted as a sharp pain shot through my back. It looked like I would have to be more careful in my current situation.

As the pain slowly subsided, I rolled onto my back and looked towards the ceiling. Its bland white marble color did nothing to entertain me. At least in my old apartment, I could attempt to count the tiles on the roof. Letting out a large sigh I moved my head into a different position so I could see the clock in the room.

“18:30” I read out loud.

The party was in two and a half hours, and sadly with my new ‘healthier’ sleep schedule, I didn’t feel tired at all. Which leads me to the question: ‘what was I going to do now?’ Thankfully, someone else answered that question as I got a knock on my door.

“Come in, it’s open,” I called out while sitting up.

Without a second to lose the doors opened up and River stepped in, “Good evening Mr. Kenneth. I heard that you had a very ‘eventful’ day in the labs.” She commented as she closed the doors behind her and wandered to the foot of the bed.

“I guess you could say that,” I snorted, “so what brings you here? I’m not much help to you now that I got my magical essence ripped out of me.”

“Oh, but on the contrary, you were the only one to experience the teleportation and the full force of the magical aurora the phone hit you with. In time I may need you again to help decipher more of this mystery.” River lectured.

I gave her a little smile, “I’m happy to see you still find me useful. So, if that wasn't the reason for you being here what is?” I asked only to replay that sentence in my head, “Pardon me if that came off a bit rude, I’m just very curious. Every time I see you I get some sort of large reveal.”

“No big reveal today, sorry to disappoint. I just came to give you this little ring. Since you have absorbed magic before, I think it's safe to say that you can still do so. This ring will stop that from happening so you’ll get no more surprises.”

“Wait if I can still absorb magic then I'm not really severed from earth then right?” I question, a little bit of hope laced in my voice.

River shook her head, “I’m sorry but when I said you can’t teleport back I mean it. The only reason you were able to do so was that you were siphoning enormous amounts of energy. As of now, you're empty, if you were to try and siphon more your body would expel it faster then you can gain it. In short, without this ring, you will be casting basic level skill every couple of days.”

“I see, well at least the ring looks cool,” I commented as she levitated the silver ring in front of me. The entire face of the ring had strange blue runes etched into it.

“Well, it’s the least I can do seeing as you’ll be wearing it for the rest of your life. Might as well make it look stylish.” She retorted releasing her magic on it.

Taking the ring in my fingers I twirled it around, “One ring to rule them all.”

“What was that?” River questioned.

“Nothing, just would have thought you would’ve taken me out on a date first before committing.” I joked causing River to roll her eyes at me.

“Whatever you say, Casanova, just keep the ring on and everything should be fine,” With that said she turned back around and started her walk out.

“Yeah, yeah, I got you,” I stated as I placed the ring on my right index finger.

With that all said and done, River left leaving me all alone once again. Letting out another sigh I flopped back onto the bed and brought my finger with the ring on it into view. It’s soft glowing runes shining brightly to a point where it was almost mesmerizing.

“Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-eight, fifty-nine aaand sixty!” I exclaimed upside down on the bed looking at the clock that now read ‘20:50’. I was never the one to be late so I decided that I would leave ten minutes early.

Rolling over onto my stomach, I got myself up and stretched. In accordance to my stretch, the air pockets in the synovial fluid between my bones popped. Like it always did and will always continue to do, the process and the aftermath felt amazing.

Wasting no time dilly-dallying, I took my leave from the room and headed over to the ballroom. An event that would’ve been impossible for me a week ago. Thankfully, since I was living in the castle now I found myself navigating it better every day.

Turning the last corner to get to the ballroom, my eyes immediately landed on Celestia at door. To say that she was dressed up to the nines would be the understatement of the century. She had a long regal white dress that flowed over her flank. The last part of which was semi-transparent with a subtle gold trim. She also adorned the same Midnight Sun I had given her in her styled mane.

When her magenta colored eyes met mine she let a small smile come to her lips. A true goddess was standing in front of me as the settings sun's rays casted a warm glow over her figure.

Getting over the slap in the face that was her beauty, I found myself being rather… well under-dressed as it were. Here I was going to a fancy ‘noble’ party with a shirt that had a fist sized hole in it; one of which I have Luna to thank for.

Walking up to Celestia, I let my clouded mind do the talking, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone dressed up as beautifully as you are tonight.”

Celestia smile widened, “Thanks,” She then took a look at me and chuckled, “I wish I could say the same thing to you, but I’m afraid I’ve seen other stallions more ‘appropriately’ dressed.”

I gave her a deadpanned expression, “You and I both know that my wardrobe malfunction was all due to your sister. Not only that, but your tailors are taking a suspiciously long time to come up with replacements. Do you know how long it takes to hand wash these things?”

“You cannot rush perfection and to answer your question no because we ponies do not have these ‘hands’,” Celestia stated with her signature smirk.

Of course, leave it to Celestia to create a workaround for every argument you throw at her. However, it does do one good thing.

“Kenneth?!” Came the surprised tone of a certain lavender mare.

This sudden revelation caused me to raise and eyebrow and for Celestia to jump two feet off the ground. You know that one good thing I was talking about? Yeah, that, keeps you on your toes. It’s safe to say that being with Celestia has seemed to have robbed me of most surprises. You see when you’re good friends with the goddess of the sun, these types of things happen a lot. Yet for some reason, Celestia is always caught off guard by them.

Turning around I came to see the mare I had expected to see, “Ah, Twilight good to see you too,” I commented with a smile. Looking past her I came to see the rest of her entourage, “as well as your friends,” I continued causing the mares behind her to smile back at me.

Just like Celestia, all the girls here were dressed up to the nines. Twilight had a dress with stars on, while her friends had various different ones that matched their coat color and accents that matched their manes.

“Celestia didn’t tell me you were going to be here!” Twilight exclaimed as she looked at her mentor then back towards me.

Letting out a chuckle Celestia replied, “I thought this would be a pleasant surprise for everyone attending. In addition, this is sort of my workaround for the integration process being destroyed by the storm.”

Hearing her response I looked over to her, “So you did plan this all?” I questioned.

Celestia didn’t say anything in response but instead decided that something off in the distant was worth more of her attention. Shaking my head at her actions I turned back to Twilight and her friends.

“I think it's great! I’m sure a lot of the ponies here will love to meet you! And while we do so we can discuss the customs of your world!” Before I could say anything to Twilight she pulled me in with her magic and brought me closer to her friends, “And what better way to start then to introduce you to my friends! This is Applejack,”

Celestia watched on as Ken was literally yanked away from her and towards Twilight and her group of friends. To be quite honest, she didn’t think that Twilight would take it upon herself to show him around the party. In fact, she herself was actually looking forwards to doing that herself.

Sadly, before she could interject, Twilight had already finished her introductions with her friends and started the process of showing him around to other ponies. Both seemingly enjoying each other's company as they went around from pony to pony.

Now Celestia is no stalker, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t chat with ponies ‘close’ to where Twilight and Kenneth were. Just from her ‘accidental’ eavesdropping, she was able to hear how the two were getting along.

“I wish I could use magic like you ponies can,” Kenneth commented as the two moved towards another pair of nobles.

Twilight bumped Kenneth with her flank and smiled up at him, “It may look easy, but trust me when I say it’s way harder than it looks.”

“So I’ve been told. Either way, I wouldn’t mind studying weeks on one spell in order to have the ability to speak your language. Even now I feel like a burden with you having to translate everything somepony says,” he responded.

“You’re not a burden to me, I actually find it fun to translate between the two,” Twilight commented back.

Ken let out a little laugh, “You’re such a geek.”

Before she could respond, the two ponies they were walking up to spoke up, “Nice to see you again Twilight. I see you have the human everyponies been talking about with you. May I just say that you look rather adorable together.”

Twilight's face flushed as the wine glass in Celestia’s magical grip shattered. This, of course, caused the ponies in Celestia’s group to gasp as a waiter quickly cleaned up the mess. Questions started to swirl, but Celestia was quick to douse the metaphorical fire before is spread.

“What did he say?” Kenneth asked Twilight with a look of confusion on his face. Clearly, he did not understand what the stallion said.

Twilight did her best to not embarrass herself further as she explained what he had said. Thankfully, for her part, Kenneth just laughed it off. This flipped the tables and caused the ponies they were interacting with to become confused.

This was rectified as Twilight, in turn, told the two that they were in fact not seeing each other and that this was the second time they had even seen each other. With an apology, the two ponies told their farewells leaving the two alone once again.

“I think we finally talked to everyone here,” Kenneth exclaimed stretching his arms.

Twilight nodded her head, “Yeah, and not only that but you helped to answer some of my questions.”

“It was no problem, so what was Fluttershy talking about earlier? Some sort of amazing sight she wanted to see? Can't she come here anytime and see it?” Kenneth questioned.

“Oh, you’re talking about the royal gardens. While it’s true that she can come anytime to see it, only at special events like these do the castle staff decorate it,” Twilight relayed as she moved in closer to Ken.

Now Celestia has a pretty long fuse, but something about the way Twilight got up close to Ken made her right eye twitched. Without a second thought her horn started to glow and within a blink of an eye, Twilight popped out of existence.

Caught completely off guard, Kenneth looked around himself only to find Celestia casually walking up next to him before asking, “Did Twilight leave you all alone?”

“I have no idea, one minute we were talking about the royal gardens and the next she’s gone,” Kenneth commented with a confused look on his face.

With a sheepish smile, she replied, “I’m sure she’ll be okay. So, you were talking about the royal gardens? I heard the castle staff has put in more work than usual tonight. Care to join me?”

Author's Note

Remember, let me know what you think of the chapter in the comments below ;)

Chapter Fourteen - A Different Point of View

“Despite having to use a translator to talk to the ponies here, I think I made quite a bit of progress,” I commented as I and Celestia walked out of the ballroom and into the royal gardens.

Just like Twilight and Celestia said, the gardens were completely different than what they usually looked like. Every flower bed had its own little stream flowing through it, the trees adorned decorative paper lanterns as illuminated strings hung from tree to tree. To wrap it all up the cobblestone path was lit up by small garden lights.

Looking over to Celestia, I came to see the midnight sun glowing its brilliant blue glow. It was almost as if she had plucked one of Luna's stars out of the night sky and placed it in her mane. With a small smile carved on her lips, Celestia let out a sigh of content as we continued to walk through the garden.

“It eases me to see that the ponies are willing to look past the weather incident,” Celestia replied walking passed a white garden arch. “Who knows how long they would have held that against you if sompony got hurt.”

Nodding my head I followed her through the arch. Breaching the other side we came to the edge of the garden. Here at the edge, there was an opening with a small wooden bench that looked outwards towards the city. The view, like it always was here at the castle, was amazing. However, this time the beautiful night sky with all its stars hung above.

Without so much as a second thought, the two of us sat down on the bench. Since it was a pretty small bench, I found Celestia pressed up against me. Together we sat there not saying a single word as we watched the stars. To be honest, this was one of the most relaxing things I have ever done.

This has to be one of the most nerve wracking things I have ever done! I thought to myself as I felt Kenneth's warm body brush up against me. It felt almost as if I was a filly all over again. The same butterfly feelings, the knot in my stomach and the lightness of my head.

I had faced down dragons, defeated the god of chaos but here next to Kenneth I was powerless to act. Nevertheless, it was a feeling I didn’t mind being thrown into.

Just show a little affection and maybe he’ll get the idea, I thought nervously. The ‘walk’ with Luna did not leave me feeling any more confident either. In fact, it made things worse seeing as she kept mocking me about my feelings. Here I thought I could trust my sister with these kinds of stuff.

To be honest, after that talk with Luna this whole week has had me on edge. Usually, ponies calling my name out of nowhere didn’t make me jump, but now it was as if I was expecting something to happen. It was that reason alone that I followed my previous thought and slowly -albeit very nervously- placed my head on Kenneth's shoulder.

Other than a small glance, Kenneth didn’t seem to mind. In fact, I was pretty sure I saw his smile widen a bit. Then again it could be my mind making me see the things I wanted to see. Sadly, it didn’t help either that Kenneth was denser than a pile of rocks. Oh dear, here comes the butterflies again.

Unable to keep them to myself, I let them escape through a nice relaxed sigh. It had been a millennia since I had experienced anything remotely close to this. Sure, I had my fair share of suitors but none of them did I truly like, nor did I have to work to get any of them.

Either way it isn’t like Kenneth woooul- was all I could think before I felt his arm wrap around me and push me closer to him. I was now praying that he wouldn’t look down. The amount of blush that must be present could probably light up a room.

I, however, forgot the number one rule about Kenneth. The one thing you don't want to happen while he's here, will happen. It was like some twisted form of ‘Murphy's law’. With that being said, as I looked up towards him gazing over the city he slowly turned to look at me.

Our faces were mere inches apart, I could feel his warm breath brush against my fur. It was more intoxicating than any alcoholic beverage I could get my hooves on. The warmth I got from his body was more addicting than my morning cup of coffee. If anything I needed to show him how I felt.

As I leaned in and awaited the moment to come it never did. Opening up my eyes in confusion, I come to find my head leaning up against Kenneth's, back on the bench. A little line of saliva dripping from my mouth on to Kenneth's shoulder.

“A dream?” I mumbled to myself.

Arching my head up ever so slightly, I come to see Kenneth's head up against my own. His breath was shallow and his eyelids closed. Shoot! I exclaimed with a bit too much disappointment, it was just a dream, I continued to myself as I scrunched up my muzzle.

Either way, even if I didn’t get to show him my true feelings, this was more than enough. Sitting here deep in the gardens of the castle enjoying my sisters night. With another small smile carving its way onto my face, I turned my gaze back towards the beautiful Canterlot view and slowly let my eyelids close.

Stretching out my arms before opening my eyes I let out a large yawn. Every pop and crack my muscles shouted, told me that yesterday was indeed a good day. Taking this time to open my eyelids I come to see the same bland and boring ceiling staring back at me. Its white color doing nothing to entertain me during these early morning hours… and then it hit me.

The events from last night came flooding back into my head. Moments when I was with Twilight, the innumerable amount of nobles we had to speak with, and lastly the walk through the garden with Celestia.

But it wasn’t a walk ‘through’ the garden per say if I remember correctly, it was more of a quick nap. Which in all honesty confused me, I was wired during that party. So why did I suddenly feel like passing out on the bench? A question, that would continue to elude me until I got my morning cup of joe.

Sitting up in the posh guest bed, I keeled over and wiped the sleep from my eyes. With the window open in the room, I could already hear the morning birds sing. Shifting my focus towards the door to the room I come to hear the normal chatter from the other side. Still unable to understand the language, I let out a large sigh and walked over to the bathroom.

Passing through the door frame, I looked at myself in the mirror. My once short brown hair was now grown out along with my beard. If anything I needed to clean myself up, something that would prove to be difficult in a world where shaving was rarely done. Moving my gaze down my body, I come to see my attire.

“Alright scratch what I said before. Clothes are the number one priority,” I commented to myself as I looked at the fist sized hole in my sweater. I still couldn’t believe I went to a party meant for ‘nobles’ looking like this. I would be surprised if I wasn’t the laughing stalk of the entire town by now.

Either way, it’s not like I could do anything about it. Every store here sells clothing for ponies, who would've guessed. The only way I could get something that would fit me would be if I got someone to hand -or hoof in this case- make it for me. The problem with that is I already asked ‘someone’, sadly that someone is a somepony with a golden crown on top her head.

Sure she said she was waiting for perfection, but in all honesty, I think it wasn’t the top item on her list of things to do. After all, she is a goddess that runs the country, I could only imagine how much more important things she has to keep in mind.

Nevertheless, I digress, and with that thought now fading away from the recesses of my mind I walked up to the sink and started to brush my teeth. Which ‘normally’ to anyone would seem like an easy task, but ponyland is far from maintaining the status quo in regards to humans. Hens, the reason I’m attempting to brush my teeth with a piece of wood attached to a string. One of which I was assured was the correct utensil for the job.

Giving my teeth a couple more passes with the brush I spat out the leftover paste. Rinsing out the brush under the tap, I wipe my mouth and head back into the bedroom and over to the door. Quickly thinking everything over in my head, and reassuring myself that I had not left anything behind, I opened the door to my room.

“Sunshine!” Was the ever enthusiastic shout of Celestia as she came right into my view.

“Sunshine?” I questioned her with one of my eyebrows raised.

Letting a little chuckle escaped her lips she explained, “It’s a greeting I like to use in the mornings. It’s kinda like good morning or good day.”

“That’s a relief I thought you were giving me a nickname.”

Celestia looked at me with a smirk etched into her muzzle, “What's a matter sun-”

“You finish that sentence and I’ll tell Luna about your cake problem,” I budded in with a satisfied tone. I’m sure with this knowledge on the line she would get my point.

With a sing-song voice she said, “She already knows my sunshine,” with a quick wink she bumped me into gear with her flank, “So, we off to the coffee bean?” she stated more than asked.

I nod in response, “Need you even ask.”

“I guess not,” Celestia replied as we continued down the corridor till we came across the main hall. As per usual this part of the castle was under heavy guard. Every pillar had the same white stallion in golden armor.

“You know gold isn’t a strong material to use in the production of armor,” I commented as we passed by the guards.

“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak,” Celestia replied back.

I gave her a quizzical look, “Did you just quote Sun Tzu?”

“I believe I did,” She replied back as we passed through the doors of the castle. The summer breeze was strong as it picked up her mane and tail. I could smell the faint smell of burning cedar wood from the houses nearby.

“How do you know Sun Tzu? You’ve only been to Earth for a couple of hours,” I commented as it finally started to dawn on me, “What exactly was that spell you casted on me back in the padded room?”

“Athunium,” Was all she responded with.

“Huh?” I questioned back seemingly caught off guard with her random spouting.

“It’s not gold, it’s Athunium. A compound a bit stronger than steel. Its natural color is gray with a red tinge to it. We coat our armor with gold for ceremonial purposes and for the same reason Sun Tzu stated. Often surprise on the battlefield is met with death, luckily for us, it’s usually the other side which is surprised,” Celestia lectured.

“Wow, that's actually pretty interesting,” I replied walking into the city. My earlier question forgotten completely by her in depth response.

Looking around rewarded me with the same warm feeling I got when I first visited the city. Ponies all around were out and about selling their wares while fillies and colts ran around chasing each other. A site that I wished happened more on Earth.

The rest of the walk didn’t last long at all for the two of us. This little route we tread was memorized a long time ago.

A soft chime echoed throughout the store as the two of us stepped into the coffee shop. As per usual, the mare behind the counter greeted both of us with a smile, one of which we politely returned back.

Since their language still eluded me Celestia took the initiative and ordered for the both of us. I, on the other hand, headed off to claim our normal seat. Sitting down I moved my chair closer to the window and wait for Celestia to return.

As I waited I continued to think about last night. Why did I fall asleep? The answer to that question seemed to avoid me the more and more I thought about it. With an annoyed huff, I looked up to see Celestia levitating the almighty cup of joe towards me.

Hearing my frustration she set the cup down in front of me and asked, “Something the matter?”

“I can’t seem to remember anything that happened after we sat on the bench,” I said taking a large sip from my mug.

Celestia raised an eyebrow at that, “Maybe that’s because you fell asleep.”

“I know that, but I was wired that entire time. How is it that I just fell asleep?” I question placing the mug down and looking towards the ring that River Breeze gave me. Its blue runes were glowing brightly. My action seemed to cause Celestia to look at it as well.

“Where did you get that? I don’t remember you having a ring?” Celestia questioned taking a sip from her own cup.

I gave her a sly smile, “got married yesterday.” My statement seemed to get the job done as Celestia started to choke on her coffee, “But truthfully River gave it to me so I won't cast spells every two seconds when I absorb magic. She said it expels it for me or something.”

After recomposing herself she replied, “Maybe that’s a side effect of the ring?”

I continued to look at her with an amused expression. It’s not everyday you get to cause a princess to choke on her own drink.

“Possibly, that would make more sense than anything else I came up with,” I took the ring off and started to twirl it around with my fingers.

“Can I see it for a moment?”

“Be my guest,” I said sliding the ring over towards her.

Gently picking it up with her magic she spun it around while reading the runes on it. Of course, I couldn't tell what the hell she was saying because it was in horse language. So, instead, I opted to sit back and wait till she was done before bombarding her with questions.

Dropping the ring onto her hoof she studies it further. However, when it makes contact with her hoof the runes die out causing Celestia to drop her mug and topple over onto the table.

As the mug shattered against the floor, I quickly got up and picked up Celestia's head. She was still breathing, and her pulse was strong. She was alive, but at this current state was out like a lamp.

Hearing the commotion the mare at the counter ran over. When she saw the princess passed out on the table she immediately looked over to me with a look of pure horror. Of course, I wasn’t able to get through to her that I had nothing to do with this. Within a few seconds she was out the door screaming.

“Great just what I need more complications,” I mumbled under my breath as I tried to wake Celestia up.

Sadly, yelling her name and slapping her muzzle did nothing. Although I would be lying if I said I didn’t get a little satisfaction from slapping the princess of ponyland. An action I’m sure to regret later.

Another chime from the shop's door causes me to take my attention away from Celestia. As I should've expected a pair of guards come through and scan the room. The moment their eyes landed on me holding Celestia's limp form I knew I was in for it.

“Now, this isn’t what it looks like fellas,” I comment gently placing Celestia back onto the table. My words, however, fell on deaf ears as the two guard ponies charged up their horns and aimed them at me. Before I could even attempt to escape one of the bolts of magic slammed against my chest knocking me unconscious.

Opening my eyelids I come to see a black chiseled roof. Which was a nice change of pace from the bland white one from the guest room. However, my mind started to change its mind as I come to see the rest of the room I was in.

Lying on the straw bed I turned my head to see a couple iron bars keeping me from leaving. Just outside the bars, I could see a lone guard standing vigil. His golden armor catching the warm glow from the torches in the hallway. I didn’t have to be a genius to come to the conclusion that I was being held as a prisoner.

Which meant, of course, that Celestia was still out cold. Otherwise, I’m sure she would have resolved this situation already. While it was a simple misunderstanding, it didn’t leave me any less pissed.

Letting a sigh escape my lips I slowly got up and walked over to the bars of my cell. The guard on the other end of the hallway spared me a quick glance before returning his eyes towards a spot on the wall. I wanted to say something to him, maybe if Celestia was alright, but the language barrier once again stood in my way.

Before I could think about heading back to the cell's bed a sudden burst of wind whipped through the hallway. One by one the torches went out until the entire dungeon was pitch black. I could hear the guard shuffling around a bit before the sound of metal hitting the floor arose.

The next second after the clattering armor, the torch in front of my cell lit revealing River Breeze. She held a little smirk as she locked eyes with me.

“Oh, how the winds of fate change, I don’t think this could have worked out anymore in my favor.” River stated as I looked down the hallway to see the guard on the floor, blood pooling around his head.

“It was you, the whole time,” I commented as the pieces of the puzzle started to fit in together.

River lets out a little chuckle, “of course, your teleportation, the weather, the phone; do you really think that it was all just one big coincidence? I had this all planned way before you even stepped hoof in Equestria. Why else would I be so knowledgeable in the art of natural magic?”

I was completely shocked at this revelation, I didn’t even know what to say to her. The pony I thought I knew changed before my very eyes, “You know how long I’ve waited? The act I had to put up in order to get this close with Celestia? The research I had to complete in order to make sure this would all go on without a hitch?”

Shaking my head out of its stupor I finally replied, “Why? Why go through all that trouble to bring me here?”

“Why does anypony go through troubling times? For power, for immortality!” River exclaimed.

I looked at her with confusion stung across my face, “What power? I’m just a human, how does bringing me here warrant any kind of power?.”

Bringing her hoof up towards the cage I come to see the power she was talking about. Her hoof was laced with blue arcs of electricity. The very same blue electricity that had engulf my arm when I touched the phone. Her eyes flashed an even brighter blue as an arc of electricity shot out towards the bars.

Upon impact, the bars immediately liquefied allowing her to enter my cell, “This power,” River claimed with a demonic laugh, “Now come or follow the same fate as the guard.”

“I don’t get it! What do I have to do with this? Why do you need me? Where do I fit in all this?” I questioned following her out of the cell. It wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter, River seemed to hold all the cards in her hooves.

Hearing the commotion a couple guards came running down the stairs. With a flick of her hoof River effectively dispatched them with a single bolt of electricity, “Excellent question, ones that took many years for me to figure out. Luckily for you, all you have to do is wait and the answers will show themselves to you.”

Chapter Sixteen - A Celestial Journey II

Stepping through the tear in my new human form, I came across a very odd sight. The building I found myself in was occupied by humans all eating and chatting. However, the eating and chatting were obviously not the weird part. What was rather peculiar, was the fact that their eyes were all trained onto me the moment I stepped through the tear.

Then the impossible happened, the humans managed to surprise me! It took all of my might to simply keep myself from jumping out of my armor as a thunderous roar of applause erupted throughout the small cafe.

Utterly confused as to what was happening, I shook my head in an attempt to get myself back to the task at hoof.

“I will find Kenneth and River!” I told myself inflicting another cheer from the crowds, “Even if I have to scorch this entire planet to do so!” The crowd grew silent at my second statement, seemingly confused. At this time, I was pulled aside by a young male wearing a green t-shirt with a coffee cup embroidered on his right sleeve.

“Look, I’m sorry to interrupt your inner monologue -or whatever it was, I don't really care-, but you either buy something or get out. While the crowd did like your little performance you pulled off here, we have rules that need to be followed. You can't just walk in and expect to get a spot, people wait weeks to get a gig here.” The man stated as he started to guide me to the door of the establishment.

As he continued to push me towards the exit, my right eye twitched, “Do you know who I am! I’m the goddess of the sun! How dare you command me to leave!” And with my anger gave way to my only hope of arriving on earth without raising suspicion.

“Yeah, yeah, a true goddess. Come back when you have the money or applied for a spot like everyone else,” The man stated as he gave me one final push out the door.

Either the young man was stronger than he looked or I still hadn't gotten used to this form as I fell over onto the sidewalk. My golden armor clattering against the cold concrete surface. I could feel my anger start to boil to the surface as I stood up and turned back towards the small business. “Mark my wor-!” was all I could say before a female pushed passed me on the sidewalk, then a male did the same thing, mumbling something about how he wished people used sidewalks for how they were intended to be used.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PLANET!” I finally yelled out in frustration.

This caused an elderly male to pass by and pat me on the back, “We’ve been trying to figure that out for eons hun. Welcome to New York!”

I turned my head to look at him, but he was already gone, mixed in with the crowd. The sound of horns blaring and people shouting were the only things I could hear. The streets were filled with metal vehicles most of which were colored yellow and black. Each one rumbling with unknown power as they idled in traffic.

Looking up I could barely see the sky above, as large concrete buildings took up the vast majority of my view. What little of the cyan sky I could see had large metal objects flying through it, scarring the sky with their white trails. Was this what Kenneth had to deal with on a daily basis? I thought to myself as a person poked his head out of his vehicle and shouted at the car in front of him.

As if things couldn’t get any more hectic people started to flash their devices at me. It was all so much to take in, my mind was running a mile a minute trying to decipher what was even going on. The most I could hope for was that this all would blow over soon.

As the white light faded from Kenneth's view; he looked around to try and find out where he was. To his amazement, he was back at Oaklyn lake in his old run-down boat shack. It was pretty surreal to see that even through all the years that had undoubtedly passed the boat still hung there secured by ropes, dangling two feet from the water.

“Welcome to my lair!” River stated as her horn lit up and bounded my hands to a nearby support beam.

“Your lair? This is my family's boat house,” I retorted, “Hell even the door has my last name on it!”

“Your family's dead, so I'm just taking what was left unused.”

“Wow way to rub salt in my old wounds. I really could have done without remembering that.” Ken stated leaning his head against the wooden support beam. “So what do you do now huh? If you’re so powerful then why don't you just take over Equestria right now?”

River raised an eyebrow at him, “I’m surprised your brain could come up with such a logical thought.”

“And I'm surprised you were actually able to hide all this” Ken commented gesturing towards River with his head, “without raising any suspicion.”

River didn’t reply, instead opting to sit across the room from him, “Now tell me why we’re here in this run-down boat house instead of Canterlot? I mean you could be sitting on Celestia’s throne by now if you just stayed.” Ken continued.

Letting out a large sigh River spoke up, “it’s funny that you still don’t get what's going on here. Why would I even bother to get you? My magic might be powerful now, but just imagine what it would be like if I infused it with yours!”

“You said I didn’t have any more magic, that its essence was ripped out of my body,” Kenneth restated.

River rolled her eyes at that, “I also told you that I was ‘helping’ you to figure out a solution to a problem that I was personally responsible for.”

“Toche,” Kenneth stated still somewhat confused, “so how are you going to do this? You going to suck the energy out of me like a vampire?” Ken asked bringing his head back up so he could look River in the eyes.

River chuckled at his response, “No of course not, natural magic is ‘usually’ if not ‘always’ more stable when used by the pony -or person in this case- came from. You see, my plan is already complete just like I told you. Celestia is no doubt already on her way here, and it’s her anger towards me that will ignite the inevitable chain reaction in your body.”

