A True Person

"Here comes Ponyville," the unicorn said, adjusting the ropes on the crates floating above him like balloons. "Are you going to stay here, or are you going to move on?"

"Undecided for now," Alexei replied politely, looking around the small town in front of him. "I think I'll check out the local sights."

"Ha! What sights are there in this village?" the unicorn snorted. "Elements of Harmony except for that."

"Maybe I can get an autograph?" smiled Alexei. "I'm a huge fan of theirs."

"Maybe you can before they get too proud of themselves," the unicorn laughed. "When you're about to leave, don't go to the pegasi. They charge a hefty price. Feathered fuckers enjoy the monopoly."

Alexei's lips quivered at the mention of monopoly. It was funny to hear it from a unicorn.

"Then what would you advise me?" Alexei asked.

"A teleportation array, of course, but Canterlot is still recovering from that battle," the stallion said sadly. "There are a lot of aid wagons being sent to Canterlot right now. You could make a deal and buy yourself a seat."

"Then that's what I'll do. Thank you," Alexei replied gratefully. "I wish I could use the array this time. The unicorns' mastery is truly astounding..."

"It is! You'll be awed when you see the grandeur of Canterlot," the unicorn began enthusiastically, but stammered. "Damn it! I'd tell you more, but I'm already running out of time as it is."

"Here, take this," he continued, handing Alexei a round bronze token. "When you arrive in Canterlot, be sure to stop by our office. They'll let you in with the token, no questions asked."

"Thank you very much," Alexei said gratefully, taking a slight bow.

"I'll see you in Canterlot then, friend," the unicorn smiled, turning toward the wagon loading area.

"Have a safe journey, friend," Alexei waved a hand at the departing stallion.

"Oh, ancestors. This is why I hate unicorns," Saada said in a tired voice. "Two days of listening to that smug bastard. Just a little more and I would have killed him myself."

"And when did you become so bloodthirsty?" smiled Alexei, examining a token with a drawing of a unicorn on a hill surrounded by flowers. "Getting into Canterlot will be easier with this thing."

The man looked around and approached a light green mare tending to the flowerbeds in front of the house.

"Excuse me, miss? I'm looking for the center square. Can you point me in the direction?" Alexei asked, slightly startling the immersed mare.

"The square is that way," the mare pointed, looking surprised at the strange creature wrapped in roughly sewn and ragged clothes in dark colors.

"Thank you," the man smiled, heading in the direction indicated.

Arriving at the plaza, Alexei noticed a purple unicorn standing behind a desk and directing the ponies bustling around.

"These crates are ready to be sent out. You may take them away," Twilight pronounced as she went through the papers on the table.

She felt someone's gaze on her and turned her head to see an unknown creature examining her.

Their gazes met.

Earlier, Twilight had already seen the anger and despair in the pony's eyes. She had looked into the hate-filled eyes of Nightmare Moon and didn't flinch. But the creature's gaze was something else.

She felt a gasp as she looked into those eyes.

The indifferent gaze, like a bottomless dark sea, drew her into its impenetrable depths. But she could swear that somewhere in that darkness there was something shining as brightly as the sun.

Her fate mark began to tingle, responding to the presence of this creature.

Twilight blinked, trying to get rid of the unpleasant sensation.

However, the creature had already turned away and slowly left the square. Twilight stared after it, trying to sort out her thoughts.

"Twilight?" the voice of a white earth pony interrupted her thoughts. "We have delivered all the medical supplies as listed. Would you please confirm?"

"Ah? Yes, of course," Twilight responded, shifting her gaze to the paper-cluttered desk.

She checked the list once more and made sure all the medications were placed and sealed in the boxes. The strange creature had already left her thoughts. The most important thing now was to help the ponies affected during the crisis that had engulfed Canterlot.

"What do you think?" the human asked mentally.

"She's incredible," Saada's simple reply rang out. "She hides most of her magical energy, but even so you can roughly understand her power. Don't even think of messing with her. She'll atomize you in a split second."

