Kratos stepped through the door behind him and closed it, crouching to avoid the low frame. What he had just learned from his discussion with the ponies had left a great emotional toll on him, even if he didn't show it. As he walked towards the location of the washroom, he went over what had happened in the past day. It had been...normal, he woke up in his Elk-skin bed, prepared some meat for his son, went hunting, and trained the boi in the use of weapons and hand to hand combat. He had never expected this to happen. However, before he could approach his destination, the tiny lizard he had encountered from earlier stepped into his path, seemingly out of nowhere. Because of the height difference, Kratos had to look down onto it, the thoughtful look gone from his face was replaced with a deep frown. The lizard raised its fists in what looked like a fighting stance, which Kratos had to admit looked adorable.

"Listen, I don't know what you think you're doing, but whatever it is, it needs to stop, okay?!" The lizard said, determinedly. "First, you spy on us eating breakfast like some sort of creep, and then you start eating meat in front of us? Are you crazy?" Kratos' frown deepened, even more, displeased by the reptile's hostile attitude. The lizard puffed out his chest, trying to look tough. It most certainly wasn't. Spike was smaller than any dragon Kratos had ever seen since even the baby ones were up to ten times his size. Plus, his wings were...small. Far too small to support his body, which led Kratos to think that the lizard had some kind of deformity, or was crippled.

"Mind. Your. Tone, lizard. When I arrived, I took heed to be cautious, lest there be any danger." Kratos said. Pausing for a moment, he thought of a good response to shut Spike up for a moment. "Is this how you treat guests in your home? It appears that I must speak to Miss Twilight over your foul behavior."

"It's Princess Twilight, not miss. Jeez." Spike's courageous posture slumped quite a bit since he wasn't too keen on having to clean the throne room for the second time that week, and he sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry. Just...Don't tell Twilight, okay?" Kratos grunted, acknowledging the small lizard's apology. Atreus would never have yielded so easily. No, he would never have been foolish enough to put into this situation. The man sighed. This boi had much to learn, perhaps too much. From what he could tell, living in immense wealth had made these beings weak. They didn't have to hunt for food. They didn't have to chop wood for a fire or find building materials for a self-built cabin. And, most importantly, they didn't have to fight. From what he could tell, the two unicorns could use some form of rudimentary magic, but it was nothing to be concerned about.

"If you learn to address others properly, I may allow this to pass." The man said.

"Really? Thanks! Listen, if there's anything you need help with, just ask me, okay? I... kind of know my way around here." Kratos grunted once more, then entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He examined the mechanism on the handle, and, figuring it out rather quickly, rotated it to lock the door. As he turned around, he was met with a quite exquisite display. Just like the rest of the castle, the bathroom was composed of the same dark blue crystal. To his left were two strange contraptions, with indented basins and appendages hanging over them, both made of white crystal, which contrasted to the dark colors surrounding them nicely. To his right was a reflective white bowl with an equally reflective cover leaned behind it, which contained a small amount of water near the bottom. Straight ahead, there was a large, walk-in tub that he assumed to be for washing one's entire body. Without wanting to waste any more time than he had to, Kratos got to work inspecting the contraptions.

Twilight's Personal Quarters

"Just. What. Were. You. Thinking?" Starlight asked, breathing heavily. She took another glance at the massive ax, which was easily twice the length of a pony, and just as wide. "If you spent all night studying this ax, you would have noticed the runes covering it."

"Of course I noticed them, Starlight-"

"Then you would have sensed that it literally emanates power. Runes like this don't exist in our world, Twilight. Definitely not like these, and most definitely not as strong." Starlight ran a hoof across the metal's surface, the engravings glowing bright blue. Quickly, a layer of frost covered it and her hoof, and she pulled the appendage back before it could do any more damage. "You see? By the looks of it, this ax is immensely old, and don't even get me started on that edge. Listen, if an incredibly dangerous weapon like this is used well, which Kratos obviously can, we're gonna have a problem on our hands if it comes to a fight. We should lock this up somewhere where he can't find it, and it should stay there for as long as possible."

"Oh come on, Starlight. I thought I taught you not to turn to the worst possible scenario. He's not an issue. You saw how Kratos acted at breakfast. He's totally fine!"

"To you, maybe. But there's just something about him that's...off. Did you see the way he looked at us? He wasn't fazed by us one bit. It's almost like he's seen our kind before, even though he said he had never been to Equestria! Not to mention that he also eats meat! How do we know that it was Elk and not pony?" Twilight paused for a moment. As much as she wanted to believe that Kratos was completely safe, she had to admit that there was something suspicious about him. Generally, his whole being radiated authority, strength, and respect, and she didn't quite know what to think of that. Those two chain blades didn't help either. In fact, they were positively terrifying, and she most definitely did not want to know what purpose they were made for. As for the possibility of him eating ponies, from what she knew about humans was that eating her kind was a societal taboo. She hoped that it was the same where Kratos came from.

"I agree, Starlight. It's just that we-"

"I"

"I've already stolen the ax, and keeping his property away from him any longer is just...wrong. You have to see it from his viewpoint. First, he's just living his life normally, and then Boom! Suddenly he's in a foreign world, with foreign beings. He must be so confused right now, I can't even imagine!"

The Bathroom

"Ugh! Cursed mechanism! Why won't you work!" Kratos had been examining the faucet for over 10 minutes now, and it was really getting on his nerves. Renewing his efforts, he tried another approach, grabbing the smaller handle located on it and turning. To his surprise, the sink was now filling with crystal clear water. Sighing, he removed his robes and sat down onto the toilet, which was far too small for him, but not before bumping his head for the fifth time against the ceiling. For how extravagant the castle was, it really wasn't very spacious.

