A Life, for A Life

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Deal
Chapter 2: A Fresh Start
Chapter 3: First Impressions
Chapter 5: Unexpected turn of events
Chapter 6: Ambassador
Chapter 7: A Treat
Chapter 8: Tomorrow
Chapter 9: A Lead
Chapter 10: Surprise
Chapter 11: The Search Begins
Chapter 12: Promises
Chapter 13: Departure
Chapter 14: Questions And Answers
Chapter 15: Questions and Answers Part II
Chapter 16: Hope
Chapter 17: The Mark
Chapter 18: The Will
Chapter 19: Lockdown
Chapter 20: Uphill
Chapter 21: Baby Steps
Chapter 22: The Only Way Left To Go
Chapter 23: Upwards
Chapter 4: First Impressions II

Chapter 1: The Deal

Bing!

"Hrmmnngh.." I whined uselessly as I searched around for my iPhone with my hands. Eventually, my right hand found the culprit that awoke me from a rather pleasant dream, I wished that I woke up a little later. Groaning, I lifted the phone to the front of my face, noting to keep my eyes closed as the screen flipped on to adjust my eyes to the brightness.

After a moment, I cracked open my left eye. I immediately shot upright on the couch I was sleeping on and reread the message on the screen a second time.

"Hey Zale, remember to set up the for the siege tonight, It's your turn to shot-call today. - GM"

I flicked my eyes up to look at the time on the screen. It was already 4 PM. "Damn, did I really sleep for that long?" I asked aloud. If I can recall, I fell asleep around 11 PM last night. "Guess I better get up and get right on that after breakfast." I looked at the screen again and cringed inwardly. "..Well, I guess the right term would be dinner." And with that, I got up, folded the blankets and started the day, or what was left of it.

Now, I didn't really care about the way I looked since I rarely went outside anyway, mostly out of laziness, my common excuse being efficiency. Unless I went to the shop to pick up some things, or just wanted to simply take a midnight stroll, I generally stayed inside and locked away from the world. So I threw on anything I could find comfortable. Since I didn't have my own room or a secure place to keep most of my things save for a couple of drawers in a room that I didn't reside in, My choice of clothing was fairly limited, not that I minded.

I entered my cousin's room to get my things. It was what you could expect from a girls'/anime fan girl styled rooms, posters of various characters, collectibles and toys, and a manga library to boot. My cousin was currently away on vacation with her mom, so the room was vacant for the time being.

Must be nice... I thought, as I made my way to the drawer that contained most of my clothes.

The bunk bed was nestled on the side of the room, it taking up most of the space anyway. From one of the drawers conjoined with my cousin's bunk bed, I took out a gray hoodie, white T-Shirt, blue shorts and a fresh pair of striped boxers. Going back into the hallway, I picked up a pair of sneakers; blue, gray and purple.

"Isaiah!? Is that you out there!?" My other aunt called after me from inside her bedroom. She sounded irritated about something.

I didn't live with my mom or dad like most kids do. At least, I assume most normal kids did. I lived with my two aunts, my uncle, my cousin, and my grandparents. My mom and dad weren't dead or anything, they just didn't have room for me to live with them, or so they claimed. My two sisters and 3 younger brothers lived with them, so I could at least understand. So right now I'm stuck here, sleeping on the couch with the privacy of a computer screen.

"Yeah Trisha, It's me! What's- Ah screw this," I cut off mid sentence, not having the energy to yell first thing in the morni- er.. in my first few minutes being awake. I went right up to the door and cracked it open a bit so I could speak more reservedly. "What's up?"

"It's 4:27 PM. And you're just now waking up?" She asked accusingly, like I committed a grave sin. "What have you been doing that you need THAT much sleep?" She began to rant on a bit, and I begrudgingly listened on. "All you do is sit at that laptop of yours all day, talking to your friends and playing games. You rarely go outside, and you definitely don't have a job that requires you to go anywhere, you half-ass everything you do too." She went silent for a moment, I took that as my cue to answer her initial question.

"To be honest, I don't know why I slept as long as I did. I went to sleep around 11 last night, and I usually wake up around 10, if not an hour or two later. Sorry." I hoped that would be a satisfactory answer for the time being, I did want to get dressed after all.

Trisha was silent for another moment before sighing, and simply nodding in understanding. "So it's just one of those days, hm?" She said in a much softer tone.

"Yeah," I said, scratching the back of my neck. "It's one of those days. I'm going to get dressed and make something to eat, and I'll be busy for the next 2-3 hours. If you need anything though, holler." She took the hint and waved me off, and with my clothes still in hand, I went into the bathroom next door and closed the door behind me.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

Not bad, I thought as I looked myself over in the mirror. I changed into the clothes I was holding, and looked on in the mirror at my handiwork. I had to lean down a bit to get a good view, as I was 6'6 in height, and stood well over the mirror. I took a long look at my face after a bit. My skin complexion was a fair dark caramel, and was pretty smooth save for a few bumps of acne that had formed. I ran a hand along a little scruffy beard that covered some of the bottom half of my face. It connected with my sideburns, and ran down my neck about halfway. My Afro was, a bit unkempt, I'll admit. Frizzing out in some places, I gingerly padded it down to more or less resemble the appearance of the generic Afro.

Satisfied, I walked out the bathroom, thew my old clothes into a hamper, and made my way back downstairs. My laptop was in the kitchen, which had a glass table in the corner of the room, with a few wooden chairs. The device in question was on the opposite end of the table, facing the wall. It hummed silently in sleep mode, patiently awaiting my return to the internet. Before that however, I went to the freezer to grab a microwavable breakfast sandwich, bacon and eggs on a croissant. I threw it in the microwave nearby, and got started on some coffee while that went on. I loved coffee. I could drink it any time of the day, no matter the occasion. Of course I always drank it with plenty of cream and sugar, I only drank straight black a few times to stay awake on an overnight project on something, even then the bitterness didn't bother me much.

The Beep, Beep, Beep! Of the microwave responsible for cooking my meal, told me my wait was over. I sat the mug of caramel coffee over near my end of the table, And went to retrieve my sandwich. Grabbing the meal in my hands, I quickly moved it from the microwave, to a nearby paper plate, and went back to my chair, meal in tow.

"Welp," I sat down, and pressed space on the keyboard, prompting the computer out of sleep mode. "Time to log in and build the base before time is up." When the screen flashed to life, the background image on the lock screen briefly caught my attention. I smiled a bit, a nostalgic feeling washing over me. The image, was of a pristine, white colored pony from one of my favorite series, My little pony: Friendship is Magic. I used to watch it all the time, listened to fan songs and arts created by other bronies, I even have figurines of the Main 6.. somewhere around here. Since I didn't have a place to keep them, they are probably upstairs in my cousin's room somewhere.

I looked at the time on the lock screen. It read 5:17 PM. I wanted some time to grind before I built the base, but I guess I didn't have the right to complain about time right now. I typed in my password, opened Steam, and started up my main MMORPG, Black Desert Online. As I was logging into the game however..

Ping!

My Discord on my laptop sounded with a notification. That's odd, I thought as I waited for the app to load up. I thought I was on DND on my laptop? Surely enough, I was. Yet I still got the notification sound out of my laptop, and not my phone which was in my hoodie pocket. The app finished loading, and at the top of the window, I received a friend request from someone named "Drac", I knew this name however, as he was in our guild's server as a member that joined recently.

Curious, I accepted the request and messaged him.

At least, I began to, but before I could even start typing, he beat me to it.

"Ah, hello there! You sure didn't keep me waiting long at all~" He typed, and I skeptically raised an eyebrow at the way he typed his messages. Nonetheless, I replied.

"Yeah, I accepted your request because you are in the guild and well, I was curious as to what you wanted. So..? I kept my message simple and honest, awaiting a reply. Wasn't long before I got one, but his response caught me completely off-guard.

"I have a question for you. Are you happy with the way your life is right now? And remember, honesty is the best policy~" My eyes widened a bit at the random, more personal question. I sat there for a moment, unsure how to answer his question, or if I should answer at all, considering he was a complete stranger as far as I was concerned.

I began to type my response, albeit a bit reluctantly.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Ack!-The fuck!?" My eyes became blinded as the screen boomed with a bright white light and rang my ears, rendering my senses useless for a few moments. I felt my stomach sink into my gut, as if I was falling while sitting on my chair. In my dazed state, I noticed that the air became colder and wind was causing the hood on my hoodie to continuously flap against my head. As the ringing in my ears became less and less prominent, I tried opening my eyes to see just what the hell had happened. Had my laptop exploded?

When my vision came to, my jaw dropped to the floor as I looked down. I was.. I didn't know where I was. The entire area below me was pitch black, and whipped my head to see where I was all around while still sitting in my chair, my hands tightly clamping to the seat as I descended into the abyss. Everywhere around me was darkness, the only light coming from what I assumed to be the horizon of.. wherever this was. It was a dim pale white light, in a thin line across from my position.

"What the hell!?" I shouted, only.. no sound came out. I shouted again, and I was met with the same result. Had I died from the explosion? Was there even an explosion to begin with? Why am I endlessly falling!? All these questions implanted themselves in my mind in a panic, and I abruptly stopped falling, almost as soon as it started. Still terrified and utterly confused. After a moment of nothing but pure silence, a whirring could be heard in front of me in the void.

"Because," The voice bellowed, making me jump slightly as it came out of nowhere, I looked around quickly to see where it had originated from. There was no one. "I have a proposal, and I think you might be more than a little interested."

Now that I wasn't panicking nearly as much as when I was falling, I froze in place, shocked at the voice I heard. It sounded familiar.. almost like..

Another flash of light later, my eyes widened at the sight before me.

"No way.." I breathed, awestruck and bewildered at the bipedal creature that sat across from me, in his throne of pure chaos. Before me, was Discord, lord of chaos itself. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, I was sure that I was still asleep or, something! But sure enough, there he was, and here I was, right in front of him.

Discord laughed in amusement at my stupor. "I can assure you, I'm as real as pigs flying." He snapped his talons and a pig seemingly came out of nowhere, with angel wings flying right up to me, snorting in my face. The pig disappeared in another flash, and he continued.

"As I said, I asked you because I have a proposal, a deal that will change your life for the better." He leaned back in his throne, a smirk still on his face. "But before I tell you what the deal is," He said, as if he knew that I was going to ask about it, "I need you to answer my question honestly. Now then.. spill!" A notepad and pencil appeared, and it started writing something as if it was an interview of some sort.

"Uh..," I began, trying to calm down and collect my thoughts for a well rounded response. As I thought about it however, the more depressed I felt and the more I realized just how crappy my life was right now. I wasn't on the streets or starving or anything, but I was socially and emotionally suffering. I didn't have any friends that weren't online, I've only been in a relationship once and it lasted a few months in elementary school, and the entirety of high school I was a lone wolf. I didn't have a real place to call my own, it felt like I was more of a house pet than a family member. All they did was keep me fed and made sure I didn't get into trouble, which wasn't an issue since all I did was sit at my laptop.

I felt jealous of my younger siblings, as they had their own rooms, they made plenty of friends, and they even have fulfilling futures ahead of them. I, on the other hand, had nothing to value or cherish, nothing to look forward to other than gaming and watching MLP, back when I used to actively watch the show anyway. I felt happy and giddy every time the show came on, like a kid in a candy shop. But the show ended, I've finished the comics, and I kind of drifted away from it. Nothing else really piqued my interests.

I looked up again, and saw Discord's brow furrow slightly, clearly indicating his impatience. Or was it concern? Either way, I spoke up.

"Sorry about that, I was lost in thought is all." I apologized, sheepishly rubbing my left arm with my hand. "To answer your question though.. No. I'm not happy at all.."

"Go on then." He said, leaning in a little closer. I hummed in thought, thinking about how and where I should begin.

“Well..” I began.

“Back when I attended middle school, I’ve always felt.. different. Alone, like I never belonged there. I’ve made attempts to try and fit in, get to know other kids and maybe, even make some friends.”

“Did you?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Not really,” I replied. “I would say the closest I’ve ever gotten with a classmate there is an acquaintance at best. You know, we sat near each other, sometimes we’d ask each other for a pencil or paper if we forgot any, worked on group projects. That sort of thing.” I clarified, sighing. “Didn’t really get.. personal or friendly”

Discord nodded in understanding, the pencil scratching on paper above him.

“So, I’ve kinda been bad at making friends, no one really seemed to be interested. In fact, they seemed to be afraid of me. Been that way all the way through 6th-12th grade.”

“And because of that, you were afraid of scaring people away and became self conscious. So you eventually stopped trying all together.” My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Y-Yeah, that’s one way to put it..” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.

“And then?” He asked, prompting me to continue.

“Well, there was this situation involving my identity. You see, I had to get an ID at some point if I wanted to do anything with my life, get a job, make a living, being an american citizen and all.”

“What kind of situation?” Discord asked, smiling. “Did your identity get replaced by that of a pug? Or perhaps you had multiple identities that had you in absolute dismay?” He asked gleefully.

I shook my head, frowning. “No, nothing like that. You see.. I had no identity. When I went to get my ID card and social, I was rejected because my damn middle name was spelled wrong.” I huffed the last part out, frustration visible on my face.

“So you couldn’t just get it fixed?”

“It’s not that simple because for some reason America likes to be complicated.” I said flatly. “I would have to go to court and either get my name changed, or stick with my old name and go through the entire process all over again.” Discord raised an eyebrow, confused.

“Why didn’t you just do that then?”

“I would’ve,” I began, crossing my arms with a sigh. “But my family never took me to do it. I had no way of getting to the courthouse or social security office without a car, and I didn’t have any money or a metro card either. I’ve tried time and time again, asked for help, asked for money, but they seemed to just always forget somehow! Show’s how much they care about me..” I finished under my breath.

“So.. you eventually gave up on that too, didn’t you?” Discord deduced. I nodded, looking downcast.

“Yeah. I did.” I replied simply. “The only sense of control I’ve ever had in my life, was in front of a computer screen. I didn’t have my own room in the house, so I never really had time to myself, and nowhere to put any of the things that I could call my own.” I put my hands on my lap now, curled up into fists. “I’ve never had control.. A say, in anything. I felt like more of a house pet, than a family member if I’m being completely honest.”

“And what about your siblings?” Discord asked, leaning back into his seat. “Do you love them? And your family?” I raised an eyebrow to ask how he knew I had siblings, but I just went on to explain.

“I’m.. grateful, for them.” I said carefully. “To say I love them though.. I do love certain members of my family, only to an extent though. As for my siblings..” I trailed off, looking away. “..I’m jealous of them.”

“..Why?”

“Because, they had everything that I wanted to be able to have.” I held up my hand, and counted out with the other what they were blessed with. “A room, friends, privacy, help; to name a few things. And I never got it. So, I just settled with being a house pet, with only a computer to use and meeting people online.” I sighed, leaning back and arms slumping.

Discord hummed in thought, tapping a talon on his chin. He was silent for a few moments, taking everything I’ve said into consideration.

“Ever since then, I’ve had this tendency to just give up on things. All I ever wanted was some help, and some encouragement, but I never received any. So, here I am, 2 years later still stuck in the same position.”

“..Is there anything that ever brought you happiness?” Discord asked after a moment. A nostalgic smile appeared on my face when he asked that.

“Yes, there is.” I said, looking back up. “It was you. Your world, the ponies, the community, everything related to My Little Pony, has brought me that happiness. I used to watch the show all the time, right until the very end.” I sighed, the smile vanishing. “Now that it’s over, and there’s nothing new that interests me, I’m just stuck, waiting till the day finally comes until something changes.”

Discord was writing everything else down that I have said about my life, and for a couple of minutes we sat in silence.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

When he was done writing, the notepad and pencil disappeared in a flash, and he leaned in, his fingers intertwined and brought up to his chin.

"Well," He said after a moment, "Would you care to hear my proposal? If you decline then I'll just send you back to exactly where you were in your 'Oh so miserable' life." He stated with a hint of snark. I paused for a moment before answering.

"Shoot." I said simply.

Discord's grin widened. "Here's the deal," He snapped his talons again, and an image of the town of Ponyville displayed in front of me. "You could start a new life here, make some friends with your favorite ponies and dragon, and maybe even go on a grand and daring adventure! But.." Another snap of his talons, a different image replaced that of Ponyville, it was of me and my family at our previous thanksgiving, eating and talking together. "You would lose all your memories of your current life, including the knowledge of the show you know and love. You will even forget that you met me and the meeting will be like it never happened. A fresh start." He pondered for a moment. "You'd only remember your name. A life for a life, in a sense."

"Wait," I said, unsure if I understood that correctly. "So, If I lost memories of the show, it would be like I wouldn't recognize where I am, and the ponies I'd run into?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Precisely." He confirmed.

"Okay, and what about.." I fished in my pocket for a second to find my personal device. "This?"

"You keep it, but everything related to your own personal life and related to my universe will be erased. Meaning you'll still have knowledge of your world, but not of yourself, only your name and age." Discord flicked his finger in a direction, causing a spark to fly out of it. "On the plus side, I would give it infinite battery life, access to most sites, and you would keep most apps."

I was silent, rolling the deal in my head for a minute or two. On one hand, I was a million percent sure I would be happier in the world of Equestria, and getting the chance to make friends with everyone there sounded amazing. On the other hand though, I would forget my family, where I came from, and the show as a whole. Plus I had a guild to maintain as a responsibility of an officer, regardless.. I just couldn't find it in myself to turn him down.

"Alright.." I began reluctantly. "I'll.. I'll deal."

Discord smiled, but more genuinely this time. "Then it is done. I know you'll find happiness in Equestria, and I have a sneaking suspicion you know that too." He laughed, and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. With a snap of his fingers, the world around me blinked out of existence.

I fell unconscious, and I knew no more.

Author's Note

Hi, if you made it to the end of the first chapter, thank you for reading.
This is my first time writing anything, so please bear with me if I make mistakes, but I am excited to see how the story turns out! So stay tuned. :twilightsheepish:

Feel free to comment if you have any questions pertaining to the story.

Chapter 2: A Fresh Start

Wind.

That was the first thing I noticed when I came from a seemingly endless sleep. It was nice, feeling this wind whip and blow across my face and body, the whistles of the wind playing a sweet melody to my current state. I smiled a bit at the sensation, enjoying the moment of peace and serenity.

I took in a deep breath, savoring the fresh open air for just a moment, before exhaling and letting it all out. I felt relaxed. I felt at peace. I cracked an eye open, to be greeted with a gorgeous view of the starry sky, and with a brilliant full moon. I felt like I was flying, looking up I tried to get a better view of the stars. Only, I didn't see the sky anymore, but it was the ground.

"..Wait." I looked down to see more stars. I looked back up to the ground. After a moment, It finally hit me. I wasn't flying. I was falling.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" I shouted in alarm, extremely confused as to how in the world I got this high in the first place. I flailed my arms wildly about, shouting and screaming uselessly, my eyes desperately scanning the ground for something, anything to break my fall. I saw a large lake, just off from what looked like a.. tower? No, a castle, next to a small town. Acting quickly, I tried angling myself towards it, getting a little closer, but the ground was coming way too quickly for any comfort. And I had no idea how deep or shallow the lake was, but I was nearing the bottom, fast.

I closed my eyes and put my arms in front, shielding my face from the inevitable impact of the surface of the water.

... Only for it not to come at all.

I slowly opened my eyes, moved my arms aside, and my breath caught in my throat. The tip of my nose was less than an inch away from the lakes surface. I also noticed there was a light blue aura around my arms and hands, I looked down and saw the rest of my body encompassed in the same aura.

"What..?" Was the only response I had to what I just experienced. Of course I was relieved that I didn't plummet into the lake, causing injury, or even death. Then, I started going back up at a slower pace.

"I-I got you! J-Just a second..!" I heard the feminine voice come from the balcony of the castle, strain in her voice. From here I can't exactly tell who it was that saved my life, but nonetheless I closed my eyes, and paced my breathing, and waited. I felt my weight shift back into an up-right position, and soon enough I felt my hands and knees on a smooth surface.

I panted heavily for a few moments, hearing the one who saved me do the same, probably from exhaustion. I was the first to speak after a little while.

"Thanks," I began, I went to stand. "You have no idea how--" I froze, shocked at what I saw when I opened my eyes. Oh. My. God. Was all I could think. It was a.. unicorn? Not only that, but it was smaller than a normal horse, like a pony. It had a lilac coat, with a mane and tail that was purple, with teal streaks running along both. She was wearing what appeared to be purple pajamas with with polka dots. And it was staring at me, it's mouth agape. It looked just as shocked as I was.

"What's going on!? What happened Starlight!?" Another feminine voice, bit more raspy was heard a few ways away from the both of us. I looked up to see yet another pony beside the entrace, this time a light blue pegasus, with a rainbow mane and tail. She was also wearing pajamas, hers being a darker shade of blue with yellow stripes. "Are you ok-" It stopped in it's tracks, hovering in the air. Then it charged at me before I had time to react. I let out a pained "Oomph!!"

"Rainbow Dash, wait!" The lilac unicorn shouted, Starlight if I went by what the rainbow one yelled, "Stop! It's okay!" Rainbow stopped right as her hoof was about to connect with my jaw, her other clenching the neck of my hoodie. She lit up with the same blue aura as before, and she was forced off of me.

Grimacing, I sat up against the railings of the balcony. "Ow.. Well so much for coming out uninjured, haha.." I chuckled halfheartedly, looking back up at the two ponies. I saw the horn glowing the same color on Starlight as Rainbow was pulled further away from me. "Starlight, was it? Thank you for saving me, twice." I rolled up off the ground into a standing position. "I owe ya."

Starlight's mouth went agape again, she had to crane her head up just to able to look at my face from her position below me. I knelt down, to hopefully appear less intimidating. I smiled. "Sorry if I scared you. Thanks again though." I held out my hand for a handshake.. hoofshake..? A friendly shake.

"Erm.. No problem.." She held out her hoof, but she was trembling a bit. I gently took her hoof in hand, and shook it respectfully. She returned it after a bit, a smile of her own appearing. "I'm sorry about Rainbow, she can jump to conclusions pretty fast." Rainbow huffed indignantly, and crossed her forearms. "Uh, your name is..?"

"..I.. Isaiah.." I began, a bit reluctantly. "Isaiah Chase." I started to feel light headed, hearing the beat of my heart in my ear drums."B-But I think my friends call me Zale?" I said, bringing my hands up and slowly messaging my temples. Did.. did I even have any friends? I thought hard about what I just said and thought, but I came up blank.

Starlight seemed to notice my discomfort. "Are you okay? What do you mean you 'think'?" She put a hoof against my leg, my headache getting worse.

"I.. ugh.. can't remember.." I feel like I was forgetting something very important. But no matter how hard I tried, my mind was.. completely blank. I remember a lot of other things, about my world, about the technologies, even my name and nickname. but I couldn't remember anything about me. I started to panic again, but before that got too far, I felt a tug on my hoodie.

I looked down to see Starlight, looking very concerned. "I'm sorry. But, could I go sit down somewhere? I'm feeling pretty light headed.." I continued massaging my temples.

"Oh, uh.." She began, looking worried. After a moment, she shook her head, and smiled. "You know what, sure! Follow me." She turned and trotted towards the entrance, Rainbow following between us, probably warning me to keep my distance. I picked up the pace and followed them into the castle walls.

After a few minutes of a somewhat uncomfortable silence, Rainbow spoke.

"So.. uhm.." Rainbow began, sheepishly rubbing her mane, hovering a little ways away from me as I followed. "Sorry about, you know. Tackling you. I thought Starlight was in danger, and I maybe jumped to conclusions a little bit."

Starlight snorted, looking back directly at Rainbow.

"Okay okay," She said begrudgingly. "I really jumped the gun on that one." She huffed, facing back into the corridor.

I chuckled at that. "It's okay, I understand. I can't blame you for only wanting to protect those you care about."

"See? He gets it!" She pointed a hoof at me, smiling victoriously.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

Another few minutes pass, Starlight and Rainbow bickering about what counts as 'Loyal' versus 'Unnecessary'. They eventually gave up, both huffing in exasperation.

"So, Isaiah," Starlight said, rounding a corner "You said you can't remember? Remember what exactly?"

"Anything." I said simply. Both ponies raised an eyebrow at me, stopping at a larger door, larger than any of the ones we passed by. "Well, I can't remember anything about me, other than name and age. I can remember my world and everything in it, but myself and my life.. It's just comes up blank." I clarified, the headache flaring up again.

Starlight and Rainbow both showed concerned glances and looked back at me.

"So you have amnesia is what your saying?" Starlight asked. I nodded. "Well, lets go back to the slumber party and continue our discussion there." She opened the door, walked inside and motioned for me to enter. There was pop music coming from inside.

I raised an eyebrow. "Slumber party?" We entered the room, and I saw just what she was talking about. But the room itself was massive! The first thing I noticed was that there was a god damn tree, at least the roots of one inside the ceiling, illuminated with lights dangling from each root. The walls lined with pillars of crystal, each one having a door that I assumed led to other rooms connected to this one. Above the doors on the next layer had a grand window between each pillar, I'm pretty sure those windows were taller than me.

And then in the center, Was a table, surrounded by 6 chairs, all made of crystal. Now that I think about, Majority of the castle was made out of crystals and gems. Also nearing the center, were 6 other ponies, and a purple lizard thing all in pajamas of all kinds. There were blanket rolls of different colors next to each of them. When we went a bit further into the room, the music that was playing stopped, like a record scratch. All eyes were on me, save for Starlight and Rainbow, both chuckling nervously.

