Six Story Freefall

Chapter 5: 40ft

The heat of the midday sun had faded, and evening had begun its tumultuous rise. Day court had just ended, and night court was a few hours away. It was in this small slice of time that the royal sisters could spend some time together. They didn't do anything special, or even noteworthy; just playful banter and gossip. However, it was something that Celestia had been unable to enjoy for a thousand years, not even with Twilight Sparkle. A slight rap on the door interrupted their conversation.

“Ah, that must be the refreshments. Come in, the door’s open.” Celestia, being an immortal god princess, had but a few vices; the largest of them was tea and biscuits.

The door cracked open, revealing a servant mare, her horn glowing as she held the tea tray, a look of pure determination on her face. Despite the magical grip, the tray clattered as she walked. “She must be more nervous than she looks,” thought Celestia.

Luna chuckled as she watched the timid mare approach. “I don't recall ordering a milkshake.”

“O-oh, so s-sorry, your highness, I’ll bring a new set right away,” her voice stuttering with each word. Any trace of determination evaporated, and fear took its place. The tray clattered even louder as the mare struggled to keep from dropping it. She turned to leave, but Celestia stopped her.

“This set will do fine.” Celestia’s horn flashed yellow as she enveloped the tray with her own magic. The clattering stopped and the servant relaxed a little.Celestia took a quick glance at the mares cutie mark. “Daisy Blossom, was it? You are doing great for your first day, try not to be so nervous.” Celestia took pride in memorizing all the castle staff’s names.

Daisy Blossom immediately brightened up. “Y-yes, your majesty.” She left, a large smile plastered onto her face, a bounce in her step.

When she had closed the door, Celestia turned to Luna “Don't scare our subject like that, Lulu”.

“‘tis not our- my fault if the servants cannot take a joke. I could practice all year and still be unable to do what you just did.”

“Well, they may be better received if you did not tell the joke in the royal canterlot voice,” Celestia smirked.

“That was only once!” Luna pouted.

Ignoring her incredibly cute sister’s pout face, Celestia levitated the tray in between them. Recognizing the scent, Celestia said “Oh! Orange pekoe. I was craving some recently, how delightful.”

“Honestly, Tia is there a plant in Equestria that you have not dried and boiled?” Luna laughed.

“I would be hard pressed to find one.” Celestia joined in on the mirth.

As the two sisters enjoyed their tea, a whisp of smoke swirled in from the window, materializing into a scroll as it reached Celestia.

“Ah, faithful Twilight Sparkle, no doubt. Don’t let my presence tarry you,” Luna said. “I’m also a little interested in what she has to say.”

“Looking to make some friends of your own, Lulu?” questioned Celestia as she unfurled the scroll, noting that it was longer than usual. Since the royal wedding, Equestria had been quiet for quite a while, and Twilight’s occasional friendship report was a pleasant break from the monotony.

“N-no, merely curious,” said Luna, flustered.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Celestia began; all her students letter began the same way. A sense of pride welled up in Celestia as she read aloud those familiar words.

“I have urgent news this mor-” Celestia stopped reading aloud and stood up, her eyes quickly scanning the scroll.

“What is it, sister? Is it serious?” Luna asked, concerned.

Celestia stopped reading halfway and flipped the scroll around, showing Luna. “We have a  problem. We've not encountered a new type of beast in many a millennia.”

Luna had always been a faster reader then Celestia, and glanced over the entire scroll, expression going from dread to tears of laughter. Celestia arched an eyebrow in confusion.

“And just what is humorous about this situation?”

“Tia, read the rest of the letter, this is no more a problem to Equestria than water is a problem to the sea.”

She rose and made her leave. “I have to go start night court, I’ll leave you to your problem.” She trotted off, laughing the entire way.

Celestia read the rest of the letter.

”The creature was knocked out how many times?”

I am never moving again. Everytime I try to stand up or do anything at all, I seem to accomplish nothing more than knocking myself out. The smell of dried blood and hay filled my nose. “Good, still in the cage.” The cage had become less of a prison and more of a bastion of protection; aside from the mind numbing boredom I’d grown quite fond of its bars. Ugh, head is throbbing like I got hit by a sledgehammer and-

“Hello?” Oh great, now I'm hearing voices in my head. That last kick from the flying pony must’ve done me in. Head trauma, ahoy! Set sail for permanent brain damage island!

“Hello,” I said aloud, responding to my own brain. It would be rude to not answer myself, wouldn't it?