“And what is this ‘thing’, that will spark the wick?” Kenneth stated not really buying into anything she was saying.

River smiled, “The emotion of guilt and terror you’ll feel when you see a loved one turned into a monster. You will watch on as Celestia takes my life, the mare you have grown oh-so-fond-of killing another.”

“But if she kills you how will you get your ‘immortality’ huh? Ever thought of that?” Kenneth said pointing out the obvious flaw in the plan.

Getting back to her hooves River walked towards Ken, “Ever wonder about my name? River? You cannot kill something that is not -as you like to call- alive to begin with. When this form dies I’ll be able to pick a new host this one of much more potential. Like a river, I will keep flowing no matter what you try to do.”

“Oh great another extremist, it's not like Earth has enough of them already. Let me tell you something River, once you die you die. There is no second chance, maybe when Celestia shoots a bolt of magic through that thick skull of yours you’ll see. But, as for right now, you still have a chance to stop all of this.” Ken lectured.

“Humans, you think you know it all, don’t you? It shall be you whose eyes will open when Celestia ‘the beloved ruler’ strikes me down.” And just like that River turned towards the door and exited the boat house.

While it all didn’t blow over immediately, hope was still strong with me as I walked down the crowded streets of New York. My eyes darting all over the place as large electronic billboards flashed their flashy advertisements, and street vendors all but shoved their products down my throat. Though it pained me to say, it kind of reminded me of Canterlot on steroids. Maybe this is what the future held for my beloved city.

Sadly, while my hope was high, I had nothing to go on. Sure, I could use some magic to locate Kenneth, but here in a crowded city -where even the alleyways were stuffed- would only serve to bring more attention to me. Not like I wasn’t already, walking down the street cladded with golden armor.

Ironic as it were, a city filled with people and I still couldn’t get help even if I wanted to. These humans only seemed to care about their own lives. While it did help me stay under the radar, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the humans that were too absorbed in their cellular devices to even notice something that stood out as much as me.

I started to wonder if Ken was like this before he came to Equestria. Was he just as absorbed in his worlds modern day that he forgot to even take in the world itself. Along with that train of thought, I finally started to understand what it felt like to be in Kenneth's shoes in Equestria. All alone, not being able to really trust anyone.

Looking at the sidewalk lines the thoughts continued to plague my mind. They kept sending shivers down my spine every step I took. Did Ken really belong in Equestria, or would it be better if he stayed here when this all was over? A place where he could start anew with his own kind rather than living in Canterlot amongst different beings. As much as I didn’t want to think it, I knew the answer.

Lifting my head up, a small street shop caught my attention. More specifically a card rack that was left just outside the shop for people to peruse.

Weaving between the crowd I raced towards the rack and picked up the card that had caught my attention. It had a picture of a lake that looked oddly familiar, the text “Missing you at Oaklyn Lake” was spread across the front in large font.

Taking the card, I went inside the shop and walked up to the store clerk, “How far away is this place and in what direction?” I all but shouted.

A bit taken back by my tone, the clerk took a second to recover from the initial shock, “In a hurry for a vacation I see,” He started, taking the card from my hand and looking at the picture, “Ah Oaklyn lake, beautiful place. My father used to go there with his friend’s way back when. Wish I had the money and time off to go there.” He commented with a long look in his eyes.

Already irritated from the day's events I finally cracked, “Shut-up!”

This was the first time in a long time I had lost my cool over something so trivial. The poor store owner was left wide-eyed with a look of fear stretched across his face. Taking a deep breath, I restated my question, “I just need to know how I can get there.”

For the second time during this conversation the store clerk had to recover, “I-It’s about a five-hour drive north of here. There's a bus that goes to Oaklyn every day at six at the port authority bus terminal.”

“What time is it now?” I pestered the man.

Rolling up his sleeve he looked at his watch, “Cutting it close if you want to make the bus today. It’s five o’clock right now and the station is across town.”

“North or south?” I continued to question him as he continued to fiddle with his watch.

“How much north can you get? We're five minutes from the water, of course it's going to be south,” Before he could even look up, I was already out the door and back in the crowded streets. “They really need to beef up the educational system,” He commented now alone in the shop.

Entering the crowd, I looked up for the sun, but could not find it. Once again, I found myself fighting off the irony of the situation. Here I was the goddess of the sun and I couldn’t even find it with all these buildings in the way. Not only that, but all of my ways of determining the cardinal directions were useless here in this urban environment.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, I looked around trying to find anything that could help. Turning towards the road I came to see a glass booth with a map on it. Finally striking some form of luck I ran over to it and quickly got myself re-orientated.

Just as the store clerk stated, I was going to be cutting it close with time. Even in a dead sprint and with nobody on the sidewalks I would get there with only a few minutes to spare. So, I did what anyone would have done in this situation. I started to run; I started to run like my life depended on it. At first it was kind of awkward running on two legs but eventually, it all came to me naturally.

It almost amazed me how fast and maneuverable the human body was compared to my pony form. Sure, I was faster as a pony, but as a human I found myself weaving, ducking and even sliding around people like it was nothing.

All around people gave me weird looks as they watched me race past them. My golden armor clinking and clacking with every step. My breaths became more rugged as my stamina started to run dry, the downfall for wearing such heavy armor. Then it hit me, like a wave of power my legs went numb and I felt like I could run faster and longer. The human body sure had its pleasant surprises, it was almost as if they were built for these types of situations.

Thankfully, since the streets were already packed tight crossing the roads was not a problem as I slipped between the cars. Each one letting me know I was an idiot by blaring their horns at me. Yet, I didn’t care. They could keep honking at me. For I knew that every second I wasted would be a second this world was in danger.

Ignoring all the noises I ran faster. The feeling like I was invincible was starting to settle in. It was like nothing could stop me!

Whistling a little toon to himself, Ken watched as the door to the boathouse opened to reveal River once again. She had a bowl of what looked to be some form of soup in her magical grasp. Even though he had seen it before in Equestria, to see magic being used here on Earth was pretty surreal.

Nonetheless, he raised his eyebrow as River levitated the bowl in front of him, “You’re actually going to feed me? You’re the worst evil villain I know of.”

River rolled her eyes, “I didn’t come all this way to see my plan die from starvation. Now eat up before I have second thoughts.”

Not the one to argue with food, Ken swooped up the food with his now freed hands and started to go to town. It had been a full day now since he had last eaten, and he was not going to let any of this soup go to waste.

River looked on towards her captive from the other side of the room. The more she took in this ‘human world’ the more it fascinated her. A species built with the idea that magic was no more than folklore and fairy tales; and yet here they are breaching the technological advancements ponies would die to have their hooves on.

By the time she had gotten herself out of her stupor, Kenneth was already done with the soup. What surprised her was that even though he was completely free with nothing holding him back, he made no move to escape. Either he knew there was no chance of escaping or he was very stupid.

“This all can’t be for power,” Ken finally stated as he looked over to her.

River raised an eyebrow at this, “Why can’t it be? Hmm?”

Ken leaned his head back up against the wooden poll, “Everyone has their reasons for gaining power. It’s not simply because they want it, more of what they can achieve with it. So, what is your goal here once you have the power huh? And don't give me that take over Equestria bullshit, there's more to this than that.”

Once again River found herself pleasantly surprised on Kenneth's observations and use of deduction. Just one day with her, and he had already started to untie the truth of what was going on. Was it because she was already caught lying multiple times or was it the fact that humans may be more intelligent than she had originally thought.

Nevertheless, she would make do with lying once again. Letting him in on her true motives would make room for a counterattack, and that was something that River took pride in avoiding this far.

On the other side of things, Kenneth had a plan of his own stirring. He knew full well that whenever he would ask something as important like this, River would just blow him off with another lie. Once again, he was right, for at the moment River was going on and on about how she would use the power she gained to rebel and make a better world. But as Kenneth liked to think, there was some truth in the lie, no matter how much you tried to cover it up.

From this, he could already see her fake facade start to fall apart at the seams. River didn’t want this power for world domination like any classic villain. No, from what she was telling him, she wanted this power for revenge. Something that was much more cliché in our modern world.

The only question was to whom was this revenge geared towards. A question that came to him by the end of Rivers little speech. Not only had she been cozying up to a certain princess her entire life in order for her to get here, but she had also planned for that certain princess to come here to Earth where they would be alone with nothing to stop her.

This, of course, was a theory that only needed to be proven right, and what better way to prove a theory right then make River blurt it out from frustration. Which, if this was really all about revenge should be easy. All he needed to do was say nice things about Celestia and maybe, just maybe she will spill the beans.

Bursting through the Port Authority bus station doors panting, I came to see hundreds of people all running around. The building was packed tighter than Luna’s sky on the winter solstice. Thankfully, however, I still had ten minutes to lose due to my dead sprint all the way here. Yet the more I look at the large crowd in front of me; the more it would seem that I would have just enough time to figure out what bus I needed to get on.

Without a second thought, I pushed myself into the fray towards a large monitor attached to the ceiling. From a distance, I could see a lengthy list that scrolled every few seconds, displaying multiple names and times. Like a moth, I clung to the only light around and pushed my way towards the monitor.

With my hopes held high, I found myself before the screen in mere seconds. Looking up I could see the names of what I could only assume were different bussing companies and their destination/arrival times.

My eyes darted across the monitor hoping to find one that read Oaklyn, but the more I read the page the more my hope started to dwindle. Every new page that scrolled on by was devoid of the one name I was looking for. At one point, I was about to leave and find another way to Oaklyn when the last page of the board came up.

Instantly my eyes snapped to the familiar name on the board. My heart almost stopped when I read that it was already in the boarding phase. Shaking the negative thoughts out of my head, my eyes snapped to the bus and gate numbers. I don’t think I have ever remembered a number as quickly as I did with these two.

Using all my leftover strength I once again dove into the crowd, pushing and shoving people out of my way. To anyone in Equestria, my actions would be frowned upon and I would be called out even as a princess for shoving ponies aside. Yet, here in ‘New York’ it was almost as if these people encouraged it. After all, if I didn’t do what I was doing now I would have already missed the bus.

Every step I took reignited the fire in my lungs, every breath was a chore as I fought to keep my vision from blurring over. It seems that all these ‘added’ abilities come at a cost, I thought to myself as I finally got to a break in the crowd.

The area I found myself in was massive, the sound of the buses filled the room as the smell of burning oil filled the air. Looking around I could see multiple buses sitting at their gates and the people swarming around them.

Shifting my gaze, I came to see the gate numbers upon the pillars. My mind immediately went into overdrive as I skipped from one pillar to the other looking for the one that held the bus I was looking for. Time was short and if I didn’t find it within the next couple of seconds I would be sure it would be gone.

Pushing passed another group of people waiting for their bus, I finally came to the gate I was looking for. Sadly, however, the bus that was at the station was already starting to roll away from the gate.

Without even thinking about the consequences, I reached deep down into my soul and pulled my magic to the surface. The area around me started to glow golden as my eyes locked onto the bus driving away in front of me.

I am not going to miss my ride! I yelled to myself as I completed the spell.

Author's Note

Took some time to look at the plot and where I'm taking it in the future. Either way, I hope you like the new chapter and as always, tell me what you thought about the new chapter in the comments. If you're feeling really gracious, why not slap that like button if you haven't already. Maybe we can get this story to 200 that would be pretty amazing.

Chapter Seventeen - A Celestial Journey III

With a pop, hiss and little bit of static, I walked through the tear in reality to a place where distance could be changed as easily as one changes minds. Channeling power into my horn again another tear opened up leading me into the interior of the bus that had just left me behind.

Stepping through, I came to see the dark cabin of the bus. People of all sorts were sitting in their respective seats waiting patiently as the bus driver moved the large vehicle to its destination. Surprisingly nobody seemed to notice my obvious use of magic. Well, it was either that, or they just didn’t care enough to react.

Throwing away that thought I walked down the narrow aisle looking for any open seats. When none presented themselves to me when I reached the end of the buss. I came to the realization that Oaklyn must be a pretty popular place. Seemingly the go-to place for vacations and family getaways alike.

“If you’re looking for a space, you can sit next to me?” A female with long blond hair asked. Her voice was soft like silk and her tone was warming like a cup of hot chocolate during a winter snow storm. Walking up to her, I could see that she wore a small sky-blue skirt with a white t-shirt; on top of her head, she adorned a nice white sun hat that shaded her forest green eyes.

With a calm smile, she patted the seat next to her.

“Thank you,” I commented taking the seat. My armor just now starting to feel a bit awkward to have on.

The unnamed woman let out a little chuckle, “It’s no problem at all. So, what's with the getup?” she pondered.

At this point in my journey, I figured that no one would believe me if I told them anyway. Nevertheless, I was too tired to attempt to make up an excuse.

“Two friends of mine have gone rogue and it’s my responsibility to bring them to justice. I have a strong feeling that they’re currently hiding away at Oaklyn Lake.”

“By the way you said that, one would think you're out for blood,” The female chuckled again, albeit more nervously this time.

Suppressing the rising temptation to roll my eyes I replied, “Why else would I wear this kind of armor if I didn’t expect there to be some form of bloodshed?”

“So what did these two friends of yours do exactly?” The woman avoided my question with one of her own, “Must have been something horrible for you to take this much action?”

“River is mad with power and Kenneth seems to just be following her,” I relayed.

Hearing this she looked at me with a confused look, “so you’re only mad at one of them. It seems like this Kenneth didn’t really do anything to upset you. How do you know that he’s not simply held against his will?”

“I know Kenneth well enough to know that he wouldn’t sit idly by while other po- people were in danger. Not to mention that he was the one that originally knocked me out.” I commented, my anger starting to resurface. While I really didn’t want to think that Kenneth had a part in this, the evidence was certainly pointing in that direction.

Gasping the female exclaimed, “He knocked you out! You know that’s abuse, you could sue him!”

This time I was unable to keep my eyes from rolling over, “It’s not like he hit me or anything, I was curious about the ring he was given by River. It was ultimately the ring that knocked me out.”

Once again, the girl's expression changed to one of confusion, “So he didn’t knock you out, the ring he gave you did. It seems like you’re assuming a lot about this guy. From what you’re telling me Kenneth is just caught up in the middle of you and Rivers little quarrel. Have you ever thought that maybe Kenneth is just following River because he doesn't want you to get hurt?”

Her statement seemed to slap me across the face, “I-i” was all I could say as my mind started to replay all of the events that led up to now. The more I thought about it, the more everything was starting to fall in place. Could it be that Kenneth really had the best intentions in mind while following River?

“Seems like when this is all over you owe someone an apology,” The girl chuckled, “I’m Sky by the way. You are?”

“Celestia,” I replied out of focus as I continued to mull over the new information.

“That's a very ‘unique’ name,” Sky continued.

“Where I come from I could say the same thing about you,” I said inflicting a small chuckle from the both of us.

“Would you just shut up! If you weren’t so important to my plans, I would have killed you and dumped you in the lake already!” River yelled as she stomped her hoof into the old wooden floor.

Kenneth smiled, he was having way too much fun getting on River's nerves. For an extremist psychopath, she was relatively easy to get to… Then again the more he thought about it, most extremist psychopaths are pretty sensitive to begin with. That, however, didn’t change his mind on what he was going to say next.

“Did you know Celestia goes to the hospital every week to see the foals and fillies that are sick? I mean if everybody was that nice and caring the world would be a way better place to live in don’t you think?” I questioned River with a dreamy tone that seemed to send her off the rails.

“You really think she’s always been like that?!” River exploded, “You think that it’s all rainbows and butterflies shoved up her pompous flank? Have you ever once thought to look at her past?! Maybe scrounge around the histories and find out that she isn’t what everypony says she is?” With fire in Rivers eyes, she grabbed a nearby metal camping spike.

“Where is your precious angel now Ken? OH WAIT SHE'S PROBABLY AT THAT FUCKING HOSPITAL! MAYBE SHE’LL VISIT YOU NEXT WEEK?!” She yelled shoving the spike deep into his right shoulder.

Yelling in pain, Kenneth struggled within her magical binds. The binds, however, were not the worst of his concerns as River picked up another metal spike. “Why don’t you ask the ponies from saddle bay about your precious princess?” River questioned as her horn surged with power. Kenneth watched in horror as the new spike she was holding started to glow red hot.

When Kenneth didn’t answer, River swiped the spike across his chest, “No? Then how about the minotaurs in the sandy wind region? I’m sure they would love to talk about Celestia and her angelic exploits?” Like before, she swiped across his chest in the other direction.

Each pass she made was slow and meticulous, inflicting more cries of pain from Kenneth. His muscles were all moving on their own trying to do anything to get out of the situation he was in. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take. However, he did know that as painful as this all was, River would never let him die. She needed him, and that was something he would abuse.

“Fine, you want to know something River?” Kenneth questioned panting out of breath.

River snorted, “What could you of all ponies tell me?”

“Come closer and I’ll tell you,” Kenneth motioned.

River complied but didn’t get too close. While she was a psychopath she wasn’t stupid enough to open herself up to an attack, “Alright what is it?” she all but spat out.

Kenneth let a small smile carve itself onto his face.

“Celestia’s an organ donor.”

If anger could manifest itself into a physical form, River would be a carbon copy of it. Her horn lit up with blue electricity as she took the smoldering spike and pumped a large amount of energy into it.

Looks like I stepped across the line. Kenneth gulped as River moved to shove the electrified spike into his stomach.

The journey was as long as the store clerk said it would be. Yet, with Sky keeping me company time seemed to just fly on by. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean I was any less anxious to confront River and Kenneth. If anything, the little talk with Sky had me more on edge than when I first got on the bus.

It wasn’t till I heard the screeching of the breaks that I realized we had arrived at our destination. As if to confirm my thoughts, I could see the large lake through the side windows. The late afternoon sun danced across the water's surface making it sparkle and cast a lovely amber glow across the sky. It was at that moment that I realized why people loved coming here. Just looking at it seemed to have an atmosphere that screams rest and relaxation.

As the people started to debord the bus I was stirred from my thoughts. Each one saying their thanks towards the bus driver as he happily waved them off. Following the line, I and Sky finally made our way out of the bus and into another bus terminal. This one, however, was much smaller with only a handful of people stood on the sidewalk.

“It was nice talking with you Celestia, even though all we did was roleplay. It kind of reminded me when I was a kid,” Sky commented as she made her way towards a group of people that were waiting for her.

“Roleplaying!” I yelled to myself, “And here I thought someone was actually open-minded enough to understand what I was going through.” Letting out a frustrated sigh, I continued down the sidewalk away from the town and into a more secluded area of the bus terminal. When I was sure that no one was around, I reached deep down into my soul and looked for my magic again. Like a snake, I felt it weave around inside me till it surfaced in the palm of my right hand.

Within seconds of it surfacing I had casted the complex scanning spell simply by willing it to happen. Before long a large golden aurora expanded around my body and started to send out pulses of energy in every direction.

Just as I had expected, the scan picked up a large amount of energy radiating from an area closer towards the lake. River was definitely here, but what caught me off guard was the fact that I had found way more energy than I had originally thought I would find. It was clear to me that River was using her new-found power.

Time was clearly of the essence, and getting to River before she casts another spell was my top priority. The problem with this, however, was that the scanning spell I had used was only good for pinning down a general location. Since the magic she used was ‘natural’ magic the signature would not be one main point, but instead would be multiple points scattered randomly around her. This, of course, meant that tracking her down would be even harder.

Letting out another frustrated sigh I dashed out of the bus terminal and made a beeline to the forest. As sloppy as it was, I would just have to rely on continuous scans till I came across where they were hiding.

Kenneth's POV

Tears streamed down my face as I kept my eyelids shut tight. I didn’t dare to open them, for I was afraid that even looking at my wounds would cause more pain. Not to mention what River would do if she saw me pushing through the pain.

Like clockwork River once again poured more of her new power through one of the spikes. I could feel my muscles spas as the current ran through them. Letting out another scream of pain I felt my body go limp and my eyelids opening on their own.

“Oh, how rude of me, did you want to keep talking?” River questioned sitting down in front of my battered body,

Out of breath from the last pulse, I found myself pleading, “Please sto-” was all I could say before another wave of energy shot through my body. It felt like my nervous system was on fire, the air I inhaled felt like knives and the world around me started to spin. I could tell I was on the edge of death, one more pulse and that would be it, no more Kenneth.

“What was that? Don’t let me hold you down, what were you going to say?” River questioned with a little chuckle at the end, “Don’t tell me you’ve already had enough?”

My body was in so much pain that I barely noticed the temperature of the air increase. Nor did I realize that the door to the shack had also been opened.

“I think he has,” came another voice.

Using all my leftover energy I turned my head to look towards the source of the voice. Cracking my eyelids open I came to see a tall slender woman clad in golden armor. I didn’t have to ask to know that this was Celestia. Who else would have the determination to come out and hunt us down?

“Oh Celestia, I’ve seen you’ve changed your appearance. You could say you shocked me!” River yelled as she let an arc of lightning shoot out of her hoof and into Celestia's chest.

Being caught off guard Celestia was flung across the room before slamming through one of the wooden walls. Since the whole place was rather old the rest of the wall started to crumble apart causing a portion of the roof to fall on top of her.

“Don’t tell me this is all you got?” River stated walking up to the pile of wood.

Within milliseconds a spear came out of the woodpile narrowly missing River as she ducked to the side. Rolling back to her hooves River fired up her horn again as she charged Celestia. Celestia charged back, shoving the spear into the ground right before River causing her to vault over her. Landing with a large thud Celestia roundhouse kicked River in the barrel.

With her body impacting the ground River slid across the floor. At the end of the slide River dug her left hoof into the floor and slid around reorienting herself towards Celestia. No words were spoken as the two stared at each other.

Celestia was the first to break the stare as she charged River with her spear held forwards. River being on the defensive was prepared for the charge as she swiped her hoof across the air slicing it with an arc of lightning.

Having seen her do it before, Celestia slid under the bolt before being caught off guard as another bolt slammed into her side. Rolling with the force of the attack Celestia halted right in front of me her face steady and calm as she looked at River. The two were completely oblivious to the world around them as they continued to take turns attacking and defending.

So, it came to a surprise that I heard a third voice echo out, “What are we waiting for?”

Looking around the room I could not spot anything different, Celestia and River were still battling it out. River choosing to ignite the fuel tank on the boat causing Celestia to be tossed to the side from the sheer force of the explosion.

“Who...” was all I could say in my current state as I continued to look around the boathouse for the source of the voice.

Time seemed to slow down as Celestia swung her spear forwards to create some distance. The colors all started to distort like an old CRT monitor, “Are we waiting till the time is right?” The voice once again echoed throughout my mind, “It’s time we showed River that our power can’t be controlled.”

I found myself agreeing in my dazed state. I could feel myself slip out of consciousness and the darkness take me. All I wanted was to rest and here was this entity telling me to do just that. So, who was I to deny it?

As Celestia skidded to a halt from her last attack, she ducked to the side avoiding another bolt of energy. It was at this moment that she broke the silence the two had fallen into during the fight.

“You’re going to need better aim than that if you wish to defeat me!” Celestia yelled as she charged forward with her spear held firmly in her grip.

River, on the other hand, was smiling as the support beam behind Celestia gave way. The roof started to creak as the main ridge board came loose and fell onto her. With a pained grunt, Celestia found herself pinned under the heavy board of wood. Her magic giving way to pain as she struggled to get out from under the beam.

Seeing her plan succeed River walked up to the Celestia pinned under the large wooden board. “I thought you would be tougher than this,” River laughed as she picked up Celestia’s spear with her own magic.

Fighting through the pain Celestia managed to concentrate enough to teleport out from under the beam before appearing across the room from her. “I’ll never let Equestria fall into the hooves of you.”

River chuckled once again as she spun the spear around in her magic, “That's where you’re wrong,” With her eyes glowing blue she poured more energy into her grip, causing the spear to snap in two, “For you see, I already have Equestria in my hooves. It’s going to take way more than just one alicorn to overpower me now!”

Celestia looked on towards River with pure hatred in her eyes. The feeling was so strong she could already tell that her inner darkness was starting to surface. Any moment now and she would no longer be Celestia.

“Let’s see the real yo-,” Was all River could say before a large bolt of energy slammed into her side. The blast was so strong it sent her through the shack's wall and left a small crater where she landed outside.

Celestia was completely stunned for it was not her that casted the spell. Looking over to where the bolt came from her eyes widened. Where Kenneth once was, stood the form of a human made entirely out of electricity. Arcs of lightning shot out from his form as he made his way over to where River was getting up.

Turning to face Kenneth, River smiled, “At last, you show me your true potential! Now we can have some fun!”

Kenneth said nothing in response instead he kept walking towards River as she charged up her own horn. With everything she had, River let out a large bolt of magic towards Kenneth. It was like nothing happened as the bolt impacted Kenneth. His body seemingly absorbing the power as he continued to walk towards River.

As if she just pulled off a 'Nobel Prize' worthy experiment River exclaimed, “So it’s true! My predictions were right!” She continued to smile as Kenneth arrived before her and picked her up with his own magic. Like a maniac, River let out a crackling laugh, “Kill me, Kenneth! Let your anger control you!”

Like a switch, Celestia started to understand what was going on in front of her.

“Kenneth don't! This is what she wants! She wants you to become a monster!”

There was a small falter in Kenneth's form as he looked towards Celestia walking towards him. Nevertheless, he poured more power into his grip causing River to lose consciousness.

“This isn’t you Ken, you’re better than this!” Celestia continued to yell towards him, “Killing River is not just!”

Once again, the energy around Kenneth started to flicker. He was now looking in between River suspended in the air and Celestia walking towards him.

“Death i-is a form of ju-u-stice” Kenneth's voice echoed out as the energy around him continued to flicker.

“I know you have a lot of reasons to kill her, but doing so will just make things worse. Come back to us, don’t let the anger you have consume you. I know how it feels, I’ve been in the same position as you many years ago. Let me tell you it’s not worth it, so please, come back, come back to me.”

Kenneth's attention was now solely on Celestia. The flickering was getting more and more frequent. Before Celestia could say anything more, Kenneth let go of River and fell forwards.

Acting fast Celestia reached out and caught him before he could hit the floor. The energy surged through her, burning her skin as she held onto Kenneth. “It’s over, you did the right thing,” Celestia whispered into Kenneth's ear as the energy flickered one more time before fading away.

Author's Note

Comming to the end of ARC I already, time sure does fly. I got some nice art for ARC II that will be present in the first chapter of the arc. I would like to know what have you guys thought so far of the first arc? and more importantly, what do you want to see in the second arc.

points out to whoever figures out the song that inspired me to finish writing this chapter. Hint there are two lines in the book that are lines in the song.

[ARC II] Chapter Eighteen - The Spoils of War

ARC II - Sun Struck
We're going to ship it, even if it kills us...

“Kenneth...” A warm ethereal voice called out to me.

It was almost as if it were a whisper carried along a nonexistent breeze. Time was not relative here in this white void I found myself floating through. How long has it actually been since I found myself fading away from reality, only to be placed here? Just like the voice, I eventually found myself forgetting and moving onto another topic.

“Was this what death felt like?” I questioned myself as I continued to drift off further into the void. My body numbing over as I unfocused my gaze. I was now freely floating, my mind doing nothing to correct my pose. In a way, this was very therapeutic experience, here I could let everything go and not have to worry about the consequences.

“Kenneth...” Once again, the voice echoed around the vast expanse of the void. Was it time to step back to the living world? Was my vacation from the harshness of reality done?

“...Kenneth,” There was a pause in her sentence. I could hear her sniffling as she fought herself to say the next words, “...Please come back, Kenneth.” I hated myself for being the cause of her pain. It was as if I had ascended to heaven only to make the angels cry. I did not belong here, not yet anyway.

The white void started to change colors as my mind moved to wake up. Sounds of beeping machines and hushed whispers could now be heard as I cracked open my eyes. The clean white lights of the hospital room I was in stung my eyes as I attempted to regain my focus. My whole body hurt, I didn’t want to move. The bed I found myself laying down upon was too comfortable to leave, maybe I could rest a bit longer and the pain would go away.

As my vision came to, I saw Celestia resting her head on my mattress as she sat on a cushion beside the bed. She was looking off at something in front of her as she let out a large sigh. Turning her attention back towards me, her eyes locked onto mine.

“Ken?!” came the soft surprised voice of Celestia as she lifted her head. It sounded like she didn’t know whether to believe her own eyes or not. “KEN!” She yelled making up her mind and jumping onto the bed, wrapping me up in a tight embrace.

Nuzzling her muzzle into my neck I whispered, “I’m glad I'm back too, but you’re not really helping me recover.” My breath was ragged from trying to bite back the pain.

“Oh!” Celestia’s face lit up in shock as she quickly stumbled to get off of me. “I’m sorry, I don’t really know what came over me.”

I let a small smile carve its way onto my face, “It’s alright, so how long hav-” was all I was able to say before my eyes took notice of a subtle scar running down Celestia’s right hoof. “- what happened to your hoof?”