"Hey guys, haha.." Starlight broke the silence after a couple of seconds. "We have a.. bit of a situation on our hooves." She had a somewhat strained smile plastered on her face, her eyes darting back and forth between the group.

One of the other ponies, a purple unicorn but with wings and a purple mane and tail with a magenta streak in each, shot up to her hooves and blinked out of existence in a purple light.

"Oh no.." The lizard said, pinching the bridge his nose and sighing. "Here we go."

Another purple flash of light not even a few seconds later, and she returned with several stacks of papers, and a quill. I then promptly found myself back against the table, attacked with a flurry of questions. "WHAT IN EQUESTRIA ARE YOU!? WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!? YOU LOOK LIKE HUMANS FROM THE MIRROR WORLD! *GASP* ARE YOU A BRAND NEW SPECIES OR SUB SPECIES OF SOME VARIANT!? WHA-" She was cut off from any further questions I couldn't answer at rapid speeds by the orange pony putting a hoof over her mouth, a deadpan expression on her face.

"Now now Twi, settle down," She pulled 'Twi' away from me, and I could have sworn she was foaming at the mouth a little bit. Ignoring it, I chuckled nervously.

"Ahah.. nice to meet you too?" It was more of a question than a response. The others gasped, seemingly surprised that I could speak. I brushed myself off, hoping the foam didn't get on me. As I did, I felt something in the pocket of my hoodie. Before I could investigate what is was though, another question made itself known, at least it was a single one this time.

"Oh my darling, Whatever are you wearing?" I stiffened a bit at her voice. It sounded so familiar, like I knew who that voice belonged to. Looking up, I saw a pristine white unicorn with a purple and bouncy mane look up at me, apparently very interested in my clothing. It took me a moment to regain my composure and answer her.

"O-Oh, this?" I looked down and pulled a little on my hoodie. "I'm just wearing a hoodie over a white T-Shirt, and shorts." I unzipped my hood so she could get a better look. She circled me, humming in thought. I feel like I'm being judged.. I thought, starting to feel uneasy.

Starlight cleared her throat, grabbing everyone's attention. "I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions, but first, let me explain to you what happened.."

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

We were all sitting in the room, with me being the center of attention. It only took a few minutes for Starlight to explain the situation, and the room felt a bit lighter now.

"Well shucks, I'm mighty sorry y'all had to go through that." The orange pony said sympathetically. She held out a hoof towards me. "The name's Applejack, partner! Pleasure ta' meet cha!"

I took her hoof and shook it firmly, and she immediately returned the shake, a wide smile on her face.

"Heya Applejack, I'm Isaiah Chase, and my.." I paused for only a second, correcting myself. "I also go by Zale" I let go of her hoof, only for my hand to be taken again immediately by two pink hooves and started shaking sporadically.

"Hiyamynameispinkiepieit'ssonicetomeetyouzaleywhaleydoyoulikecupcakesilikecupcakes- *GASP*"

She stopped for a second, and exploded again.

"imadecupcakesfortheslumberpartybutsinceyou'rehereyoucanhavesometoo!"

I didn't realize when Pinkie released my hand, but after a second or two my arms stopped shaking, they feel like spaghetti now. "Uh.. nice to meet you too Pinkie Pie, and.. I can't really say i like cupcakes, because I don't remember if I like them or not."

Rainbow blinked. "Wait, you actually followed all of that?" Rainbow asked in disbelief. I shrugged.

"Well yeah, it took me a moment to process what was said but I understood her." I stretched my arms out, hoping to relieve some of the stress from the frantic hoofshake of a super hyper mare.

"Hi there Zale," The purple one from earlier began, smiling sheepishly. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Sorry about the uh, onslaught earlier." She laughed nervously, clearly embarrassed. I chuckled and scratched the back of my head.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. If you want I can answer any question you have to the best of my ability some time." Her ears perked up at that.

"Yes! I-I mean.. sure that would be nice." She regained her composure and smiled genuinely. "I'll let you know when I have the questions ready!" Twilight giggled excitedly, and tapped her hooves together. I saw that the lizard rolled it's eyes at her, and walked up to me.

"I'm Spike," he pointed a thumb at his puffed out chest. "And yes, I am a dragon!" Spike said matter-of-factly. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm Twilight's loyal assistant."

"Wow, a dragon.." I admired him a bit, looking him over again. "I never would have guessed if you didn't tell me. I thought you were just a lizard."

Spike deadpanned. Rainbow and Applejack snorted, trying to contain their laughter. Spike looked back at both of them, a pout on his face. "Oh come on, I know I'm small but you'll see! One day I'll grow and get wings, then we'll see who's laughing!" He huffed, crossing his arms and walked back to Twilight's side.

"Hello Zale, I am none other than Ms. Rarity, Owner of the Carousel Boutique, maker of fashion trends!" She dramatically made her mane wave, swiveling her head from one side to the other. "And I must say, your clothes are out of this world, Darling!" Her eyes sparkled with glee as she scanned me up and down for about the 5th time. She held her hoof out, but it was pointed toward the ground rather than at me. I got the idea.

"Hello Ms. Rarity, It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." I got down on one knee, gently took her hoof in hand and planted a soft kiss on it. "And I should say that you look stunning in that night gown." Rarity waved her hoof at her face the moment I let go.

"Oh my~" She breathed, a hue of pink going across her muzzle. "What a gentlestallion.." She fainted, landing on a velvet chair that I don't remember being there before.

I raised an eyebrow. Gentle..stallion? So that's how terms are here, huh? I thought, humming in understanding.

I looked around, seeing only 2 other ponies that haven't introduced themselves yet. One was a mulberry pony, a unicorn with a magenta mane and tail, only her horn was broken. My eyes widened at the scar on her face in surprise. She looked more built, and if she were standing I'm pretty sure she'd be the tallest pony here. She hasn't said a word ever since I arrived, and all she did was stare back at me, a slight blush on her face. Even as I looked at her for a few more moments, she didn't even flinch.

The other, was a yellow pegasus, a pink mane and tail. She let out a little "Eep!" when she saw my gaze shift towards her. She tried to hide behind her mane but it did little to cover the poor timid thing. Deciding that I should make the first move, I walked up to her and knelt down, so I could be more at eye level with her while maintaining a reasonable distance.

"Hello there. What's your name?" I asked in a soft disarming tone, putting on a friendly smile.

She hesitated for a moment, but she answered. "Fluttershy.."

"Nice to meet you, Fluttershy. It might not mean much, but I hope we can become good friends." I reached out with my right and started petting her mane gently. She gasped, but didn't show any resistance after the first contact. She leaned in when I cupped my hand around her ear, giving a few quick scratches.

Rainbow blinked again. "You caught THAT too!? Just how good are your ears?"

Stopping the pats, I shrugged again. "I guess they're pretty good" I turned back to the mulberry unicorn, still staring at me with the same expression. I looked at the others and raised an eyebrow. They all shrugged unanimously.

Turning back again, I walked up to her and sat down, right in front of them. Nothing. I got an idea, a risky one, but a risk I'm willing to take. Stifling a laugh, I brought my hand right up to her muzzle, and ceremoniously booped her, right on the snoot.

She seemed to be taken aback by the sudden touch, As she went cross-eyed for a moment, gasped, and sneezed, all at once. My finger was still on her muzzle, and she started at it, still cross-eyed. "Hi there." I said, removing my finger from her muzzle and putting it back down, smirk on my face. Rainbow and Applejack couldn't hold there laughter this time, and the rest chuckled along with them. Her cheeks swelled into a deep crimson.

"H-Hello.." She began, looking down at her hooves. "My name is Tempest. Tempest Shadow.." She fidgeted slightly.

I whistled, impressed at the name. "Wow, that's a pretty badass name. I like it."

"Thanks, ahah.." Tempest seemed to calm down, and looked at me directly. "..Do that again." I blinked.

"Whistle?" I asked, confused as to what she meant.

"No, when you touched my muzzle.." Tempest clarified, making little circles with her hooves.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Well, okay." I booped her again, same as before. She again, went cross-eyed, but instead of sneezing, she wriggled her nose and giggled at the sensation.

"Hehe.. Ok that's enough." She said with finality.

I took my hand and saluted. "Yes ma'am." I said jokingly.

I turned around and sat between Tempest and Fluttershy. "So.." I began. "What happens now?"

Twilight hummed in thought. "Well.. since you can't remember nearly anything about yourself, you could stay here in the castle, in one of the guest rooms." Twilight suggested. "Maybe in time you'll start remembering more things about your past, and then we can go from there."

I stroked my chin, thinking about it. It wasn't a bad idea actually, and it's not like I really had anywhere else to go anyway. I nodded, accepting her offer. "That sounds like one of the only things I could do really, thank you Twilight." I paused for a moment, a frown forming on my face. "I'm really sorry too."

"'Sorry'?" Twilight repeated, confused. "What are you sorry for?" She sat down a little ways away from me, relaxing on one of the blankets that were laid out.

"For crashing in during your slumber party, I didn't mean to interrupt." I clarified, rubbing the back of my head. "And on top of that becoming a burden too."

"Oh nonsense darling," Rarity chimed in, "You have nothing to be sorry about. You had no control over what happened to you, so don't you worry yourself about it." She stated.

"Ya ain't a burden to no pony either, sugar cube." Applejack assured.

"Yeah, I mean," Rainbow began, "It's not everyday you wake up free falling with amnesia. You need help, we got your back!" flew up to me and put her hoof in the air. I bumped it with a fist.

"Yeah dude, you're fine, you're in good hooves and claws!" Spike said, siting in what appeared to be a basket with sheets.

"We're friends now, so if you ever need us, just ask." Fluttershy said next to me, putting a hoof on my side. "Um, that is if that's okay with you.." She added timidly.

I stiffened at the word 'Friend', and I couldn't help but smile sadly at that. I felt tears well up in my eyes, and I started sniffling. I didn't know why it brought me such joy hearing that, but I was so happy in that moment that I didn't care. I felt another hoof rest against my other side, caressing my shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Isaiah. Your friends are here." I heard Tempest say, trying to comfort me.

"And if you ever want to talk about anything, I'm your mare." Starlight declared, smiling at me from her seat across from me.

I was about to open my mouth to say something, but found that a cupcake with pink frosting found it's way into my mouth, seemingly out of nowhere. I look up and see Pinkie Pie giggling madly while hanging upside down in my field of vision. I grabbed the cupcake, and took a bite. I smiled, delighted with the taste of it. "And if you ever want to hang out, I'm always around~!" Pinkie said in a sing song voice.

I swallowed. "Thank you guys so much.. you have no idea how much this all means to me." I wiped a stray tear off my face before continuing. "And Pinkie Pie, I'll have you know that I do in fact, like cupcakes." I declared, taking another bite.

"GASP YAAAAY!!" she bounced around, happy to hear what I thought on the topic. "Now lets get this slumber party underway! We still have plenty of moonlight left to spare so get comfy everypony!" Confetti literally came out of the walls and ceiling, everyone cheered and went on with the party.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

"Uh guys," Rainbow Dash began, sounding a little down, "The phonograph kinda busted."

Applejack sighed. "Pinkie, I told ya Not to add the record scratch thing. The needle was worn already and ya broke the darn thing." Everyone let out a disappointing "Aww.." and the mood went down.

I perked up when I remembered what I had on me. "I may have something to help with the music. Not sure if you'll like the kind from my world though, or the type I listen to." Fishing in my hoodie a bit, I found my iPhone. Everyone stared at it with curious expressions. I tapped the screen, and the screen flashed to life. Everyone's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"Whoa.. Dude what Is that?" Spike asked mesmerized by the device in my hand.

"It's called an iPhone," I stated. "it's a type of smart phone that was made back on Earth, which is what my planet was called back in my world." I heard the sound of scratching on paper, I looked up to see a paper and quill in Twilight's magic.
I smirked in amusement.

"What can it do?" Rainbow asked, eyeing the thing incredulously. "Doesn't look like much to me."

"Well, this particular iPhone can take pictures, play music, browse the web, record videos, and you can even play games on it." I explained. "It's also used to take notes without the need of pencil or paper, as many as you could want. It even has a library, stored with books upon books-" I was cut off in mock surprise when the phone was snatched out of my hand in a pinkish aura, and levitated towards Twilight, who was practically drooling and hyperventilating over it.

"Hey, hey, make sure you don't get drool on it." I said teasingly, giving Twilight a knowing smirk. She laughed sheepishly, levitating the device back to me.

"Sorry about that, I guess I got excited.. hehe." She admitted, a small blush forming across her muzzle.

"Don't worry about it Twilight, I can show you the books later." I told her, making her ears perk up a bit more. "But for now.." I paused at the lockscreen, looking at the image. It was of a character, and if I remembered correctly her name was 'Toriel', eating a pie. Ignoring it for now, I typed in my password, it seemed my muscles remembered it on instinct, and opened the music app. When I did, a handheld speaker popped into existence, my eyes widened in surprise, and I caught it mid-air.

"Wow, it can do magic too?" Starlight asked, even more intrigued than before. I looked at the speaker more closely. It was Bluetooth, no doubt about it. I found the power button, and the pairing button. Other than it magically appearing out of no where, it was an ordinary speaker. Shrugging, I turned it on, and paired it with my phone.

"Uh.. I don't remember it being able to do that..." I replied carefully, as I was sure it wasn't supposed to. "But hey, it's convenient I guess. Now the sound will be clearer and louder than it coming from the phone itself." They were listening to more peppy music earlier, but I wanted to get their requests in. "What do you want to listen to?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Me me me me me!!" Pinkie waved her hoof in the air, trying to be picked.

"Alright Pinkie, you get first pick. So what'll it be?" I showed Pinkie the screen and the songs she cold choose from. I made sure to swipe upwards at an even pace so she could read it.

"Hmmm.." Pinkie hummed in thought, looking through the different names. "OOOooh, this one!" She pointed at the song by the Black Eyed Peas; I Gotta Feeling.

"Excellent choice Pinkie." I turned up the sound and bass, set the speaker down on the table, and clicked play. Everyone ears perked up at the beginning notes, after the first loop, Applejack started tapping a hoof to the beat, while Rainbow bobbed her head to it.

At the bass first base drop, everyone in the room was singing along, like they know all the lyrics just like that. I was dancing with Pinkie, Twilight and Fluttershy, while the rest just enjoyed the song, either tapping a hoof or head bobbing to the rhythm.

Twilight's dance was.. entertaining, to say the least. Pinkie seemed like she was defying basic anatomy with her moves, and Fluttershy looked like she was having fun. I, on the other hand, was actually surprisingly good at dancing, all the considered. Improvised moves based on the beat, and I had a blast doing so.

I smirked, getting an idea. For one of my moves, I needed a partner. I took Pinkie's hooves in hand, and starting to spin us around. I kept in mind how much bigger I was compared to her, so I kept it steady. Then, once she was off the ground, I placed my hand under her barrel, lifted her up above my head, and held her out. She held her hooves out like she was flying, giggling like a little kid.

As the song came to an end, we all shared a laugh, both at our silly dances and because of how much fun it was. Smiling, I picked up the phone. "Who wants next pick?" I asked. This time, Tempest raised her hoof. "Alrighty, choose anything that catches your eye." I held the phone in front of her, much like I did with Pinkie.

"Oh, this one looks interesting." Tempest motioned towards the song, Fall Out Boy - Immortals (Metal cover by Solence)

I smirk slightly. "You have a keen eye for true art Tempest. A keen eye indeed." Taking a bit of a cautious approach since I knew how it began, I turned down the volume a little, tapped the play button, and the song began.

Their ears perked up at the loud and robust opening it had, and Rainbow Dash really got into the guitar, and so did Tempest. They were now standing. slightly bobbing their heads slightly in the start, and even Fluttershy and Rarity joined in. The other watched and listened, I couldn't quite tell what the others expressions were, As i was bobbing my head myself now.

Right at the start of the first chorus, all 5 of us started head banging. Hard. Mid way through it, we started singing along, we even had the growls and the screams down pat, especially Fluttershy. We were rocking our hearts out, all the way throughout the first chorus and the mid section of the song.

When the second chorus hit, the rest of our friends joined in, and soon we had a moshpit going. I was careful not to trample anyone with my height, now doing air guitars with Rainbow. Applejack was a real wild one, nearly knocked me over twice, but regardless this was the best time of my new life.

Right before the guitar solo came in, Rarity pulled out a Ukulele out from behind the velvet chair, and actually played with the solo! It even sounded metal. However I threw all logic out the window in this moment, because damn, she was good. And in the last part of the song, she held out the scream, and even I couldn't do that.

All of us collapsed in a pile on the floor, exhausted and panting from the session, silently chuckling.

"That. Was. AWESOME!!" Rainbow exclaimed from her position on the floor, catching her breath.

"Look at us, huh? Who would'a thought we'd end up being this tired.. whew." Applejack commented, wiping her forehead with a hoof.

"Yeah, Applejack's right.. We should hit the hay right about now.." Twilight agreed. We had no arguments, not even Spike. We got off of each other and headed to our respective sleeping spots. I paused, realizing that I didn't have a blanket, or designated spot.

"Uh Twilight, Where do I sleep?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. Her eyes widened, like she completely forgot about that detail all together.

"Ah shoot.." She said "Well, there's a-"

"You can share with me." Tempest interrupted, Twilight and I turned to her. "My blanket is more than enough for us to share. If you want to anyway.." A slight blush spread on her cheeks. I chewed the inside of my cheek in thought.

Shrugging, I complied. "Sure, if you're offering, I wouldn't mind." I took off my hoodie and hung it against one of the chairs. I left everything else on me, and I got down in a comfortable position next to Tempest, who used her hoof to share her blankets with me. My eyes drifted to her broken horn, now that I got a closer look, I saw a large crack running along the side of it, looking like a lighting bolt. I was curious as to why her horn was like that, but I figured I'd ask some other time.

"Good night everypony.. yawn.." Twilight said with finality, turning out the lights with her magic.

One by one, everyone fell into a comfortable, silent sleep.

Chapter 3: First Impressions

I lay awake on the floor, currently sharing a blanket with Tempest. I woke up maybe 5 or 10 minutes ago, it was kind of hard to tell since I couldn't access my phone at the moment. It was still pretty dark from what I could see out of one of the windows, but I did see a hint of an orange hue in the corner. I should still be asleep, but I didn't feel tired at all. I probably only slept for around 5 or 6 hours if I had to guess.

When I woke up, I found myself in a bit of a bind, which is also the reason I can't access my phone right now. Sleeping on top of me is of course, Tempest. I have no idea how I didn't wake up when she initially got on top of me, how she did so in the first place is beyond me. She has her hooves wrapped around my barrel, with her muzzle under my neck. She wasn't all that heavy despite being more built than the others in the room. I didn't want to be rude and wake her up, so I decided to lay here for a while until she either woke up, she rolled off of me, or I get fed up and wake her anyway. Either way I had to admit, it was pretty cute.

I still had enough room to look around without disturbing Tempest. Looking around, I saw that the others were still asleep, more or less in the same positions. Except Pinkie Pie who was sprawled out on top of the crystal table, her hind leg twitching every so often. Smirking in amusement, I try to get more comfortable and attempt to fall asleep again, if only for half an hour more. However, there was a slight problem I had noticed that was in the way.

I had to use the bathroom.

Cursing to myself, I try to gently pry Tempest off of me, but she was a stubborn one. She whined a little when I managed to get her hoof from around me, granting me access to scoot out from underneath her. Acting quickly, I took the pillow I was using and put it where I was laying down, Tempest taking it and holding it close to her chest. With my little escape plan complete, I got up and walked quietly out of the room through one of the doors that were aligned with the pillars.

That left only one more problem. Finding the restroom. The door I walked through led to what looked like a dinning hall, with a large, long rectangular table in the center surrounded by chairs. I looked around, if there was a dinning hall, the restroom couldn't be too far off right? Spotting two other doors, I went to the one on the right first, this one smaller than the one that led back to the previous room, I walked to it and opened it, peaking through.

This room looked like a kitchen, with counter tops, kitchen ware, a sink, another table this one being circular and smaller with stools instead of chairs, a multitude of cabinets and ovens as well. I had to be getting closer to my destination, if this place made sense a bathroom should connect with this room somewhere. I saw another door, with a blue sign of what appeared to be a pony. Rolling my eyes at how similar the sign looked a lot like the ones in my world, I walked into the room and closed the door.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > Tempest POV < < ~ ~ ~ ~

Tempest stirring, she let a quiet yawn escape her. Tempest sat up and looked around, confused as to where Isaiah went. I hope I didn't wake him.. She thought, thinking back to what happened a few hours ago.

A few hours earlier..

Tempest was woken up by movement. At first she assumed that Isaiah was uncomfortable and was trying to shift into a better position, so she ignored it for a few moments, until she was starting to get annoyed by it. Groaning, she opened her eyes to see what he was doing. Her brow furrowed from annoyance to concern. He was shivering, an uncomfortable look on his face. Tempest noticed that he was still asleep.

She waited, to see if he would stop on his own. After about a minute, it actually started to get worse. Growing more worried, she did the only thing she could think of doing to help him stop shivering. Carefully maneuvering into a position where she could hold him, trying her best not to wake Isaiah.

Once she got into a good position, Tempest slowly relaxed, laying her head on his chest. After a moment, he seemed like he was calming down, and the shivering ceased. Tempest couldn't see his face from her position, but hoped that this helped. He stopped shivering at least, so she took that as a sign that she was helping.

Getting a little more comfortable, she closed her eyes, finding the rising and falling of Isaiah's chest to be calming, and fell back to sleep.

Present

Deciding to go look Isaiah, she got up, and silently trotted to through the large entrance to the hallway, opening the door and closing it behind her with a soft click. Tempest walked down the hallway, every so often looking between other corridors that conjoined with the hall to see if she could spot him down one.

Approaching the balcony from the hall, she figured she could take the chance to see how early in the day it was, and get some fresh air. Upon walking onto the balcony, she saw Isaiah there. He was leaning over against the rails, watching the sunrise. The sun was almost fully over the horizon now, casting it's glorious rays onto across the plot of Sweet Apple Acres, and down on the town of Ponyville.

She walked up next to him, joining Isaiah.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > Isaiah POV< < ~ ~ ~ ~

As I watched the sunrise before me, I took in a deep breath and let it all out, relieving me of the drowsiness I was feeling. I heard the clip clop of approaching hooves from behind me, not bothering to turn around. The sound came closer, until the pony came into view from the corners of my eye.

It was Tempest. She put her front hooves up against the railings next to me, looking out across the horizon. I turned my head slightly to face her. "Good morning Tempest." I greeted simply.

"Good morning Isaiah," She returned, turning her head to face me, a slight smile on her face. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"Nah," I began, rubbing the back of my head. "I just had to use the restroom, I only came out here a few minutes after. By the way, I don't know how effective I am as a pillow, but I hope you found me comfortable." I added with a smirk.

A look of mild concern and curiosity crossed her face. "About that..," Tempest began, taking her hooves off the railing to face me more directly, " You were shivering in your sleep last night. I was worried, so I cuddled with you. When I did, you relaxed and stopped shivering." She explained, a slight blush appearing across her muzzle.

A raised an eyebrow in confusion and mild concern. "I was..?" I asked, bringing a hand to my chin. Tempest nodded in response. "Huh. Well, I'm sorry about that, I have no idea why I would be shivering though. I didn't have any nightmares, or dreams at all last night. Thank you though."

"Don't mention it." She said, turning back to watch the sunrise. "It's the friendly thing to do." I smiled at that, turning to watch the rest of the sunrise as well, in a companionable silence.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

Around 10 minutes went by in a flash. Tempest and I sat there in silence for majority of the time, just enjoying each others company. I didn't even notice how long it had been since I came out here, not really conscious of time. I was somewhat aware of a pitter patter sound coming from behind us, followed by a sigh.

"So this is where you two went off to." I turned around to see Spike, walking up to Tempest and I giving a quick glance at the view. The sun just made it fully over the horizon, indicating the start of the day. "Come on, Twilight is making breakfast for all of us, and we are going to have to talk about your stay here in Equestria."

I nodded in understanding. "Right, makes sense I suppose." I turned to Tempest, and I cocked an eyebrow. She seemed to be completely unaware of Spike's presence, and totally oblivious to the conversation. Spike noticed this as well, and gave her a worried look.

"I got this." I assured the little drake. Bringing my hand up to the front Tempest's muzzle, I made a pointing gesture. I heard Spike snicker, taking that as the 'Ok' to go through with my plan. I gave Tempest a quick boop on her nose, just enough to get her out of her deep trance.

"W-What?" She started, getting off the railing and looking back and forth between me and Spike. Spike and I shared confused and worried glances, before turning back to Tempest.

"Are you okay Tempest?" I asked, a concerned look on my face. "You were pretty out of it just now. We did just meet so I don't know if it's a thing you usually do..?" I turned to face Spike, who was shaking his head. "You seemed to be out of it last night too, when we first met."

Tempest fidgeted on her hooves. "I'm fine.." She answered, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "I was just lost in thought is all, I'm fine." Tempest finished with finality, regaining her posture. "I'm sorry about that. So then, breakfast?" She asked with a smile, looking between us.

I was unconvinced with her answer, but nodded nonetheless. "Yeah, Spike was just looking for us, but I'ma head back to the room I left my hoodie and phone in and picks those up. I'll meet up with you guys in the dinning hall." Spike gave me a surprised look.

"You know where it is?" he asked looking back, already heading back into the hallway with Tempest.

