"Huh?" I exhaled as I suddenly realized that I had woken up and returned to reality. Looking around, I saw that I had fallen asleep on the couch with a phone on my chest for some reason. Then my eyes darted to the window where the sun was shining. I'm still in Equestria.

"It's not that surprising." I sighed and put my hands on my chest, staring at the ceiling as I remembered what happened before I fell asleep. First, Daniel and I discussed what the hell I should do. On the one hand, thanks for the information, but on the other hand, the first impression is still very unpleasant.

"Like, uh, I don't know. It is unpleasant when they tell me at the first meeting that I will never come home again. I muttered in frustration before continuing to remember. After completing the list of things I needed to do, Daniel left and said he would come tomorrow.

And I don't have any food! Even the ice cream, someone threw it away.

As if in response to a sweet memory, my stomach made a low rumbling sound, clearly indicating a desire to eat. Putting a hand on it, I muttered, "Yeah, I agree, I don't like him either."

With a snort, I finally forced myself to sit up and reach for the phone. When it was unlocked, yesterday's correspondence with my sister opened before my eyes. A correspondence that will never be continued. Placing the phone on the sofa, I took a deep breath and asked into the void: "I wonder how you are now?"

I wonder how you felt when you saw that there was just a void where my apartment used to be?

Suddenly, unfortunately, a familiar voice came from outside: "Arthur! Come out, it's time to fix your back."

Groaning, I rubbed my eyes and called back, getting up from the couch: "Give me a few minutes! I need to at least wash up before the day starts. "

In response, I heard fast but heavy footsteps running towards me. I didn't even have time to turn around when I heard Daniel's voice, which was much closer this time: "First of all, there is no water in your house. Second, I'm not going to wait for you. I have things to do as well. "

" Hey, I didn't invite you! You. . . " I said, turning to Daniel, but stopped when I finally saw him. Unlike yesterday he was wearing a simple white shirt and for some reason he was wearing ordinary glasses. Of course, yesterday he had said something about looking for a new style, but I hadn't expected such drastic changes!

Gathering my strength, I put my hands on my hips and asked with a hint of irritation: "Do you know what private property is? Or didn't your parents teach you that?"

"What are you going to do if I say I wasn't taught that?" Daniel asked and repeated my pose. Well, with one hand for obvious reasons.

Uh, what? No, he's probably just messing with me. He's mocking me.

I shook my head quickly, trying to hide the embarrassment in my voice, "Okay, it doesn't matter. Can you just not come into my house without permission anymore?"

Daniel rolled his eyes and said, leaning against the wall, "Well, I don't know. First of all, you don't have a door. And second..."

I interrupted him with a frown, "I don't have a door because you kicked it down! "

" I'll pay for the repairs, don't worry. " Daniel replied in a calm but not reassuring voice.

"And when will you do it?" I asked urgently when the frown on my face became even more pronounced.

"When the new tank is built. A week at the most." Daniel said with a shrug, in a voice as if it was nothing special.

A t-tank? I am a thousand percent sure that did not happen in the animated series. It's by definition a fantasy or something, so it shouldn't be like that!

In the end, my thoughts broke out in the form of a surprised question: "Where are the tanks coming from!?"

Daniel rubbed his ear lightly and replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice: "First of all, don't shout like that. Second, the tanks were developed here in Equestria, thanks to the work of several unicorns and myself, who raised money for the project. I was a producer, let's just say."

I just stared at him for a while, trying to process this information. Like, is there even technology here to build something even close to a tank? I doubt it very much. And where would Daniel get the money to do it? He doesn't look like a man who knows how to make a lot of money.

For a moment, my eyes focused on him. Despite the shirt, very large muscles were visible. Not to mention how weird those glasses look on him.

Speaking of glasses. They obviously weren't there yesterday.

Sighing, I let go of the remnants of my irritation and asked carefully: "I understand that I'm stalling. . ."

"Yes, that's right. " Daniel interrupted me in a calm voice and nodded quickly.

I snorted and continued: "But why do you have glasses? You certainly didn't have them yesterday."

Daniel lowered his glasses for a moment and looked at me with his black eyes. Uh, why? I raised an eyebrow in embarrassment, and Daniel put the glasses back on and said: "I can't see very well with my glasses. In fact, I couldn't see a single feature of your face at all yesterday."