Celestia gave me a confused look as she glanced down to her right hoof. “Oh, this? It’s nothing really,” she commented trying to play it off cool. She then moved to hide her right hoof behind her left as she stepped closer to me.

Nevertheless, her efforts were in vain for I got a good look at it when she was speaking. It was a light scar that covered her entire right hoof. It branched out like a tree all around her hoof. If it weren’t for the fact that she got it unwillingly, then I would have admired how cool it looked.

“I-is that from me?” I questioned, the events from before now slowly starting to replay themselves in my mind.

Celestia looked down as she brought her hoof back into view, “Yes, but I knew what would happen if I touched you while you were in your state.” she tried to reason as she put on a small smile. ”It’s as much my fault as it is yours. Now enough of this depressing talk, I’m happy to tell you that River is in custody and everything seems to be back to normal.”

Knowing how stubborn Celestia can be I dropped the scar topic and continued with the other one. “It better be with the amount of work we both put in to fix it,” I commented letting out a small chuckle that turned itself into a small coughing fit.

Summoning a glass of water, she levitated it next to my lips. Giving her a deadpan stare I continued, “I’m not that injured.”

Moving to lift up my arm I felt another jolt of pain run its way across my arm. Cringing from the pain, I let a small groan escape my lips. Celestia all the while continued to look at me with a clear ‘having trouble’ expression etched across her face. Pushing the glass against my lips I gave up and opened my mouth.

The water felt heavenly as it made its way down my dry throat. Just from drinking one sip I could already feel my body start to repair itself. Taking away the cup from my lips I let out a sigh of contempt.

“So, like I was about to say before, how long have I been out?” I questioned as I moved to sit up in bed.

“Two days, you’ve suffered what is known as magic exhaustion. During your battle with River, you used up all the energy in your body. Thankfully you’re not a pony so it didn’t kill you. Instead, it knocked you out for a bit. To be honest, nopony was certain that was even the cause of what happened to you. Till now the doctor was starting to think you had slipped off into a coma.” Celestia lectured.

Letting out a small whistle I continued, “wow, two days. You know I never actually been in a hospital bed that long. You could say I was a rather safe guy back on Earth. Which now that I think about it, you were a human last time I saw you.”

Celestia smirked as she raised an eyebrow, “Like what you saw?”

I was completely caught off guard, usually, I was the one that would pull off these kinds of jokes. It was so out of the left field that I could feel my face start to heat up.

Covering up her chuckles, Celestia continued, “You’re quite cute when you're flustered.”

This, of course, caused the thermostat in the room to break and for me to snatch the water out of her grip and down it. Seeing my desperate actions to cool myself down, Celestia’s chuckles evolving into full out laughter, snorts and all.

Sucking up the last bit of water from the cup; I placed it down on the bedside table and returned my gaze to the mare gasping for breath. “You done?” I questioned her with my arms crossed.

Wiping a small tear from her eyes she nodded, “Yes, I so desperately needed that.” She commented taking another large gulp of air.

“So, what are we going to do now? Sitting here in the hospital’s not really that exciting, and I think it’s safe to assume you have a ton of princess paperwork to do.” I lectured.

Celestia nodded to my statement, “You would be right in that assumption. I have much work to do before the day is done, but before that, I think a cup of coffee is in order!” She exclaimed getting up and lighting up her horn.

Before I could question what she was doing, a small wheelchair popped into existence right next to her. With another wave of her horn, she pushed the chair next to the bed and motioned me to get in it.

“I refuse to have a pony push me around, it’s embarra-” was all I got to say before I dematerialized in my bed and rematerialized in the chair, “-ssing” giving up on that argument I picked up on another, “Why do you need me to come with you, shouldn’t you be the one telling me to rest more.”

It was now Celestia’s time to blush, “It’s been two days Ken and I've been going to the coffee shop alone. For those two days!”

“And that was her excuse? Has she really grown that attached to me?” I questioned myself as she pushed the wheelchair out of the hospital room and into the hallway. Immediately when the nurse saw her taking me out she attempted to stop her. Of course, being the goddess of the sun, Celestia just zapped her with a bolt of golden energy never to be seen again. It sparked the question where do these ponies go when Celestia teleports them. Not to mention that I haven’t seen Twilight Sparkle since the party either.

Bursting through the doors of the hospital ward, Celestia pushed me down the main entrance of the castle. When we breached the doors of the castle I was shocked still as ponies all around started cheering and stomping their hooves. Each one of their smiles carving its way into my memories. Even fillies and colts were running around us laughing and playing. This site, in turn, caused me to turn my expression into one of confusion.

Celestia seemed to pick up on my state as she pushed the wheelchair forwards, “They're thanking you for defeating River and fixing the weather. You’re a Hero to them, Ken.”

Celestia’s words rang through my head, “You’re a Hero to them, Ken.” My smile faded as my mind kept repeating the word ‘Hero’. I didn’t deserve to bear that title. All I did was attempt to solve a problem that was inadvertently my fault. It wasn’t like I ran into a wall of bullets to stop a war; or that I helped wounded people get back to the front lines. Those were the real heroes, I was just a guy that stopped a crazy mare.

“Shouldn’t you be happy? Look at the foals,” Celestia questioned as she let out a little giggle at one of the foals as he tripped over his own hoof. Picking him up with her magic she placed him back on his hooves.

Letting out a sigh I stopped my moping and cracked a small smile, “I guess you're right. No use being Mr.Grumpy pants on a day like today.”

“I couldn't have said it any better myself Mr.Grumpy pants,” Celestia beamed as she continued to push me towards the city or more specifically the coffee bean. Even from here I could smell the pungent smell of the coffee wafting through the door every time somepony opened it. Hell, I didn’t even need to go in to get my daily dose, just smelling it was enough.

“So, this is why you were so persistent on getting me out of the hospital room,” I commented looking at the multiple ponies waving at me with smiles of their own.

Celestia avoided eye contact as she said, “Yeah, sure, that's the reason.”

I was about to question her further when we found ourselves in front of the coffee bean, but two unicorn mares derailed me. One was blue head to hoof, even her eyes were blue. While the other one was red. The strange thing was that I could understand what they were saying completely.

“I told you only posers drink decaf, I mean why drink coffee if it isn’t going to wake you up? That's the most pointless thing I have ever heard.” Commented the blue one.

The red one rolled her eyes, “Maybe someponies just like the taste of coffee. Ever thought of that?”

“Pffft, That's like saying ponies drink alcohol for the taste. You’re a real comedian you know that?” The blue one said as she attempted to not spew her coffee all over the place. When she pulled herself together she looked up and noticed I and Celestia making our way into the coffee bean shop.

“RUBY! LOOK!” The blue mare said stopping the now named Ruby to point at me.

Rolling her eyes once again Ruby turned to the blue mare, “What Sapphire?”

“It’s Kenneth and Celestia!” Sapphire exclaimed as she bolted towards us.

Celestia was about to open the door when Sapphire appeared right next to us, “It’s really you! I’ve been following all of Twilight Sparkles reports on you! And I have to say that the Human’s must be the most intriguing species I have ever encountered.”

“Twilights reports?” I questioned Celestia.

“She must have released her findings to the public. This would also explain how they’re able to speak English.” Celestia lectured.

Just now catching up, Ruby arrived next to Sapphire. Standing next to each other you could tell that the two were related. Nevertheless, from this first encounter, I could make a pretty educated guess that the two budded heads often.

Ruby nodded with her eyes wide open, without second thought she pushed her sisters head into the dirt as she did the same thing. “It’s a pleasure to be in your presence Princess,” Ruby commented causing me to give Celestia a small smirk.

Celestia on the other hoof rolled her eyes, “You may rise, I’m not out on any royal affairs.”

Ruby and Sapphire both got up from the ground. Within seconds Sapphire was back at it with the questions, “Is it true that you have vehicles that allow humans to fly even though you don't have wings?”

I let out a small chuckle, “Yes, that is true. So how do you know English again? I get that Twilight would release her findings, but that would mean you learned my entire language in two days.”

“She released the spell she used as well in her report,” Ruby added in with a smile of her own adorning her muzzle. It would seem that I was the common interest between the two mares.

Once again, I found myself being rather confused, “But that spell is very complex and magic heavy, how were you able to cast it?” I question recalling from before.

Ruby once again stepped in, “We combined our magic together. Even then we had to wait an entire day before we could cast it on the other one.”

It was now Celestia’s turn to be surprised, “You two must be really close in order to combine each other's magic. Only those with a strong bond can intertwine each other's magic.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, “As much as I hate to admit it I and sis are pretty close. Once we read the article Twilight released we both were determined to learn all there's to know about humans. You could call us fanatics if you really wanted to, that's why we were speaking in English rather than Equinish.”

“Interesting, -” Before I could continue the conversation Celestia stepped in.

“While we would love to stay and chat, me and Kenneth here have a long day of paperwork and recovery ahead of us.”

My face contorted into a scowl, “What do you mean ‘we’ when you said paperwork?” I questioned as Celestia pushed us through the door of the coffee bean. Leaving behind a rather confused Ruby and a still smiling Sapphire behind.

“I thought you liked helping me out,” Celestia asked as she pushed me up to the counter.

“No one likes to do paperwork. Even if they say they do, they're a big fat liar,” I retorted causing Celestia to let a small smile grace her lips.

“If you say so, anyways what do you want?” Celestia asked me as she herself perused the chalkboard menu that hung from the ceiling, “I think I’m going to have the latte with an extra shot of espresso.”

“You know those things are bad for you right?” I stated more than asked as I looked over the menu myself.

Celestia rolled her eyes in response, “You can say that about literally anything. Even oxygen is bad for you in a sense that it oxidizes your organs. Which, by the way, is the leading cause of death here in Equestria.”

“Do you always make a habit of blowing my ideas to ridiculous proportions in order to criticize them? Because I’ll have you know there is a large difference from dying naturally in 80 or so years then it is to die by the hands of an espresso 60 years down the line.” I countered.

“Please, like a shot of espresso is going to kill me 20 years earlier,” Celestia commented only to be followed up by the mare at the counter clearing her throat. It would seem that I and Celestia got a bit carried away with our little argument. Nevertheless, I and Celestia made it up by ordering right away. Celestia ordering her latte with a shot of espresso and me opting for another jam filled croissant.

Like all the other times before, I and Celestia sat in our usual spot. Her gaze slowly moving its way over to the cloud covered sky outside. With a small happy sigh and a smile, she commented, “You have no idea how much this helps me get through my work. I feel like a brand-new pony when I walk out these doors.”

With the croissant still in my mouth, I replied, “Are you saying the coffee helps you? Or are you saying our little social interactions help you?” My words all coming out mumbled from the pastry.

“Both, they fit together so perfectly,” Celestia added with a larger smile as she looked towards me from the corner of her eye. Bringing them back to the sky above she continued, “Looks like it’s going to rain.”

Bringing my eyes to bear the same view I nodded, “By the way, I forgot to thank you for saving me. Gotta love the reverse damsel in distress situation we had going on over there. But in all honesty, I didn’t think you were going to come for me at all when River went crazy on me.”

This seemed to slap Celestia across the face as she turned her head to face me, “And why would I not?! You’re my best friend Kenneth, I would never leave a friend like that.”

I watched as the first raindrops started to pat against the window pane, “Because you’re a princess, and to me risking a princess for someone like me seems stupid. I mean nothing would be different if I died, but if you were to parish saving me, Equestria would be in panic.”

“I would be different if you died!” Celestia shouted catching me and the mare at the counter off guard. Seeing my shaken state at her tone, Celestia calmed herself down. “What I mean to say is that Equestria has Luna if I were to one day not wake up. Now let's not go back into that negative frame of mind. Today is a day for celebration, not grief.”

“It wouldn’t be grief because no one died,” I retorted.

Celestia once again rolled her eyes at me as she threw a packet of sugar at my forehead, “I’m pretty sure you can use it in that context too. Either way, you know what I meant.”

Like always a small moment of silence was had as the two of us continued to eat, or drink in Celestia's case our meals away. It wasn’t till the rain started to come down even harder, that my eyes wandered to Celestia's tiara.

“Do you always wear that? I mean I know you take it off to go to bed and stuff, but have you ever gone a full day without wearing it?” I questioned causing Celestia to raise an eyebrow at me.

“Art thou asking a princess to strip her possessions?” Celestia stated in a posh voice as she brought a hoof to her chest.

I rolled my eyes at her shenanigans, “No, I was just asking if you ever take it off for a day.”

“You’re no fun,” Celestia pouted as the two of us got ready to leave. “And to answer your question no, it is a symbol of my princess title that is passed down from generation to generation of alicorns.”

Standing up -or at least Celestia standing up- we made our way towards the door. This was when I made my move. Swiping the tiara from up top her head I held it above her.

“Oh, no fun am I huh?” I teased.

Just like a kid, Celestia instantly went to grab it with her own hooves only for me to raise it higher. The part I didn’t see coming was for her to unfurl her wings and ascend even more. This, of course, caused me to raise it as high as I could and bend back to keep it away from her hooves. Celestia however, was as stubborn as ever as she moved closer to me in an attempt to reach it. This, in turn, caused me to fall over backward with her on top of me. Our faces mere centimeters apart.

Celestia's face started to adorn a nice blush before the owner of the establishment yelled something. This, of course, made her muzzle turn an even darker shade of red. Having enough embarrassment flow through her face, Celestia quickly got off with a defeated huff.

Deciding to play light of the situation, I placed the tiara on my head saying, “The spoils of war” in a heroic tone as we exited the coffee bean.

Chapter Nineteen - Jokes on You

When Celestia said she had ‘tons’ of paperwork to do, she really wasn’t kidding. After a nice relaxing walk back from The Coffee Bean we were caught off guard by the massive piles of paper that were strewed across her desk. Even Celestia herself was surprised by the amount of paper that adorned her desk.

“I hope you know that I’m in no way obligated to help you with this,” I comment, already turning on my wheels to get the hell out of here.

It’s at times like these you have to think about number one, and there was no way I was going to willingly place myself into this fiasco. Nevertheless, my attempts at escaping were thwarted almost instantly when I heard a distinctive chime echo throughout the room. Taking my first roll I felt a small pulling sensation on my chair. Looking back I could see a golden aurora enveloping the two handles. To be honest, I really didn’t know what I was expecting, maybe there was a small part of me that actually thought that escaping was even an option.

“Seeing as the work piled up while I was gone saving you. I think it's safe to say that you are in some way obligated to help me with this.” Celestia reassured with a stern yet playful quirky smile, “Not to mention that since you’re wearing the tiara right now, that makes you acting princess.”

I rolled my eyes, “That’s all nice and dandy but in case you haven’t noticed I'm a male, not a female, so it would be a prince, not a princess. Let's not even get into what would happen if you left me in charge for a single day.”

Covering up a chuckle, Celestia replied, “I don’t know, Princess Kenneth does have a nice ring to it. Just don’t tell Luna, she’ll be furious that you were able to take my tiara off so easily.”

This caught my attention, “Where is Luna anyways?”

“She’s probably in her room sleeping like she normally does. Night court maybe dull with fewer ponies coming to visit, but that doesn't mean she has any less paperwork to do than me.” Celestia commented as we both made our way towards the table.

Grabbing a handful of documents I straighten them out before placing them in front of me, “So how does the paperwork ‘work’ here? Shouldn’t you have ponies that sort through this?”

“I actually have three ponies that sort through the documents. Believe it or not, this is about ten percent of the documents that were hoofed in. Either the other ninety percent got scrapped or was pre-approved by my staff. The only documents that I have to sign off on personally are building requests and royal loans.”

Nodding to her response, my mind went back to what she said before, “So why would Luna be angry that I got your tiara?” I questioned tilting the headdress to the side. Who knows I might start a new trend for princesses to look more hip.

Sadly by the time Celestia opened her mouth again, she had pushed it back upright with her magic, “Ever since I and Luna were foals she has always been pulling pranks on me. Every day, one after the other -of course it was all in good fun- but she does tend to go a bit overboard with them. Like this one time she tried to place a firecracker in my toilet.”

I gave Celestia a deadpan expression. Maybe it’s true, royalty really does suck at pulling pranks. Putting a firecracker in the toilet is almost as old as pulling the fire alarm. Well, I guess that would be new here seeing as they don't even have fire alarms, but I digress.

“So back to why Luna wants your tiara,” I state getting back onto the topic.

“Right, so one of the pranks she’s always trying to do is to steal my tiara and do mother-only-knows-what to it. But every time she tries she fails, it's quite comical actually how many different attempts she’s made. To tell the truth, I think she just over thinks all of her plans.”

“Ah, so it's like a long-term sister-bonding event. Nevertheless, I’m more interested in you and Luna as foals, I can only imagine the adorableness.” I comment causing Celestia to visibly cringe.

Levitating over her own stack of papers; she instantly gets to work, “Princesses aren't supposed to be adorable. We’re supposed to be serious and kind.”

“It’s hard to believe you when you say that, you're practically a walking stuffed animal.” This caught Celestia's attention as she looks at herself than towards me, “counter however you want but you can't hide the fact that you still hold a high level of adorableness. In fact, I'm pretty sure ponies as a species can’t stop being adorable for a single minute.”

Celestia didn’t respond, and how could she? I had left no room for her to continue the topic. So as an act of mercy I changed the subject for her, “Either way, what are the plans after we finish going through this mass of paperwork?”

Chuckling she responds, “You speak as if we’re going to finish this all in a matter of hours. We’re going to be here all night.”

My expression drops as I roll the wheelchair back, “In that case, I’m going to go get some snacks from the kitchen.”

“But didn’t you just eat at The Coffee Bean?” Celestia pondered.

I let a smirk graze my lips, “are you saying you don't want something then?”

Lowering her head she answers, “a slice of vanilla cake.”

“That's what I thought,” I comment rolling myself out of the study and back into the hallways of the castle. My tiara was gone in golden poof the moment I crossed the threshold of the room. I was actually quite surprised that I was able to wear it that long.

As I rolled out of the room the long halls no longer looked daunting to navigate, but instead held a nice homey feel to them. Ever since I got most of the castle mapped out, finding things like the kitchen was as easy as asking a guard or two. Who was I kidding? After the first two turns, I was lost again, the walls turning back into their ominous form. I felt as if I was a child lost in a mall wandering around trying to find his mother.

Vowing never to reveal my inability to remember the castle’s floorplan to anypony I rolled through the door leading to the kitchen. To my utter surprise, there was only one pony inside which was poking her head into one of the refrigerators. Now you didn’t need to give me any hints as to who she was, the large black splotch on her rump told me all I needed to know.

Rolling up to her as quietly as I could; I positioned myself on the other side of the refrigerator door. Looking over I could see her moving around different foods with her muzzle muttering things to herself until she came across the large vanilla cake sitting at the back. With a devious smile, she moved in to grab it.

“Going to prank Celestia huh?” I questioned causing her to bang her head against the fridge.

Abandoning the cake altogether she pulled her head out and glared at me, “Tis none of your concern what I do in my spare time. Not to mention thou is already trotting on thin ice, pulling such a stunt could have easily ended with your death.”

“Don’t cut yourself on the edge there Luna,” I commented causing her to scowl at me more, “Either way if you’re going to do what I think you’re going to do with that cake. Then I got an even better idea.”

“Like thou can read me so ea-”

“You’re going to spice it up with some hot sauce or something and then give it to your sister,” I bud in.

“-sily” she finished looking both impressed and depressed at the same time, “Art I really that easy to read?”

“Yes but that's not the point, the point is I can help you. Not to mention it would look really suspicious if you were the one to give her the cake. If you gave it to me you would have way better odds of pulling this off.”

“So what is thy price?” She asked.

“If I pull this off, with no hitches mind you. Then we go back to being on equal terms.” I quickly reply.

If I could get Luna’s trust back and prank Celestia in the process you’re going to bet your bottom dollar I was going to take it. After all, from what I hear it’s not going to be all that hard to pull off a prank with Celestia. She has that air of cluelessness around her when she's focused, and boy am I going to make her focus on something.

“Like my trust can be so easily acquired,” Luna scoffed.

“I can get you her tiara,” I teased.

“What's the plan,” Luna snapped.

“Alright, I’m going to need a carriage, rope, two suits of armor, location of two ponies, and some Saran Wrap...”

Luna looked at me like I was crazy, the troubling thing about that was she was right.

The interior of the carriage was lit up red by one of the two fake unicorn guards. I sat in my wheelchair at the end; my hand grasping onto one of the nearby rope handles. “Alright, let me be absolutely clear! This may be my prank but you all know about the consequences.” The two guards nodded, “Alright so gather around, every second is going to count on this one.”

Each of the guards shuffled in their seats to get a little closer. The carriage hit another bump in the road causing me to stumble a bit in the chair. “You have the rope right?” I questioned the unicorn on the right.

Nodding she levitates it with her blue magic, “I still can’t believe we’re actually doing this! Can you believe it, Ruby! We’re going to prank the princess!”

I slap my forehead with my palm.

Thankfully Ruby was the voice of reason, “Sapphire! He told us to keep in deep cover! Who knows who’s watching, Ken is doing this for our own good. If the princess doesn't know who we are she’s not going to hunt us down later on.”

Before I could say anything more the carriage jerked to a stop, “We’ll times up, you know where you’re going?” I question grabbing my package. With both of them nodding, I opened the door and got out albeit more awkwardly with the chair. Awaiting for us on the other side was Luna, she was holding the Saran Wrap to one side and another package on the other with her magic. Giving her a small nod and a smirk we all went our separate ways.

Entering the castle my heart rate started to skyrocket. At any moment this plan could flip upside down and end up with me, Luna, Ruby, and Sapphire spending the night in the dungeons. Well, to be honest, I half expect me to be thrown into the dungeon for what I’m about to do.

The two-minute journey to the study felt like two hours as I counted each full rotation of the wheel. I knew I had to be calm and collected entering or she’s going to know the moment I step in. Reaching the door I grasp the handle and took in a large breath. Opening the door I come to see Celestia nose deep in her work. Of course, when I entered, she looked up and questioned, “you were gone for quite a while there?”

Code red, she’s already onto us! Reveal something personal to get her off our case! “Got lost,” Oh great she’s never going to buy that! Even though it’s somewhat true... Quickly think of something else! “Well I got you your cake, do you always have some just laying around?”

“Of course!” Celestia started with a bit too much enthusiasm, “Can’t be the castle of royalty without some cake now can it? I have our chefs make one every month.” Celestia lectured as I placed the cake down in front of her.

“Seems a bit excessive, nevertheless here you go. Just plain old vanilla cake.”

“And what's wrong with vanilla cake?”

“Nothing, it's just that some people like to eat porridge and bread with nothing on them every morning.” I continue the topic as I watch her take a nice bite out of the slice.

It's almost as if the world freezes as her chewing slowly stops, her eyes immediately shoot towards me. The phrase ‘betrayed by my best friend’ told purely in emotions here. A couple seconds pass as she stares at me her eyes starting to water. I can tell she's trying to keep it in, but Luna must have put something really strong in there.

Then it happens, her expression changed from shock to anger as she gets up. This was it, my time to shine! Getting up before her, I slapped her on the horn and bolted it towards the door. Celestia was too dazed to use magic gives chase. Opening the door I duck under it and turn around just in time to see Celestia slam into the Saran Wrap covering the upper portion of the door.

I want to laugh, I really do, but Celestia's hair was now starting to catch fire causing me, in turn, to fear for my own safety. Even the Saran Wrap covering the door started to burn up as she slowly got back up. The entire time her eyes were fixated on me.

I never thought I would be so scared having a plan work out so perfectly. Turning around I once again bolted it down the hallway. My wheelchair going surprisingly faster than I originally thought. Either way, I shook my head and focused on trying to remember Luna’s instructions. was it left or right that was the fastest way to get to the main hall? Guessing right, every pump I put into the chair, Celestia gained two hoofs on me. By the time we reached the main hall I could feel her breathing down my back.

Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling, I kept pumping. The guards doing what they do best which at this moment was staying out of Celestia’s way. It seemed like Luna did her job and told them what they’re about to witness.

“NOW!” I yell passing the last two guards.

A small chime rang throughout the air as a thin rope spanned the width of the hallway. Skidding around I turn just in time to see the fire in Celestia’s mane disappear as she realizes what's going on. Stomping her hooves onto the marble ground she attempts to slow herself down. Sadly, for her, the marble flooring was slippery and she soon found herself tripping over the rope.

Just before she hits the ground Luna pops out from the hall and places a banana cream pie where her face is about to be. To be honest, that wasn’t in the plans, but I will have to admit that it was a nice touch.

With a sickening splat, Celestia's face impacts the pie. Acting fast Luna ties up the rope around her hooves and takes her tiara off her head.

“HA HA! We have finally acquired thy crown!” Luna yells out in triumph. That, however, was quickly followed by a large gulp as she quickly teleports out of the room. Looking towards Celestia I can see the cream vaporize off her face as well as the ropes that were tying her down. The look on her face no longer held any mercy as she once again locked eyes on me.

“RUN!” I yell.

Ruby and Sapphire light their own horns and teleport out, not only that but the rest of the guards have seemed to have done the same thing. Thus leaving me alone in the main hallway with Celestia.

“Now now, it was just a prank bro,” I state sheepishly as I slowly start to back away from her. Thinking I could catch her off guard I quickly turn around and bolt it towards the exit. To my astonishment, I make it outside, but I'm no longer in my chair. Instead I see it getting smaller and smaller bellow me. Looking up I can see Celestia stare off into the distance as she brings me higher and higher into the air.

Then for the first time since the prank begun she spoke, “Did you know most of the time when a pony is dropped from this height they die from the fear and not the impact. After this, you’re going to wish I sent you to the moon.”

I gulp down and try to reason with her, “What are you going to do? Drop an already injured person?” I yell over the gale of wind. If anything, I know Celestia is too kind to do something so cruel.

As I said that her horn glowed brightly and I could feel the pain in my body slowly start to disappear. This was the first and probably the only time in which I begged for the pain to come back to me.

“No, I’m going to drop a perfectly healthy human,” Celestia corrected me as she let her grip on me loosen. My eyes open wide as the realization that she's actually going to let me go settled in. Sadly before I could say anything she released her grip on me.

“Why is it always in these types of situations that you decide to heal me!” I yell falling away from her.

As if to mock me Celestia dives down next to me. We were now both falling upside down looking at each other. Celestia with a smirk on and me with a terrified expression, “What do you want! Anything! Just say it! Just let me live till I'm 40!” I yell out looking between the fast approaching ground and Celestia.

“Anything?” Celestia ponders for a while, she actually looks like she's giving it a genuine thought.

“YES FOR CRYING OUT LOUD JUST SAY IT BEFORE I BECOME A PANCAKE!” I yell as loud as I can.

“Eight o'clock, The Coffee Bean tomorrow and dress nicely,” was all she said before I found myself sucked through the cosmoses straw and spat out into my room in the castle.

Utterly confused I stood up and looked around my room and found out that yes it was indeed my room. Walking over to the bed I flopped down backward on it and looked towards the ceiling, “Did I just prank Celestia and get a date out of it?”

As I my mind continue to spin I proceeded to move over to the side of the bed and vacate what little food I ate today out of my stomach.

Author's Note

I seem to have a bad habit of doing four chapters then taking a long break. Someone needs to slap some sense into me. I can only imagine how annoying it is to wait for a new chapter to come out.

Either way like the story if you haven't already, and comment whats on your mind. If you feel like disliking it please comment why. How else is a person supposed to improve?

Chapter Twenty - To Stoke the Sun

It’s astonishing how dull this castle can be when you’re not accompanied by Celestia. Walking through the hallways alone and unguided just seems to make them lose their excitement. Whereas every other time, I wandered these halls; I usually had somewhere to be. So it came to no surprise that since this realization I’ve been trying to find her. I’ve checked the throne room, her room, the gardens and even the kitchen. Hell even Luna -her own sister- didn’t know where she went off to.

But, I guess it’s all for the best. I’m pretty sure talking to her before this ‘date’ would just serve to make things awkward, maybe even ruin it all together. Nevertheless, I still couldn't help but feel that she would know exactly the right thing to say. That's kind of her thing, being a princess in all. She grew up being taught how to read people and respond accordingly.

Letting out a large sigh, I turn myself back into the main corridor of the castle. Celestia’s words from yesterday echoing within the recesses of my mind.

“Eight o'clock, The Coffee Bean tomorrow and dress nicely,” Like what in the world was she thinking when she said to dress nicely?! I mean just look at myself; I’m still wearing the same shirt with a hole in it. Not to mention it was her that promised to get new ones for me.

Taking another turn into a new corridor I found myself getting lost once again. This time, however, it was deliberate that I took the wrong turn. Since I had many hours to waste before something interesting happened, I decided ‘why not’ try and memorize the rest of the castle. Who knows, maybe I’ll come across someone that needs help.

Then again the possibility of that happening was nearly zero, seeing as most of the ponies don’t even know English. Which reminded me that I myself should be taking the initiative here and try to learn their language, not the other way around.

Nonetheless, my journey through the castle seemed to have come to a halt as I came to a dead end. The only two ways out was a door to the right of me or back the way I came. Since I had already come this far in the name of exploration; I opened the door to my right and walked through.