I nodded. "Yeah, I found it pretty quickly on my way to the restroom. Guess I have a pretty good sense of direction." I shrugged, walking opposite of Spike and Tempest. "I'll catch up." Out of the corner of my eye as I turned into the corridor that lead to the large door where my belongings were, I thought I saw Tempest frowning slightly at me, before disappearing around the other end of the hall.

As I walked down the passageway, I thought back to what Tempest had told me. Maybe I was just really cold? It was the only thing I could really think of, seeing that I don't remember having any nightmares or dreams at all last night. But it was weird, since I was sharing a pretty sizable blanket with Tempest who was already sharing body heat even before holding me. Shaking my head, I decided to worry about that later, right now I had to hurry up and meet up with the others for breakfast.

I reached the large doors that led to the room we all slept in together, the one with the tree roots, crystal table and chairs. I picked up my phone and hoodie from my spot on the floor, but I couldn't find the speaker that popped into existence. I shrugged it off, put on my hoodie and walked through the same door that lead me to the dinning hall.

On the far end of the table of the room, I saw my new friends talking with each other, Spike and Tempest seemed to have walked in not too long before me from another pair of doors. They spotted me and waved me over, prompting me to join them. There was a seat that was open next to Starlight, so I went over and greeted everyone. "Good morning guys!" The gesture was happily returned from them all.

"Good morning Zaley Whaley!" I heard pinkie shout from her side of the table, and then proceeded to tackle hug me with force I was not prepared for. Luckily, I fell back into the seat I was approaching anyway through sheer dumb luck. I grunted from the force but It didn't actually hurt as much as I anticipated it to. She sat on my lap and gave me a bountiful hug.

"The party last night was simply divine," Rarity chimed in. "It was quite the experience! My mane didn't escape from getting a little disheveled from the activities," She said, touching up her mane with a hoof. "But it was still rather enjoyable."

"Uh, yeah," Rainbow chuckled, flying over and putting a foreleg around my shoulders. "When Zale came along, the party got 20% cooler!" She declared, giving me a small nookie with her hoof. "And the music, I've never heard anything like it! It was Awesome." Applejack chuckled, giving me a smile.

"I gotta admit," Applejack began, tilting her hat up from her face. "That was quite the hoedown."

"I never felt so alive.." Fluttershy said, with a dreamy look in her eyes. "It was so exhilarating!" I chuckled at everyone's antics, nodding in agreement.

"Glad you all enjoyed yourselves." I replied, closing my eyes with a content sigh. I heard the door that led to the kitchen open and looked back, revealing Several plates and a very enthusiastic looking Twilight Sparkle.

"Good morning everypony!" Twilight greeted as she walked in. Rainbow flew back to her seat and Pinkie.. well, somehow was already in her seat when I looked again. Twilight was carrying several empty plates, and a few dishes of mouth watering food in her magic. A couple of the dishes were filled with steaming hot pancakes, with a big bottle of maple syrup accompanying it, more than enough to go around. Another dish contained omelets, enough for all 10 of us to enjoy.

Twilight levitated a plate on the table in front of everyone, and put some pancakes on each plate as well as an omelet for each of us, taking the empty seat between Starlight and Spike. She then levitated the maple syrup in front of me, looking at me expectantly. I smiled in thanks, taking the maple syrup and pouring some on my stack of pancakes, enough to make it flow off the top and on to the plate. "Since you're our guest of honor for today, I figured I'd let you get first dibs on the syrup." Twilight said, already pouring syrup on her own pancakes, way more than I expected her to.

"Thanks Twilight, I appreciate it." I thanked her, picking up a nearby fork and knife and dug in. Everyone did much the same, though Applejack and Rainbow Dash ate theirs with gusto.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

"So, Zale," Twilight began after we all finished our meals. "I've already sent letters to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna; who are the rulers of Equestria, about your situation. They'd like to meet you in person, so today we are going to head to Canterlot." I nearly fell out of my seat at the words. "We are going by carriage and it won't be here until noon, which gives plenty of time to prepare."

"Princess Luna.." the minute I uttered the name a pain flared in my head, causing me to wince. A felt a hoof press against my shoulder, looking back I saw Starlight.

"It'll be alright, you'll see." Starlight reassured, smiling up at me. I smiled back, the pain starting to subside.

"Thanks," I replied, grateful for the gesture. "I guess I am a bit nervous though meeting with the ones in charge. But I won't let that stop me from making a good first impression." I relaxed in my seat, breathing out a breath I didn't know i was holding. I looked over at Twilight, giving her the okay to continue.

Twilight nodded. "Yes, good first impressions are important. But they are very understanding and accepting so you don't have anything to worry about Zale." Twilight got up and took everyone's dirty dishes in her magic, walking back towards the kitchen door. "I'll take care of these. In the mean time Zale, why don't you take a look around Ponyville? I'm sure you'll love it here!" Twilight shouted over her shoulder, walking out the room with the dishes.

I hummed in thought for a moment. "You know what, why not? I guess it would be good to familiarize myself with the Town and the ponies in it, although.." I frowned slightly, unsure of the idea. "I'm not exactly sure how they would react to some random weirdo showing up in their town."

"Oh silly, quit your worrying!" Pinkie chimed in, slapping a hoof on my back a little too hard. "Ponyville is pretty accepting! Heck, the whole town is full of weirdos, like Applejack!" The mare in question raised a skeptical eyebrow at Pinkie, no amount of amusement found on her face.

"She's right you know," Starlight pointed out. "Ponyville is surprisingly accepting and forgiving place." Spike nodded in agreement.

"Like that time when you enslaved an entire town and controlled their destiny, and when you broke destiny itself for all of Equestria by going back in time to stop the sonic rainboom, practically no one in Ponyville batted an eye." Spike stated nonchalantly. "Same with Tempest when she was with the Storm king when she imprisoned the Princesses."

I blinked, not sure what to do with that new bit of information. Starlight laughed sheepishly, and Tempest looked away. I nodded, getting the point. "Alright well, if they are that accepting, I guess I really have nothing to worry about." I pulled out my phone and looked at the lock screen, the time reading 8:14 AM. "Welp, we have till noon," I began, standing up and stretching. "I'd say we get this grand tour underway. Who's gonna be my personal guide?"

Pinkie Pie was practically bouncing out of her seat with glee shouting 'Me! Me! Me!', with neon arrows pointing towards her. Chuckling at her antics, I sighed and relented. "Alright, alright Pinkie. You're it." I leaned over the table slightly and gave her a quick and firm boop to emphasize. "Alright, we'll be back before noon. Lead the way Pinkie." As we walked out into the hallway, they all waved after us, wishing me good luck.

Tempest however, just watched me. With that same look from earlier.. what could be on her mind? I put that in the back of my mind to ask her later, for now deciding to focus on my tour and first impressions on the town. Pinkie looked back and gave me the brightest, albeit slightly disturbing grin. "Don't you worry Zaley, before noon the whole town will know your name, or my name isn't Pinkamena Diane Pie!"

Why do I have a bad feeling about this.. But it was too late. We were already at the huge double doors that lead out of the castle, and into the unknown.

Chapter 5: Unexpected turn of events

As darkness slowly enveloped my vision, I felt the ground rumble beneath me, the monster slowly approaching my now prone body with each step. I also felt something vibrating on the side of my stomach where the injury was, causing me to wince slightly. It hurt and it was annoying, but it was the only thing keeping me conscious right now. Slowly, I felt my sides and went into my pocket to see what it was.

I pulled out the device that was in my pocket, the screen having a few blotches of blood on it. I flipped on the screen, trying desperately to keep myself awake.

It was ringing.

Surprised and confused in my dazed state, I read the caller ID. 'Do you want to live?' The number itself was unavailable, so I had no idea who this was. I was feeling the darkness envelop me again, so I felt inclined to answer if these were going to me my last moments. I put my finger over the green check, and slid it to the right.

"Isaiah!.." was the last thing I heard. I couldn't make out the voice, the darkness winning. As I passed out, I was aware that I was in the beast's claws now, the darkness finally taking over.

I felt heavy and pressure all around me, like I was underwater. I open my eyes to be greeted with darkness, and it was calming. Welcoming, beckoning me to go to sleep and relax. Although it was peaceful and calming, it felt.. off. Like I wasn't supposed to be here, but at the same time I was exactly where I needed to be at that moment.

I tried to move, but I found that I couldn't. I tried to say 'hello'?, but my mouth didn't comply. It felt trapped in my own thoughts, restrained from the outside world. I thought about what had happened and how I ended up here, and I start to recall the events that lead up to me eventually passing out. What was that strange caller ID?

I felt my body softly land on a smooth surface, breaking me from my thoughts. A few moments of silence passed, and a voice came to my ears. "It'll be okay.. let me handle things from here." It said. It was a feminine, disarming voice. I don't know what she meant but for some strange reason, I felt like I could trust her. But I had to go back eventually. My friends.. I miss my friends. I feel so alone here.

"Shh.." The voice whispered into my ears. "I'm done now. Just relax.. and go back to your friends. I'll be seeing you again very soon.." I did what I was told. There was no real reason for me not to, so I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me once again. Before I drifted off I felt something soft, warm and slightly moist on my forehead, making me feel at ease.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

Slowly, the silence around me dissipated and was replaced with a bird's song coming from my left side. I also heard a consistent albeit annoying beeping sound to the right. I opened my eyes, finding myself in what looked like a grand bedroom. That beeping sound was coming from a machine that was connected to my chest, and I saw a window slightly open to my left, the sunlight leaking through the curtains from the balcony.

Looking down at myself, I saw that I was shirtless. I had stitches on the right side of my torso, looking to stretch all the way around to my backside. I winced a little, not really liking the sight all that much. I tried moving around a bit while still in bed, stretching my stiff limbs out. It hurt when I stretched too much in one direction, but other than that I could move around just fine. Thank god for little miracles.

I looked around some more, taking in my new environment. There was a tray near the end of my bed that had all sorts of equipment, hadn't looked like they have been used all that recently. There was another tray on my left hand side, this one sporting a glass of water, some diced apples and a cupcake with blue frosting, all fresh. Even the water was still cold. Assuming those were for me, I took the water in hand and drank it all in one swift action, only just now realizing how thirsty I had been.

I sat there for a little while, just taking the opportunity to relax and get my thoughts in order. I remember everything up until I passed out, and when I was dreaming I remember that voice. At least I think it was a dream, what else could it have been? I froze up slightly as I remembered the mare I saved, Derpy I think her name was, and worry began to envelop me. I hope she made it out.

I also remembered that package Trixie had given me, a guilty feeling crawling it's way into my mind. I'd be surprised if it didn't get crushed or bent during any of that, but first I had to figure out where it was along with my phone. I got up out of bed, pulled the sensors off my chest, and walked around the room. I figured my stuff would still be here somewhere, and sure enough it was.

My phone, along with the purple box was resting on a small stool next to the closed door. I was right about the box not making it out unscathed. It wasn't too bad, it was mostly crushed only on one side of it, and it was still roughly in the shape of a box. Picking the items up, I put my phone in my shorts pocket, electing to keep the box in my hand for now.

I walked over to the balcony window and peered out of it. My jaw dropped and I stumbled slightly at what I saw. I was definitely no longer in Ponyville, that's for sure. I saw what looked like white buildings, tall and proud. Some glinted with golden light reflecting the sun perfectly, while others where a lot more modern in design. There were a few spiraling towers from my position, and I'm pretty sure I was elevated at an extreme altitude in whatever room I was in.

Opening the door and sticking my head out a bit, I saw that my suspicions were correct. I was in yet another castle, this one being much higher than the rest of the city. I could even see the town of Ponyville from here as far away as it was, the view was nothing less than spectacular. "Where am I..?" I mouthed to myself, stepping away from the window. I looked around the room again, hoping to spot something that would get my barrings.

Unfortunately, nothing seemed to stand out. At least nothing useful. So I shrugged, and walked out of the bedroom and into a narrow hallway. It connected to several other rooms as well, the hall itself looped around an unseen corner. I was definitely in the living quarters of the castle, the rooms I passed by consisted of a bathroom, a study, and even a lounge. Eventually rounding the hall, I saw another pair of doors.

Stepping forward, I walked on through them with a bit of trepidation. I felt sort of bad for snooping around, I was hoping to find like a guard or a maid, or someone to ask them where I was and if that monster was taken care of. Better yet my friends. The doors led to the throne room, a grand hall with tapestries adorned with the rising sun on one side of the room, and the moon on the other. I came in from behind the throne, the actual throne being right next to me, currently vacant.

On the steps leading up the the throne, I saw them. My friends, who were currently facing away from me so they didn't see me enter the room. Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Starlight and even Tempest. Derpy was also here, sitting a little ways away from the group. I wasn't going to say anything just yet though, I wanted to gauge the situation first.

"Do you think he'll be okay on his own?" Tempest asked cautiously, ears drooping. "I mean, what if he wakes up and he's scared or needs somepony by his side?" Applejack took her hat off, placing it against her chest and sighed.

"Well Ah'm sure he'll be alright for now, Pinkie and I left him some food and water just in case, and his stuff is still in there, minus his hoodie and shirt."

"And besides," Twilight chimed in. "Princess Celestia made sure he was comfortable. She even taught me the spell that will let me ping the electrocardiogram he's hooked up to. And just to prove my point.." Twilight's horn lit up with her signature pinkish aura, and it made a pinging sound. The sound that played next however, made everyone in the room turn pale as a ghost. A flat-line. "Oh Celestia no.." Twilight breathed.

Alright, enough lurking. "Uh, hey girls. And guy." I made my presence known, feeling extremely bad for not saying anything sooner. "So what did I miss?" I asked sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. Everyone whipped their head around so fast that it made me jump. Everyone tackled me to the floor, tears in their eyes while they embraced me. I winced slightly as the fall made me pull the stitches a little, but otherwise fine.

"Zale, I swear to bucking god if you scare me like that again I'll end you myself!!" Shouted Fluttershy, her faced buried into my chest. I reeled back in shock at her unusual volume. However, I did feel bad about making them worry so much, so I patted her gently in response.

"Seriously Zale like-" Rainbow began with a sniffle. "Like, you had me worried there for a minute. I knew you'd pull through tough guy." Rainbow wrapped a wing around me and gave me a little squeeze, which I leaned into without hesitation.

"Shucks sugarcube, y'all really had me going there for a moment." Applejack took her hat from the ground and perched it on top of my head. "But I'll admit, you definitely gave that Ursa Major a run for er' bits." I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Ursa Major?" I echoed in confusion. "Is that what that thing is called?" They all nodded, getting up off of me, except Fluttershy and Tempest. I sat up slightly, looking between the two. "And what do you mean I gave it a run for it's uh, bits?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Rarity said in bewilderment. "The whole town saw you, and let me tell you darling that was a dazzling display of heroics." I waved my hands dismissively, shaking my head.

"All I remember is catching Derpy and running from it to distract it, something hit my head and I passed out. Past that I don't remember a thing." The group looked at each other with concern, then back at me. I grew nervous at their expressions. "What.. what exactly did I do?"

"Dude, you were awesome!" Spike said, looking up at me with admiration. "When it had you in it's claws, you pulled yourself out of it with your bare hands, and then WHAM! You kicked it right in the nose!" Spike voice was filled with glee and excitement, and my eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah, you were almost just as awesome as me!" Rainbow chimed in. "After that, you were making flying circles around that thing, punching it with a left and a really heavy right hook, knocking it off it's feet!" Rainbow made fighting gestures in the air to portray her point.

"Wait, wait wait." I said, only just registering what was said. "You mean I was actually flying, and I punched it so hard I knocked that 10 story Ursa Major off of it's feet?" Spike and Rainbow nodded, smiles on their faces. I sat back against the throne, in total shock. There's no way I would have the strength to do anything like that, let alone fucking fly.

"Humans, don't fly. That's not a thing we do." I stated matter-of-factly. "Unless we are in a plane or rocket ship, or have some sort of engine attached to us, humans can't physically fly." Starlight cocked an eyebrow up.

"Well, you did. But you say you didn't remember any of that because you passed out, right?" Starlight asked. I nodded in confirmation. "Hm.. well when you threw the Ursa Major far into the Everfree Forest, you passed out again," Starlight explained. I wanted to say 'what.' but chose to not let anything surprise me anymore. "Your body, especially your phone had a very strong magical signature."

"Oh right, my phone!" I pulled out the device, and looked at the box in my other hand. "Oh, uh.. by the way, this is for you." Starlight eyed the box curiously, and looked back up at me in confusion. "Trixie wanted me to give this to you before that whole Ursa Major thing happened." I explained. Starlight mouthed an 'oh', and put the box away in a pair of saddlebags perched on the stairs. I turned on my phone and unlocked it, looking through the call log. It was blank.

"Huh.. well, right before the first time I passed out, my phone rang and it had a caller ID that read 'Do you want to live'. I answered the call, and that's when I passed out." Pinkie Pie hummed in thought.

"Well maaaaybe when you answered the phone it activated a strong magical spell and your phone actually has a spirit inside of it and that spell put your consciousnesses inside the phone and the phone spirit took over your body to fight for you and when it was done the spell was reversed!?" Pinkie exclaimed very fast all in one sitting. Everyone in the room was looking at her in bewilderment and just.. stared at her for a few moments.

"Well, I guess it could be a possibility.. it would explain that voice I heard in my head and what it said." Tempest looked at me, an eyebrow raised.

"What exactly did it say?" Tempest asked. I pondered on it for a moment, nodding my head once I was sure I remembered correctly.

"It said, 'I'll handle things from here; it'll be okay', something along those lines." I looked around the room, spotting Derpy, the mare I saved. Getting up, I took off Applejack's hat and put it back on her head as I made my way over to Derpy. She saw me coming, and looked away from me, a guilty expression on her face.

I knelt down beside her, giving her a pat on the head. "Hey." I said. She looked back up at me, somewhat hesitant. "You alright? No one else get hurt, did they?" She didn't answer for a moment, and then she relented with a sigh.

"Yes, I'm okay.. and no, no pony else was hurt.. you were the only one.." She answered, ears drooping. A breathed a sigh of relief, glad to hear no one else was injured. "When you told me to run, I flew straight to the castle to get help from Twilight and her friends, but when we got back you.. well, you know."

"I'm really glad you did, or else I'd probably would have bled out of nothing else. So thank you Derpy." She waved her hooves dismissively, frowning slightly.

"No, I should be thanking you. We all should you practically saved Ponyville from that Ursa Major on your own.. I'm sorry that you got hurt because of me though." Alright, enough was enough. It's time to pull out my secret anti-sad weapon.

I booped her, right in the center of her muzzle. Only for a moment, both of her eyes locked onto my finger, before she blinked and went cross-eyed again, looking up at me. "Hey, don't apologize. It was my own fault I got hurt, because I wanted to save you. I didn't want to lose a friend." I assured her, taking my finger away.

The throne room doors opened, and three ponies I've never seen before walked in, much taller than the ones I've met thus far. They had a regal aura to them, adorned with crowns, all three had both wings and a horn. Two of them had manes continuously flowing in a non-existent breeze. Only one though.. one of them radiated with immense power, having such an overwhelming charisma it actually scared me.

"Ah, I see our guest is awake." The tall white one said. She had a brilliantly shining mane and tail mixed with magenta, blue, green and teal. I was so enamored with her mane, I didn't even realize she walked right up to me, tall enough to actually be nearly eye level with me. I recomposed myself after a moment, picking my jaw up off of the floor. The other two were with the others in the room, chatting amongst themselves.

"O-Oh, uh.. hi your majesty." I stammered out. She chuckled at my stupor, waving a hoof dismissively.

"Please, no need for the formality. I am Princess Celestia, current ruler of this land." Celestia pointed a hoof towards the other two. "And the darker one is my sister and co-ruler, Princess Luna. The pink one is my niece and ruler of the Crystal Empire, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza."

"But you can just call me Cadence for short." Cadence added with a smile. I nodded, relaxing somewhat. "We've heard about what happened in Ponyville, are you feeling okay?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine now," I assured her. "Just a bit confused and well, a little freaked out I guess. About the whole thing really." I looked down at the palms of my hands, clenching my fingers and spreading them out again. "I'm not sure how I feel about blacking out and fighting that thing; or about my body being taken over like that." Luna nodded in understanding, a grimace on her face.

"Indeed. Although it did save you from any major damage, and saved Ponyville in the process I can understand why it would trouble you so." Luna stated, walking towards me. "We have been through a similar experience, albeit mine was more.. villainy and hostile." She put a hoof on my shoulder, a warm smile on her face. "I am relieved that you did not have such intentions."

A question came to mind, I looked over at Celestia. "So, how long exactly was i out for?" She pondered the question for a moment, and nodded her head.

"About a full day, right now it's around noon, Saturday." Celestia answered. I sighed in relief at that, knowing that I wasn't unconscious for more than a day. "But it's finally nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Chase." She teased, a smirk on her face. I chuckled at that, waving her off.

"It's only Isaiah, or Zale if you prefer." I said with a smile. Things didn't turn out so bad after all. The princesses were all they were made out to be, welcoming, caring and even had a sense of humor. I was so worked up over nothing and in the end, everyone is alright. I had these thoughts as we chatted for a little while, I described what my first encounters were like from the day I fell into this world, to right before the Usra Major Incident. Derpy had to head back to Ponyville though, so we said our goodbyes and she was on her way to the Canterlot station.

Eventually though, I was cut off when a rumbling came to my stomach. I looked down with a blush, placing a hand over my belly. "Sorry about that, hehe.. Guess all that sleep worked up an appetite." Everyone laughed and I pouted, but I couldn't keep it up and started to chuckle myself. "Well I still have those apple slices and a cupcake back in the room I woke up in, I'll go get them." I started to get up, but felt a force tug at my wrist, a golden aura surrounding it.

"Don't worry about that. I'll have a servant go clean those up, and we can all have breakfast together in the royal cafeteria." Celestia said, letting my wrist go. "Also, about your clothes.." I looked down, remembering I was still shirtless, and all I had on was my shorts.

"Leave that to me, darling." Rarity chimed in. "I can replace; no, I can make you a brand new set of clothes, and maybe even have you model for me sometime in the future?" She asked, batting her eyes in a pleading manner. I wasn't sure about how I felt being a dress up doll for a pony, but it was the least I could do to repay her for the clothing I figured.

"Sure. Now then, where's the cafeteria?" We all got up off of the stairs and walked out of the room, on our way to get our lunch for the day. However I couldn't shake this strange, uneasy feeling.

A few hours after the attack, in the Everfree Forest..

"W-Wait! Please, I-I didn't know he could do that!" The changeling queen cowered, shrinking back from the scrutinizing glare coming from the dark side of the woods. It stared down at her, disappointment and rage in it's gaze. "I did what I could!"

The figure in the shadows sighed, turning it's back on the queen. "No matter. I got what we came here for.." It said, a grin spreading across it's face. "I have no further use for you anymore.. Chrysalis." Chrysalis eyes shrunk to pinpricks, fear at the implication. The figure snapped back, his horn alight with a spell and shooting it out instantly. She barely avoided the blast, buzzing her wings through the trees to flee as fast as she could. However, he already had another spell ready and waiting.

Chrysalis hissed in pain has as fire struck her in between the wings, one of the translucent appendages burning away slightly. She fell onto the ground in a heap, rolling away a little from the impact. Without thinking, she opened a portal up with her magic, and jumped through it.

The figure growled, his razor fangs in a snarl. Whatever.. My plans will go unhindered from here on. All I need now is time..

Author's Note

Uh oh, looks like someone is planning something. What could he have gotten from the attack on Ponyville? We'll know, in time..

Chapter 6: Ambassador

We all made it to the dinning hall, the walk was pretty uneventful. Outside of a few looks I got from the nobles we passed in the halls, it was otherwise a peaceful trip. We all took our seats at the table which already had plates of Pancakes on them, all fresh. This time, the pancakes had faces of various fruit on them, which I found to be quite funny, but redundant. These ponies really like their pancakes, huh? I mused silently.

Before I had a chance to sit down, Princess Cadence called me over, patting an empty seat next to her, the chair over occupying Twilight. I didn't know why she wanted me to sit next to her, but I reluctantly made my way over and sat down without a word.

"So," Cadence began, not missing a beat. "Have you decided what you want to do in Equestria?" I paused at the question, slowly realizing the actual gravity of it. What was I going to do in this world? What would I do for a living? Slowly, I shook my head in response.

"No, I haven't given it much thought actually. Until now, that is.." I said tensely. "I don't even know where to begin in all honesty. Equestria is so new to me and well.." I trailed off, poking at the pancakes on the plate in front of me with a fork. Cadence nodded in understanding.

"Well that's exactly what we're going to discuss." Luna chimed in, sitting across from me. "Although you haven't been here for very long, you have experienced just how dangerous Equestria can be." I nodded, frowning slightly. "Although the good in the world vastly outweighs the bad, but however that scale tips is up to you, Zale." Luna stated before chomping down on her own pancakes.

"Yeah I get that, It's just that I don't think I've been around much or had nearly enough time to decide anything." I pointed out. "I don't know what there is to do here. And I don't know what I did before I got here either so that leaves me with very little options."

"Well, if it's work you'd think you would have trouble finding, my sister and I do have a place for you in the castle." Princess Celestia offered. I thought about it for a moment before replying.

"What kind of place exactly?" I asked cautiously. Celestia's smile grew, a glint in her eye.