“Ah, good, so you can understand me. Could you please sit up? I’d like to see who I’m speaking to.”

Well, that certainly didn't sound like my brain; I don’t recall ever thinking in a silky smooth girl voice. So someone else must be in my head; either that or I have a very feminine split personality.

“I’d love to sit up, although recent events have lead me to believe that this floor is the safest and least head-devastating position.”

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle did mention something about that.”

I heard hoofsteps gradually building in volume until the eventual opening of my cell door. Whatever was approaching was equine, and I really hoped it was friendly.

“Welcome to my humble abode. I’d offer you, tea but I seem to have run out.” When I get nervous I tend to make jokes; it’s a habit.

I was about to make another witty comment when a bright, alabaster white pony with a rainbow mane filled my vision. If there were ever a time to mistake something for an angel, this was it. Her gaze piercing, yet soft, adorned in golden regalia, and long flowing hair floating in the invisible breeze. So far I’ve been trying to figure out if the locals were hostile or friendly, and I’ve been getting mixed emotions, but nothing this heavenly could be nasty.

“I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler and Guardian of Equestria. What are you, and what is your purpose in Equestria?”Her voice rang through my head like a bell.

“M-my name is Alex Lo, erm.. no notable title, uhh, did you say princess? And where is Equestria?”

I sat up SLOWLY, as speaking to someone while they stare directly down at you is sort of unnerving.Celestia reared back a little so as to avoid the collision of our heads.

“You misunderstand me, Alex Lo, this is an interrogation, not a discussion. There is no reciprocation here. In other words, I will ask the questions. Now I reiterate: what is your purpose in Equestria?”

Well, at this point, I got a little anxious ... okay, very anxious, not because I had royalty in my cell conducting the most frightening interrogation I’d ever been in (well, the only one I’d ever been in), but because the entire barn had somehow been emptied out of tools and replaced by an entire platoon of soldiers. Well, I assume soldiers, because they were heavily armed and armored. Might be guards, on second thought.

I turned my gaze to meet Celestia's, and thought. “I don't really know how I got here, but so far I’ve just been trying to survive. Not going well, so far.” I raised my hand to point at the dried blood on my brow, but about halfway up the soldiers in the room as one unit lowered their spears, the sounds of heavy armor and weaponry filling the room (yeah definitely guards). Although the guards tensed up, Celestia visibly relaxed, allowing a smile to sneak through her visage.

“Well, music to my ears, Mr Lo. There have been too many times in the past where I’ve given trust blindly. Forgive me if I’m not taking any chances.” Her silky smooth voice echoed through my head.

“Yes, better to be safe than sorry.”

“Precisely, Mr Lo,” Celestia said flatly. She motioned towards the bed.

“P-please do,” I said; not like I could deny her anyway.

“Thank you.” She settled down for the long haul. “Now, let’s talk.”

Celestia had walked into the barn close to an hour ago, and as far as Rainbow Dash could tell she had been sitting on the bed and having a staring competition. There were only two openings to the barn: the door blockaded by guards, and the second floor window above which Twilight, Applejack, and herself currently hovered. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had little problem levitating themselves to such heights, but this was not the case for Applejack.

“Stop pushing, Twilight! I’m having enough trouble lifting Applejack as it is!” Rainbow Dash strained, pumping her wings to stay level.

“Hey!”

“O-oh sorry, I meant my wings are getting tired from the weig-” She was cut off by Applejack, who shot her another look.

“You know what? Just stop pushing, Twilight.”

Twilight, being the egghead she always was, was too absorbed in what was happening to notice her comment. Applebloom had assured the group that the creature was nice, but her being just a filly she was dismissed, although Rainbow Dash did feel a little guilty about kicking the creature in the head. The trio had done a collective sigh when they had to explain to Applebloom why they couldn't just take her word for it. The interrogation had begun very stoically, the royal guard had aimed their weapons, and Celestia had intimidation written all across her face. However, the tension slowly evaporated, and it seemed Celestia was having a nice discussion, nodding her head and laughing once in awhile. The creature appeared to be smiling as well.

Just what was going on in there?

I don't know how or when it happened, but at some point the interrogation had evolved into a very pleasant chat. Oh, sure, Celestia was steadily extracting information from me, and the guards have yet to lower their weapons, but still it was.... nice. If I had to pick a tipping point, it would have to have been the part where Celestia had a guard bring in tea; Orange Pekoe to be exact, and I’m thoroughly convinced that any being that enjoys the same tea as I did couldn't possibly be evil. I wasn't even the one talking the entire time, but I had been able to garner some general facts of pony culture, life, and strangely enough, magic. It had been a long time since I’ve had a nice conversation, I’ve heard it said that the difference between a conversation and small talk is that the other person isn't just waiting for you to stop talking so they can.

