“Take a left here, no no, a right sorry” Dusk said. The sword was indecisive as always and Jai was getting tired of it. He figured out that he had teleported into a changeling hive. They were kind of like tame succubus if Sombra’s explanation was anything to go by. He was more talkative since they left Nocta but since he needed answers this wasn’t the worst.

“Stupid cursed sword. Just stop talking. I’m trying to focus on getting better damnit” Jai said in a hushed tone. He didn’t have anyone to ask about the talking sword he had. Every time he saw a changeling they would just attack him. Then again he couldn’t blame them for doing so at this point. He had to have slaughtered hundreds of the things trying to find a way out. Anytime Jai thought he saw sunlight, it was just another room. And almost always, said room was filled with changelings.

“I am not cursed, Nor am I stupid!” The sword barked. Jai just rolled his eyes and continued to feel his way through the dark tunnel.

“Gods I hope the next creature I run into will just talk to me. I’m so over talking to you two,” Jai whined. He had been in these tunnels for maybe two to three months. He really wasn’t sure due to the lack of quality sleep. Between the constant fights, running away, and hiding he was honestly ready to never fight again.

“Doubt it. Plus I’m better than nothing. You’d go crazy without Sombra and I, ” The short sword pouted. Jai exhaled and crept through the dark tunnel until he saw a small room with torches and a door.

“Boy on your left,” Sombra warned, as Jai scanned the area for more changelings.

“Huh, glad I didn’t listen to you,” Jai mused. He looked around carefully for traps or more changelings. Jai held his breath as walked over into the light and placed his ear to the wall. He heard a couple of voices beyond, arguing.

“ How have you not captured the intruder yet?” A squeaky voice screeched behind the door. He heard a dull thud and a whimper.

“G-General s-sir, I am so-sorry. It moves t-to quick for us to c-catch” The second raspy voice stammered. Hearing another thud Jai drew his Dusk preparing to rush in. He figured he would have a better chance winning with the element of surprise.

“Dusk I swear to god if you break, I'm cursing you to hell and back.” Jai hissed sarcastically, looking at the sword in his left hand. He willed Dusk to change into the Ken sword, and coated the blade in shadow magic.

“I won’t break, if you lose I will laugh at you until you die,” Dusk shot back. Jai tried not to laugh, since he knew Dusk wouldn’t break. He just figured a bit of humor would help loosen his nerves. Gathering his magic he rushed through the archway as fast as he could.

“If you don’t find it then-” The squeaky voice screamed. Jai saw the changeling turn to face him but it was too late. He decapitated the changeling that was towering over the one on the ground.

“Y-you killed the general!?” the changeling on the ground said. Its black and green eyes went wide in fear.

“Yeah I did, If you don’t want to be next. You’ll spill how I get out of here.” Jai said angrily, turning to stare down at it.

“I’ll never betray my, EEP!” The changeling exclaimed as Jai brought the sword down next to his head.

“Look, whatever your name is. I want to go home and take a hot shower. TELL ME HOW TO LEAVE!” Jai roared at the changeling who quivered in fear.

“F-Fine… other side of the r-room. Exit leads outside” The changeling stammered. Jai slowly pulled the sword away from the creature's head.

“Thank the Lord, and one more thing. How many of you guys are left here?” Jai asked. The changeling continued to shiver.

“We number fewer than 100 left here. Most have been dispatched to other hives,” The creature whimpered out.

“Cool thanks for the info, cya!” Jai lifted his sword above his head.

“You said I wouldn’t be next!” It cried out in desperation. Jai just shook his head and gave a devilish smile.

“Never said that at all, Curse me in your next life,” Jai said, as he swiftly brought his sword down onto the changeling's neck.

“You’re acting like me boy,” Sombra said grinning, ear to ear. He was amused watching the human have to fight for his life again.

“You’re evil you know that?” Dusk said. Jai swung the sword flinging the blood off before putting it back in his waist.

“No, I’m trying to get back to the Crystal Empire. This is self-defense, they’d attack me first anyway,” Jai said, going to the wall and grabbing a torch. He gathered all that was flammable in the room and put it in a pile. Then he dropped the torch on it and ran to the exit.