"It'll take some paperwork and a bit of time, but how does an ambassador to the humans sound to you?" I raised a skeptical eyebrow at her while I worked on my plate.

"Would that even work if i'm the only one here?" I asked after swallowing a mouthful of pancakes. Twilight laughed, waving a hoof dismissively.

"Don't you worry about that little detail. And besides," Twilight said, pointing at my pocket. "You have solid evidence that you aren't the only one. They may not be in Equestria but the fact that you're here and the only one that can represent the species right now counts." I nodded, pulling out my phone and setting it on the table. An idea came to mind as I remembered that this was an iPhone, so it did have a nifty feature.

"Hey Siri." I said aloud. Everyone looked around for a moment and then at my phone in confusion when it made a sound. After a few moments, a feminine robotic voice came from the device.

"I'm here.." It said, prompting me to give it a command. Everyone reeled back in shock, and Pinkie Pie let out a long, drawn out and loud gasp. Tempest eyed it with suspicion, and Fluttershy looked like she was about to faint.

"What time is it?" I asked. In no time at all, it gave me the answer.

"It's 11:47 AM." At this point, Twilight was on the verge of having one of her episodes, and the princesses just gawked at it. I tried to hold in my amusement but to no avail. I let out a bark of laughter, the looks everyone was giving me and the device making me laugh even harder.

As my laughing died down and stopped all together, I explained. "This iPhone also has another feature exclusive to the brand." I said, picking up the phone in hand. "It has a built in automated assistant, meaning that the voice you heard isn't actually a person, it's just a machine." I paused for a moment, looking at the device in hand.

"And I assume that it follows specific commands and answers questions on the spot no matter where you are?" Starlight observed. I nodded, smiling.

"Yup. That's right, it's like a pocket dictionary, guide, clock and assistant in one." I confirmed. Fluttershy seemed unconvinced however, tentatively pointing a hoof at it.

"Is that the voice you heard when you passed out?" She asked carefully. I shook my head, making Fluttershy sigh in relief.

"No, the voice I heard wasn't robotic at all." I turned on the phone and looked the the call log again, just to make sure nothing was there. As before, there was not a single caller. Sighing, I turned off the device, putting it back in my pocket. "So, about this ambassador business," I went on with the topic at hand. "Wouldn't the nobles and bourgeoisie be a little.. disdain towards me?" Celestia nodded, frowning slightly.

"While it is indeed true that a lot of the nobles aren't really fond of outsiders gaining status, especially if it's above them, your deeds in Ponyville have not gone unnoticed." Celestia said, finishing her plate. Luna nodded in confirmation, looking at me intently.

"Not all nobles are like that," Luna added. "But remember that not everypony knows that you weren't in control of your actions when you fought that Ursa Major. So most ponies think of you a hero of sorts." Right. Of course they would think that. I nodded, understanding my position now.

"Alright, if that's the case then I don't see why not." I shrugged, finishing my own plate. "What do I have to do?" I asked curiously.

"Just do what you're already doing." Cadence answered. "Be open and honest towards the public. Being kind and generous will put a positive light on your species as a whole, and ponies will start admiring you and maybe you'll even have a few fans." She teased, bumping an elbow on my arm. I frowned slightly at that though.

"Honesty is the best policy, sugarcube." Applejack added. "When you go on meetin' with those snotty nobles, show em' what y'all are made of!"

"Thanks guys, but you see.. My species does have bad apples in the bunch. Quite a few actually." I admitted. "Humans are kind of unique in that sense. Stealing, Mugging, any crime you can imagine happens on an everyday basis somewhere on earth." Everyone frowned at the news, and I couldn't help but feel a little guilty myself. "Even things like war happen commonly, whether it's between governments, gangs, the mafia.. Although not as obvious or public, it still happens." Rarity shook her head dismissively, giving me a reassuring smile.

"Darling, that sort of thing does exist here too, although not nearly as frequently and there hasn't been a war in Celestia knows how long," Rarity stated, looking towards Celestia apologetically. "But remember, don't let those sort of things hold you back from being you."

"Yeah, and let me tell you Zale," Rainbow chimed in. "You are way cooler when you're being yourself." I smiled at that, appreciative of the support. "And that coming from me, is saying a lot." Rainbow added in, blowing at her hoof. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, but still smiling all the same.

"Well now that we have that situated, I will assign you a personal guard shortly." Luna stated. I raised an eyebrow at her, confused. "I'll go down the my lunar guard's barracks and pick one suitable." She got up out of her seat and began to trot towards the exit.

"Hold on, why?" I asked, causing Luna to pause and look back. "Is a guard really necessary for me to have?" Luna nodded in response.

"It is only for safety as a 'just in case', if such an ordeal occurs that protection would be needed." She stated, heading back towards the exit. "Also, if the nobles try anything they'll think twice if they know you have a guard that I have assigned to you personally accompanying you regularly." And with that, she was gone. I wanted to say something but, I just shrugged it off, letting Luna work her magic.

"And I will go and make an announcement stating the arrival and standing of your new position." Celestia said after a moment, getting up to leave as well. "You may come with me if you'd like, although you don't have to." Pondering on it for a moment, I shook my head, declining.

"No thanks, I think I'll just go back to the room I was in. Besides," I looked down at my shirtless abdomen. "I don't really feel comfortable introducing myself like this." Celestia giggled in her hoof, a teasing smirk on her face.

"Alright, I'll see you back in my room when you're done." She walked off slowly, swaying her hips comically. I.. was at a loss for words, and just stared after her until she was out of view. My friends didn't look like they believe what they had just heard either. I cleared my throat, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

"I'm guessing it was her room I stayed in?" I asked awkwardly. Spike nodded, coughing into his hand. "Well, I'll catch up with you guys later." I walked out of the room, en route to Celestia's chambers.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

I walked through the same entrance next to the throne, making my way towards the room. I couldn't help but feel a bit weird, after what Celestia did. Even so, I couldn't help but smirk a bit myself, going along with her little 'game'. As I rounded the corner, I noticed that the door to the room was already open, and I heard voices, Luna I noticed, and someone else's I haven't heard before.

With suspicion and growing curiosity, I poked my head through the door. There standing in the center of the room, was Princess Luna, along with an armored mare with bat wings, with a gray coat and black mane and tail. Her armor was a shining midnight blue, and her eyes, now locked with mine, are a brilliant emerald green. Luna noticed me enter as well, whatever conversion they were having ceased.

"Ah Zale, you have arrived." Luna said, walking up to me. "My sister has informed me that you'd be coming back here, so I decided now would be an excellent time to introduce you to your new personal guard." Luna pointed at the mare in question. Already? That was fast. I thought, waving at the mare. The armored pony put up a hoof in salute, although I saw a bead of sweat roll down her face.

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you sir. My name is.. Valkyrie Skyline." She said, putting her hoof back on the floor. She sounded timid, and almost fearful of something. Must be because she's been put under me.. I smiled at her, nodding in approval.

"Nice to meet you Valkyrie. I'm Isaiah Chase, but you can call me Zale." I knelt down and held out a hand, giving her a friendly smile. She seemed to be hesitant slightly, but held out her hoof all the same. I took her hoof in and hand gave it a firm shake. However, when I made contact with her hoof, I noticed that she was trembling. I looked up in her eyes, and saw fear in them as she stared back. I elected to say nothing though, as Luna didn't seem to notice any of this.

"Valkyrie will be staying by your side from now on, majority of the time anyway." Luna stated after a moment. I stood up, letting go of Valkyrie's hoof. "I suggest you two get along with each other and learn the concept of trust, my friends. Now then," Luna began to walk towards the door, looking back as she made her exit. "I have business elsewhere to attend to, my sister may need my presence as well. If you decide to walk around the city, make sure your guard is with you." And with that, Luna left the room, leaving just the two of us in silence.

I looked back at Valkyrie, who just looked back at me expectantly. "So," I began, putting my hands on my hips. "..Do you want to go for a walk?" I suggested. Valkyrie raised an eyebrow at me curiously.

"Sir, you do know that you don't need to ask me that like I have a choice." She stated flatly. I chuckled a little, walking over to sit down on the bedside.

"It's 'Zale', Valkyrie. And yes, I know that. But," I said, pulling out my phone. It was now 2 PM, still had plenty of time left in the day. "I'm giving you a choice. Even if you are under my order now, I'd still like to know your opinion enough to reconsider things. Like taking a walk versus not taking a walk." I hummed in thought for a moment, eyeing the bed. Looking back up to Valkyrie, I gave her an inquisitive look. "We could sit down and get to know each other as well. The princess did say that we should get along." Valkyrie didn't respond for a moment, before closing her eyes and letting out a quiet sigh.

"We could do both at once sir, if you really want my opinion on the matter." Valkyrie suggested, looking a little more relaxed now. I deadpanned when she called me 'sir' again, but I didn't say anything that time. "But where we go and what we do, I'll leave that up to you." I pondered on that for a moment, and nodded.

"Fair enough. Although, I have no idea where anything is in this place, so I wouldn't know where to go or what to do." I pointed out, frowning slightly. She tensed up slightly, a glint of fear coming back into her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry sir I didn't know-"

"Zale." I corrected her, smiling in amusement. "And it's okay, you don't have anything to apologize for." I stood up and walked towards the door, opening it. "Let's take a look around. A little trip through the city wouldn't hurt, right?" I gestured with an arm for her to proceed before me. She hesitated, but went on through, bowing her head in thanks as she passed by.

As we entered the throne room once more, I saw Tempest talking with Luna near the exit doors. Curious, I walked over and waved as Tempest saw me coming. However, she wasn't looking at me, but at Valkyrie with a scrutinizing glare. Luna turned around, and smiled at me.

"Greetings again, Zale." Luna said, pointing a hoof over at Tempest. "It seems that you'll have not one, but two guards at your side now." I raised an eyebrow at the sudden news. Tempest didn't respond though, and just kept looking at Valkyrie, although the glare not as intense as it initially was before. After looking back and forth between the two, I looked back at Luna with confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked, still unsure if I even needed guards in the first place. Luna gave a knowing smirk to Tempest, and this time Tempest looked away, with a distant look in her eye.

"Miss Tempest Shadow here has insisted that I assign her to you as a personal guard as well. However she is not under my command, but under Twilight's. But," Luna let out a hearty chuckle, looking up at the window. "I already know what Twilight would do. I've already sent word to Twilight and the others of her shift in position, and now she is also under your command."

My eyes widened at that, and I look to Tempest with surprise. "You.. you sure you want to do this?" I asked cautiously, scanning her face for any emotions. The only things I saw were determination and devotion. Tempest nodded, saluting. The salute caught me off guard, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"You don't have to be formal with me," I began, calming down from my laughing fit. "You may be my guard now, but you'll always be one of my closest friends Tempest."

Tempest put her hoof down, a blush spreading across her face. She looked down and away from me. "..Fizzlepop."

I cocked my head to the side. "Excuse me?"

"My real name.. is Fizzlepop Berrytwist." She said a little louder, looking back up to meet my gaze. I blinked, taking in what she just said. My face slowly lit up with the brightest smile I've ever had since coming here.

"Wow, you know that's really fitting actually." I noted, nodding in approval. “You’re a real sweetheart after all.” I added with a smirk. Temp-, no, Fizzlepop blushed profusely, and she looked away. No matter how much she tried to hide it, I saw a small smile touch her lips, and a giggle escaped her.

Fizzlepop looked back up to me, a bright smug grin on her face. "Well don't get used to it, Isaiah. I'm going to keep you in check from now on." I raised an eyebrow, a grin of my own making it's way.

"Aren't you under my orders?" I shot back teasingly. She raised a hoof to say something, but didn't offer up a response. She sighed, chuckling a little. I looked back at Valkyrie, who shifted on her hooves, looking a little uncomfortable. "Valkyrie and I were just about to head into the city to look around," I informed Fizzlepop. "I'm guessing you're tagging along then?" Fizzlepop nodded without hesitation, making her way over to my side.

"I'll be right behind you." She said proudly. I turned back to Luna, who had just witnessed the whole display, and she looked at me with a curious expression, almost like she was inspecting me. She didn't say anything, so before she could speak, I spoke up first.

"Well, we'll be heading out now. Is there anything else Luna?" I asked, breaking her from thought. She cleared her throat, and smiled up at me.

"No, that will be all for now. My sister should have made the announcement by now, and is probably in her study getting the paperwork filled out." Luna stated, making her way to the small door on the other side of the throne. She stopped, her eyes going wide for a moment. With a flick of her magic, a small brown pouch appeared in front of me.

Taking it, I felt that it had some weight to it. Curious, I pulled the hem aside to look at what was inside of it. Gold coins, or bits if I remembered correctly sat in the pouch, along with a weird distorted aura at the bottom. I looked back to Luna, confused. "What's this for?" I asked.

"We.. I have figured that since you are going down to the city, you could use some funds." Luna explained, making her way back to the door. "It's connected to a savings deposit that I have made for you in the royal vaults." My eyes widened at that.

"So, this aura is a portal of some sort.." I deduced. Luna nodded, opening the door that lead to a very different looking corridor. "How much do I have?"

"You currently have only fifty thousand bits. The savings go up overtime of course, with your position as ambassador, and any other outside source of income will go directly to that account." I nodded in understanding. "Now, I must be going. normally I am not awake during this time of day," Luna said, a yawn escaping her. "I am headed to my quarters for a much needed nap."

"Alright Luna, I'll see you later." And with that, she left the room. Putting the pouch of bits into my pocket, I turned back to my two new companions, my hands on my hips. "Well, lets go." They both nodded in affirmation, following behind me as I made my way towards the doors, leading into the hallways of Canterlot castle. After several minutes of walking, we made it to the bottom level of the castle, the front doors coming into view, two royal guards adorned in golden armor on either side of it.

"Wow, you sure know your way around this place despite never being here before." Valkyrie noted behind me in surprise. I shrugged, waving to the guards as we passed by them. They nodded in response, and opened the doors with their magic.

"Darlings, wait!" I heard a voice call, sounding exhausted. We all turned around, seeing Rarity approaching us. I noticed that she had a simple sky blue T-shirt in following behind in her magic. She screeched to a halt, stopping just in front of me. "Before you go, put this on." She said, catching her breath. "It's for you." I took the shirt in hand, and pulled it over my head. Pulling it down further on my torso, it had a perfect fit, and it felt extremely comfortable.

"Oh wow, thanks Rarity!" I said, looking down at the shirt. "It's nice." Rarity waved a hoof dismissively, rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Yes well, It isn't really much at all Zale," She began, touching up her mane. "I didn't have much to work with here in the castle, and when I heard that you were leaving I had to finish up quickly." I whistled in astonishment, impressed with her work.

"Still, that's pretty impressive making this is a short amount of time, and without my measurements either." I said in praise. Rarity chuckled sheepishly, coughing into her hoof.

"Well actually, I took your measurements while you were still asleep." she said quickly, coughing again and looking away.

"Oh." I said in response. It made sense, I guess. I decided not to say anything else on the subject, smiling at Rarity. "Well, thanks anyway. Better than walking around half naked." I said with a chuckle. Rarity nodded, making her way back into the castle.

"Well I'll see you around darling!" Rarity yelled back. I waved back at her, until she rounded the corner leading to the stairwell, out of sight.

Turning back around towards the front doors, I nodded towards Fizzlepop and Valkyrie. "Alright, lets take a look around." With that, we made our way past the guards, through the doors and into the open courtyard of the castle. I wonder what there is to do here?

Chapter 7: A Treat

We made our way through the courtyard, guards going about their patrols and duties, maids cleaning leaves that fell from nearby trees, and a few other nobles passing by making their way into the castle. I looked back to Fizzlepop and Valkyrie. They were looking in all directions, in front, to the sides and even above, as if searching for something. Raising an eyebrow in concern, I paused to turn around fully, crossing my arms.

"Are you two alright?" I asked skeptically. The two gave each other confused glances, and looked back at me.

"We're fine." They said unanimously. They looked at each other again, this time with slight irritation.

I let my arms slump down to my sides. "It just seems that, well.." I began, thinking about how I should put this. "..That you're both on edge I guess." This drew a surprised looked out of Valkyrie, but she just saluted, a look of determination in her eye.

"Sir, we are-"

"Zale." I corrected her, cutting her off. Valkyrie cleared her throat and tried again.

"Zale, we are just on alert and being vigilant for any threats that may bring harm or discomfort to you." She stated matter of factly. I rolled my eyes, but conceited the point. I nodded in understanding, turning back around and continuing down the path.

As soon as we made it out of the courtyard and into the open street across the bridge, I saw a very peculiar stallion approaching us. He was a unicorn, wearing a black tuxedo over his white coat, a monocle on his left eye and a neatly combed blue hair and mustache. Fizzlepop and Valkyrie not missing a beat, step in front of me to halt his approach. The stallion chuckled, waving a hoof dismissively.

"Hello there Mr. Chase." He greeted, nodding his head in acknowledgement. "I must say, I never would have believed what Celestia said if I didn't see you for myself." My eye twitched when he called me Mr.Chase, but I didn't comment on it. Instead, I stepped around my two companions, putting on a friendly smile.

"To be honest, I wouldn't have believed it either. She seems to be quite the trickster sometimes." I noted. This actually got a chuckle out of the stallion, a glint of mirth in his eye.

"Oh goodness, where are my manners?" He chastised himself. "My name is Fancy Pants." He held out a hoof. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance." I took Fancy's hoof in hand, and gave it a firm shake. He returned it respectfully, nodding in approval.

"Pleasure's all mine." I replied happily. This guy isn't so bad, so far at least. He definitely was polite, I'll give him that. "And feel free to call me Isaiah, or Zale if you prefer." He retracted his hoof, placing it back on the ground. "Is there anything I can help you with? My friends and I were just on our way to take a stroll through the city." Fancy Pants pondered for a moment, looking up at me.

"Well if you're interested, perhaps you'd like accompany me to brunch with my fiance, Fleur de lis." I brought my hand up to my chin, stroking my hairs. "I can show you around the city and the finest establishments we come across along the way." Fancy Pants offered with a smile.

Well, it wasn't such a bad idea actually. Fancy Pants seemed trust worthy for a noble, but I can't be too careless. Besides.. I have these two with me. I thought, looking back to my friends. Everything should be fine as long as they were with him. Turning back to Fancy Pants, I gave him my response.

"Sure, that would be nice actually. I haven't gotten the chance to see the city yet." I stated with a smile. Fancy Pants returned the smile, turning around to face the cobblestone road in front of us.

"Shall we be off then?" I nodded, following behind him along with Fizzlepop and Valkyrie.

As we walked down the road nearing the main parts of Canterlot, more and more ponies started to notice us. Not many acknowledged me though, I got some interested looks, but no one actually approached me other than Fancy. The road we were on was made of a pristine white cobble, glimmering in Celestia's glorious sun. The buildings we passed complimented the road and the rays of light with a heavenly glow, illuminating even the darkest of corners.

"This is where most of the nobles and people of very high stature live, myself included of course." Fancy Pants said as we rounded the corner. "Perhaps you too could think about settling down here once all is said and done." I hummed in thought, thinking about it. Since I was brand new to the area, and didn't know pretty much anypony here, I didn't really feel comfortable yet.

I blinked at what I had just thought. any"pony".. god I'm becoming one of them. I groaned inwardly, ignoring the concerned looks from my companions. "I'll think about it." I said simply, continuing to follow close behind Fancy.

Most of these buildings were homes to the nobles, seeing that most ponies here were in some sort of snazzy attire, something engraved in silver and gold mailboxes, and their lawns are near identical to each other; Small and simplistic. We rounded a corner that went a little further downhill, past the homes and into what appeared to be a shopping district.

We were further a long the path, passing by other ponies that were going about their day. I noticed that there were griffins among the crowds as well, some were even shop keepers at the various stand. I could see that we were coming up to a very decorative street.

"Here we have Restaurant Row, the only street in all of Canterlot that has the finest establishments in fine dining, bars and other services." Fancy Pants stated, slowing down his pace. "Which means that we are arriving to our destination." I looked around, awestruck at the scenery. This place was amazingly architectural, fine detail on every restaurant.

Hanging about said restaurants were signs above some of them, depicting either one , two or three horseshoes. However, we didn't stop at the ones with those signs. We kept along the road, made a turn into an alley and came across a building that didn't even look like it belonged in Canterlot. The building itself was wedge between two other white buildings, and It had a very traditional Arabic style look to it. The front wall being orange with decals of yellow lines and flowers, a window on each side that's blacked out so you can't see the inside.

"What's this place?" I asked curiously. I eyed the sign with mild fascination. It was an elephant, holding a spoon with it's trunk.

"This, is our destination," Fancy Pants said with a smirk. "The Tasty Treat." He presented it with a raised hoof, a cocky grin on his face. "Fleur should be inside already," he said, opening the entrance. "So lets go take our seats." We followed him inside, the door closing behind us with a click. I had to admit, something smelled good.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

As we entered the Tasty Treat, I was hit with an aroma of overwhelming scents and flavors. Fizzlepop and Valkyrie followed in behind me, their eyes closed and nose tilted towards the air, taking in the scents as well. Looking around, I saw that the place was relatively full of ponies, all seated at nearby tables enjoying their meals and conversing with one another.

At least they were, until they noticed me walking by, following Fancy Pants towards a table near the right corner of the room. The room went from a lively environment to a near silent one, murmurs replacing the conversations that were in the atmosphere. I felt the eyes bore into the back of my skull as we all sat down at a table with a white unicorn with a pink mane and tail seated, looking right at me. My companions sat on either side of me, Fancy Pants and the one I assumed to be Fleur on the other end.

She leaned towards Fancy Pants, still staring at me with a blank look. "Honey.. Is this..?" She asked, trailing off. He nudged her side, grabbing her attention. Fancy nodded, chuckling a little. Her face lit up with a giddy smile, and her attention was back on me. "Wow, so you're Zale.." She said in admiration. I nodded, chuckling sheepishly.

"Yep, that's me." I said in confirmation. "It's nice to meet you miss..?" Her eyes went wide for a moment, and she cleared her throat.

"My name is Fleur de lis, but you can just call me Lily." She stated with a smile, bowing her head slightly. I returned the gesture happily, gesturing a hand towards my friends.

"These are my friends, as well as my personal guards, Tempest Shadow and Valkyrie Skyline." I used Fizzlepop's other alias on instinct, assuming she'd rather be known as 'Tempest' when it comes to new faces. They both bowed their heads in greeting as well.

After a moment, the room went back to being lively and optimistic, ponies returning to their conversations, although I still got looks from time to time. A unicorn with a brilliant orange coat, a dark fuchsia mane and tail approached our table, a notepad and pencil in their magic. "Hello!" She greeted, bowing. "My name is Saffron Masala, and I will be your waitress for today!" I waved in acknowledgement.

"Are you ready to order?" I resisted the urge to facepalm, as I had completely forgotten to even open the menu in front of me. Taking the menu in hand, I opened it to peek inside at it's contents.

I froze, staring at the menu with utter shock and disbelief. Fizzlepop seemed to notice my sudden tensing up, and gave me a concerned look. "Are you alright Isaiah?" She asked, nudging me with a hoof. Slowly, I leaned in towards her ear, the menu covering out faces.

"Not to be rude or anything but," I began in a low whisper, pointing at one of the items on the menu. "I'm surprised they actually serve meat here." Fizzlepop looked at what I was pointing at, and her eyes lit up with understanding. She shrugged, eyeing me with curiosity.

"Are you.. not comfortable around meat?" She asked in a low voice, peeking out above the menu at the others.

"No, it's not that. I thought it would be the opposite really." I said, frowning a bit. I put the menu down, feeling a bit less awkward.

"Well, griffons do eat here too, as well as dragons sometimes." She explained, smirking. I was about to say something else, but she did something I honestly did not expect. She booped me on the nose, and I stared at the tip of her hoof cross eyed. And I sneezed.

This got a laugh out of her and I narrowed my eyes at her, my cheeks burning slightly. "Har har." I said flatly, but I couldn't help but chuckle a little myself. "Well, I guess I got a taste of my own medicine." I relented, sighing. I looked over at The others.

They stared, Valkyrie looked uncomfortable, fidgeting in her seat, Saffron just looked confused. Lily stifled a giggle, and Fancy was smirking in amusement at the display. This time, it was Fizzlepop's turn to blush, coughing into her hoof. Lily smiling, gave her a knowing look.

"My my, aren't you two just adorable~" She teased, swirling a hoof on the table. I cleared my throat, not commenting on that. Instead, I looked over at Saffron, trying to change the subject.

"I'll just have lamb zobrian, and apple cider to drink." I stated simply. Saffron, not phased in the slightest, wrote it down. "You two want anything?" I asked, looking between Fizzlepop and Valkyrie.

"I'll have what he's having." Valkyrie said, pointing a hoof in my direction. At first I was about to ask 'are you sure', but then I saw her fangs glisten in the yellow light, reminding me she's not the same breed of pony. "Strawberry smoothie though."

"Daffodil curry please, and do you happen to have the berry blast in stock?" Fizzlepop asked the waitress. Saffron nodded, smiling. "One of those then." I smirked knowingly at Fizzlepop, resisting the urge to tease her and making a berry related pun, only barely.

"Alright, I have everypony's orders. I'll be back with your drinks and then your meals afterwards!" Saffron beamed, turning and heading towards the doorway to what I assumed led to the kitchen.

