Homunculus

PLEASE NOTE: This is indeed my first story and with it being so, i would greatly appreciate heavy criticism so that i may improve my work. This story had a rocky start, because all my great ideas happened to be for the middle and end content, so i promise the story will be getting progressively better. Many thanks to all who decide to read.

Chapter 1: The Strangest Thing ~

Running while carrying a 70 pound body was not easy. Especially when you add in a creepy forest, close to being night, and being chased. At least I think I was being chased. Stealing glances behind me, I would catch glimpses of a dark figure. Never moving, just standing there looking at me, but no matter how far or fast I ran, I could not escape this ominous character.

This forest I was in, it seemed alive the way the branches tried to reach out and grab me, halt my progression any way they could. The wind picked up, bringing with it a voice with unintelligible  words. When I dream, I can never tell if it’s a dream or if it is truly reality. At this point I was sorely hoping for the former, no matter how lucid it felt.

“Hold on Road, we're gonna be just fine!” The body was in fact, my little sister. I found her collapsed and was unable to awake her. Come to think of it, how the hell had we gotten here? Where was here?

Lost in thought while still running, my shin cracked against a log and I yelped in pain, dropping my sister and hitting the ground hard. “Road!” I started crawling towards her, pulling myself, as my leg felt broken now. Just a few more feet...

A soft light illuminated the surrounding area. Scared of what it could be, I kept my head down, arms thrown over my head in protection. I stole a glance at the source of the illumination after some time. What I saw both startled and confused me. A blue equine figure was standing before me, looking down with its own look of confusion. It had a mane of glittering night that floated freely in the chilly dusk. It wore a crown as well as other regalia that would suggest royalty. Wings adorned its back and were unfurled, held stiff. The most frightening thing of all though was a long pointy horn that grew from its forehead. It could impale me if it wanted to. The creature looked beautiful in a mysterious and dangerous way.

My vision started to give out as everything in my peripherals blurred. The creature started towards me, and I tried to scream, yell, do anything but my lungs failed to grasp the needed air and a choked squeak came out instead. The equine creature then stopped, with a look of concern across her face. Her horn then started to shimmer and a certain horror gripped my heart and messed with my mind. The world suddenly went dark and I felt myself slip from consciousness.

Luna walked at a rather quick pace towards her elder sister's bed chambers. Guards and servants alike tried to fulfill their duties by greeting her or asking how they may be of assistance, but she brushed them off, continuing even quicker to her destination. Impatient, she teleported the rest of the way to avoid the stairs, and when the slight buzz of the magic faded, she found herself before a pair of thick doors that Luna knew to be her sister's room. She would more than likely be resting now, but she was about to receive a rude awakening. She contemplated opening the doors slowly to get the jump on her sister, but decided against it. She noisily threw the doors open with her magic, not even wincing when the doors crashed against the walls. Her sister was definitely awake at this point and concern held her face.

“Dear Luna, whatever is...” she never got to finish as Luna stalked up to her and growled.

“Celestia!” she barked “What in all of Equestria hast thou done?!” The royal voice tainted her accusation making it rather loud and Celestia could only sit on her bed dumbfounded. Luna knew she didn't exactly have the kindest face at the moment but she didn't care either as an untold fury gripped her mind. However, Celestia was either really good at playing dumb, or she really knew nothing. But she was almost sure of the former.

“Luna, my sister, calm down. I haven't the slightest clue to what has gotten you so angry.” The statement sounded sincere enough but Luna wouldn't have it.

“Y-You brought a human to Equestria!” That lone sentence left Luna feeling breathless and she quietly huffed, waiting for her sister's response. She half expected Celestia to laugh or fend off the accusation, but instead her sister only stared at her, mouth agape and eyes wide.

Celestia remained silent. She knew not what to say in response to such an accusation. She most certainly knew nothing about any human coming to Equestria, under no circumstances would she permit the passage of a human into her world. Not ever again. “Luna, I can honestly say it is not my doing. Where did you see it?”

Slightly jarred by the knowledge that it wasn't her sister who was the perpetrator, she was silent for a few minutes before answering. “In the forest… the Everfree.” She stammered. “I was flying overhead, when I saw it walking through the forest.”

“Well, what happened to it? Where is it now?”

Just then a knock on the wall, as the doors were still open, echoed through the room and they both directed their attention to the noise. A servant stood in the opening, holding a clipboard in her magical grasp. When it was apparent that they awaited the servant's news, the unicorn cleared her throat and announced, “Princess Luna, one of the humans has awoken, due to its lack of cooperation, we had to restrain it to the bed. The doctor says it is safe for you to visit it at this time. That is all.” The unicorn left, leaving the princesses alone again. One of which had its mouth dropped again.