"Am I some kind of maniac in your eyes?" the man shook his head, peering out at the wagons ahead. "Killing is just one way of solving problems."

The man headed towards several massive wagons that were being loaded with all sorts of goods.

Alexei's gaze stopped at the strange sight unfolding before him.

The wagons were pulled by unusual magical monsters - huge, bus-sized black beetles with armor-covered bodies and huge claws. Their eyes glowed with an ominous orange light, and their chitinous armor emitted magical energy. The beetles' bodies were covered in a thin layer of glowing spots, creating a unique effect as if they had been magically painted on.

These creatures, although they looked terrifying, were actually quite peaceful.

"A magical world indeed," the man laughed, looking at the beetles with some interest.

Previously, he had only encountered small merchants and had always avoided large trade caravans.

"What did you expect? Horses?" the zebra asked snidely, already familiar with some of Earth's features.

Approaching the leader of the wagons, the man pulled a token from his pocket and raised it into the air. The gleam of metal caught the attention of the leader, who scrutinized the token. After a short amount of haggling and negotiation, the man was able to get a seat on one of the wagons.

Noon cast its rays upon the city of Canterlot, which towered over all of Equestria like a crown on the head of the land. The city, gracefully woven of white stone, attracted the eye with its majestic architecture.

The streets of Canterlot pulsed with life, filled with a variety of intelligent beings. Unicorns and earth ponies strolled the sidewalk, discussing the latest news and business deals. While pegasi, easily defying gravity, parted the sky above the ponies' heads. Their wings, like canvases of the most delicate clouds, created magnificent patterns in the air.

Griffins and minotaurs, somewhat rare in these parts, could occasionally be seen, whose powerful figures attracted the attention of passersby.

Majestic fountains and waterfalls flowed through the streets of the city, creating a pleasant rustling sound. The water adorned the city with its vibrancy and brightness. Curious ponies watched the playful fish hiding in the depths of the clear waters.

Stores and artisan stores decorated with floral arrangements and window displays drew the eyes of passersby. Ponies with a variety of talents and skills offered their services, from creating magical items to making unique clothing.

Canterlot was a living and breathing city where sentient beings enjoyed their unique abilities and interacted with each other in harmony. This city was not only the capital of Equestria, but also a symbol of unity and diversity, where magic and peace merged into one.

In the corner of a quiet city cafe, amidst the hustle and bustle, a lone man was enjoying a hot coffee and flipping through the pages of a newspaper. The dark circles under his eyes testified to the lack of sleep that had become an integral part of his life after meeting a unicorn collecting specimens in the forest. This unicorn had shared with him the latest news of the events that had taken place in Canterlot. The alicorns battle that was being talked about so much right now had long since come to an end.

The man only sighed upon hearing this. No matter how many plans he made, half of them always fell apart when faced with reality.

The other news caused him to have mixed feelings. Princess Luna, Celestia's sister, had returned after a long absence. According to the Crown's claim, she had sacrificed herself a thousand years ago to seal Nightmare Moon.

The unicorns immediately plunged into investigations, scouring through family archives for information on this mysterious princess.

But it's not just about her return. Her ability to enter other people's dreams made one wary.

After all, if someone could peek into his mind or dreams, his fate would be decided - he would either be sent to the dungeon or simply be beheaded. The man didn't know exactly how the death penalty was carried out in Canterlot, but he was sure that he would be thoroughly studied and experimented on.

That was why, after learning of Luna's ability, he began to train in conscious dreaming with the help of his companion, Saada. Zebra, thanks to the connection through the contract, could see his dreams and send him visual images, but had no way to manipulate his dreams.

So Alexei worked out a simple plan: Saada monitored his dreams and periodically sent images that were supposed to gradually make the man doubt the reality of the dream. The constantly changing weather outside the window, the clock hands not moving, the different inscriptions on his hand - all this was part of this plan.