"well then," Fancy pants chimed after a moment of silence. "Lets go to know one another shall we?" And with that, we were deep in conversation.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

I've told Fancy and Lily about my stay here and what happened during my time in Ponyvillie, minus the ursa major part. I mentioned that I did get hurt and had medical attention so they didn't worry about it too much. The afternoon went off without a hitch, the food was amazing. Unfortunately Fancy and Lily had business somewhere and had to leave early, so Lily gave me her address and I decided to pay her a visit sometime. That left me, Fizzlepop and Valkyrie at the table.

"Hey Fizzy," I said, grabbing Fizzlepop's attention. She raised an eyebrow, a bewildered look on her face.

"Fizzy?" She echoed, looking me up and down like I was crazy.

"Yes." I said simply. I smirked, putting a hand over my chest and puffing it out. "I know, you can thank my skills of efficiency for that one." I quipped, closing my eyes. "It's only one syllable, and it's cute. Has a nice ring to it, don't ya think..?" I trailed off, my eyes losing a little bit of focus. I brought my hand to my head, using my arm as leverage against the table. "Efficiency.." I echoed, as if the word had some sort of ghost haunting it.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > flashback < < ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hey Isaiah, why don't you go out more often? It's a beautiful day today." I looked up from my computer screen, staring at the woman with no amount of amusement on my face.

"That's nice and all Nana, but I prefer the rain." I replied, taking a quick glance back at the screen. "Besides, I don't have a reason to." Nana looked at me in bewilderment, unbelieving at what she heard. She walked over to the table I was sitting at, and leaned against the wall.

"There's always a reason, it's so nice today, fresh air is always good, exercise and you could be meeting people." I looked up and cocked an eyebrow up.

"So?" I asked inquisitively. "I could do that any day. I meet people online and I step outside every now and then if I do want some air; usually when it rains." I added, looking back at the screen in front of me. "I take midnight strolls too. Not often, but at least once a week or so. Also I'm not a 'people' person. There is no reason for me to go outside."

Nana looked irritated at this point. "That's being lazy. Ain't nothing gonna come out of that computer of yours that's going to help you." She stated, crossing her arms.

"No," I began, looking up, irritation on my face now as well. "It's called being efficient." I countered, never taking my eyes off of her. "If there is no obligatory reason I should go outside unless there's some sort of emergency or my chores get in the way, I have no reason to be outside. Call it being lazy if you want, but I call it efficiency." This time Instead of going back at the computer, I got up and walked out of the room. "I'm going to take a nap." I lied through my teeth, I just wanted to be alone for a while.

I wish I could just..

~ ~ ~ ~ > > present < < ~ ~ ~ ~

I gasped desperately for air, almost going into a coughing fit.

"Zale!?" I heard a voice beside me call. I looked over to see a pony in dark blue armor above me, with a panicked expression on her face. "What's wrong? Stay with me!" My mind was starting to get things in order again, and I realized that was Valkyrie who was above me, and I was on the floor.

Groaning in discomfort, I lifted myself up into a seating position, hand on my head, "I'm okay now.. I'm okay." I said, trying to calm my nerves. To be honest, I only said that to make myself believe it rather than for her sake. Fizzlepop came into view, a wet rag in her hooves. "I just.. I'll tell you what happened later." I decided, taking the warm rag from the mulberry hoof. "Thanks Fizzy." She smiled at that, nodding.

"Do you want to head back to the castle now for some rest? You seem.. shaken." Valkyrie observed. That's exactly how I was feeling. I'm not sure how she saw it, I thought I was hiding it well. Maybe she knows me more than I know her at this point. I nodded, standing up and putting the rag against my forehead.

"That would be nice, yeah." I answered. I began to walk towards the exit doors when a thought came to mind. I turned around and pulled out my bit pouch, some ponies were looking at me with concern, others just gave me a glance, and went back to whatever it is they were doing. Saffron waved, catching my attention.

"Fancy already paid for the meals, don't worry." She said reassuringly, smiling. I nodded in thanks, and made my way to the doors and left the building. The alley was significantly darker, looking up I saw that the sky was turning purple, indicating that sunset wasn't too far off. Pulling out my phone, I looked at the time. 6:56 PM. I must have been out for a while, at least an hour or so.

I remember the way we came from what Fancy showed me, and the walk back to the castle didn't take very long. There were no guards this time, but I thought nothing of it. i opened the door with no trouble at all, stepping inside the castle. The hall was empty, and a serene silence filled the area. I walked down the hall, and up the stairwell, my friends tailing behind me. I figured I'd better get used to them being around, so I always looked back to see them there.

"Hey, girls?" I asked, grabbing their attention. "Mind if I ask you a question?" Fizzlepop cocked an eyebrow up but nodded.

"Sure, what is it?" Valkyrie asked, curious as well. We rounded the corner at this point, the throne room being just down the hall.

I thought about how I should asked this, trying not to make it sound too obvious. "Um.. do you think that I can find happiness here? In Equestria?" Both of their eyes widened in surprise, obviously not expecting such a question.

"Well Zale, I guess that would be up to you." Valkyrie answered honestly. "As for what I think, I think your happiness is closer than you think it is.." She said, looking away. I cocked my head to the side, unsure of what she meant. When she didn't continue, I shrugged it off, appreciative of her answer.

"What about you Fizzy?" I asked, looking at the mare in question. "What do you think?"

Fizzlepop hummed in thought, a hoof tapping on her chin. "Well.." she began, looking up at me. "I'll have to agree with Valkyrie when she said it's up to you. But I think that you can find happiness here, or maybe it'll even find you." She added with a smile. I responded with a 'hm', but otherwise didn't say anything as I kept walking.

"..Why do you ask?"

There it is. Sighing, I brought my hand to my head, a grimace on my face. "Well, back at the restaurant when I fainted.. I had something shown to me. A memory, of my past." I heard Fizzlepop gasp from behind me.

"Really? What was it?" She asked, sounding very interested.

"I'll tell you once we get all of our friends together, I'd rather tell you all at once, rather than having to repeat it." I explained, approaching the throne room doors. "But It's only-"

I was cut off, as I heard shouting coming from the throne room. "Starlight!? Luna, where are you!?" It was Twilight's voice. I looked back towards Fizzlepop and Valkyrie, raising an eyebrow. They shrugged, concerned looks on their faces.

I opened the door, and froze at what I saw. The throne room was in shambles, the carpet leading up to the throne were burnt and scorched, shards of glass littering the sides of the room from the now broken windows on either side of the room.

And there, lying lifeless on the floor leading up the the stairs, was Celestia, and the rest of my friends. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow dash and Spike, all looking worse for wear. I looked on in horror, before running to them and dropping to my knees. I held Pinkie close, leaning into her chest and putting my ear against it. A heartbeat. They were still alive, just unconscious. I looked around again, noticing someone was missing.

"T-Twilight.. what happened!?" I asked, fear ridden in my words. Twilight trotted closer to me, dropping on her haunches as well, casting a spell which emitted a green light above the group.

"I-I don't know. I was asleep, a-and I heard the window break and shouting and when I came to see what was going on, I saw something take both Starlight and Luna and jump through the window, and this is what I saw!" My eyes widened in alarm, I looked around frantically. It was evident that something came through the window, and left through the other side.

My gut fell into the pits of my stomach, a dreading feeling looming over me. I looked back, and Fizzlepop was frozen, and didn't dare to look away. She had tears falling down her cheeks, clearly shaken by the scene. Valkyrie was standing next to the princess, checking over her carefully for injuries.

A scent came to my nostrils, and bile began to rise in my throat. Looking around the room, I saw a pile of what I thought to be wood at first glance, but the golden gleams of celestial guards helmets could be seen. There, on the far side of the room, were charred corpses of unicorn and pegasi guards. The smell of burning hair and flesh was infecting the air around it, and I nearly fell over at the sight. Oh god no.. I thought, standing up on shaking legs.

Starlight and Princess Luna were gone.

Author's Note

A bit of delay on this one, life and other things has my attention at the moment. But here it is, and here is where this story really picks up.

Chapter 8: Tomorrow

A few hours later..

Silence.

Twilight, Fizzlepop, Valkyrie and myself, sat in complete silence in the waiting room of the infirmary in chairs. The room, having a wallpaper of the clear blue skies, with a white and pink tile floor. The silence only broken by an occasional sigh, or a sniffle from Fizzlepop, laying her head in my lap. I tried my best to comfort her, giving her pets and scratches even in these circumstances. She seemed to appreciate it though, leaning in further into my hand.

I wasn't doing too good myself either. I was terrified, and in this silence, my mind was racing at break neck speeds, trying to figure out how and why this had happened. First the Ursa Major, and now this.. On the next day even. Sure, during the prior incident no one was hurt, but this time.. at least half a dozen of Celestia's guards have lost their lives. I never knew who they were, and now I won't ever get the chance to know. Regardless if I knew them or not, I still felt remorseful for it.

I looked up at Twilight, who herself wasn't looking any better. She probably has a lot on her mind too. Of course she does... Starlight and Luna were taken, and my friends were hurt and burned badly. Twilight had to use some sort of gizmo to lower the sun and raise the moon in the princess's absence, to avoid causing a panic. Celestia was in stable condition, so was Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike. But Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack, and even Rarity were far worse. They must have been trying to protect the others... I figured as I thought of the generous mare.

Twilight noticed my gaze and stood up, walking up to me. "Twilight..?" I asked the approaching mare. "Are you..." I was cut off as Twilight wrapped her hooves around my barrel, taking in Fizzlepop along with the embrace. I guess that answers my question then. I returned the embrace, my arms wrapping around both Twilight and Fizzy. I felt an extra pair of gray hooves come from behind me, coming into my vision. I turned slightly to see Valkyrie, with a sad frown on her face.

We all sat like that for a while, just enjoying the comfort of the embrace. The sound of a door opening could be heard to my left, the door where our friends were waiting behind. We all looked up to see Nurse Snowheart, one of the few nurses that worked here in the castle's infirmary. She had a coat that was a pale yellow, much like Fluttershy's I noted, with a blue mane and tail with gray streaks. She wore a nurses cap that had red cross etched into it.

She walked towards us at a brisk pace, smiling. "Hello there," She began, sounding relieved about something. "I'd like to inform you that all of your friends will be fine." All of us sighed in relief at the news. "it'll take a couple days to fully recover some of the burns, but rest and proper hygiene should clear those up in no time." Twilight and Valkyrie stepped away from me, and Fizzlepop stood up.

"Can we go see them?" I asked, hopeful. Nurse Snowheart nodded, turning around back to the door she came from.

"Follow me." Snowheart said. We all followed behind her into the room. Medical beds lines the walls, 5 on each side. Various equipment lied scattered across the room, indicating the work it took to keep these ponies breathing. Celestia, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Fluttershy lay on the beds on one side of the room, while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and one of the guards that managed to hold out. It was a male pony, neither pegasus or unicorn. Dark blue coat with a blue mane and tail. looking far worse than I could have imagined.

He had several burns across his barrel, across his right cheek, and on his left flank. Some of his coat had to be shaved off either because it was too damaged to grow back correctly, or the doctors had to get rid of some damaged skin. They were still asleep, but otherwise fine. I walked towards Celestia, taking a seat near the edge of the mattress. I looked down at her form with distant eyes. Her once pristine white coat, was now tattered and marred. Although her mane, still flowing through some unknown force was the same as it ever was. It was a beautiful sight. I took my hand and brushed aside some of the mane that was covering her face.

And I broke. I couldn't hold it in anymore. It started off as a sniffle, and then tears began falling. Leaning over, I wrapped my arms around her barrel, put my head under her neck, and I wept. At that moment, I was crying for multiple reasons. I was afraid. Afraid of losing my friends, afraid of them getting hurt.. and afraid that they might just slip away. I was sympathetic. Starlight, along with Celestia's own sister Luna was taken away, probably hurt, and most likely scared themselves. I tried not to think about what could have happened to them, but my mind betrays me, making my cries louder.

I sat like that for a little while, numbly aware of Fizzlepop and the others presence around me. I felt a hoof caress my side with care, calming me down a little. My cries died down to sobs and sniffles, still holding Celestia in my arms. However, I felt movement underneath me, and felt the sensation of lips landing upon my forehead. Looking up, slightly alarmed, I saw Celestia looking right back at me, a sad smile on her face. Sniffling, I brought an arm up to my face, rubbing away the tears.

"Celestia.." we breathed in unison. She took her hoof, and placed it on my head.

"I'm okay.." She said with a warm smile. Rubbing away the last of my tears, I sat up. "I'm right here."

I managed to get a hint of a smile on my face, but it faded just as soon as it came. "Welcome back.." I said, my voice cracking a bit. Taking her hoof in hand, I held it up to my chest. Celestia sat up right slightly, taking in her new environment. She hummed in thought, looking back towards me.

"Where is Luna?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. "Don't tell me Luna was asleep during the whole thing, I swear she misses every.." She went silent when she saw the painful looks on our faces. She chuckled nervously, a smile still on her face. But her eyes betrayed her smile, showing shear dread. "My sister she's.. she's around here.. r-right..?"

I looked downcast, my heart twisting and turning in my chest. Twilight put her hoof up to say something, but no words came to her. Valkyrie stood a little ways away from us, and expressionless. I steeled myself, looking back up to Celestia. My hands were starting to tremble, and I held her hoof a little tighter.

"Both Starlight and Luna.. they.." I began, trying with all my will power to not look away. "..They were taken away." Celestia, still hopeful, cocked her head the other way.

"Taken where?" She asked, taking her other hoof and placing it on my hands. Slowly, I shook my head.

"We don't know.." I responded, looking down again. "When we got back from the city, it was already too late. You guys were hurt, and.. they were gone."

"Something or someone took them and fled.." Twilight clarified, stepping closer to us. "I saw it when I came running to see what the commotion was about."

Celestia sat in silence, a flat line replacing her smile. I put my hands down on the bed, still holding her hooves. Celestia looked down at them, her mane now covering her face. She was silent for a few moments, before she let out a low growl of frustration.

"Why am I so damn weak.." She seethed, looking back up to me. "Why couldn't it have been me!? She has been through enough torment, why couldn't it have been me.. why.." She trailed off, words failing her as tears fell down her face. I sat there for a moment as she leaned over, crying over my shoulder. I didn't know what I could say then.

"..Princess Luna didn't give in.." A voice said from behind us. We all turned to face the unfamiliar voice. It was the royal guard, and he was still lying down, eyes open. "After you went down, she ran to your side, guarding you with her life." He continued. "When she did, she looked me right in the eyes, and told me to tell you.."

The monster let out a torrent of flames and spells, which scattered across the room in all directions. Luna came in into the room, the doors slamming against the walls. She saw Celestia, holding a shield up to protect herself. But it didn't last for much longer. Her magic spent, She took the force of the blow. "Tia!!" Luna shouted, rushing over to her side. Rarity took the carpet in her magic that led up to the throne and used it as a temporary shield to block the rest of the spells.

Luna looked frantically around, desperate. She spotted a lone guard, fending off the monster with Applejack, his fellow guards in a heap of flames. He was knocked back, but he caught himself after sliding away a few feet. Standing up, his eyes met Luna's gaze. "..Please.." She began, looking pleadingly into his eyes. "Tell my sister that..

"..That it's not your fault, and she is proud to be the one that protected you." He finished, sitting up a little. He winced slightly as the burns became agitated, but he sobered up quickly. Celestia stared at him for a moment, before sighing, and letting me go.

"Thank you.." She said, still sniffling a little. I took my hand and brought it up to her cheek, wiping away her tears with a thumb. Retracting my hand, I turned to face the stallion.

"..What's your name?" I asked after a moment.

"Carbon." He responded. "Carbon Fiber."

I nodded in thanks. "I'm Isaiah. Call me Zale if you want.." I said, smiling. "..And thank you." He smiled back, nodding.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

None of us notice that Nurse Snowheart left the room, and she soon came back with trays of food for us all, telling us it was on the house. Twilight, Fizzlepop and I took a seat on the empty beds that was next to Carbon, digging into our meals. It was mostly carrots and broccoli, not that I minded. Fizzlepop elected to sit next to me, leaning on my side while her plate lied on the other side.

"Oooh.." I heard a familiar voice groan. "Oh my.. wha..?" It was Rarity. "Where am- OW ow ow ow ow.." She cut herself off with a series of pained noises as she tried to get up.

"Careful now," Nurse Snowheart said, approaching the fashionista. "You're in no condition right now to-"

"MIRROR!!" She shouted, her eyes frantically scanning her bandaged arms. "GET ME A MIRROR!" Nurse Snowheart reeled back, but reluctantly picked up a nearby mirror that was on a tray, and held it up to Rarity. Even though Instinctively plugged my ears with my finger tips, It did nothing to prepare me for the high pitched scream that came afterwards.

The glass of water Twilight had in her magic shattered into pieces, but as skilled in magic as she was, reversed the damage with little to no trouble. At this point, everyone else that was still asleep in the room, shot up from their position, eyes wide.

"Huh!? Who'sit what now!?" Applejack blurted out, looking around the room with half lidded and tired eyes.

Rainbow Dash fell out of the bed with a shout of alarm, grunting on impact followed by a cry of pain. Snowheart helped her up back on the bed. "Ouch! What the hay?" Rainbow turned back to see that her wings were bandaged up, preventing her from flight. "Shoot.." Fluttershy just hid under the sheets, shivering.

Spike just groaned from his position, falling back down into bed, pulling his sheets over him. "Five more minutes.." he pleaded in a muffled voice.

I hit the side of my head with my palm, trying to get the ringing out of my ears. "Uh.. morning Rarity." I greeted flatly. She was currently hyperventilating, looking at her reflection in horror and disgust.

"I-- my.. my mane.. and my coat.." Rarity's coat was just as bad as Carbon's, if not worse. Her mane now has burnt and uneven ends, and her tail was practically incinerated into nothingness, only a purple stub in it's place. I couldn't help but feel bad for the poor thing.

"I-It'll grow back. I'm sure you'll be able to do something with it." I said, trying to cheer her up.

Rarity gave me a flat look. Then, it turned into a thoughtful one. "Hmm.. maybe you're right," She said, looking at herself again. "My mane did look something like this before, but my coat.. I'll figure something out!" She stated proudly.

Looking around the room, I noticed that there was something missing. My eyes widened in realization and concern. "Hey, where's Pinkie-"

The one entrance and exit to the room suddenly burst open, Revealing Pinkie Pie strolling in with a plate of cupcakes. She had bandages across her forehead and right hoof, but it looks like there wasn't a scratch on her. As she walked in, everyone in the room, including me, stared at her, confused and slightly concerned.

Pinkie gave us bewildered looks. "What?" She asked, her mouth stuffed with a cupcake.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Never mind." I relaxed, plopping a broccoli in my mouth and chewing. My mood fell again, and the room was in silence once more. "So, to update you to what happened girls.." I began after a moment. "both Starlight and Luna were kidnapped by.. something. After you were attacked."

Everyone froze in place, looking at me in disbelief. Pinkie's mane deflated significantly. "Wh.. What?" She breathed, walking up to me.

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked while she works on getting the bandages off her wings.

"It's exactly what it sounds like." Celestia chimed in, a grimace on her face. "They were taken by an unknown enemy, and we have no idea where or why."

I sighed, looking down at my plate, losing my appetite. I placed it on a nearby tray, pushing it away slightly. There was a question that was hanging in the back of my mind, gnawing away at my being. "So.." I began, a bit reluctantly. "..What do we do now?" I asked no one in particular.

"What do you mean 'What do we do now'?" Rainbow echoed. "We go find em'!"

Celestia shook her head, eyes narrowing. "No. At least.. not for a few days at least, week at most." Rainbow Dash gawked at the princess like she was insane.

"Wha- What do you mean!?" Rainbow Dash squawked.

"Ah' mean, think about it Rainbow." Applejack chimed in. "We're lookin' more beat up than a bowl of eggs. What're we supposed to do in our condition?"

"I mean- I just.. grrr..." Rainbow let out a growl of frustration, but relented. "Yeah.. I get your point. But.." Rainbow's ears drooped, looking crestfallen. "I'm worried about them, you know?" Rarity let out a sigh, nodding in understanding.

"We all are Rainbow Dash," Rarity began. "But there's simply nothing we can do right now except recover. We'll just have to have faith in Starlight and Luna and.. hope for the best."

After that, the room fell in an ominous silence. I looked around at everyone for a few moments, just taking in the scene before me. I looked down at my hands, palms open and trembling slightly. I thought back to the night I dropped in this world.. the very first pony I've met, that became my friend and.. who saved my life.

I closed my fists, a burning flame in my heart, yearning to repay a debt that I owed to that individual.

"I'll go." I said with finality.

After a moment, I looked back up. Everyone just looked at me, and then Celestia shook her head in disapproval.

"It's too dangerous for you. If it took down all of us, half a dozen of my guards and managed to get away capturing Starlight and Luna.. I'm afraid your chances of survival are slim to none if you should encounter it." I shook my head in defiance, looking into Celestia's eyes with determination.

"I know that. But I owe Starlight, Celestia. She was the first pony I've met in this world, my first friend, and she saved my life without even knowing who I am!" I stoop up, causing Fizzlepop to stumble slightly, but she caught herself.

"I know how you feel Zale, trust me." Twilight said, approaching me. "But you've already been hurt once, and we can't have that happen again." I scoffed, pointing at the rest of the group with a thumb.

"Well I'm in much better condition than them right now." I countered, crossing my arms. "And besides, who said I was going to leave right now and fight that thing anyway? I have to find clues or, something first if I'm going to know where to look, right?"

Twilight raised a hoof as to protest, but she paused. Slowly, she put her hoof back down and looked up towards Celestia. "I'll go with him, Princess." Celestia's eyes shot up in surprise, but it was quickly replaced with a stern look.

"Twilight I-"

"Our friends are in danger." I cut Celestia off without thinking. "The pony I owe my life to is in danger, your own sister is in danger!" I pointed at everyone in the room in the hospital beds. "You may not be able to do anything right now, but I am." I turned to face Fizzlepop and Valkyrie, who have been silently watching the entire time. "My companions are too, and so is Twilight. It's not like we'll be alone."

Celestia gave us an uncertain look, one by one. She eyed all of us carefully, as if searching for something in our expressions. After a few moments of silence, she sighed and managed to get a ghost of a smile on her face. "Alright. But you are not to go unprepared, and use at least the rest of today to find any clues or hints as to where they might have gone." Celestia's gaze drifted towards me.

"Zale, Twilight." I cocked an eyebrow up curiously. I looked over at Twilight, and she looked at me as well, looking as confused as I was. I turned back to face the sun princess.

"Yeah Celestia?"

Celestia took one of her wings and made a gesture with them for us to come over. I wasn't sure what she wanted, but we nonetheless complied. When we got to her side, she used her wings in a swift motion to scoop both of us up into an embrace I was not at all prepared for. I stumbled a little, my head falling below her neck. I was confused, but I returned the embrace after re orientating myself.

Twilight did much the same, looking up at her with a little blush on her cheeks. "P-Princess..?"

"Be careful you two." She said softly. "I trust in you." She let us go, and we stood back up.

I nodded with a smile, making a thumbs up. "You got it." Celestia gave me a bewildered look, and looked up at the ceiling. I tilted my head slightly in confusion, looking up as well. It was just the.. oh. I facepalmed, chuckling sheepishly.

"This means something like 'Okay' or 'Great job' depending on the situation." I explained. Celestia looked back at me, and giggled herself.

I turned to Fizzlepop, Valkyrie and Twilight, nodding. "Well, lets get to it." I said, walking towards the door. "We'll head back to the throne room and see if we can find anything. I'll let you know if we do before we leave. We'll see you all later."

Twilight, Fizzlepop and Valkyrie followed behind, and I lead us out the exit doors of the infirmary, and we found ourselves in the hallways of Canterlot Castle once again. As we walked down the corridor on our way back to the throne room, I turn slightly to look at my two guards, more specifically Valkyrie. My eyebrow furrowed in concern.

"Hey Val." I called. Valkyrie raised an eyebrow, looked behind her, and faced me again.

"Um.. do you mean me, Zale?" I nodded in confirmation. She gave me a deadpan look and sighed, but didn't say anything.

"You've been awfully quiet ever since we got back from the restaurant." I pointed out, giving her a curious look. "Anything got you worried? Not just about the situation we have right now, but anything that bothers you?" Her eyes widened in surprise, and Valkyrie seemed extremely uncomfortable now.

"N-No sir, I'm fine." She said quickly. I was of course, unconvinced. I stared at her for a few moments, frowning slightly. I looked over at Twilight, who was also looking concerned. Upon noticing my gaze, she shrugged. I sighed, and continued to move forward.

"If you say so."

We rounded the corner, and made our way through the throne room doors past guards that were stationed there. As we entered, I scanned the room. The bodies of the guards were still there, but Twilight had cast a spell that eliminated the foul stench that they were emitting before. We did have to keep all the evidence in tact after all, and luckily no one else was able to enter the room, because of the guards that were outside.

I put my hands on my hips and did another once over of the room."Alright, let's get to wor-"

Bzzzt* Bzzzzt*

I was cut off, and I froze. Twilight looked at me with confusion, and walked up to me. "Something wrong?" She asked. I put a finger up to cut her off.

Bzzzt* Bzzzzt*

There it is again. This time I felt the vibrating coming from my pocket, my blood running cold. Slowly, I took out the device, held it up and unlocked the screen. It was ringing.

Chapter 9: A Lead

I stared at the phone in my hands, eyeing it with uncertainty and caution. I unlocked the screen, and read the caller ID.

