Chapter One: The Chapter in Which I Entered Equestria
Chapter One: The Chapter in Which I Entered Equestria
Every moment.
Every moment I keep thinking of how I came to this world. This magical, crazy, something I would never have thought would be possible, kind of world. Sure, I had an imagination. I was a reader, for crying out loud! Yet I never thought of this world. This didn’t have any of my usual scenarios. There was no blood. There were no guns. No sword fights. No vampires or werewolves. No unexplained transformation that happens randomly. So, I have come to the conclusion that this was not my imagination. This world, a world called Equestria, was another world created by someone or something. Someone who wasn’t me. So I ruled out that this wasn’t a dream and some vivid trip into my psyche. No, this was another dimension or something. A world that is just as real as my life on Earth. Yet, why? Why this world had to be real? I had long given up that magic, fantasy, the whole shebang was real. It was just fiction as was the books I have inhaled. Sure, I was hopeful and naive. I keep wishing to actually live in these worlds I kept visiting. I also wish for time travel, brand new video games, and a girl to actually like me. (I honestly believe I was becoming infatuated with a girl.) Still, despite my long romanticizing the fictional places I kept visiting, I didn’t actually think I will be living in one. Or fictional from my point of view. But fate had to prove me wrong.
If my memory serves me correctly, it happened on a warm autumn day. I normally don’t like autumn. It is an indication that winter would be here soon and that being outside would be nothing more but a painful, cold, ice land that you have to trek through. I prefer my weather to be nice and warm. I grew up in California for most of my life. So yeah, I didn’t think winters were that bad in my younger years. I actually wanted to see some snow. But a few years of being in the Midwest quickly drain my enthusiasm for snow. This time around, however, was different. At least, for me emerging from the previous summer. The summer before was the most miserable, frustrating summer I have ever known. I don’t whether it was because I just became a teenager or that it was the record heat or that I was stuck at home with my parents and siblings for the majority of the time. Whatever the cause, it was just a summer or hell. My parents were miserable, so I became miserable. My friends at my new school didn’t bother to contact me nor did I actually have anywhere to go. But it didn’t bother me. I thought summer was to be a time to relax. Not have to worry about a thing. That was where I was wrong. I was reprimanded and grounded so many times just for not doing my chores correctly. It was just a long miserable season.
So, on this particular autumn day, I was walking to my place of comfort and solitude: the public library. Most of the kids in my class would never hang out at the library for it is uncool and stupid. But for me, it was my little slice of heaven. Books that contain numerous worlds. Stories that contain a bit of excitement, suspense, and action. A world that will steal me away for hours on end. Sure, I like playing the best first-person shooter or RPG on my video game console as most of my friends do but there is just a great authenticity to the words on paper. Plus the library had access to the internet. Internet, that may be slow but wasn’t constantly under my parent’s watch. (And no I didn’t go to any sites that were above teenage rating.) The library was not particularly big. It was just one of the two libraries in a town of fewer than nine thousand people and was only meant to serve that many people. But hey, it was just down the street from my house. (Actually, to be fair, BOTH libraries were down the street from my house.) I walked down to the local library so often, regardless of the season and the weather, that they know me on a first name basis.
“Hello!” the patron of the library said as soon as I entered.
I merely nodded. I was never much with words. I was more of a listener as my other siblings were more talkers. I moved silently and immediately went to the new bookshelf in the young adult section of the library. There was nothing new. Curses! I guessed that is what I get for living in a backwater town. I kept looking at more books that were scattered all over the place. Some I have read repeatedly. Others were desperate attempts to get into a book that seems interesting but got boring quickly. I mean, would it kill the author to put some sort of action in the book's first few pages? Or have the most interesting part of the novel first instead of putting some boring description of the character’s life or the town before we get to the good stuff? Then again, it could be my deficit attention for not getting through a novel sometimes.
After reading the novels for a while and exploring the internet, it was nearly time for me to head home. My parents get worried about my well being sometimes. It took a lot of pleading and ensuring to convince them that I can go down to the library by myself. But before I left, I went down to the back section of the library, between the children’s section and the horror section. There was a seat there that had one book on it. I placed my stack of books and look at the book. It was an encyclopedia of weather and atmospheric events. I rolled my eyes. I knew this stuff like the back of my hand. Everyone, even me, assumes is that being a meteorologist was my dream job. It was something I devoted nearly all my life too. Tornadoes, hurricanes, hail, I love it all. But the back of my mind was inquired by the prospect of writing. With the invention of computers, my writing was no longer restricted to my crappy handwriting and the flimsiness of paper and pencil. I could actually write a story. But what should I write was the question. It was a choice that I could take down the road: to either be creative or to have a stable job in a field of science I enjoyed. It wasn’t something I didn’t want to choose. I was hoping to take the third option.
It was at this moment, in the midst of this thought process, that a strange feeling came over me. I can’t exactly describe it well. The closest I had to this feeling was deja vu: the feeling like you have seen this before. You are probably having this moment now. Or you had it before. Or you will have this sense eventually. But it seems like I could sense when something is going to happen in the future. That it will repeat itself. Like I saw this in my dreams and it is happening in reality. I think it is called a premonition. It happens to me briefly before my whole life change. It passed by quickly, however. So quickly, that I passively ignored the feeling. I just kept reading.
Suddenly, a buzzing sound filled the air. It wasn’t unusual. This was an old building and it tends to make depressing sounds. But then the smell came. Gone was the usual smell of musty, old book and instead came the smell of water, of rain before it came down. Then the whistling sound came and the air became to pick up. The walls began to shake. It was then that I became alert to my surroundings. My mind went to the most immediate thing that I could think of that would be causing this: a tornado. The thing I was prepared for the most, a weather event that will put me in my element.
I looked up and saw that it wasn’t tornado ripping the building but a bluish-white ball of light that was forming in the hallway I was sitting in. My first thought was that this was ball lightning, a rare phenomenon that happens with thunderstorms. But then a reasonable part of mind just gave me the obvious sign that this shouldn’t be happening! We were in a building! And it wasn’t thunderstorm outside. I stood up as did the hairs on my neck. I was attempted to flee but my feet weren’t working. The ground began to shake. I felt my legs vibrating from the power from underneath. I have been in an earthquake before but this was too intense. The ball of energy and fire was just getting bigger and bigger. Arches of electricity were shooting out of the ball. I was getting flashbacks to a movie. One where the scientist was just saying it was alright, that it was just a spike of energy. But this time there was no hero to come in.
I did what I could think of and braced myself by holding on to part of a wall. The ground cracked open. Chunks of it were defying gravity as it flown into the ball and disappeared ball of light. Then I saw a ring of water encircling the ball of energy before it too was sucked into the ball of light. Soon the lights were going out as sparks were flying out of the bulbs. The wind became a deafening howl, far louder than I expected. I don’t know if it was screaming or not. I just was hoping that this thing would end soon. That didn’t happen. Instead, a dark hole was forming inside the bright ball of light.
I was astonished yet very much terrified.
Then gravity began to change. That or the power of the wind was becoming too intense. I have heard of tornadoes being able to pick up people, cars, and trees, of course. What was going on in front of me, however, shouldn’t be real. I kept repeating to myself that this couldn’t exist. This shouldn’t exist. Black holes are made of exploding stars, not random energy balls that come from nowhere. Yet I couldn’t deny it. The power of our nature was unfolding right in front of me and it was pulling the entire room inside out. Books of all sizes were flying into the black hole. Everything was getting suck in. Including me. There was no mercy for me. I felt myself being lifted towards the black hole.
