Silver pendant

"Did you hear?" I asked Silk Thread as we prepared the dining room.

"Did I hear what, Silver Thrill?" She replied while placing the plates on the table.

"Princess Celestia signed a treaty with the griffons! And she did it in a matter of minutes!" I squealed while selecting and polishing the silverware.

"No way! I heard griffons were way too stubborn. I don't think they would even consider that!" She said while I made sure things were just right. "How did she pull that off!?"

"I don't know, but it isn't surprising. Look at all Celestia has accomplished by herself! And this one is more of a gossip, but I hear the griffon King Talon flirted with her, in a way," I replied with a giggle. "But I would give up if I were him."

"Agreed, there isn't a single record of the Princess ever showing any interest in any male, ever! There are some rumors that she might be into mares," Silk said while looking a bit dreamy. "I hope that one is true."

"If it is, I doubt any of us would be her cup of tea," I replied with a sigh. "My bits are on that star student of hers. Speaking of which, is she the extra guest for today? This room is for special guests, isn't it?"

"I don't know. Gold Platter told us to prepare this room. That's all I know," She replied while folding the napkins and placing them on the table. "Oh! Maybe Prince Blueblood is coming by for a visit! That's another dream of a pony," She said while almost drooling at the mere thought of him.

"You want a royal in your life badly, don't you?" I asked while chuckling.

"But, are you sure he won't mind that you lent me these, Tia? I-I mean, Princess Celestia!" A male-sounding voice said from behind the door.

Rushing our duties, Silk and me assumed our positions by the side doors. The room's doors opened, and a strange-looking creature walked in dressed in Prince Blueblood's old attire. A bright blue suit with a long tail and golden threads, a dark blue shirt, and blue pants match the jacket. He looked a bit awkward as he kept checking his clothes.

"Nonsense! He won't mind at all! And please, call me Tia as much as you want!" Princess Celestia said as she accompanied him with a smile I had never seen before. "I will not allow a protocol to get in the way of our conversation!"

"Would you mind telling that to all of your staff? Because they all had their jaws on the floor on our way here. I guess that you circling me isn't something they expected," The stallion said as Celestia leaned over to adjust the bowtie on the creature's neck. "Seriously, I'm fine! I can tie this myself!"

"I know you can! But I want to do it!" She replied with a pout and stomped her hoof like a child. "You did a lot for me. And I have a chance to repay that! I will not let this chance fly by me!"

"You're acting like a child again!" The male replied with conviction. "I thought you moved beyond that!" He SCOLDED.

"Well, let me be a child for once! I've been a Princess twenty-four-seven ever since I came back!" She replied with a scowl.

Looking over to Silk, I gave her a look that meant: "You can see that too, right?" To which she replied with a nod. Bracing myself, I closed my eyes and waited for the sound of that creature getting slapped in its place.

"Pffft," I heard before the sound of laughter exploded in the room. "Good to see you haven't changed a bit!" The male exclaimed while Celestia laughed loudly.

"Oh! But I did change! I'm just the same around you! That's all!" She replied while pulling the creature into a hug. "Now, come! It's time to eat!"

"Good! The last thing I ate was prison food."

WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR PRINCESS?! I screamed while keeping my composure on the outside.

After we laughed a bit, I decided to sit on the opposite side of the table. However, Celestia had other plans.

"What are you doing over there, Caleb?" She asked while using her magic o pull a chair for me by her right side. "This is your seat. Come on!" She said with a cheerful smile.

"Ok," I muttered while moving to my assigned seat. After I sat down, we stood there in silence for a few moments. Staring at me, Celestia kept a huge smile on her face while almost humming a song.

This is getting awkward. Celestia hasn't seen me for at least two thousand years. But to me, it's been, like, five or six days. And it's getting hard to look at her! I mused while staring at my reflection on the plate before me as well as my image on the silverware.

"So," I said with a weak voice. "Shining Armor is Gleaming Shield in this world."

"Not only him, but Big Mac is also Red Galla," Celestia replied with her ears perked up. "I also prevented the Crystal empire from being dragged into the shadows with Sombra," She said pridefully.

"Oh, is that so?" I asked before something clicked in the back of my mind. "YOU DID WHAT?!" I asked while getting up.

