2 - Stranger Danger
Extended Holiday
Chapter 2: Stranger Danger
Matthew woke from sleep to see warm colors on the walls and dim lights. However, the pinching at his wrists and the sounds of machines raised his heart rate. “What happened?” he asked as he tried to focus. Unfortunately, the room was just a blur without his glasses. The beeping rose steadily with his heart rate as fear caused it to accelerate. That sound alone told him all he needed to know. What he didn’t understand was why the hospital had gone so far as to restrain not only his arms, but his legs as well. The frame on the bed creaked and groaned as he tried to use his weight to no avail.Just what had happened? Did he try to remove an IV or something while he was unconscious? He couldn’t remember anything since—
“Easy. Easy,” a voice called from his side, interrupting his train of thought. He turned to the voice and his heart leapt into his throat. His mouth became bone-dry. There, standing in front of him, was a lanky-looking bipedal Dragon with deep blue scales, a familiar set of leathery wings, and fangs that were bared in what he could only hope was the Draconic equivalent of a friendly smile.
Of course, friendly or not, Matthew did the only sensible thing any self-respecting human would do in this situation.
He screamed bloody murder.
The Dragon didn’t even flinch. In fact, he practically cooed at the display. “Aw, now isn’t that sweet. Trying to intimidate me? You’re so adorable.” Then he frowned. “But … you’re not actually trying to intimidate me, are you? You’re whiter than the captain, and that’s saying something.” He sighed. “And here I was, hoping for something with a spin.” He rolled his eyes. “All right, soldier, what kind of training did they put you through?”
Matthew was quieter during the creature’s lecture, … rant, … rambling? He struggled to somehow stir the desert that was rapidly spreading into his throat. It took a few swallows, but he finally managed to get enough moisture to speak. “W-where am I?” he croaked. Another swallow and his voice came far more clearly. “Why am I tied down? Why are you a dragon? Dragons don’t even exist! Am I hallucinating? I mean, you can’t be real, but you’re here, so you are real, but you can't be….” A door burst open, and the heavy clop of … was that hooves? … echoed in his ears. He could barely make out the glint of burnished golden blots, but he could tell a few things. First, they barely came up to his bed’s height. Secondly, they produced a strange sound followed by a colorful light that clashed with the gold.
The Dragon rolled his eyes. “Too late, you two. What if this creature could have spit acid? Or had a breath weapon, like me?” He snorted in disgust. “And they said you were the best guards your unit had to offer. You may want to call the doctor.” He paused and stared expectantly at the blobs. They stared back. Or at least Matthew assumed they did, since they didn’t seem to move anywhere. Finally, the Dragon facepalmed and spoke in a series of snorts, grunts, and whinnies. With every sound, the beeping of the heart monitor next to the bed spiked higher. A few moments later, the equines, for that surely had to be what they were after the evidence he’d just heard, turned and clopped out of the room.
Matthew gaped after them. “What the...?”
“You don’t know Equish?” The creature laughed. “You really must be far off, indeed. Any one being sent anywhere near our outposts usually picks up at least a few phrases of the language.” His lips curved, but this time, he didn’t bare his teeth. “Don’t worry. I just sent a summons for the doctors.” He tilted his head. “I do have a question from the Captain of the Royal Guards, however. Why do you have metal embedded in your heart? It doesn’t appear to be threatening your life, but such things are unheard of in these lands.”
Matthew sighed and looked up at the ceiling, “That … is a long story, one that I would like to say only once, so everyone can be on the same page.”
“Everypony,” the Dragon corrected. “The term is everypony here. Also, I regret to inform you that you may have to tell your story at least twice. Once to the Doctors and once to the Captain and me.”
Matthew looked back at the Dragon as a dreadful possibility dawned. “Am … I a Pony?” he asked.
The Dragon laughed. “No, no. You aren't. Just trying to help with local terms.”
Matthew rolled his eyes. “If you say so.” It seemed this creature wasn’t about to do him any harm. He could have done so in any number of ways by now. So … maybe he was here to help? Either that or this was the weirdest and most vivid dream he’d ever had in his life. “And if you don’t mind my asking, why am I tied up like this?”
“To keep you from trying to sneak out of the room after you wake. The guards think you could be some kind of spy or advance scout. It’s standard protocol, really, in cases like this.”
“Spy?” Matthew shook his head. “I’m neither James Bond nor a ninja. As for a scout, I’m not that either.” He sighed as his lips folded and wriggled vainly. Finally, he groaned in frustration. “Look. I hate to ask this, but would you at least be willing to let me touch my nose? I’m itching like crazy.”
The Dragon walked up and gently scratched the portion. “How’s this?”
Matthew’s heart rate rose again. “What are you doing?” he asked nervously.
“Accommodating the guest’s request.”
Matthew looked at the Dragon with closer scrutiny, “I’m a POW right now?”
The Dragon raised a scaly brow in confusion. “A what?”
“A prisoner of war,” he clarified.
“We are not at war, but we are holding you for now until we find out what is going on, what you know, and what you were doing before you crashed into our ruler’s garden.”
Matthew nodded slowly. “Make sure I’m not a threat and that no others of my kind come behind me?” He shrugged, or rather tried to. The restraints made that rather difficult. “It’d be what my government would do if anything alien showed up publicly on our lands, so I guess I can’t exactly blame you for these precautions. I’m guessing we’re in a hospital, so it’s obvious that you care for my health enough not to leave me in a dungeon or prison cell.”