Twilight's Personal Quarters

"And about him being an omnivore, I don't think that he'll eat us. In the mirror dimension, the humans used ponies as companions, and I'm pretty sure it's the same in Midgard." Twilight said. "And I guess that for now, the ax will stay here with us if you think that it'll make us safer."

"Okay. Wait-were you serious when you said that we could send Kratos back?" Starlight asked. As far as she knew, and from what Twilight and Sunset had told her, was that they couldn't send someone to a different realm without knowing exactly where it was. That was if it was a planet and not a different dimension. That was something else entirely, since the mirror in the Crystal Empire was only a two-way gateway to one specific alternate dimension. Twilight motioned for Starlight to come closer and took a quick peek around their vicinity to make sure no one could hear them. Kratos had done it before unnoticed, so there was no reason he couldn't do it again.

"Starlight, you have to promise me that no matter what happens, you can't tell Kratos this, okay?" Twilight said. The pink mare's breath hitched. It was just as she expected. If he found out, well...it looked like keeping the ax hidden was a good idea. Starlight nodded, acknowledging her mentor's request.

"Good. As you were probably wondering, there isn't a way to get him back. Since our magic can't affect him, we can't teleport him, and any portals can make would just collapse with his physical contact, at least that's what I'm theorizing." An awkward silence fell over the two mares.

"You really didn't think this out, did you?" Starlight asked.

"Uhh...Not really?" Her student sighed. "Well, at least we have a new roommate! So that's good!"

"Yeah..." To be honest, Starlight was...less than thrilled. Her life was already weird, not to mention her position as counselor at the Friendship School. The Friendship school...Oh, shit! They were going to be late!

"TWILIGHT! THE SCHOOL!" She shouted. Her mentor jerked from the sudden sound, before galloping off to gather her things. Starlight did the same, heading towards her chambers to grab a scarf. Twilight cursed under her breath. She shouldn't have gotten so hung up on the ax. Sure, it was important, but she had classes that she needed to teach. After filling a small saddlebag with some essentials, she slung it over her purple, slightly pudgy flanks, and set out to find Kratos and Spike.

The Bathroom

Kratos stepped out of the bathtub, running a towel across his body. Once he was dry, he picked up his garments and got dressed. However, before he could put on his chest-strap that usually held his ax, a small object fell out. A feather. One from a great eagle, to be exact. Kratos picked it up, cradling it in his hands, its softness tickling him a bit. It was one of the tail feathers of an old kill, Atreus' first. He could remember the look of pure joy on his son's face, and the warm, comforting smile from his recently deceased wife, Faye, as she praised him. The boi walked up to him, tearing out the bird's feathers, and gave him the longest, most colorful one of the bunch. Although it was a small gesture, Kratos accepted the gift, and couldn't help but feel somewhat proud. He had smiled that day. A real, genuine, smile.

Kratos finished his venture into the past and tucked the feather in between his chest and the strap covering it. He would have to get back, somehow. Even if it meant crossing through as many realms as he had to. He wrapped his blades around his wrists, and made his way towards the door, refreshed from his bath. However, before he entered the hallway, he pressed his ear against the door, just to be safe. He was met with a voice calling his name, which he identified as the purple pony, Twilight Sparkle. Not wanting to keep her waiting, he unlocked the door and went out to meet her.

"Oh! There you are, Kratos! I was looking for you. We're just about to head off towards the Friendship school, and you said you'd come with us."

"Lead the way," Kratos said. They began walking (or trotting) towards the exit of the castle. They passed many hallways filled with even more signs of wealth, Twilight pointing out several to the man, who grunted and nodded in response. He never was a talker, even less so in the presence of strangers, but Twilight wanted to eventually find something they could have a sophisticated conversation about. After all, becoming friends with humans was awesome, but becoming friends with a chalk-white warrior human with red tattoos and scars covering his body was even more awesome, and she definitely looked forward to it.

"Hey, Kratos?" She asked.

"Yes, girl?"

"Do you mind if we walk a bit faster? We didn't expect to have any guests, and we're sorta late to class." She gave a nervous chuckle and an awkward look towards the man. He gave a short nod in approval. They began to pick up the pace, encountering Spike on their way towards the exit. The small lizard gave Kratos a pleading look when in the presence of his alicorn sister, and received a stern look in return. He climbed onto Twilight's back, and soon they were off again. Surprisingly, Starlight was nowhere to be seen, Twilight assumed that she had already left and was making her way towards the school. Finally, they came across the castle entrance, which, Kratos had to admit, was rather puny for a castle fit for royalty. After all, it was barely as big as him! The large handles glowed purple for a second, and the doors opened up.

For the first time since his arrival, Kratos could smell the fresh air and feel the wind on his skin. However, something was...strange. He took a glance at the sky, and there were no clouds in sight, not even miles away, despite the fact that a thick, white fog covered the ground. The only visible place he could see them was over a thick, overgrown forest to the east that he could only assume was the Everfree. The sun shone brightly, beating down its soft, pillowy rays, but on closer inspection, he found that it was far higher than it should have been at this time of day. He pushed it to the back of his mind. He would have to return to that later on, once he had visited their school.

Author's Note

Damn thing took me a while. I'll try to have the next chapter out in a couple days.