"I defeated Sombra and made sure the Crystal Empire didn't get dragged into the void. And placed my nephew, Prince Blueblood on the throne as the overseer," Celestia replied non-chantilly. "What?"

"What? Are you serious?! You saw Back to The Future! And you're telling me you altered EVERYTHING?!" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I altered things to bring the best outcome in everything. Except for one outcome," Celestia replied with a confused look on her face. "Why? Is something wrong with that?"

I deadpanned at her response. My legs dropped me on my seat as I try to wrap my head around the mistake I made. WHY DID I LET HER WATCH THE SHOW!? THAT WAS A HUGE MISTAKE!

"Celestia, what else did you change?" I asked while looking at my plate.

"A lot of things, actually," She replied while making a gesture to the maids in the back of the room. "But we can get over those once we finish with dinner. I think we'll need a private room for that."

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the despaired and confused looks of the maids as they seemed to be in a state of pure shock before the scene I just caused. It seemed that I was the one being rude this time around. Sitting back down, I felt my ears burn up as embarrassment forced me to hang my head low. That was when something caught my nose. A strong scent that made my stomach swirl in agony as I tried to hold the urge to vomit. I don't recall the last time I felt a stench so foul that I wanted to vomit.

"Caleb? Are you ok?" Celestia asked with a concerned voice as I tried not to vomit on the table.

Waving my hand at her, I pointed at my stomach. I pleaded for her to understand the sounds that I was making. Luckily, she seemed to understand quite quickly my predicament. A bucket appeared before me. I picked it up and began to throw up as Celestia got up and started fussing at my condition. I could barely hear her over the sound of my guts spilling into a bucket. Suddenly the smell disappeared, which caused my urge to vomit to decrease.

Feeling nauseated, I tried to raise my head and look at Celestia.

"What did you put on the food, Gustav?!" She yelled while a griffon dressed like a chef almost pissed himself.

"I just prepared the steak as instructed! I swear, Princess!" He replied while trying not to cry.

"Hey, Tia, what did you do?" I asked as I regained my composure.

"I asked the chef to make a steak for you. However, it would seem he messed up something on the recipe," She replied with a scowl.

Wait, I stopped vomiting after the steak was gone? Don't tell me that. Back in the library, I read the Equestrian language. And my feet have been replaced with hooves. Maybe, just maybe.

"Excuse me, Gustav, was it?" I asked. The griffon replied with a nod. "Can you bring me a piece of raw meat? Any meat will do."

"Caleb, what are you on about?" Celestia asked while I got up.

"Trust me on this one, Tia," I replied as Gustav ran to the kitchen and came back as if his life depended on it.

I couldn't smell the meat until I held it close to my nose. As soon as I felt its scent, my body instantly reacted, and I rushed to the bucket and dropped the meat in the process.

"You know," I said after the urge died down. "I've been changing little by little. My stomach might have become meat intolerant. Or rather, my body came to hate meat with a passion."

Soon after we made amends with the chef, we dined some rather tasty salad. I swear that I never ate greens that had such a delightful taste. It wasn't from seasoning, of that I'm sure. It felt like my tongue was perceiving the tastes differently. Even the spiciness of the peppers felt was different. I could eat spicy food, but this time, it felt like my tongue was on fire.

Delivering the plates to the servants, Celestia led me back to a more private room. The cozy setup and color made it feel like a room for special guests. Guests to whom Celestia could be more open. However, the condition of the room made it look like no one used it. Pristine-looking glasses, chairs, curtains, and a clean fireplace reinforced that idea.

I thought that the Princess would have more visits for a room like this. Especially someone as well-beloved as Celestia. I mused while taking a seat on the chair in front of Celestia.

"So, I guess we should talk?" I said while glancing around the room. "Um, how have things been?"

"Oh, enough with talk like that. I think we have plenty to talk about," Celestia said with a smirk while summoning a tea set with her magic. Pouring the drink into my cup, she added a few cubes of sugar before taking one for herself. "Especially in regards to the door you used to get here and the whole thing happening down there," She said while pointing to my legs.

"Wait, you know what's happening?" I asked while tilting my head.