It was blank. No number, no name, no area code. It ringed again in my hands, each vibration sending a chill down my spine. My eyes flicked off of the screen to look at Twilight and the others, uncertainty clear on my face. Twilight herself looked curiously at the device, but she seemed to notice something was off too. Fizzlepop gave me a quick glance from her position near the now ruined carpet. But Valkyrie..

For some reason, Valkyrie seemed to be backing away slowly against the wall, with wide eyes and dread clear on her face. I watched her for a few moments, I was confused by her reaction. She was an odd one but this just seemed.. extremely off putting, and she really has me worried now. Twilight and Fizzlepop noticed this too, and gave each other uneasy looks.

The phone rang again, and this time, I reluctantly answered it. I held the device close to my ear and spoke.

"Hello..?" I heard a drawn out yawn coming from the other end of the line, making me raise an eyebrow.

"I've missed you, Isaiah." My eyes widened, as I recognize the feminine voice. It was the same person that called me when I was being chased by the Ursa Major. Even so, I'm not sure what she meant by that.

"I'm sorry but.. who are you?" I asked, genuinely curious. "I don't think we've.. met."

"No," she began. "You haven't met me. But I've met you, from the first day you bought me.. heh, not that you'd remember anyway." I almost stumbled from that statement.

"Huh? What do you meant I 'bought' you?" I asked, even more confused than I initially was.

"Well.. you bought me from some shop, and that's where I met you." She explained. "But that's all I can remember, that you own me and I'm your assistant. Everything between that day and when you dropped into this world is completely blank." I paused, taking in this new information.

"So.. you're telling me that you're actually inside the phone?" I asked, trying to comprehend this.

"Well, I guess that's one way of putting it," She paused for a moment, then continued. "..Actually I think I am the phone. Probably." I sighed, and walked to the steps that led up to the throne and sat down.

"Okay. What's your name?" She hummed in thought for a few moments.

"I don't think I have one. It was your job to give me a name."

"How the hell was that my job?" I asked, rubbing my temples. "I didn't even know you were sentient. Which I'm pretty sure you technically aren't supposed to be." I pointed out.

"Well, I guess you have a point. Tell you what." I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"You give me a name right now, and maybe I'll forgive ya."

"I.. fine, I guess." I relented, sighing. I thought about this for a moment, and I looked around the room again. Twilight was watching me with a confused looked, and I just shook my head letting her know not to worry about it. Fizzlepop was inspecting the bodies for anything that could be of use. Valkyrie.. was sitting in the corner in the fetal position? Concerned, I got up and walked over to her.

"Yo Val, what's wrong?" I asked, kneeling down in front of her. Valkyrie gasped and backed further into the wall. My eyes widened in shock, and I tried not to move too much before continuing.

"Valkyrie, talk to me. What is going on?" She didn't answer right away, and she swallowed heavily.

"T-That thing.." She said shakily, pointing a trembling hoof at the device in my hand. "I've seen it before.." I gawked at her after hearing that.

"You have!?" Valkyrie gave a quick nod, putting her hoof back down. "Where?" Her eyes went wide again, and tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I.. was kidnapped by a creature that I haven't seen before a while ago." She began, trembling. "I don't believe it was the same thing that was in here, but I saw that it had a device similar to that one, and he called it the same thing. Only.."

"What is it? You can tell me Val." I said, trying to comfort her.

"Only.. every time it rang, he.. it came out. And it made him change into a different person. it took everything I had from me.. And forced me to do things I'm not so proud of." When she said the last part, she looked away, guilt and regret on her face.

"Oh.. I see." I said walking up and sitting next to her, back against the wall. "Well, I'm still me, right?" I asked. Valkyrie nodded, but still had uncertainty on her features. "I promise that i'll never hurt you Valkyrie. You are my friend, as well as my companion. I trust you." Hey eyes widened, and she looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite place. "Do you trust me?"

"You.." She began, but went silent. After several seconds, she spoke."..Okay, I do Zale. I trust you." She answered with a small smile.

"Alrighty then, now what was I doing?" I asked aloud, stroking my chin.

"Thinking up a name for me." The phone answered with displeasure. I winced slightly, a bit guilty for keeping her waiting.

"Right, right. Sorry. Let's see.." I went into thought, trying to think of a name that would work and had a ring to it. I thought of some generic names like 'Clara' or maybe 'Rose' but those didn't really sound right to me. Since I owned her apparently, I guess it wouldn't really matter, but I would feel bad if she didn't like it.

"One sec." I said, opening the phone. I browsed through the various apps I had on screen, seeking inspiration. My eyes landed on the music app again, and it hit me almost spontaneously. "Hey, how does Harmony sound to you?" I asked the device in my hands.

"Harmony, huh? It has a nice ring to it." She noted. "Harmony it is then!"

I nodded, satisfied with it myself. "That's exactly what I was going for."

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hey guys, I think I found something!" Twilight said, motioning for us to come over. We all got up from our positions and walked over to her. When we got to her, she held the item in her magic up for us to see. My eyes widened, as I immediately recognized what it was.

It was scorched and and torn, but just barely maintained the resemblance of a wallet. "Hey, let me see that."

"Okay, but be careful." I rolled my eyes, but I figured she did have a point. Slowly, I put my fingers inside the fold of the wallet, and opened it up. Ash immediately fell out as I opened it fully, nothing but charred remains. There was however, something that was still readable inside.

"Hey, this is.. this is a drivers license.." Twilight tilted her head in bewilderment.

"Drivers license? What's that?" Twilight asked, her curiosity peaking.

"It's from my world, it lets people know that you have been educated enough to drive a car publicly." I explained. "But, what's it doing here..?" Taking a closer look at it, I examined what I could make out from the remaining piece of the license. The picture of whoever it was that owned this seemed to be ripped off, and the part where the name and address had been burned off as well. That only left the date, state, sex, and birthday.

"The date it was issued was July 7th.. 1987," I began. "It's 2020 now.. It expired nearly 7 years ago. They are from Miami Florida, and they are male." My eyes widened when I say the birthday, and maybe it was just coincidence but it made me feel.. weird. "His birthday is.. September 15th, 1971.. I was born on the same day and month." I turned to Valkyrie, eyebrow raised.

"Val, didn't you say you were kidnapped by a creature you've never seen before?" Valkyrie hesitated at first, but nodded. "Do you remember where he took you?"

"N-no.. I don't know where he took me, but I remember that it was cold, and the air was thin." She said, shivering. "If I had to guess it was probably in a mountain somewhere."

Twilight hummed in thought, nodding in understanding. "Well.. we have a lead at least, no matter how vague it may be. But how do you know this creature is him?"

"I don't." I answered simply. "But from what you and Val told me, these are both creatures neither of you have any knowledge of, and on top of that the thing that Val saw had a device similar to the one I have. Do you really think that's coincidence?"

"Isaiah is right, it is a bit odd that these would be here in this world." Harmony pointed out. Twilight and Fizzlepop jumped slightly and her voice. The both looked at it curiously in my hand.

"Is that..?" Fizzlepop asked, trailing off. I nodded in confirmation.

"Yup, It's the same voice. Meet Harmony." I put Harmony on speaker phone so that they could all hear her more clearly.

"Hello~" Twilight and Fizzlepop waved at the device awkwardly, and that made me snort in amusement.

"I don't think she can see you... Can you see them?" I asked after a moment of hesitation.

"No, I can't. At least not right now unless, you allow me to see through your eyes." My eyes widened at that, but narrowed suspiciously.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry, it's not that same as taking over your body; which by the way you're welcome." She added smugly."Open up your phone and click on the new app that popped up."

Curious, I did as I was told. I went to the home page of my phone, and sure enough there was a new app I haven't seen before. It was called 'Link'. I opened it up, and the interface had various options on it, some of which were 'Link sight', 'Link mind', 'Link Force' etc. I'm not sure what the last one meant, but I shrugged, and selected the option 'Link sight'. There was a brief flash, and then my vision returned to me.

The first thing I noticed was that in the corner of my eye, there was an icon of some sort. It looked like a horseshoe.

"Okay.. that did do it?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah, that did the trick. Hello ther- Oh wow.." She greeted in awe. Something else popped up in my vision, a green outline, and it was currently hovering over Fizzlepop. I assumed that meant I could see what she was currently looking at, and highlighted it as well. That's pretty neat.

"Tempest, was it? You are so.. adorable!!" I was caught off guard by that, and chuckled silently to myself. Fizzlepop wasn't expecting that either, and she now had a blush on her face.

"Um.. thank you I guess, hehe.." Fizzlepop said awkwardly. Harmony then looked over at Twilight, humming in thought.

"You're pretty cute too Twilight, more chest fluff would do wonders for you." Twilight looked raised an eyebrow, and looked down at herself, placing a hoof on her chest. I rolled my eyes, and Harmony then looked over at Valkyrie.

"Hmm.. nah sorry. Not cute. Good posture though." Valkyrie mouth went agape for a moment, and then pouted, genuinely hurt.

"Alright well, you had your fun. I'd like my eyes back to normal now." I said as I disabled the link and my vision was now my own again.

"Such a party-pooper." Harmony sighed dejectedly. "Anyway, so we have a lead right?"

"Yeah, what we know is that there may be something or someone else from my world that is here, and that when Valkyrie was kidnapped, she was in a mountain somewhere." I paused, looking at Valkyrie with an eyebrow raised. "Say, how did you manage to escape?" Valkyrie looked back and forth, a cold sweat forming on her brow.

"W-Well, I ran away when I had the chance. He forced me to do something, and when he didn't have any more use for me he tried to get rid of me.. I used that opportunity to run and managed to get away." I nodded in understanding.

"Right well, we have something to follow up on at least. We should go tell the others what we've found out so far." I figured, making my way towards the doors, friends in tow. Valkyrie hesitated at first, but she soon fell into step behind us.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

The walk back didn't take long at all. We passed by guards I haven't seen before, adorned with similar armor to Valkyrie's, and had bat wings themselves. I assumed that they were under Luna's orders as well, and just shrugged it off.

We walked back into the room where our friends were waiting. Almost everyone fell asleep, and the nurse was nowhere to be seen. Probably had went home for the rest of the night. The only ones who are awake were Spike, Celestia and Rainbow Dash. I waved and quietly made my way over to Celestia's side, and sat on a side of the bed. Valkyrie stayed standing, while Twilight and Tempest sat on the opposite bed.

"Heya Celly." i greeted the solar princess in a low voice. Her eyes shot up in surprise for a moment, and she giggled in a hoof.

"Celly, hm?" She cooed teasingly, nudging me with a hoof. I rolled my eyes at that, a little chuckle escaping me.

"Yeah yeah," I began, gently pushing her off. "Anyway, we found something." Celestia sat more upright when she heard that, but Rainbow beat her to it.

"Wait, What did you find out?" The prismatic mare asked in a whisper, now hovering at my eye level. I reeled back at the suddenness of her face being so close to mine, but I recomposed myself after a moment.

"We found this." I held up the wallet and ID in my hands. They eyed it curiously for a few moments, and gave me a confused look.

"Uh, what is it?" Spike asked from his position.

"It's from my world. This is what is called a wallet, and inside said wallet we found this drivers license; which is something used as proof of identification and shows that you're legally allowed to drive a car; which is a piece of technology from my world as well." I added with a smirk, knocking some other questions undoubtedly out of the way.

"Okay.. but what's that got to do with Starlight and Luna?" Rainbow asked, eyebrow raised. Celestia nodded, and I continued.

"Well, that's where Valkyrie's story comes into play." I said, motioning towards the mare. "She was apparently kidnapped a while back as well by something that she hasn't seen before, and that creature had a smart phone, like mine."

"So, these items all come from your world, and since this was here after the attack.." Celestia contemplated.

"It could have been something from your world." Spike finished for her.

"Or someone." Harmony chimed in.

Spike, Celestia and Rainbow dash looked around in confusion. "W-What was that?" Spike asked with a shaky voice.

"Oh right, guys," I began, pulling out my iPhone. "Meet Harmony." They all stared at the device, and looked at me like a crazy man. "She's the voice I heard back during the Ursa Major thing." I clarified. Their eyes widened as their mouths formed an 'o'.

"Harmony, was it?" Celestia asked carefully.

"Yep, that's me. Nice to meet you all." Harmony hummed in thought for a moment before continuing. "Hey Isaiah, could I use your eyes again?" Celestia eyed the phone with bewilderment, and looked back to me for clarification. I just shrugged however, and opened up the app for the link.

"You know how she took over my body to save me life? Well apparently there's an app for it now.. only I have control this time." I explained as I enabled the link. "Is that better?"

"Yep, much better- whoa.." Harmony cut herself off. "You're beautiful.. And your mane.." I chuckled when I saw the reaction on Celestia's face. At first her eyes widened at the compliment, and then she actually looked away with a blush. She then smiled and nodded in thanks.

"Well anyway," Celestia began of the a moment of silence. "This is quite an interesting development." Celestia hummed after I ran the details by her. "I wouldn't think Valkyrie's kidnap to be a coincidence either. This has to be connected somehow, in one way or another." I nodded.

"Yeah, now if only we knew where to start looking.." I sighed and scratched the back of my head. Wait.. this world has spells and stuff right? I thought as I looked over to Twilight. "Hey Twilight, is there some sort of tracking spell we could use on the wallet? Or maybe follow prints?" I asked hopefully. She hummed in thought for a few moments.

"There is something like that we can try, but It only works in a certain radius, and within a certain time frame." She explained. "Actually, that would be a pretty good idea, only the one who cast the spell is the one who can actually detect anything. And by the time we actually do find a signature, it'll be too late and the signature would vanish, leaving us with only a trace."

"I see.." I said, turning to Valkyrie. "Val, you sure you can't remember anything else about where you were? Any landmarks when you escaped, or climate maybe?" Valkyrie stiffened at the mention of her, but she turned and nodded slowly.

"I.. I remember seeing a forest. I couldn't tell which one though, I was so high that I was in the clouds which made it hard to make out." She said, rubbing an arm with a hoof. Twilight's eyes widened.

"The only mountains the fits that description would be.. the Smokey Mountains.." Hope swelled up in my chest, and I turned to Twilight.

"Is that true?"

"Yes, my friends and I have been there before actually, but that was nearly 2 years ago now." I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, and went to stand.

"Well, at least we have something to follow up on." I stated with a yawn. I looked at the phone screen which read 2:47 AM. "We've been up for a while now. I think it's about time we get some rest and get ready to go tomor- .. later today." I said correcting myself.

I'll go ahead and go into sleep mode then. I'll undo the link for you. Goodnight, my little ponies~

"Yes, I suppose you're right. You four must be exhausted after today." Celestia noted with a smile. "You can go ahead and use my quarters again." I paused, and look at the other ponies in the room for a moment. I then looked at the empty bed that was next to a now sleeping Carbon.

"Actually, I think I'll sleep in here with you guys. If that's okay I mean." I looked down at the floor at the moment, frowning. "I'd.. I'd feel a lot better, staying here tonight." Celestia stared at me with a sympathetic expression, and she nodded in understanding.

"I understand Zale." She answered. I began to walk over to the empty bed, but paused. I look between Twilight, Fizzlepop and Valkyrie. Before I could say anything though, Twilight spoke up.

"I'll go ahead to my room and turn in there after I prepare everything for the tracking spells." Twilight said as she went for the door. "Have a nice rest everypony." And with that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"I'll take this one." Valkyrie said, motioning over to the bed next do Carbon.

That only left Fizzlepop and I. "I guess we're sharing again, huh?" I asked with a smirk.

"Hmph, guess you better get used to it then." She shot back, a cocky grin of her own. I chuckled silently to myself, and we made our way over. I lied down first on my back. For a hospital bed, these were pretty big. Well, I guess we are in a royal castle I figured. Fizzlepop made her way in next to me, taking my arm in hers and using it as a makeshift pillow of sorts. I didn't mind though, and slowly, I dozed off, only just now realizing how tired I was.

It was a hell of a day, and we still have to prepare for the search.

Chapter 10: Surprise

The sun rays shined though the blinds of the window sills as a birds song reached my ears. Another dreamless night.. Without opening my eyes I let out a quiet yawn, and brought a hand up to stroke Fizzlepop's mane without looking. Finding my target, the petting commenced and I heard a satisfied sigh of approval as a small smile of victory touched my face.

"Mornin'." I greeted simply.

"Good morning.." Fizzlepop sighed in return.

"Oh, you two are awake." I heard Twilight call from the doorway. "I was just about to come and wake you three for breakfast. Everypony else is already up in the dining hall."

It was then I decided to crack open an eye, and look to the side of me. As Twilight had said, everyone was awake, other than Valkyrie who was still asleep with a slight snore. I also saw that Valkyrie was in a most peculiar position in her slumber. She looked like she had somehow managed to sleep with her head and forelegs hanging off the bedside, with her back hooves on the pillow.

"Alright, we'll be up in a minute," I assured Twilight.

"Okay, see you there." Twilight walked out of the room, her hoofsteps echoing down the hall until it dissipated completely.

Sitting up, with a little bit of protest from Fizzlepop, I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. 9:14 AM. My eyes caught a new icon at the top of the screen, with three Z's in different sizes. Huh. I guess that means Harmony is still asleep. I figured. I put the phone away and decided I'd let her wake up on her own, assuming she didn't really need breakfast, being inanimate and all.

I got up and did some stretches, Fizzlepop doing much the same. Walking over to Valkyrie's prone body, I gave her a couple of gentle, but firm shakes.

"Val, rise and shi-ine~" I said in a sing-song voice. Valkyrie proceeded to groan in protest, flipping over so that her stomach was showing. I raised an eyebrow in surprise at that. I would assume that she would have woke up almost instantly and be at attention, if not already awake before us. I guess she's started to warm up to me. I smiled in satisfaction and amusement, but she had to get up sooner rather than later.

"Valkyrie, com' on." I said as I prodded her again. "Time to wake up." Valkyrie gave out another noise and waved her hoof in the air before it fell limply back to her side. I had an idea that would probably get her up, and she's either going to hate me for it, or find it funny. However the former option was more likely.

Slowly, I brought my hands up with an evil smirk filled with anticipation. As my hands began to reach for Valkyrie's form, I looked at Fizzlepop who had a skeptical eyebrow raised. I clenched and relaxed my fingers in rapid succession in the air, gesturing my intent. Fizzlepop stifled some laughter after she understood, making my smirk grow more as I closed in on my intended target.

"You go ahead and have fun with that. I''ll head up now." Fizzlepop stated as she went into the hallway.

"Oh don't worry, I plan to savor this." I called back to her.

As soon as I made first contact with Valkyrie's exposed tummy, I began my assault. I got the desired effect, as her eyes shot open and she started laughing hysterically, limbs flailing about.

"Hahahaha! W-What are you- No, Sto- Stop, Haha!!" I didn't relent however, and I leaned in farther with a smug grin.

"What's the magic word~?"

"P-Please!! I'm begging- HAHA- I'm begging you please, b-before I-"

Before she could finish, a bright green flash enveloped my vision for a moment, momentarily blinding me. Backing away, I blinked several times to get my vision cleared from the after image. Valkyrie was catching her breath, and she eyed.. me.. with...

"Valkyrie..?"

I breathed in disbelief at what was in front of me. The eyes that stared back at me were the same, brilliant emerald gems that I knew, but her pupils were slit and had a glow to them. Her form looked nothing like what she did before, the first thing I noticed with the black chitin that her body was now made up of, and her hooves were riddled with holes.

She now had a crooked horn protruding from the base of her forehead, and where her leathery wings had been before, a pair of tattered bug like wings now replaced them. She even grew in size considerably, if she were standing I think she'd be taller than Celestia.

"What.. What happened?" I asked with concern.

"Shit.." I heard her say under her breath. To my further surprise, her voice now had an extra tone in it, and she sounded completely different. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!!" I reeled back at her sudden increase in volume, but my worry only grew at her response.

"Whoa, hey calm down. It's alright," I tried to comfort her and I placed a hand on her shoulder. She immediately jerked away, and scooted back until her back was against the wall.

"Please, don't hurt me!! I-I'm sorry, just please.." Her voiced hitched, and she started cowering. Was she crying? "I don't want to die.."

"Hey now, I'm not going to hurt you!" I said as I waved my hands disarmingly. "I only want to help you, so please calm down.."

She eyed me with abject fear and trepidation, not daring to blink. After a moment though, she sniffled again, and gave me a confused but still frightful look.

"You.. you aren't upset with me?"

"No, I have no reason to be upset with you." I walked back over to her and sat down. She tried to scoot away again, but I placed a hand on her hoof and gently took in it my hands. "It's okay. I promise I'm not mad."

"..Not yet anyway.." I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but regardless it didn't change how I felt.

"Alright, so.. talk to me. What happened to you?"

She let out a sigh and sagged, looking crestfallen and guilty. I let go of her hoof and sat back, giving her some room to calm herself.

"You see," She began, looking up at me through strands of green hair. "This is.. this is my true form, Zale." I cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Your true form?" I echoed. "So, you mean that you aren't actually a pony Val?" She shook her head in confirmation.

"Yes, I'm not actually a pony. Also, my name isn't Valkyrie Skyline." Her head turned to face me fully, and the expression she gave me made my heart melt at the sight. She looked not only tired, but guilty and stressed beyond anything I could comprehend, fear completely vacant.

"My real name.. is Queen Chrysalis."

After a moment, I nodded slightly in understanding. Yet that only left me with more questions.

"So.. Queen Chrysalis," I eyed her with curiosity. "If you aren't a pony, then what are you? And why were you pretending to be one under a different name?" She sighed again, looking down at her hooves.

"I'm what's called a changeling. A race of creatures that have the powers to shape shift at will." She explained. "However queens have more freedom when it comes to that power. We can change our shape, weight, size more so than a normal changeling, and even gain some of the strength and abilities of what we turn into. As for why I was impersonating, well.."

"It's alright, you can tell me the truth." I said softly. "I'll hear you out." She paused for a moment, and looked at me with slight worry.

"After I say what I have to say, I understand if you never want to see me again." I shook my head, and gave her a small smile.

"It won't come to that. I promise."

"..If you say so." She shuffled a bit in the sheets, getting a bit more comfortable and sitting on her haunches. "You remember how I said that I was captured a while ago?" I nodded. "Well, I was captured for a reason. He wanted to use me for his deeds, and I had no choice in the matter because he would kill me if I refused. It was around 2 weeks ago when I started working under him, always preparing for whatever he had planned, stealing artifacts, capturing other innocent creatures and ponies.. and then.."

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

"You have done well for me so far, Chrysalis."

Chrysalis handed him the last artifact she had collected, and he took it in his magic. She backed away and eyed him curiously.

"So.. that's it right?" She asked hopefully. "That's the last one?" He laughed at her question, and shook his head.

"No, no there is still one more thing I need you to do. This time however, I shall accompany you personally." The beast put the artifact down alongside the others on a pedestal, casting a protective spell over it. He stalked towards the other occupants in the room, bound and restrained to the wall. He took his hoof and lifted the chin of a white unicorn filly, who scowled back at him. She said nothing however, and he smiled.

"You shall go into the town of Ponyville, and disguise yourself as one miss 'Sweetie Belle'." He said without looking back at her. "With one of their kin missing for too long, they'll get suspicious. Just do what you do best. Pretend."

"Y-Yes.. and then what?"

"When I give the signal, I want you to turn into something big, and noticeable. You'll know what it is when you hear it." He let go of Sweetie Belle's chin and stalked back towards Chrysalis. She cowered before him, backing away a few paces.

"What do you want me to do then?" She asked skeptically.

"Cause a ruckus. Maybe take a hostage. Use brute force, if you so desire. In the midst of the panic, I'll sneak to where I need to go, and retrieve what I'm after." Sweetie Belle's eyes widened in shock and horror.

"No! Don't you dare hurt my friends or Rarity!" She shrieked out, fighting against her restraints. The beast sighed, and he rolled his eyes. Chrysalis didn't seem to like this plan very much however, and frowned.

"But the element bearers reside in that town! I can guarantee that they will notice me almost immediately when-" A gust of wind blow Chrysalis back several feet, crashing into a wall. Almost instantly, the monsters face was in front of hers, showing it's fangs with hostile intent.

"That's the point, Chrysalis." He spat. "That's exactly why I want you to be the decoy. With you being the center of attention, I can do what I need to do and be done with it. Whatever happens to you, is none of my concern past that point." Chrysalis gulped down a lump that had formed in her throat. "Is that clear?"

"..Understood." She relented, and he released his grip on her, and she fell back onto her hooves shakily. "So, when are we going to execute this plan of yours?"

"Right now." He stated with finality. His horn went alight with a spell at the ready, he released Sweetie Belle from the wall, and cast a sleep spell on her, causing her to fall to the floor. He cast another spell that encircled her head, and let out a small pop sound. "I just cast a sleep spell on her and preformed a 'Forget Me' spell for the both of us. Take her with us and just leave her somewhere close to the town, but keep her out of sight. She'll wake up on her own." Chrysalis nodded, and with her magic she put Sweetie Belle's body on her back.

"Get ready. I'll transport us in the Everfree." A few moments later, they vanished in a flash of orange, and reappeared surrounded by flora and foliage. They were near Sweet Apple Acres, still hidden in the tree line. The changeling queen placed Sweetie Belle under a nearby apple tree, and then was enveloped by green flames before her form was an exact replica of Sweetie Belle. She looked around, seeing that he had vanished. I guess everything's already in place.. she mused, and trotted her way towards Ponyville.