Now his nights went like this - he would fall asleep and Saada would try to let him know he was asleep. Then she would wake him up and it would start all over again.

Each night his progress became more noticeable. He began to realize himself in his sleep almost without Saada's prompting. Though the zebra himself had claimed that Luna was unlikely to be able to enter his dreams due to his lack of soul and magic, he wasn't about to take any chances on such an important matter.

Underneath the man's clothes, hidden from the pony's prying eyes, a black rat named Alice was nestled comfortably, greedily eating a bun.

The rat was one of the byproducts of man's experiments to create an artificial soul. Although he had failed to create a soul, in the process he had obtained a powder that could increase intelligence in animals. It had no effect on already sentient beings and was extremely unstable on its own. After a while, the animals would start to go insane and attack the man with wild rage. He used to have a large wolf that he rode most of the way, but on the seventh day it lost its mind and he had to kill it.

This recipe alone was enough for a life sentence in the dungeons of Canterlot - he used the souls of unicorns to create this powder.

"Can't you change your rags for something more decent already?" Saada asked, distracting him from the newspaper. "You're already getting a bad look from the waitresses."

"Later. Those rags will still play their part," the man smiled, returning to his reading. "Look, the local unicorns also linked the explosion from four years ago to the return of the Luna. That's spawned even more rumors."

"What's so surprising about that?" the zebra asked perplexed. "Anyone with a bit of intelligence and a sober memory would have connected the two incidents."

"Hehe, isn't that my lucky ticket to the royal palace?" the man smirked, folding up the newspaper and rising from his seat.

Saada knew immediately that he was up to no good again.

Arriving in Canterlot under the cover of night, the man stayed at one of the inns. But at first light he was already on his feet, heading for the griffin quarter. There he began actively gathering and buying up information about everything related to the palace. He was most interested in the behavior of the new princess.

Princess Luna had become a hot topic of talk in Canterlot's criminal circles. An alicorn capable of invading other people's dreams!

To ordinary ponies Nightmare Moon was a nightmare in the flesh, but to criminals, and many nobles, the nightmare was Luna. Were it not for her status as a princess, the power of an alicorn, and the palace's strong defenses, Luna would have been on the brink by now - too many people wanted her dead.

The gossip and rumors circulating through the city added fuel to the fire. The newspapers competed with each other to find new details. Speculation about Luna's connection to Nightmare Moon grew more and more heated.

The man understood very clearly who was sponsoring these rumors and stirring up public hatred - a bunch of nobles and businessmen were clearly involved in all sorts of dirty deeds.

The returning Princess of Night had become the number one outcast in Equestria in an instant.

The man's thoughts drifted to Celestia as he walked towards the palace. She sat at the top of the social ladder and wielded supreme power, but that same power had become a heavy chain for her. Always striving to maintain the image of a good and fair ruler, she could not brute force to suppress the nobles and stop rumors from spreading.

She must be trying to strike a deal with the nobles now, but the man doubted it would be that easy. The nobility would take full advantage of this opportunity.

"What a pity," the man shook his head, remembering his past awe for this creature.

Upon reaching the plaza, the man looked around the place where one of the most epic battles of the two alicorns had broken out.

The debris had already been cleared away, and construction workers were hard at work finishing rebuilding the destroyed buildings. Along the edges of the square lay flowers and all sorts of items left in memory of those who had died in that battle.

The man's attention was drawn to the crowd of ponies in front of the palace, held back by the royal guard.

On a crude platform stood a unicorn, looking like a common laborer, and riled up the crowd with his fiery speech. Behind him stood two similarly humble unicorns, clearly acting as his assistants. The crowd shouted loudly, calling for the princess to be held accountable and to stop deceiving ordinary ponies.

Alexei stepped closer, watching the crowd with an indifferent look. His gaze fell on the speaker and his assistants, and he squinted his eyes, studying them closely. A chuckle flashed across his lips, but none of the others, lost among the noisy crowd, took any notice.