“You brought it here? To the castle?” She said slowly, an edge of anger tainting her voice. “And what did she mean by “one of...”?

“The one running was also carrying another, smaller, human. When I gave chase, it ran from me. It tripped and injured itself, then fell unconscious, so I brought it to the infirmary.” Luna rubbed a hoof against her foreleg nervously. She had apparently lost control of the power in this conversation.

“Then let us go and speak with it.” The elder sister's threatening countenance never left as she walked past Luna to the door.

“Sister,” Luna stopped her, “what do you think caused a human to enter our world?”

“I am not sure my dear Luna, but I intend to find out.” With that, they both left the room to find the infirmary.

I struggled against the bindings that held me to a white bed. When I woke up, I was in a hospital with a heart monitor beeping steadily to show that my heart was indeed healthy. When I tried to explain that I needed to find my sister, they somehow interpreted my actions as a threat and tied me to my bed. Finding that it was useless to resist I laid on the bed, trying to calm myself. Now finding time to think about my position, I analyzed what had just transpired. The main thing that confused me was the fact that the doctors and nurses who had tended to me were in fact not human. They were ponies. Colorful equines that were intelligent at least on the same level as me.

My mind then drifted to what had happened before I fainted. The pony I saw in that forest was larger than the ones I saw after waking up. It also had a horn AND wings, while the others had either a horn or wings, or nothing at all. I found myself staring out a large window and noticed it was night, a cool breeze chilling my exposed arms.

The faint sound of clopping hooves slowly got louder and I tensed up, not knowing what to expect. If there is anything I hate, it is being unable to move, the restrictive feeling of the ropes making me nervous. The clopping sound was now close enough to be right outside the door, then it stopped. The door was pushed open, and I held my breath. Just as I feared, the blue pony from before entered the room. She stared at me intently, holding my gaze with what seemed like caution but also curiosity. Her large, soft, cyan eyes were actually quite captivating. However, she was not the only one to enter. An even larger pony walked behind her. This one having a creamy white coat and her mane and tail being a spectrum of soft colors. Also wearing a crown, I guessed that these two were some sort of royalty. Something else caught my attention as well, both of their manes flowed as if held in some phantom wind. Both sets of eyes were fixed on me and I stared for quite some time, hoping they would just fade away. That they were just a figment of my imagination. The smaller blue one opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could say anything, I blurted out.

“Where's my sister?!” Both ponies seemed startled by my outburst, so I continued. “Where am I and how the hell did I get here?”

This time it was the white one who acted. “I assume the other human is you sister, so she is quite alright, just resting in another room. As for where you are, you are in Equestria. I also happen to know that you are from Earth, not of this dimension. And lastly, the how. I have no answer for that and I actually had hoped to ask you that.” She spoke with a mild tone, but one that held authority. She was definitely the ruler here.

I shuffled under the sheets, trying to get more comfortable before going on. As much as the thought that talking to ponies would make me appear crazy, I asked my next question. “May I see me sister?”

The Large, white pony answered with her own question. “How are you feeling?”

Impatient, I unnecessarily yelled my answer. “I'm fine! Just take me to my little sister!”

“Very well,” she replied still calm. “Luna, please release his restraints.” When the ropes fell from my wrists and ankles, she turned towards the door. “Follow me.”

Stupid as I was and with my judgment clouded with fear, I tried the only thing that came to mind. Slipping my pocket knife from my back pocket, I lunged at the pony. The blue one gasped, but the white remained unfazed and I found myself suspended in the air, held by some unseen force. After a few seconds I dropped to the floor and the equine just continued walking. “I would really advise against such actions.”

I picked myself off the floor and put away my knife, cursing under my breath.

“I understand you must be quite frightened by these circumstances, but I assure you that we will not harm you or your sister.” The blue one tried to console me. Again, that sympathetic look from before.

Grumbling without answering, I started walking. The room that Road was in wasn't too far and a simple turn at a corner brought us to the door that led to her. When the door quietly swung inward, I rushed in, finding Road lying on a bed much like my own. Thin tubes ran from her arms and a heart monitor quietly beeped in the background. For some reason, my thoughts drifted to my leg. Hadn't I broken it?

When I voiced my question, the blue one explained simply, “our medical personnel are quite capable.”

Just nodding, I turned back to my sister and sat at the foot of her bed. A mental battle was ensuing in my thoughts. “Do I try to escape with Road? Should I just trust these ponies? They seem kind enough, since they took me and Road in and helped us. Then again, I need to get us back home!”

“Well, It seems we are stuck here for the time being so...”

At that, both ponies gave a look of uneasiness and looked away. After a moment of silence and me staring at them, the white one relented.

“Actually... Inter-dimensional travel isn't something that can easily be done. It has happened, long ago, but not anymore. Neither me nor my sister have the capability to perform such a spell.” The large, regal pony looked sick to her stomach.