There was no chance for me to hang on. If my bookish tendency was not enough of an indicator, then I simply stated that I didn’t have any upper body strength. There was no contest. My grip slipped by inches and eventually, I lost my hold on the wall and let go. I closed my eyes, feeling tears forming on the edge of my visions. Whether it was from pain or because I lost control over the situation, I’d never know. It only took about less than a second before I too entered the portal. All that was running through my mind was my family. My parents. My siblings. My cousins. All of my life seems to revolve around them. Although it was probably for selfish reasons. I’d never know. I was gone in a blink of an eye.
Everything was just white. A white light of glowing power all around me.
Then nothing.
Just me falling into unconsciousness.
A funny word, unconscious is.
…..I felt my body landing hard on a cold, dusty floor. I let out a bout of coughing as some of the dust entered my lungs. I was disoriented and aching in pain as I try to get up after my coughing fit. But my bearings were not straight and I ended up falling to my side. After all that, I just wanted to give up. I felt like crying. What went wrong? Where was I? Why did this happen to me? These questions were just going around my mind like a consent orbit. I, of course, couldn’t appreciate that I was still alive. I was young back then and therefore I was naive, spoiled, and sheltered. So, I spent God only knows how long on the floor, weeping. I guess it is pathetic for me to be just lying there, feeling sorry for myself. I guess this would be the first time to admit that I didn’t have control of anything. And that made me scared.
The world returned to me in a sudden jerk. I don’t know how or when but I was in a different location. I was now sitting upright. My back was stiff, indicating that I was sitting here for a long time. I felt groggy. Did I really fall asleep? I tried to move my arms to my face but something was holding them together. I looked to see that I have now got steel braces on my arms. Small ones that seem to be a bit too tight. I let out a cry of anguish. The steel braces didn’t seem to be made for me but it did its job. A small yet durable chain held my arms together. I saw a similar one on my right leg with a large chain attached to the ground. The image reminded me of the old cartoons with the furry animals wearing the striped shirts with numbers on it. Now it was clear. I was in a prison. Like a switch in my head, my brain went to the only reasonable emotion to have: panic.
I stood up quickly, the chains crinkling. I was beginning to hyperventilate. My anxiety was getting severe. I didn’t know what to do. My mind kept telling me not to panic. But that was not an easy thing to do. Everything that could wrong was flashing in my head. I must have done something bad. That is why I am in this prison. This not good. This is so not good. I remember to control my breathing, try to count my breaths like my mom taught me. Just then I noticed movement. I looked up and saw the walls of my cell. They were not the normal bars made of cold steel. No, these bars were made of orange fire! Thin columns of fire were all around my cell, creating a small curve. It reminded me of an animal cage. Wait a second...
Another dangerous thought began to build in mind. Fire, metal chains, an immense feeling of fear. Oh, no….
I was in Hell.
I went crazy. Very crazy. I started praying to God. I started begging. I was even pinching myself to get out of this nightmare. I went through so many options, that my mind was just running on fumes. I exhausted myself with the sheer amount of yelling at the cosmos to come help me. I wasn’t used to being confined to one area. Even my worst punishment didn’t exactly leave me in a small cave. I thought this was some sort of punishment. I mean, I had to do something wrong. It drove me so crazy to be trapped here that I even tried to grab onto the fiery bars out of instinct.
PAIN!
I felt myself being jolted back by the amount of pain I was given. I was nearly electrocuted once (my own fault really) and that was nothing to what I just received. My limbs became numb and tingling. I let out a hiss of pain. I looked at my scorched marks on my hands. They were red but they remain okay. I let myself take a deep breath. Panic was leaving me. But instead, a new emotion was taking its place. I felt myself become very angry. It wasn’t uncommon for me to get irritated so quickly. In fact, I do go on walks often to clear my head. But with nowhere to go and my body in pain, I was left with no choice. I began to let out a scream of frustration and began to punch the ground. Very hard. It was pretty much my raging tantrum against whatever forces brought me here. I didn’t care what damage I was doing to my hands. I was just so sick and frustrated. I didn’t know how long I was doing this. I guessed it wasn’t that long because my raging fit had got someone’s attention. I saw movement came from outside my fiery cage, moving along the shadows. Lights were glowing in the distance. Voices were coming from all around the area.
I didn’t pay attention until my fist froze in midair. It literally stopped as I was about to punch the ground. I couldn’t move it. It was like it was under one of my parent’s strong grip. I looked to see a pale blue light wrapping around my hand. Sparks and dust were waving in this light that seems light as mist but thick as flesh and bone. I saw my knuckles were scraped and small cuts were made. Nothing too serious. I felt my tension simmered. I turn to see what was going on. There were figures just outside my cage, waiting in the shadows. They were whispering and speaking some nonsense words. I felt the grip loosen and my hand dropped to my side. Then one of my captors stepped forward.
There was nothing to prepare me for this moment. My immediate response was just all I could think of.
“What” I said in a quiet voice.
In front of me was a...unicorn. Well, unicorn was the first thing I could think of. This was nothing like what I have read or seen. I remember getting a book last year at my school’s library about unicorns for some reason. I believe it had a story of a young man transforming into a unicorn to escape his evil uncle and that was what held my interest. I have reread that story so many times. (I believe I was also responsible for the yellow stain that is on one of those pages because I brought it to art class.) Inside was a detail illustration of the unicorn. Very wild, very horse-like. And it was scared, trapped in clothes made for a human and in a body that was not on its own. It had no human features. It was just a mythical creature. Just a wild creature of fantasy. Even with that image, I thought of unicorns as being nothing but fantasy horses for girls. This was not the case.
The unicorn in front of me was not scared, not wild, and very mildly horse-like. It had an expression, an expression which I could read clearly now. Don’t move. The eyes were narrowed and teeth were bared. The face was nearly a snarl. The horse ears were down, flatten. Nothing about this unicorn showed that he was scared. I realized that this unicorn was also not wild. Covering the unicorn was not just white fur but a set of golden armor. It was fitted to be on the body of a unicorn but it looked so human-like. In fact, I was seeing it as a unicorn only because of its white horn. The horn was glowing the same light that had my hand earlier. Then without warning, a large spear came within inches from my face. Any other situation would make this scary. The unicorn, however, wasn’t that tall. I was at least half a foot above the creature’s head. Yet the spear was clear to me as was it my ancestors before me. It will kill me where I stand.
Caught between confusion and fear, my instinct was to submit and lay down. I was not good at holding my ground. I was too weak. But for some reason I just stood there, daring this unicorn to strike me down. It could be because I was too scared to move or maybe I felt I had nothing to lose. So, for a long time, it was just me and this unicorn staring at each other. Nothing but a wall of fire and spear keeping us separated. As I just stared at the unicorn, I noticed how human he was. There was definitely something that made him seem like a male. He could be like an ordinary human guard. At least he seems knowledgeable and capable of understanding. Maybe he could understand me. I hesitated. I want to speak but I didn’t move a muscle. Neither did he. Just then more movement came from outside the cage. We both broke our gazes. Another horse figure came into my view. This wasn’t a unicorn but a different breed. It was a normal horse with a grey coat. But it had feathery wings instead of a horn. A pegasus, I thought suddenly. The pegasus was talking with the unicorn. They were both speaking in urgent whispers. I couldn’t understand a word they said. I guess this was my eternal punishment. But since when was Hell run my small horse-like creatures?