I just have to go into town, and wait for the signal. Should be easy enough. She thought as she went onto the main road towards her destination. Luckily Sweet Apple Acres wasn't that far from the rest of the town, it only took a few minutes to get within the outskirts of town and along the road to the town hall. Chrysalis had mapped out this town long enough to know exactly where everything is, and who lived here. At first it was supposed to be part of her plans of revenge on Starlight glimmer, but the fire and rage she felt has long since dissipated, and she was contempt with living alone in the Everfree.

That is, until..

"Oh, hey Sweeite Belle!" A voice from behind her shouted, breaking her thoughts. The false Sweetie Belle turned to face to new arrivals. Applebloom and Scootaloo. She put on a forced smile and waved at them. "Where were ya yesterday? We couldn't find ya at Rarity's, and y'all weren't at the clubhouse neither."

"Oh, that's because I went camping in the woods," The disguised Chrysalis said without missing a beat. "I just wanted to explore alone for a little while, that's all. Sorry I never told you." Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.

"Meh. I can understand. But next time you go camping, I wanna tag along!" Scootaloo pleaded. Chrysalis just nodded awkwardly in response. Holy shit, that actually worked.

"Hey, what's all the hubbub about over there?" Applebloom asked the two. They all looked over to where Applebloom was pointing, their interest peaked when they saw a crowd start forming and walking towards town hall. They couldn't see who it was they were following, but Applebloom and Scootaloo went to check it out, with the changeling queen having no choice but to follow as well.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

"..And then after you introduced yourself to us, that's when I saw the signal he gave.. and well.." Chrysalis inhaled deeply, and let it out in a slow, agonizing breath. "Then.. I transformed into that Ursa Major. I took the first hostage I could find and.. you know the rest. As for why I was here as a lunar guard, well.. It was out of fear mostly." I didn't say anything, waiting for her to clarify.

"Well, you royally handed my ass to me, and that's why I was so scared of you. And also.. he tried to kill me anyway, even when the mission was a success.. I don't know what it was he was after, as he never told me about his plans clearly, just gave me the orders to carry out his deeds." She sighed, looking downcast.

"So I ran away. I wanted to start anew, out of fear and in the hopes of ever forgetting that experience, even if I knew it would haunt me. Lunar guard 'Valkyrie Skyline'. But then as luck would have it, the very next day I get placed under your orders. I thought you would have been cruel, a tyrant, or at least a jerk. But.. you've shown kindness and trust. Even it's been a little over a day, I can see literally how true your feelings are." Chrysalis looked away, a guilty expression on her face.

"I didn't want to lose that, to lose.. a friend. I thought if I just had kept pretending, eventually I wouldn't have to, and I could start a new life being your personal guard. But then the most unceremonious thing that could have broken my disguise was tickling." Chrysalis looked back at me, and said nothing for a moment. I said nothing once more, and that's when she got up and started to walk out the door.

"I'm so sorry Zale.."

I sat there for several moments, processing Chrysalis's recounting of what she did. I was feeling.. conflicted. I felt anger because not only had she put other ponies in danger including Sweetie Belle; only now realizing I haven't actually met the real one; and Derpy. I also was grateful that whoever this 'He' character was didn't actually harm Sweetie Belle, and actually let her go, I can only hope that the other ponies she had captured for him was treated with such restraint as well. I felt my blood broiling, and I gave Chrysalis a scrutinizing glare, and I was about to yell something, but..

When I look into her eyes, I can just see how guilty she felt, and how sorry she really is. She was trembling, she looked tired, and just an overall wreck. My expression softened, and I let out a sigh.

"Chrysalis." I called. She stopped and her ears perked up at the mention of her name.

"..Yes?" She asked after a moment of hesitation.

I looked at her for a few moments, before sucking my teeth and scratching the back of my head. "Listen. As long as you're willing to make up for the things you have done, then I'll forgive you." I closed my eyes and looked down.

"I'm not mad mind you; I'm just.. disappointed. Although I understand your position and that you really had little to no choice." I put my hand over my heart, clenching my chest. "I can understand not having control over things in your life, and it sucks balls." I opened my eyes in surprise, and slightly confused. Where did this.. feeling of helplessness come from? I thought to myself. I shook those thoughts out of my head however, and kept my focus on the situation.

"But, I really only wish you were honest and open about who and what you actually are earlier, rather than hide it away. However I can understand why you did so." I got up and walked over to the changeling queen, who was now sitting on her haunches in front of the doorway, and I scooped her up in a hug. She looked confused, and mouthed for a few moments, before a sniffle escape her, and she leaned into the embrace.

"Even after all of this though I still trust you, Chrysalis. That's just what friends do, right?" I asked, a small smile touching my face. Chrysalis then returned the embrace fully, and tears began to fall as a 'Thank you' came from between her choked sobs. I thought about what I had just said. It was true, that I still have faith in Chrysalis. But I couldn't help but wonder if the feeling was mutual. I decided not to ponder on it for too long, and just sat there with her in this moment.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

"Alright Chrysy, I think it's time we went up for breakfast." I said, standing back up. We had been like that for a couple of minutes, although I'm not sure how long we had been down here in total. She stood, and green flames enveloped her again, and Valkyrie Skyline was back. I raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I thought you were done with the whole pretending thing?" I asked curiously. "Why go back in that form?" Chrysalis shuffled on her hooves uncomfortably.

"Well you see, I don't exactly have the best history with the others as Chrysalis, and that's an even longer story in of itself, so.." I sighed, but decided to not press the matter further and began to walk out of the room towards the dinning hall.

"Fine, but I do want you to come clean with the others eventually." She only nodded in response, following behind me. We passed by nurse Snowheart, who had just checked in for the day. She waved at us in acknowledgement, and we waved back with a smile.

"Good luck in your investigation!" she called after us before walking into a room with an awaiting patient. I like her. She's nice.

It didn't take very long to get to the dinning hall, although we were met with confused and slightly annoyed faces. I let out a yawn as I made my way over to an empty seat next to Fizzlepop, and Chry- .. 'Valkyrie' taking the one following that.

"What in the Sam Hill kept y'all?" Applejack asked. I chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of my head.

"Uh sorry, it was my fault. I was having too much fun messing with Val, and I might've gotten carried away." Fizzlepop rolled her eyes at that, but smiled all the same.

"You were having fun!? Without me!?" Pinkie exclaimed, hurt in her words. I chuckled, and gave her a quick boop from across the table.

"Don't worry Pinks, I'll be sure to invite ya next time." I smirked in amusement when she giggled like a mad filly.

Twilight poked her head out from the book she was reading. "Are you going to do that with all of us?" Twilight asked wearily. "The whole shortened nickname thing?" I actually had to think about that one. I stroked my chin in thought, and just shrugged after a moment.

"Honestly, it just comes naturally. It isn't something I can really force out, especially if the name is hard to shorten, or if I can't make a pun out of it." It was true. I found it especially hard to think of a nickname for Applejack and Spike, because 'Apple' is shared between members of her family, and Spike is already one syllable. Twilight simply shrugged in response, and went back to reading.

Celestia came into the room, with several bowls in her magic. With slight tilt of the head, the bowls found themselves in front of me and the rest around the table. Instead of pancakes again, this time it looked like oatmeal, rich and creamy. A simple, nice change of pace.

Chapter 11: The Search Begins

We were all sitting at the table now, just having finished our meals. Our empty bowls were taken away by a maid and we were then left alone, the atmosphere of the room feeling much more heavy. I could practically feel everyone's nerves boring into me from the pressure alone, but we knew what we had to do. Celestia took in a deep breath, and looked up at the group.

"I believe it's time to discuss the current situation regarding Princess Luna and Starlight Glimmer." Her horn lit up, and a large scroll appeared beside her. She then used her magic and levitated the scroll over to me. I gingerly took it, and unraveled it, unsealing it's contents. It was a map, of the entire country of Equestria from the looks of it.

"Right now, the only leads we have is that something or 'someone' that's originally from Zale's world has been at the scene, and that this could be related to Valkyrie's kidnapping somehow." Twilight stated, shuffling her wings. "We've seen how powerful this thing is first hand, so I don't think we can take it head on."

"Then we'll do our best to avoid that scenario." I answered, going into deep thought. "If it could over power all of you like that, then there's very little chance we'll be able to take it down. Our only objective is to get Starlight, Luna and any other ponies it might have taken. Not to fight it," I stroked my chin in thought after a moment before continuing. "Even if we are successful, there's no telling the damage it could still deal, and what it's even after in the first place. So I don't think we can just leave it be either."

"When, you are successful." Rarity added. "Everything will be fine darling, you'll see! Also, I have a little something for you back in Celestia's room, go take a look before you leave." I looked at her for a moment, expressionless. Even with the reassurance, I still had my doubts that everything will turn out as planned. Nothing ever does, at least not where I come from. I conceded the point however, and simply nodded with a small smile.

"Right, thank you Rarity. So, when do we leave?" I asked. "I would rather leave as soon as we can, I feel like the faster we get this job done, the better." Celestia hummed in thought, before nodding to herself.

"You, Valkyrie, Tempest and Twilight will be leaving tonight. For now, I shall prepare supplies and other necessities for your journey. You all take the time you need to discuss how you shall move forward." Celestia stated. "Remember that Luna's disappearance isn't known the the public yet, so be careful of what you say in public. We won't want to cause a panic while investigating." We all nodded in unison, grateful for the arrangements being made.

"Right. Well thanks again for breakfast Celly." I got up from the table and started to talk towards the door before stopping, my hand pushing the doors open. "Hey Fizzy, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Oh, sure." Fizzlepop got up from the table and followed me into the hallway. We walked for a moment or two in silence, before I stopped and turn around. "Is.. Is something wrong?" Fizzlepop asked hesitantly.

"That's what I was going to ask you actually," I began, crouching down. "I forgot to ask; or rather i didn't get the chance to back in Ponyville; I noticed that you give me this weird look sometimes, like you're worried or how a mother looks at her child." She was silent for a moment, before sighing.

"You see.. you remind me of somepony I haven't seen in a very long time." She explained. "He was.. he was like a little brother in a way. The way you talk, the way you smile, always putting others before yourself.. It all reminded me of him. He's always managed to get into trouble though despite being so reserved, always ended up getting hurt. Kind of like how you are right now." I couldn't help but snort at that, seeing as how true it was.

"Yeah, I see your point. You had me concerned, that's all." I hummed in thought for a moment before standing back up to full height. "What's his name?" Fizzlepop closed her eyes, a small smile touching her face.

"His name was Light Weight." I raised an eyebrow. Who would name their kid Light Weight? I shook the thought out of my head, and she continued. "As you can imagine, he was always picked on because of his name and cutie mark. Even if he was picked on, he always trudged on like it wasn't happening at all." Fizzlepop chuckled a little, a reminiscent smile appearing on her features. "He only acknowledged it when it concerned me or his other friends. He was always brave when it came to those he cared about." A smile of my own forming on my face.

"Sounds like a pretty great guy if you ask me." I said smugly. Fizzlepop chuckled at that, and nodded in agreement.

"He sure was. I haven't seen him since I started working under the Storm King, but that was over 6 years ago now. Haven't heard from him since." I hummed in thought at that, and I give Fizzlepop a quick scratch behind an ear.

"Well maybe after we take care of all this we can go pay him a visit?" I offered. Fizzlepop looked up at me, her mouth slight;y agape. A solemn smile formed on her face.

"Yes, I'd like that." I nodded, and then we both continued to walk side by side down the hallway.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

We had made it to Celestia's room, and there were a few noticeable changes upon entering. Firstly, the trays and medical equipment were now gone, due to the lack of a patient I mused. These were her royal chambers after all, not some medical wing.

Second, there was a package on the bed with my name attached to it , wrapped with violet wrapping paper and a blue ribbon. I walked up to the bed, sat down and put the package on my lap before carefully unwrapping it. Fizzlepop stood beside me as I did so, leaning in to get a better view.

I had finished undoing the tie on the ribbon, took the edges of the paper in my fingers, and revealed what lied underneath it all. My eyes widened as i saw the familiar cloth before me, having the same comforting charm that it always had given me. I held it up, taking in the details with awe and admiration.

It was my hoodie. It was as good as new. In fact, it had a new design and some other changes along with it. Instead of the simple, gray hemming at the ends of the sleeves and waist, was now black, and had an intricate design laced with a blue string that curved and weaved into itself at the other side, repeating the pattern. In the back, there was now a bad ass looking green letter 'Z' that took most of the space in the back. And the inside..

Before, it was a simple plaid layout on the inside of the hoodie, white and gray tiles. Now, it was black as well, and etched inside was the same symbols that my friends had on their asses. 'Cutie Marks' if i remembered correctly. I don't know why this hoodie had meant so much to me in the past, but now I knew for sure that it had even greater value to me now. A tear rolled down my face, and I took the piece of clothing and held it close to my heart.

Fizzlepop somehow slipped behind me and took me in her arms, offering her embrace to me. I leaned back a little, biting back my sobs, and just enjoyed this while it lasted. However as soon as I was done preparing, I was going to find Rarity, thank her a million times, and give her the biggest hug and brightest smile I have to offer.

I heard Fizzlepop giggle behind me as she let me go. For some strange reason, I knew that she probably knew what I was thinking. I blushed a little and cleared my throat. "Eheh, well uhm," I began, standing up and putting my newly designed hoodie on. "Let's go back to the others and get ready." As we began to walk out of the room, my Phone rang in my pocket. I lifted the phone in my hand and read the caller.

It looked like Harmony was awake. Answering, I put her on speaker phone. "Good morning." I greeted.

A drawn out yawn came from the device before she answered. "Good morning Isaiah. Sleep well?"

"Yep, slept like a rock, despite everything."

"That's good to hear. So, I guess we're going to leave soon then, huh?" She asked. I checked the time on screen. 11:27 AM.

"We still have a good six hours or so before we actually go anywhere. Why?" Harmony hummed in thought for a moment.

"Well, I remembered a few nifty features that I had that could be useful," She began. "You remember how I made that Speaker materialize back at Twilight's place?" I nodded.

"Yeah, what about it?" I asked curiously as we walked through the hallway leading to the throne room.

"Well, I can do much more than just that apparently." I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Considering when you took over my body and somehow became Super Man, then yes I would assume you could." I quipped. "So, what else can you do?"

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

Fizzlepop and I along with Harmony made it back to the dinning hall, only to find that no one was there. Valkyrie was standing at attention when i came in, but she was the only one in the room right now. Confused, I walked up to her.

"Where'd everybody go?" I asked inquisitively. Valkyrie put her hoof down and exhaled.

"Twilight went to retrieve some items down in the city, Princess Celestia had to go and take care of some royal duties along with Spike. The rest of them went to their guest rooms for some much needed rest." I hummed in consideration before nodding with satisfaction.

"Well, that's good. I guess we can go meet up with Twilight then and help her out." I figured since she's the only one that's able to tag along with us, we could discuss our plans in the process. "Care to help us out Harmony?" I asked with a coy smile. Valkyrie raised an eyebrow, before my phone made a pinging sound followed by a beep.

"Twilight is currently at an establishment called "Doughnut Joe's" in this location." Harmony responded. I smiled at how helpful Harmony was whens he told me about her locator during our walk in the hallway. She didn't really go into detail about how it worked, but basically anyone Harmony has seen through my eyes can be located as long as they're within range. What that specific range was however, she didn't know. I looked down at the map of Canterlot, showing our current location with the route to our target destination. Twilight wasn't far, about a 10 minute walk without holdups.

"Thanks Harmony, I appreciate it." I said in praise, looking towards Valkyrie. She looked almost.. Impressed. And a little scared but she sobered up quickly. "Let's go." And with that, we were out of the dinning hall and headed towards the entrance of the castle.

"Hey, Isaiah?" Fizzlepop pipped up as we turned the corner in the stairwell and headed down the corridor. I looked over at her with an eyebrow raised.

"What's up?"

"I know you haven't had the best experiences here in being so new here, and the timing is pretty bad for things like this to happen, But.." Fizzlepop look up at me, ears drooping slightly. "You don't have to feel like you have to take on all of this responsibility yourself, and I know you'll find that happiness you're looking for."

I thought about that for a moment. Was I really taking it all on myself? Huh.. I guess I kinda am. A small smile made it's way onto my face as I patted Fizzlepop on her head. "Don't worry, I know.. I just have a debt to Starlight that I owe her, that and on top of the help I've gotten from Luna just adds on to the never ending list of things I owe you girls." I sighed as the guards opened the castle doors for us and we walked through. "You've all done so much for me than you can ever imagine. Even if I can't remember my past, I'm so grateful for all of you.. and I just.." I tied to continue, but he words were caught in my throat. I started to get light headed as tears began to fall involuntarily. "Huh..?" Was the last thing that i managed to choke out before darkness claimed me.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > Flashback < < ~ ~ ~ ~

We all laughed as the episode finished. The Discord group call we had going was lively and comical, just enjoying each others company at 2 in the morning, time zones being the thing that separates us. A tired yawn escape from one of us, making the others snort in amusement.

"Getting sleepy already?" I quipped, closing the tab the anime was playing on.

"Whaddya mean 'Getting sleepy already'? It's 5 in the bloody morning.." Mackea defended, another yawn cutting her off. "Besides, don't cha got somewhere to be today?" I chucked sheepishly, clearing my throat.

"Yeah, it's getting pretty late Zale. I think we should call it here, starting to doze off myself." Nick stated. I heard him shuffle a bit over the line, probably getting comfortable in bed."

"Besides, I've got classes to get to soon anyway," Winter began. "I'll leave you guys to it. Have a good rest! And Zale? Try not to snore." We all laughed a little at that, and with that Winter left the call.

"Well, I guess I'm pretty tired myself." I relented. I got comfortable in my blankets on the couch, my laptop being in front of me on a chair. Silence ensued for a few moments before I spoke up again. "Hey, guys?"

"Yeah Zale?" Mackea asked curiously.

"I know this is going to sound super cheesy but.. I'm so glad that I met all of you. Everyone in this group has helped me see life from different angles, and with each experience I feel like I've grown closer with all of you."

Nick burst out laughing, and my cheeks burned a little. "Com' on dude, I know you said it would be cheesy, but wow," he calmed down a little, sighing. "But.. I know what you mean. I honestly don't know what I'd be doing right now without you three, and I'm happy to be your pals, even if it's only online. Right Mac?"

After a moment of silence, a loud snore broke out from Mackea's line, causing us to chuckle silently. "Ah well, I'm pretty sure she heard us. I hope"

"Yeah, heh. Still though.. I'm grateful for you guys, and grateful for the experiences we've had."

"Totally dude, just remember, We'll always be here..

~ ~ ~ ~ > > Present < < ~ ~ ~ ~

I let out a low groan of discomfort, putting a hand on my head.

"Isaiah?" I heard a voice call from beside me. I opened my eyes and looked over at Fizzlepop who had a concerned look on her face. "Was it another one? Another memory?" It took my a moment for my mind to register the question, but I nodded in response.

"Yeah.. it was," I began, standing back up. I looked around and noticed we were inside of a building that resembled a bakery. However, the place was empty. "Where are we?"

"We're in Doughnut Joe's right now." Twilight's voiced answered from behind me. I turned around to her her walking up to us with a box of doughnuts in her magic, and she set them down on a nearby table. "When Tempest and Valkyrie came in with you, the place had already been cleared out before hand to I could talk to Fluer de lis in private about our investigation." My eyes shot up in surprise and recognition.

"Lily? Is she here?" Twilight nodded. "Wait, how does she know about what happened?" Twilight's features damped a little, and her ears drooped.

"She should be back in a moment. She knows because her fiance was taken as well by a similar creature from what she told me. It happened while we were asleep, and it got away without it being noticed." Twilight explained. "Fluer didn't even notice herself until after she heard the window shatter and it disappeared into the night with Fancy."

"Oh.." I said frowning deeply at that, sympathy swelling in my heart. "Damn it.." I felt a hoof land on my shoulder, turning slightly I saw that it was Valkyrie.

"We'll get them all back Zale, count on it." I smiled a little at the sentiment that Valkyrie displayed, and booped her on the nose. Her cheeks puffed up and a weird crooked confused frown broke across her muzzle, scrunching up. "What was that for?" I chuckled, shaking my head.

"I just felt like booping ya. Can't help it sometimes, ya know?" I walked over to the table and took a seat, taking a vanilla frosted doughnut from the box. She narrowed her eyes slightly, but she couldn't hide the sly smile that she was wearing. Fizzlepop stifled a chuckle of her on behind a hoof. It was then we heard a door open behind Twilight, and we all turned to see that it was Lily that had entered the room.

Her eyes landed on me, and a small smile touched her lips. "Hello Zale, It's nice to see that you're okay." I smiled back, nodding.

"Hey Lily, glad to see you too." her smile faded as she walked in further, taking a seat next to me. I knew she had Fancy Pants on her mind, and i could understand what she was feeling.

"Don't worry Zale," Twilight chimed in. "I've already gotten most of the details about what happened last night from Fluer de lis." I began to respond, but Lily shook her head, looking up at me.

"No, it's okay. I'd like to tell Zale myself about what had happened. Besides, there's something I'd like to.. discuss with him in private, if that's alright."

"Oh, sure I'm okay with that." I responded with no hesitation at all. "I'll hear you out Lily." She smiled at that and nodded in thanks. Twilight paused for a moment, before nodding in understanding.

"Okay Fluer, we'll leave you to it." Twilight nodded towards Valkyrie and Fizzlepop, and they followed Twilight out of the room, closing the door behind them with a soft click. Lily took in a deep breath, before letting it out and steeling herself.

"Okay.. now here do I begin."

Chapter 12: Promises

Lily and I sat in the room sat in a serene silence for a few moments, and while lily gathered her thoughts, I took in my surroundings. Doughnut Joes was pretty decently sized, about a dozen tables were placed with generous space between them, with stools and chairs at each one. Behind the counter, sat a glass display of doughnuts and pastries of various types, colors, and sizes. Lily closed her eyes and took in a deep breath taking in the surrounding aroma, before letting it out and looking back at me.

"I suppose I should start before I went to bed that night," She began, placing her front hooves on the table and leaning in slightly. "A few hours after we got home from our brunch.." Lily's eyes widened a bit, and she looked at me intently. "Speaking of which, how are you feeling? I hope it's not normal for you to pass out like that."

I was about to say 'It's not', but after a bit of thought, I sighed and chuckled sheepishly. "Actually, it's kind of a thing that recently started, and I have a feeling that it won't be the last time either." I took a bite of what was probably my third doughnut by this point, I was probably gonna gain a few pounds but god these were good. "Nothing to worry about though, I'll be fine." Lily looked at me for a few more moments before nodding.

"Alright, if you're sure. Anyway, before bed Fancy went to freshen up in the rest room, and I read a book while lying in bed." She closed her eyes and let at a long, shallow breath, as to prepare herself to continue. "After some time, I fell asleep because he was taking a while. I was asleep for about half an hour before I heard glass breaking and heavy hoofsteps.."

I nodded along, clearly seeing where this was going. She had a pained expression on her face, and her eyes were shut tight, hooves clamping the table. I put a hand on her hoof to help her relax, and she seemed to appreciate the gesture, easing up a bit.

"I got up to see what happened, and when I walked in the bathroom.. it was a mess." She opened her eyes and they locked onto mine, and what I saw in them were loss and dread. "The shower curtains were ripped and torn, like a beast's claw, both the mirror and window were shattered.. and.. and.." Lily started to sniffle, tears forming in her eyes.

"There was b-blood.. so much blood.. I-I.. I.." I Instinctively got up from my seat and went over to Lily's side, and she immediately wrapped her hooves around my barrel, crying into my shirt. I held her, caressing her mane, trying to help her calm down.

"It'll be okay Lily," I began when her sobs started to die down. "We'll get him back." I looked down at her with the most reassuring smile I could offer. Lily wiped away her tears with a hoof and looked up at me, her eyes now red and puffy from crying, and with a pleading look of hope.

"Zale.. can I ask you something?" I tilted my head to the side.

"Sure, what's up?" She looked unsure for a moment, as if contemplating something.

"I'd like you to promise me two things." She stated, eyes narrowing. "One: Promise me that you'll bring back Fancy to me.. and two," She lowered her head, and nuzzled into me hand. "Promise me, that you come back to us too." my eyes widened a bit, and I didn't say anything for a moment. No pony should ever be exposed to such gruesome sights, it completely wrecks them on the inside, and I've noticed it.

But then I smiled, and booped her after she finished nuzzling me. "I promise that we will bring him back, and we'll all come back safe, no matter what." She beamed at hearing that, and we let each other go. I went back to my seat, picked up a cream filled doughnut this time, and took a bite.

"Thank you Zale, Fancy really means a lot to me." She smirked a bit, taking a doughnut in her magic. "And so do you." She took a pretty big bite of the powdered doughnut, and some of the power puffed up, causing it to cover some parts of her face. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, and she giggled too, until it was too contagious and we started laughing our asses off.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

After we were finished in Doughnut Joe's, Lily and I stepped outside where Twilight, Fizzlepop and 'Valkyrie' were waiting, all of them having sad smiles as they noticed us. They must of heard everything.. I turn to Lily and nudge her a bit, grabbing her attention.

"Thank you, for telling me about what happened. I know it must've been hard for you." She smiled at that, and shook her head.

"Don't mention it Zale, I only told you because I believe in you." I smiled back, giving her a little pat.

"Thanks." Lily sighed, and began to walk off down the road.