“So, what you're saying is... we're stuck here... forever...”

She did not answer, but her suddenly finding the floor interesting was confirmation enough.

I stared dumbly, hoping they were just pulling my leg.

The blue one spoke up. “It's not impossible, just not readily available to use right now.”

I knew she meant for that to reassure me some, but it did nothing. “Huh. I'm kinda hoping I'm dreaming up all of this right now.” After thinking some more, I came to the conclusion that friendliness was the best route for this situation. “Well then, let's start with names shall we?” I forced as much friendliness into my tone as possible and tried to smile. Though I bet it was obvious that I was trying too hard. “My name is Kota, and this here is Road.” I gestured towards my sleeping sister.

The blue one answered. “My name is Luna, and this is my elder sister Celestia.”

“Luna and Celestia, huh? Like moon and sun? Is that why you have those tattoos on your butts?” I pointed at Luna's back end.

“They are not tattoos,” explained Celestia, “They are our Cutie Marks.” I stifled a snort of laughter, but Celestia caught it and explained further. “Each and every pony receives one when they find their special talent. I raise the sun and my sister, Luna, raises the moon.”

My giggling stopped after that last sentence. “What are you guys, Gods?”

Luna giggled at that, “Not quite, but being alicorns, we have much more power than others.”

“Alicorn? I'll guess that that is a pegasus and unicorn crossed.”

“Close. There are three general pony races. Earth ponies are strong and have massive endurance, Great for farming and other manual labor, though, try to suggest that they are only good to that nature and you’ll find yourself lying on your back with a few broken ribs. Unicorns are able to use magic and are generally the wisest of the three. Pegasi are able to fly as well as interact with clouds, making them in charge of the weather. A combination of all three make an Alicorn. My sister and I, as well as our niece, Cadance, are the only Alicorns currently residing in Equestria.”

Luna seemed to be warming up to me. She looked to enjoy explaining things and was now constantly wearing a smile. However, Celestia only glared at me the whole time. I couldn't tell if it was due to being lost in thought or if she actually despised me. It's not like I had asked to come here!

Even though I was lost in my own train of thought, Luna just rambled on about other features of Equestria, the government, or even the best places to eat. I couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness to learn me of her culture.

“You seemed to know exactly what I was, have humans come to this world before?” At my question, Luna stopped in the middle of her rant and Celestia's scowl grew deeper. Her response wasn't one I was expecting.

“Long ago, and I had wished to never see one again.” Celestia stomped out of the room leaving a startled Luna and a confused me. I thought it was pretty out of character for a princess of her standing to act like a little girl.

“I apologize Kota, our history concerning humans is a bit of a touchy subject for my sister and I.”

“Mind if I ask about it?” I asked casually.

“Perhaps another time.” She ran out of the room calling for her sister to wait.

“Well then...” I mumbled.

I awoke to a sore back and a foot in my face. I don’t remember doing so, but apparently I had fallen asleep at the foot of my sister’s hospital bed in a not-so-comfortable position. Sitting up, I looked at Road and found her to still be sleeping. A small part of my mind kindled a flame of fear for her safety, but I tried to push it out of my thoughts.

I brushed back her short chestnut hair and planted a quick kiss on her forehead, then stood up and did some stretches. Pain ripped through my body as I realized how sore I must have been from the previous day’s events. Growling at my uncooperative body, I walked to the door and swung it open. I was still kind of hoping that I had dreamt the ponies and that we were really in a human hospital back on Earth, but my hopes were dashed when a nurse, equine in nature, slammed into me.

“Oh, so sorry sir!” She picked herself off the floor and ran off, turning a corner.

“What’s the rush?” I mumbled. Curiosity taking my thoughts, I reached back and softly closed Road’s room door then headed off in the direction that the nurse ran. When I turned the corner, there was no one in sight. I huffed my disappointment, but continued my path. After what seemed to be several hours of wandering, I came across a large hall with stained glass windows leaking colored light into the building. Between those and the stone architecture, it reminded me of a cathedral back on Earth. Looking down the hall, I found that this was actually a throne room, with a large throne down at the opposite end and a large regal pony sitting on it. Celestia. My gut twisted, knowing I didn’t exactly leave a good impression on her the night before.

“Kota, I trust you slept well.” Trying to slip out of the room without her noticing me was a failed plan already, so I turned back to the queen and forced a smile. Despite last night, her tone was a friendly one.

“Well, not exactly, I kinda fell asleep at the end of my sister’s bed and woke with a sore back.” I scratched the back of my head in an embarrassed manner.

“Oh. Well, has your sister awoken yet?”

“No.” I quickly lost my smile. I was really getting concerned for her well-being. I know I shouldn’t be worrying so much, especially since all she need is rest after such an ordeal, but brotherly protective instincts ran strong in my blood.