Surprisingly the door led outside of the main building and into the lower bailey. The whole place was covered in gravel that crunched under my steps. Further ahead of me laid multiple targets lined against a stone wall being shot at by guards holding bows with their hooves and mouths. Next to the targets stood other guards paired and up circling each other. Some with wooden swords and some with nothing but their bare hooves. Every now and then one would make a move to hit the other, in response the other would either dodge it, block it or get hit by it.

Taking my eyes off the training in progress I come to see three flag poles in the middle of the bailey. The one in the middle held a nice cyan blue flag with two alicorns embroidered onto it, while the one off to its right had a blue heart in the middle with a purple background. The flag that caught my attention the most, however, was the one on the left which sported a simple white background with a red x on top of it.

Continuing my walk through the courtyard I made my way towards the upper bailey. Here ponies stood in formation with their spears cradled in between their right hoof and neck. The pony out at front barked commands as he to took hold of a guidon pole. On the pole swung the same cyan blue flag, seemingly to be their nations or rather regions flag.

Walking past them I found myself exiting the bailey all together and entering the castle's main entrance through the east. Even from here I could see the large double doors that led to the main corridor just a couple of meters off to my right.

Following the gravel path up to the cobblestone one I made my way out of the castle entirely and into the city of Canterlot. Now mind you I was quite hesitant exiting the castle alone. While most ponies were forgiving and some even downright idolized me, others didn’t see it that way.

Who was I to tell them they were wrong in their claims? In fact, I find myself leaning more towards their train of thought than the others. After all in their eyes; I was the one that caused all of the destruction and turmoil. Either way, no matter how small their numbers may be, it still sent a chill down my back knowing that some ponies might hold a nasty grudge against me.

Only two reasons kept me on track. One to prove to myself that I wasn’t dependent on Celestia to take me everywhere like a kid; and two because I was bored out of my mind sitting in the guest room. I hoped that if I left the castle, I would find something to occupy myself with.

Thankfully, my prayer was quickly answered the moment I crossed the threshold of the castle's walls. As two familiar ponies came up to me.

“Hay! What a coincidence running into you here!” Ruby commented with a large smile as she waved her hoof towards me, “it’s not like we were stalking you or anything, just a friendly, non-creepy, coincidence.”

Sapphire slapped Ruby in the back of the head then turned to me with a smile, “sorry about her, she tends to spout nonsense.”

“Sure...” I comment still unsure whether I should believe her with that unnaturally wide smile she’s sporting. Have I actually gotten myself my own die-hard fans? Not going to lie I was both ecstatic and appalled at the same time.

“So if you're not here to stalk me then why are you here?” I continue the conversation.

Ruby started to sweat a bit, while Sapphire quickly replied, “We came here to make sure that things went alright with the joke we all pulled yesterday. Either way what happened after we left? Celestia looked like she was going to burn you alive and send your ashes to the moon when the two of us left.”

“She picked me up, dropped me from what seemed to be 3000 feet and then asked me out as i plummeted to my death,” I stated nonchalantly.

If Ruby or Sapphire were drinking anything they would have spat it out with how quickly their expressions changed.

“Celestia asked YOU out?” They both seemed to say in unison.

I gave her a quizzical look, “yeah, don’t know if its still part of her ‘revenge’ or not. But she told me to meet her in front of the coffee bean today at eight and wear something fancy. Who knows maybe it is the real thing and not a plot to embarrass me in front of everyone. I still don’t see what's the big deal?”

“The princesses don’t just go on dates Ken! The last time Celestia even considered somepony was way before the arrival of nightmare moon. Even then it was the stallion to ask her out, I don’t think Celestia has ever asked anypony out before you.” Ruby commented getting a side approval from Sapphire.

“So what you’re saying is that this is going to be the first time Celestia is going to a date she actually wants to go on. I still fail to see how this changes anything?” I question.

Ruby slaps her hoof to her forehead, while Sapphire attempts to just come out and say it, “God you’re a thick one! It means that Celestia is really serious with her feelings towards you. To her, this might as well be her first date ever! All the other ones she’s been on have either been for favors or to keep the press from nagging her everyday.”

The rusty gears in my head start to turn as I take in what they were trying to get across to me. “Maybe I should wear something else other than this then.”

Ruby and Sapphire look like their going to faint from what I just said. Giving them a sheepish smile I say, “What? It’s not like I have any other clothes to wear.”

Before I could say anything, I was being dragged away by two Ruby and Sapphire. A determined look burning in their eyes.

I never liked tuxedos, sure they look cool but they just weren't my style you know? I was more of the plaid sweater, worn jeans type of guy. Nevertheless, that didn’t keep Ruby and Sapphire from dragging me all the way across town to get a tailor that would be willing to make a suit on such short notice.

I guess I owe the two a large favor, god only knows what Celestia would say if I showed up to her fancy dinner date wearing a shirt with a large hole in it. Either way, I digress from the task at hand. Ruby and Sapphire had left me a while ago to make my way towards The Coffee Bean. Both giddy like school girls as they told me to ‘go get her tiger’, and ‘use your manners’.

Now I’m not going to lie, walking down the cobblestone streets towards my first date with Celestia got me a bit on edge. I mean what are the customs of dating here in Equestria? Are they the same as on Earth? Or are there some traditional sayings?

Letting a small sigh escape my lips I deduced that I'm reading way too much into this. Hell, I’m pretty sure Celestia was thinking about the same things when she asked me out yesterday. And if I know her, I know she did this so she could dive head first into learning about human courting first hand.

Straightening my tie I turned the next corner to see Celestia standing next to The Coffee Bean. Her pastel colored mane with the midnight sun flowed freely down the side of her face brushing up against her elegant white dress she wore at the last party. Her hooves adorned golden strands that spiraled up covering the light scar.

As I expected from a princess, Celestia was not only beautiful but surrounded by ponies talking to her. Slowing my pace down to give her some time, I looked on as she answered each of their questions. Her eyes darting between them until they finally landed on me walking up to her.

Turning her head in my direction she let a small smile grace her lips. Even this late in the day her smile seemed to bright up the night. If perfection existed in this world then she would be it. The way her smile complemented her figure. The way the midnight sun cast its warm glow across her dress catching the golden trim and making it shine like the sun. It was all simply breathtaking to me.

Catching on to what was happening the ponies around Celestia started to disperse. By the time the last pony left her side I was standing in front of her, my own little smile on my face. “Looking as beautiful as ever I see,” I comment causing Celestia's smile to widen, “So where’re we heading tonight?”

Celestia took the lead as she started to walk down the cobblestone street, “A little place north of here, where I heard they serve the best fresh green garden salads and are known to dabble in some dishes meant for the griffons.”

My smile widened, “All you had to say was that there was meat involved and I would have been hooked.”

Chuckling at my response Celestia trotted in a little closer to me, “I’m actually quite surprised you were able to find such a fancy suit. I was half expecting you to come in your normal attire.”

“I was going to, but then a little birdy told me that this is going to be your first actual date,” I comment back with a small smirk on my face. As I expected, Celestia’s face started to adorn a nice shade of red that seemed to work nicely with her in the moonlight.

“I don’t know who told you that, but I've been on dates before.” Celestia quickly replied trying to quell her embarrassment.

I nod in response avoiding pushing her too far from her comfort level. Trying to inject some humor into the conversation I brought back up the topic of my clothes, “You know it was pretty hard to find a tailor that could work on such short notice.”

Celestia chuckled as she leads me onto another street, “I guess it’s all my fault then?” She questioned giving me her best impression of a puppy dog.

“Yes, this time it was all your fault,” I state the truth and only the truth.

Scrunching up her muzzle she huffed, “if you don't have nothing nice to say then don’t say it at all.”

Mustering up my best royal voice I retorted, “So you would rather me not say anything and let you continue to blame me unjustly?” a small smirk carving its way onto my face.

“Yes, a mare’s always right,” Celestia cemented with a firm nod.

Letting her have that one, we both found ourselves entering one of the buildings that lined the cobblestone streets. The placed looked quite cozy, not to mention pretty romantic, with the patio outside covered by a pinstriped awning. Just below that held multiple tables, each one sporting a nice rose and two candles on each side of it. The cushions looked to be made out of polyester, while the plates and glasses looked to be of fine china.

Walking up to the maître d' -and yes that what he was, seeing as this place was so fancy that they didn’t employ hosts but instead had a separate person just to guide you to your table- Celestia stated, “We have a reservation here.”

It not like she needed to say it, the moment the stallion looked at her he immediately bowed and let us in. I guess those are the perks of dating royalty, but to be honest I felt kind of guilty for enjoying such luxuries. I remember many times waiting in line for hours just to get in. I could see I was not the only one uncomfortable with the situation as Celestia smile wavered.

Brushing it under the metaphorical rug I and Celestia got seated and ordered our drinks. Me with some plain old water and Celestia going all out with some expensive aged red wine. As the waiter left I asked, “Remember when we first met?”

This got Celestia to nod, “Well you never really told me how I arrived. You said it was a story for another time, mind telling the tale now?”

“I don’t mind, but I was not the only one to say that. You brushed aside your own history if I remember correctly. I’ll tell you about how you arrived, but then I would like for you to tell me more about your world 'Earth'. During my short stay there I was so shocked at the advancements you humans made that I couldn’t even hold onto my anger towards River.” Celestia proposed.

“Do you always make everything a deal?” I question causing Celestia to chuckle as she moved a strand of her ethereal mane to the side.

“Yes, and as a little reminder, you did sign the integration papers. One of which states that you have to follow my every command.”

“You still have that document?” I question.

“Of course I do,” Celestia stated as she popped said document in front of me. Looking at the bottom I mentally high five myself, “So when did I actually sign it?”

“When you first arrived, I saw you sign it.” Celestia retorted taking the document from my grasp and looking over it herself.

Knowing full well that the document was completely worthless with a small stick horse figure representing her saying ‘I’m mc bossy pants and can get away with anything’ scribbled on the signature line. She crumpled it up and incinerated it. “You know, sometimes I hate how rebellious you are.”

“Clearly this ‘hate’ isn’t a lot seeing as you’re the one to ask me out.” My statement got Celestia back onto the main topic like it was aimed to do.

“So your arrival,” Celestia commented changing the subject.

Smiling warmly I nod, “you said I made quite the entrance, I’m interested to hear what actually happened.”

“From my perspective, there’s not much to tell. I was in day court like I am every day talking to two ponies that were arguing over who should get a plot of land when one of my priceless murals was shattered when you were thrown through it.

Everypony was in shock when you hit the ground, no one knew who or what you were and on top of it all you were bleeding so much that it started to pool around you. I immediately got my guards to take you to the infirmary, and you know what happened after that.” Celestia retold

“So how much are one of those murals anyways?” I question generally curious to how much damage I had caused.

“Seven thousand bits,” Celestia commented causing the couple next to us to choke on their meal.

“Put that in perspective?” I asked.

“A house here in Canterlot costs about the same amount.”

I felt that my emotions needed to be explained physically so I waited for the waiter to come back and hand us our drinks. I then proceeded to take a sip of my water and then promptly choke on it.

“I guess I have a lot to make up for then,” I stated as we both made our orders. Celestia ordering her green garden salad and me with what I would assume is the equivalent of a new york style sirloin, with of course a side of a cooked potato fully loaded.

As the waiter left Celestia picked back up, “A debt I'm sure you will pay off over the years, now it's my turn to ask about your world.”

“Go ahead, what do you want to know?” I question.

“Do you ever miss it? Do you ever regret coming here to Equestria?” Let me tell you I was not prepared to be punched in the stomach from this type of question so early on in the date. I could see that Celestia knew how much a question liked that weighed but it seemed like she really wanted to know my honest answer to that question.

“There hasn’t been a day where I don’t think about that question. I look at my past and how it was compared to now. I had a life, friends, and family that all cared for me, and it really hurt beyond measure to be taken from that all. But what can you do right? What’s done is done, there is no way for me to back in time, and if I were to go back to earth right now I would be starting from scratch.

It's a question that changes as time goes on. If you asked me that when I first arrived I would have told you that I wish I would be back there, but now I'm not too sure. Time has changed me and I’ve come to love the ponies here and I can now start to see the light here. Yes, I miss it dearly, but do I regret coming? I really don’t think I do.” And to make sure I end this all off on a high note I couldn’t help but add the cliche, “plus if I didn’t come here I would have never met you and I think that makes up for most of my losses.”

Celestia's face went beet red, meaning my line hit right where it was supposed to, “It means alot to me that you were able to say that.” Celestia commented her eyes starting to water a bit, “I-i haven't had someone open up to me so willingly other than Luna. It must be so hard for you to go on knowing what has happened.”

Picking up one of the napkins I reached over and wiped her eyes, “It’s better than going on not knowing.”

Once again Celestia lets a small sad smile carve its way onto her face, “So enough of this sob questions time to get into the good stuff.”

This caught Celestia's attention as she composed herself, “The good stuff?”

“You know the meat of this date,” I comment.

“And that is?” Celestia questioned with a quizzical expression.

“Embarrassing stories!” I exclaim causing Celestia to take a large sip of her wine, “Like the time I got too drunk and pretended I had an invisible ID to the bouncer when I had the real one in my pocket.”

This caused Celestia to choke and spit out a bit of her wine back to the cup, “Ew, that's just gross Celi.”

“Celi? It was your fault anyway! Making a mare spit out her drink, how ungentlecoltly of you,” Celestia commented chuckling to herself as she said it. Her warm smile back on her face as she moved to wipe her muzzle.

“Rather I call you sun butt? Or how about sunny? No?”

“If you’re going to give me a nickname do it privately not publicly,” Celestia retorted looking around to the ponies around us.

“Where's the fun in that?” I question as the waiter came back with our respected meals. Mine looking ever so scrumptious while Celestia's looked rather bland. With a nod on both of our parts the waiter left.

“Either way you must have some stories to tell,” I comment taking a bite out of the steak. The juices hitting my tongue in the best way possible. They might not sell meat here in Equestria a lot but when they do, they sure know how to cook it just right.

“And what ruin your perfect image of me?” She scoffed taking a bite of her own meal.

“I’ve seen you covered in banana cream pie and hit a Seran Wrapped door at full speed. I think if you could ruin your perfect image, you’ve done it already.” I replied.

Rolling her eyes Celestia gave in, “Alright, last grand galloping gala Luna was having a bit too much to drink. When I told her she should stop, she pushed me onto the buffet table in front of all the nobles and my student Twilight. As if that wasn’t enough when I got up I spilled all the punch over the floor and slipped on it. I don’t think I’ll ever get the laughter that followed out of my memories. I even had to throw away my favorite pink dress after that.”

Suppressing a chuckle I took another bite from my steak. I could see out of the corner of my vision Celestia eyeing it. “You want to try some?”

“No thank you, meat doesn't really go to well with ponies digestive system.”

“Have you ever tried it?” I question.

“Yes, and it didn’t end out too well,” She continued.

“Looks like we have another embarrassing story coming up,” I pointed out as I took a bite out of the baked potato.

Times flew on by once we got the ball rolling. The night was filled with laughter and interesting stories all leading up to now where the two of us are walking side by side through one of Canterlots many parks.

“So let me get this straight. You a princess, slapped a noble just because he didn’t use your title? Seems a bit harsh no? I mean I don’t use your title either.” I question Celestia.

“When they keep pestering me every day for money or permission to do something, then no, it was not too harsh. In fact, I’m quite sure the stallion had it coming with the way he was acting.” Celestia stated puffing out her chest.

“Yeah, sure, you just wanted to slap him,” I commented rolling my eyes.

“There was that too, but like I said it wasn’t the main point,” After she said that a nice little bit of silence settled between the two of us. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but one that told each of us that we were contempt with just walking in each others company.

Like I've said many times before, all good things must come to an end and come to an end they did when we reached the castles main doors. Walking into the main corridor and down one of the many halls, we soon found ourselves at a crossroads. Where going left would lead to the guest rooms and right would lead to Celestia's room.

“I’ve had fun tonight, I don’t see why I didn’t do this before,” Celestia commented as she let her warm smile show.

“I would like to do this ag-” was all she was able to say before I moved in and placed my lips against hers. I could feel her tense up from the initial shock then slowly start to melt into it. Before long she was leaning into me as I pulled away, her eyes half-lidded with a dazed look in them.

Smiling to myself I turned towards my room, “We’ll definitely go out again,” I commented turning out of sight and heading towards my room. Leaving a half shocked half dreamy-eyed Celestia in the middle of the hallway. To be honest I didn’t know what went over me, but it wasn’t like I was holding onto any regrets for doing what I did.

Nevertheless it didn’t take long to enter my room, a small quirky smile on my face. Taking off my tie I made my way to the bathroom and quickly splashed a little bit of water on my face. Looking up I caught sight of my reflection.

Looking back at me was a man I barely knew. The stubble reminding me where I came from the long journey that had changed almost every aspect of me. I thought I had a plan, but with the danger out of the way and with this new feeling bubbling inside the fog in my mind started to clear.

Now I stood blinking empty-minded, looking at my reflection. The sound of running water forgotten and left in the background as I remembered what Celestia had asked. “Do you ever miss it?” For an instance I could see my mother and father behind me. Their kind faces smiling back at me. ”Do you ever regret coming here to Equestria?” Shaking my head I looked back at the mirror; once again showing just me all alone. The only trace of their existence was a lone tear making its way down my face.

It was hard not to show the pain in front of Celestia. Especially on such a day like today, but here in a secluded area where no one was watching I let my emotions surface. The mask I had put on started to crumble away as more tears started to flow turning the white sclera of my eyes red. A hiccup of a sob escaped my mouth and that's all it took. Before long I was crying on my knees in the bathroom. My chest hurt, my lungs burned and my mind was numb.

More distant memories flashed through my mind. Every friend I left behind, all the good times we had and all the troubles we pushed through. I thought I was over the break from my past. I thought I pushed through this before, but the truth was out in the open now. Forgetting them was wrong, I held a duty to keep them alive in my heart. Yet, even with the fact of carrying on their legacy I still mourned. That night I didn't make it back to my bed. Instead, I cried on the bathroom floor till I succumb to a dreamless slumber.

Author's Note

Wowie, this chapter went by fast. Literally started it today and finished it today. I guess I truly am a sucker for romance.

Anyway, you know what to do in the comments. When I have time I'll start responding to all of them.

Chapter Twenty One - Going off Improv

I twisted and turned in my sleep as the sound of hooves on wood made themselves known. Each knock getting progressively louder as I moaned in protest and rolled over onto my back. The marble flooring was cold against the exposed parts of my skin, threatening to wake me up and get me off the ground.

“Ten more minutes... please,” I protested, my voice groggy from the early hours of the day.

Sadly, my pension for more time was declined as the knocking on the oaken door continued without falter. A voice on the other end coming through, “Who sleeps in till noon?” I knew who it was just from the tone alone. Yet there was a little bit of something else that threw me through the loop. Was it excitement?

“Maybe someone that doesn't raise the god damned sun every morning,” I joke back as my foggy mind starts to pick up on my unique situation. I was laying on the bathroom floor, probably looking like a mess from the amount of crying I did last night. It didn’t feel good saying that, even if it was in my mind. So it came to no surprise that I now found myself somewhat disappointed in the fact that I let the past once again get to me.

As I lay there looking at the well-crafted ceiling I heard the door to my room start to open, “Well if you’re not going to get up on your own then I’m coming in.” Celestia commented as the sound of hoof steps on marble echoed throughout the room.

It was then that my body injected a large dose of adrenalin straight to my brain. I couldn’t let Celestia see me in such a state. She would no doubt blame herself again if I told her I what I was so depressed about.

Springing to my feet, I raced over to the bathroom door and shut it closed before flicking the small lock into place. I won't lie, I chuckled a bit when I heard Celestia yelp in surprise as I slammed the door shut. She must have thought I was in my bed, but to her dismay, I was in fact in the bathroom.

“So you are up?” She stated more than asked, her tone fringing on the side of impressed, “but why lock the door?” I could hear her trying to open the door on the other side. The sweet sound of metal on wood keeping her at bay.

Confident that she wouldn’t blast through the door. I walked over to the sink and looked at myself in the mirror. I had to come up with an excuse now! Racking my brain for anything I blurt out, “I’m not decent!...” Well that actually came out way better than I was expecting. “Just give me a couple more minutes and I’ll be right out.”

The rattling of the door stopped, “Alright, I guess I’ll just wait out here then.”

Turning on the sink I splashed some water on my face again. Reaching over to the towel attached to a ring on the wall, I scrubbed my face clean. Looking back up to the mirror I once again glanced over myself. Getting better but it still needs something. Doing a quick look around the room I found nothing that could really do me any good.

Reaching down, I opened up one of the drawers to find, well, nothing. Shaking my head I went over to the next drawer over and opened it. Inside this one was a small bristle on a what looked to be a rubber band, taking that out I placed it on the counter. Opening up the last of the drawers I found what I was looking for, a small grey comb.

Taking it out of the drawer I immediately started to comb my hair straight from its previous disheveled mess. As I did so, I looked down at the other object I pulled out from the drawer. The top part of it kinda looked like a toothbrush but the rubber band part had me at a loss. Shrugging I placed the comb down and picked up the unfamiliar device.

Well what's the worst that can happen? I question myself as I wet the bristles under the tap and begin to brush my teeth. To my utter and pleasant surprised as I brushed my teeth; I could feel the familiar cold feeling when I took in breaths. Maybe this was like that Miswak Stick's back on earth. Either way, when I was done brushing I looked back up to see myself back to normal, or as normal as I could be in pony infested world anyways.

Turning the tap off I unlocked the door and walked out of the bathroom. The moment I opened the door I could see Celestia sitting down with her hooves tucked under her on the bed. Like she always did, she greeted me with a smile.

“Morning, or should I say good afternoon?” she pondered.

“Afternoon, no need to mix up time just for me,” I replied.

“So why are you still in your tuxedo? I would imagine it being pretty uncomfortable using it every day.” Celestia questioned picking up on the one thing I failed to notice.

Thankfully I had a card up my sleeve, “I would love to wear something else but I still have yet to get any other clothes for a certain white mare that promised me she would handle it.”

“I know! Rarity always thinks she can handle things on her own. It’s going to be her downfall if you ask me,” Celestia stated nonchalantly.

“I was talking about you,” I retorted rolling my eyes.

Seemingly ignoring what I was saying, Celestia jumped off the bed and started to push me from behind. The moment we left the confinements of the guest room Celestia took the lead with a little bit of bounce in her step. When she realized I was staring at her she turned back towards me with her warm smile.

“What?” She questioned.

“Someone's a bit preppy today? Surely it has nothing to do with what happened yesterday does it?” I question looking over to her. A tinge of scarlet adorning her cheeks telling me everything I need to know.

“Is there something wrong with being happy?” She mused while I caught up with her.

I shake my head and chuckle, “nope, I rather like this side of you.”

“Oh, so you don’t like my normal side then? How rude,” Celestia joked as I playfully nudged her to the side.

“You know what I mean. So where are we headed?” I state changing the subject.

She didn’t answer at first but as we turned into the main corridor she picked up where she left off, “Where we always go when we’re both up The Coffee Bean.” The way she looked at me afterward was like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Are you sure you need coffee? I mean you look pretty wired already,” I say rubbing the leftover sleep from my eyes.

“Of course I -” Was all Celestia was able to say before a beige coated mare trotted around the corner and ran up to us. She had two scrolls tucked under each of her wings and by the look on her face, they must be rather important. Skidding to a halt she looked up to me then to Celestia, her soft blue eyes trying to decipher the situation.

Seeing the mare approach, the two of us stopped and waited for her to catch her breath, “News from the western isles miss, and also an article from today's paper that I think you should look into.”

Like always, her words have left a mystery to me. I really should take the time to learn their language. But like eighty percent of the human race I was lazy, and learning a whole other language is hard.

Either way, Celestia levitated the two scrolls from the mare and popped them out of existence. “Thank you, Velvet Star I’ll look into it over my cup of coffee.” With a prompt nod from Velvet, she was off trotting down the main corridor.

Looking over to Celestia I questioned, “Aren't you a little bit curious about what she gave you? I mean it did look pretty serious.”

“A bit, but my mind is set on coffee right now.”

Rolling my eyes in response I claimed, “your mind is always set on coffee.”

“That may be true, but at least I have something productive to do while I do so,” Celestia noted as the two of us exited the main corridor and into the garden in front of the castle. The moment we stepped outside I could see a mass of ponies clogging the main gate. The only thing keeping them from charging it was the guards as they stood there weapons crossed letting nopony pass.

“I think I know what the news article was about,” Celestia commented with a sigh, “Looks like we should lay low for a bi- What are you doing!” She yelled as I took her right hoof and ran to the left where the entrance to the upper bailey lay. As we entered the inner courtyard I took note of all the guards looking at me. I guess when one is dragging their princess around they tend to take notice.

With a sheepish smile, I continued to run towards one of the walls surrounding the courtyard. Looking behind I could see Celestia looking both confused and ecstatic at the same time as I led her up the wall and towards the eastern side of the castle. Looking down I took in a large gulp, it was a bit farther down then I had originally thought.

Nevertheless, I leaned over the edge gauging the distance to the ground. As I did so I took notice of the slight angle the wall was at. With a smile, I jumped up on the embrasure causing Celestia to pull away from me. Sadly, by the time she did it I was already sliding my way down.

When my feet hit the ground, I rolled forwards keeping my momentum. Rolling to a halt I looked back up at Celestia whos head was peeking over the edge nervously.

“You have wings, just fly down.” I point out, “You want your coffee don't you?”

Then Celestia did the one thing I didn’t think she would do. Instead of flying down she copied my exact decent. Not expecting this whatsoever from Celestia I was caught off guard when she rolled right into me, causing me to tumble with her.

A couple seconds later and the roll had ended, a couple more seconds and I could hear Celestia’s chuckles. Her laughter was contagious as I joined in. Pretty soon the both of us were full out laughing at how childish this all was. It took us a couple minutes to calm down and get back onto our feet/hooves.

“I don’t think I ever had to sneak out of my own castle before,” Celestia commented still chuckling a bit.

“Well as they say in America, there’s a first time for everything.”

“What is this America?” Celestia questioned cocking her head to the side.

Rolling my eyes, I brushed that question for a later date, “No time for talking, we need to get to The Coffee Bean before the press ponies figure out we’re not even in the castle.” Heeding my warning the two of us booted it towards the city as different as different can be, yet working together like two birds of the same feather.

Running towards the finish, me and Celestia burst through The Coffee Bean doors. The mare at the counter contracting a minor heart attack as the two of us leaned up against the doors out of breath.

With a small smile, Celestia called out towards the mare at the counter in their own tongue. Whatever she said seemed to get the mare working overtime as she jumped into the back of the shop to prepare what I could only assume was Celestia’s cup of coffee.

Taking my back off the door I and Celestia walked over to our normal spot. The coffee mare coming up to us seconds later with what I expected. There were a couple more seconds of talking between the two mares before she walked back over to the counter.

“Remind me never to get the media's attention ever again,” I comment taking the usual jelly filled croissant from its plate and taking a bite out of it. My eyes constantly darting outside to see if anyone will notice us. Thankfully, just like on Earth the ponies here seemed to be absorbed in their own affairs rather then what's going on around them.

“Ditto,” Celestia commented as she popped the two scrolls from before back into existence. Taking a long sip from her coffee she opened up the first scroll and chuckled.

“Is as bad as we thought?” I comment taking another bite and eyeing the streets outside.

Setting the scroll on the table she turned it towards me, “Take a look for yourself,” she motioned as she took the other scroll in her magical grip.

Pulling the paper towards me, I come to see Celestia leaning up against me as we walk through the park on our way back from the restaurant. The title reads: ‘Alien and the Princess?’ while the article below stated the author's opinion on the topic. Clearly saying that they have a strong feeling that I and Celestia were now an item.

“Have to admit, they took a nice picture,” I comment folding the scroll so it only shows the photo as I push it back over to Celestia.

Glancing over at the photo, Celestia smiles, “It is a nice picture, isn’t it. Maybe I’ll have to reach out to the publisher to see if I can get the original.” Taking another large sip from her mug, her eyes dart back over to the other scroll brow furrowing as she reads on.

Eating the last bits of my pastry I comment on her changing expression, “I take it’s not good news on the other scroll?”

“You would be right in that regard. Seems like the ponies of the western isles are running into trouble with the local pirates that roam the area. They're requesting me to head on over and negotiate with their regional officials for more guards to defend the area.” She lectures as she continues to read on.

“Looks like Equestria isn’t perfect after all. Got some major crime happening behind the scenes as well,” I note.

Lowering the scroll Celestia rolls her eyes, “Either way, it looks like I’ll be away the next couple of days.”

“Why not take me with you? I’ll keep you entertained when the politics get too much. Plus I think it would be fun to go on a little adventure. These western isles seem like the perfect getaway from all the hustle and bustle of the city.” I state my mind.

“Up to you, the trip itself is two days there two days back by ship,” Celestia replied staring intently at the paper. I can see by the amount of effort she's putting into staring at the paper that she's trying not to let her true feelings get in the way of making this decision.