The Dragon chuckled. “An intelligent creature, indeed. I suppose we’ll have to see what we can do about accelerating your meeting with our commanding officer.”
“As expected,” Matthew replied. “Um, do you think you could maybe give me back my glasses? It’s hard to see without them, and I don’t want to strain my eyes.” A few moments later, the familiar metal frames were laid over his ears, and he smiled. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” the Dragon responded. “So, do you need anything to drink? Speaking Draconic is very hard on the locals’ vocal chords. And I’m guessing all that screaming didn’t help much either.”
“I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not a local, then.” He chuckled. “This is the native language of my people.” As expected, the Dragon froze in surprise at the mention, which implied that English, or Draconic as they called it here, was a very difficult language to learn, let alone master. Better still, it implied a connection between himself and what he assumed to be one of the alpha predators of this land. Matthew couldn’t help but smirk at the reaction. “Still, some Water would be nice.”
The Dragon nodded as he passed a glass to the human and slowly tipped it. “I’ll make sure we get soldiers that know Dracnoic stationed around you, so you can communicate with the Medical Staff when I’m not here. You’re still an unknown, so don’t expect them to be friendly with you. But provided you’re civil with them, they won’t be averse to granting basic requests.”
Matthew smirked as the cup was pulled away. “And pick up on anything I may let slip. I can accept that. But they’ll have to answer my questions so I don’t make any earth-shattering mistakes. After all, as you’ve already pointed out, I’m the alien here. I’d be willing to answer any questions that they have for me as well. Fair deal?”
The Dragon chuckled. “Fair enough. Just be careful. I hear one of them is very good at tickle torture. And Pegasi are notorious pranksters.”
Taze groaned as he slowly came to. He was still in his costume, though his wrists and ankles felt like they’d been tied down. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a small room. Not a cell, but clearly not meant for comfort. It was basically four stone walls, a table, and whatever he’d been sitting on when he woke up. Possibly a chair?
All his belongings lay on the table before him. His replica weapons, his ipod touch, the copy of Lord Brocktree he always carried in his pocket, a box of orange tic tacs, and a mars bar he kept for keeping his blood sugar at decent levels. Hypoglycemia wasn’t fun to deal with, after all.
He looked to his wrists and found no physical restraints of any kind, yet he could feel them when he tried to lift his arms.
“Hey! I don’t know who you think I am, but could you at least send somebody in to say what you want from me?” he shouted.
Several minutes later, the door opened with a rather loud bang, and Taze’s eyes widened as a somewhat familiar Alicorn entered the room trailed by an old scarred bat Pony missing an eye.
“Well, that was unexpected,” Taze commented.
“I supposed it would be,” the Alicorn said. Her words came out in a rather thick accent. “My name is Princess Luna Galaxia of Equestria. May I please have your name?”
“Peter Taze Klim,” he offered after a moment. “I go by Taze, preferably.”
“An unusual name,” Luna allowed. “I and my sister were more than a little surprised when you and your companions landed in her rose bush.”
“Companions?” Taze asked. “That’s weird. I was alone, last I remember. I left my home and things got all fuzzy.”
“And why were you leaving your home armed? I admit I doubt you could do much with these weapons, but it is still an unusual thing.” She levitated the katana and tapped it against the table a few times.
Seeing her levitate it, something clicked in Taze’s mind. Magic must be what was restraining him. Somehow, he’d ended up in Equestria? Well, some form of it, given the Thetral with clear signs of battle damage.
Now, the sane mind would tell the truth. A rational mind would realize a lie would result in a heap of trouble.
… Taze wasn’t thinking rationally.
“Well, you see, Princess, those are my dress weapons. I wear them around my village and to important ceremonies, so people can know what I do.”
“And what, pray tell, is that?”
He grinned. “Well, Princess, if you’d release my arms, I’ll be happy to tell some stories from my time as a monster hunter.”
A gentle breeze flowed through the room from a small window on the far side. Golden rays streamed through to flood the space with its light. The bed on which the creature had been placed was designed for Minotaurs. And while the creature was certainly smaller than most Minotaurs Celestia had encountered before, the bed was the only one that could hold its frame comfortably. A thin set of blankets draped over its recumbent form. The sword and belt lay on an otherwise empty weapons rack, awaiting their owner’s touch while the coat hung from a jutting stone peg that had been placed in the wall. A number of shields, skulls, and armor fragments decorated the space, along with some few decorative axes and war hammers.
A large basin connected to a faucet sat atop a tall, broad vanity complete with a mirror. A wardrobe stood against a corner of the room while a small pit fire burned incense to fill the air with its calming scent. A stone bookcase was filled with large heavy tomes divided into two sides, one half with golden text inscribed along their covers, the other filled instead with scrolls and other such items.
Shawn awoke suddenly with a gasp. He snapped upright and clutched at his chest. After a few breaths, he closed his eyes and tried to stabilize his breathing. As his breath calmed, he moved the hand from his chest to his forehead. “Ex Divinia etiam, what the hell was that?”
The voice that responded was somewhat slow and raspy at first, almost confused, but eventually settled into the lyrical accent that was Sweedish. “I’m afraid I can’t help you with that, stranger, but I hope you are feeling better.”