“I’m sure she will awake soon. In the meantime, feel free to explore the castle.”

“Castle? So you really are like the queen here?”

“Not exactly, my sister and I rule over this land as its princesses.

“And the Queen?”

All I received for that question was a stony expression. Taking the hint, I turned to leave the hall, but something stopped me. I turned to face Celestia again. “Actually, if it’s alright, can I ask about the history of humans in Equestria?” I can’t help my curious nature…

She regained a smile, but curtly said, “No.” The quickness of the rejection mixed with her smile threw me off and left me confused.

“Alright… then…”

“Have fun.”

I walked out without another word. She creeps me out, I decided.

Figuring I would check on my sister again before setting out on some exploration journey through the castle, I made my way back to her room, with the help of some ponies of course. When I finally found the room, I heard yelling coming from it. I opened the door, only to get a face full of pillow.

“Get away from me you creeps!” My small sister appeared to be yelling at a nurse that was trying her honest best to calm her, to no avail. I cleared my throat to grab her attention, and when she looked in my direction, she jumped off the bad and into my arms. “Kota!”

I hugged her tightly, overjoyed that she was alright. After a moment, she released me and dropped to the floor.

“Kota, where are we?” Despite what I would have thought, she had a worried look. I would have thought that a girl her age would be giddy with excitement at seeing a colorful, talking pony. But I guess our not so easy lifestyle back on earth forfeited her right to be a normal little girl.

“We somehow ended up in a place called Equestria. As you can see, “I gestured to the nurse who gave a sheepish smile. “The natives here are ponies. Though I have decided for the moment that they are friendly and we can trust them.” I could understand why she would be so cautious though. Getting sucked in some other reality isn’t something that occurs in a normal person’s life.

“Um…Okay…”

“Anyhow, I was going to explore the castle for a bit, wanna come?”

She nodded her affirmation and I waved to the nurse who looked lost in what to do at this point, and we both walked out the door into the hall. An hour later, we had explored the kitchen, (and stingy cooks who apparently don’t like you trying to sneak a taste) dining room, several bedrooms and bathrooms, and eventually found our way to the front gate. Our whole walk, I explained to Road how we got here, (to the castle, I still had no idea how we had gotten to Equestria) about the princesses, and that we regrettably would be stuck here for quite some time. She groaned at the last part. I patted her on the head trying to reassure her that it wouldn’t be all that bad as well as that the princesses would help us find a way home.

Stepping into the courtyard, we both gasped. Green grass and flower beds littered the ground giving the area a crisp and serene feeling. A fountain adorned the middle of the courtyard fashioned as what looked like Celestia. All in all, the sight was quite breathtaking. But what was the best of all, in my opinion, was the view. From this vantage point you could look out over the surrounding lands and I could even spot a little town in the distance. For the first time, I realized that this castle was situated high up on a mountainside.

“This place is beautiful.” Road muttered, she looked absolutely stunned.

“It is indeed.” I agreed.

The only thing that ruined the scenery was the plethora of guards that lined the walls of the castle and the gate that led out of the courtyard. One such guard had walked to us and cleared his throat to get our attention. We both turned to him and Road jumped slightly at the sight of a large white stallion adorned with armor. I laughed at her expense.

The guard saluted to me and explained, “I was ordered to be your escort through Canterlot. If you follow, I will lead you into town.” The guard’s face was a mask of zero emotion, typical for a guard I suppose.

“Canterlot huh? That’s actually quite a fitting name for a place with a castle. Even if it is a knockoff of Camelot.” I only mumbled the last sentence.

The guard gave no response, but instead just turned around and started off towards the exit. I nudged Road and smiled down at her. “Well, this could be fun.” We walked for about twenty minutes before a slew of buildings come into view. Following that, the most colorful sight imaginable appeared. Hundreds of ponies walked the streets, nearly all of them having their own unique color scheme. I glanced down at Road to see her eyes wide and grin breaking her uneasy frown from before.

The town itself was really big, and if I had to guess, I would say that this was the capitol of Equestria. Entering the town, we were greeted by curious stares from the pony folk, which was understandable. I would likely do the same if a colorful equine walked into my neighborhood back on Earth. They gave us a wide birth, but I gave them back all smiles, trying to convince them that we were friendly. The guard acted as a tour guide, taking us to different buildings and telling of their functions, as well as some shops and restaurants. Despite his expressionless face and monotone voice, I drank in the information. When we passed a particularly fancy looking restaurant, Road tugged on the hem of my shirt to get my attention and said, “Look Kota, is that a cello?”