"What's so funny?" Saada asked, not understanding the man's reaction.

"Look at his helpers," the man said cheerfully.

"What's wrong with them? They look like ordinary laborers," the zebra replied perplexed.

"Wrong," the human interrupted her. "Look at their hooves. They look unkempt and chipped, but that's only at first glance. Look closely. Don't you think they're damaged a little too neatly and methodically?"

"Hmm. You're right. The hue is also healthy, indicating good nutrition," the zebra pondered as realization came to her. "Are these minor nobles sent to control the protest?"

"Maybe, or maybe someone on the business side," the man shrugged, turning around and leaving the plaza. "The important thing is that it's all in my best interest."

"I must say modern ponies have a lot more freedoms. Celestia allows them a lot," Saada muttered thoughtfully. "It was different in my day."

"Most people don't want freedom. They fear it," the man shook his head. "Truly free people are terrifying to them even.

"All they need are illusions.

"The illusion of freedom. The illusion of control. The illusion of truth."

"And I'll give them what they want," the man smiled as he stood in front of the entrance to a luxurious building adorned with a sign featuring a newspaper and a feather.

...Sensation! New details of an incident four years ago! The sole survivor, kidnapped by Nightmare Moon's associates, has given an exclusive interview! Everything he said has been independently verified through a truth spell!...

Holding the newspaper in her telekinetic grip, Celestia looked at the article and the photo attached to it with surprise and bewilderment. In the photo, she saw a creature without fur, dressed in rags, who was blowing a tear, and beside him was a gray unicorn touchingly soothing him. It was an image that evoked sympathy and compassion.

Quickly reading the entire article, Celestia's face frowned even more. She knew that some of the information was obvious fiction, but the creature pointed out details that had never been reported to the public. Either the creature really was the only survivor, or it had some inside information.

"Raven," Celestia called out, setting the paper aside. "Have you started gathering information yet?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied the white unicorn mare with black mane and tail. "Right after the article was published this morning, I sent some ponies out to find out all the details."

Celestia sighed, examining the humble afternoon snack on the table in front of her. This morning had been particularly crazy. She had just managed to enjoy a rare moment of peace when she was interrupted by this article.

"What has been found out?" the princess asked, massaging her temples.

"The origin of the creature is unknown. We were able to trace its movements back to Everfree, but where it came from in the first place is a mystery," Raven replied quickly. "He arrived in Canterlot the day before yesterday and is staying at the Gryphon's Feather Inn, which is near the gryphon quarter."

"Have the nobility tried to contact him yet?" Celestia asked, picking out a few pastries.

"Yes. Lots of them. A whole line since this morning," the mare replied. "He turned everyone down."

"What?" Celestia asked, frozen with a chocolate cake hanging over her plate.

"He refuses everyone and won't let anyone in," Raven said in a calm voice. "He doesn't answer questions from reporters either."

Celestia hesitated, shifting her gaze again to the picture in the paper.

She had expected it to be just another pawn of the nobles, but it looked like that wasn't the case. She had also assumed that this creature would be enjoying his moment of fame, chattering left and right. But this Alexei, as mentioned in the article, was behaving completely differently.

Suddenly, Celestia laughed as she realized this creature's motives.

"Cheeky brat," she smiled, scrutinizing the photo closely. "You've got a lot of nerve."

The unicorn mare Raven stood silently with an indifferent face, waiting for her princess to finish her musings.

"Raven, send a group of guardsmen in civvies to this Alexei. Have them invite him to dinner at the palace," Celestia ordered. "Send the picture and all the information you've gathered to Intelligence. I want to know everything about him by tonight.

"And cancel all my appointments for that time."

"As you command, Your Majesty," Raven bowed and quickly left the room.

Celestia sighed, feeling the fatigue that seemed to be creeping into her bones. She reached for the table where a variety of cakes lay, intending to finally get some rest.