"Then why didn't you wear your glasses yesterday?" I asked, a little irritated. Why does it take me so long to get a normal answer?

Daniel shrugged and said: "In case I get a sensory overload from seeing a human face for the first time in a year that is not mine."

Well, I won't ask any questions here. He's been in Equestria for a year now. Oh, and this year won't be the only one for him or me.

Sighing sadly, I asked, rubbing my neck lightly: "So now we have a list to give to the girl who should be able to help me with my back, right?"

Daniel smiled back and said with a quick nod: "Yes, your memory is fine. So, let's go? Or do you have any more stupid questions?"

Before I could even snort, he said, "Smart, well thought out and appropriate questions. Aren't you going to whine now?"

I wasn't going to whine.

I rubbed my face lightly, trying to shake off the drowsiness, before finally picking up the phone and reluctantly answering: "Okay, let's go. I already feel that my back is starting to torment me again."

"Don't worry. She will definitely think of something." Daniel replied with a wave of his hand and headed for the exit. Sighing, I took a quick look at myself and after making sure I was really asleep in my clothes, I followed him.

A few moments later, I was outside the house and took a deep breath. The sun is much brighter, but not blinding. The grass under my feet is so green. Are the trees so, I don't know how to say it, so alive?

It all feels unnatural.

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw Daniel start to run while I was standing like an idol. I quickly shook my head and started to run after him, only to catch up with him after a few seconds. After a few moments, I realized where he was taking me. Into the forest.

"A great doctor who will help me with my back in the forest? Are you taking me to a shaman? " I asked indignantly, raising my voice slightly. And the next moment I felt a sting in my back. Ouch.

Daniel snorted and waved his hand dismissively: "First of all, don't whine, it annoys me almost as much as waking up in the afternoon. Second, she does not live in the forest, only the way to her house leads through the forest. Calm down?"

Not really. Mostly because of your attitude.

"Yeah, yeah, I calmed down." I answered with a disappointed sigh. I don't have any other options, like.

"Just look around you! It's a completely different world that I can't get out of. My family, my degree, my knowledge. All this will have no value here! I need to vent my frustration somehow, you know? "I asked, spreading my arms to the sides.

Daniel let out a tired groan before answering, putting his hand in his pocket: "No, I don't really understand you. The first few weeks here, I was just trying to survive. I probably just didn't have the strength for stress from the mere fact that I was in another world.

This. . . sounds extremely wrong.

I turned my head to Daniel and stared at him as we walked forward. There was silence in the air for a few moments, broken only by the sound of footsteps, but finally I asked slowly, "Do you understand how strange this sounds? As if you came to another world and just shrugged your shoulders? "

Daniel rolled his eyes and actually shrugged before he said, "You could say that. I tried, according to the training manual, to get into the situation and speak honestly. As you can see, it doesn't work. Redemption is such nonsense, really. "

" Oh yeah, that's right. You also mentioned something about redemption yesterday. " I said, staring blankly ahead.

I'm not sure I want to ask. At least for now.

Sighing, I looked at myself and let out a disappointed tone: "Damn, I'm in my house clothes. For the sake of decency, I should have at least put on another T-shirt."

"I wouldn't let you. If I'm here, I'll pick you up." Daniel replied calmly, shaking his head.

"You act like you're better than me and like you have everything under control here." I said, looking at him irritated.

In response, he just calmly turned to face me as we continued to walk forward through the endless forest. Daniel just stared for a few seconds, which frankly made me uncomfortable. Suddenly, he looked away from me and said, pointing his finger forward: "Oh, great! We're here."

What a good way to avoid the question.

Rolling my eyes, I looked where Daniel was pointing and was, to say the least, astonished. In front of me was a high gate with a red pattern that vaguely resembled the sun. It was also slightly ajar. So this gets even stranger.

I took a deep breath and slowly asked with my hands folded: "Please answer this question honestly, Daniel. Is there a girl outside this gate who can help me with my back pain?"

"Yes. Can we go now?" Daniel answered before he yawned heavily. This doesn't seem like very respectful behavior.

No, no, no. All of this looks not only unrealistic, but suspicious.