Shawn tensed as he heard the voice and snapped toward the source, only to find a tall white mare with a long spiral horn and flowing rainbow mane. He was completely thrown off as he finally looked around, taking in the entirety of the room. “I … think I am? Though I think I’m hallucinating at this moment.”
“That could happen for one in your condition, I suppose,” the talking mare conceded. “If you wish, I could arrange for you to visit with one of our physicians. I thought it prudent to have you comfortable first, however.” She just kept staring at him, her brow furrowed. Whether by confusion or concentration, he wasn’t sure.
“Where am I, at this moment?” Shawn asked as he looked around the chambers yet again.
The mare winced. “I apologize if the accommodations aren’t to your liking. Given your size, this was one of the few beds we had that would suit you. You’re in my home. We found you in my garden with two other strangers.” Her lips pulled back into a smile. An honest to goodness smile. On a horse. Or … pony. Or whatever she was.
Shawn shifted his legs off the bed, feeling the fabric and the frame with equal intent. While he had never experienced hallucinations before, he wasn’t too sure if he could actually feel them. Best guess was a no. “Oh.” He paused and blinked for a few seconds, then rubbed his eyes. Finally, he turned his attention back to the talking creature again. “This isn’t a hallucination, is it?”
The mare shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Celestia. May I ask for your name?”
“I, uh, am Shawn,” he replied, trying to give a small smile. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine. It’s not often that such an unusual delegation arrives on the castle grounds.” She chuckled. “You gave us quite a start.”
“Yeah, it’s … not often you wake up somewhere definitely not even close to home.” He rubbed at his head. “I’m, well, sorry if I somehow caused some alarm?”
“I’m more grateful that your reaction has proven reasonable. We had some concerns when we discovered the weapons on your persons.” She motioned toward the weapons rack. “You’ll find your possessions are untouched, other than our removing them to make you more comfortable while you recovered.”
“My…” Shawn seemed puzzled for a moment until he saw what he was wearing, including the lack of coat and … sword at his hip. “Right. That ... that’s fair. Thank you.”
“Your kingdom must be unusual, given the garb your companions were wearing. That is, assuming they were your companions to begin with. We still haven’t been able to identify the magic that was responsible for your … unexpected arrival.”
“My companions?” Shawn hummed in thought and rubbed at his jaw. “I don’t remember anyone being with me. I think?”
Celestia nodded. “Then it would seem the power that brought you here must have seized the others from another location. Wherever they hail from, they must come from the same region where you reside. They appear to be the same species.”
“Well, if they’re like me, we kinda … cover the whole world.” He frowned.
Celestia frowned. “In that case, then you clearly don’t hail from this one.”
“I figured that much.” Shawn rubbed at his eyes. “We’re the only species that’s really sapient, so having been talked to by … someone who isn’t my species is quite … strange.”
“I can relate,” Celestia agreed. “Tell me, you wouldn’t happen to call yourselves … humans, by chance, would you?”
“We do. How did you know?” Shawn furrowed his brows in confusion.
“It took time for me to place after I had you brought here. It’s been a very long time. So long, I’d almost entirely forgotten. I can definitely say I’ve had encounters with your species before. Whether from your world, however….” She shook her head forcefully. “I find that unlikely.”
“I suppose that’s fair, though that only leads to more questions.” He sighed.
“We can approach those later. For now, it might be better if we took this time to get to know one another first. Your garb is clearly noble. Why don’t you tell me about your kingdom, and then I can tell you about mine?”
“Well, there’s not really much I could say about myself. My … outfit doesn't really reflect me too well at this moment.”
“Matthew Washinton Conner. Rank Cadet Sergeant Retired, current station Attache.” A quill scratched hastily away at parchment in the hospital room as the examination continued. He was currently wearing a pendant, the Dragon at the side watching while a tray of gems was rolled in on a trolley. “Is that why you were wearing such clothing?” the blue Unicorn asked, their cutie marks hidden by a large coat.
“Yes. It was also to win a bet.”
“A bet? That is, as you said, a military uniform,” the Unicorn responded.
“Retired uniform. The current armed forces wear a completely different outfit. Besides, the bet was if I could still fit into the uniform. Apparently, by the looks of things, I got a lot more involved.”
A knock on the door signalled the nurse’s arrival as she carried a small shot glass of a radioactive blue colored liquid.
“Ah, my rat poison,” Matthew said with a familiar sigh.
“Rat Poison?” The nurse snapped angrily. “This is a totally medically safe concoction…” She trailed off to see Matthew laugh and chuckle. “What’s so funny?”
“It’s humor from my world. You see, the drugs you recovered from my keychain are coumadin, or warfarin. In small quantities, it’s used to control the clotting factor for human blood. In larger doses, it’s used as rat poison because it can cause internal bleeding.”
The nurse saw the bowl of gems and looked to the two guards. “Who tried to feed him those? He may speak like a Dragon, but have you seen his teeth? I’d be surprised if they could break rock candy, let alone proper rocks.”
The Dragon chuckled. “A little military humor. Don’t worry, nurse. We’re going to let you feed him. We’ve taken down a list of foods he thinks he can eat, along with what foods interact poorly with him.”
The nurse took the proffered note from the blue Unicorn and paused. “Grapefruit? My patient can’t eat Grapefruit? What kind of creature is allergic to such a healthy snack?”
“Not allergic,” Matthew clarified. “It just reacts poorly with my meds.”