Chuckling I speak up, “In order to keep you from blowing a blood vessel looking at that paper. I guess I can come along.”

“Wonderful!” Celestia clopped her hooves together, “We will leave tomorrow afternoon, so by the time you wake up.” Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. I have a feeling I’ll be doing this a lot more frequently with our new relationship status.

Either way with all of the reading done and both our mid-day snacks out of the way we both headed back to the castle. Passing by multiple shocked press ponies as we literally walked up behind them and continued through the gate. The song ‘she’s with me’ playing in my head as we pushed passed.

By the time we reached the main corridor we said our farewells. Celestia going off today court and me off towards my room. However, the moment Celestia was out of sight I took the corner in the hallway leading to where I guess would be the dungeons.

Whether it was out of luck or the fact that I actually remembered something from this castle didn’t matter as I walked down the stairs to where the cells were. As I entered the dungeons of the castle I could see four guards sitting around a table playing cards. The moment they laid eyes on me they sprung to their positions beside the cells.

“We’ll lookie who we have here, the princesses new boy toy,” came the all too familiar voice of River.

Walking over to the cell I looked in to see River sitting on her hay-stuffed bed, “I’m surprised you know so much for being stuck down here.”

“News travels fast, that and these guards kept talking about it. You know how annoying it is to hear them talk about you and Celestia? I was just about to knock myself out when you came in,” River told as she stood up in her cell and walked towards the bars, “So what brings you here? Questions about the powers no doubt?”

“Hit the nail there, you’re the only pony that studied natural magic at such an academic level. Who else am I supposed to go to when I have questions?” I question.

“True, but what do I get in return? Answers like these aren't so easily revealed.” River bargend as she walked up closer to the bars, her face now showing in the light. I can see the damage I did to her when I knocked her out. Just like Celestia she had the light scar that spidered all around her neck and lower muzzle. “How about you take ten years off my sentence and I’ll tell you everything you need to know? Sounds like a fair deal, huh?”

“Counter offer, how about I tell Celestia to keep the guards from talking about our relationship down here. I’ll also come down every once in awhile to keep you sane.” I retorted looking down at River with a stoic expression.

River scoffed, “That's hardly a fair deal.”

“Alright suit yourself,” I say giving up and walking back down the dungeon corridor.

“ALRIGHT, YOU WIN! Never expected you to be so cold,” River whispered the last part to herself.

With a satisfied smile carving its way onto my face I walked back over to the cell, “I think this is going to be a start of a new yet old friendship.”

“Yeah, because we all saw how the last one turned out,” River said gesturing to the cell.

“You reap what you sow, River.”

Author's Note

Another chapter for you lovely readers.

Like if you like the story, comment if you have something to say.

Chapter Twenty Two - Lunch at Dawn

For some unknown reason today I awoke earlier than I usually do, and when I say earlier I mean extremely early. Just looking outside at the moonlit sky could tell just about anyone that. I don’t know if it was the new journey me and Celestia were about to embark on that was making me wake up at this ungodly hour; or if it was just a fluke. Nevertheless, whether it is a fluke or not, I was going to make the best of this rare occasion.

Sliding through the corridors like a ninja avoiding the guard's looks of disappointment, I soon found myself in front of Celestia's chamber. The guards posted outside stood ever vigilant of their beloved and benevolent goddess. As if to test their loyalty I stepped forward seeking entry. However, being the honor-bound soldiers they were, they crossed their halberds denying me entrance.

“Come on guys, let a brother through?” I asked… and waited...

Rolling my eyes, I remembered my predicament here in Equestria. I the lowly human, did not speak their foreign -or in this case local- language. But I wasn’t going to let that stand in my way of pulling off one of the most dubious of stunts this world has ever known. An operation so serious I dubbed it ‘Lunch at Dawn’.

Seeing as the two guards wouldn’t let me in, and her room was the only one on this level. I opted to simply -albeit innocently- walk further down the corridor and down a flight of stairs till I came upon the room below hers. Since nobody was using these premium guest suites, the guards didn’t think they had to defend them. Sadly, that was their mistake. A room below the princesses should always be guarded. In hindsight, there shouldn’t be a room at all on either side of hers, but I digress.

Opening the door slowly, I come to see the room just like I planned it to be, empty. With a smile making its way onto my face; I walked over to the end of the room where a window depicting the city lay. Reaching over I undid the clasp, opened the window, and climbed out onto the ledge.

Looking down, I could see the Canterlot gardens five stories away. A small pond lay just below the balcony. It was all very peaceful, but peaceful wasn’t my intentions for breaking into this room. No, instead I looked up towards the grand balcony of Celestia's chambers. It would be tricky with the stone walls, but I knew that it was possible. After all, I was a pretty good climber.

Placing my foot on the first crevasse in between the stone bricks, I started my assent. Time was of the essence here and if I messed up there would be no second chances. Mostly because I would probably die falling from this height, and secondly my window of opportunity would pass should I survive the fall.

Thankfully, my climbing skills didn’t let me down in a quite literal way. Instead, they allowed me to position myself right below the balcony. Everything was coming together nicely, the only thing I had to do now was wait.

As fate had it, I didn’t have to wait long. Since it only took five minutes after getting here for me to hear the balcony doors swing open. Laying my hands on the bottom of the balcony I readied myself for the attack.

Waiting just a little bit longer, the distinct chime of her magic resonated from above. Looking over to the horizon I witnessed the sun slowly begin to rise.

“It’s now or never” I commented as I attempted to pull myself up. I say ‘attempted’ because I forgot just how hard it is to do a pull-up. Looking back at the horizon I could see my time was running out. Panicking I pushed with all my might to fling me just high enough so Celestia could see my face.

“Morning sunshine!” I yelled.

Just like I planned, Celestia jumped from my sudden appearance, bringing the sun with her. Within a matter of seconds, six hours had passed as the sun stopped high in the sky. Pulling the rest of myself up I leaned up on the outside of the balcony.

“Or should I say good afternoon?” I pondered as Celestia recovered from her miniature heart attack. As she did so, I continued, “you know it's very hypocritical of you to call me out for sleeping in yesterday when you, yourself did it today.”

Finally recomposing herself, Celestia narrowed her eyes at me, “You tread in dangerous waters, Kenneth.”

“I beg to diff-” was all I could say before Celestia pushed me over the edge.

As I lay there in the open air, falling to my demise. I realized two things, one Celestia is a sore loser and two that water feels like concrete when dropped from this height. As my eyes opened wide from this realization I could hear the voice of Celestia call out.

“Enjoy your swim.”

It was at that moment, milliseconds before impacting the water's surface. That I came to the conclusion that I was in love. That the white mare above me walking back into her room would bring me eternal happiness and everlasting pain.

It took me forever to swim to the edge of the pond. Not only that, but I was sore all over from the impact. At least it's good to know that I can indeed fall five stories into a pond and live. Nonetheless, I now trudged through the hallways soaking wet and covered in mud on my way to the one place I knew Celestia would be.

Every step I took made that funny wet plastic sound, and every guard I came across stifled their chuckles. I won't lie, she got me back pretty good, but if anyone is more stubborn than Celestia is, it’s me.

Opening the doors to the royal dining area, I come to see Celestia and Luna eating their respective morning meals. I would have to remind myself to pat myself on the back for finding my way here in this maze of a castle, but that was going to have to wait. Instead, I had a little revenge of a revenge cooking up.

“Looks like the mutt got a wash,” Luna commented the minute I walked in, "serves him right." As expected from the moon mare, she didn’t hold enough respect in her to stifle her laughs. Instead, she left the gates wide open. All was fine, I didn’t respond instead, I continued to walk towards them.

On the other side of things, Celestia just sat there eating with a little smirk on her muzzle. It was fine, I really didn’t need her to say anything. In fact, the only thing I needed the both of them to do was exist for the next two minutes.

Finally laying her eyes on me for the first time since I arrived, Celestia instantly figured out what was brewing in my mind. She, however, was too late. I was already standing right beside the two.

With a large smile between the two of them, I said, “Who wants a hug?”

Luna’s horn was the first to glow, so she was the first one to fall victim to my sloppy hug. My right arm extended and pulled her in. By the time she managed to wiggle out she was properly covered in wet mud. Reaching out my other arm to get Celestia in here, I find myself grabbing air. Turning around to lock onto my main target, I come to find her slowly trotting towards the exit.

“OI! Where the hell do you think you’re going?” I exclaimed causing her to start running.

Rolling my eyes, I chased after her. Leaving a rather confused and tad bit angry Luna alone in the dining room.

It wasn’t long till I was right behind her. Either she was too focused on running she forgot she had magic, or she was leading me into another… ah shit.

With a quick teleport, she vanished leaving me to run right into a maid pony fluffing pillows. I guess it was just my luck that in attempting to stop, I slipped on the floor and continued on my collision course with said maid. What happened to the pillow? Well nothing really, unlike every cartoon ever made it just kinda fell to the floor instead of blowing up. Happy that I avoided further embarrassment, and yet another cliche, I offered the maid my hand.

Accepting my token of gratitude, the maid grabbed my hand and pulled herself up. However, during the process of standing up, she slipped on the wet mud and fell onto the pillow. This, of course, caused one end to blow shooting feathers directly onto me.

“Of course...” I mumbled as the maid on the ground chuckled at my expense.

Another snap, crackle, and pop were heard behind me as a light flashed. Turning around I come to see Celestia smiling with an old 1920’s camera. I should have known there was more to her counter-attack then just feathers. Another flash of the camera and Celestia spoke up.

“Truce?” she offered holding out her hoof.

Walking over to her with my outstretched hand I said, “Tru-” Before embracing her in another sloppy hug. Letting go I left her looking just as goofy as me. I, however, wasn’t done as I took the camera from her hoof, pulled her in with my right arm and took the first selfie I’ve ever taken in my life.

Celestia was still left somewhat shocked as I brought the camera down. To be honest, the both of us looked like a couple of idiots in the middle of the hallway covered in feathers and mud.

“Now that's a picture worth taking,” I commented with a little chuckle.

“Using an act of peace to strike is not fair,” Celestia quipped.

Bending down to her level I replied, “All is fair in the game of love and war.” before giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

Wiping some of the mud and feathers off of her the two of us continued down the hall, “Well now we both have to take another shower.”

“Jokes on you I didn’t shower today,” I replied with a small smile.

I’m pretty sure Celestia was about to say ‘ew’ when she instead broke out into a fit of laughter. I myself didn’t find my line to be that humorous, so I just stood there watching Celestia as she tried to recompose herself. Yet, every time she tried she would just look at me and start up again.

Rolling my eyes at her antics I bud in, “It wasn’t that funny.”

Finally calming down she wiped a tear from her eye, “It's not that.” Taking another breath she continued, “I just found it so stupid that this was the first time somepony has told me something like that. You know how many ponies are afraid to just talk with a princess let alone tell them that they haven't showered.”

“I guess, either way, you ruined the only good clothes I have.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. The mare I had make some clothes for you came in two days ago. I have them in my chambers.”

“You had them all this time!” I exclaim.

“I was going to tell you, but things got it the way,” Celestia explained avoiding eye contact. Just like I deduced from before ponies are really bad lairs. While I have the right to call her out, I didn’t. Instead, I let her lead me to her chambers where she promptly gave me my new clothes.

While it did take over a week to make them, looking at them now I can understand why. Altogether there were five sets of clothes. The shirts were made out of some fine fabric that felt amazing to the touch. While the pants seemed durable enough to take a large beating. That is to say, they didn’t skimp out on the material for they were double lined with a soft interior.

Looking closer one could applaud the craftsmanship as the seams were expertly sewn. Each one looked to be hand -or in this case hoof- made with no cutting corners. To tie it all together each set accented the other with the final cherry on the top being that they even managed to bundle in some underwear and socks.

Holding the rather large pile of clothes in my hands, I looked up towards Celestia, “You really weren’t lying when you said you were going all out. These things must have cost a fortune. I can only imagine how long it took them without any references.”

“The pony I had working on them is quite the kind mare. She offered to make them free of charge, claiming the challenge and the honor of making clothes by royalties request were enough. I, however, insisted I give her just dues.” Celestia explained.

“Rightfully so, she did an amazing job,” I replied still gawking at the clothing.

Still checking out the different pieces, Celestia cleared her throat. Looking up I can see her nodding her head to the door. I knew what she wanted but that didn’t make it any less confusing to me. They were ponies that had no such thing as modesty when it came to clothing. Yet here she was telling me to go outside because she was going to take a shower.

As a human, I no doubt see the meaning behind it, but with this particular topic at hand, I just had to ask, ”So ponies do have a form of privacy. Weird I see you naked all the time, why does it change as soon as you shower?”

Celestia's face adorned a nice shade of scarlet, “It is uncouth for a stallion to see a mare wash. A mare that washes in front of a stallion is the same as her offering her goods.”

“I see, you ponies are weird,” I replied bundling up the clothes and walking towards the exit of her chambers.

The guards on the other side stood like they always did. Their endless gaze forward reminding me of the queen's guards back on earth. I contemplated trying to make them move, but decided against it as I had caused enough shenanigans today.

Since it was only a couple floors down, getting to my room took no time at all. Opening up my door, I immediately tossed my clothes onto the bed and opened up the door to the bathroom. Closing the door behind me I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw another reflection of a black haze in the shape of a man behind me in the mirror.

“Jesus Christ!” I yelled snapping back towards the door only to find nothing there. Heart still ready to burst I turned back to the mirror to see the figure gone. The only indication it was ever there was my heavy breathing as I attempted to calm myself down.

Chalking it up to my eyes playing tricks on me as I walked over to the shower and started it up. Thankfully here in Equestria, the showers were relatively the same. One lever for the hot and another for the cold. However, being a human, I could never find the perfect temperature. So instead I opted to just have a slightly warmer shower.

Stripping down to my birthday suit, I stepped into the shower and began the process of cleaning myself. It felt amazing to once again have all the grime pour off me, to be clean once again. It wasn’t till stepping out of the shower that my smile faded in a sigh of contentment. A huge step forward in my frame of mind was made as I walked back into my room and put on the first set of clothes the kind mare made for me.

The white t-shirt and cargo shorts fitting me perfectly as I slipped them on. Not to mention a stark difference to the warn tux I was wearing before. Speaking of the tux I walked back to the bathroom and moved the tux I was wearing into a nearby hamper. I assumed since this was a castle that the clothes would be washed by some sort of maid.

Worst comes to worst I have somepony throw away my already ruined tux. I’m sure I just made the tailor who created it rip his mane out. His hard work destroyed at the hands of a human pulling a little prank.

Nevertheless, after the tux was placed in the hamper I heard the tell-tale knock on the door. To be honest I’m actually quite surprised that Celestia would be done so soon. Walking up to the door to my room I opened it up to come across Ruby and Sapphire rather than Celestia. Which surprised me, mostly due to the fact that they were able to get past all the guards.

“How the hell did you two get in?” I question not even bothering to ask how they knew which room I was in.

Ruby rolled her eyes, while Sapphire replied, “Didn’t your mother teach you manners.”

It at this time that my own eyes rolled, “Didn’t YOUR mother tell you not to STALK people.”

“She told us not to stalk ponies, she never said anything about stal- -ume- s” was all Ruby could say before Sapphire's hoof was properly lodged in her mouth.

“We aren't stalking you, we just came by to ask how things are since the last time we’ve seen you,” Sapphire claimed giving me a nudge with her hoof and a little wink.

“Things went pretty well without little outing. Got to know a little bit about he-” Was all I could say before Ruby cut me off.

“The deets man we need the deets!”

These ponies were becoming too used to the English language. Hell, I’m impressed they’re already using slang the right way. Nonetheless, I wasn’t going to hold back, these ponies were the closest things to friends I have in this world. So in knowing so, I let them know the things the press probably would die to hear.

“Oh you mean how we kissed and snuck out the next day to The Coffee Bean to avoid the press,” I relayed with a smug expression.

“Kiss on the first date, sneaking out of the castle, this sounds like the romance novels I read,” Sapphire of all people gushed. Before I could speak Sapphire immediately did a 180 as she noticed the getup I was wearing, “Where did you get those? I thought you were poor.”

“Hay I’m not poor!” I quipped.

“How much bits do you have to your name?” Ruby questioned.

“3 bits” was what my mind said but, “That's none of your business” was what left my mouth.

“See, you’re lucky you’ve got Celestia to lean on,” Ruby continued.

I wasn’t really liking what there's ponies were pointing out. They were essentially telling me I was mooching off of Celestia. Sadly, to tell the truth, I was. I know I went through this exact same situation before, but it still haunted me. I needed to get out of this rut and pull myself together. Maybe I could go back to the labs?

“Ruby!” Sapphire yelled as she whacked her sister in the back of the head.

“What!” Ruby yelled back rubbing the back of her head.

“That's not something you say to someone that has been through what he has been through,” Sapphire commented only to be stopped by me raising my hand.

“While it was rude,” I said giving Ruby the stink eye, “I know it was said with good intentions.”

Ruby smiled sheepishly “No ponies perfect.”

“Indeed not,” Came the all too familiar voice of Celestia.

Yelping in surprise the two mares turned around. While I, myself looked up to see Celestia. One of which was wearing her normal attire plus a large sun hat on. Ironic really, the goddess of the sun wearing a sun hat. Either way, her sun hat had the midnight sun I picked attached to it. It seemed she really liked the flower since she’s willing to use it in most of her ensembles.

“You’re majesty!” The two exclaimed at the same time as they bowed.

Letting a little chuckle escape her lips, Celestia shook her head. “No need for formalities. A friend of Kenneth's is a friend of mine.”

Ruby’s smile seemed to grow being told that she was a friend of the princess. Sapphire on the other hoof looked like she was going to pass out. Together they looked like this was the best day of their lives.

Before, any of them could say anything. Celestia once again spoke up, “Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but do you mares mind if I take him off your hooves? We need to get going to the port.”

“No not at all, by all means, he’s all yours,” Sapphire claimed

“In more ways than one,” Ruby’s joke slipped out causing Sapphire to slam another hoof into the back of her head.

Celestia, seemingly ignoring Ruby’s joke looked over at me and smiled, “I see you’re wearing the new clothes.”

“Well, it’s not like I had much of a choice. It was either this or I go back to my already ruined tux,” I commented only to get a death glare from Sapphire. Right, I forgot to tell them that I wrecked their tux. Ruby on the other hand just winked at me.

“Well, nevertheless we have to get going. The ship leaves at midnight and it's gonna take us half the day to get there.” Celestia lectured.

Once again I got confused looks from both Sapphire and Ruby, “where are you two going if you don’t mind me asking.”

“To the western isle,” Celestia said without hesitation, “some issue has come up and it requires my attention. Kenneth is just tagging along.”

It was then at that moment that I saw the mistake in Celestia's words. Before I could even try and wiggle out of it, Ruby was already asking, “Can we come? I mean the more the merrier!”

“Ruby! How do you expect us to pack in a couple hours!” Sapphire stated rolling her eyes.

“Easy! We just teleport!” and just like that the two were gone.

Looking over to a confused Celestia I started, “Well, this trips going to be an interesting one.”

“They didn’t even wait for my response,” Celestia stated.

“My point exactly,” I commented as we both made our way out of the castle.

Author's Note

Long time no see readers. Hows the new year treating you all? I myself am in a new house I rented. Felt it necessary to start back up my writing. like always, I appreciate any and all comments. They help me grow as a writer and make my books the best they can be. Nevertheless, I hope you like the new chapter.

Chapter Twenty Three - The Canterlot Express

“This is gonna be so cool,” Ruby gushed taking a seat next to me on the train station bench, “an adventure with the princess! Can you believe this is even happening, Sapphire?” Ruby questioned looking over to where her sister sat.

Her response was a simple grunt as she pushed her muzzle deep into her brochure. Now while I couldn’t understand a lick of what the text said, I could interpret pictures. With a lowly palm tree swaying in the wind on the cover, golden sand beaches on the back and ponies dancing around a fire inside; I assumed she was reading up on the western isles. I mean where else could that be right?

When Ruby got no answers from her sister she huffed and turned towards me. Eyes the size of dinner plates and a smile plastered on her face she asked, “What about you Ken? I’m sure you’re just as excited about this trip as I am!”

It was cute -in a sort of creepy way- how this full-grown mare was acting like a child in a candy shop. Either way, I wasn’t going to leave her hanging like her sister. So I promptly replied, “Yeah, a super cool adventure awaits.” I’m not going to lie, a vacation was way overdue. After Celestia deals with the situation, I plan to take full advantage of the crystal clear waters foretold in Sapphire's pamphlet.

Nudging her sister in the forearm Ruby commented, “See, Kenneth knows what's up. Now, all we have to do is wait for the train and get on the boat.”

“WHEN the train arrives,” I corrected, my sentence laced with sarcasm.

My whining seemed to get the attention of a certain white mare as she entered in the conversation, “The train will arrive like always has, on time.” Tilting her hat towards the sun she continued “and if my words are true like they’ve always been,” I rolled my eyes at her rising ego, “then it should arrive in the next couple seconds.”

To be honest, I thought we were just going to walk down to the pier. But with Celestia's insight, I came to realize that Canterlot was in the middle of the of the continent. Funny how messed up your sense of location is when you're dropped into a new world and locked up inside a castle.

Nevertheless, It was going to take us half a day to get to the port. From which we would have to wait another three hours before setting sail to the western isles. Because surprise, surprise, Celestia is an actual stickler for time.

Then again, who could really blame her? She had an image to uphold. An image that at this time required about six armed guards stationed around her at all times.

“You’re really that confident in your transportation system to guess in the seconds?” I finally reacted to Celestia’s comment.

Celestia didn’t respond, instead, I was cut off by a loud whistle cutting through the dense Canterlot chatter. Which -in case you were wondering- is not something I say lightly. Since Canterlot was their population equivalent to New York. Either way, I didn’t even bother looking at Celestia at this point. I knew full well that she had a smug smile etched on her muzzle, one that I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to hear nor see any of her ego as Ruby got up from her seat and exclaimed, “Adventure awaits!”

Following Ruby’s lead, the rest of us stood up from our seats, grabbed our luggage and made our way over to one of the first cabins. Arriving at the door, we were greeted by a male unicorn in a tux. Giving the princess a small bow, he stepped out of the way while opening the door with his magic.

With the stallion greeting us professionally, my mindset off red flags. However, stepping inside revealed something I wasn’t expecting from royalty. The cabin was like any other, no fancy decor or frilly furnisher. Instead, it was just a plane cabin with two seats next to the window and four bunks for us to rest should we need to. To me, it was a pleasant surprise, that for once I was getting the same treatment as everyone else.

Ruby and Sapphire, on the other hand, didn’t waste any time looking around as they proceeded to go their separate ways. Ruby jumping onto the bed and Sapphire placing their luggage into the storage compartments.

“A whole cart all to ourselves! Gotta love traveling in a group!” Ruby commented as she proceeded to lay down on the bed and relax.

Celestia let out a chuckle as the two of us walked over to the window seats. It seemed no matter where we were, we always had to have the window spot. Not like I was complaining, in fact, I was relatively happy that I got the seat closest to the window. It enabled me to pass the time simply by looking out upon the bustling train station. Where business ponies were running, travelers were getting lost and the rest seemed to fill in the cracks.

It was quite relaxing to look at all the chaos in its own weird way. A certain charm that I’m sure the city would never lose. A train of thought I would be delving in deeper if I wasn’t rustled by Celestia taking the seat next to me. Her ethereal tail brushing up against my leg.

Popping a couple scrolls into existence, she looked over at me with a small smile. A warm and soft smile that would brighten up even the darkest of days. Yet -as always- before I could even ask what she was doing with the scrolls, she answered, “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll be using this time to prepare for our arrival.”

“Left some stuff for the last second did we?” I questioned.

Shaking her head she hoofed me the first scroll on the pile. Taking the scroll, I unraveled it to see what I expected to see. A whole bunch of symbols, their meanings flying right over my head and out the window.

Just like she did before, Celestia answered before I could ask, “It’s the report from the western isles. If you flip it over you can see the pictures.” I felt like a child once again. Having to be told to not read but instead look at the pretty pictures.

Sure enough, once I flipped the parchment over, I came to see the multiple pictures Celestia was pointing out. Each one was not as pretty as I so arrogantly though as it depicted multiple injured ponies, buildings on fire and boat wrecks. I found it kind of surreal that something this violent could happen on this scale within this world. Sure there was River and the storm, but nothing as clear-cut as this. This was one group of ponies wreaking havoc over the land. Kind of reminding me of a certain situation back home.

“To think this happens here,” I pondered out loud.

“You speak as if much worse things could come to pass,” Celestia observed as she took another scroll and placed it in front of her.

Handing the scroll back I nodded, “if this can happen, whos to say that a full out war can’t break out. You already got pirate problems, it's only logical that politics is in some way, shape or form involved in the mater.”

“You make bold statements for someone with little knowledge in politics,” Celestia replied taking the scroll from my hand and moving it back over to the pile.

She has a point, I was just some nobody when it came to matters of the state. But that didn’t mean I would just give up. If I hoped to further understand my new home, what better way to do it then to dive head first.

“I’ve seen it in my own species past. War breaking out due to an assassination and another breaking out due to the repercussions of the first war. Not to mention the many wars that followed after. One of which you could say a ‘pirate’ like faction fueled. I don’t really need to know politics to see danger on the horizon. I just need to look into the past to avoid it from happening again.” I commented as the train finally jerked forwards.

Celestia seemed to take my words to heart as she nodded and quietly went back to work. I knew she didn’t want to hear about the ‘what if’s’, but I couldn’t help but throw in my own view into the pot. Piracy, no matter how you look at it, will never lead to anything good. It’s better to deal with it quickly now before it spreads.

As the train finally left the station and started its way down the mountain, Sapphire sat down across from me. Her stoic expression was replaced with a curious smile as she placed her brochure down, “ It has been what, like two minutes? And you already look bored.”

“Me and waiting never really go well together,” I stated truthfully.

“I thought so. So I made this for you. A little thank you gift for taking the full brunt of Celestia's wrath.” Sapphire stated pulling out a small notebook and placing it in front of me. As she did so I could see Celestia’s eyes look up towards Sapphire. Thankfully she didn’t do anything with the new information and went back to her work.

Taking the leather-bound notebook in hand I smiled. It was a nice gesture, but there was one huge flaw. I, the lowly human could not read Equestrian. Which lead me to say, “you know I can’t read Equestrian right?”

“Way to literally judge a book by its cover,” Sapphire commented, inflicting a small giggle from Celestia. Once Sapphire had rolled her eyes she continued, “Open it up.”

Following her command, I slowly untied the small leather strap and opened the book. Glancing over the first page I come to see it filled to the brim with notes written in both Equine and English. Catching my attention, I delved deeper soon coming to the conclusion that this was a book about learning their language.

The time and effort Sapphire must have put into this to make it a reality must have been monumental. It almost made me tear up knowing that someone made this specifically for me. It had been so long since I’ve had felt the genuine kindness this mare just casually dished out. To be honest, I felt unworthy flipping through the pages. Just from the glances, I came across diagrams, examples, and suggestions.

Willingly or not, Sapphire had just given me the drive to break this barrier once and for all. With a large smile making its way onto my face, I closed the book and looked over to Sapphire. She was just sitting there nonchalantly watching me.

“I don’t know what to say,” were the first words to come out of my mouth. Celestia must have noticed my uneven tone as she glanced over at me.

Sapphire chuckled, “A ‘thank you’ would be a nice start.”

Joining in the little chuckle I reached over the table and gave her a nice big hug. “This has to be one of the nicest things someone has ever done for me. Thank you so much,” I replied.

As we hugged it out, I failed to notice Celestia take the notebook. Within seconds the hug was over and Celestia herself praised Sapphire, “This is incredible, I might just have to higher you to work with other foreign texts.”

“It wasn’t anything special. Just thought I would help my favorite human out,” Sapphire stated sheepishly.

Looking back over to Sapphire I said in a monotone voice, “I’m the only human.”

“That's the point,” out of all people Ruby commented from her place on the top bunk. Looking over I could see a small tent was erected and Ruby had her head poking out, “and don’t you go hogging all the credit there sis, remember who drew all the pictures.”

My smile widened, not only one pony was in on this, but two. Getting up from my spot, I shuffled passed Celestia and wandered over to Ruby’s bunk.

“So you helped out as well?” I questioned.

“Yes, sir!” She promptly replied sitting up with a solute. What made the entire scene so adorable was the fact that when she sat up, the tent collapsed. This, in turn, caused the blanket to fall over her face.

Before she could get the blanket off of her head, I stepped up and gave her the same hug I gave her sister. “If that is the case, then it looks like I need to thank you as well,” I commented tightening the hug.

“Hay cut it out!” Ruby yelled under the covers.

“Hay is for horses,” I joked causing Ruby to chuckle.

“I think that's enough Kenneth,” Sapphire commented from the table, “Any longer and Celestia here is gonna pass out from jealousy.”

Sure enough, when I placed Ruby down and turned over to the table I could see Celestia staring at her scroll a bit too forcefully as a small blush adorned her cheeks. With a huff, she entered, “I’m not jealous, it’s just a hug.”

