A Warrior's Call

"Mr. Travis! Time for you to eat dinner! Please wake up!" A soft female voice demanded as I lifted my head from the pillow.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Your servant, appointed to do whatever you or the Princesses say." She chimed as she gave me my shirt and shoes.

"Alright, what's your name?" I asked as I put on my garments.

"Elysa Sir." The servant replied as she walked over to the door and opened it, waiting for my arrival.

Elysa had a sky blue coat of fur, and a short-styled dark purple maine. She was a unicorn with deep blue eyes and a task oriented mind. I wonder why I need a servant... it feels a little too much like slavery, but I won't reject their hospitality. The last thing I need is to be kicked out and hated by everyone.

I walked out of my room, following Elysa. We walked the west wing hall to its end at the throne room. She took me down what was apparently the main staircase to the grand entrance of the castle. The entrance to the dinning hall was on our right, with a sign I couldn't read. Elysa took me to the entrance, but stopped short.

"I will leave you every meal, and return when you are finished. Please enjoy your meal Mr. Travis." She promptly stated, bowed, then walked off.

I entered the Dinning Hall, recounting my manors, making sure I had a friendly smile.

"Ahh! Mr. Travis! It is good to see you again!"

"Princess Celestia!" I bowed "It is an honor." I turned to the other Princess and bowed. "Princess Luna! Your hair is quite marvelous this evening." This received a small giggle and blush from the Princess.

"Mr. Travis we appreciate our most gracious complement, and are delighted to host you." Luna replied as her giggle turned to a brightened smile. "Please come sit by us for the duration of the meal."

A dark blue aura appeared around the chair next to Luna, pulling it back for me to sit. I walked the long length of the table down to the pulled out chair and sat down.

"Thank you Princess."

"Just call us Celestia and Luna, Mr. Travis." Celestia requested as she took a sip of her water. "We are your friends."

"Alright Celestia, then you must call me just Travis."

"Ok Travis." She smiled. "What type of food do humans eat?"

"We eat meats, vegetables, fruit, and grain products." I listed out.

"What types of meat?" Ceslestia said in a slightly nervous tone.

"Chicken, Cow, Goat, some types of birds, Lamb... and I think that's it." I looked up at her and smiled, trying to calm her down.

"Do you eat Ponies?"

"No. It is socially unacceptable to eat horses."

Both of the Princesses gasped in unison.

"Mr. Travis I must ask that you use appropriate language!" Celestia snapped as she shook off what I just had said.

Shit...

"I'm sorry Princesses, I have to apologize. I had no idea that was considered derogatory. On earth ponies are very different... and the word is not considered derogatory. I'm sorry."

The Princesses were a caught off guard, but they looked to be a bit more understanding. Celestia looked at Luna and nodded her head.

"It is alright Travis. We understand that your world could be very different from ours, so we will not take offence to any accidents or misunderstandings in speech or action."

"Thank you, and I will extend the same to you Celestia." I turned to Luna and responded "And you too Luna." She smiled back.

"Well it is good to hear that you are a friend of Ponies. Does all of your species look like you?"

"Most are... yes. We have a chemical in our bodies called melanin that determines our skin color, but it is more limited to a very light peach color to a very deep brown. No human is, for instance, blue or green."

"Interesting." Luna commented as she gazed at my face intensely.

"Our hair varies, but it is either black, brown, red, or yellow. Our eyes can be brown, black, green, hazel, or blue. I've noticed ponies with all kinds of hair and body colors today." I commented, trying not to drone on about humans too much.

"That is indeed very interesting." Celestia spoke. "What would you like to drink Travis?"

"Do you have beer?" I asked out of curiosity, looking to see if I could score.

"No. We outlawed it to reduce crime. Beer and all forms of liquor."

That's an L.

"Oh ok. That's fine, how about a lemon water instead." I replied, bummed out about the lack of a drink menu in this universe.

"Ooh! Good choice Travis!" Luna commented as she sipped on her own lemon water.

"And what would you like to go with it?" Celestia asked as the waiter approached.