The nurse snorted. “In that case, based on this list, it’s clear you’re an omnivorous species. I’ll put you on a Kirin diet. I don’t know how readily we can acquire meat for you, but there are other sources of protein that we can supplement.” She frowned. “This may take some time to put together. I’ll be back later for your medicine cup.”
Matthew chuckled as the mare walked back out the door. “Well, at least the medical profession is the same.”
“Ahem, can we please get back on task?” The Unicorn pressed. “I still have plenty of questions for you.”
Matthew shrugged. “I guess, as long as they’re not about national secrets or the like.”
“That comes later,” The Unicorn replied, and Matthew was not sure if they were joking. The equine’s horn lit up with a musical hum, followed by a flashy poomf. And in that moment, the leather attaché case appeared. “Can you tell us who owns this of your companions?”
“That’s mine.” Matthew couldn’t help but smile at the familiar sight. “And did you say others? Who else came with me?” He tried to remember what happened after he exited the house, but everything came back in a haze. One thing he knew for certain was he hoped Riku wasn’t among them. That boy could make a hundred international incidents just from expressing his sheer dislike of all things Equestria and MLP.
“Right,” the Unicorn interrupted his musing. “Can you go over the items you have in the case?”
“Sure,” Matthew began, “I have some of my nations’ founding documents. A couple of theories of warfare from my world.”
“World? What makes you think that?”
“Because I we don’t have sentient Dragons, Ponies, and the like for sovereign nations or allies. All those things are just fairy tails where I come from.” He grinned as a few of the guards chuckled at his pun. “As for the rest, I don’t know what else to say.”
“Could you copy down the book if we gave you a writing pendant?” the Dragon asked. “I wouldn’t mind reading what your world has written.”
“Easy, Shark Claw,” the blue Unicorn chided. “But that doesn’t sound like all of them.”
“Well, a few of them are novels for fun reading if I get bored.”
“I can understand that.” The Unicorn nodded. He flicked an ear and looked over at the Dragon. “Yes? Can I help you?”
“Sorry, but with this human here… I just thought of the idea. We could prank Princess Celestia in retaliation for the Light Armor incident.”
The guards perked up at that. “Really? You think? But what were you thinking?”
“I really don’t think,” the Blue Unicorn began.
“Don’t forget Princess Celestia allowed the Blueblood Collolition to budget cut twenty years’ worth progress for us.”
“... When you put it that way…. I agree, but just for the day. She’ll see through this from the start, but she likes a little joke every once in a while, so I think I can get behind that.”
“Uh, … should I be concerned?” Matthew began.
“Oh no, we do this all the time. Usually, the Solar Princess gets us good with her pranks. It’s been a losing war for generations. With the return of the Lunar Princess, the military is starting to see an increase in pranks past Princess Celestia,” the Dragon answered. “As for you… All you have to do is play up the part, a military attaché from your nation. I think I can even get you the names of your companions from the Captain of the Guard if you cooperate.”
Matthew looked at the group. “Do I have a say on not in participating?”
“You can,” The Blue Unicorn answered. “But if you agree, we’d be much more free in giving you information that you’d need to fit in better. And we wouldn’t need to bring out any truth potions.”
“You’d do that?”
“You are technically a retired military cadet officer in a foreign land. Some of the older laws don’t look kindly on uninvited military folks.”
“But I didn’t come here by will, it was more like … a force out of my control.”
“That may be, but the law can be a little tough, depending on the mood of some of the noble houses. They could attempt to throw the book at you to twist you into their camp for political purposes.”
Matthew pursed his lips to a thin line. “If you put it that way, where do we start?”
“Honestly, I feel like something’s wrong,” Shawn commented as he adjusted the cuffs on his coat. “It’s not the coat, but I feel like something just isn’t right.”
“In a world that’s completely different from what you may or may not be used to, I’d say that’s a natural feeling to experience,” Celestia noted.
“I mean, there is that, but … I don’t know.” He glanced over his shoulder to an empty part of the room before turning back with a shudder. “I just ... can’t explain it.”
“Perhaps it will pass with time. It may be a lingering side effect of your journey here.”
Shawn sighed as he stopped fiddling with his cuffs. “Suus 'unnerving,” he muttered.
The princess raised a brow, but let the comment pass.
Shawn looked at the princess before rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry. I don’t mean to keep changing languages when it’s already a miracle I can understand you, and you … understand me.”
“Though many call her cruel, fate can sometimes be very kind. I think the term is … don’t look a gift horse in the mouth?”
“I find it strange that you know that phrase, to be honest. Though, I don’t really know much about this world in the first place.” He frowned as he thought it over.
“As I said, I’ve had dealings with humans before. You can imagine how strange I found the phrase the first time I heard it.”
“Right.” He nodded, taking a seat on the bed. “Sorry, I’m just mostly feeling mentally scattered right now.”
“If you need more time to gather your thoughts, there’s no rush. While I would like to learn more about you, I want to make sure you’re well enough for that exchange to take place first.”
“That’s the thing. I won’t settle easily unless I move forward.” He looked to Celestia. “To break through the shock and figure out the things around me.”
“Do you feel strong enough to do so?”
“Though I am worried and frightened, I need to do it.”
“I meant physically. You essentially fell through a hole in the fabric between worlds. There’s no telling what that could do to your body.”
“Honestly, I feel quite fine physically.” Shawn looked to his hand, clenching it into a fist a few times. “Better than I would have expected, given the whole situation.”