After eating a few of the cakes, Celestia shuddered and looked in a certain direction. Her gaze seemed to penetrate the many walls of the palace with ease.
Celestia's gaze settled on Luna, who was slowly walking down the hallway.

Dark circles shone under Princess Luna's eyes, and her eyes were bloodshot. She hadn't been sleeping well lately.

Everything around her seemed to be plunged into darkness, reflecting Princess Luna's gloomy mood. The rare maids scattered into side corridors, and the guards huddled against the walls, trying even harder to look like motionless statues.

Luna paid no attention to this atmosphere of tension and fear - she was absorbed in her thoughts.

A thousand years were like a blur, but recent memories of Nightmare Moon returning from her imprisonment were slowly coming back to her. The Elements of Harmony seemed to want her to remember what she had done earlier.

Luna had tried to kill her sister, killed thousands of ponies, and nearly destroyed Canterlot.

She couldn't hide from herself that her own desires were part of this nightmare as well. There were dark thoughts and feelings lurking in the back of her mind that Nightmare Moon simply pulled out and began to carry out.

Any other mortal, faced with such guilt and terror of themselves, would have gone insane long ago. But Luna was no mortal.

She had lived for over a thousand years, having known every possible joy and suffering of this world.

She had personally executed deserters, bathed in the blood of Equestria's enemies, faced betrayal and betrayed others herself. She had known love and hate, and experienced almost everything this world had to offer.

Her mind was tempered like steel. What to a mortal would be the most horrific event of their life, to her was just an extremely shitty Monday.

Luna wasn't about to drown in self-pity. After crying for a few days, she picked herself up on her hooves and promised that she would right her mistakes.

She couldn't bring the dead back to life, but she could do her best for the living.

Maybe that would atone for her sins. She didn't know if she even wanted forgiveness, but she knew she had to keep moving forward.

Something strange had happened tonight that kept Luna uneasy and occupied all her thoughts at the moment. After regaining some strength, she decided to go to the Dreamworld, seeking the usual solace for her troubled mind there. Upon entering Dreamscape, she felt something wrong and puzzling. Heading towards the place that had attracted her senses, she discovered a dream.

This dream was unusual and mysterious. Luna tried to enter it, but the boundaries of this dream seemed impenetrable, as if made of steel. She tried many times, but she was never able to break through this barrier. Sometimes, the dream seemed to become ethereal and she couldn't interact with it at all.

However, the most puzzling thing was that Luna could feel a familiar energy in this dream - her own mental energy. It was faint and barely perceptible, but it was still present.

Luna mused on speculation as to who this dream belonged to and how it related to her. If it had been any other dream, she might have been able to determine the approximate location of the owner in the real world, but not in this case.

All she managed to see was a fleeting glimpse of the dream owner's appearance before he disappeared after noticing her presence.

Luna had never seen a creature like him before. And that made her even more curious and eager to solve this mystery. She got up earlier than usual to grab a quick snack and head to the library.

With these thoughts, she entered the dining hall and greeted her sister, Celestia. Her voice sounded a little tired, but there was determination and eagerness for change.

"You haven't been sleeping well," Celestia stated the obvious, examining her sister closely.

"I'm fine," Luna replied simply, taking a seat at the table.

"Why don't you get some help? I know some good..." Celestia started to say, but was interrupted when she noticed the glazed look in her sister's eyes as she stared at the paper on the table.

Luna lit the horn and grabbed the newspaper, scrutinizing the picture.

"Did you miss the paper that much?" Celestia asked cheerfully. "Or did you take a liking to that brat?"

The next moment, she regretted her joke when Luna gave her a wild look.

Celestia reflexively squinted and spread her wings, taking a fighting stance.

"I'm sorry, sister," Luna said in a sad voice, lowering her gaze.

Celestia sighed, folded her wings and stepped closer.

"It's okay," she said, hugging Luna with her wings. "It was just an accident."

Luna answered her with a look that clearly showed she didn't believe a word she said.

"So what were you so interested in the paper?" Celestia tried to change the dangerous topic.