The two horses stop speaking. The pegasus grabbed a spear and thrust it into my cage. I was wondering how it was carrying it when about a dozen more came at me. They were all held within an inch of my body. The message was clear: Don’t move. It may seem like a simple task but it just added another layer of torture to my body. I get antsy very, very easily. As the time passed, I felt my body shaking from staying still for so long. I felt myself sweat and my limbs twitching. I gulped.
Then, to my infinite relief, a set of doors in front of my cage open and a flood of light came in.
I felt that strange sensation again. This feeling of a premonition. Like this has happened a hundred times before. I can’t be the only one that has gone through this. I felt my spine tingling. Goosebumps forming on the back of my neck. The sound of hoofbeats was echoing down this room. I saw several figures coming in the prison room now. A whole new crowd of these tiny horse creatures that were carrying all sorts of items. The crowd was dispersing from this one figure when they were entering the room. Immediately, I knew that this figure was of the utmost most important. I saw the guards began to bow as the new figure approached me. All I did was just stared in shock and terror.
The figure was tall. Easily at the height of my step-father who was the biggest figure I could think of. It easily fit more with the dimensions of a real horse but there was more to it. It wasn’t just the same height of a real horse, it had the same body of a real horse. It had more muscles and stout in its body than all these guards combine. This is what a unicorn should be like. Majestic wouldn’t cover it. It was beyond majestic. This was like a powerful storm walking. An image of nature and its energy all in one. I noticed another detail. This horse didn’t just have a horn but wings too. Both of them whiter than the purest of snow or the clouds above. What does that make this creature? An unigasus? A pegacorn? Whatever it was called, the white pegacorn just simply trots towards me with unusual grace. That is when I saw the mane of this horse. It was an aura of powerful colors and lights, mixed in some form of wind. It was a conglomeration of flaming stars in that hair.
The room just became lighter with this new figure. I could see the walls of the room. I saw the details on the other horse creatures. The armor or the guards gleaming under the new light. And here I was, just completely petrified. Sure, I could fight with the guards and their spears shoved in my face. They could kill me for certain. But they were small, normal creatures that were used to be on the front lines. They were pawns, mooks, cannon fodder. But this was nothing compared to the tall pegacorn in front of me. This was their leader. This was their guardian. If I were to ever try to commit hostile actions right now, I would be struck down by lightning and fire within a second. This was like going against the final boss in one of my video games while still being at level one. Yet my life was dependant on what was going to happen right now.
If this was Hell, then I have nothing to lose.
But if I am still alive, then there is a chance I could go back home.
I just have to hope I am capable of their mercy.
The leader horse began to speak to another servant that came with her. She spoke in a motherly voice that reminded me of my own mother. Soft, kind, and understanding. Although, it didn’t help ease my tension inside me. I know from experience that mothers can quickly become furious in a blink of an eye. I just have to remain calm and behave. That’s all I have to do. Just be good and it will work out, But part of me wanted to cry out and demanded that they help me. I mean if they want to kill me then they would’ve done it by now. Yet all they were doing right now was just talking. At least, I believe it is talking. I couldn’t understand a word they were saying. Their language was a bit fast and high pitch. Sometimes I was catching syllables but that was about it. The leader ended her conversation with one of her servants and another appeared at her side. This one was wearing a blue cloak and somehow was carrying a small book with its forelimbs. How it was able to do this, I couldn’t guess. The legs were just that flexible.
Soon the leader cleared her throat. Then she began to speak words. They were in a different language. But each word was different. Some were in a low tone with a different pronunciation. She then switches to a different language. It was occurring to me what she was trying to do. She was trying to say hello. The realization of what was happening to me almost made me make a fatal mistake. I was about to say hello, waved my hand at them. But then I saw the sharp spears were still pressed against me. The guards still didn’t trust me. They seem to be a tad overreacting. It wasn’t like I was armed. They could at least throw me a bone or something.
They didn’t do that. Instead, they threw a book at me.
Midway through the conversation test, a blue cloak servant gave the leader a book. The leader’s eyes widen in amazement. She lifts the book with her freaky lifting powers and before I could blink, the book came right at my face. It smacked me right in the middle of my face and drop right on the floor of my cage. The guards back off a little, giving me room to move around. I was dazed for a bit until my head cleared from the recent impact. I then looked down to see what I was given. I let out an audible gasp. It was the first Harry Potter book. I picked it up. It was forever since I have read this book. Granted, it was lost and never got replaced by my family. Then I saw that it a part of the library’s collection. The same library that I was at. Then a memory came to me. The black hole was taking everything. Books included. So, this is where we all ended up at. A world run by horses. This has to be some sort of twisted sense of humor.
I was so engulfed by this book that I didn’t notice the leader clearing her throat again and start to speak again.
“Hello.” she said, loud and clear.
I was taken aback. I jumped away in the response that she was just speaking English. The guards swing their spears back towards me. It didn’t bother me. The fact that I can understand her gave me hopes. Maybe she can tell me what I going on. Maybe she can take me back home. So, I can only hope that she could understand me. I had to say something now. In the hopes that I had only one shot at this, I cleared my throat and spoke to her.
“Hi, um, can you please take me back to my world?” I asked nicely.
That got a reaction. Everyone in the room started to whisper frantically. They came to the same conclusion.
He can talk
The whispering continued. But I still was unable to understand them. This confused me. I can’t understand them but they could understand me… I wasn’t really an expert on languages but I thought that would be impossible. I was half tempted to write something but then my handwriting was not best suited to write the English language. Could they even read? This barrier was bizarre. This whole situation was bizarre to be fair.
At least the leader was nice as she turned back towards me after having her servant write something.
….wait, how can a freaking horse write?
“Apologizes,” the white pegacorn said. “I didn’t mean to leave you in the dark. I know you are scared. Please, tell me your name.”
Oh, I didn’t know what to say to her. I could be honest. I’ve been taught to be as honest as I could. But then I also thought about being told not to give your name out to strangers. I was conflicted. I wanted to trust this strange creature but I still had to be on my guard. I debated it for a few moments before I made my decision.
I told her my name.
“Nice to meet you,” she responded. “Since you are nice enough to give me your name, then I shall give you mine. I am Princess Celestia and you were brought to my kingdom. Welcome to the magical land of Equestria.”
Wait, Brough here? You mean to tell me that this was on purpose? I wasn’t one to believe that individuals act in malicious but this doesn’t bode well. I couldn’t see what reason there was to bring me here unless it deals with some malicious plan. I was just an ordinary kid. But then this may be just an accident. A misunderstanding or something. I just hope someone sort this out. I rather not be caught in some master plan that would have countless consequences. I am innocent. I am doing my best to keep my nose clean and obey the rules. I am not a bad kid.
I also need to get out of this kingdom called Equestria. What kind of name is that? Is it a name that means horses? I remember coming across a term that means latin for horse when I was looking through some online stories. Equine, I believe. In any case, this place called Equestria is a place filled with this different types of these mini-horses yet not horse creatures. A civilization of these horses would be honestly interesting to see. They could be so different from human civilization yet so very similar. But as much as I like to see fantasy lands, I had the pressing issue of returning to my own land. I just hope that this Princess Celestia had the authority and the power to do so. Maybe I come back to visit once I can return home. I mean, it is not every day I can see magic actually work like it does in Hogwarts. But then again, a land of magical horses seems a bit girly and sugary for my taste.
A guard whispered something into Princess Celestia’s ears. She then had a small look of shock before she spoke to me. “My guards just inform me that you were agitated from your restraints and your confinement,” she said, a tone akin to regret was hovering in her voice. “I apologize if you were agitated with us keeping you here. We had to take certain precautions with something like you coming here.”