I'm guessing I can't exactly get wings or a good burger here... there was like no response when I was talking about the meats I eat. Looks like I have to eat something like a salad. Yay. Another L

"Luna, what salads do you recommend?" I ask, turning to face her.

"We recommend the 1,000 island salad." She responds in no time.

"I'll take that."

"Alrighty then! Waiter! Hoof-craft our new friend a 1,000 island salad." The white princess ordered.

"Yes your highness!" The waiter said, then scrambled into the kitchen.

I took a second to take a deep breath to relieve myself of the tension I have put on myself. It sure is a terrible feeling trying not to offend a species that you know nothing about. They seem a little up-tight, especially with the whole drinking thing. Who thinks prohibition is a good idea? I guarantee it is only making crime spread. But who knows. Maybe in a magical land, people don't feel the need to drink. Whatever, I guess I'm not really able to question the two leaders who are providing everything for me.

"What entertainment is prevalent in your human society?" Luna asked, breaking my moment to myself.

"Well there are sports like hockey, soccer, baseball, football, basketball, Boxing, UFC fighting, racing, wrestling... the list goes on and on. There is also music and movies and such."

"You have boxing as a sport? That is very violent and dangerous. We do not allow it in this society." Celestia responded, bewildered.

"Humans are notoriously violent at times. Violent things like boxing, give us a way to take out frustration and anger in a controlled setting. Wars are very common on earth. We can't even go a decade without having some kind of a war or terrorist incident killing tons of us. It is rather sad. Our leaders take advantage of us, and make us kill to preserve their interests. There were only a few wars that were justified enough to constitute humans dying in order to achieve those goals." I ranted, getting consumed of my hate for the terrible leaders of Earth.

"That is incredibly sad... would you be alright to share what they were?"

"There were two world wars that were justified... The second world war was the most justified war my country was ever in. The United States fought two incredibly large world powers who raped and genocided the countries and people they conquered, so we brought an end to their evil."

"Might I ask how many humans died in this war?"

"A little over eighty million." Both of the princesses dawned somber looks, with their ears dropping behind their heads.

"We barely have fifty six thousand ponies in the entirety of Equestria... We are deeply sorry to hear this news." Celestia apologized.

"It was the largest war in our history and the people who fought against evil must be remembered, but as a species we are ok on numbers. We are about 7 billion strong now." Luna's mannerisms quickly turned back to that of bewilderment as she looks shocked by the number of humans there are in the world.

"This world you have traveled from must be larger than Equuis by a considerable amount." The star-studded pony added.

"It probably is, who knows." Just as I said this, the waiters carted out our meal. In what had to be a miniature feast, the servants began setting up all sorts of traditional pony foods on platters of silver and gold. I was impressed to say the least.

"It's time for us to dine, so might we recommend a few staples of our pony kind?" Luna asked, eager to showcase the culinary achievements of her ponies.

"Yes please!" I said as my salad was literally delivered on a golden platter.

"Hoof-tossed 1,000 island salad, made to your liking sir." The waiter commented, like I was at the fanciest restaurant in town.

"We must recommend you try the daisy parfait first, then the hay-shake for dessert."

"Like daisy... the flower?" I asked with confusion, trying to contemplate why they would eat flowers.

"Yes, it's quite delicious..." Luna said, taking a bite of her parfait.

"Well, I don't know if I can... humans cannot digest hay or flowers. I could try a little to get the flavor, but I will hay to spit it out." Luna's eyes sunk down a little bit out of disappointment, but she seemed to be understanding as she kept her smile.

"We will eventually find something we mutually enjoy, and can digest." Luna seemed determined to make me like her favorite foods.

This dinner seemed to be going well enough... Luna was excited, and Celestia seemed to be enjoying herself as well. I've made enough of an impact already to hopefully make them think keeping me in the castle was a good idea. The last thing I want to do is end up in a jail or on the streets in such a strange place like this...

I picked up my fork and began feasting on the salad the royal kitchen prepared for me. The first bite I took was incredible. Nothing I had on earth compared to the flavors they brought out in the dish. It was possibly the greatest thing I had ever had... and I hate salad.