“Just a hug huh?” I comment shuffling back into my spot next to Celestia.

“Yes, nothing a princess like myself should concern herself with,” she said as she continued to focus on the scroll in front of her.

It was hard holding back my chuckles, this was just too damn adorable. The princess of Equestria was so flustered she was writing her signature ten times in the same spot over and over again. I couldn’t let this continue, no matter how much I wanted it to. So instead I reached over my left arm and pulled her into a nice side hug.

“If you want something, you should just ask for it,” I comment with a smile.

Celestia didn’t respond instead she kinda melted into the hug as she tilted her head onto my shoulder. She closed her eyes as her ethereal mane brushed up against the back of my neck. To say I was dying from cuteness overload was an understatement. It was like I was dehydrated and she was the storm on the horizon.

Time seemed to stop as we just sat there. Sapphire moved on from her brochure to a book, Ruby was trying to make her little teepee again and Celestia was working away in her new spot. It wasn’t till I heard the first pitter-patter of rain against the window pane that I realized just how long I’ve just been sitting there.

Looking over to my left I come to see Celestia’s quill laying on the table. She, herself was out cold leaning up against me with her mouth slightly ajar. Moving into a more comfortable position I tapped the table to get Sapphire’s attention.

Much to my dismay, that didn’t work as she continued to read. Rolling my eyes, I whispered “Sapphire, hay.” Once again like the tapping, Sapphire ignored me. It must have been one hell of a book because the only way she acknowledged me was when I crumpled a nearby blank scroll and tossed it at her head.

“What?” Sapphire questioned closing her book. Her eyes immediately softened when she looked at my current predicament. “Aww, that's so sweet,” She whispered.

“You mind passing me the book you gave me,” I started motioning towards the notebook that was sitting where Celestia was a while ago, “And if you don't mind could you also get one of the pillows and blankets?”

Nodding to my request, Sapphire hovered over all three items. Placing the book in front of me I squished the pillow in between me and the wall of the train. The blanket, on the other hand, I draped over Celestia. One of which snuggled in closer when the blanket was in place.

“I don’t care what the press or other ponies think. You two are adorable together.” Sapphire quietly stated as she called over to Ruby to get something from her bag. After a bit of fumbling around, Ruby sat next to her sister, a large camera like Celestia had in her grasp.

Before I could say anything, Ruby smiled and whispered: “Say cheese!”

The flash blinded me, yet surprisingly did nothing to rouse Celestia from her slumber. Rolling my eyes at the antics of the two, I turned my head back to the notebook Sapphire had given me. We still had a while to go, so I decided that I would attempt to start the long process of breaking down the barrier.

As I expected from a language book the first couple of pages were discussing the bare basics. Like common everyday questions, common words between the two -which were very few not surprisingly- and numbers. Just like the language books back home, the first couple pages gave you hope that learning it would be easy. Yet, as I continued to skim past the first few pages I came to see it getting progressively more complex with each page.

Soon I found myself dreading this endeavor I embarked on as I read about their language rules, grammar and structure. Yet, since Sapphire and Ruby made this book, I had an obligation to see this through until the end.

Since my first look through the book was a quick skim; I went all the way back to the beginning and took my first steps into their language.

Four hours had passed and to say I got anywhere near done the first lesson in the book was a mistake. For four hours I was confused on how to pronounce the words. While the book did have them written out phonetically to ease my process, nothing was better than having a native teach me themselves. Luckily for me, I had such a pony right in front of me.
“Sapphire,” I whispered as to not wake Celestia, “hay Sapphire”

Like before, Sapphire was once again muzzle deep in her book. Rolling my eyes, I crumpled up another blank scroll and tossed it at her head.

As the ball hit its mark, the book slowly lowered to show her unenthused eyes staring right at me. “What is it this time?” She said in her normal tone. I know just how frustrating it is to be torn from a really good book, so I kept it short.

“How do you pronounce yes in your language?” Unexpectedly this got Sapphires eyes to bright up as she placed her book down on the table.

“It’s uis with a more emphasis on the ‘i’ and the ‘s’ is drawn out.” Sapphire lectured, I can see the sparkle in her eyes as she told me this. It was quite nice seeing her enjoy something like this. I felt like I was getting closer to her. Which in turn made calling her my friend much easier. Unlike before where I just categorized them as stalkers.

It really got me thinking that maybe within time when I delve deeper into their past I’ll be able to understand their rather unique personalities. Nevertheless, I was a student and my new teacher was waiting for a response. So, in order to not keep her waiting, I replied “uuuis”

Shaking her head she sighed, “No you’re concentrating too much on the first letter. The 'i' is the most important part of this word. It’s what makes it a word, so it needs to be pronounced at a higher tone. You know what, let's start with the basics of letters first before you jump right into words.”

“I wish I could just beam the language right into my head like you did,” I whined flipping the book to the part where the alphabet was on.

“Well you can’t, so shut up and read me the Equestrian alphabet.”

Rolling my eyes at her assertiveness, I recited to the best of my abilities their alphabet. Of course, it was god awful and I had to repeat it over and over again, but I found myself moving forwards. Seeing the potential in this momentum the two of us continued to work for the rest of the train ride.

Author's Note

Here take it, I don't want it anymore. This chapter has been brewing for far too long. In the end I couldn't find what was keeping me from releasing it. So you know what? I'm just publishing it.

Remember to leave a comment! They help make me feel better and polish the story.

Chapter Twenty Four - Digressing Delays

Jolting awake from the sudden stop of the train, my eyelids flung open. Looking around the cabin I could see everyone else doing the same. Since I and Sapphire were up most of the ride we were the most tired out of the bunch. In fact, the only reason we slept at all was that we both passed out trying to get me to recite the alphabet without messing up every fourth letter. Which -in case anyone was wondering- did not go well.

On the other hand of things, we have Celestia. Well rested from events prior she finally lifted her head off of my shoulder as she let out a quiet little yawn. Gently moving her magenta iris towards me, she gave me a warm smile.

“Good morning,” She claimed in a chipper tone.

I looked down at her with bags under my eyes and grunted, “Morning.”

“Somepony isn’t a morning pony,” She giggled.

I didn’t answer her, I just looked over to Sapphire. As expected she looked just as beat as me. Her mane was all messed up, eyes bloodshot, and head lulling. The only light at the end of this metaphorical tunnel was that we would be able to take a nap on the ship once we got there. Thing is, that was another three hours of trying not to collapse before we could even get on the boat.

“Come on guys! Let's go!” Popped in Ruby seemingly from nowhere. This, in turn, caused me and Sapphire to flinch away from her. How she managed to get out of her bunk and sneak up to the table without me noticing was a mystery I would probably never figure out.

Chuckling Celestia shook her head, “It looks like the two of you were up for the entire ride. We’ll keep this short and see if the captain will let us on board early so you two can get some shuteye.”

“That would be most welcome,” Sapphire pitched in as she got up and wobbly walked over to her bags. Placing her belongings in their place, she heaved the bag over her hunches and walked back over to the table, “The sooner we get there the better.”

Nodding my head in agreement, I replied, “I couldn’t agree more. Now if Celestia would be so kind as to get off of me we can go.”

Arching her head back she gave me an upside down pout, “but I like it here, it’s so warm and comfortable.”

Alright, that was pretty cute, but we had a ship and sleep to catch. So, for the sake of Sapphire and me, I said the one thing that would get us their the fastest, “Yeah, but if you get up now you might still be able to finish all that work you were planning to do during the train ride on the ship.”

I was almost flung off the seat as Celestia shot up in her spot, “I forgot to finish my reports! This isn’t good!”

“Chill, you have plenty of time to finish them once we get aboard the boat.” I attempted to calm her down. Sadly, it didn’t work as she picked up her own saddlebag before tossing her sun hat haphazardly onto her head. It was kinda funny to see Celestia in such a rush, it almost reminded me of Eddie a bit when his lab was overdue.

Just saying his name was enough to feel the pain of guilt grow in the pit of my stomach once more. Thankfully, I was getting better coping with all of it. I come to accept that in the end, I got back to Earth as fast as I could, and even then I was too late. Time here in Equestria just passed by way too fast for me to have actually done anything. Yet even though I knew that I wasn’t the one responsible, it still hurt.

I must have been spacing out pretty hard there; for when I came back to the land of the living I found myself being dragged off the seat by Ruby. Shaking the rest of my thoughts out of my head I looked down to Ruby with a small smirk.

“What are you doing?” I questioned.

“Moving your big sorry flank, common you can rest on the boat!” She yelled the last part as she put her back into moving me.

Letting a small chuckle escape my lips, I stood up causing Ruby to yelp as she pushes herself off the seat and onto the floor. Taking a minute to realize what happened she looked back towards me with a scowl.

“What? I was just moving my big ‘flank’ out of the way?” I started with an innocent smile.

Ruby huffed as she stood back up, “Well it sure took you long enough.”

“Enough with your playing around! We must get to the ship as soon as possible! I don’t even think I can finish my reports within three hours!” Once again Celestia was freaking out. If she could freak out anymore she would be wearing a groove into the floor.

Patting Ruby on the head I got off from my seat, “Yeah we’re right behind you Sunbeam.”

This got Celestia, Ruby, and Sapphire to look at me.

“Yeah, I know that was a bad one. Give me a break, I’m running out of names here, none of which sound good enough to stick. Add in my fatigue and there you have my excuse.” I explained.

Even though she was stressed out, I could see Celestia smirk as she replied, “Whatever you say sunshine.”

Walking passed Celestia I kicked her hoof from under her. This, of course, caused her to fall to the ground. As expected Sapphire and Ruby gasped as Celestia glared daggers at me. Looking down I put on a fake surprised expression as I said, “Oh I’m so sorry, my leg just kind of moved on its own there.”

Reaching out my hand to help her up, she grabbed it and pulled me down. Within a seconds I was pinned under her. Looking into her eyes, I saw a devious smile etched its way across her face. It was the first time I’ve seen her put on this face and to be honest it kinda scared me.

“Uh, do you need us to leave and come back?” Came Ruby’s voice.

Hearing her words, Celestia’s muzzle tinted red as she scrambled off of me. Being freed from the pony princess I got up from my spot and dusted myself off. If things continued like this, we would never reach the boat on time.

Thankfully, Sapphire was on top of it as she reminded us that we had a ship to catch. What was even more surprising was that with all the action that had been going on, I didn’t feel half as tired as before. It looked like the play fight between me and Celestia got my blood pumping.

“Alright, no more shenanigans from this point on. We NEED to reach the boat at some time today,” Celestia commented as the four of us walked out of the train car and into another bustling terminal.

What made this terminal different from the one in Canterlot was that this one had a huge vista window spanning the entire front of the building. From here I could see the ships dancing on the stormy waters and the candlelight fire of the many houses bordering the docks. Even though it was raining the entire scene looked beautiful.

However, like Celestia said, we had no time for sightseeing. Instead, without a second glance, we ran out of the terminal and into the busy streets. Ponies everywhere where selling their wears underneath awnings of nearby buildings. Some even sold in the open, not caring for the rain that poured down on them.

Since Celestia was in such a rush, all the merchant stalls were ignored as we all but bolted down the streets. It was actually quite entertaining to watch the reactions of the ponies as a six-foot tall human biped and their pony princess quadruped ran down the streets of their beloved town. I think I even saw a couple of ponies faint from the shock.

By the time we arrived at the docks, we were all beat. I mean even more so then when I and Sapphire started the day. Catching our breaths, Celestia trotted over to one of the gangplanks while the rest of us reveled at the size of these ships.

All around us bobbed large medieval ships, most of which still had their crew mucking about the deck. Some were just standing there idle, while others helped load on or off cargo. The docks themselves were just as busy as the streets. Carts traverse the wooden docks with luxury goods within, while ponies from different ships mingled with each other. Looking up towards the overcast skies, pegasi floated around like seagulls as they did their own thing.

“You three coming?” Celestia called from aboard the closest ship.

Snapping out of our stupor, we walked over to the gangplank and headed onto the ship. As we reached the edge and stepped foot onto the ship, I was greeted with a hoof to the face. Falling onto my back I looked up to see a rather miffed stallion once again charging me.

Trying to ignore the immense pain that followed I figured out that if I stayed in the same spot any longer I would be out like a lamp. So, instead I rolled out of his path and got back up. Turning around he yelled something in their native tongue before charging again. This time, however, he was stopped by two more stallions holding him back. Clearly, he wasn't having any of it as he continued to thrash in their grips as he continued to yell god knows what at me.

Looking over to Ruby and Sapphire I wiped my nose clear of blood. In response, they both just shrugged before offering me their help. Thankfully Sapphire had a spare cloth that I used to cover my nose.

“What the hell was that for? You girls speak the language, what did I do?” I questioned as we walked over to the back of the ship. My nose held high, not for any noble reason mind you, but for the simple act of keeping my blood from going everywhere. The whole way there, the ponies gave me dirty looks. Almost to the point where I thought I was gonna be lugged at again.

Ruby shrugged again, “I honestly have no idea, he was just yelling nonsense. The only thing I understood was human and scum.”

“I guess they don't really like humans here do they?” I asked rolling my eyes.

Reaching the back of the ship, Celestia immediately noticed my condition and trotted over. “What happened?” She questioned as she levitated the cloth out of the way to see the injury herself. Thankfully it looked worse than it actually was, just a lot of blood.

Quickly placing the rag back to my nose I replied, “To be honest, I have no idea.”

Celestia gave me a confused look as she looked over to Ruby and Sapphire. “Some stallion on deck sucker punched him right as he got on. He was yelling something about Humans being the scum of Equestria,” Sapphire relayed.

Looking over at what looked to be the captain of the ship, Celestia scowled “What is the meaning of this? I hoof picked you all for being the best Equestria has to offer for this mission and you have the audacity to assault one of my guests?”

“I’m a guest now?” I questioned.

“Hush you,” Celestia said as both Ruby and Sapphires hoof lodged itself in my mouth. “I would like an explanation for the colt's behavior!”

The captain sighed as he shaked his head. To be honest, I was half expecting him to speak in the language of the horses, but I was surprisingly wrong as he spoke English. I guess it makes sense since Celestia was also speaking English to him before.

Hobbling over to me, the captain asked, “Tell me, what did this stallion look like?”

Overcoming my initial shock of his ability to speak my language, I spoke, “grey mane, blue eyes, and white coat.” of course my voice came out all muffled from the rag over my nose.

“As I thought, that was Ivory Spear. He was in Canterlot the time River escaped with you. He was the last line of defense. River killed his best friend in the dungeons that day and I don’t think he’ll ever be the same. I apologize for his outburst, however, I don’t think this could have been avoided. He was one of Canterlots greatest spear ponies.” The captain explained.

I felt my heart sink, I remembered seeing River kill the stallion right in front of my eyes. The pool of blood slowly getting bigger as River dragged me with her. It felt like I was gonna be sick just remembering the image. I would need to talk to this Ivory Spear during our trip, even if he doesn't want to see me, I have to tell him that his friend died a true soldier.

“I see, all is forgiven then,” I say much to the surprise of everyone around me.

“I get that he had a hard past, but that's no excuse for his actions!” Celestia commented as she continued, “I made sure to let everypony know that you had no hand in the matter and that River was the pony to blame.”

“Does it matter who’s to blame? A man’s friend is dead, you know what that is like? That can drive a man to insanity!” I retorted.

“That does not give him the right to lash out at you!” Celestia yelled back.

“He lashed out at me, so I will be the one that decides what to do!” I yelled back walking right up to Celestia. I don’t know if it was the lack of sleep that made me hold my ground or my morals but it seemed to work as Celestia backed down.

Raising an eyebrow the captain budded in, “Before you two start ripping each others heads off, I would like to inform you that the trip will be postponed until tomorrow.”

“What?!” Celestia reacted turning her anger towards the captain.

“As it stands the weather isn’t safe to head out in. We will set sail first thing tomorrow morning. And by the looks of it, you two could use the time off. Your quarters are on the top floor at the back. I wasn’t aware you were bringing two more mares along so you only have two rooms.” He said.

I looked over at Celestia and she to me. We both knew we were going to have to share a room and as it stood we were not on the best of terms with our little quarrel. It was quite fascinating how little has to happen for two people to get angry with one and another.

Nevertheless, I was exhausted and nothing was going to get better with my current frame of mind. So, in order to remedy this the rest of us found our way to the lower decks.

Now, I’ve never been in a medieval era style ship before, but I expected it to be quite cramped and gloomy. While my first assumption was correct the seconds was not. The place instead of holding a dark and gloomy appearance actually held a nice cozy one. Which, thankfully, did wonders for my mood as I opened the door to mine and Celestia's chambers.

Inside was a nice one window room with a small desk, bookshelf, and bed just big enough for one of us to sleep in. Without a second thought, I found myself jumping into the covers and closing my eyes. I waited for sleep to come, but my mind was still a chaotic mess from the little argument I had with Celestia. What made it even worse was the constant quill scratching coming from said mare only a couple feet away.

Usually, when I and my friends had fights like these we would forget about it two seconds later and makeup. Yet, for some reason here with Celestia it was different. I knew I was right, but a part of me wanted to side with Celestia. Which in turn caused my other side to yell at it saying no that's wrong. Thus the reason I was now no longer trying to sleep but gazing up at the roof of the room. Its oaken planks creaking as ponies above walked over it.

It was so stupid that I was having so much trouble getting over this little spat that I audibly groaned. What made this different than all the other arguments I had with my friends? Was it the fact that I and Celestia were now in a romantic relationship or was it the fact that I was overthinking it?

It was then that it hit me. Celestia was important to me, that much was obvious. Much like my friends I cared about their opinions enough to argue with them. What made this different was that I cared so much about Celestia seeing 'my way' that I forgot to see hers.

Like so many times before, I felt the familiar feeling of guilt now settle in. The realization that I took something way out of hand made me feel like a bad person. It’s funny in a very cynical way, how love can make you question your own thoughts. So much so, that you find a way to make yourself look like an idiot, and the one you love to look like a god. Well... she's practically a god, but that's not the point.

Giving into the inner mechanisms of my mind I said, “Sorry” the exact same time Celestia said it. Growing a confused look on my face I sat up to see that yes, we did both, in fact, came to the same conclusion at the same time.

“That was creepy,” I said looking over to Celestia.

“Agreed, let's try not to do that again,” she replied.

“Anyways, I’m sorry for yelling at you. That was not very thoughtful of me, even when I’m this tired that is no excuse to be a dick.” I state my mind. Looking over at her I could see a small smile come to her lips.

Getting up from her spot she wandered over to the side of the bed, “I am also sorry. I’m so used to raising my voice at nobles in court that when we started fighting I found myself doing just that.”

I raised my eyebrow, “are you calling me a noble?”

“No I’m calling you my sunshine,” she stated with a small smirk.

“Oh that's it, you passed the line now,” I exclaimed grabbing Celestia by the barrel and tossing her onto the bed with me. With a devious smirk, I started to tickle around her body. To my surprise, Celestia has quite the funny bone.

“P-p-lease sto-op I can’t!” She was cut off by taking in some air, “Bree-eath!”

“Kenneth please!” Came the shouts from next room.

Sapphire rolled her eyes as she placed a pillow over her head, “I just wanted a couple hours of shuteye. Is that so much to ask for?”

Ruby, on the other hand, was chuckling to herself, as she placed an empty cup against the wall and listened to it. “With the way these two are going at it, I highly doubt you’ll get any.”

“Not so rough! That hurt!” Came another shout.

Groaning again, Sapphire pushed the pillow harder over her ears.

Author's Note

Managed to finish this one quite fast for a change. Maybe it's my excitement for that 100k word mark that caused me to write. Nevertheless, let me know whats on your mind in the comments. In the meanwhile, I'll be responding to last chapters comments and procrastinating.

Chapter Twenty Five - Spending Rainchecks

While my nap was short -only about two hours in length- it did a wonderful job rejuvenating my body. I was feeling just as I always did in the afternoon. Which now that I thought about it, was not that much different at all. The only plus side was that my eyelids no longer felt like they were made out of lead.

Looking up at the oaken ceiling, I came to see the rusted lantern swaying around on its rope. The path it took was determined by the sway of the ship as it bobbed up and down in the water. It was a nice and soothing rhythm that seemed to put me at ease as I sat up in the thatched bed. Sounds of a quill scratching against a scroll brushed up against my ear. Glancing over at the source I came to see Celestia diligently working on her report.

I didn't know whether it was my fuzzy mind or the atmosphere, but the scene before me looked immensely beautiful, almost like it was like a picture. Since no light poured out of the window, the inside of the room was lit entirely by candle fire. Its warm amber light lazily coated the entire wooden room. To top it all off Celestia’s magic cast its own golden glow upon her face as she continued to write. It was so perfectly peaceful that I felt that if I moved it would all come crumbling down.

“Have a good sleep?” Celestia questioned without so much as a glance my way.

“Good enough,” I simply replied walking up behind her.

Looking down at the scroll, I come to see the familiar symbols of their language. Their combined meaning still remaining a mystery to me. While I should be working on breaking down the language barrier, I was more than welcome to call in my rainchecks today and have a nice evening out with Celestia.

“You mind putting those papers away for a bit?” I asked.

Her quill stopped scratching as she looked over towards me, “You have something in mind?” she pondered. A small strand of ethereal mane lazily dropped in front of her face.

“Well, I was thinking, while we’re still here at the port why not take advantage of it? You’ll have tons of time to work on those papers once were at sea. For now, I’m asking if you would be so kind as to let me have your time this evening?” I asked.

“I would love to, but these papers are really important,” Celestia stated.

I cracked a smile as I teasingly spoke, “A walk down the pier, a nice dinner at a local seaside restaurant, I guess I’ll just have to go by myself.”

“Kenneth,” Celestia whined dragging out the 'e' in my name, “please I really need to get these papers done!”

“Maybe I’ll go to the bakery and sample some of their pastries. I thought I saw some cakes on display through their window.” I was now at the door, slowly turning the handle. Seeing my advance, Celestia stood up in an attempt to stop me.

“You’re not making this easy! What with that silver tongue of yours!” Celestia huffed.

I rolled my eyes, she was already standing so I knew I had her in the palm of my hand, “I heard the full moons going to be out, and the breeze from the ocean is so relaxing it makes you feel 1000 years younger.”

Celestia was now grabbing onto my right leg as I dragged her through the threshold of the door, “Don’t leave me like this!”

I smiled looking down at her, “then why don’t you come along?”

Celestia looked really flustered, almost as if I broke her. I could see the gears turning as she chewed the rewards over the consequences. “FINE!” She all but screamed, “I’ll just move the reports to tomorrow.” She finally caved in as she stood back up onto her hooves.

“There’s my sunny mare!”

Celestia rolled her eyes at me, “you’re nicknames are getting worse every time you say one. I dread to think about the one you’ll actually stick to.”

I let out a small laugh, “I’m sure whatever it’ll be, you won't like it.”

“Now why would you do that?” She questioned as we made our way up to the deck. The rain seemed to calm down to a light drizzle. Perfect for the short walk into town.

Smiling I replied, “Because I have to get you back for the nickname you gave me.”

“I think sunshine is a cute nickname,” Celestia huffed.

“And I think it's degrading to my manliness,” I retorted.

Celestia scoffed, “What manliness? I’m the one paying for the meal today.”

I was at a loss for a comeback, she was right. I was dirt poor here and the only money I earned was from the lab work. Yet even then I left the coin pouch back in Canterlot. Thinking of a way out of this, I quickly tried to even the scales.

“I’m not the only one, remember when I first called you by your nickname? You were all ‘not in public’.” I mocked her royal voice as we stepped off the gangplank and onto the dock.

Surprisingly it was still pretty lively at this late hour. Night fishers were out and about casting their lines into the great blue yonder. Which in turned perplexed me. Ponies don’t eat meat, so why would they even need to fish? For sport? Or Maybe it was some sort of trade agreement with another nation. Tossing the thought aside for another date, I looked over to Celestia.

“I don’t sound like that!” She reassured me.

I raised my eyebrow, “Really? I thought I did quite a good impersonation there.”

Then Celestia did something I never thought I would hear her do. She attempted to mimic me by making her voice go as deep as possible, “I thought I did quite a good impersonation there.”

To be honest, I really wanted to laugh in her face, but at the same time, I needed to be considerate of her feelings. So, I settled with a small chuckle as I responded, “I’m flattered that you think I sound that sexy.” Seeing the perfect segway I rolled into a more appropriate topic for a date, “So why did you fall for me? I doubt it was my looks.”

“Getting to the big questions this early on?” Celestia questioned as looked up towards me with a contempt smile, “It all started from the first day we met. I may not have looked like it, but I was really nervous greeting a new species. So many things could go wrong that I was up all night thinking about what to say. Yet I knew the moment that you pushed the tiara off my head that you were not like any pony I have ever met.”

“Maybe that’s because I’m not a pony,” I corrected with a small nudge.

“Maybe, but I didn’t have noticeable feelings till we went out on our first outing.” It was then that Celestia magicked up the midnight sun into view, “When we were laying in the field I was overcome with joy, yet I didn’t understand why. I had done it so many times before, laying in the gardens gazing up at the night sky. It wasn’t till you helped me up, stuck the midnight sun in my mane and looked me in the eyes that I knew it wasn’t the flowers that were making me happy, it was you.”

My mind was rolling its eyes at the sappiness of it all but my heart was melting from the words. I didn’t know whether to kiss her or hug her. Nevertheless, Celestia spun the tables around on me as she fired the same shot towards me.

“So how about you? What made this human from another world fall for a 2000-year-old mare.”

“First of all, you don't look a day over 1499. Second of all, it was when I was in the hospital after the lab accident. I had thoughts before, but the idea was so far-fetched that I tossed them aside. What changed my mind was when I noticed just how much you cared for me. Every time I was down you were always there giving me support. I could always count on you to be there when I need you.”

I had to stop for a moment as my mind questioned itself. Have I really told her everything? About my lingering guilt? My sorrow I held for passed brethren and family? Would it be okay to even talk to her about that? My burdens are for me to carry, but would she be willing to lend her aid with my shattered frame of mind? The questions kept swirling around in my head and before I knew it, Celestia was shaking me out of my stupor.

“Kenneth, you alright? We’re here.” She said.

Shure enough when I pulled myself away from my thoughts; I came to see a cute little restaurant laying on the side of the pier. Its open dining area covered with a light brown canvas, decorated with small lights. Once again, it would seem Celestia knew all the best places. Almost as if she planned to take her significant other there before.

It dawned on me as we walked in and got seated that I knew very little about Celestia. In the time I’ve known her, all I knew for certain was her personality. When it came to matters of the past I was left in complete and utter darkness.

Nevertheless, we were on a date, and it just so happens that these are the type of things you talk about on dates. In turn, it took no time at all for us to get seated, have the waiter listen to Celestia speak for me and start to get into the meat of the date.

“I was wondering since you’ve been to earth and got to know a little bit about my past self. I couldn’t help but wonder what you were like when you were a kid.” I commented as I watched Celestia’s smile grow.

“Are you sure that humans don’t read minds?” She questioned.

I shook my head before stating the exact same thing I said to her the first time she asked this question, “nope,” before continuing to get back on topic, “So tell me, what was the young Celestia like?”

“My mother and father always told me I was a hoof-full to deal with. While my sister had the same silly side as me, she mostly kept it under check. I was always up and about chasing animals and breaking things. I really don’t know how they put up with me.” Her voice took a softer tone as she continued, “Those were the good days. The days I didn’t have to worry about anything.”

This was the first time I had ever heard Celestia talk about her parents. The revelation seemed to raise more questions than it answered, enacting me to ask, “What were your parents like?”

“‘Are like’ you mean,” Celestia corrected.

I almost spat out the complimentary water, “Your parents are still alive?”

“Yes, they both are still alive and well,” She said with a smirk, “maybe one day I’ll introduce you to them. They don’t really have much time on their hooves, but I’m sure they can make arrangements.”

“Then why aren't they the ones ruling? I don’t me to say you and your sister aren't doing a good enough job, but wouldn’t it be wise to let the more experienced rule?.”

“Their time of rule is over. When I and Luna became of age to rule the titles we switched over. They thought it wise to have us gain our own experience while they were still around. Now the two now live their lives seeking out the mysteries of this world. Jumping from one plane of reality to another. They were never the ones to sit back and relax.” She then leaned in close, “If you ask me, it’ll be their downfall.”

It was hard for me to wrap my head around her parents still being alive, let alone jumping through space and time. Then again, I guess I asked for this when I started on the topic of her personal life. Thankfully, a little break in the conversation occurred as the waiter came back to give us our respected meals.

Pasta with a salad on the side for me. While Celestia herself ordered just the plain salad. The meal both enabled me to sate my appetite and mull over the information.

“What about you?” Celestia questioned as she finished off her salad.

With a mouth full of food I questioned back, “About me what?”

“What was your foalhood like? I want to hear about the ponies that brought you up?” She pondered, placing her head on her hooves. Her mane covering part of her face as her eyes looked deep into mine. Sure she looked beautiful and the setting was on point - but you have to remember she was looking at a human with his mouth full of spaghetti.