"That creature. What is it?" the Princess of Night asked.

"I don't know myself. Some brat who thinks he can play games with me," Celestia shrugged. "I have a meeting with him tonight."

"I want to be at that meeting," Luna said firmly, looking into her sister's eyes.

The man moved the rook chess piece and leaned back in his chair, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.

Across from him was Saada, with whom he was playing the Equestrian equivalent of chess. The rules were essentially the same, it was just that the pieces looked and were called differently.

This strange game of chess was watched by a rat named Alice, crunching some small nuts that the man had stolen from the inn's counter. He had spent quite a bit of time training her, teaching her many complex commands. With Saada's help in transmitting images into the rat's mind, they were making good progress.

"It'll be evening soon. Do you think someone will come from the palace?" Saada asked, eyeing the chessboard thoughtfully.

"Of course they'll come," the man smiled, resting with his eyes closed. "I've already shown Celestia my attitude. She'll be sure to contact me."

"We've been sitting here all day and all we've done is chase off those pesky nobleman's lackeys," the zebra muttered, rubbing her cheek.

The man didn't reply, but reached out and scratched a finger behind the rat's ear, causing it to rumble contentedly.

Alice was an important part of his emergency plan should he suddenly find himself in Canterlot's prison. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, but he always prepared for the worst. That was why he was still alive and free.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, interrupting the man's rest. Gesturing for Saada to return to his body, the man walked to the door and looked through the peephole. Standing in front of the door were five very ordinary looking unicorns, but their faces gave them away as military men.

The man smiled as he opened the door.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, peering at the unicorns through the gap. "I don't do interviews or host guests."

"We're here on an errand. I think you understand from whom," the unicorn in front replied in an even voice. "May we come in?"

"I'm naked. Wait a moment," the man replied, closing the door.

"Are they using magic now?" he mentally asked Saada and receiving a negative answer walked over to the table and picked up the rat.

Whispering something in its ear, he opened the cabinet under the sink and let the rat crawl into the gap in the wall leading outside.

Pulling two black pills out of his pocket, the man popped them into his mouth and swallowed them quickly.

Now everything was ready. All that remained was to go on stage.

"I hope she remembers all the instructions and stash locations," the man mentally sighed as he walked back to the door.

"Please come in," he smiled, letting the group of unicorns inside.

The unicorns entered, taking a quick look around and using several spells on the door and the entire room.

"These are anti-surveillance spells," the leader explained. "We represent the Crown and Princess Celestia personally. She wishes to meet you for dinner at the palace."

"Good. I'm ready to go even now," the human agreed.

The unicorn nodded and turned to the two unicorns behind him. Those took out a huge parchment covered with many runes from their bag and taped it to the wall. Reacting to the energy injected by the unicorns, the runes began to glow and seemed to merge with each other.

Soon, a portal shone in place of the wall, revealing the palace's luxurious decorations.

"I love portals," the man mentally grinned. "So far, they've only brought good things."

"Come on in. We'll stay here and make sure no one enters your room," the leader said. "If necessary, another portal will be created for you to bring you back."

Nodding, the man walked through the portal and out into the large living room. The portal behind him began to close with a quiet hiss, leaving him in new, uncharted territory.

"There you are," came a soft voice from his right, making the man flinch slightly.

Turning around, he saw a white and dark blue alicorn sitting on an exquisite couch. Celestia and Luna, the princesses of Equestria, greeted him with their divine presence.

He had seen Celestia before when she spoke before the people, but up close it was a very different experience. There was a flicker of admiration in the man's eyes that the princesses couldn't help but notice.

"Good evening, Your Majesties," the man said, bowing low before the princesses. "Princess Celestia. Princess Luna."

"You may raise your head," Celestia said with a smile on her face.

The man obeyed and stood up, looking at the princesses and waiting for their words.

"Hmm, how interesting," Celestia said cheerfully as her sister Luna scrutinized the man. "How did that happen?"