Shaking my head, I crossed my arms and said firmly, "Okay, I'm not going anywhere until I get an answer. Who is she? Why is she living outside these gates? And how does she treat patients? "

Daniel let out a heavy sigh before asking disappointedly, "Can we at least discuss this on the way? I don't want to waste a second. "

After a few seconds I nodded reluctantly, but still asked a slightly different question: " Okay, we can do that on the way. But why are you in such a hurry? If you have something important to do, could you, I don't know, leave me an address? "

Daniel stepped forward to the slightly open gate and said with a wave of his hand: "Celestia said that helping others would help determine how well I am coping with redemtion so far.. So it's my duty to be your big brother in the near future."

Celestia. If I remember correctly, she is the most important pony or something? Yeah, yeah, I remember. A princess who does nothing and loses every battle. Nodding slightly to myself, I finally replied with a roll of my eyes, "Wonderful.

"I totally agree," he said with a slight nod.

Well, at least some understanding has been reached.

After the last exchange, there was silence in the air and we quietly reached the slightly ajar gate. Daniel walked calmly through it, as if there was nothing strange about it. Like the gate, which is at least four times bigger than me, is somewhere in the forest next to a rock?

"I guess I have to show some trust." I muttered before taking a deep breath and following Daniel through the gate. I saw a stone corridor with blue crystals attached to the walls, glowing brightly enough to illuminate everything.

After I took a few steps on the stone floor, Daniel said as he walked on, "Hmm, she did some repairs here. Although I liked it better when there were torches here."

Almost without paying attention to his words, I began to stare at the crystals in fascination. Not only do they look beautiful, but they are also very unusual. For example, how do they work?

Well, if I have to spend time with this asshole, I'll let him be my guide. As compensation.

Chuckling softly, I asked, pointing my finger at the crystals, "Since you've been here for almost a year, can you explain how it works?"

"Magic is poured into a special object and it begins to glow because it cannot hold the entire volume inside. There are no infinite engines, so with some magic there will be too little in the crystal to glow and you will have to fill a new one. " Daniel replied very quickly. It took me a few seconds to process all the words.

"It feels like you've been preparing for this like an exam. I don't think a living person would answer like that. I chuckled and focused my eyes on Daniel.

" Arthur, I assumed you'd ask the stupidest questions. That is why I really prepared for everything yesterday. " He replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

I don't think normal people do that. At least I obviously wouldn't.

Snorting, I continued to follow Daniel, trying to distance myself as much as possible from the pain in my back. This was made easier by the sounds coming from somewhere further down the corridor. It was as if the three creatures were snoring. And very loudly. I swallowed, trying to keep my voice calm, and asked: "Do you hear that?"

"Yes. Cerberus is sleeping again. What a useless guard. Daniel replied with a shrug, as if nothing had happened.

" Cerberus!? Is there a damn Cerberus here? " I exclaimed, eyes wide and frozen. Of course, I should have known! It was clear from our first meeting that he didn't have much sympathy for me.

Daniel turned all the way to me and said, putting his hand on the small of his back: "Oh, relax. Cerberus is sleeping now. And even if he's not asleep, we're invited. And even if he hasn't been notified, I have already defeated Cerberus. I can do it again."

Squinting, I asked, pointing my finger at the mistake, "Was it when you had two hands?"

He nodded quickly and opened his mouth to answer, but I cut him off: "Then I doubt very much that you will be able to repeat the success."

"Damn it, Arthur, listen to cool advice. If people say they can do it, let them prove it, even if you don't believe them. Believe me, this approach saves a lot of effort." Daniel replied and pulled his hand away.

Yes, yes. Very convincing.

I rolled my eyes, making it clear that I didn't believe him. In response, he closed the distance with lightning speed, grabbing my wrist tightly before walking forward down the corridor. Of course, my first reaction was to try to escape. But his hand closed on my wrist like a pair of pincers!

"LET ME GO!" I shouted and hit him with my free hand. To no avail. Who is this guy?

Daniel just continued to calmly drag me forward without saying a word. At the moment, all I could do was stay on my feet while being dragged forward. After a while, I saw out of the corner of my eye what looked like a bend in the middle of the corridor. A few steps later, I saw what was around the corner.