"I can't be certain," She said before taking a sip of tea she had poured beforehand. "Delightful. Anyway, I have a theory on that. However, since you cast magic in a world with almost no mana, it might fall flat."

"I'm all ears. I have no idea as to what is happening besides the obvious "turning into a pony" part," I replied before taking a sip of the tea.

"Well, for starters, there are a few things I should clarify," Celestia said before making the cup float. "First, my spell was defective. As much as I hate to admit it, I rushed some steps and caused the error to occur."

"That's progress," I said with a smirk as Celestia rolled her eyes at me.

"The spell was supposed to send me to another world and hide my appearance in a form considered mundane in said world. However, as you may recall, I appeared as a regular pony before you, albeit taller and with my other appendages," Celestia said while pouring more tea.

"Why fancy words?" I muttered under my breath as she continued with her classy act.

"And as I mentioned before, you appear to have traveled two thousand years in the future. That means you caused an even greater mess with my defective spell," Celestia said before taking another sip. "As you can surely guess, that door is not a simple spell. It's dimensional magic. However, it also has a touch of time magic as well. That is why the years we spent together were mere minutes here," Celestia explained while crossing her legs.

"Ok. Then, when I jumped into the future, and the whole interdimensional thingie, I messed up some part of the spell?" I asked while putting down the cup half full.

"More than that. A spell that travels through time is too unstable. It can only sustain a pony in another time for about thirty to forty seconds. And it is a spell that jumps to the past. Gates to the future were never stable enough for anyone to use. Some theorized that our mana was too much to create a stable path back and forward in time," Celestia lectured while leaning back on her chair.

"Wait, I remember you mentioning that you had to rest to regain your power in my world," I intervened while leaning forward. "Does that have to do with how much mana there was in there?"

"You are correct, nicely done," Celestia replied like a proud teacher. "The mana levels in your world were low to an extreme. Therefore, I had to reduce my magic consumption before making another jump. I guess that you messing around with the runes caused a tweak in the magic spell, leading you to the future instead. And the low mana led to a bridge stable enough for you to remain here. However, this also could have caused your transformation to happen out of order and at a slower pace."

"Is that a fact or conjunction?" I asked with a tilt of my head. Celestia frowned at me as a response. "Right, unknown magic."

Still, I could have died. How in the world did I get away with that? Am I blessed with luck? Or is it just some bad luck in disguise? I thought while leaning back on my chair. The entire situation was odd. I was glad to be back with Celestia, but the problem I seemed to get myself tangled with was wild, and that's putting it lightly.

In any case, time was passing; and for now, my legs and some of my organs were the only parts of my body that seemed to have changed.

I could barely contain my excitement! Caleb was here, in the flesh! After our little conversation about the changes he was going through (which has me intrigued about how long it will take for him to turn completely), I lead him to a room he could use to spend the night. It was the room closest to my tower.

"You can use this room. It's been vacant for quite some time," I explained while showing Caleb the inside of the room. "It's the closest to my own. If you ever need or want to speak with me, you may come at any time, for anything," I added before turning my back to Caleb.

"Wait," He asked while taking my hand. "I think you should have this back. It's the main reason I came after all," He added while placing my pendant in my right hand.

Staring at the silver accessory, I recalled our first meeting. I was extremely unpleasant back then. Because of that meeting, I changed; I learned about things that could harm our kingdom. But I still failed you, Luna. If I had this back then, would I've been able to save you? I pondered while feeling a tear roll down my face. I've changed many things and faced many battles that ended up in victory. But it seems I'm still a sore loser.

"You'll get her back," Caleb said while closing my hand. "We both know that we can save Luna. And she will be saved. So hold on to this. And show it to her when she is back. Tell her everything you need to tell them. And then, hug her with all you have," He added while letting go of my hand.

That was when I cracked. I couldn't hold it in and did something stupid. Holding the pendant tightly, I leaned closer to Caleb and then kissed him on the cheek. I then proceeded to run as fast as I could towards my room and then jumped on my bed. Hugging my pillows, I started tolling around my bed with my cheeks on fire. What was I thinking?! That was insane! I mean, it's not like back then. I'm not that bold anymore. Argh! I can't do things like that anymore! Is this backlash from the time I spent alone and focusing on my duties?? How do I fix this?!