Agitated? That was certainly a word for it. Granted, I was still irritated with this situation. But I had to play my cards right. It wouldn’t do me any good if I took my anger out this princess. Judging by the confusion and her reactionary attitude, she didn’t have anything to do with me being here.
“I am not dangerous,” I told Princess Celestia. “I am just a kid of my kind.” I then remember something that could help me. Hopefully, it would work on Celestia like it did on the centaurs. “I’m just thirteen years old.” I pointed out. “I’m not an adult in my world. So, you can’t hold me accountable for this or for actions of my kind. I can’t really harm anyone.”
This got a reaction from Celestia. Thank you, Order of the Phoenix.
“Oh my,” Celestia gasped. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to restrain a child. Guards removed the cage!”
The guards complied. The fiery bars were extinguished, leaving me out into the open.
I saw that Celestia’s horn glowed, the aura was a magical color of gold. Then I saw the color wrapped around the iron brace that was holding my arms together. At once, the iron brace was unlocked and fell to the ground. (You’ll no longer need those, my brain repeated.) Then the leg chain snapped open off. I looked at the guards that surround me. They were not as tense as before but they were all staring at me, waiting for me to strike. I, however, looked at the only one who could probably kill me.
“I have freed you from your bindings.” Princess Celestia informed me. “Please, do not make me regret it.”
The way she said it and her tone suggests that, yes, she will, in fact, nuke me if I ever do any harm to the creatures of this world. I made a mental note to never hurt anyone while I’m stuck here under any circumstances as I rubbed my wrist gently. I was a pacifist by code anyway. I have been bullied and hurt by other people and I didn’t want to spread the pain. I was taught better than that. Not that I could actually cause much damage. I was a weakling compared to most of my teenage kin.
I walked out to the open room, Celestia stepping out of my way so that I can stretch out my limbs. I could feel a dozen eyes watching me. Whether it was to study my body or to watch out for any aggressive behavior, I just did my best to ignore them. It wasn’t like I had any room to judge them. If a strange creature came to Earth and started to move, I would do my best to keep an eye on it. I cracked my fingers one at a time to get them limber up and the blood flowing. The occupants were flinching with the noises but didn’t move otherwise. I stretched my body out and, to my surprise, was able to crack my back. After that, my body was feeling better. I turned to Princess Celestia.
“So, what happens next?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“I guessed that is up to you, really.” Princess Celestia said. “You really don’t seem to be a danger to my little ponies nor do you seem like you are going to harm them. So, I have no reason to keep you confined and bound to a room. I would let you leave the castle’s grounds but I’m afraid of the reactions you might get if you were the meet the ordinary citizens of Equestria. And I take it that you have some needs that need to be taken care of as well. It would be best for you to stay here as it would make it immensely easier for me to fulfill those requirements until proper arrangements can be made.”
“But, that makes it like I’m going to be staying here,” I said, then a realization hit me.
I paused. Then I asked, if only for a moment of truth.
“How do I get back home?”
Princess Celestia hesitated before she answered.
“I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry,” she told me. “But I don’t know. The circumstances that brought you here were extraordinary enough but the power needed to do so would be dangerous to contain. I could not fathom the damage it could have done on your world. It is something that could do an immense amount of damage to the Continuum. I’m sorry but unfortunately, you are trapped in my kingdom for now.”
“But I-I,” I wasn’t well at handling this. “My family. My friends...School...You mean I won’t be able to go back and see them? That I’m stuck here?
Princess Celestia just stood there in silence. But that it all that I needed.
“I-I-I I’ll do anything.” I burst out saying. Worriness was beginning to set in and I was panicking. “There has to be a way. I can’t be gone from home. My parents, my siblings will be missing me. Please, tell me there is a way for me to go back home.” Then it was like that, that it hit me. I wasn’t going to go home. The realization broke me. “No...No! I’ll didn’t do anything to deserve this. I’m sorry! P-p-p-please, tell me how to make this better..”
And, as I hate to admit it, I was crying. Sobbing out in the open like a baby.
Princess Celestia, for her part, didn’t judge me. She just approached me with open wings.
“Come here,” she said softly and she embraced me with her wings. Her body was like a breathing, furry pillow. Her voice soothes me like my mother used to do. I just sobbed into her chest as she comforts me as best she could. I let myself melt into this hug and let out of my emotions. This continued for a while as I calm down from my hysterics and my worry state of mind. I have a habit of working myself up and getting emotional over various things.
Finally, I stopped. Sniffling as I let myself move away from Princess Celestia, I turned to the company surrounding us. I thought I would be embarrassed to have an audience watching me cry. But to my surprise, the guards weren’t as stoic as I expect. They were just standing there with a knowledgeable look on their furry faces. The other servants were also a bit teary eye. Nevertheless, I felt embarrassed having everyone watching me. I turn to Celestia.
“Is it alright if I could leave the room now?” I asked quietly. “If I’m going to be staying here, I liked to at least see most of the area.”
“That would be most wonderful,” Celestia answered. “I will escort you for a little bit. Then I have to return to my duties. I will show you where you will be staying and the rooms you can use. I also have some questions for you to answer and perhaps I can answer some of yours.”
“Seems like a fair deal,” I said in a mopey voice.
“Cheer up,” Celestia said. “You are safe and secure and under my protection. We are not going to leave you behind, even if you are different species.”
“Okay, I guessed I have no choice but to listen to you, anyway,” I said, accepting my defeat with this situation. “Led the way, princess.”
“Excellent.” Princess Celestia seems assured for now.
We walked out of the dark, dusty room and into the hallway. Immediately, I shielded my eyes from the brightness. It was a stark contrast to where I was before. I expected something like Hogwarts. Brown, dusty, and dim with just torchlights along the hallway. This was completely different. The hallway was shiny and beautiful. The floors and walls glowed with freshness. I have known many clean freaks in my family. They would faint in joy with the sight that has been bestowed upon me. It seems not even a microscope of dust has touched these floors. Tall windows were above us, letting the afternoon sunrays shine down into the hallway. I walked down the hallway, following Princess Celestia. I saw paintings of various portraits of horses on the wall. The colors were different on each one, however. I saw one had a violet mane and a light blue body of fur. Another was a pink pegasus with a blue mane.
I wonder if these were outcasted, artistic ponies with a desire to be different. But they seem to be hung up in a respectable fashion indicating they were of some importance, If so, why were they so colorful? Could it be that these creatures could be born with different colors as it is with hair with humans? Or maybe all these ponies were colorblind. Who knows? But judging the magical, colorful hair on Princess Celestia, I’m going to assume that these horses were really that colorful. I was sort of grateful yet disappointed that these portraits didn’t move. They could really give this castle the old magic vibe.
We walked up the stairs towards the upper floors. We were silent for awhile. I guessed both of us had questions but neither of us wants to ask them out loud in case the other must asked something as well. At least the walk was calming. I felt fresh and airy in the hallway. Like I was in the woods or that small copse of trees that was in between the elementary school and store near my house. Just a bright, relaxing atmosphere all around us. I saw fresh flowers that lined the hallway we took to go to our next destination. I could hear birds singing outside, a sound that was absent to me since spring. I decided to ask a question. Something I could relate to and find out more about this strange world.
“So, I guess my first question has to deal with your world,” I said. Celestia tilted her head, leaning her ear. “I want to know how you classify your dates and time. Your months and seasons. Days and hours. What year is it? Whatever you want to tell me. I guess I am asking for the time.”