A huge dog. A huge three-headed dog. A damn real and breathing Cerberus!

I swallowed nervously and tried to pull myself out of Daniel's grip. But he didn't pay any attention to me and said, nodding to Cerberus, "Yo, doggie."

Cerberus just gave a short snort and stayed in his place. But I still didn't get a very good impression. It's special because they keep on dragging me. Taking a deep breath, I yelled and hit Daniel's wrist again: "That's it, that's it, we've passed Cerberus. Let me go!"

"Are you here again?" An old man's voice asked irritably from the side. As they continued to drag me, I was able to turn my head towards the source of the sound and saw something like a centaur in the cage. Only very thin. Uh, one of the villains, if I remember correctly?

"Good day to you too, Tirek. By the way, I finally found the time to check out your advice with the runes. Very cool." Daniel replied without even turning around.

"You promised to let me out in exchange for this advice! The so-called Tirek shouted angrily.

I feel very superfluous. Like, I don't know, as if I just came to the party when it was over? Although, damn it, I've never been to a party.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp turn to the side that almost caused me to fall. But there is good news in this, it covers everything! Daniel's grip loosened slightly. A sharp slap at his wrist freed me and I pressed myself against the wall to keep my balance. I took a deep breath and said as irritated as I could: "Don't ever touch me again. Especially like that."

Daniel just adjusted his glasses with one hand for a few seconds, but finally answered: "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. However, I am interested in resolving all issues as soon as possible. "

After taking a few deep breaths, I finally calmed the pain in my back and said, looking at Daniel, "Now you definitely have to answer all my questions. "

At that he snorted and said, turning away from me: "Okay, let's go. Just be careful, there really are a lot of stairs ahead of us."

Are there many stairs? Uh, I have to climb them later!

Sighing in frustration, I followed Daniel, and soon we were descending a very long staircase that seemed to be twisted around a large column. After a few seconds of walking quietly, I finally asked, "So who is this girl who can heal my back?"

Daniel clicked his tongue and said with two raised fingers: "First of all, this is incredibly not a specific question, so I will give you the same bad answer. Second, her name is Ahirata and she built this place. "

" This whole place? " I asked in surprise, looking around at everything around me. Looking up, I could barely make out the ceiling of what appeared to be a huge cave. Yes, it is a huge cave. Looking down carefully, I saw that if I fell, it would be a very long fall that would end when I hit the ground. And it probably seemed that way to me, but at the bottom you can see a kind of black spot that looks like a castle.

I wish I hadn't thought about it . . .

Finally, Daniel took a deep breath and reluctantly replied, "Yes, she did everything. You see, Ahirata specializes in two things. Controlling land rocks with the help of magic and various biological tricks."

That last part piqued my curiosity, for obvious reasons. I slowed down a bit and asked cautiously: "What exactly do you mean by biological jokes?"

Daniel put his hand on his chest and said with a raised nose: "Creating new creatures from parts of others, transmigrating souls from one body to another, something like necromancy but not quite, and so on. But don't worry. She's going through redemption now, too. For me, you can see that the person going through the atonement is extremely kind and responsive.

Yeees. . . Of course . . .

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I finally replied, "You know what? I just want my back pain to go away. I've been here less than a week, but I'm already tired of half my thoughts being occupied by pain. So I'm not going to be put off by your edgy behavior."

"Edgy? Instead of solving problems, you started making up new words? " Daniel asked, continuing to walk, but turning his head slightly towards me so that I could see his raised eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes and replied with a slight nod: "It looks like it."

"I'm glad nothing's changed. At least I haven't missed anything really important. " Daniel commented with a shrug.

Should I make fun of him? Hm

"Actually, no, a lot has happened! A meeting of all the countries of the world was held in London, where they agreed to completely disband their armies and stop all wars! "I replied, trying my best to feign awe and pride.

Daniel chuckled briefly and said: "First of all, your voice is unconvincing. Second, your idea is not convincing. At least since the International Conference. Why London? I doubt very much that absolutely all countries of the world will come there. "

" You could at least appreciate my attempt," I muttered, crossing my arms. He bothered me yesterday, I'll answer now. But in my own way.

Unfortunately, instead of a cheerful reaction, Daniel stopped and said, turning to the right: "Great! We reached the gate to the lower part of Tartarus. Just a little bit short of our goal."