I then proceeded to experience the weirdest dream I ever had in ages. And Caleb was a central part of it. He and I were back in his home. I was in my regular form. And as for Caleb, he was different from the waist down. He had changed into a pony. But as for the rest, he was the same as always. And then, well, I'll leave it at I had to change my sheets in the morning. I do not dare to write down the events that took place there. And it will remain my little secret.

She kissed me on the cheek. And she ran away in panic. She KISSED my cheek and ran. She is fawning over me, and I am currently being sheltered by her as if I'm here to stay. Shit. I can't leave. I will never pull that mess of a portal again. And I'm already turning into a pony. Or some form of a pony. WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO BE SO BEAUTIFUL!?? I screamed in my head while standing by the door after Celestia left.

I had never considered the idea of living in a castle. Let alone receiving what I could only assume to be VIP treatment based on the reactions and things they gave us. The room behind me looked larger than my room and my living room combined. And those were of considerable size.

What was I supposed to do? Celestia seemed to want me around permanently. I hadn't considered the one-way tripped as a fixed possibility. And, judging by Tia's reaction, the portal thingie could only send me to a time where I am already dead. So, there were two possibilities: one, I come back and have to earn everything that I lost by following legal procedures and live broke for a while; two, I die upon arrival and turn into dust. But, of course, those options were there if I went back. If I stay, I get to live with a princess in a magical land and probably have a decent life here.

Who am I kidding? I can't leech off Tia like that. I will probably try to find some way to help. WHAT CAN I EVEN DO?! She is a fucking deity that controls the sun and moon! She can fly, she can fire beams out of her horn, and she can kill me with a flick of her wrist. Me? I, I snuck into a train. Argh, I'm useless here.

And with those positive thoughts, I went on to sleep. Carried away into a fucked up state in which I kept tossing and turning as I attempted to feel comfortable in a humongous bed. I woke up the following morning in the glorified position of my head hanging from the bedside with my legs tangled on sheets. At least, I thought it was morning. However, the Moon outside my window convinced me otherwise.

Am I THAT restless? I mused while untangling my legs and sitting up. That was when I realized my legs had completely changed into pony legs, and my waist had begun to change as well. Once I was on my hooves, I glanced at the wall clock and came to a realization. I went to sleep at twenty-two o'clock. It's seven o'clock now. Why is it nighttime?

Peeking out the door, I noticed that the staff were running around in a blind panic as they screamed about the end of the world. I think I saw two or three ponies just make dramatic poses before collapsing on the floor with a distressed look on their faces. Talk about selling the act. I mused before returning to my room and putting on some old clothes from Tia's nephew.

And when I was down with that, I realized what was wrong. Wait. TIA IS THE ONE THAT CONTROLS THE SUN AND THE MOON!!!! I screamed while facepalming. Rushing out of my room, I ran to the end of the hallway, where two guards were shaking on their hooves as Shining and Cadance yelled at them.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CELESTIA SAID ONLY ONE PONY COULD CLIMB UP HER TOWER?!!! I AM HER NIECE!!!!" Cadance screamed at one of the guards that seemed to turn white. And considering he was dark gray, that was a feat.

"T-Those were her o-orders," The guard meekly refuted while trying their best not to cry.

"Then who is the one allowed to climb the tower?!" Gleaming (I apologize, it was a reflex) shouted at the other guard that seemed to be one step away from passing out.

"What is going on?" I blurted before covering my mouth and recoiling.

"H-him," The guard about to pass out muttered while pointing at me.

Gleaming and Cadance looked at each other and then back at me. I felt as if Cadance wanted to gut me at that moment, while Gleaming seemed amused at the concept of me receiving special treatment. Probably because of the contrast between being a prisoner and then a VIP guest in the castle. I can't blame her. When I thought I was about to meet my end, the last thing I thought could happen was the current situation.

Back to the record, I, in response to the new information, looked over my shoulder to see if there was someone else besides me in the guard's line of sight. Nope. I was the only one.

"What spell did you cast on my aunt to bewitch her like that?!" Cadance asked while glaring daggers at me.

"If I could use magic properly, I wouldn't be here," I replied while dropping my shoulders.