Quickly eating the rest of what was already in my mouth, I replied, “I had a fairly normal childhood. I went to school, had friends and goofed around. My parents were both very kind and supportive. To be honest I was lucky to have them growing up. Once I was done high school I went to college for aviation. I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up. All the traveling I did ignited my interest and I just went with it.”

Thinking back in time, I couldn’t help but smile, “me and my friends were always getting into trouble one way or another. We would like to sneak out at night and play games. In fact, when I got transported here we were doing just that. Taking a boat out on the lake trying to toss my friends overboard.”

My mind continued to tick as I formulated a thought about Celestia, “not to sound rude or anything, but do you have friends Celestia? In my time here, I don’t think I have come across anyone other than your sister that knows you personally.”

Celestia’s head drooped, “Growing up, I and my sister had no time for friends. Sure we would play around in the little time we had, but for the most part, we were being taught how to rule the country. Not to mention that any long-lasting friendship would only end with me outliving them.”

“Why was I an exception?”

“To be honest, I stopped caring when I fell for you. It didn’t matter to me how brief our relationship would last, I wanted what little time there was to be mine. To spend it with the person I cared for.” Celestia commented seemingly embarrassed by her words as a light blush spread across her face.

“Cute, I’m sure if you care that much for me then when the time comes to meet your parents I won't be completely incinerated.”

“Oh, you’ll be incinerated. There’s no avoiding that I'm afraid.”

“WHAT!” I exclaimed.

Celestia started to laugh, “I was just kidding. I’m sure they’ll like you.”

It wasn’t long after till the bill came and Celestia promptly paid for it. Once again leaning on royalty to pay the bills wasn’t really giving me the best of feelings. Nonetheless, as selfish as it might sound, if it was necessary for me to have this time with Celestia then I would do it a hundred times over.

Just like I said in our room, as soon as we left the restaurant we made our way down the moonlit docks and towards the main street. Arriving in the blink of an eye, we wondered from street stall to street stall looking at the various wears they sold. Everything from books to magical orbs was sold here. Yet, one thing held true to both of our worlds and that one thing was making us stop at every stall.

Apparently, most ponies selling here didn’t care for the princess. So, instead, we got the authentic experience of ponies trying to sell us everything under their awning. It was actually a breath of fresh air, ponies actually acting like themselves when Celestia was around them.

As time ticked on, we eventually made our way to the bakery. It’s cakes and pastries lined up against the display window. There was only one problem, however.

“It’s closed,” I read from the front door.

“What?! The main reason for me coming and it's closed!” Celestia exclaimed.

I gave her a sideways glance, “Oh I see, I guess all that earlier stuff we did together was nothing compared to these sweets. Plus, it's like what? 12 am? I’m surprised that the ponies out here are still selling, not to mention the restaurant we went to.”

“Kenneth you know I love you,” She started giving me a one-winged hug, “but not that much.” She continued before releasing me from her feathery hug.

“Oh, thy blade to which thou pierce my heart is as hot as thy sun! If only mine love were to see our devotion...” I trailed off as Celestia gave me the taste of her own ‘really’ look.

“Alright there Casanova, so what do we do now?” She questioned.

“What do we do? We head back before they ship off. Might as well get a couple hours of sleep so that tomorrow we’re not dead beat tired.” I commented turning away from the store. Before I could take my first steps back to the ship, I heard the tell-tale sign of her magic. Looking back towards Celestia I come to see her levitating the cake through the glass and a couple of bits back.

With the cake now in front of her, she turns back towards me with a smile on her muzzle, “Nothing can stand between me and my sweets.”

“It would appear so,” I stated starting the walk back to the ship. Which thankfully was quite uneventful. It was just a nice quiet walk, with me looking up at the stars and Celestia munching on her cake. Before long we found ourselves back in our room.

Collapsing on the bed, Celestia followed in tow. Looking up at her I let a small smile come to my lips. It was nice to have a night just for ourselves, no one there to interrupt us. With an equally as big smile on her face, she spoke, “I don’t want today to end.”

“Well, how else are we going to get to the beaches of the Western Isles. I can only imagine how much better it would be to lay in the sand rather than this bed.” I commented reaching up and letting our lips touch once again.

Pulling back I could see Celestia about ready to pass out. Without any arguments on my side, I let her fall asleep on my chest as I myself slowly succumbed to slumber. Letting my hand dangle freely off the side of the bed I closed my eyes, unaware of the sparks jumping between my fingers.

Author's Note

A little calm before the storm is always nice to have don't you think? As always, comment on anything your heart desires bellow.

[ARC I] Prologue - Summer Bound

Summer was here, as the wind blew lazily through the forest. Each passing moment one could hear the sounds of the rustling leaves and waves lightly lapping against the rocky shoreline. Just a few feet away from the bank lay the foundations of a small rustic cottage. It’s pure white pine logs stood ever strong throughout the years of use. Today was the type of day this cottage was built for and its owners knew so.

As the bugs buzzed within the foliage around the cottage, the sound of rubber against gravel could be heard. Its volume increasing till a small city car came into view some little ways down the road. It’s occupants all ready for two full weeks in the sun.

Reaching the front of the house, the passengers didn’t waste any time. Before the car was even parked the doors were being opened.

First out of the car was Shawn. He was one of the best friends anyone could have ever ask for. That being said, when he did you a favor; he expected you to return it in full. As one could imagine Shawn had a very energetic personality, especially for someone his age. Wherever and whenever there was a party you could be certain that he was there.

Next to exit was Eddie. He was your run-of-the-mill smart-ass kind of a guy. Every fact he knew, every book he read and to top it all off all the subjects in school came naturally to him. That being said he was a human (contrary to what everyone at school believed) and needed his getaway from all the hustle and bustle every once in a while. And what better way to do it, then to join some friends at a nice little cottage.

Out of the other side of the car was Brian. While Eddie had the smarts, Brian could be said to be the complete opposite. It seemed that he would never graduate college, but if there is one thing he has down pat, it’s his priorities. Something that I often found myself admiring.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the driver finally shifted the car into park and exited the vehicle as well. The moment he stepped outside he immediately reached towards the sky stretching all the sourness away in one fettle swoop.

Who was this guy? Well that’s easy, that guy was me, Kenneth…

“Finally!” Brian exclaimed before continuing, “Jesus, I thought that ride was never going to end.” Brian stated as he followed my lead. However, when he stretched it was no joke, hell you could hear every single bone in his body crack. It was kind of disgusting to hear, but at the same time pretty cool. If that makes any sense?

Letting out a well-needed sigh I shut the door to the car and walked to the back. “Really?" I asked "Only four hours in the car is needed to bring down Brian the jock? Just be glad the knights don't know that secret.” I teased opening the trunk.

“Yeah, yeah, just remember you two, we’re here to relax not start feuds,” Shawn stated. “So, where’s the nerd?” He continued.

“How did I know that you were going to inject some form of hypercriticism into that statement?” Eddie responded from the door of the cottage, his baggage already in his grasp.

Shawn chuckled in response before adding, “Because that’s just who I am. No need to change my amazing personality I possess for a bookworm like you.”

Rolling my eyes at their bantering, I reached into the trunk and started to slowly take everything out. Which for four guys was actually quite manageable. “You guys want to help out or what?” I asked knowing full well what the response was going to be.

“No” Was Eddie's immediate response. “I already got all my bags, no need to carry someone else’s baggage.”

“You know sometimes you’re a dick Eddie,” Brian stated as he walked out back to help me with some of the bags.

“Anyways, Ken you got the keys?” Shawn asked.

“Yeah, right here. Catch!” I said as I reached into my pocket and tossed him the keys to the cottage. “Now don’t go fucking things up.” I continued taking another bag out of the trunk only for it to reveal a large slab of meat. “What the fuck! Alright, which one of you fuckers brought the slab of meat!” I yelled out as the juices were leaking out of the wrapping and onto the bottom of the trunk.

Placing the somewhat wet bag onto the floor I looked around. Shawn just shrugged, Eddie's face palmed and lastly, Brian had a confused look on his face.

“What?” He stated. “I thought that you all liked a nice meal once and a while. This is some grade ‘A’ meat!” He lectured.

“That’s not what I’m talking about, you didn’t even pack it right!” I started telling him. “You know that it's probably spoiled being back here for so long.”

“Spoiled? Naw the woman at Costco told me that all I need to do was wrap it before storing it.” Brian started up again, I could hear Eddie once again face-palm in the background.

“Just leave him in the dark Ken, he’s already gone,” Shawn stated as he picked up some of the bags that I brought out.

Following his advice, I picked up some of my own bags and started our trek to the cottage. “I hope you're carrying that piece of meat Brian,” I stated as I watched Shawn toss the keys to Eddie who in turn unlocked the door.

“That’s what she said,” Eddie claimed as he entered the cottage.

“One of these days I’m going to get used to hanging out with you guys,” Brian stated as he grabbed the piece of meat and a couple more bags.

Entering the cottage hit me like a wave. The feeling of nostalgia was pretty strong as I took in the interior. So many memories with my family and friends that I couldn’t help but smile. The kitchen where we would all meet in the mornings was just as I left it last summer.

Just passed the kitchen I could see the living room. It was a nice spacious room that had a huge window on one wall that portrayed the outside deck along with the lake. Every night we would sit on the balcony and chill. It was some of the best moments of my life. If the balcony wasn’t in the way you would be able to see the fire pit and dock right at the shore.

“Man, I’ll never get over this feeling,” Eddie stated as he walked down the hallway to the right of the kitchen. “I call the master bedroom!” He shouted out as he disappeared around the corner. He was no doubt heading to said room.

Even though this cottage was owned by my family. I often let my friends do whatever they wanted. After all, I could never sleep in the master bedroom. Something about my parents sleeping there when I was a kid just never settled down yet. Anyway, as Eddie got himself occupied I steered myself towards the living room.

Out of all of the rooms in this cottage, I loved this room the most. Its beautiful vista was a dead giveaway as to why I liked it so much. However, the more I resided in that room the more and more I found myself finding new things to like about it. The way the sun rays poured from the skylights, the white pine logs that made the walls, and most importantly the fireplace that separated the two rooms.

During the summertime, this was a place of partying and events. While on the other end of the spectrum, during the winter this was a place to huddle down and get cozy. Which with a cottage like this was actually pretty easy to do. Cuddling by the fire with some blankets was all it really took.

Yet this was not winter. No, summer was upon the four fellows and they all knew that their time spent indoors was not going to compete with their plans. In fact, just as I placed down the last of the bags I could already see Shawn and Brian walking towards the dock. How they managed to switch into their swimsuits that fast was a mystery for another time.

Sighing in relief that all the moving is done I took it upon myself to join the two amigos myself, but not before I yelled out to Eddie. “Yo, Eddie you coming down to the lake? Shawn and Brian are already down there!” I stated as I pulled out my swim trunks from one of my bags.

“I’ll join you guys in a couple. Got to unpack and everything.” Eddie yelled back.

Letting him do his thing, I quickly changed into my swim trunks and headed out the back of the cottage. The walk towards the dock was pretty uneventful, but that didn’t mean the scenery was any less breathtaking. Sometimes I wondered how my family got this place in the first place. I never really asked them, maybe next time I will.

Shrugging off those questions for another time I soon found myself stepping onto the dock. From what I could see Shawn was already in the water while Brian sat on the edge of the dock dipping his feet in. While this would present the perfect opportunity to shove him into the water, I decided against it. After all, Brian is not one of those people that you would want on your bad side, especially when I’m stuck with him for another two weeks.

Reaching the end of the dock I could now hear their current conversation. “Doesn’t Ken’s father have a boat here or something? I mean, it would be wicked if we took it out for a spin. Maybe break out the tubes and try to shake each other off of them. Man, what a first day that would be!” Brian stated as Shawn just shrugged before dunking himself into the lake.

“Yes, my father does own a boat.” I interjected sitting next to Brian on the dock. “and before you ask no we can’t use it. Hell, I’m pretty sure you need a license for that.”

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure the fines only like what 250 dollars out here. Plus what are the chances of a cop being out here?” Brian stated a bit out of character.

“Since when do you know about fines and laws?” I asked as Shawn came back up from his rather long drive.

“It’s actually one of the few things I look into. To be honest I myself am looking to get quite the collection of licenses. You know… to have… and to take advantage of my freedoms.” Brian replied. While his reasoning was basically non-existent at least it sounded like something he would do.

“Okay, let's assume your right here. Which one of us has 250 dollars to just cough up on one little boat ride?” I retorted.

Surprisingly Shawn was the first one of the group to speak up. “Hey if it’s for a good cause, like a couple hours of fun, I would turn in my two bits for this,” Shawn stated. “Plus, I don’t even think it counts as a criminal act until the third time you get caught.” He continued.

“Peer pressure sure is a bitch.” I heard Eddie state as he made his way over to the other side of Brian. “I don’t know about you Ken, but a couple hours out on the lake sure sounds better than chilling here on the dock.”

I rolled my eyes at my friends attempted to pursue me. “Does anyone of us even know how to drive a boat?” I finally started giving into the idea of having the boat on the water.

“I do,” Eddie stated.

“Really?” I and Shawn said at the same time.

“Well… not really… but I do watch a whole bunch of YouTube videos and one or two of them were about boating.” Eddie commented.

“Great, so our only source of information comes from ‘one or two’ YouTube video’s.” I sarcastically stated.

“Hey, don’t dis the tube okay. It has entertained me for numerous days.” Eddie quipped.

“Yeah, and we all know what kind of Tube Eddie looks at in his spare time,” Brian stated as he started to chuckle. I and Shawn soon joined him while Eddie looked unimpressed.

“Whatever so are we doing this or not?” Eddie budded into our laughing.

Taking a couple more breaths, I mulled over the options in my mind. If we did get caught, my parents would kill me. Then again maybe if we acted all innocent we could get off with just a slap on the wrist.

This would also be as Brian stated an excellent way to start the vacation off. Lastly, if peer pressure isn’t the worst idea-inducing feeling then I’ll go jump off the top porch of my cottage. “Fine, we just have to find out how to start the thing.” I conceded. “The boats in the small shack a bit east of here,” I stated.

“Don’t you need a key or something?” Eddie stated.

“Naw who out here is going to know there is a boat in a small shed one click east of here? They would have to go through so much for just a shitty dingy.” I stated as my family boat wasn’t anything special, just a small metal shell with a big ass engine on it.

Which now that I think about it, is kinda useless. The motor that is on the back of that dingy is enough to propel a ship 10 times its size. Yet with all the waves and the design of the boat, it would only manage to speed up the boat by a couple kilometers. That being said the acceleration on the thing was crazy.

“So, what are we waiting for?” Shawn started ruining my inner thoughts.

“You,” Brian responded, “to get out of the lake.” Brian continued, inflicting a small chuckle on my side. The pure irony of the statement and its timing was perfect. Brian did that a lot, in fact, it’s the whole reason we both started to become friends back in college.

Getting Brian’s message, Shawn hoisted himself up and onto the dock. “Well, now that I’m out I ain’t going back in unless it’s because one of you manage to knock me off the tube,” Shawn commented. “Not like that’s going to happen anytime soon.” He boasted.

“Never knew your head could get that big Shawn?” Eddie nonchalantly replied.

This statement only served to make Brian chuckle. “You would be surprised.”

As the conversation started to wither away, I and Eddie opted to retrieve the boat from the little shack. While Brian and Shawn went into the house to get a couple of snacks for the ride. That being said me and Eddie had a couple of minutes to chat amongst ourselves while we walked the dirt path to the shed.

Per usual Eddie was the first one to speak up. “You hear the rumors about this lake?”

“No, but by the way you asked that question I’m going to take a gander and say that you’re going to tell me one anyways,” I commented rolling my eyes as I kicked a small piece of a log off the trail.

Ignoring my jab at him Eddie continued on like I had guessed. “I heard that this lake, in particular, has a hefty reputation for strange phenomenon’s.” Eddie lectured.

In all honesty, I couldn’t really care any less. All these rumors and ghost tales are all the same and usually turn out to be false. If by some rare chance that they're true, then I guess I’ll have to deal with it. The supernatural never really scared me, and quite frankly I had yet to experience anything that couldn’t be explained.

Yeah, call me arrogant all you want, I know it’ll be my downfall one day. “Really? Never really took you for one of those supernatural kinds of guys? Anyways what kind of phenomena are we looking at here?” I asked Eddie, more to be on the polite side than anything else. Well, that and it would make this hike seem a lot shorter than it already was.

Smiling at my willingness to listen Eddie started out, “It’s true I’m not as you say a ‘supernatural kind of guy’, but some of these rumors have me thinking. Like look at this,” Eddie stated as he pulled out his smartphone.

I turned my head to look at Eddie’s phone, nothing looked odd at all about it. “What, all I see is a regular phone? What’s the big deal?” I asked him.

“Heh, I’ll let you figure it out.” Eddie commented, “here catch.” He stated as he tossed me his phone.

“Wow, you must have a lot of trust in me to just hand over your phone like that,” I stated with a smirk. This only got a worried expression from Eddie.

“Just don’t open the browser okay. I’ll even give you a hint, look at the home screen.” Eddie said.

Following his instructions, I clicked the side of the phone bringing it to the home screen. After looking at it for a good minute I sighed and gave up. “I don’t see anything wrong, everything looks normal.”

Eddie just smiled in response before giving me one more hint. “Look at the connection.”

Glancing back at the phone I looked to the top right corner where it displayed the internet connection. Once again nothing seemed off, the logo was still the Wi-Fi symbol. It was showing full bars and everything.

“I don’t get it,” I stated once again.

“I don’t have data, Ken,” Eddie stated his smile kept getting bigger.

“Then you’re probably hooked onto someone else’s router,” I claimed as I clicked the icon, bringing me to the internet setting page.

“I highly doubt anybody out here has the internet,” Eddie stated. “Even if they did, I would have a shitty connection due to the distance.”

All of Eddies points were valid, and he was a smart guy. So, something that has got even him stumped must be worth checking out. “Well, did you check who you were connected to?” I replied as I clicked another button bringing me to the Wi-Fi selector screen.

“Yup, I can see you’re doing just the same. This is where things get pretty interesting.” He stated as I glanced back at his phone to see only one possible connection. The name was something that I couldn’t even read, it just displayed ‘ʊ∃ɟ⊂ΣʊΞ’.

“What the fuck?” I all but whispered as I clicked the connection. In doing so, it showed once again that his phone was indeed connected to it.

“I know wired huh, not any language I know of, but it only gets weirder from here,” Eddie stated. “Try disconnecting from it.” Eddie continued.

Once again following his advice I went to tap the disconnect button, but when my finger hovered over the button I noticed that it was grayed out. “Man, this is some fucked up shit. You think this is like a government network they have here?”

“I don’t know but at least I can browse the web all day long without a worry in the world!” Eddie cheered out. “No huge ass data bill for me this week.” He continued.

“Did you try and connect to the router via the IP?” I asked handing him back his phone. We were coming up on the shed. Eddie just looked at me with a long look in his eyes. “Really? You didn’t even go to see if this was just some rando’s router broadcasting across the lake?” I questioned coming up to the door of the boathouse.

“Never really thought about it. Didn’t want to mess around with free Wi-Fi and all.” Eddie said truthfully.

“When did you find out about this?” I asked.

“Just now when I got settled down into the cottage. The first thing I did was check if you had Wi-Fi. Once seeing this I searched it up and nothing came up.” Eddie relayed.

“So, you going to do that now?” I asked entering the old shed, thankfully the boat was still there hoisted up above the water by four ropes. “Or are you going to help me lower this boat?” I continued as I walked to the far end of the shed.

Letting out a sigh Eddie wandered over to the other side of the shed. “Yeah, I’ll help, but I’m definitely checking out their router page when we have the time. You should check if it’s the same on your phone too.”

“I will let's just get this boat on the water first,” I stated as I got into position to release the right-side ropes. As I did so I saw Eddie on the other side doing the same thing. “Alright, you ready? It’s going to make a bit of a splash.”

Normally we would lower it down slowly, but I was pretty lazy. That and this boat already had so many things wrong with it that one little fall wouldn’t make any difference.

Looking Eddie's way, I got a small nod. “Alright on three. One, Two… Three!” I yelled out as both ropes were released causing the metal canoe to hit the water. Thankfully when it landed it stayed afloat with everything still attached.

“The real problem is going to get it back up,” Eddie commented as he and I climbed onto the boat.

“Nope, actually it’ll be easier. Just need to attach the ropes, feed them through the pulley system and give 'em a good old yank.” I said unscrewing the top of the gas can, ”I just hope there’s still fuel left in this thing.”

“In hindsight, I guess we should have checked that before we dumped it into the water.” Eddie retorted.

“Yeah but were young adults. So, we do things as we go and fall into peer pressure easily.” I said making sure to put a lot of emphasis on the peer pressure part. Popping off the cap I took a quick look at the fuel level, which was graciously high. “Alright fuel's good, let's see if she’ll start up the first time.” I continued as I primed the engine and yanked the chord.

"I thought you said you didn’t know how to ride a boat?” Eddie questioned.

"I lied, just didn’t want to let you guy’s win.” I continued.

The first pull was pretty pathetic as only a couple feet of rope came out. This causes the engine to sputter a bit before dying. “And now that you said that, we’ll never get the darn thing running,” Eddie stated as he sat down.

Once again, I pulled the chord, but this time a good portion of the rope came out. With the speed that I did it at the engine sputtered again before catching and starting. “You see,” I started tapping the engine, “With a little bit of TLC and optimism you can anything working your way,” I claimed with a smile.

“Then why don’t you have a girlfriend?” Eddie questioned.

“Fuck you.” Was my response as I revved the engine causing us to exit the shack and enter the lake. In doing so Eddie barely managed to hold on as we made our way back to the dock. The trip this time took no time at all with the boat in our possession.

“What took you guys so long!?” Brian yelled out from the dock. He was in the process of blowing up one of the two large water tubes.

Slowing down the boat, I gently parked it right up against the dock. “The walk, what else are you wanting to hear?” Eddie stated the obvious. As he did so we both took up a rope and tied the boat to the dock.

“Where’s Shawn?” I asked looking around.

“Still inside, he’s making a couple of snacks to bring with us like you told us to do,” Brian stated as he put in another breath into the tube. “Part of me thinks that he enjoys cooking and shit, what a pussy.” He continued albite more out of breath.

“So, what now? We just wait for him?” Eddie asked.

“Yup, why don’t you try that IP thing with the weird Wi-Fi network. Might as well when we got this time, I’ll even check my own phone.” I replied as I and Eddie both pulled out our phones. Brian just watched the two of us do our thing as he continued to inflate the tube.

Swiping through the different screens, I finally landed on my Wi-Fi options. “Heh, I have the same thing weird,” I commented showing Brian.

“Man, that’s one weird name for a Wi-Fi network. What do you think it says? If it says anything at all.” Brian commented.

“We’ll find out soon eno-” Was all Eddie could say before his and my phone shocked us both causing them both to fall onto the dock. If that wasn’t enough a small light seemed to exit both phones and enter the water.

As if we were all the same person, we all in unison yelled: “What the fuck?!”

Eddie being the first person to react to his electronics immediately picked up his phone and started checking it physically for any cracks then he went on to check to see if it still worked. Seeing as it happened to me too I followed his lead.

“At least my phone still runs like normal,” Eddie stated after a while. “How about yours Ken?” He questioned.

“Yeah mines fine as well, but you all saw that light, right? I’m not going crazy?” I stated.

“You're always crazy,” Brian claimed before continuing. “But yeah I saw it go right into the lake. Fuckin' weird man.”

“You know what caused that Eddie?” I asked still looking over my phone.

It took a couple of seconds to get a response from him, but when we did it just made the whole fiasco sound that much more surreal. “Whether it was a coincidence or not, it happened at the same time I entered in the default gateway.”

“Let’s not mess with the funky Wi-Fi anymore,” I stated getting nods from all of us.

“Well, it’s not like we can’t use it,” Eddie stated. “Even if we wanted to disconnect we can’t.”

Before we could say anything, Shawn came out of the cottage, his phone in one hand and a bag of snacks in the other. By the time he came down Brian had finished blowing up both of the water tubes.

“Guys you’re not going to believe what just happened to my phone!” Shawn stated.

“It shocked you and a light escaped,” Eddie replied.

“yeah! Wait?... how?... never mind let's just get out on the lake. No need to stress about our phones out here.” Shawn confusedly stated.

Not waiting around, I hopped back into the boat. However, this time I placed myself at the front. Eddie was the next to jump in, he positioned himself as the driver. After him, Brian placed both tubes into the water and tossed Eddie the ropes.

With a little effort, Eddie tried both tubes to the back of the boat as Brian and Shawn got into their respected tubes.

“Alright,” Eddie started as he untied the ropes from the dock. “Ready to last a good ten seconds on those things?” he asked.

“I would like to see you try and tear my grip from this tube!” Shawn stated back as Brian placed in his two bits as well.

“Don’t say I warned ya,” Eddie stated as he yanked the throttle hard causing me to tumble back in my seat. With my loss of direction, I felt the boat jerk another direction hard. This seemed to push me up against the boats corner.

“Looks like Ken here is going to join you two soon” I heard Eddie yell out as he jerked the boat once again to the other side.

Being unable to control my own velocity I soon found myself on the other side of the boat. Nevertheless, there was still a smile on my face as I attempted to get myself straight again. This, however, was countered by another rough push to the side.

“Fuck Eddie at least let me get up!” I yelled as the boat seemed to level out. Its speed was still constant, but at least it gave me the ability to regain my baring’s as I started to stand up. This, however, did not last long. As soon as Eddie saw me stand up he jerked the boat hard left causing me to lose my footing and my position on the boat.

Within seconds I found myself no longer on the boat, but five feet to the right of it and ten feet in the air. I could see both Brian and Shawn hanging on for their life’s as the boat continued to swerve around. Yet as gravity tends to do when you're up in the air it pushed me back down into the water.

Chapter Two - Unstable

Call it anxiety, but that night I could not get my body to cooperate with me. I told it to sleep and it just kicked a whole bunch of electrolytes into my system. It was like I just drank two energy drinks in the span of twenty seconds. You know what that does to a person? Well, I guess you can figure it out seeing as I am now desperately trying to find a way out of this padded room.

Yet, no matter how hard I looked at where the door was supposed to be, I could not find any grooves or sign that it was ever here. At this point, I wondered if I had just imagined the whole conversation with Celestia. Then I remembered that she had confirmed the existences of magic right in front of me. That realization hit me harder than any other before.

Sure, it could have been a couple of mirrors placed in the right spot with some smoke and lights, but something like that would warrant many hours if not days of planning. Something that my unexpected visit had not given her.

You could say that she could have planned it; if she had other visitors before me. But the way she looked at me with awe sparkling in her eyes seemed to push that idea further and further away from realities light. So, it all just comes back to the exact same statement I claimed in the beginning. Magic, though I really hate to admit it, exists.

Letting a small sigh escape my lips, I slid down the wall. It really didn’t matter where I sat seeing as the whole room was like one giant pillow. That being said however, the material they used was not the most comfortable either. I guess you have to sacrifice a bit of comfort for security, wouldn’t want a mad man escaping now, would we?

Am I insane? Do I really belong here? I finally asked myself. This whole time it seemed like I was attempting to distract myself from that very question. It was one that sent shivers down my spine as I thought about it. While I knew that I was quite the opposite and possessed a stable frame of mind; I couldn’t help but wonder if I was on the path to becoming insane. After all, they did throw me into this place.

It was then that my mind moved onto the second question. Do I really belong here? What a question that was, let me tell you that. How could one such as myself possibly come to terms with the hand I was dealt. Some would chalk it up to destiny, while others would cast it off as a mere coincidence, but which one did I fall under?

I certainly did not think that I was destined to be here, nor did I think that it just happened out of fluke. Something was in play here and the more I sat here looking at these plush walls the more I started to get anxious.

My fingers were the first ones to start drumming, then my legs joined in. Soon I found myself forcing my body to stay still. It was as if it had its own mind, something that I’m sure a real insane person would experience.

There I go again thinking that I’m insane! I bantered myself. This self-conversation was cut short thankfully by the sound of wind chimes. Well except it wasn’t from any wind chimes, it was a lone pony standing in a new doorway.

By the looks of it, this one had no wings, but it did adorn a nice horn upon its forehead. Before I could get any ideas of escaping the door shut closed behind the assumed to be a stallion. With the situation progressively getting more awkward, I made the first move.

“Come to check on me?” I asked. I knew that there was a good chance that this pony knew nothing of my language, but one never truly knows until they ask. Might as well attempt to communicate, that way it knows that I’m somewhat sentient. Hell, maybe if the stars align just right, he will know English as well.

Sadly, that was not the case. Just like the two ponies before, this one fired up its horn and aimed it right at me. Knowing that any hostile spells would just melt right off I didn’t bat an eye when he fired a bolt at me.