Celestia nodded. “If you feel certain, then I am willing to be your guide. However, if anything should happen that could prove a danger to you, I hope you won’t mind my taking steps.
“That’s completely understandable.” He nodded.
“Very well, then. If you’ll follow me, Lord Shawn, we can begin your tour of my kingdom properly.” She smiled kindly and bowed low in greeting. “Welcome to Canterlot.”
“Oh, uh,” Shawn stood from the bed, placed his left arm over his chest and gave a small bow in return. “I appreciate the kind welcome.”
“Did you want to take your sword with you? If you prefer to leave it, I can vouch that it won’t be touched.”
“I suppose I’d like to keep it with me. It was my father’s, made by my uncle.”
“Of course.” The mare nodded and stood patiently as Shawn gathered up his sword. “Was there anything else you needed? If you’re hungry, I’ll be happy to take you by the kitchens for a snack.”
“I suppose I haven’t eaten anything since … yesterday, technically?” he replied, unsure of himself.
“In that case, I think we’ll definitely need to start there. Did you have any favorites? My chefs are quite versatile, though I’m afraid you won’t find much in the way of meat in my kitchens.”
“Whatever you would recommend? That I can digest, that is.” He shrugged in return.
Celestia nodded and pulled open the door with her magic, only to see a startled guard gazing back at her. He quickly regained his composure and bowed to the princess. “Your Highness, I’ve been sent to inform you that your sister has ordered a feast to be prepared for your special guests.”
Celestia sighed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, Luna….”
Shawn glanced between the two as they spoke, unable to understand their language.
Celestia turned to look back at her guest, then gasped as she switched over to the other dialect with visible effort. “My apologies. That guard was just informing me that my sister has already made arrangements for a proper meal. It appears that we won’t have to stop by the kitchens after all. My sister will bring them to us.” She smiled impishly. “That is, if she leaves any for us.”
“Then, I suppose we should hurry along.” He gave a smile in return.
“Excellent. And you can tell me about your home on the way.”
“Compared to this place? Nothing special in the slightest.”
The dining hall consisted of a broad space bedecked in glossy banners sporting a menagerie of coats of arms. The symbols of the two sisters were interspersed throughout to make their presence known with the crescent moon and a blue Alicorn on one banner and the golden sun with the pale Alicorn on the other. The table was laden with all manner of food: fruits that Taze was sure he’d never even heard of before, baked goods, sweets, moonpies ... lots of moonpies, and a large multi-layered cake topped with, much to Taze’s delight, raspberry cream icing.
For the next half hour after his initial arrival, the human mixed the literally unearthly delight of sampling such excellent cooking with meeting Ponies of different stations and titles, many of whom he accorded the respect they truly deserved by instantly forgetting about them after the fact.
“And so, there I was on a mountain top in the middle of a snowstorm. I was out of all forms of medical supplies, and my stamina was low. I knew it was either me or the beast,” Taze explained in careful tones, being sure to overemphasize details in what seemed like the best places. “I held my eager cleaver ready as I looked into the beast's cold eyes. I bent my knees as it roared, and I roared defiantly in turn. It charged, and I charged. We both knew it was the final waltz in the fabulous dance of death we’d found ourselves in. Just as the beast was about to overtake me, I stabbed forward and sent my blade into its mouth. The force of my strike ran through the back of its head. It collapsed moments later, having pushed me back significantly. The monster twitched and convulsed at my feet. I did the merciful thing and put the beast down.” He bowed his head as he finished his tale. “And that was how I killed the tigrex.”
“A great story and a fight worthy of glory!” Luna nodded. “Truly, you are a great hunter, friend Taze.”
It was at this moment that the double doors pulled open once again, and the two feasters were greeted with the fanfare of many trumpets as a guard strode forward and proclaimed in a loud voice, “Presenting Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia and guest.”
Celestia smiled kindly at the various heralds and attendants and bowed her head as she strode past them to enter the hall itself. A tall creature bearing a blue coat with golden embroidery walked beside her at an even pace. His boots released an earthy clunk to the princess’ ringing steps.
“Thank you, Alarum Bell. You can return to your post now,” she said by way of dismissal. The guard saluted and immediately retreated into the hall as the doors closed, leaving the two with only the barest escort as they strode toward the table with Celestia’s gentle prodding.
Taze gave Celestia a small bow and then smirked before giving Shawn a small respectful nod. “Ah, Lord Shawn. It seems you, too, ended up in this world.”
Shawn blinked a few times as he took in his friend. “Taze? But, … how...?”
“Something seems to have taken the two of us to this world from our own, along with one other, though I haven't found out who just yet,” Taze offered.
Shawn rubbed the side of his head. “But, it still doesn’t add up. The last time we saw each other in person was some time ago. Sure, we kept in contact, but how does it result in this?”
“All I remember is leaving home that night and waking up here.”
“Yours is at least better than mine.” Shawn hummed to himself. “I remember talking with you and Matthew, us separating for the night, and it all starts getting … fuzzy.” His frown deepened as he tried to recall the events that followed.
“Tell us of your realm, Lord Shawn,” Luna spoke up suddenly. “Taze’s stories have been delightfully entertaining. Truly, your world has fearsome beasts.”
Shawn blinked. “Uh, well, I suppose it does. Though, I don’t know what he may have told you already?”
