Wish Gone Awry. Enter Equestria! Enter New Life!

"We're not in trouble, right?" Julius quietly asked the lead guardmare as the group was led through the back areas.

"As far as I'm aware, no laws were broken, and all rules were adhered to. If they try anything, we are authorized to protect you with whatever methods and force that we deem necessary. Considering that we've all done border duty and that I've seen active combat against small-scale raids, I'd say that we can take them if it really comes to that," the lead guardmare quietly assured. "If I had to guess, somecreature important saw you, thought you were unusual, and wanted to talk."

"Well, that's comforting," Julius sighed. "Hey, security! Where are we going?"

"We've been ordered to take you to the catering. This is a pretty unusual request; you're definitely not family to anyone here. And I don't recognize you from anywhere, so I doubt that you're famous. Your look probably just caught the eye of someone, and they want to talk," one of the arena security responded.

"Do you know who might want to talk to me?" Julius asked.

"No idea," the security quickly responded. "This is their first time here, so it's our first time working with them. We're only security for this arena, so we don't know these performers that well. As they were setting up, they seemed a bit odd, but nothing out of the usual," he said as the group was led into an open area with food on several tables and a few creatures standing around them.

"Thanks, guys. You can go back to whatever you were doing before," a distinctly zebra voice said. Security shrugged and started to leave as the zebra began to walk up to the group. "Thirty," he said as he watched the security leave, "for thirty years, I've been on four hooves and forced into being a vegetarian. And now you come along, an unchanged human. How'd you do it ese?" Eddie asked as he looked right at Julius.

"I didn't have much of a choice; a magical artifact happened," Julius told him. "Wait; should you be so open about humanity?" Julius asked as everyone, not a part of his group, started to laugh.

"Half of us here were once human," Eddie said between laughs, "we all know about it. It's the reason we started doing this, to find others who would otherwise be alone. The show is full of references from our world. Well, that and this job always kind of lives in you," he explained.

"Fascinating!" Twilight exclaimed. "It's an excellent way to see the world while finding others. Where did you get the idea from?"

"The Corbyn Sibling's Traveling Theatre," Eddie responded. "They're like us. We're all a part of a network trying to find and help others in our position."

"How many do you find?" Twilight quickly asked.

"Honestly, not many," Eddie sighed. "In a large town, maybe two or three. Better than nothing; it's better that they have creatures who understand what they're going through than them going through it alone. Trust me, it sucks. Growing up, dreaming of a different world where giant metal carriages move themselves, of massive cities making Canterlot look small, and of strange creatures walking on two legs. Most parents get when concerned you keep talking about it, and when you try to make some of those things," he drily laughed.

"Yeah, I can see that," Julius sighed.

"So, where are you staying?" Eddie asked as he looked at Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. "With these mamasitas? What about work?"

"Well, them and a few others. I'm also staying in the castle. And I'm fine for work. I can always go to the Sweet Apple Acres for work," Julius responded.

"Good to hear," Eddie smiled, "and the castle, nice. Got with one of the staff?"

"In a way," Julius smirked, "Princess Luna."

"Princess? How'd you pull that off?" Eddie nearly spat in surprise.

"Sheer unrelenting charm," Julius smirked as Rainbow Dash laughed.

"More like you got lucky. You were just in the right place at the right time," Rainbow Dash laughed.

"Agreed, darling," Rarity nodded. "Luna had just returned; everything was cold to her, and you just so happened to be warm to her. Had you just been a year later, or Princess Luna returned a year sooner, I doubt it would have happened."

"Ok, first, was I lucky when I beat you in a race?" Julius shot back as he looked at Rainbow Dash. "And second, so what if I was in the right place at the right time? I basically lost my whole family and life when I came here. Becoming a princess's boytoy sounds fair to me," he chuckled.

"Yes," Rainbow Dash huffed, "you got very lucky when we raced," she pouted. "That's the only way any creature can beat me in a race."

"I don't remember getting lucky when I beat you in the running of the leaves," Twilight said as Julius looked right at her. "Oh, every earth pony raced in it. Rainbow Dash and Applejack tied for last," she said as Julius fell over laughing.

"So, did all of Ponyville get lucky when they beat you?" Julius mocked as he laughed.

"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash blushed. "If it had been a one vs one race, I would have easily beaten any of them! I just got distracted by Applejack's cheating!"

"Oh please, Dashy. There's no need to be so chagrined," Rarity giggled. "I was considering joining the race, but I decided against it. I see now that I should have since it means I'd have a win over you."

"Oh, don't you even," Rainbow Dash shook as the others laughed. "What's so funny?" Rainbow Dash yelled as her face was a bright red.

"You lot are a lot like an old married couple," one of the dragons commented. "It's sweet; you're all sweet together. Reminds me of my husband back in the day," she chuckled.

"Hear that, not even married yet, and yet we look like it," Julius teased as Rainbow Dash hid her face behind her wings.

"Oh, come now, Dashy, no need to be so bashful," Rarity added as she and Julius laughed.

"Ok, you two," Twilight sighed, "enough teasing Rainbow Dash," she told them before turning to face Eddie. "You seemed to be very welcoming to Julius; why?"