Hearing that one word caught my attention and I followed Road’s finger which pointed to the most beautiful sight I had seen all day. A hard case in the shape of a cello leaned against the restaurant wall. Not thinking, I walked up to it and setting it carefully on the ground, undid the latches, opening the case. The instrument inside was a real beauty, but also looked to be really expensive. Again, not thinking, I picked the cello up out of its case and held it upright. It was slightly too small for me, but a quick readjustment of the endpin at the bottom fixed that. I ran my hand along the smooth, glossy wood and up the tight strings. I picked the bow up out of the case and gave it a testing draw across the strings. The sound that rang out was nothing short of an angel singing. I half expected Road to stop me and tell me it was a bad idea to just start playing a random person’s (pony’s) cello. But instead she look at me eagerly. I softly dragged the bow across the strings again and let a note float on the air, serenading me into an almost dreamlike trance. Whoever this cello belonged to had to be a professional. Taking a deep breath and quickly running through my mental library of memorized music, I started to play.

A noodle hung from Vinyl Scratch’s mouth as her ears perked up.

“Yo, Tavi, that your cello?”

Octavia’s ears perked up as well at the suggestion and she grumbled. “I can’t leave it alone for even a few minutes.”

Standing up from their table, Octavia and Vinyl walked out of the restaurant. What surprised Octavia wasn’t that somepony was playing around with her cello without her permission, no, that had happened before. What surprised her was the strange creature playing the instrument. It stood on two legs, had a short mane of golden hair, but on tail, and short stubble on its chin. Its eyes remained closed as it played away. Now, normally when somepony stole her cello it was to roughly play around with it without any skill. But his creature was playing with amazing skill that Octavia feared rivaled her own. She marveled at how quickly and gracefully the creature’s thin digits moved over the strings and how the bow drew out perfect sound without any scratches. Her original plan was to go beat some sense into somepony, but now she could only look on in amazement.

My eyes remained shut as I poured my soul into my music. This was the one thing in life that I found sanctity. I mentally chuckled to myself. Now if I could only get a violin into Road’s hands.

I finished my solo with a long, drawn out note that seemed to shake my bones and gave me chills. Every freakin’ time.

I slowly opened my eyes and was shocked to find hundreds of pairs of eyes staring back at me. I blinked a few times, and a loud applause ripped through the silence. Ponies surrounding me stomped their hooves on the ground and cheered. I look back at Road and she smiled with no restraint.

“Was I really that good?”

She nodded vigorously, “you always are!”

Even the stoic guard couldn’t keep himself from cracking a smile. I gave a few short bows to my audience and they roared louder. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a mare step forward out of the crowd. She had a light brownish gray coat with a dark gray mane and tail. She wore a pink bowtie around her neck, and her cutie mark (sorry, I still giggle at the name) was a purple treble clef. Her light purple yes stared at me with wonder.

“Ehehe. I’m guessing this is yours.”

The mare accepted the cello and bow and promptly returned them to their case. When finished, she walked up to me again and held out a hoof. I looked at it dumbly for a few moments before I realized what the gesture meant.

“Octavia.” She said with a slight smile.

Realizing that she was introducing herself I grabbed her hoof and shook it softly. “Kota, and this...” I pulled Road in front of me. “Is my sister, Road.”

“A pleasure to meet you Kota.” She spoke with a certain high class air to her and her posture also suggested as such. “You played beautifully.”

“If you think I was any good, then you should hear my sister with a violin.” Road blushed at the compliment and tried to hide her face behind her hands, which drew a laugh from Octavia and her friend who stood beside her.

“I would love to have you and your sister join me and my friend for lunch.” Octavia said with a hopeful look in her eye.

“Well, we just got here so we don't exactly have any money on us.” I confessed.

“Worry not, it will be on me for your amazing performance.”

“Oh... thank you.” I felt a bit awkward having someone I just met buy me lunch, but Road seemed right at home with the idea as she waltzed into the restaurant exclaiming that she was famished. “I apologize for my sister's behavior, she can be a bit forward.”

“It's quite alright, I find her quite refreshing actually. I'm normally around the upper-class ponies, so there isn't much room for humor or relaxation.” She led us back to her table and finally introduced us to her friend.

Vinyl Scratch was a white, unicorn mare with a blue mane and tail, streaked with lighter blue. Her eyes were a brilliant red color and she wore a pair of purple tinted glasses that were pushed up onto her forehead. Her cutie mark depicted a black double eighth note.

“So Vinyl,” I started, eager to learn more about our hosts. “I take it you're a musician as well?”

“You bet! Rock, techno, dubstep, pop, anything along those lines. On stage they call me DJ-Pon-3. But if ya don't mind me askin', what exactly are you two?” She looked back and forth between me and my sister.

“Oh Vinyl, don't be rude.” That's what Octavia said, but it was quite obvious how curious she was herself.