“Just tales of his life as a monster hunter,” Luna said. “It is admirable your kingdom has such a system in place,” she said as she side-eyed Celestia.
“I suppose Lord Shawn’s family must have been among the craftsponies responsible for the weapons you hunters use. The sword he carries is dulled from use, but of a fine make. Tell me, did his uncle also craft your weapons, … Taze, was it?”
“Yes, Your Highness, that is my name,” Taze answered. “And no. Most of my weapons are crafted by regular blacksmiths, not by nobility. Although all my best weapons are sadly beyond my reach.”
“Curious. And are these weapons magical or merely well crafted?”
“More scientific,” Taze explained. “We use the parts of the animals we kill to imbue them with qualities based on what the animal is capable of. Self-igniting fluids, electric organs, liquid nitrogen. The smiths find ways to imbue the properties into all our gear.”
“Not unlike the art of imbuing a weapon with poison, then,” Celestia noted.
“I suppose that analogy is close, but not quite accurate?” Shawn seemed utterly confused. “Sorry, I don’t feel I’m keeping up with the conversation that well.”
“Well, you did say that you were hungry,” Celestia noted as she pulled out a chair with her magic. “Perhaps you’ll feel better with some food in your stomach. I’m more partial to cake, but the pies are delicious.”
“I'm not much for sweets, to be honest,” Shawn replied after a pause before muttering, “Ex Divinia Etiam …. Quia non facit sensu.”
Luna stiffened slightly and her eyes shifted to Shawn, then Celestia with a question in them. Celestia gave a soft shake of the head with the clear instruction in her returning gaze:
Later.
“If you prefer, we have a number of possible dishes that you can enjoy. We have salads, any number of cooked vegetables, and even some fish on hoof if you would prefer something,” she cleared her throat, “meatier.”
“I would appreciate that.” He rubbed his head.
“Which one?”
“The fish. Some proteins might help.”
“We’ll get on that immediately. Luna, if you would? Your voice always could reach farther than mine.”
Luna took a deep breath as Taze braced himself by immediately covering his ears. “BRING FORTH FISH!” The shout was loud enough to shake the room and cause the very stones to rumble.
Shawn placed his hands over his ears and grimaced as pain flooded in.
Celestia winced. “Luna, remember the magic word?”
“I remember several thousand magic words, sister.” Luna smirked.
Celestia sighed and shook her head. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
“You kinda did.” Taze nodded, taking a pull from his goblet.
“That was unpleasant,” Shawn muttered with his hands still over his ears.
“Should have expected it,” Taze said quietly.
“It appears my sister already introduced you to our little trick,” Celestia noted. “You must have excited her a great deal after getting to know her.”
“I enjoy telling stories. Try anything long enough and you’ll get at least slightly capable in it,” Taze said with a small shrug.
“Indeed. Luna used to love sharing her exploits in days gone by. It would appear you two make an excellent pairing.” Celestia smiled as she levitated a sandwich crammed with what appeared to be a variety of flowers to her mouth, then took a bite.
“If you don’t mind me asking, I can't help but notice some tension around. Is that from us?” Taze asked.
“In part,” Celestia replied. “You did arrive in an … unusual manner, to say the least.”
“Considering the way you described it before was that we fell through a hole between the fabric of worlds, I’d believe it,” Shawn commented as he lowered his hands. “Though it honestly leaves more questions as to what led us there from our world. There’s not exactly a known case for potential holes in reality.”
“I mean, if there's magic here, perhaps there’s something that can affect reality?” Taze suggested.
“That is a possibility,” Luna acknowledged. “Not a common one, but still present.”
“There are a number of objects that exist in our world that could feasibly accomplish the task,” Celestia mused. “Though they are few and far between.”
Shawn sighed. “Too many unknown variables, it just makes it more complex. Doesn’t help that only half of us present actually understand magic. Besides mythology and all that, of course.” He frowned as he thought it over. “Maybe the third individual would remember more of what happened?”
“Perhaps,” Celestia allowed. “We have him under medical observation for now. He appears to be … different from most humans.”
“In what way?” Shawn asked.
“From what the captain of our guard has told us, there appears to be something unnatural inside his heart. We have him in protective custody for now until he can be interrogated.” She cleared her throat. “Excuse me. I suppose I should say interviewed. After hearing both of your stories, it’s logical to deduce that his will likely be the same.”
“His heart?” Shawn’s frown deepened. “If both Taze and I are here, and the third has an anomaly in his heart….” He looked to Taze. “You don’t think it’s Matthew, do you?”
“I mean, it’s possible,” Taze said. “But that's gotta be astronomical odds, right?”
“You’d be surprised how often astronomical happens in Equestria,” Celestia noted. “Especially on a Tuesday.”
“It was a Wednesday back home.” Taze shrugged.
“Perhaps after Lord Shawn has eaten, we can visit our third guest,” Celestia suggested. “If the three of you know each other, perhaps we can find a common link to the magic that brought you here in the first place.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Shawn agreed.
The Pony that stood before Matthew wore purple armor with gold accents. A shield stood over his chest as a form of peytral in purple with a lighter pink star. His mane and tail were a dark blue with lighter blue highlights that stood out against his pristine white fur coat. Captain Shining Armor, as he had come to identify himself, gazed calmly at the human on the bed. “All right. Your story seems to check out with our intel from the other prisoners.” Strangely enough, the Pony spoke in one of the poshest British accents Matthew had ever heard in his life. The Dragon sounded perfectly normal when he spoke, but maybe this was just something from the show? He was supposed to be the head of Princess Celestia’s guard, after all. “We’ll be returning your personal effects to you presently. Then after that, the princesses would like to have a word with you.”