“I don’t know if this is the only exit, but I’m burning this shit to the ground,” Jai said as he ran. Running to the back of the room he saw a ladder leading up. He prayed this was it, and scrambled up the ladder. As he came to the top of the ladder he pushed the hatch above him open. It was the middle of the night and the moon was high in the sky.

“FINALLY!!!”Jai yelled, as he crawled out of the hole. Looking around he saw tree’s everywhere. He tried to piece together where he was, since this clearly wasn't anywhere close to the Crystal Empire.

“Hey are you gonna stand here and let them catch you?” Sombra asked. Jai snapped from his thoughts and picked a direction and ran.

Jai had been wandering through the forest for a day or so since leaving the caves behind. He was able to stop eating those disgusting rations because he found fruit. He found some grape vines, and strawberry bushes while he searched for a city. Hearing running water to his left, Jai followed the sound. The water saturated the air, and the smell of pine tree’s filled his nose. As he emerged into the area he was honestly taken aback.

“Lord have mercy this is… so much better than Niagara.” Jai said, giving a low whistle in astonishment.

It was beautiful, the white frothy cascade of water plunging down from the cliff. The moss on the rocks beneath it, the misty spray giving way to a rainbow. The tree’s he smelled as he walked he saw hanging from the side of a cliff. Some stuck out from the flowing water, some at the top of the cliff and all around it. He saw birds, flowers, and dragonflies all around the area.

“Ahem. Civilization first.” Dusk said, interrupting Jai as he took in the view.

“That can wait, I’m filthy and honestly I could go for a soak” He grinned. Walking to the edge of the water he took off his waist bag. Setting Dusk against one of the two rocks he saw, Jai stripped his clothes and put them on top of the left rock.

“You’ve changed for the better. You look like a true fighter now,” Sombra said, nodding with approval. Jai rolled his eyes at the statement.

“Y-You really have to do that n-now?!” The sword stammered. Without facing the sword Jai just walked into the water. Slowly walking across the mossy rocks underwater. Further and further he went until he could no longer walk. When the water took his weight Jai swam around. The water was cool on his skin, the mist spray from the flowing water hitting his face and bird calls above all made him relax.

“If only the others were here to enjoy this…”Jai thought aloud. Treading water Jai looked ashore and glanced at his belongings. Moving on could wait a little longer, he looked around and saw a flat boulder by the cascading waterfall. It’s sunbaked surface and incredible waterfall backdrop drawing him in. When he got over to the smooth stone, he lay on it. The warm stone comforting him and warming him up.

“Gah, this is so nic-” Jai yawned. “Nice man was I always this sleepy here?” He asked himself. Closing his eyes he figured a nap wouldn’t be too bad. Nah maybe not a nap but this would be a nice time to meditate. Mental health was important, more now than ever.

“Ahh, this is nice, but I think it's time to get moving,” Jai said to himself. Getting up he jumped back into the water and swam to shore.

“WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!” Dusk yelled at him. Jai rolled his eyes as he walked to the rock where his stuff was.

“Give him a break Sword, you wouldn’t understand the simple pleasures nature has,” Sombra scolded. Jai laughed to himself as the two bickered between themselves.

“I was relaxing for the first time in months. You got separation anxiety?” Jai said, mocking the sword. Dusk didn’t respond which made the human laugh a little louder. Jai moved Dusk over and sat atop the rock next to her. He needed to dry off anyway so chilling out here couldn’t be that bad. Popping a grape into his mouth he sighed content with the view again. Suddenly a shiver ran down his spine and he turned around. If he had gained any skill in the caves, he knew when someone was watching him.

“Wow, Aren’t you something?” A feminine voice called out. Before Jai could scramble for his clothes the source of the voice had already walked into view.

“Who are you? And What do you want?” Jai demanded. The figure put a hand on her chin and thought about the answer. As she came into view Jai saw her yellow fur. She had wings and was wearing safari style clothing.