“No, it's alright. We are actually humans. Last night we found ourselves in a forest, Road was unconscious at the time. Turns out that the princess here, uh, Luna, rescued us.” I picked at my food while talking, taking bites of my spinach ravioli now and then. On the other hand, Road greedily consumed whatever came withing her reach.

“My, your sister is quite hungry. Do you not feed her?” Questioned Octavia.

“Hehe. Back home, we ate when we earned money. Which we didn't get much of since work was hard to come by. When desperate, we would play on the streets, and hope for generous donations.”

“So you were homeless?” asked Vinyl.

“Na, not homeless, just job and parentless. We hung out in our parent's house and hoped nobody came to take Road to an orphanage. I'm 23, so it would be expected of me to live on my own, but Road being only 13 would get taken from me unless I could support her.”

“With your skill, I'm surprised you weren't better off.”

“Thanks. Guess luck just wasn't on our side.”

We finished our meals and Octavia paid the bill, leaving a tip for the waitress as well. Come to think of it, besides the guard (Octavia had offered to treat him as well, but he promptly refused with a shake of his head) and few others, the population seemed to be mostly female. When I voiced my thoughts about it, Octavia explained that the male/female ratio in Equestria was about ¼.

“Well wouldn't that leave a lot of mares without a partner?”

“Indeed, which is why some remain alone while others turn to other mares for companionship.”

“You mean lesbianism is pretty common in Equestria?” I felt my cheeks heat up and Vinyl giggled at me getting flustered. “And what about you and Vinyl? You guys seem pretty close.”

Octavia only offered a sly smile in return to the question and started to walk out of the restaurant. As we started down the street, the guard slipped into stride behind us without a sound other than his clinking armor. I had no idea where we were going until Octavia stopped suddenly in front of a shop that had the word “Resonance” in bold, fancy letters above the door. Stepping inside, I found it to be a music store. Instruments ranging from woodwinds to electric guitars to turntables adorned the walls, while miscellaneous accessories and equipment lie on shelves in the middle of the store. A stallion walked up to us from the back. He had a short red mane and a light gray coat. His cutie mark was that of a guitar with a not above it. He wore a flannel shirt rolled up at the sleeves and he regarded us with golden eyes.

“Ah, Octavia, Vinyl, welcome back. And I see you brought some new customers, um... uh...” he started to stammer once he actually studied my sister and I.

“Don't ask, Res, just don't ask.” sighed Vinyl, her eyes drifting towards the guitars and she promptly trotted over to them.”

“Well anyway,” he continued, coming out of his awe-inspired stupor, “feel free to look around. If you need any help, feel free to ask. Or just ask one of those two.” He pointed with a forehoof at the two mares ogling different instruments. “They might as well live here with how often they come.” He then turned and walked back to his desk in the back to return to whatever he was doing before we walked in.

I swept my eyes over the merchandise before settling my gaze over where Octavia was, by the cellos.

“Behave yourself Road...” Too late, she was already on her way to the violins. “She's impossible.” I sighed. I walked up to Octavia and peeked over her head. She appeared to be completely transfixed on a rather expensive looking model.

“I've been waiting for this day.” She said almost dreamily. I couldn't tell if she was talking to herself or if she noticed me behind her. “Just look at how beautiful it is!” Was she drooling?

She rushed over to Resonance at the back, pulling out a small leather bag out of who knows where and tossed it on the desk, a few golding coins spilling out.

“Finally save enough, eh Octavia?” He chuckled and swept up the bag and coins that fell out.

Octavia trotted over to me with a huge grin plastered on her face. “Isn't it beautiful?”

Indeed it is. You been saving long for it?”

“About a year. I don't make much money despite my high standing so I've made it a goal of mine to own such a fantastic instrument.” She spoke like some teenage school girl fantasizing about a boy. It made me smile to see someone in love with music as much as me or Road.

“Oh, I know!” She clopped her forehooves together excitedly. “I will give you my old cello free of charge, if you do a duet with me.!” The offer came out of nowhere and I stood stunned for a while. However, I wasn't about to say no. Even if her old cello wasn't as good as her new one, it was still pretty high quality and played beautifully.

“Deal.” I said with a smile. “However, we might have a problem. We kinda come from different worlds, so we don't know of each other's music.”

“True. Tell you what, I will give you some sheet music and you can practice first.” Her smile never faltered.

“Problem still remains. I never learned how to read a score. I taught myself how to play by ear, and I have a pretty good memory, so that's why I can play without a score.”

This time, Octavia brought a hoof to her chin and thought about it, she wasn't about to give up apparently. “If I played a song for you, would you then be able to learn it?” She asked hopefully.

“I can give it a shot.”

“Lovely! But no here. Why don't you come to my house with me?”