“Of course. After all, I am an attaché. However, I doubt your little prank will work.”
Shining Armor sighed. “It’s not my prank to begin with. Believe you me, I would have come up with something far more devious if I were involved, and Celestia probably still would have seen through it. Let’s just drop it and move forward with the actual introductions. I’d rather you not accidentally start an international incident by giving the princesses the wrong impression.”
Matthew swallowed heavily. “Agreed. I may be one of only three of my kind here. And as your medical tests show, I’m kind of reliant on staying near good medical facilities.”
The Unicorn shook his head. “The very idea of cutting into a person like that….” He allowed himself a brief shudder, then let it drop. “If you’d come here when the problem first began, we might have been able to help. But after all you’ve been through, it’s out of our hooves now.” He sighed. “We’ll see about at least providing you with a draught to help maintain the current state of your blood.”
“Well, my keys carry three days’ doses of my medication in them, just in case. So, if you’d like, you can take a pill and reverse engineer it.” He frowned. “I can talk to your doctors about INR and the like, so we can keep things in check. And as for your comment about cutting into folks? Two generations ago, my people couldn’t perform any operations on the heart. But since we don’t have much in the way of magic where we come from, we’ve had to develop other means to treat medical conditions. The procedure that lets me live is one that is performed on people far younger than I am, and they have even higher survival rates than I did when I had the procedure done.” One of the Ponies’ faces quite literally turned green in real time as his cheeks bulged. Matthew cocked his head in confusion at the sight of the reaction. “It was either this or death. I’m just grateful that my nation has the tech to keep me alive and maintain the level of lifestyle I have.”
“We’ll give one of our alchemists the chance to analyze the medicine, but the odds of producing a replica in three days’ time is virtually impossible,” Shining said. “For now, we’ll use more natural means to achieve the same results.”
It didn’t take long for the double doors to swing open, revealing the royal sisters and their two distinguished guests. There was no fanfare involved, but the private suite bedecked in the royal colors and coats of arms belonging to the sisters indicated its importance readily enough even before the party arrived. Shining Armor saluted, then bowed low to the sisters as they approached. “Your Highnesses,” he greeted.
“Thank you, Captain, for all that you’ve done for us. Your service is commendable and, as always, exemplary,” Celestia said with a motherly smile.
“Vulpix!” Taze said, moving to his friend.
“Pix!” Matthew replied with a goofy grin. The looks of confusion from the non-humans in the room made him chuckle. “Forgive me. A Vulpix is a fictitious creature from our world. I use it as a second name when talking with close friends.”
“You okay?” Taze asked.
“Yeah, kind of throws folks wild when they see that on an X-Ray.” He motioned to the image hanging near his bed, where the artificial valves that allowed him to live were on prominent display, alongside a looping of wire near the sternum. “They tried to use some cool tech that reminds me of the 50s, but I was tripping alarms because human heart rates and blood pressure are totally different beasts.”
The Dragon looked to the other humans. “Is he normal?” he asked. “What I mean to ask is, is his condition normal? Most stallions and foals hate hospitals, yet he treats it like a second home.”
“He spent a lot of his life in the hospital,” Taze said. “It’s become comforting to him.”
The Dragon looked to the Princesses. “Your Highnesses, as best the doctors can tell, this … human can be released, but they’d like to provide a Doctor or Nurse on call for him at all times, given the nature of his condition. Due to easy bruising, I personally recommend assigning a guard for his protection to prevent any roughhousing against him. Some of our greetings and movements may not be advantageous to their anatomy.”
“I’m not an invalid,” Matthew snapped. “Hell, before I got part cyborg, I did two years of ROTC. I don’t need a babysitter.” He groused and folded his arms over his chest, looking not unlike a pouting child.
“You also did five stints in rib cage warfare,” Taze said. “You're better off having someone around who knows who to contact if things go wrong.”
“Four. I hope to God, never five,” he answered with a laugh. “But if you think it’s best, I’ll accept it.”
One of the guards balked at Matthew and unleashed a series of startled neighs and nickers. The Dragon dutifully translated. “He says, ‘How can you joke about your own heart like that?’” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Ponies.”
“We’re naturally drawn to dark humor as a species,” Shawn commented.
“Our culture has come to the conclusion that comedy is, by its own nature, offensive,” Taze added. “Our species doesn’t have the best history.”
Princess Luna looked to Taze. “A scholar and a hunter? You surely are well rounded, indeed.”
“Hunting requires a sharp mind,” Taze replied. “You must think faster than your prey, or else you’ll be the one being eaten.”
“Very true. Yet few Hunters venture out of their expertise of hunting guides and materials. You surely shall reach old age.”
“As long as you remember that we are all biased,” Matthew snipped back with a chuckle. “A compass path is worthless without more than one dot.”
“Why do I get the feeling that you two are about to enter into an old debate?” Celestia asked.
“Get him started, and it won’t end.” Taze chuckled. “I’m glad he’s okay, though.” Taze gave Matthew a light pat on the head.
“Speaking of all right, Your Highness,” Shining said in the sputtering nickering language of the Equestrians, “I’d like to request permission to check on Cadance.”