“Great question! I am the adventurer and thrill seeker extraordinaire Daring Do!” She said, posing for dramatic effect. When she noticed Jai hadn’t moved she coughed into her hoof.

“Who or rather what are you?” Daring Do asked. She looked him up and down as he sat on the rock. They traced his broad shoulders, muscular chest, and down to his waist. When Jai noticed her eyes wandering he shifted to cover himself up more.

“Yea uh, long story can I get my clothes first?” He asked. She nodded and covered her eyes as he got dressed. She slid her hooves down to peek at him and was met with a bundle of grapes thrown at her.

“Perv, let me get dressed,” he said, annoyed.

“So, you’re telling me the Crystal Empire is gone? How?” Jai asked, a slight panic in his voice.

“The Crystal Empire is more of a myth really, Some stories are around but it’s pretty much speculation,” Do said, waving her hoof as she spoke.

“The Empire wasn’t a myth, I was just there two and a half years ago,” Jai said looking at the yellow Pegasus. Daring Do turned and stared at him like he said something crazy. Then she began to laugh.

“Nice one Homan, haha. The Crystal Empire’s been gone for centuries. So unless you're an Alicorn like Princess Celestia or Luna I don’t buy it,” Do said, tilting her head as the two continued to walk through the forest.

“It’s Human, but I mean I haven’t seen Tia in a couple years but her and Lu left the day the Umbrum attacked,” Jai said, recounting the events of two years prior. Grimacing, he shook his head. No he’d changed since then. Surely this was joked, like the one’s Celestia would pull. Jai, trying not to panic, took a few deep breaths before tuning back into his conversation with Daring.

“Tia? I hear only her friends call her that? Are you saying you’ve met the princess?” Do asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

“I’ve met all three Princess’s yea. Celestia, Luna, and Amore. Though I’d have to say I’m closer to Amore than the other two,” Jai said, letting out a soft laugh. Daring do, opened and then closed her mouth. Amore, was a name she hadn’t heard a lot about. Only that she was a distant relative to Princess mi Amore Cadenza.

“Right…Well I can accompany you! I have to make stops until I find another place to explore! This will go great in my book!” Daring do said looking up at the human.

“Honestly that’d be great, If I get lost and have to fight one more dragon, Umbrum or changeling I’m gonna lose it,” Jai said, rubbing his face. He figured using shadow magic to navigate would be suspicious, so a guide couldn't be too bad. The Pegasus looked like she had seen a genuine ghost when he listed off those three.

“T-Those are out h-here?” Daring do asked, trying not to sound terrified. Jai just laughed and petted the Pegasus lightly on the head like a child.

“Just changelings, but I dealt with a lot of them. The Umbrum and shadow dragons are in Nocta so you’re safe,” Jai said smiling. She was curious what this human was, but looking at him, he couldn’t have fought a dragon; and the Umbrum are the stuff of nightmares used to scare fillies. Maybe he knew that and was trying to scare her. Well…she wasn’t scared, ok maybe a little but she would never admit that.

“Right so, we go this way to get to Apple-Loosa, and then we can take a train to Ponyville, and then Canterlot from there,” Daring do said. Jai just nodded his head in agreement. He had no idea what these places were and where he was going.

“This is weird, unless the Umbrum invasion succeeded the Empire should be doing well?” Sombra asked. Jai only shrugged his shoulders. Sombra was right about that. Since all the Umbrum he came across tried to take him to Primrose, he assumed they failed and ended up staying in Nocta. Whatever the case was, he was a step close to finding his way to some answers.

TWEEEEEEEEEEETTT ALLL ABOARDDDD!!!

The conductor screamed as the train began to slowly gain momentum. He was really annoyed that getting onto a train was this much of a pain in the ass. Not only were the train cars a little small for him. The conductor asked Jai what condition he had to be so hairless as a minotaur.

“HAHAHA WHAT CONDITION,” Sombra howled, as he laughed at the human. Jai figured after all of the grief he gave Sombra this was universal karma coming back to him.
‘You’d think karma would give me a break, but getting back to Equestria seems to tip the bloody scale,” Jai mumbled, as the Umbrum in his ear continued to laugh as the train headed from Apple-Loosa into Ponyville. He needed to get this pain in the ass a body so he could punch him, but that wasn’t that high on his priority list. Jai slouching in the train car pulled out his journal and began to add detail to the maps he’d drawn.