“Curious yet such an insightful question,” Celestia said thoughtfully. “ Alright, I guess that is innocent enough. The time is about sixteen seconds, thirteen minutes after five in the afternoon. It is Tuesday, the twenty-fourth day of Fefite, the middle month of Summer. The year would be 1652 AHF. I hope that would be a satisfying answer.”
It wasn’t really. It left me confused with half of the terms I have been given. But I stood there, impressed. I didn’t think anyone would be able to recite the time right on the top of their minds. I mean, I have to look at the clock sometimes and I was very good with dates. When I was like four I could tell the time by the loud, scary bell that echoed at noon from down the street of my preschool (Thanks, Pavlov). But this Princess Celestia has me beat. It just left me wondering.
“How did you do that?” I asked. “That was amazing!”
“Well, it is a bit of a requirement to know the time when you control the movement of the Sun.” Princess Celestia simply said.
If I was amazed then, now I was completely overwhelmed.
“You control the sun?” I asked.
“Yes” Princess Celestia nodded.
“The fiery ball in the sky?”
“Yeah”
“The star that is a thousand of times larger than a planet?
“That’s the one.”
“The thing that gives everything life?”
“Affirmative.”
Okay, I thought. Never make her mad, reason number ten.
“It seems that this is a foreign concept to you.” Princess Celestia said. “Would you have a reason as to why this is?”
Oh, princess, you really don’t know what you are asking. I don’t know what is the worse outcome. Have her find out that she doesn’t have legitimate power over the star that this planet should be orbiting or find out she DOES have the power and she can indeed blow up the planet with it or destroy everything in this solar system. I mean, I read about solar deities in the myths, mainly Apollo. I know they use it in the old days to explain how things work such as seasons and weather phenomenon. But then I just saw magic being used on my hand, so I can’t really make a call on which is right. I just have to draw the line if the seasons are caused by a weeping goddess has to have her daughter stay in the underworld for six months because of poor food choices.
“Nothing, really. Just the idea of magic is foreign to me.” I told her. She seems to want to know more but I cut her off from her inquiring mind by doing follow up question to the information she has given me. “It seems that you have the same concept of time as my species. But there are a few inconsistencies that I have questions about.”
“This is interesting. Go on.”
“Well, first off, you said something in the middle of summer. What was it called? Fe fum? Fay Fight?”
“Fefite,” Celestia answered, pronouncing the beginning like fay and the ending in a smooth way of fite. “It is the seventh month of our year. It is from an Old Earth Pony term meaning fairy lights or what we call fireflies now. It is indicating that it is in the middle of the summer and stars and fireflies are coming out to celebrate.”
“But that can’t be right, at least where I’m from,” I told her.
“Why is that?”
“Because it was the beginning of fall when I was taken,” I explained. “Of course, your world could be following a different set of rules.”
“It could be it,” Princess Celestia pondered. “But out of curiosity, what would be the time in your world? Do you remember the date when you were taken?”
“Of course,” I replied. “It was September 24th, 2005 AD. I believe it was a little after twenty minutes after five o’clock.”
“That actually does have some merit.” Princess Celestia somehow raised her right hoof to her face as she thinks. “The old name that the pegasi had for Fefite was Septumbes, pegasian for Seven. Thus the seventh month. Although this brings the question, why does your fall begin in the seventh month?”
“It doesn’t,” I told her. “September is the ninth month of the year.”
“Then why called it September?”
“I honestly couldn’t tell you,” I shrugged my shoulders. I have to be honest. I didn’t know September was meaning seven. “I think it has to deal with who wrote are calendars,” I explain to Celestia. I think some big, powerful figure in the past added two months for some reason. Probably because the years were being thrown off.”
“Strange that a powerful figure couldn’t get the sun right and make sure the months and year aligned right.”
I didn’t bother to correct her.
We began to exit the small hallway and spilled into a larger chamber filled with stairs bursting with activity. At once, I was given evidence about my theories that the ponies were colorful. All around us were ponies of all different colors. Reds, blues, greens, purples, pinks, they were all different shades and tones of various colors. They were moving up and down, carrying books, scrolls, and crates. Some were flying, other were just using their magic to carry items. But they were all talking, at least I believe they were talking. They weren’t close by or the chamber might be messing with the acoustics that I didn’t catch a word of their conversations. Anyway, Celestia and I were moving up to a different section of the castle. More to the center of the building. Man, this place was huge.
“I guessed I should move on to a different topic but I’m still like to figure out the year,” I said as we climb the stairs.
“There is no problem with that.” Princess Celestia said. “Curiosity is a virtue of knowledge and indeed the foundation on which it was built on. I am learning as much as you are.”
“So, you told me the year was 1652 AHF,” I said. “What does that mean? AHF?”
“In simple terms, it means After Hearth Founding.” Princess Celestia explained as we turned to a smaller hallway. “Or in the old language Adnes Herd Fundare which means Year of the Fire Founding or Year of Group Gathering in different interpretations. It marks the end of the Great Freeze and the beginning of Equestria when the three great tribes founded this kingdom.”
“Three tribes?” This got my interest. “You mean there were just three tribes before this kingdom?”
“Tribes would be an outdated term.” Princess Celestia and I entered a large rotunda with doors, decorations, and windows everywhere. “In truth, they were remnants of three powerful empires that were suffering from generations of bitter fighting and unquenchable greed. They were each made of the three different races of ponykind.”
“Different races? What do you mean?”
“The Pegasi, the Unicorns, and the Earth Ponies.” Princess Celestia said as she pointed to a large statue in the middle of a large fountain that was in the center of the room. They were made of some sort of bronze metal that gleamed in the late sun. I could see that the three figures were different in their own ways. The unicorn was standing in the middle, her horn rising above them all like a spiraling column. The wings of the pegasus were spread out a little, the tips reaching the fountain’s edge. The Earth pony had a more solid shape to it. The limbs looked thicker and sturdier. The metal body gives this structure the look of intimidation it needed. I could now tell how the “normal” type of pony is different from the other two and now can see how it fares well with its strength and hardiness.
“So these are the ponies that lived in your kingdom?” I asked, staring at the three metal statues.
“Yes, they are each citizens and respectable part of this community.” Princess Celestia stated. “Everypony brings their unique gifts and talents to Equestria. Whether it is making a garden beautiful or fighting the monsters at our borders, every one of my little ponies contributes a great deal to this land.”
She seems so proud when she said that. Like a mother who has an honor student in school. I guess it makes sense to be proud of three races being able to work together in harmony. I know all too well about the problems humans had back on Earth. It seems I have to get used to a lot of different things that stray from the far normally of Earth.
“So, tell me little one,” Celestia spoke up as I approached the fountain. “What does the AD mean in your world?”
“It is something in a language called Latin I believe,” I said absentmindedly. “I believe in means In the Time of Our Lord. I don’t know the exact phrase though. I just know that a lot believed it means After Death.”
“Death of who?” Princess Celestia inquired.
Well, definitely not going to let that can of worms be opened.
“Just someone important,” I said as I sat down on the stone edge of the fountain. “A religious figure to me and a majority of people.”
“Interesting.” was all Princess Celestia said.
I sat there in silence for a moment as I gazed into the fountain. The water was crystal clear. I could see thousands of coins at the bottom of the pool. They were each containing the head of a mythic pony and the back had some sort of star. I went through my pockets to see if I have any change but of course, I didn’t. I realize that this is a problem. No money would make my life difficult. I wouldn’t be able to survive in this world, not without food and shelter. All these times my parents reprehend me for being lazy, telling me that I have work for a living eventually. Well, now it is true. I can only hope that Celestia would be kind enough to give me some leeway until I acquired these things.