Celestia smiled kindly. “Of course, Captain Armor. Luna and I can see to our guests, now that we’ve ascertained they won’t be a threat.”
Shining Armor bowed. “Thank you.”
“Just don’t forget to send that invitation to Twilight. You did make sure to send it, didn’t you?”
Shining Armor chuckled. “Of course. I sent it last week. You don’t think I was going to let my little sister miss one of the biggest moments in my life, did you?”
Celestia chuckled and nodded. “I’ll make sure to coordinate with her then. In the meantime, you have a special somepony to attend to.”
With that final dismissal, Shining offered a salute and trotted out of the room.
Taze cleared his throat. “I don’t suppose I could get my weapons back?” he asked. “They’re not really battle capable, but they are mine, and I’d like them returned if possible.”
“Assuming that Lord Shawn can vouch for you, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to return the weapons. You did say they weren’t really suited for combat, right, Luna?”
“Correct, sister. They are purely meant for show.” Luna nodded.
“Then let us return them, by all means. Where are they being held currently?” Celestia asked.
“I had them moved to the forges to have them looked at.”
“Then I suppose we’ll have to travel there next, once we’ve finished making more suitable arrangements for our guests’ living quarters,” Celestia said, then turned toward the humans. “I assume you three would prefer sharing a room?”
“As long as I have my own bed,” Matthew replied with a weak smile. “But it is up to the others if they want to share or not.”
“I mean, it’s just a place to sleep. Not like we’ll be spending a lot of time there.” Taze shrugged.
Celestia winced. “Unfortunately, you may have to spend a little longer there than you might think. For now, the castle will be open to you, but I’m afraid going anywhere beyond its walls will be too dangerous. Our subjects frighten easily when exposed to the unknown, and nerves are already high-strung enough with preparations for a royal wedding.”
“That’s fair.” Shawn nodded. “Honestly, it’s more freedom than I anticipated.”
“As a precaution for your safety, you will also need to be accompanied by a member of either of our guards at all times,” Celestia added.
“Does that include in our room itself and the bathroom, or will we be afforded some privacy?”
“Of course you’ll have privacy,” Luna said. “And I think a single member of my guard will be enough, Sister. Honestly, if they were dangerous, the Solar Guard would only hinder dealing with them.”
“Given the number that are currently on duty around the capital, I suppose it’s only right to have a member of your guard escorting them,” Celestia agreed. “We can have him or her meet us at our guests’ new quarters. Somehow, I doubt they would appreciate remaining in the Minotaur Ambassadorial Suite.”
“That sounds oddly painful,” Taze noted.
“And a little too big,” Matthew added as he imagined something the size of Iron Will or bigger.
“Didn’t seem that bad,” Shawn muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
A moment later, Matthew began to chuckle at the situation.
Celestia eyed Matthew warily, then turned her gaze on her sister. “It may take some time for the suite’s preparations to be complete, but we should have everything ready by nightfall. If you gentle—” She frowned. “Just what do I call you, anyway? We use the term gentlecolt, but I don’t believe that applies to non-equines.”
“Gentlemen is the one for us,” Shawn replied. “Either way works, as we can infer the meaning.”
Celestia smiled. “Thank you. In that case, gentlemen, if you would follow me, I’ll show you to your new quarters.”
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Sounds awesome so far. I hope to see more in the future
It is very good up to now and i request more if you would, please!
The story description had my curiosity, now you have my attention.
This is good.
Wait, I am confused, weren't they supposed to be four of them?
5246731 no, no there is not.
I lIke It so far, but never really been a fan of them knowIng about equestrIa before they get there.
Dude lying to Luna. Gonna go BAD.
5863097
Yeah, It can be bad...
Though you might enjoy what happens next.
Are you kidding me? A millennia old ruler of a nation cannot tell the difference between something which is a minotaur, and something which obviously isn't?
Even if the minotaur didn't have hair, humans look very different to mlp minotaurs;
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Storm Hammer kind of reminds me of Watts in Secret of Mana.
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I do have to say there is a noticeable change in the quality between the three characters. I take it you are all writing your parts separately and then smashing them together.
Otto's, or mathew's, seem to be very rushed, with awkward dialogue. The worst example was the interrogation scene, as the dialogue indicated to me that a) the interrogator was not skilled nor was he well spoken, and also b) Otto could have totally lied his way out of there no problem.
I can see where the confusion part comes in... all because ONE guy decided to stick to his role
Wow, I kinda hate 'Taze'. What could he possibly gain from being a lying cunt?
8865969
He is being cautious, he is not outright lying just bending the Truth until he feels he can thrust them. I would do the exact same thing.
It gives him a level playing field should he have to break the Lie. I can see both Celestia and Luna doing the same thing in their shoes.
Does the grammar get better? The story looks interesting but the first two chapters have been a painful slog to get through, even while skimming a lot of it.
I do hope the grammar of the edited chapters is improved. The story has a decent hook, but the grammar made it difficult to start.
Taze's story may begin falling apart shortly unless he talked to Matt to find out what he told the ponies before Taze makes up a story....assuming that what Shawn told Celestia in private didn't already poke holes in it.
10784834
Yes the Grammar is much better, the edited chapters for the start are also better for this beginning stretch.
I should warn you that things improve at Chapter 30, the chapters with numbers are the edits.
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Which reminds me of
https://m.