“That sounds alright, I have nothing planned.” I was actually overjoyed to have identified with someone (somepony as they say it) so quickly after coming to this world. Things weren't looking so grim as they had on arrival.

“Come along Vinyl, it's time to go.” Octavia called over to her friend (marefriend?)

“Right, coming!” Vinyl answered, coming over to us.

I looked around to find Road and spotted her with a violin sitting on her shoulder. Smiling? I happen to know that she is extremely picky when it comes to violins. If it's not perfect, she won't use it. Her violin back on earth had been her mother's. It seemed that was the only way Mom could get through to her, was through music. Our mother had played a beautiful violin and her will had stated it would go Road.

“Kota! Kota! I found a good one!” She ran it over to me and held it in front of her. It looked to be of high quality wood with a bright cherry finish.

“Well, I'll tell you what.” I squatted down so I was face to face with her. “I'll try to find a job, and I'll buy it for you as soon as I can.”

Her eyes went impossibly huge and she threw her arms around me after quickly, but carefully, setting down the violin. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

We exited the shop and headed off towards Octavia's house. The trip there was uneventful and the guard once again remained silent the whole way, no objecting to their destination. I offered to him that he could return to the castle, but he wouldn't have it, simply stating that his orders where to be my escort until I returned to the castle. When we arrived, I was surprised to find that Octavia's house was kind of small. She seemed to be a professional player, so I wondered why she wouldn't be more wealthy. Were musicians not that highly regarded?

“Welcome to my humble abode.” She welcomed us in while she stood to the side so we could enter first. She ushered us into a quaint little living room and I sat myself on a low couch that sunk considerably due to soft leather cushions. I set my new cello to the side as Octavia got hers out of it's case, which she had carried the whole way on her back. What had Luna called them? Earth ponies? Anyway, they were definitely tough creatures. Road sat herself on an equally low chair and started humming a familiar tune to herself.

“Man, oh man, you guys are in for a treat!” Exclaimed Vinyl. “Kota, you might be almost as good as Tavi here.” I chuckled at the unicorn boasting about her friend. A small blushed crept onto Octavia's cheeks at the complement, but waved it away.

“Nonsense. Kota plays at my level if not better.” It was my turn to get flustered. “Anyway, let's get started shall we?”

She rosined the new bow for it's first time and quickly tuned her instrument. Admittedly I was equally curious about HOW she would play it as how good she was. She stood on her hind legs, wrapping one hoof around the neck and the other gripped the bow. A pony on Earth would never be capable of such a feat even if it was intelligent. Ponies here in Equestria must have softer, more dexterous hooves.

Taking a deep breath, the gray mare closed her eyes and began to play. Vinyl was correct to boast of Octavia's skill. It still kind of confused me on how she was able to play the strings with a hoof, but it did now matter. Screw me, she was a musical genius! I think it is a common thing for musicians to lose touch with reality while playing. Her whole body swayed with the music and she almost looked to be asleep. I stole a glance at Road and she was looking back at me, her eyebrows bouncing up and down. I understood her innuendo and waved it off, but a grin found it's way on my face nonetheless. When Octavia finished, her eyes opened slowly like waking from a dream, aroused slowly by sunlight shining through a window, and she quietly awaited our response. Road and Vinyl applauded their praise, but I stood up, clapping loudly.

“Amazing. Just amazing.” Was all I could say.

“So? Do you think that was enough to play with me?”

“Hmm... give me a sec.” I got out the other cello and prepared it. I played a few notes experimentally and thought for a moment. “Alright, start playing and I'll join in.” I didn't exactly have a plan down pat, but music had always somehow just come to me.

Octavia nodded that she understood and started up again, the same song. About ten seconds in, I joined in with a slight variation that I though would go well with her version. The song lasted about four minutes, but when Octavia finished, I ended the song with a little extra. When I looked at my small audience they all stared at me, even Octavia.

“Too much on the ending?” I asked honestly.

“You kiddin me? You were able to do that from hearing Tavi play only once? Vinyl blurted. “You two play so great together. You should seriously consider working together.”

“Really think so?” I asked blushing.

Road answered this time, but only with a  vigorous nod of her head.

Well I guess it could generate some money so I could get Road that violin. Then she could play with us as well.

Octavia then threw her arms (hooves) around my neck without warning and drew me into a tight embrace. Everyone was surprised by the action and I even let out a gasp of surprise, but it was strangely comforting, even with her being a pony, so I placed a hand on her back and returned the gesture. I marveled at how soft her fur was.

“Thank you.” She whispered. “I don't know if I've ever met somepony with your kind of talent. It was a pleasure to play with you.”

“The pleasure's all mine.” I replied.

She landed back on all fours and proceeded to put her instrument back in it's case.

“Man, this is awesome! We can like start a band or something!” Vinyl's idea, as tempting as it was, wasn't something I could in good conscience agree to.