“Whatcha doin?” Daring do asked him.

“Filling in maps that I’ve drawn from Nocta and that hive, Maybe Tia can use em’,” Jai said, not looking up from his journal. He really had no interest in talking right now.

“Mr. Jai, when can I change back?” Dusk asked. Jai completely forgot that he had changed the swords form the other day. Closing his eyes he focused his magic on changing the sword back into a short short.

“Thank you!” Dusk hummed. Jai glanced up to see Daring staring at the sheathe.

“What was that?” The yellow Pegasus asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

“Cursed sword,” Jai said bluntly, going back to his journal. Dusk wiggled in the sheathe in irritation. Daring flinched as she watched the sword jump around in the sheath.

“That's so cool! Where’d you get it?” She asked, batting her eyelashes at him. Jai sighed and closed his journal, putting it back into his waist bag.

“Found it, sorry but I’m tired. Wake me up when we’re there,” Jai said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. The mare pouted but said nothing as Jai drifted off into a less than comfortable nap. Memories from the red dragon playing like a movie. This wasn’t a memory to teach him, more just the little things in life. The dragon liked to garden, and when he left for Nocta missed it greatly. Jai slept through the train ride smiling as he imagined this fierce red dragon enjoying a floral garden.

CLACK CLACK SCREEEEEEECHH!!!!

“Hey we’re here!” Daring said, nudging the human awake. Jai groaned as he yawned and tried to stretch his arms out.

“Ah shit, this thing is too small,” Jai complained, bumping his hands against the roof of the cabin. He didn’t think he would but he missed Celestia and Luna a bit. They treated him relatively well and were useful.

“You’re just not pony sized, human,” Daring said sarcastically. Jai’s eye twitched, but he took a deep breath. Violence wasn’t the answer, he wasn’t in Nocta and this mare was helping him out. Much like Selene…He hoped she was doing well. The train stopped and ponies lined up to get off. Eventually Jai and his yellow guide got off.

“Finally! This is so much better,” Jai said, getting a true stretch. Looking around he saw a sign in the train station that said “Welcome to Ponyville”. Walking out into the station he noticed the weird looks he was getting. At this point he didn’t care, all he wanted were answers. As he stepped out into the town he admired the cobblestone roads, and greenery all over. The cottages reminded him of a painting he had in his old apartment.

“I need to grab some stuff and make a call, Meet me by the sugar cube corner,” Daring do said, hurriedly. Before he could ask where the hell that was, she had disappeared. Sighing he turned to wander the streets and explore. He’d ask about Sugar cube corner later, he needed some information.

“She’s actually coming back right?” Dusk asked.

“Who knows, honestly now that we’re here I don't care,” Jai said, putting his hands behind his head and strolling through town. After a while he found a sign with directions and smiled. He saw Sugar cube corner to his left, Treehouse library straight ahead, and Sweet apple acres to his right.

“Let's see here, let's stop by the library first I guess,” Jai said, whistling and walking through the rest of town.

“This seems like a nice place! Now that I think about it, what was the Crystal Empire like?” Dusk asked. Jai scrunched his face while he thought of his experience. Then he laughed before speaking.

“Well, like this but everything is technicolor crystal, or a solid color if you’re so inclined. There were markets for almost anything and it was cold as hell,” Jai said, as the Library came into view. Well he hoped it was the library, he wasn’t sure how common tree houses were here.

“Think I’ll get to see it?” Dusk asked. Jai grimaced and shrugged as he looked at the sign on the door. Library and residence of Twilight Sparkle.

“At least it’s the right place, but who lives in a library?” Jai asked rhetorically, before opening the door a jingle going off as he walked in. He looked at the walls coated in shelves, stairs off to the left going up. He looked up and saw a familiar sun on the ceiling and smiled.