Princess Celestia approached me.
“It is nearly time to for me to attend to my duties.” She told me. “I still have many questions and I imagined you have the same. So I’m inviting you to dinner with me at the dining hall, where hopefully I will have some arrangements made for you. We can discuss your future here until we can find out if I can send you home or not.”
“Yeah,” I said, suddenly losing interest.
“What’s the matte?”
“It’s just I never imagine this is how my day was going to be,” I confessed to her. “It was just so normal. One moment I was just reading at a library. And the next moment, I ended up in the cell with a land of talking ponies and how the months are different. I expect this to be a dream but I know deep inside it isn’t. So even if I can return to Earth, no one is going to believe me. Hell, they probably expect me to be dead at this point. So, how am I going to recover from all this? How am I supposed to react to this?”
Princess Celestia was silent for a moment before she spoke. “I don’t what to say about this issue,” she responded. “You are a young creature who has been alive in only a few blinks of an eye. Yet you have just experienced something troubling. No young one should have to be rip from their homes so soon. I am just going say when the time comes, you’ll know what to do. For now don’t worry about the future, for you have the present to live and the past to remember.”
I smiled a bit. “That’s seems something my mom would say.”
“Yes,” Princess Celestia mused. “I was hoping some motherly wisdom would be enough to make you smile. But I imagine you will be getting exhausted soon. So to keep you occupied until it is time for me to collect you for dinner, I have one last place to show you.”
“Okay,” I got off of the retaining stone wall. “Show me.”
*
It was the library of course. It was located north of the rotunda, a huge, massive area filled to the brim with an impressive amount of books. It was easily the largest library I have been to and could fit the volume of my library a hundred times over. The walls were towering above my head. Sunlight beaming down from the large windows above me. Books of all different sizes were everywhere. Tables were everywhere. Ladders were everywhere. One could get lost in here for days. This was my paradise. There was just one problem.
I can’t read.
No, it isn’t like I lost my understanding of the English language. That fear was quickly diminished after I wrote a few words on a piece of paper with a quill and ink. I breathe a sigh of relief. For a moment I was afraid some of my worst fears were coming to live because of some fear demon. It was like that one episode on TV. But that still leaves a problem. I was stuck in a library where I couldn’t read any of the books. It was like something out of Twilight Zone. All that was on the books were small scribbles and lines. Looking at them, I realize that there was a pattern to some of the words. I certain bump or loop would appear twice in a sequence. It did occur to me that the ponies of this world would not have anything close to the letters back home because they lack the fingers to do so. Although, that brings the question of how they write in the first place. I’ll have to ask Princess Celestia later.
So I was stuck in a library where I couldn’t read any of the books. This had quickly gone from my heaven to my hell.
Despite my boredom from the lack of material to read, I was still able to occupy myself for the two hours I was left at the library. Princess Celestia told me just to stay here for the time being because none of the ponies know what I am and where I came from. Fair enough, it isn’t like the library wasn’t big enough to keep from feeling like I was confined to a certain area. I get a bit claustrophobic when I am being stuck in a room. But the area was wide enough for it to feel like I’m more at a train station than a large library. It gave me a lot of room to move around. So I spent the first half of my time in this library just going up and down the aisle and picking up random books, seeing if any were in English.
When I got to a section of the library that was old, musty, and darker than usual, I finally found something that was of interest. A large map was pin to the wall. It was put in a corner where a lot of unused books were piled up. It reminded me of my parent’s old garage back a long time ago when they were still together. It was just filled with junk and old maps for some reason. I approached the map with a small candle to get a better look at it. If there were any doubt that I was not on Earth, this evidence quickly removed it. The map was a large continent that vaguely reminds me of North America minus Florida. Or at least it looks like North America if someone was given a brief description of it. Underneath the map was large words that I’m going to guess said Equestria. If this was the country I was in, then this continent was huge. At least that is what the map was making it out to be. I could also recognize some of the letterings on the map. Well, at least they look like e’s and a’s to me. But if I had to guess, then this is the land of Equestria. I also spotted several cities, each with their name in cursive writing.
I really got to ask Celestia how am I supposed to live here without the ability to read.
I stepped away from the map and move on to a different section of the library. This section had books with pictures and portraits everywhere. It seems to be made specifically for those who couldn’t understand the language. Yet it still made me feel like a child, having to look at pictures and not being able to read. So I shift through the books until I could find one that caught my interest.
Eventually, I did. It had a cover with a golden unicorn head and green eyes. I flipped through the pages and found that it had two figures in it. One was a white horse with a pink mane and the other was a slightly darker horse with a blue mane. But both of them had a horn and wings. I began to wonder what type of ponies these two were. Was the white one Celestia? The book was made mostly of pages and I got a sense of some sort of story. One was raising the sun. So that had to be Celestia. Or at least related to her. The other one was lowering the moon. It then shows the two ponies chasing their respected objects in a symbol that was very similar to the yin-yang symbol. I’m guessing this meant they kept the balance of the day and night. But the story portrayed the ponies being all cute and happy during the daytime. But the ponies were all subdued and resting at the night time. This seems to upset the moon pony and made her unhappy. Then suddenly the moon pony became something else. A creature of darkness or something to that effect. It seems this pony wants the night to last forever. This was making the other ponies upset. Yeah, eternal night might do that to you, especially since it might freeze you to death.
Then it showed some colorful gems that I guess was important. Whatever the reason was, the other pink mane pegacorn used some sort of power to cause the night pony to disappear. It then showed an image of the moon with a horse head in it for some reason. Okay, didn’t expect the moon to owe the mob some money but I guess that is how this works. Then it showed the pink horse with both the sun and the moon overlooking the land of ponies.
I paused, looking at the storybook with utter confusion.
I have several questions.
Did these unicorn creatures really control the sun and moon? That doesn’t seem physically possible. Second, what was the connection between the two pegacorns? Did they always raise or lower the sun and moon? Were they born to do so? Was one of them Celestia or were they her parents? Did the ponies just choose random two ponies to control daytime and nighttime? Did the blue pegacorn think it was a good idea to leave them all in darkness and freeze to death? Why did these two pegacorns switch places every once in a while? Clearly, it seems the other one could control both the sun and moon. Does this mean the other one wasn't needed? How did this affect the harvesting seasons?
WHY AM I QUESTIONING THE LOGIC OF THIS BOOK IN MY HAND INSTEAD OF PICKING UP A COMIC OR SOMETHING?
It surprises me. This world seems more suited for my sisters. It seems like they would be able to enjoy being in a world of magic, talking horses, and fluffy clouds. Here, I was questioning the very logical of some silly book I found in their library. Yes, I can immerse myself in a good story, enjoy a world where magic exists. But I feel like there has to be some logic to it. Some explanation to whey two living beings is in charge of controlling the celestial bodies when one could easily be a jerk and decides not to lower the moon. Then again, that entire story could be fictional. Would they even have fictional stories if they were already living in a fantasy land? It can’t imagine how a world like this would make one bored but then I only have been here for a few hours. Man, I can believe that I haven’t been on Earth for a few hours. It felt longer. I still have to figure out how I am going to fit in.
Suddenly, a noise came to my attention. I looked up to see a unicorn guard with a bright white mane standing nearby. He was saying something but I couldn’t understand him. I put the book down and then look towards the exit. I pointed with my finger to the area. The guard flinched at my appendage but nodded. Then he motioned his head to the exit. I guessed he wants me to follow him.