"I'm not quite sure what you mean, Your Majesty," the man smiled politely.

"Where is your soul, wanderer from another world?" Celestia continued in the same cheerful tone.

The princess could see how the pupils of the creature in front of her dilated with shock, and his left hand began to tremble.

"So you know," the man smiled bitterly, growing increasingly nervous. "What's going to happen to me now?"

"Depends on your answers," Celestia started to say, but she was interrupted by Luna.

"What's your connection to the Nightmare Moon cult?" Luna asked, eyeing the man suspiciously.

"No connection at all," the man replied simply. "I saw a portal appear in my world and entered it. That's how I ended up in the Everfree forest. That's all."

"Tell the full story," Celestia ordered briefly.

The man launched into an explanation, recounting everything that had happened to him in those four years.

Well, almost everything. Some things the alicorns clearly didn't need to hear. Many things.

"So you ended up here because of me?" Luna muttered silently, casting the man a sad look.

"Interesting story," Celestia hummed, pulling out a rolled up flyer. "What do you think of this?"

The human looked at the flyer in Princess Celestia's telekinetic grip.

It was a flyer with a bounty on his head. His own face was depicted on it. Squinting, he read that he was wanted by a tribe of zebras for killing their tribesman.

"It did happen," the man sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "However, that stallion reached for his weapon and was about to kill me. It was only self-defense!"

"Really? Then what about..." Celestia started to say, but she was interrupted again by Luna.

"Stop pressuring him, sister," Luna said coldly. "You heard about his situation in the tribe. He was an outcast, the tribe just found a scapegoat."

"As if it wasn't his own fault," Celestia muttered, but fell silent under her sister's gaze.

Celestia shifted her gaze to the man, who was extremely nervous and sweating, and his gaze seemed to be filled with pure distilled fear. Even from the couch, the sisters could hear the sound of the man's furious heartbeat.

"He's turning out to be more timid than I imagined," Celestia thought to herself. "Just a little longer and he'll have a panic attack."

"Good. Let's forget about it," Celestia sighed, realizing that further questioning would not lead to a positive result. "So why did you put on this whole show, getting our attention?"

"I heard rumors of a connection between that incident and the return of Princess Luna. I... I wanted to meet her," the man said loosening his collar. "Though, right now, I can't remember what I wanted to say."

"Calm down. We're not going to execute or imprison you," Celestia said, trying to calm his nerves, but the man didn't seem much calmed by it.

"We'll end it there today, sister. He can stay here and rest," Luna said, shifting her gaze to the man. "I guarantee your safety, Alexei."

"Thank you, Princess Luna," the man smiled warmly, looking at her gratefully.

Celestia sighed and lit her horn. A few seconds later, two maids entered the room.

"Take him to the guest room and provide him with everything he needs," Celestia ordered.

Bowing deeply once more, the man followed the maids. All the way he stared at the floor and breathed heavily.

The maids looked at him with interest, but dared not speak to him first.

When he reached the guest room, he thanked the maids and sent them away, saying he needed nothing, and closed the door.

Collapsing on the bed, the man curled up and lay staring at one point. He looked so pathetic and vulnerable.

"Boy, you are something!" the zebra in his head laughed wildly. "Mad, crazy bastard, but still something!"

"The easy part of the plan is complete," the man mentally replied, maintaining his previous fetal pose. "If it weren't for the fact that unicorn magic can't read my mind due to the lack of a soul - things would be much more complicated."

"Why do you keep acting?" the zebra asked. "Do you think they're still watching you? I don't feel any magic."

"Of course they're watching," Alexei snorted mentally. "They'll definitely want to see how I act when I think no one's watching."

The man planned to infiltrate the palace, separate the sisters, and meet with Luna alone. So far, everything was going according to plan.

Rolling over onto his back, the man inhaled and exhaled deeply, massaging his face with his hands.

"Luna..." the man's thoughts shifted to a certain princess. "We're going to be best friends soon."