"I do believe it's time to me to go, I'll have to fill in for Fancy while he's gone so I'll be pretty busy for a while." I nodded in understanding, all of us waving after her. "Good luck!" She called back, before rounding the corner and disappearing from view. Our waves ceased, and now we stand there on the road in silence for a few moments. My eyes widened a bit as I remembered something, and I turn to Twilight.

"Twilight, did that tracking spell of yours work?" I asked curiously.

"Well, it didn't work in the castle, too much time went by between the attack and when the spell was cast, but," she said, smiling triumphantly. "It did work where Fancy Pants was attacked, and It seems our hunch on them being somewhere in the Smokey mountains may be true after all!" I beamed at that, I got so excited in fact, that I scooped Twilight up and spun around holding her. She seemed a bit flustered and slightly confused but she smiled all the same.

"That's great! We'll find everyone in no time." I put an arm around Fizzlepop and put up a thumb. This was great news, we have a solid lead now thanks to Twilight. Now all we had to do with go back to the castle, get ready to set course, and come up with a plan. I let go of Fizzlepop and ruffled her mane a bit.

"Thank goodness, we should head back to the castle now and get ready." Valkyrie stated. "We also can talk about the plan along the way, because right now we only have the location. We have no idea what could be in store for us up there." We all nodded in agreement and with that, we were en route back to Canterlot castle.

I pulled out my phone and played a game or two while walking, while still being mindful of the surrounding area. I played a simple rhythm game for a few minutes, and then moved on to a turn based RPG, nothing special. When we rounded the corner and went up the hill, I saw an icon pop up at the top of the screen.

Apparently, a new app had been installed. Curious, I opened it up to see what it was. The application's name is 'Play With Me!', and when I opened it, a saw a variety of simple games like tic tack toe, go fish, checkers and chess, you name it. I picked tic tack toe to give it a go, but when I saw who the second player was, a small smile touched my face. Looks like Harmony just wanted to play, that explains the application name.

So we played for a little while as we went on down the road.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

As we walked up towards the castle gates, we were met by a pair of solar guards, standing at attention as we entered.

"Mister Chase, Miss Twilight." One of the stallions greeted. "Her royal highness requests that you seek an audience with her as soon as you return." We both nodded in thanks, and made our way inside. We went up the all too familiar staircase and rounded the hall towards the throne room in silence, and opened the doors.

We went inside and walked towards the throne, where Princess Celestia, Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood, ears perking up upon our arrival. Celestia trotted towards us with a welcoming smile.

"Welcome back everypony," Celestia began, looking in Twilight's direction. "How was the investigation today? I hope the turn out was satisfactory." Twilight nodded, beaming.

"It was, but Fancy Pants's foalnapping wasn't a pretty one though." Twilight noted. "The tracking spell worked in that area, and all signs point towards the Smokey Mountains!"

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pumping a hoof in the air. "Great job Twilight, I knew you had it in ya!"

"Of course," Applejack added. "If anypony could figure it out, It'd be Twilight." They all nodded in agreement, and Twilight chuckled sheepishly with a pink tinge on her cheeks. Spike walked up towards Celestia poking her leg with a claw, grabbing her attention. She smiled, and nodded at the little drake, turning back to me.

"I've called you here for two reasons. One, These two ponies have a few things for you." Various items appeared in Celestia's magic, and she levitated them over to me. There was a jar with a small cloud in it, a few books with the title 'Daring Doo' on their covers, a coil of rope and saddlebags with one of the bags containing all sorts of apple related products. I raised an eyebrow and looked between Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

"This little guy," Rainbow began, pointing at the cloud. "Can be used for all sorts of stuff. I used it mostly for pulling pranks and stuff, but he can actually be pretty handy." She tapped a hoof on her chin, hovering in place. "It can store water inside and it grows depending on how much you put in it, it can create small lightning strikes if you rub on it to charge it up give it a wack, and it's great to nap on." She finished, nodding. "Oh, and the books are from me, just in case you get bored or something."

"This here rope and apple sack is from me," Applejack chimed in. "Ya never know when a trusty rope'll come in handy, and since it'd take a few days or so to complete your mission, I'd figured y'all would be hungry along the way." She chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. I smiled at that, stretching a hand out to offer Valkyrie the saddle bags. As I did so however, I noticed the the bags themselves were slightly modified so that they were facing sideways, it almost looks like a utility belt with comically large pockets.

"Rarity took the liberty to modify the bags to be more accustomed to your body." Celestia explained when she saw my confused look. "She as well as the others are currently asleep in their guest rooms, so I don't think they'll be seeing you off."

"Ah, alrighty then. Makes sense." I said as I put on the modified saddlebags, wrapping it around my waist like a belt and strapping it on. As I looked down I eyed my hoodie for a bit, and I remembered something I was supposed to do. "Say, can you tell Rarity i said thanks for the hoodie she made me? It really means a lot to me." Celestia smiled and nodded, and then turned to Spike.

"My other reason is because Spike, the brave and glorious wants to go with you." My eyes shot up in surprise at that, and I looked towards him, cocking up an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to?" I asked carefully. "It won't be easy, and we don't exactly know how long it'll take." Spike nodded, a defiant look forming on his face.

"I know that, but I want to help! Besides," Spike said, stepping to Twilight's side. "Wherever Twilight goes, I go." He crossed his arms and help his head high. I couldn't help but respect his resolve, but I looked at Twilight, nodding Towards Spike.

"Well? Is it okay if he tags along Twi?" I asked her curiously. Twilight looked worried, looking at the little drake with caution.

"Are you really sure Spike?" Twilight asked again. "It will most certainly be dangerous, especially if we run into that monster again.." Spike nodded without hesitation.

"I want to help you Twilight. I am your loyal assistant after all, aren't I?" Twilight smiled, looking back towards me.

"Well, it looks like Spike is sure about this, so I say we let him." Twilight ruffled Spike's scales with a hoof. "I can't leave him here alone after all." Spike beamed at that, pumping his fist in the air. We stood there for a moment in silence, and Celestia smiled solemnly at us.

"Well, this is it." Celestia stated, closing her eyes. "You have everything you need for your journey, and your goal is clear. To bring everypony back to us." We nodded in understanding. I started at Celestia for a few moments, before walking up to her and taking her in for an hug. She returned the embrace immediately with a wing, with the others joining in afterwards.

"We'll bring them back, safe and sound." I stated with a firm resolve.

"I know you will." Celestia replied with a small smile. "I wish you luck on your mission." I let off a salute, turning back to the others.

"Well.. Let's get to it." I stated with finality. They all nodded, and we walked out of the throne room, Fizzlepop standing close to my side.

"We can do this together." Fizzlepop said, a smile touching her lips. I nodded at that, a smile of my own forming.

"Right. Let's do it, Together."

Author's Note

This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but i am sort of pressed for time at the moment, and I think I may switch it up to updating every other week because of that.

Such is life, you know? :ajsmug:

Chapter 13: Departure

"Oh, you're heading out now?" Lily asked, looking up from the newspaper in her magic. I nodded in response, taking a sip of the chai tea my host graciously prepared. Lily and I were currently sitting in her living room, with a couch on one side of the small round table, and a love sofa on the other. It was a pretty sizable room, which made sense with her being a noble and all. A dresser lined with knic-knacks and fine china on the top sat to her left, while the fire place, lit with a small ember sat on my right.

"Yeah, I figured I'd come and pay a visit before we leave. It will be a while before we come back with everyone else." I explained, sighing in alleviation. "I remembered your address, so it wasn't too much trouble." Lily nodded in understanding, taking a swig of her own tea.

"Well I appreciate that you thought to visit me before leaving," Lily began with a thoughtful smile. "I suppose I did need the company." She placed her empty tea cup on the small plate that sat on the table with her magic, folding the newspaper into a roll and placing it on the side.

"Too bad i can't stay though," I pointed out, finishing off the last of my tea, placing the empty cup on the plate as well. "But I'll definitely come over more often when all of this is said and done, your tea is amazing." I said, nodding with a satisfied smile. "Oh, and your company is nice too." Lily giggled at that, a hint of mirth in her eye.

"You really are a kind soul, Zale." My eyes widened at that, a small burning coming to my cheeks. I looked away, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I'm just being me, I guess. As I see it, being nice is kinda, well, nice." I said with a chuckle. Lily only shook her head in amusement.

"I'll definitely look forward to your visits then." Lily said with a wink. "But it's probably not a good idea to keep your friends waiting, doesn't the train leave soon?" I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. It was 2:17 PM.

"Oof, you're probably right about that, heh." I said as I stood up. "The train is supposed to be at the station at 2:30 or so."

"You better get going then Zale, or else you'll miss it." I nodded at that, walking towards the door.

"Yuppers, see ya later alligator!" I waved and walked out of the residence, starting at a brisk pace towards Canterlot station.

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As I made my way through the streets of Canterlot en route to the train station, I hummed a little tune to myself, not minding the passing ponies and occasional griffons along the way. I wasn't used to this part of the city yet, but thanks to Harmony, navigation was a breeze. The station came into view as I turned a corner, and I saw my entourage waiting for me at the edge.

Canterlot Station was just as grand as the rest of the city, albeit on a more smaller scale. White marble pillars emblazoned with gold streaks acted as supports for the high reaching ceiling, much taller than I was. Various ponies were walking in and out of the station, chatter filed the area, not even ceasing as I passed through, but I did get quite a few curious glances. Word must've gotten around about me, and word sure does travel fast.

Spike noticed me walking up the stairs, and he waved me down from his position on Twilight's back. "Hey, there he is! Yo, Zale!" He called. I waved back in response, stopping in front of Twilight.

"Are you all set?" Twilight asked. I gave her a thumbs up in response, and nodded.

"Yep, I've already taken care of my business here." As I pull out my phone to check up on Harmony, the train made it's presence known with a blow of it's horn. It was visible in the distance coming down the railroad, approaching the station. I looked down at my phone and read that it was now 2:30, on the dot. I unlocked the phone and pull up my caller list, and dial up one miss Harmony.

After just one ring, she picked up. "Good evening Isaiah, what can I do ya for?" Harmony asked cheerfully.

"just wanted to check up on you is all really," I answered honestly. "You're a part of the team too now after all."

"Actually, I did want to talk to you about that." I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What's up?"

Harmony hummed in thought for a moment before answering. "Well you see Isaiah, you don't have to treat me the way you do. You know, like an actual person." I heard Harmony sigh over the line just before the screeching of metal on metal rang from the train's brakes.

"What do you mean?" I asked sincerely.

"Asking how I'm doing, having idle chats with me, treating me like a friend; to name a few things."

"Isaiah, come on!" I heard Fizzlepop shout after me. She was already on the train. I wasn't paying attention to when the doors actually opened, and I quickly made my way inside and followed her down the car. The inside of the train looked much more spacious than what the outside of it let on. Compared to a subway tram in my world, this would probably be considered S class. Cushioned seats, tables in between most of the seats, clean and clear wide windows, giving a perfect view of everything on the outside.

I shook my head and decided to admire the train's decor later and continued the conversation at hand. "Harmony, It's really no trouble at all. I treat you the way I do because I enjoy having you around, just like everyone else." I pointed out. "I would feel terrible just treating you like.. like a tool and a slave, Harmony." A pang of guilt twinged in the back of my mind, making me wince slightly.

Harmony stayed silent for a few moments before I heard a chuckle on the other end. "You know, I guess Lily was right. You really are something else, you know that? .. Thank you, for caring about me Isaiah."

I took a seat next to Valkyrie, sliding in a bit to make room for Fizzlepop. She took the empty space on the other side and got in a comfortable position as she laid her head on my lap. Twilight and Spike sat on the other side with a table between us. "Hey, what can I say except 'You're welcome'?" I said with a smile.

I heard Harmony let out a drawn out yawn."Well, I'ma take a nap. Call if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure thing." I answered with a nod. The line went silent after that, and I put my phone away in my hoodie pocket.

"So how was Harmony doing?" Fizzlepop asked looking up at me. I smiled down at her.

"She's okay now, just had to talk to her."

"And Fleur?" I heard Valkyrie ask to my right. "How's she holding up on her own?"

"She's actually handling it surprisingly well when I went to visit her," I began with a thoughtful look. "Even though she did mentioned she needed the company then, I think she'll be alright now." Valkyrie nodded in understanding.

"That's good to hear." Twilight noted. "Spike, did you send the letters I wrote to the others girls that didn't see us off?"

"Yup!" Spike answered, crossing his arms. "But from what Celestia told me, Rarity was disappointed that she didn't get the chance to see us off."

"I have a feeling I know why.." I said, placing a hand over my hoodie. "Rarity did make this for me, and I haven't gotten a chance to thank her yet."

"That, and she didn't get to see you in it." Fizzlepop added with a smirk. I chuckled a little, before sighing and lying back in the cushion of the seat. Damn, these seats were comfy. I closed my eyes and sighed, calming myself.

"Well I'll be sure to give her my biggest thanks when we return." After a moment of silence, the train lurched into motion.

"Alright guys," Twilight began. "Here's the plan so far. We're on our way to Vanhoover, which is the closest town to the Smokey mountains. It'll be a couple of hours till our stop, but once we get there, we'll grab a few more supplies, a bite to eat, and hoof it the rest of the way." Valkyrie hummed in thought.

"That's sounds.. like a good start, I suppose." Valkyrie noted. "How shall we proceed towards the mountain itself, and what sort of strategy should we follow during the rescue?" Twilight sighed, and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.

"Ideally we would want to get to it as quickly and safely as possible," Twilight tapped a hoof on her chin in thought. "As for a strategy, we know too little about our enemy to come up with a solid one. I can only remember so much about the terrain from the last time I was here."

"So you're saying we'll have to wing it from there, huh?" I asked, cracking open an eye.

"As of right now, yes. But if anything happens along the way or if we find any information regarding our enemy or more of the terrain, the plan may shift."

"We could ask around about recent activity in the mountains while we're in Vanhoover, if anypony knows anything." Valkyrie suggested. "It would be more beneficial to at least try rather than go in blind." Twilight blinked.

"Huh. You know, why didn't I think of that?" Spike shook his head in amusement.

"I think we should rent a room at an inn for the night as well, we'll want plenty of daylight to use during our search." Fizzlepop added.

"Alright, I guess that settles it;" Twilight began. "Get to Vanhoover, gather supplies, get something to eat, get information, and sleep" Twilight concluded. We all nodded in agreement to that, and we fell into a companionable silence.

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The green grass blew along with the gentle breeze of the meadow, swaying back in forth in rhythm. I lay in the grass with my arms behind my head, eyes opened. The moon sure looked beautiful tonight, it's large circular shape taking up just a small chunk of space in the never ending night sky. Stars twinkled and danced around me, putting on a show for all to see.

I sighed in satisfaction, appreciative of the moonlit sky that blankets the land in it's eternal serenity and peace. Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and slowly exhaled. I heard the sound of rustling grass beside me, someone walking up to me. I open my eyes to look back up.

I smiled when I recognized the mulberry unicorn. She laid down beside me, resting her head on my lap, just like she always did. I reached out with a hand and stroked her mane gently, closing my eyes yet again. Soon, the darkness enclosed around us, swallowing us whole, and the world I knew was no more.

With a yawn, I cracked open an eye to take in my surroundings. I was still on the train, along with Twilight, Spike, Fizzlepop and Valkyrie. Must've dozed off.. Among the three of them, only one was awake at the moment. Valkyrie, as vigilant as ever kept a watchful eye over the group. When her eyes landed on mine, she smiled.

"Morning, sunshine." Valkyrie teased. I only let out a low mumble in response, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. After a moment, I fished around in the modified saddlebags for a quick snack. Inside, I pulled out a nice chunk of apple cobbler in a container. I didn't have a spoon or anything, so I opted to just chug the damn thing. Even so, it was good , and I didn't care.

After I was done with my make-do snack, I looked over to Valkyrie with an eyebrow raised. "How long have we been out for?"

"You fell asleep first, so about an hour. The others fell asleep roughly 20 minutes after you did." I pulled out my phone to confirm my suspicions. It was now 3:47 in the evening, and it looked like Harmony was still asleep as well. She sure does like to sleep, huh? I sighed with a nod.

"Alright, so we still have an hour or so to go." Valkyrie nodded her head in response. I put the now empty container back inside the bags, and leaned back into the seat. A thought came to mind, and I looked over to Valkyrie again, this time with a worried, albeit skeptical look.

I leaned in slightly and hushed my tone.

"When do you plan on telling them?" Valkyrie froze up slightly, looking uncomfortable now. "You know you'll have to eventually, Chrysy." After a moment of silence, she looked into my eyes.

"I.. I don't know." She admitted, a guilty look crossing her face. "I was going to wait until it felt like the right time to tell them the truth."

"You know there's never going to be a 'right time'," I pointed out. "That's just how life is, and you have to take initiative." She didn't say anything again for a moment, before she took in a breath and nodded.

"I'll tell them tonight, at the inn. I promise." I smiled approvingly at that, and we fell into a comfortable silence once more.

Chapter 14: Questions And Answers

The train we were boarded on was closing in on it's destination, continuing on the tracks as it rumbled gently with each passing second. On a particularly big bump in the road, I sat upright quickly and looked around with slight surprise. Almost fell asleep again.. I saw Valkyrie, looking up at me with a smirk.

"Did that scare you, big guy?" Valkyrie cooed teasingly as she brought up a hoof and caressed my arm. I swatted it away immediately, unamused.

"Aww, he must've had a bad dream." I heard Fizzlepop coo to my left. I turned around a glared at her. And then a knowing smirk a way onto my face as well.

"Actually, I had a rather pleasant one," I remarked. "Not that I'd tell you what it was about anyway." Fizzlepop stuck her tongue out at me. "Oh, real mature Fizzy."

"Hey, check it out." Spike was looking out of the window, now sitting on Twilight's lap, who herself seemed to be occupied as well. Curious, I leaned into the window to see what it was.

My eyes widened as the city came into view before me, surprised at the scenery. The city of Vanhoover was much bigger than I expected it to be. Hell, I didn't imagine it to be an Actual city, with tall buildings, roads.. but something felt missing.. I took the notion out of my head, thinking nothing of it.

"Next stop, Vanhoover!" We heard the conductor shout over the loud speakers. "Please gather your belongings and be ready to depart if this is your destination."

"Well, I guess that's our stop then." I said, still looking on in awe. I did as I was told, taking my bags and wrapping them around my waist and standing up, walking towards one of the exits in the car along with the others. Fizzlepop walked up beside me, with Valkyrie on the opposite side.

"We should probably establish where we are going to stay first," Fizzlepop began, rubbing her chin with a hoof. "So we'll have a place to meet up after we're done looking around for information." Valkyrie nodded.

"I agree, it would save us time by having a meet up spot as we split off to cover more ground. This is a pretty big place after all." I hummed in thought for a moment before nodding in understanding.

"Right." I answered. Twilight and Spike stood behind us and the train was screeching to a halt.

"Well according to this brochure, there's a hotel we can stay in that's just south of the station." Twilight said as she flipped the paper over. I turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Where'd ya get that?"

"Oh, I always come prepared with brochures of every place with me. You never know if you'll find yourself in a completely different town out of nowhere!" Twilight stated, nose still inside the open brochure. I shook my head, but I guess it does help save time to know where the closest place was.

The train came to a complete stop, and the doors opened. There weren't as many ponies at the station as I thought there would be for a city as big as this. Quite a lot less actually. Not many ponies were actually even on the train with us either now that I think about it. Well, this place is pretty out of the way.. I figured.

Spike seemed to noticed it too though, and walked out with the rest of us. "Where is everypony?" He asked, looking around. I looked around as well, taking in a bit of the scenery.

"I dunno.. slow day?" I guessed aloud, shrugging my shoulders.

"Even so, you'd think a city would be more.. lively and robust." Valkyrie pointed out. "But we shouldn't let that distract us, lets head to that hotel and we can carry out our plan then." We all nodded in agreement and set off, following close behind Twilight as she lead us towards the southern parts of the city.

Along the way, the streets grew more and more barren. The ponies we did pass by threw us cautious glances. As we turned a corner, I saw a mare walking along with a foal at her side. I assumed she was her daughter, and she gawked at me from across the way. As we crossed paths, I waved with a small smile. She waved back with a wide grin, but was immediately chastised by the mare with a quick smack on the hoof, and she hurried along with her foal in tow.

"..Well that's kind of rude." I noted, looking back towards the front of the group.

"These ponies seem to be.. hiding. Afraid of something." Valkyrie stated.

"Really?" Twilight asked looking back. "What makes you say that?" Spike pointed up towards the building on the other side of the street.

"Look." Spike said with a hint of worry.

We all looked at the building, and It was then I noticed a few ponies glances out a couple of the many windows. I made eye contact with one of them, and they immediately shut the window with a loud thud. The rest followed in kind, and I was left bewildered.

"Something's not right.." I stated, worry slipping into my own voice. "Let's just hurry to the hotel and see if we can get some answers." With no objections, we picked up the pace down the sidewalk, making our way downtown.

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"Sorry, we ain't got room for ye here." The clerk at the counter stated without even looking up.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I've seen barely anypony around, despite this being a city and all." The clerk looked up at me from the newspaper he was reading.

"Look kid, if you want a place to stay I recommend one of the inns near the center of the city rather than down here. For both our sakes."

Twilight walked up to the counter with concern. "What do you mean?" The stallion sighed as he put the paper down in front of him.

"Normally I wouldn't let tourists know about this for obvious reasons but.." He hesitated a bit before continuing. "..Seein' that one of the princesses is here, Twilight Sparkle no less, Maybe you can actually lend us a hoof. You see, they're been disappearances happenin' 'round the city. More specifically, in this here part of town."

"Is that why everyone was so afraid of us when we came along?" Spike asked. The clerk nodded.

"Aye. By the way, me names' Jack. Jack Weld. Don't take it too personally, they're only worried about their safety and the safety of their kin. Some of these foalnappin's have.. not been pretty, especially the more recent ones."

"That's actually what we're here for Mr Weld." Fizzlepop stated moving to my side. "The same thing has happened down in Canterlot recently, and we came here looking for information." Jack tilted his head a little.

"Information? Why here of all places?"

"Well for one, at one of the scenes in Canterlot I was able to find a trace that led to the Smokey Mountains, and Vanhoover is the closest city to that." Twilight said.

"And two, now we know that the same thing has been happening here at a much more frequent rate, we're definitely at the right place." Valkyrie finished for her.

"The Smokey Mountains, huh.." Jack repeated thoughtfully. "Actually, I don't think anypony's been up there ever since that bloody dragon went and polluted the damn place. Not to mention the terrain, it's too dangerous."

"You're absolutely sure that no pony has been up there since then?" Twilight asked.

"Aye. Before I took over this here hotel, I used to go minin' up in those mountains. That was years ago though, but anypony in their right mind wouldn't dare to try and go up there willingly. I still weld as a hobby at one of the workshops in the city during me free time."

"Do you happen to have a map of the terrain from when you mined there?" Fizzlepop asked insistently. Jack reeled back a bit at the sudden question.

"I-I do, yeah. I'd have to go in the workshop to get it though. Why?"

"Why else? We're going up there to find those ponies." I stated as a fact. Twilight nodded in affirmation.

"Oi, weren't ya listenin'?" Jack asked in disbelief. "It's too dangerous up there! Even if you do have a princess by your side, one wrong move could be your last."

"I made a promise to one of the victim's loved ones that I aim to keep. To bring everyone back." I said without hesitation. "Plus.. I owe it to someone that saved my life. If I have to climb a mountain that could kill me a thousand times over to repay that debt, I will."

Jack stayed silent for a few moments before a silent chuckle came from him. "I like your mettle lad. Alright then, here." He tossed a key to me with the number '34' engraved on it. "I'll go get the map for yas during my lunch break. Until then, you can rest easy here for a little while." I smiled and bowed my head in thanks.

"Thank you Mr. Weld, we were actually planning on spending a night anyway. How much for the room for a night?" Twilight asked, pulling out a pouch of bits.

Jack shook his head. "It's on the house. I'll let you have it for three nights, free of charge in case you need it for that long. I'd except a search in the mountains to take a few days at least."

"Thank you very much." Fizzlepop said with a slight bow.

We headed towards the room the key was assigned to, and walked inside. The hallway was well kept, a nice carpet lining the floor, a few pictures, as well as 'missing pony' posters were up on the walls of the hall. I frowned a bit at the sight, feeling bad for those who have lost someone in their life due to this.I can see why he wouldn't want any outsiders here now.But I plan to get them all back. We made it to the room, and using the key I unlocked it.

Upon stepping inside the room, I noticed that the room was actually larger than I had expected it to be. It had a bookshelf with a nice sum of books lined in the rows, a couch and love sofa near the end of the room with a coffee table, a small kitchen like area with a stove and counter top as well as a few cabinets. There was also another door that I assumed led to the bedroom.

"Huh, well he sure knows what his patrons like." Spike noted as we stepped into the room. "I just hoped there's food here."

But before Valkyrie could stepped all the way in, I tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. She turned around and met my gaze.

"Zale?" Valkyrie asked.

I made a motion pointing towards the others with my head and eyes, hoping she'd get the idea. When her eyes widened, I knew she understood. She audibly gulped, and stepped inside the room. I walked in behind her, shut the door and locked it.

"Uh, guys.." Valkyrie began, taking a seat on the love sofa. They all turned to her, attentive and listening. "Before we move forward with this.. I need to tell you all something."

Author's Note

Splitting this into two parts, for conveniency :P (Yes I'm still here dw)

Chapter 15: Questions and Answers Part II