“Maybe I’ll find something about these supposed centuries passed,” Jai said, now scanning the shelves. After a few moments he came across Equestrian history: A Dramatic retelling and grabbed it off the shelf. Figuring this would be a good start, he found a seat on the floor and began to read.

“Find an explanation yet boy?” Sombra asked, peering over Jai’s shoulder.

“Nothing that makes sense to me. It says the Crystal Heart in the empire lost power during a half successful Umbrum attack and disappeared.” Jai said, scratching his head.

“Hmm, well that would only make sense if That Princess who powered the heart was captured, or di-” Sombra said.

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Jai said angrily. Sombra shrugged and went back to reading over the human's shoulder.

“Ummm Sorry to bother you but are you ok?” A voice asked from behind him. Jai turned and saw a purple Unicorn with a confused look on her face staring at him.

“Nope, I’m confused as hell,” Jai replied bluntly.

“Oh! What are you confused about?” The Unicorn asked, approaching him.

“Where is the Crystal Empire, and what happened to A- Princess Amore?” Jai corrected himself, trying not to laugh.

“The Crystal Empire? It disappeared when its’ Princess went missing. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is a distant relative of Princess Amore,” The unicorn said, continuing to lecture him about the politics, and events that lead to the disappearance.
“Ah sorry! I’m just rambling now. I don’t believe we’ve ever met, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” She said smiling sheepishly at him.

“No, I doubt we’ve met,” Jai said, running his hands through his messy locs. After a few moments the bell on the door rang again and Jai’s eyes went wide.

“Oh hey Spike, welcome home!” Twilight said, turning to see the purple and green dragon enter the library.

“Hey Twilight, Who’s that, and why does he look angry?” Spike asked, slowly closing the door.

“I just met him but he seems ni-” Twilight paused. She took a step back as she realized this being was angry.

“Ah, sorry ptsd with dragons. I'm Jai, a human,” He said, giving a small wave and closing the book. This pretty much confirmed his fears after meeting Daring. The flow of time in Nocta was much different than here in Equestria.

“No worries, but human? There was only ever one recorded in history and that wa-”Twilight froze mid thought and looked at Jai.

“Yup, unless there was another that dropped in after me,” Jai said, sighing. Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing, let alone seeing.

“Y-y-you?!” Twilight stammered.

“Yeah um, can you stop staring at me like that?” Jai asked, scooting away from Twilight. She shook her head and turned to spike.

“Letter, Celestia, NOW!” She said hurriedly. The small dragon moved at Mach speed and returned with a parchment and a quill. Twilight recounted the conversation they had asked Celestia for her help. Jai watched as the dragon lifted the letter and burned it in green flames.

“The hell was that?” The human asked.

“Oh, it's one of Spike's gifts. With this we can talk to my teacher Princess Celestia.” Twilight said proudly.

“Celestia’s still alive?” Jai asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Why wouldn’t she be? Wait, you know my teacher Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked, pulling a notebook and pen from thin air.

“Yeah, her and Luna were friends with Amore, The castle was pretty lively with them around. Although your teacher had some poor taste in pranks at times,” Jai said, watching the pen scribble down what he said into the notebook.

BURRRPPPPP

“Ah sorry, happens when I get letters,” Spike said, letter in hand. Twilight dashed over to retrieve the letter and examine its contents.

My beloved Student,
This is interesting news indeed! Please make sure he is to feel welcome as he is indeed an old friend of mine. I shall find time to visit soon with Luna and we shall see what is going on. We had thought he had died, but I shall explain the details in person. Thank you for finding him, Until then
Your loving teacher,
Celestia of the Sun

Twilight read the letter aloud, and Jai shook his head and smiled. At least someone he knew was still alive. That at the very least brought him solace, and hopefully one step closer to understanding where time went.

"Ah! Maybe I should have given him directions! Where did he go?!" Daring do said, scolding her self as she wandered around looking for the Human. Maybe that call with her editor could have waited just a little bit longer. How hard could it be to find this human anyway, right?

Author's Note

Time flies, literally and figuratively. Wonder if Old man Varos expected this much time to pass...