"Princess... this is amazing." I commented in-between bites. "A culinary masterpiece for sure."

This comment really pleased Celestia. "I'm really glad you enjoy it!" She said, feeling overwhelming pride at my enjoyment of her hospitality.

The rest of the meal was filled with small talk and laughter, as we discussed our two worlds and the history behind them. I spent over two hours chatting with them, getting to know the princesses better.

"Hey, thanks for the amazing meal, Princesses... your kindness is extraordinary. I cannot thank you enough."

"Well, breakfast is going to be just as good Travis." Celestia laughed a little bit. "I hope you have a good night of rest."

"We wish you the same." Luna added as I walked out towards my room.

I walked out of the door to the dinning room to be greeted by Elysa.

"Hi Elysa." I greeted the mare at the door waiting for me.

"How was your meal?"

"It was amazing... I've never had anything like it in my life." I said, recounting my previous dinning experience.

"It's special what they can do in there." She said as we began walking to the room. "Tomorrow, we are going to make you some more clothes... then you will have to make some public statements about your race."

"What kind of public statements?" I asked.

"Just tell the newspaper a little about yourself, and explain that your nothing to fear. Ponies can be superstitious sometimes." She added.

"And how superstitious is that?" I jokingly asked.

"We exiled the original potion makers because we thought they were in league with the devil." She laughed as we continued on up the grand staircase.

"I think every civilized world has had that stage of development." This quip brought out even more giggling from the servant pony.

"Well this assignment seems like it might not be such a bust after all." Elysa commented.

"Ouch." I laughed at her sense of sass. "Are you always this sassy?"

"When I need to be." She said, looking back at me smiling.

Not much else was said on our way back to my room. I took the time to explore the intricacies of the castle, and the beauty of the various historic statues and paintings on the walls. There was so much to see here, and I loved every second of exploring this place.

"Is there anything else you require of me?" Elysa said as we stopped at my room.

"No, I think I will be fine." I responded.

"If you need me, there is a button on your nightstand that will call me. Other than that, have a good night Mr. Travis."

"Thank you Elysa, you are so kind."

After I thanked my new servant, I entered my room and closed the door. I made sure to check out all parts of my room, including the attached bathroom. Nothing was really out of the ordinary, other than the toilet. It reminded me of the Japanese squat toilets. The toilet was made of a material similar to ceramic, and set in the floor with one end having a dome thing on it. The shower was quite typical, walk in, with glass and a shower head on the ceiling. The sink was a little low, hanging at about waist level, perfect for the average pony. I'm not complaining though, I rather enjoy these accommodations.

Since my high of insanity wore off, I have been noticing a few things about this world... like the size of the ponies. Most of them are as tall as my chest, with the exception of the princesses. Luna goes up to my neck, and Celestia is pretty much the same height as me. I'm about 6'0 tall, possibly 5'11... but it doesn't really matter. There are also three main ponies I have seen, ones with horns, ones with wings, and plain ones. The only exception I have seen are yet again, the princesses. They have both wings, and larger horns than the rest of the horned ones. Also something I have a hard time comprehending is the fact that they can do magic. I want to know how that works...

After I thought long and hard about this new world, I decided to go to bed. I took off my shirt, folded it, and climbed in bed. Adjusting myself was a bit hard, because I always find it difficult to sleep in new places. I turned off the lamp and closed my eyes, desperately trying to go to sleep. It wasn't working.

I don't want to stay awake all night again. I thought as I tried to make myself go to sleep.

And just as I strained to fall asleep, my whole body instantly gave way to a trance like sleep. My mind couldn't question it as I suddenly and unexplained jolted into the dream world. My eyes shot open, my body started boiling, my feet couldn't stand the pain. Everything was burning.

"I am deeply displeased with you." A deep voice boomed.

My consciousness was jolted, and I knew where I was. Hell.

"Um... What?" I responded to the voice.

"Do you think I am some kind of joke?!" The deep voice boomed again, enraged by my half-assed comment. "We had a deal Travis. I intend to collect."