"Then how do you explain her behavior?! Over a thousand years of perfect devotion to all of her duties. You appear, and she suddenly oversleeps. Moreover, she only allows YOU to enter her room. You're even wearing her nephew's clothes!" Cadance blurted while poking me with her finger.

"How should I know?! I spent the entire night tossing around on my bed! I'll just go in and wake her up. It wouldn't be the first time," I replied while pushing her to the side and entering the tower. Cadance tried to follow, but a wall seemed to block her path.

She is so going to kill me. I concluded while climbing up the steps. Strangely enough, it took less time than I thought to reach the top of the tower. There was no door leading inside, only an arch and then her room. I carefully poked my head out of the arch's edge. I saw the neatly decorated room. The view from up here must be awe-inspiring. I concluded after my eyes drifted over the balcony.

A quick scan of the room allowed me to find Celestia sleeping soundly on the bed. Silently approaching her, I positioned myself behind her to use the usual method. Reaching forth with my right hand, I gently started to scratch the base of her right ear. Celestia's leg began to twitch for a bit before she shook her head. And then, turned around to glare at me.

"It still works," I said with a smile as she pouted at me.

"Be grateful you're the one that did that. If anyone else did that to me, the poor soul would be out like a candle in the wind," Tia said while turning around and looking underneath her sheets. Suddenly, she turned red and looked back at me.

Before I had a chance to do anything, Celestia's horn flared, and everything went dark. I was conscious, but I couldn't see anything around me, let alone hear. It took a few minutes, but I got my senses back. She stood on the opposite side of the bed while wearing a different outfit. Her regalia was on as well as the necklace I had made for her. She had also assimilated a tomato as her face was the same color as one. Glancing at the bed, I realized the sheets were different from when I entered the place.

"I won't ask why you changed, just, why did you hide it? You entered the shower with me inside," I said while looking blankly at Celestia, who kept shifting in place.

"I have my reasons," Celestia said with a pout.

"Fine. Can you tell your niece not to strangle me? Because she looks like she is about to do it," I said while crossing my arms.

"Why would she do that?" Celestia asked before her ears perked up. "Oh. I didn't raise the sun in time and told the guards not to let anyone except for you in my room. Right."

"Yep. Now, I'm going to look at a mirror to see if anything else changed overnight," I said while starting to walk to the big mirror near Celestia.

"No need. You have pony ears now," Celestia said with a grin as I dropped my shoulders with a groan.

"Great. Awesome! I bet I look like one of those Neko thingies," I groaned in frustration. At that point, I wanted that transformation to change me in one go or return me to normal, the latter being the preferable result.

"Are you going to say "Nyah" to me?" Celestia said in a teasing tone as I replied with my tongue sticking out of my mouth.

"Can you do the sun thing? Everyone is freaking out downstairs," I asked while facepalming. "I think someone said that we reached doomsday," I added with a tone of concern.

"Sure, come with me. I can't wait to show you my talent at work!" Celestia replied while grabbing my arm and dragging me to the balcony. "Consider yourself honored, I only do this little show for crowds of ponies. You are getting a VIP seat!"

"Please, don't make the "oh-ho-ho-ho" laugh. Don't be a tsundere," I said while crossing my arms. Celestia replied with a smirk. "No." Her grin grew larger. "I said no, Tia," She slowly opened her mouth. "I swear if you do it. I'll make you regret it!" She took a deep breath. "NO!"

"Oh-ho-ho-ho! Lovely peasant! Do not misunderstand me! I do this so that you may gaze upon my glory! Not because I care for you!" She said with a forced regal tone.

I groaned inwardly while making my head fall backward. "I will get my revenge for this," I said without much concern.

"You will not touch a strand of her mane!" I heard from the door to the balcony. Cadance prepared an energy beam and seemed ready to fire. Only for Celestia to stand between me and the blast.

"You will not touch my friend, Cadenza," Celestia threatened as Cadance seemed to shrink in her posture and slowly backed away. "I missed these conversations. Talks where I didn't have to be regal. Talks where I could speak my mind freely without the need to worry about what they would think about me. I missed my friend and I won't let anyone bring them harm."

Dear god, I am so very screwed now. Living with a princess but with a rope around my neck because the other wants me dead.