I followed the guard out of the library. The sun was setting. I could see from the windows the fiery orb lowering towards the horizon in the west. (Unless, of course, their sun doesn’t set in the west.) We made our way to the main building where I assume the dining room was there. I felt my stomach growled on the way there. I realized that I haven’t had anything to eat since my transportation to Equestria. Then it occurred to me that I should ask what kind of food they would have. I swear if this place doesn’t provide chicken of some sort, I will burn something to the ground. Preferably, a chicken coop.
We entered the dining hall. The guard stepped aside as I approached the table. It was smaller than what I expected. Not like the four long tables you’ll find in Hogwarts. It was covered with a fine tablecloth with golden trimmings. Surrounding the table were all large and wooden chairs with some golden markings. The exception was Princess Celestia’s chair. It was larger, bronze-like chair with some gold plating on it. She was sitting at the table, reading the first Harry Potter book. I sat down at the opposite end. Celestia then threw the book to the side. The look on her face was similar to mines back in the library.
“I have several questions,” she said but I cut her off before she could ask them.
“That book is fictional,” I told her, slightly grinning in bemusement. “None of that stuff is true.”
“Oh,” Princess Celestia said. “Well, that resolves some of my answers.”
The smell of food assaulted me as several servants came out of the kitchens with trays of food. I didn’t smell any meat but I did smell bread, pies, garlic, spicy food, and tomato soup of some sort. They put the food down and started moving the plates down towards me. It was all being moved my magical means, so I was thinking that they were going to sing about me being their guest. They were dissing out foods of all kinds but as I guessed, they were all vegetarian. But at this point, I didn’t care. I could eat a...wait, better not finish that thought. Food is food. So Celestia and I were treated to a feast.
I tried to get my own food but Celestia insists strongly that I should stay sitting. I was treated to a helping of rolls with butter, salads, garlic bread, some sort of pasta, cooked carrots, broccoli, potatoes, sliced pineapples, cheese of all kinds, tomato soup, and a lot of nuts. I was given a good helping of each item. The servants departed, leaving me and Celestia alone. There was a brief awkward pause. I sort of extended it by saying grace and thanking God for the food that was in front of me. I waited to Celestia made her move by eating. Celestia briefly nodded in acknowledgment and raised her glass. I did the same.
“Enjoy the bounty,” she said and tip her glass in my direction.
“Thanks,” I said.
And then we began to eat.
There wasn’t much talking at the beginning of course. We were indulging ourselves with the food that we were given. Somehow there were utensils that were arranged in some fancy order. At first, I thought I was doing some social taboos by not using them in a particular order. I glanced up to Celestia in case she wanted me to behave in a particular way. But it seems she didn’t mind or that she didn’t really care. I relaxed a little. I did have relatives who were particularly strict on my manners. Although, since I’m here now, I guess I have to learn about the etiquette of these ponies. It felt strange, thinking about this being a place I’m going to live here for awhile. That thought didn’t stay in my head for long. The food was divine. It makes learning how to be proper for these ponies worth it. Needless to say, I enjoy the meal I was given.
Eventually, there were pauses in the meal consumption that Princess Celestia took advantage of.
“So, I noticed you are a fan of books.” She noted. “A very interesting aspect.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said after I swallowed my food. I realize I was beginning to show more respect to Princess Celestia. I was becoming polite and honest with her. I was never the one to disrespect my elders but I was also very ungrateful and sometimes rude. But Celestia seems to be giving the distinct feeling of being a teacher. The more I think about it, the more it felt like I am living at a teacher’s place. I reached for the glass. But it was empty. I lift it up and turn to Princess Celestia. “May I asked what’s supposed to be in this glass cup?”
Princess Celestia smiled. “What do you want to be in the glass cup?”
“What do..” I begin to question but change my mind. “Uh, water. Just water.”
“As you wish,” Celestia said and a small glass bottle of water appeared and pour into my cup.
I sip my little glass of water as Princess Celestia asked a question.
“I have to ask, as it is inevitable, but what are you?” She framed the question to make it seem more scientific and polite. “I mean, you are not a Simian from the Southlands. But you share so many aspects of their kind. It also seems you know about a descending script of the Proto-Phila language, one of the lost scripts of this world. You are a mystery to me. I have to know though. Tell me, what is your species?”
“Ah, so we are back to twenty questions.” I grinned after I finished drinking my water.
“Of course, you know me all too well.” Princess Celestia said with her own mischievous grin. “You can’t expect me to give up even if you are in the lead.”
“True, but don’t expect me to give up my title of ‘Most Questions Asked’ easily,” I told her.
“Wouldn’t dream otherwise.”
I finished my water as I thought of my answer. It was simple. Talk about humans, give her a general idea. But I didn’t want to scare nor anger her with what my kind could do. It was a very fine line. I know that nearly every sci-fi film out there like to make it like aliens are evil and humans are heroes but I can’t imagine the likes of Celestia going around destroying cities on Earth. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same to half the leaders in my world. I wouldn’t blame Celestia for being afraid of what a human can do. It is probably my age that is keeping me from being feared. I just have to assure Princess Celestia that I come in peace.
“To answer your question, my kind is called humans,” I told Princess Celestia. “Also known as Homo Sapiens if you want the scientific name for us. We lived on a planet called Earth. It is the third planet from a star that we called the Sun or Sol if you want to be fancy. Up until now, I, along with rest of humans, believe that we are alone in the Universe. We don’t have wings, magic, or the much in color variation like your ponies do. Heck, the sun doesn’t revolve around Earth. Our planet revolves around the sun. As far as I know, there is no way Earth could be able to have a star revolved around it.”
I expect Celestia to take offense to that last one. But instead, she just nodded her head in understanding.
“So, magic doesn’t exist in your world? No aspects of it anywhere?” Princess Celestia asked.
“Nope, magic is considered fictional where I’m from,” I told her.
“Interesting,” Princess Celestia said. “I have heard of places that are magical dead zones but to have an entire planet be one is rather frightening. I cannot imagine being without my magic. Magic is a part of everypony and it brings harmony to our land. How does your land remain harmonious then?”
I immediately thought back to images of war and disasters I have been seeing lately on the news.
“Yeah, I won’t call my world harmonious just yet,” I said. I was getting flashbacks to a story I read where the main character was thinking the same thing when he wonders why aliens never had humans join their peace alliance or something like that. Now that I was in the same position, I couldn’t exactly blame him for believing the same thing. I was more hopeful though.
“That is a shame.” Princess Celestia sips her drink. “I was hoping that I could make contact with your kind but if they are not harmonious, then I guess they are a bit violent.”
“Well…” I sort of did a small hiss and tilt my head as I try to find the right words. “I won’t say my entire race isn’t so much violent as we are very defensive. We are surrounded by all things that could kill us, living with a limited amount of land, food, and water. Plus, we get scared easily. On top of other humans fighting for control, we are quick to fight back if we see anything as a threat. But, overall, we are docile once we get to know something and believe it isn’t a threat.”
“So, your race is more of a survival type. Princess Celestia said. “Yes, it makes sense for your kind. The universe does have finite energy and every living thing does have to fight for it.”
“But I am not going to be violent, I swear.” I panicked.
“Don’t worry, I know you won’t do any harm under normal circumstances.” Princess Celestia said. “I have dealt with all different kinds of species and their countries. Your kind will not be the first nor will be the last species I’ve met that have some violent tendencies. I have met kings, queens, demons, lords, emperors, and even gods that have painted their souls with the blood of innocents. Some, I was able to get to turn a new leaf and repent their old ways. Others I had to deal with in a….different matter. Nevertheless, it is the price I have to pay to protect my subjects and my kingdom.”