"Simple," Eddie said as he composed himself, "it can be difficult to find a place when you're so out of place. But, considering that he's with a princess and living in a castle, I think he's doing just fine," he said with a laugh.

"True, though living in the castle isn't quite as easy as you'd think. Some of the rooms are rather drafty, and it can be quite a walk to get to the dining room," Twilight absentmindedly said.

"I didn't think that you'd prefer living in the Golden Oak Library," Rarity commented. "Sure, you might have to put up with some drafts and a little bit of a walk, but that's why cloaks were invented, and the walk makes you feel less bad about yourself when you delve into some sorrow ice cream."

"My cloak is getting a bit worn, and I've never had any sorrow ice cream. Mostly, when I'm feeling sad, I read a book. There's more than a few feel-good books, like Golden Crisp and the Clockmaker's Son," Twilight explained as Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"Egghead," Rainbow Dash chuckled under her breath.

"I might be a bit of an egghead, but I bet that I can find a book that you'd enjoy. I bet you'd love the Daring Do series," Twilight confidently stated.

"Sure, sure, keep telling yourself that," Rainbow Dash laughed.

"Old married couple," the dragoness chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, hah, hah, hah, very funny," Rainbow Dash dryly laughed. "We've been married for years; we get it," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"It's cute. You all are cute together," Eddie laughed in playful mockery while a soft hum came from the lead guardmare.

"Excuse me, one of the princesses is trying to talk to me," the lead guardmare said. "I'll be right back," she said as she walked away while keeping her eyes on the group.

"Is the princess going to teleport here?" Julius asked as the mare pulled out an odd-looking glowing crystal.

"No," Twilight flatly said as she saw the crystal. "That's a distance harmonic resonance crystal. They allow you to talk with a creature with any crystal it's attuned to. They're very rare and very expensive. Usually, they're only found with the special forces or those on special assignment. Other than that, only the top nobles can afford them," she explained as the mare nodded and quietly talked to the crystal.

"So, basically a magical crystal cell phone, neat," Julius commented. "I kinda want one, but I kinda don't. Wait, if you're so close to Princess Celestia, then why don't you have one?" He asked as he looked right at Twilight.

"Simple, I have Spike. He can send letters right to Princess Celestia with magic fire. It's more versatile than the crystal, and they're rare enough, so I'd rather not use one if I can avoid it," Twilight explained as the mare nodded her head and walked back to the group.

"I was expecting Princess Celestia, but instead, I got Princess Luna," the guardmare commented as she returned to the group. "Julius, you have been requested to return to the castle at your earliest convenience. I would suggest that we return immediately. Usually, these requests are less of a request and more of a polite demand," the guardmare suggested as she tucked the crystal away in a hidden pouch.

"Figures, the more things change, the more they stay the same," Julius chuckled. "Looks like I'm being called back to the castle. Come by sometime; we'll have a nice feast or something," he offered as the group started to leave.

"We'll take you up on your offer some time," Eddie responded. "Hey ese, enjoy your royal booty call," he teased as the group left.

"Was it a booty call?" Julius asked as he looked at the lead mare.

"Not directly, no," the lead guardmare sighed as she rolled her eyes. "I was just told that you were to return to the castle as soon as possible. I doubt it's an emergency, as an unicorn didn't teleport to us and teleport us back. It might be a booty call, but I heard other voices around her. If this was a booty call, then I'd imagine she'd have made the call in private. Considering it's Luna and the voices I heard, I'm guessing that she has some teachers for you to learn from," she guessed as the group walked out of the colosseum.

"Oh, teachers!" Twilight happily exclaimed. "What are they going to teach him? Maybe Equestrian history and culture. Or maybe magical theory, or perhaps," she started to go on.

"I highly doubt it," the lead mare flatly stated. "From the profile that we've been given on both Princess Luna and Julius, I'd guess that the teachers would be teaching him more combat-orientated things. Things like battlefield uses and applications of magic. While he has shown creativity in the past, Julius's application of magic has been rather basic. This is to be expected, as his training in the magical arts has been nonexistent. Considering Princess Luna's past, pre-banishment, and Julius's personality, this should be remedied sooner rather than later before he gets himself in serious trouble," she explained as the group walked through the district.

"Yeah, that's pretty fair," Julius nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I kinda want to learn how to shoot lightning bolts and things," he chuckled as the guards stopped and looked at him.

"You're an idiot," the lead mare sighed. "Lightning spells require a massive amount of energy; they tend to exhaust the user incredibly quickly. Considering your thaumaturgical system is likely minimally developed and it's had little use, you could only use one lightning-based spell before becoming completely exhausted. That's the best-case scenario," she explained.

"She's right," Twilight agreed. "Lightning spells are very taxing, even for me. Besides, the worst case scenario would be you trying to use the spell, it failing, and you causing damage to your thaumaturgical system. If the damage is bad enough, you might not be able to use magic again," she cautioned.

"Ok, ok, I hear you, but there's something that you're not considering," Julius started to say as he looked at Rainbow Dash. "Lightning spells are cool," he flatly said as he bumped Rainbow Dash's hoof.

"Again, you're an idiot," the lead mare sighed as she shook her head. "Let's just get back to the castle and see what Princess Luna wants," she again sighed as the group got to the train station.