Of course, this place is called Tartarus. Uhh.

Sighing, I asked urgently: "I just want to clarify. Are we going down to Tartarus, where a bunch of dead people are in eternal torment?"

Daniel waved his hand dismissively and said: "Don't worry, they're making repairs here. Look, she even put in a round staircase!"

I blinked in embarrassment, raised an eyebrow, and took a few steps closer to Daniel. There, my eyes quickly found the gate, wide open and covered in some kind of soot. Behind it was a small platform leading to a circular staircase, like a lighthouse.

I leaned over the edge for a second to estimate the distance to the ground. And he immediately abandoned the idea. It's enough for me that it's a lot of steps. I don't need a specific number.

Anyway, I feel like my legs are going to give out on me by the end of the day.

Suddenly Daniel tapped me on the shoulder and said as he started to descend, "Ready? No? Great! The less energy you have to ask questions, the better."

"You're insufferable." I replied, rubbing my shoulder irritably before following him. On the way, I couldn't help but notice one thing. The steps here are not the same height. Each one is different from the one before. It's not comfortable at all to go down. I think it won't be easy to get up either.

Snorting, I asked attentively, looking at the steps: "Listen, what does this Ahirata look like? I want to be at least a little bit prepared for the meeting."

Daniel shrugged again and said hastily: "Well, in short, in this world some dragons walk on two legs. "

I frowned, trying to remember such a detail in the series, and finally remembered. Spike. Twilight's pet, right? Yes, he definitely walked on two legs. As if sensing my mental nod, Daniel continued, "Well, she looks like a green dragon, only without wings, and her eyes look like rubies. Very similar."

Eyes like gems? Heh.

"Are you in love with her?" I asked teasingly.

Daniel turned back to me and continued to walk backwards down the stairs. He adjusted his glasses slightly and asked calmly, "Arthur, do you have a problem with your head? Are you autistic, mentally retarded, or anything like that? "

" Uh, no," I replied embarrassed. Why this question? Was he really that upset by the simple teasing?

Daniel closed his eyes and smiled before he asked: "Then I'm sure you understand my words, Arthur. Such statements that have no basis in reality irritate me incredibly. And you can't even imagine what kind of relationship I had with Ahirata before, which makes your words even more idiotic. So stop thinking like that, or I'll have to go to great lengths to make it clear to you. Is that clear?

Gulp.

"I'm glad we understood each other. You're such a smart guy, Arthur," Daniel said before turning around and walking up the stairs in a normal position. Do I need to tell you how I felt?

A chill ran through my entire body. It feels like summer has suddenly turned into a very late fall, barely distinguishable from winter. My legs trembled slightly, making it difficult to walk up the uneven stairs. My hands were also shaking.

Suddenly I realized a small detail. This cold is real. In fact, the lower I go, the colder it gets. Rubbing my hands lightly, I asked cautiously, "Is it just me, or is it cold in here?"

"Too deep to be warmed by the sun and too high to be warmed by the center of the planet. " Daniel replied as if it was absolutely expected.

Shouldn't there be, well, lava in Tartarus?

As soon as I raised an eyebrow in embarrassment, Daniel said with a loud sigh, "Victory. We have reached our goal."

With a satisfied sigh, I stood next to Daniel and saw an unexpected image. A wasteland appeared before my eyes, like a lunar landscape, with a large castle towering over it. Out of the corner of my eye I could even see the dried-up villages. How did they even get here?

"Well, let's go." Daniel spurred me on with a quick step forward.

"Wait, wait! I've walked too much. Let me rest, please." I sighed tiredly as I sat down on the last step of the stairs.

Daniel snorted loudly and asked with his hand at his side, "How much time do you need?"

"At least fifteen minutes." I exhaled as the fact of how many steps I had taken finally caught up with me.

"Seven and a half. That's four hundred and fifty seconds. That's enough. " Daniel said categorically.

"Okay, okay, monster. Seven and a half minutes. I'll even set a timer." I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket and quickly setting the timer before setting it down next to me.

Oh, I feel like meeting this Ahirata won't go well.

Author's Note

I thought it would be better to split this chapter so as not to overload it with information. I'm sorry if it came out too suddenly.