“Well, Mr Lo, I have no reason to believe that you are a danger to this country or its subjects, so I’ll leave you in peace. The throne beckons and I mustn't keep it waiting.” I looked to the window and saw that night had fallen.

“I will look into a way to send you home as soon as possible; the matter should be resolved within the week. Good day, Mister Lo.” She started to leave when I spoke up, or rather, thought up.

“What if I wanted to stay in Equestria?”

She whipped her head around and looked right at me, proceeding to neigh something to the head of the guards and then lit up her horn. A bright dome of light appeared around us, veiling the world from view

“Alright, not the reaction I was hoping for.” I poked the bubble, testing its strength; it felt like a brick wall, and some familiar hexagonal lines appeared when I made contact. “What's with the interior redecoration?”

“No need to worry, we just need some privacy,” Celestia chuckled. “Now, why would you want to stay in Equestria?” Her face became stern, a far cry from what it been moments earlier.

I paused for a bit, scanning my vocabulary for a good set of words to string together. “Earth may not be the wonderland I described it to be.” I hesitated a bit. “My life physically and situationally on Earth wasn't terrible....but I’ve grown tired of the melancholy of my life and the absolute monotony that it is. But my short time here, it’s been... better. Sure, most of my time here I’ve been unconscious or tied up, but I feel like this is the first time in my life I’ve genuinely enjoyed myself. Errr.. aside from the head wounds. This is my chance for  a new start”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I follow.”

My own eyebrows furrowed, frustrated at myself. “How should I put this?...have you ever felt like you're alone, despite being surrounded by people..err ponies?”

I must’ve struck a chord, because she gave me a warm smile and said “I think I understand.”

“Really?” Even I was surprised,

“There are a few rules if you are to stay: First, you must learn and abide by all Equestrian laws, second, you must pursue and acquire full Equestrian citizenship, third, you must keep me updated on your progress.”

“You will most likely need this, as well.” Her horn lit up, and a beam of light streaked into my forehead, thankfully with no force.

“You should now be able to speak and understand Equestrian,” Celestia said aloud to prove her point.

I shook my head vigorously. Those sounded like easy enough things to accomplish. Especially with this new spell.

“I will give you a temporary royal visa, but it will expire in a month if you have not acquired your citizenship. But then you would traditionally be sent back to your own country, or I could exile you if you really want.”

Well, … crap. Excuse my language, but really that is the best choice of word to express the situation.

“And one final condition...”

MORE?!

“Try and make some friends.” She said with a laugh.

After an eternity of waiting near the window without anything of interest transpiring, Twilight and the group had taken to the ground for a break. They sat in front of the door, having an impromptu picnic, patiently waiting for her mentor to swing the doors open, and quell their concerns. Around Twilight’s 17th cup of tea, Celestia finally emerged, the trio instantly jumping to their feet.

“What is it?”

“What happened?!”

“How come it likes tea?”

Applejack and Twilight shot Rainbow Dash a look.

“What? You guys took the good questions.”

“Please girls, one at a time,” Celestia laughed. “What you have unintentionally brought to this world, Twilight, is a human. His name is Alex Lo and he is far from hostile. Due to certain circumstances, he will be staying in Equestria, and trying for citizenship.”

“WHAT?” the three girls shouted in unison.

“I trust that the Elements of Harmony will keep an eye on him for me? Forgive me, girls, but I must run.” With that, Celestia swiftly took off in her sky chariot, all the royal guards in tow, leaving behind three dazed and confused mares.

“Ahem!” A male voice broke the spell. All three girls turned to the entrance.

“Hi, my name’s Alex. Pleasure to meet you girls,” the human said. “Errr, no hard feeling about the kick.”

As the chariot pulled into cloud cover, Celestia allowed herself a smile. “This should be interesting, at the very least.” She laughed, happy over the fact that she had solved her own boredom issues at the castle.

Authors note: Thanks for reading the chapter i hope you enjoyed it. I've been thinking of changing the chapter names, maybe give them actual titles instead of just a number. On a side note school is getting heavy and I've been recruited to sprite for a indie game so I'm going to put out at least one chapter a week.