"Who are you!?" I shout in fear as I see the dark world explode into flames. The ground erected a circle, a flaming pentagram.

"You know my name..." The voice called back as it seemed to grow closer and closer.

The darkness gave way to a group of beings wearing black and red robes, with a very tall cloaked figure behind them. They approached slowly, giving me an ominous feeling. I looked up to see the tall being's face. A cow's skull covered in red, dripping blood. Its forehead had a pentagram carved into it.

"Satan..." I muttered in disbelief, thinking back to the ritual my friends and I did as a joke on Halloween.

"If you cannot deliver, you know what will happen to you Travis." The voice responded as his demons circled around me. "You will know."

My body began sinking into the hellish brimstone as demonic chants and bells rang. I knew screaming and any form of resistance are useless, so I let my body sink down. The bell intensified as my body was almost all engulfed in the demonic sand.

*Ring* *Ring* *Ring* The deep sounding bell rang three times.

I saw myself from the ceiling of my room, sleeping. My arms began to feel light, my legs started slipping. Laughter came from all around the room as I dropped from the ceiling, back into my body. I shot awake, looking frantically around the room, still hearing a chorus of laughter from what I thought to be demons. Cold sweat engulfed my body as the laughter died down, leaving me alone and panicked. My eyes caught something I couldn't really make out. As I looked a little closer I knew exactly who it was.

"Luna...?" I asked, wondering why she was here.

"We are intruding, sorry we woke your slumber." She apologized as she walked towards the door.

"No you're fine, please stay. I wasn't exactly having the best of dreams." I confessed, seeking someone or something to stay with me.

"Ok, if you insist. What happened in your dream?" She asked, concerned about my sudden awakening.

"It was... rather complicated." I lied, not wanting her to know about my close encounter with the Devil.

"Maybe we can listen to you and help?" Luna asked as she walked over to my bed, sitting down.

"Well I made a bad decision a while ago, and it haunts me to this day." I responded vaguely.

"We know a lot about that..." Luna said in a very depressed tone. As she thought about it, she fought to hold back tears.

"Luna? Are you ok?" I asked as she seemed more and more troubled.

"No, We are not. We just thought back to exceedingly dark places in our past." She confessed as a slight tear rolled down her cheek.

I moved slightly closer to her and said "Hey if you would like to talk about it, I will listen."

"We would really like that." I moved a little closer to her, trying to comfort the Princess. "When We were young, Celestia and I were rather at odds because our parents were never around. We were raised by nannies and other ponies, which caused much strife between us. Nothing was the same after our parents died in the great war. We were left to provide, and raise ourselves."

"I'm so sorry to hear that Luna." I said, locking eyes with her.

"We are alright now, but then... we couldn't deal with it. We began rebelling against Celestia... We turned into a monster. Nightmare Moon." She shivered a little, remembering the painful memories of her past. "Innocent ponies were harmed by me. We were banished to the moon for ten thousand years."

"Ten thousand years is a long time to be away from home."

"Yes... that is why We still speak like this. We speak such like ponies did ten thousand years ago... with eloquence and age." She responded.

"So are you like immortal?" I asked confused at how she could live for ten thousand years... let alone on the moon.

"No, but my sister and I are given the greatest of honors. Celestia raises the sun, We raise the moon and waitch over the stars. We have other duties that we oversee, but those are the most critical. We live extended lives, put simply." She said with a bit of pride.

"Wow that's very interesting... is that why you have the stars in your hair?" I asked, trying to make the pony feel better.

"Yes."

"Well, I really like them. They are beautiful." I remarked. Her face began to slightly blush as I smiled.

"You are most kind Travis. We really appreciate your complement." She smiled. "We must be getting to bed soon... thank you for listening to us." She added as she began to get up from the bed.

"Hey Luna..."

"Yes Travis?" She asked as she stopped, turning around.

"Could you stay here tonight? I'm honestly really scared..." Her face lit up with what looked like surprise. "I don't feel safe and I feel like I know you the best here on this planet."

Luna stood halfway from the bed to the door, contemplating what she should do. She began walking towards me and climbed back on the bed.

"We will, sleep well Travis."