This brought a question to my mind.
“Wait, you’re a princess?” I asked. “Where are your mother and father? Are they ruling the land too?"
A flash of emotion came across her face. I realized what I said was rude. Her eyes were averted as she responded to me.
“My parents...died a long time ago,” she said quietly.
“Oh...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“It is okay,” she told me. “I do not hold anger for ones that have a curious mind. I take it, that you are not used to having royalty nearby?”
“Uh, no ma’am,” I told her frankly. “Where I’m from, kings and queens don’t rule the country anymore. We elected our leaders in a democratic system.”
“Ah, like a republic.” Princess Celestia noted. “You seem to be a knowledgeable individual. And yet, you are only thirteen? Tell me, how long does the average human live up to?”
“Well, it depends on the lifestyle,” I explained. “If you lived right and eat healthily, a human can live up to a hundred years old. I think the oldest is a hundred and twenty years old. But because of various factors, the average human lives around seventy years.”
“That is not a lot of years.” Princess Celestia said as I reached for my water.
“Well, it is to a human,” I told her as took a drink. “I mean, you must be around thirty or forty years old. You still got a lot of time before you die. Unless your kind dies when they reach fifty or something.”
Princess Celestia let out a horse-like snort of amusement.
“Thirty or forty years old? I wish I was that young.” She said, rolling her eyes.
“You can’t be that old,” I said before I took another sip of my water.
“Well, I am to you, young one.” Princess Celestia told me. “The last I checked, I am about 1771 years old.”
I spit up my water, coughing.
“You…(cough)...are how...old?” I eventually said.
“Well over a seventeen hundred years old.” Princess Celestia said. “Alicorns can live for a long time. Forever, barring any accidents or our magic being depleted.”
I wipe my mouth and finish coughing the water. “Sorry,” I told her. “That just caught me off guard.”
Princess Celestia giggled in amusement. “It is okay,” she told me. “For a young species, I must seem intimidating. But I can ensure you, that you will scarcely find a being as old as me.”
“But what did you say you were?” I asked. “An alicorn?”
“Yes,” Princess Celestia said. “We are a unique race. We are like the ponies you see here but much, much more. There is a reason I am watching my little ponies and why I am protecting them from the dangerous threats. It is my duty to bring peace and harmony to my kingdom.”
Before I could ask further questions, the servants came and took our plates. Then they came back with a tray of desserts. There were cake, pies, ice cream, puddings of different flavors, fruits with chocolate dipping sauce, and various cookies. My mouth watered at the sight of this array of new food. I was given a renewed sense of hunger. I piled on the deserts, getting a bit of everything. Celestia was no slouch either. She put on piles and piles of cake. Once we started are sugar apocalypse, Celestia and I began to discuss the aspects of humans and eventually the process of returning me home.
“From what I gathered with the information you have presented to me is that humans are technological dependant, survival species that have no access to magic whatsoever, is that correct?” Princess Celestia looked at me for clarification.
“That sums it up, yes,” I said after I thought it through.
“This presents us with a problem.” Princess Celestia said, her voice becoming somber.
“What will that be?”
Princess Celestia’s eyes meet mines as she said “Getting you home.”
“Oh,” I thought, looking down as I remember my freak out earlier.
“I rather thought that if your kind could help developed a pathway to our world, we could create a bridge that would be able to carry you home.” Princess Celestia explained. “But since your kind lacks magical energy and skills, It would be nearly impossible. Plus, it wouldn’t be wise for me open a portal into a world where the species are so easily...frighten. I would like to do this with scrutiny and delicacy to avoid unwanted attention but that seems like it cannot be done.”
“So is it impossible for me to go home?” I asked.
“Not necessary.” Princess Celestia told me. “There are means of exploring different worlds from across the stars but these methods are rather dangerous. Some worlds are so reactive to the stellar, magical energy of a portal that it would destroy an entire world if we are not careful. If I were to find a pathway to your home world and they were not prepared for such an arrival, it could very well destroy your entire species. That is something I would like to avoid.”
“So, you rather wait for a better time to cash your chips in?” I pointed out.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what that means.” Princess Celestia said.
“Sorry, a card idiom,” I replied sheepishly.
“In any case, we would need to recreate the same situation that brought you here in the first place.” Princess Celestia began finishing her cake that she somehow consumed so quickly. “As you can imagine, we would only get one chance at this. I don’t want to cause any harm to you or your kind if we are to fail. Indeed, it is a risk for my kingdom as well. I don’t want to end up having Equestria teleported to your world if we make a mistake. I’m sure your species wouldn’t appreciate that.”
“So, it will be a while b-before I could go home-e,” I said before a yawn cut me off.
“Yes,” Princess Celestia said.
“I guess then I have to get used to being here then,” I said as I put my plate down. “Even if I can’t understand any of the residents or read any of the books.”
“We will work around that.” Princess Celestia chuckled in amusement. as she began to get up. “In the meantime, we have to arrange for a place to stay. The castle is ideal for now but I can’t keep you locked away from society forever. For now, however, I believe it is time for you to go to bed. ”
“I understand,” I said as I got up. “But may I asked one question before I do so?”
“One question wouldn’t hurt I guess.” Princess Celestia said as she pushes the chairs in with her magic.
“What brought me here?” I asked. “You told me that certain circumstances that brought me here were extraordinary and they were created by a certain situation. So, tell me, was it an accident? Or was this on purpose?”
Princess Celestia paused for a moment. I was hoping she was going to be honest with me. I trusted her like I trust most of the authority figures in my life. They have no reason or would gain anything by lying to me. So I don’t see a reason for Princess Celestia to either. But I could see some debate in the back of her mind, conflicting like two raging clouds throwing bolts of lightning at each other. I could see that she was hiding something but I never did voice my protests. I think I knew it was because there was something about my arrival that even Princess Celestia didn’t know. And what’s worst is that it scared her.
“I believe,” Princess Celestia finally answered. “That it was an accident. What happened was that an extraordinary surge of magical, ambient energy caused a rip into the Continuum that allowed a small portal to suck you and all the books in. It was caused when one of my new students awaken their magical potential and some interference caused her to hit the right note. In a sense, summoning magic isn’t hard but it is strongly recommended not to try to break and cross the barriers of other dimensions. Yet, somehow, she summoned you.”
“She?” I was confused. “It wasn’t you that brought me here? Who was the one that did?”
“A young unicorn filly.” Princess Celestia replied. “I take exceptionally gifted unicorns who I sense possesses great magical potential and teach them what I can while they are under my wing. To ensure that they are able to handle such a difficult education, I give each one an entrance exam to test their skills. But this one was more than I could have expected. She was able to do an entire multitude of spells in that short amount of time. It has been awhile since I have seen something like that.”
“So, what’s her name?” I asked.
Princess Celestia turned to me. She probably knew my curiosity would lead to this question. It wasn’t like she could hide it forever. Yet the hesitation was intense. I feared she wasn’t going to tell me. She was perhaps afraid I would do some harm to this unicorn filly. Blame her for my misfortune. Yes, it sucks that I am stuck here. But I wouldn’t cause harm to someone just for this mistake. I honestly believe that this was a mistake. I would never blame anyone for what has happened to me. This was unintentional. Just a small accident, like most of my life, that brought me to where I am. Honestly, I should thank this filly. At least, now I have a new place to explore and something to write about.
“Well, you will meet her first thing tomorrow morning.” Princess Celestia told me.
“I will?”
“Yes,” Princess Celestia replied.
“Her name is Twilight Sparkle.”