“Hehe, thanks for the offer, but I'll have to decline. I just don't know if I could commit to something that big. Don't get me wrong, I would be awesome to be in a band with you guys, but I gotta find a way to get me and Road back home.” It actually stung to say that out loud. These ponies were already starting to grow on me.

“Oh, well, I guess that's understandable.” Muttered Octavia, who looked put down by my answer.

“But in the meantime, I certainly wouldn't say no to playing with you guys every now and then.”

Octavia perked up after that. “That would be great!”

We sat in the living room for another hour or so, talking about whatever came to mind or swapping music with each other from our respective homelands. Octavia prepared sandwiches for us as a small dinner and I gratefully accepted mine before noticing that it was a sandwich comprised of bread lettuce and a flower. I ate it without complaint and it wasn't too bad, just a little bland.

When the sun's glow descended behind distant mountains and the moon began it's ascent to sky, we said our goodbyes and headed out the door, the guard falling into stride as we walked.

“You've been awfully quiet, what's up?” I know my sister like the back of my hand, so it's child's play to tell when something is on her mind.

“Do you think we should stay here?” the question came out of nowhere and caught me off guard. I nearly tripped over myself.

“What?”

“I don't know, maybe we could stay and just start over. This world seems really nice and we already have two great friends. And they play instruments like us. It's not like we have anything to return to back on Earth, just more hardships.”

“Oh... uh, I see. Well, I guess I won't lie. I've thought about it too, I just... I don't really know. Maybe I'm just making excuses but it just doesn't feel like we belong here.” I hated myself for admitting that, but it was the truth, or at least as close to a truth I could find. But the strangest thing kept happening. Every time a pony smiled, my heart would flutter. Every time Octavia looked at me with her beautiful violet eyes, my heart would melt. And when she hugged me... well let's just say my heart exploded. Hmm... strange. I mentally smacked myself for getting so sappy.

“Kota?”

“I'll think about it.” We walked in silence the rest of the way to the castle. But I wasn't without a smile.

“I don't like this.” Said Luna, pacing back in forth in front of her elder sister who sat on her throne regarding her almost with amusement.

“Really? You seemed quite friendly with him last night.” Celestia answered teasingly.

“I was trying to get him to open up. Besides, I will never fall for the tricks of a human again.” Her pacing quickened “There has to be some way to send them back.”

“There's always a way. It's whether the price is worth paying that we have to consider. You remember our old friend “Alabaster” don't you?”

Luna grimaced and visibly shuddered at the name. “I will sooner return to the moon before asking his assistance.”

“Then you have another suggestion?”

Luna remained silent.

“Luna, my sister, I want the human gone as well, but I won't endanger his life.”

The blue alicorn gasped, “You really think I would try to murder them?”

“You were thinking about it.” Accused Celestia, a smirk appearing.

“The though appeared and I quickly brushed it aside.” Luna sat down in front of the throne massaging her temples with her hooves, trying to remedy an oncoming headache. “We could lock them up until we find a way to place him back on Earth.”

“No. I would like to try something, an experiment if you will, to see if humans have changed at all from their greedy and selfish nature. I think I will send them to Ponyville. I will have Twilight Sparkle keep an eye on them and report back to me. In the meantime, we will keep searching for a more permanent fix.”

“Ponyville?” I asked, finding the name to be rather cheesy, even for this world.

“Yes, I am sending you and your sister there to live while you are in Equestria.” Celestia explained. “My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, also lives there. She will help you settle in. I have already informed her of your arrival tomorrow. Though I left out that you are humans, so it will be up to you to make a good first impression. I am sure her natural curiosity will precede her caution, so you have nothing to fear.”

“But we have already made friends here in Canterlot. Why can't we stay here?” Road blurted.

“Already made friends have you? You may still visit regularly, but I will still be sending you. I have my reasons.

Road huffed her frustration, but relented knowing it was futile to fight with a princess.

“When do we leave?” I too was heartbroken to be leaving behind my two knew friends so soon.

Tomorrow at noon, you will board the train to Ponyville. I will supply you with money for tickets as well as a little extra for food and provisions.” A small leather bag then floated over to me and I cautiously snatched it out of the air, wondering if the billowy aura would affect me. It didn't.

“Well, then I guess this is goodbye.”

“For now.” She answered back. “Luna will be at the station tomorrow to see you off. I wish you both safe travel.”

“Celestia, I just wanted to thank you for all you and your sister have done. Thank you for helping me and my sister instead of leaving us to fend for ourselves or throwing us in some dungeon. I realize that your history with humans may not be a pleasant one, but please don't judge us on past grudges. People change.” I turned and left the room then, but before I reached the door I heard a faint mumble come from the regal pony.

“I hope so.”