Like it did before the bolt impacted my body and sizzled away. Knowing that the spell would no longer harm me I went to go stand up. This, however, proved difficult as when I stood up my right leg gave way. As soon as it did, a new wave of fatigue hit me. It was almost as if my body was getting ready for a good night’s sleep.

Of course! Fall asleep the one time I need you! I yelled mentally as my eyelids started to grow heavy. The cogs in my head were long stopped by the lack of energy I found myself having. The last thing I remember thinking before passing out on the padded floor was, fuck magic.

It seemed that this was a new habit of mine. I would pass out and find myself in an entirely different room with different clothes on, or none at all like in the lab. Nevertheless, this place had a promising look to it. I was on one side of a glass wall with the clothes I came here with. Which in case you forgot was my swimming trunks...

“Good morning Mr. Kenneth” A familiar voice rang out.

Looking around the room I noticed that the white pony known none other than Celestia was sitting on a cushion by the glass wall. Again, I started to understand where I was. It was one of those rooms where you put a convict so that he can chat with family and friends without hurting anyone.

“Still as cautious as ever I see…” I started trailing off as I gestured to the five-inch-thick glass wall.

“Well, as I like to think, you can never be too safe,” Celestia replied with a fake tone. No doubt attempting to mask her true thoughts. Her smile, however, was genuine.

Walking on over to the glass wall I sat down and continued the conversation. “Then why didn’t you do this during our first encounter?” I questioned.

“Well… before we dragged you out of the lab, we did put some heavy sedatives into your system. That way you wouldn’t be able to harm us.” Celestia commented avoiding eye contact. “Nonetheless, we were still surprised to see that you were able to get up and dodge our spells.”

“I guess that’s what happens when you shoot a non-to-friendly bolt of energy at me,” I stated rolling my eyes. “So, what’s the scoop, Celestia? You going to let me out or are you going to continue to keep me locked up?” I asked.

Celestia sat there thinking about her response for a while but thankfully came up with it pretty quickly. “It’s too early to tell, but if things go according to plan then you should be out of there within a couple of days.”

“A couple days!” I yelled back. I myself was surprised at my actions, once again my body was doing stuff without telling my mind about it. It seemed Celestia was just as surprised as she jumped out of her seat a little. “I don’t know if I can last sitting in a padded room for a couple days. I’ll go insane, hell I’m pretty sure I’m half way there.”

“Don’t worry Mr. Kenneth you won’t be sitting there twiddling your hoov… han… thumbs?” She asked more than stated. With a nod from my end, she continued. “You have to understand that in order for me to let you out to roam free, we have to be one hundred percent sure you won’t cause harm to any of the ponies out here.”

“Am I really a threat when you can just launch a rock at me with your magic?” I retorted.

It was Celestia’s turn now to roll her eyes, “Anyway this is not only for us ponies, it’s also for you. Seeing your reaction when we first met, I find it wise that we take your integration into pony society slowly.”

Mulling those thoughts in my mind I replied. “Okay, I can see where you’re going with this, but what does this ‘integration’ process entail?”

“I will personally teach you how Equestria works, the do's and don'ts if you will. At the same time, I would like to understand a bit more about you humans as a whole. After we get the basics done, we will slowly introduce you to the world. As of now only a hoof-full of ponies know about your existence and trust me when I say: ‘keeping those mouths shut costs a pretty bit’. If everypony knew, there would be worldwide panic.” Celestia lectured.

“Or you know… there could not.” I simply stated.

“When you rule a country, you start to take extra precautions. Anyway, this is the smoothest way we can introduce you to the public.” Celestia replied.

“So why you?” I asked. “don’t you have like a country to run? Aren’t there hundreds of other ponies out there that are well equipped to take on this task? I mean there’s no sense in making it hard on yourself.”

“As I said before, only a handful of ponies know of your existence. None of which can even speak your language. The only one that does know how to speak to you and can guide you through this process is Luna.” Celestia stated a small smirk forming on her face. “There is nothing holding me back from switching who runs this program.”

“For the safety of your country, I suggest that you keep me and Luna as far away from each other as possible,” I stated with a look of pure seriousness on my face.

“As I thought,” Celestia stated. “So, if you have no more questions about the program, I would see to it that we start right away.”

“I have some, but I’m pretty sure I’ll find out the answer while going through. So, where and when do we begin?” I asked.

Celestia smiled once again and levitated a scroll through the glass. I’m not joking either, she fuckin’ levitated a piece of paper through a five-inch-thick wall. Completely mind blown I reached my hand out to touch the wall, and sure enough, it was solid. “One day I’m going to get used to all this magic bullshit.”

“I’m sure you will. That is one of the purposes of this integration process. Now if you wouldn’t mind signing that document, we’ll be able to start right away.” Celestia urged as she levitated a quill and ink this time though the glass wall.

“What’s this even about?” I asked as I unfurled the scroll.

“Oh, you know, just the basic’s,” Celestia stated tapping her chin with her white hoof.

“It says here that I agree to be incinerated if I show signs of aggression,” I claimed, looking up at her with a 'what the fuck' expression. “How is this the basics. Why not just stun me like you did when I was in that padded room?”

“Like I said, you can never be too safe.” She stated with a smile.

Shaking my head, I continued to read on. The rest of the document was just as obscure as the first part. In fact, I’m pretty sure I saw a line within the document stating that I had to follow her every command till the end of the integration process or face the full wrath of a hydra.

Wanting to just get on with this as fast as possible, I signed the bottom of the paper and re-rolled it.

“Done?” Celestia asked once she saw me put the quill back into the inkwell.

“Yup, don’t really like some of those terms, but I’ll agree to them for now,” I stated as I watched the scroll pop out of existence as well as the glass wall start to fade away.

“Great then let’s get started!” Celestia replied as she summoned up a table with two chairs. “first order of business is similarities. Tell me a bit about humans as well as your story so far. This will at least give me a hoof hold on a place to start.”

“I can say with utmost certainty that walls fading out of existence are not a similarity,” I commented as my right eye twitched.

She, however, was right. I did need some time to be slowly integrated into this world. Letting a large sigh escape my lips I continued on as I took a seat. I made sure to examine it thoroughly before sitting down. “A pony princess wanting to learn about my life? I should be flattered.”

Celestia let out a quiet little giggle before raising one of her eyebrows, “And you are not?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself princess, as you said before, respect is earned not given,” I claim crossing my arms. While I was accepting of her terms for integration, I was not going to be seen as someone that can be easily manipulated.

Her expression seemed to drop at my statement. “Celestia is fine, no need for formalities here.”

Seeing as how she missed the point I rolled my eyes and continued the conversation. “So, similarities?” I asked bringing back the main topic.

It was then that the true conversation started, despite the little conflict we both held towards one and another. Everything from ethics to political affairs was talked about. So, it came to no shocker that by the time we were finished with the conversation that it was already late into the evening.

The time, however, was not what stopped the conversation. What stopped us from continuing onto other topics was an observation upon Celestia’s part.

“You say that humans don’t have magic yet you can do this?” Celestia questions with a confused expression. Her front hoof pointing directly at me.

“What are you tal-” I claimed only for my eyes to see what she was gesturing towards. At first, nothing seemed off until I brought my hand up to my eyes. I could see straight through it! “Holy shit! We can’t do this! What the hell’s happening to me?” I questioned looking up towards Celestia. She had a worried look on her face.

A couple seconds passed and the transparency slider for my body kept increasing, “I have never seen anything quite like this,” She finally stated.

“You’re saying that out of all the spells you know, none of them turn someone transparent?” I question getting up in my seat. Seeing me start to panic Celestia quickly got up after me. “What’s going to happen to me?”

“Just stay calm Ken, panic will not help your situation. I want you to stand completely still while I cast a scan spell. Hopefully, we can find the cause,” Celestia lectured as she walked right in front of me. It was too late however, by the time she was in front of me, my vision faded to black and the sensation like I was being pulled reawaken.

Curling up in a little ball I felt the wind whip by me. It almost felt like I was floating for a second before I was thrown against another hard surface. Pain surged through my back, my cries of pain left unheard as my breath was completely taken from me. It was freezing, my body felt like it was on ice.

My curiousness finally caught up to me as I started to slowly unfurl myself. All my muscles protested, but I was in control. Before long my eyes greeted the afternoon sun, my body laying down in a thick layer of snow.

“Snow?” I wheezed out turning my head to the right.

Out in the distance, I could see my cottage on the hill. Its windows blacked out and no smoke billowed from its chimney. Nobody was home, and that meant that nobody would be around for a couple kilometers even if I was lucky. It was up to me to get myself out of this situation before I freeze myself to death.

Rolling myself over I slowly lift myself up to my knees. My head pounded as the pain once again erupted in my back. I crouched there my head started to spin, the feeling of something coming up my throat. Before I could process what it was, I vomited onto the snow.

“This isn’t good,” I stated to myself as I forced my body up onto its two legs.

With all the energy, I could muster up I started my way towards the cottage. Each step I made my head pounded, I could hear my own heartbeat pumping my body with blood. I had to make it to the cottage, my life could very well hang in the balance if I didn’t.

I seemed to be in the middle of the lake, thankfully it was frozen over. One step after the other I continued my march forwards. The beating in my head getting louder and louder each step I take towards the cottage. The wind that whipped freely over the level lake slapped against my skin sending shivers down my spine.

“Need to keep moving,” I said to keep my mind working.

It seemed to work as the pain in my back and legs started to fade ever so slowly. This, however, was only replaced by my head feeling relatively light. A feeling that I would take over the former any day of the year. By the time, I reached the shore my body was completely numb, I was working entirely on autopilot.

If I didn’t know this place like the back of my hand I wouldn’t have known the shore was here. The thick layer of snow made the transition seamless. My tracks being covered up by the relentless wind. If I died here nobody would find me until the summer.

With that in mind, I pushed on, my headache getting to levels that I never thought possible. My whole vision seemed to pulse with each pound in my head. Taking another step my foot catches a rock causing me to tumble in the snow. Was this it? Would I have enough energy to continue walking? I asked myself as I laid there face down in the snow.

It felt so nice to just stay still here and catch my breath. Yet I knew every second I stay here is a second I lose inside the nice and warm cottage. My body may be numb but I still knew what would happen if I stayed out here with close to nothing on.

Putting my hands down once again I slowly lift myself up. The snow beneath me was compressed from my fall, but that wasn’t what caused me to panic. What caused me to enter overdrive was the fact that the snow near my head was red. Reaching up I placed my hand on top of my hair, bringing it back I could see the red liquid run down it.

“Shit,” I all but stumbled out.

This situation was getting worse and worse. I could have a potential concussion. Pushing myself back to my knees I looked at my cottage. It wasn’t but fifty feet from me, yet it felt like it was on the other side of the world. A task I would have to complete no matter the consequences.

My legs were shaking as I started to stand up. It was almost as if the weight of my own body could bring me down. Taking the first step I was once again greeted by a headache. My mind instantly started to spin around me as I walked forwards. The sound of the wind whistling the only sound I could hear.

The distance between me and the cottage soon disappeared and I found myself turning the doorknob. It, however, didn’t open, it was locked. Cursing under my breath I fell to my knees and started digging in the snow. We always left a spare key under the mat, if I could get it I was golden.

For the first time, I looked as my hands dug through the snow. They were shaking uncontrollably as they pushed the snow to the sides. My actions were rewarded when my hands brushed up against the doormat. Grabbing one of the sides I tossed the mat to the side revealing the key beneath. Taking the key in my hands I looked up at the door.

Grunting in pain I leaned myself against the frame in order to support me as I slowly got back to my feet. Once I was standing tall again I pushed the key into the lock and spun it till the beautiful click resonated throughout my mind. It's sound a breath of fresh air compared to my pounding head.

Turning the doorknob again I stumbled through the door leaving the key in the lock. It wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t cold either. Slamming the door shut behind me I knew my mission was not over. The temperature in here would still kill me given enough time.

Pushing myself off the door I brought my hand to the wall in order to stabilize myself. The whole room was spinning around me. The wind hitting the wooden walls made the whole place creak and crack. I, however, was only after my own survival.

A couple steps more and I came to the first decision I would have to make. If I go right in the hall I would end up in the living room that had a fireplace. Or I could turn left and get some blankets from the linen closet.

Desiring instant heat over the other I turned right, the living room and all its glory stood before me. The fireplace lay barren, yet the logs and tinder were laying right next to it. My body didn’t care for the pain at this moment, I walked up to the fireplace and started chucking the logs into it. Once I had three good pieces of wood in there I tossed in the tinder before reaching for the box of matches. Taking one out I struck it across the strip. Sadly, with my shaking hands, it snapped the match in half.

“Oh, for fuck sakes come on!” I yelled as I took another match.

Carefully I once again struck the match against the strip. The match failed to catch fire, my anger was starting to boil up. Why wasn’t anything working for me when I needed it the most. Finally, like a neon sign, the match lit up. My anger washed away as soon as it started. I carefully placed the match on the newspapers and watched as the whole things slowly started to catch on fire.

A wave of heat soon reached me, it felt like I was sucker punched in the stomach. All the wind left me as I fell down to the floor. I looked up to the ceiling praying to whatever divines existed that I would survive. I was too young to die, I had so many things to look forwards to.

My eyes started to water as the pain started to show itself again, my adrenaline fading away. My head still pounded as my eyes started to get heavy. This was it, my life held on the fire beside me. If it somehow gets snuffed out I would freeze.

I tried my hardest, but my body required rest and it was going to get it one way or another. Before long my eye lids shut closed. The beautiful feeling of resting felt so good I found myself out like a lamp within seconds.

Chapter Fifteen - A Celestial Journey I

“They're pushing through the bottom levels, at this rate, they’ll reach-” Was all Ivory Spear could say before a loud crack of thunder could be heard on the other side of the door. “Sir, I suggest that we relocate to a safer position,” Ivory suggested as she pulled out her spear and aimed it towards the door.

Captain Steady Hoof shook his head, “We have to stop them now. Who knows what they’ll do if they reach the top floors,” With that said Steady Hoof took out his own spear and aimed it at the wooden door.

The room went completely silent as the sound of hoof steps made themselves known. Sweat started to collect on Ivory’s brow as her spear started to shake. Steady Hoof, on the other hand, was calm and collected. He had been trained for these types of situations and would not give in now.

Time passed by as the steps grew louder and louder until they stopped right on the other side of the door. Giving Ivory a quick nod they both tightened their grips on their spears and awaited the enemy to come to them.

They didn’t have to wait long as the door exploded into splinters. Another crackle of thunder ripped through the two guard’s ears. Nevertheless, they stood their ground still pointing their spears at the door where the silhouette of a pony and a human stood.

“Good afternoon gentlecolts,” came the rosy voice of a mare as she swiped her hoof sideways.

Seeing the attack milliseconds after its initiation, Steady Hoof erected a magical shield around both him and Ivory. Seconds later another bolt of lightning swept the room connecting with the shield. However, instead of blocking the attack like it should have, the shield only seemed to strengthen the attack.

As the bolt got larger, Steady Hoof’s eyes widened.

“Is all this violence really necessary?” I questioned River as we walked passed the two guards that were now knocked unconscious. “If you really are that powerful then why not teleport us away or something?”

River glanced towards me still smirking, “Now where’s the fun in that? I would like to see the fear in everyponies eyes when they see my new power!”

“I’ll give you that, for a pony that is all sorts of messed up you sure covered it up pretty well,” I commented exiting the room and into the now marble hallways of Canterlots upper levels. Luckily, she wasn’t killing every single pony, instead opting to knock them out.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” River replied as she walked up to the lab's door and all but vaporized it. When the dust settled we both stepped in to see Luna standing in front of the floating phone.

I won't lie, a small smile carved its way onto my face when I saw Luna. With her here we can finally put an end to River's rampage.

“Halt! One more step further and I’ll vaporize the both of you.”

“Oh well, it’s nice to see you care about me too Luna,” I stated as I rolled my eyes.

River being the rebel she is, chuckled at Luna’s command and took a step forwards. Welp, it was nice being alive, I commented to myself as Luna held true to her word and charged up her horn. Within seconds a large white beam came out of her horn and slammed right into me and Rivers bodies.

When the light faded I came to see both me and River completely unscathed. Utterly confused I looked over to Luna who was panting for air.

“You really think I would be that stupid to reveal my plan, walk through Canterlot Castle while it was under heavy guard and challenge you if I didn’t already complete my plan?” This caused both me and Luna to raise an eyebrow.

Sliding her hoof across the air again, Luna was thrown across the room by the lightning. The lab wall cracked as she impacted it and slid off. “I’m offended, I truly am,” she continued as she swiped the floating phone, “and this?” she motioned towards the phone, “This is just insurance.”

Looking back towards me River pouted, “Why the long face? You helped me get here; you should be happy.”

“You won't be able to get away with this you know. When Celestia wakes up she’ll put you ten feet under.”

“But I have already gotten away with it, and did you not just see what I did to Luna? Magic means nothing when you can't control it.” And just like that, a white light surrounded the both of us. The next thing I remember was standing outside on one of the palaces many balconies.

River let out a demonic laugh, “Now it is time you see the true power you have given me.” Raising her hoof towards the sky a large bolt of electricity shot out. Turning my gaze skywards I came to see the clouds start to form and swirl around the lone bolt of electricity. Before long the whole sky was blotted out by the clouds. The horrible weather conditions from before came back little by little.

It was now clear how the storms of old were conjured up. Not to mention that my theory of ponies being unable to do evil things got thrown out the metaphorical window. Either way, shit was getting pretty interesting as I continued to watch River shoot arcs of lighting out of her hooves into the sky above.

“UNLIMITED POWER!” She shrieked as the first drops of rain hit the ground.

Before I could even begin to comment on what she had just said, the world around us twisted and contorted. After which, it was like someone cranked up the brightness and set bloom to max as I experienced the dreaded white out.

With a large pop, Twilight and her friends appeared within the walls of Canterlot castle. Yet, the castle was in a state none of them had ever thought they would see in their lifetimes. Gasping in horror Twilight and her friends made their way down the war-torn main corridor. The tapestries that decorated the walls were all torn up, priceless vases and busts were shattered across the floor, and even pieces of the ceiling were gone.

“What could have done this?” Twilight pondered out loud as her friends started to pan out.

“Ah don’t know but I reckon they had to have been mighty powerful,” Applejack commented as she gestured towards a couple of unconscious guards.

Rarity -while completely appalled by the current state of the castle- walked up next to Applejack, “She’s right darling and these… burn marks aren't from any magic I know of.” Placing a hoof in front of her muzzle she continued, “these poor stallions.”

Rarity’s statement intrigued the rest of the group as they all walked over towards the three knocked out guards. Each one still wearing their golden armor, but like Rarity had commented the damage was clear. Mysterious burn marks that looked like bolts of lightning spread across their fur.

The sound of shuffling rubble tore their gaze away from the guards and towards a pony rounding one of the corners. Her blue coat was matted with dried blood as she limped into the main corridor.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight exclaimed as she galloped over towards her.

Hearing her voice, Luna looked up with a small smile gracing her lips, “Twilight we art glad you are here.”

Firing up her horn, Twilight took the weight off of Luna’s injured hoof, “What happened? We came as fast as we could. We could hear the explosions all the way from Ponyville!” Twilight asked as she arrived on the other side of Luna.

“Kenneth, he- he’s working with River,” Luna’s small smile faded to a scowl, “I knew he couldn’t be trusted, I can’t believe I was actually having second thoughts about him. Together they walked through the castle destroying everything in their path. I tried to stop them from grabbing Kenneth’s phone but River - she has a power unlike I have ever seen before.”

“River and Kenneth?” Twilight questioned with a puzzled expression, “Are we talking about the same ponies here?”

Luna let out a large sigh, “I know what I saw Twilight. River threw me across the lab to get to the phone and Ken just stood there watching.”

Twilight was still skeptical about the whole event. Things just didn’t add up, Kenneth would never do something like this, “Do you know where they went? I and the girls can chase them down,” Twilight offered as the rest of the girls arrived next to Luna, each one nodding as if to strengthen her offer.

“Yeah, I’ll give them the one-two. Just point us in the right direction and it'll be over before you know it.” Rainbow Dash commented punching the air in front of her with her hooves.

Luna shook her head, “They teleported away, and by the amount of magical energy I felt; I think it's safe to say they’re very, very far away.” With that said, Twilight and the rest of the girl's expressions dropped.

“What about Celestia? Where is she?” Fluttershy of all ponies asked.

This caused Luna’s eyes to widen, “We must find mine sister! Who knows what those two have done to her!” Shaking her hoof free of Twilights magic, Luna turned around and started to walk back into the castle. She was stopped however when she tripped over from the sharp pain that shot through her right hoof.

Acting quickly, Twilight fired up her horn again and floated Luna off the scuffed marble floor, “Luna you’re in no position to search for her. I and the girls will find her.”

Luna shook her head, “I must find my sister, you don't understand what this could do to her! Without my help, she might slip into darker parts of her mind. It is of utmost importance that you bring me to her.”

Seeing that Luna was still as stubborn as ever, Twilight nodded her head as she signaled the rest of her friends to start searching, “Is there any place you think she would be at?” Twilight questioned as she walked down the main corridor towards the throne room, levitating Luna next to her as she did so.

“Her chambers would be the first place I would check,” Luna stated.

“Alright, but on the way, we’re checking the throne room.”

With Luna’s agreement, it didn’t take long at all for the two of them to open up the large oaken doors that lead into the throne room. Breaching the threshold both Twilight and Luna gasped in horror.

Ten if not twenty guards all laid unconscious on the floor, their spears scattered in between them. Two large marble pillars had been sliced in half and were now laying on the ground mixed with the multicolored-glass from the shattered murals. The throne itself was missing its back rest as parts of the plush red carpet were still on fire.

Acting off instincts, Twilight laid Luna down and started to douse the fires on the carpet. Luna, on the other hoof, was not going to sit around while Twilight fought the fire. Instead, she got up and started to limp around the room looking for her sister.

“Celestia!” She yelled, “Sister where are you!”

Rarity and Fluttershy walked through the many hallways of the castle. Luckily, they had been here multiple times before, so getting lost wasn’t really an issue. Unlike the time they explored Celestia’s and Luna’s old castle.

“You think Celestia would be in her room?” Fluttershy questioned as the two came across the two large wooden doors with Celestia’s cutie mark burned into it. “I mean if I was in a castle that was under attack; I would run to my room and hide under my blankets.”

Rarity rolled her eyes, “Darling I hardly think that Celestia would hide from danger. In fact, if anything, I think she would be like Rainbow and charge head first into the fray.”

“We’ll it couldn’t hurt checking? I mean we’re already here,” Fluttershy commented.

“I guess you’re right, a room searched is a room searched,” And with that being said the two pushed through the large doors and entered Celestia's chambers.

While they had been in Canterlot Castle many times before, they had never once stepped hoof in Celestia's chambers. It was this reason alone that caused both of them to gasp as they mindlessly looked around the luxurious bedroom. Not a single thing was disturbed unlike what lay just outside its doors.

The marble flooring was replaced by a plush white carpet with little decals embroidered in with a yellow polyester fabric. Every wall has multiple paintings adorning them, each one masterly crafted by steady hoofs depicting mostly Celestia herself and Luna. Her bed was very spacious as to be expected, but one thing was off.

Next to her bed on top of her nightstand, stood alone picture frame that was left empty. Walking up towards the nightstand, she picked it up. Spinning it around in her magical grasp she took note of a white piece of paper attached to the back labeled ‘just ask’.

Confused as to what the ‘just ask’ meant to Celestia, Rarity went to place the frame back onto the night stand only to reveal that hiding just behind where the frame was, was a perfectly preserved Midnight Sun.

Being in the fashion industry, she knew how rare these flowers were. These two items lead her mind back to the note on the back of the frame, and then back to the Midnight Flower. She felt like the answer was right on the tip of her tongue, but before she could come up with anything solid she heard Luna yell out in her Canterlot voice.

“Oh my, that doesn't sound too good,” Fluttershy said still shaking from being caught off guard.

Tossing her train of thought away she ran passed Fluttershy and towards Luna’s voice.

With the last bit of fire put out, Twilight once again levitated Luna, “It doesn't look like she’s here,” She said walking back out of the throne room. A couple more steps out into the main corridor and she almost got hit by one of the castle maids. She was running away from what looked to be the castles emergency ward.

“Hey, Miss!” Twilight yelled out.

Sadly, the maid didn’t stop. Instead, she just yelled out: “I don’t want to die, I’m too young!”

With a quizzical expression adorning both Twilight’s and Luna’s face; they turned towards the direction that the maid was running away from, “You think this has to do with Celestia?” Twilight questioned.

“Either way, we should make sure it’s nothing serious,” Luna said as the two started to approach the door that lead to the castles emergency ward.

They didn’t even have to get within twenty feet before they could feel the extreme heat radiating from the ward. Twilight looked over to Luna, “it’s too hot! We would die before we even got to the door. What in Equestria is going on in there!”

Looking defeated Luna’s head dropped, “We’re too late.”

As she said that the door in front of them disintegrated, revealing Celestia standing under its frame. Her mane and tail were on fire, her eyes held no iris nor pupil, and the marble floor beneath her hooves melted into magma causing embers to spin around her form. She wore no regal accessories and by the expression she adorned, she was definitely not happy.

“Move,” Her voice echoed as if three people were saying the same thing at the same time.

“If you wish to live, I suggest that we do as my sister requests,” Luna said as Twilight did as commanded and trotted out of Celestia’s path.

“You’re stronger than this! Fight it, Celestia!” Twilight couldn’t help but yell as she watched her mentor passed by. A trail of molten marble laid in her wake, her words were seemingly ignored by the sun goddess as she continued down the corridor.

Getting to her hooves, Luna patted Twilight on the back, “There is nothing we can do now, but see what she has planned. She is too powerful even for me to stop.”

Twilight whipped her head around and looked at Luna with hope sparkling in her eyes, “What about the elements! They brought you out of your Nightmare Moon state! It can work, we just have to get my friends!”

“The elements only work against evil, while it may look bad, I can assure you that Celestia does not harbor any evil thoughts about what she’s doing. Using the elements would only worsen her condition and may actually inadvertently cause her to become corrupted,” Luna lectured.

“But she’s already corrupted! I know my mentor, and she would never let something like this to happen.” Twilight exclaimed.

“And we know mine sister!” Luna yelled, “You don’t think it hurts me as well seeing that the best we can do at this moment is just watch where she goes. She may be your mentor Twilight, but she is my sister!” She continued, tears starting to form in her eyes. “I don’t want to lose her as much as you do.”

Luna’s words cut deep into Twilight. She was right, compared to Luna she barely held a candle towards her light.

Hearing all the commotion the rest of the group found their way back to Twilight and Luna. Each one held a gloomy expression as they watched Celestia wander towards the throne room. As Luna had said, nopony could get even remotely close to Celestia, so instead they opted to follow behind at a safer distance.

Stopping at the throne Celestia’s horn glowed. Within seconds a compartment in the wall opened up revealing a manikin clad in golden armor. Even from this distance Twilight could see the detail and craftsmanship of the armor. It was both a piece of art and a tool of destruction.

Above the armor hung a large split blade spear. At the bottom of the spear head was a white crystal that radiated so much light, that she could see tendrils of white light waft away into the air around it.

“Daybreak, there has only been one time I’ve seen her take up arms and adorn her sunforged armor,” Luna commented as she watched her sister levitate her golden armor onto her figure and step into her Athunium plated boots.

Turning around Celestia tied her hair into a ponytail and placed her spartan helmet on. Her eyes fixated on Luna as she walked towards the center of the throne room.

“What is the purpose of all this sister? You cannot reach them, they’re magic is stronger than you when they’re together. They’re farther gone than you think!”

Celestia let out a small demonic chuckle, “Not even space nor time can keep me from finding them.” As she said those words her white eyes brightened as she swung Daybreak through the air. Everyponies eyes went wide as the spear left behind a large tear in the fabric of reality.

Luna was left speechless as she witnessed her sister's true power. Never in all her life did she think that her sister was capable of punching holes through space. Not only that but to warp time enough to create a tear that could lead to places so far, they had yet to come up with a term to measure it.

Without second thought Celestia’s horn once again lit up. The air around her started to super heat which in turn caused the embers to change into specs of plasma. Twilight and her friends had already started to run away from the amount of heat Celestia was emanating.

Before long the spell she had been casting finished and Celestia stood there on two legs looking exactly like a human. "I can't let River destroy Kenneth," She said with a small nod. With nothing left to do she walked through the tear in the air causing all the heat to vanish leaving Luna in the cold and dark throne room.

Not wasting any time, Luna broke out into a full-on gallop towards the tear. Yet, before she could reach it, the tear collapsed in on itself and vanished from existence.

Collapsing from her injuries she let out a loud cry of pain. Turning herself onto her back, she looked towards the ceiling of the throne room. Everything was spinning around her, and the light from the sun seemed to fade from the room as felt the darkness inside her start to swell up.

“Why sister… Why?” She whispered as the sound of hooves made themselves known.

Author's Note

Been working on a non-FiM related book. I'm back now though and would like to know if you liked this new chapter. As always leave a comment stating your opinions or corrections. Extra points if you can find all the references ;)