//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: First Time in Canterlot // Story: The (Mis)adventures of Nava: Book Two // by Navanastra //------------------------------// Chapter 8: First Time in Canterlot Edited by: Samellan “Ugh… can’t sleep.” I tiredly muttered as I blinked a couple of time to get the blurry image of the ceiling out of my vision. Why am I unable to sleep? Well, that is because I just have a lot of thoughts running through my mind, thoughts about both Glade and Nava travelling to the Thestral homeland, thoughts that just kept me up and irritated. The idea alone that this psychopathic snitch of a mare is going along with Nava so far away would be enough to rob me of my need to sleep alone. Especially those taunts she threw at us. “Being too soft to ever survive the harshness and cruelty of the northern continent. Buck her, if Nava is forced to tag along with her, then there is no reason for me not to tag along myself, even if I have to quit my job in order to do so.” I thought to myself, crossing my hooves under my blanket. I sighed, knowing full well that my sister is most likely going to decapitate me if I ever pull such a move. I know that she is constantly trying to be the more responsible pony from the two of us, same as our mother used to be, but really, sometimes her own sense of responsibility can just get into the way in regards to just doing the right thing straight away. The right thing to do for our friends and those we care about. I may be a lot less… responsible, but I at least have a sense for trouble, especially given the fact that I do tend to get myself in a lot of trouble quite often, either intentional or unintentional. “No point in staying in bed, I guess, if I can’t even get some shut eye.” I muttered to myself before rolling out of my blanked and getting up. Stretching my legs a bit and standing up straight. I looked at the clock on my night stand. “The middle of the freaking night. Well, work is certainly going to be interesting in the morning if this keeps up.” I told myself with a grunt before making my way to the door. The initial idea for me was to just head to the kitchen and raid the fridge, but an active light in the corner of my vision forced me to alter my plans. It was Nava’s room, door somewhat ajar, which allowed bright moonlight from the windows  shining through its gap and illuminating a small area on the other side of the hall. I immediately became curious. Putting my will to raid the fridge on the backburner, I made my way over to his room. I know for a fact that his bedroom door has always been closed during the late night hours, simple because sometimes somepony just needs to get up at night just to go to toilet. I guess, Nava had the same idea, as the toilet I passed had the smell to prove it. Eww… I peeked my head through the door gap and was not surprised to see an Alicorn peacefully spreaded across the bed, snoring softly. Like, really, almost as bad as Flitter looks in her sleep whenever I sneacked into her room for… unrelated reasons. It’s actually kind of funny to see him like this. Limbs all spread out, his mouth slightly open and drooling from the edges. In fact, since this is such a perfectly given opportunity, I might as well try to immortalize this image. Nodding to my own idea, I quietly snuck my way back out of the room and made my way back into mine. Opening a drawer, I pulled out an old Camera that used to belong to our father before closing it. I, of course, checked if there was any film in it first, before even thinking about snapping something. Would be pointless for me to take a pic when there is no film inside. Seeing that there was, and smiling, I quickly made my way back to his room to make some silly shots about him sleeping like a pony who has just returned from an all-nighter. Happy to see that his position hasn’t changed, I quickly shot the pictures. No flash, of course, but, thankfully, the moonlight shining into the room was enough illumination needed to make everything visible enough, especially for the somewhat dodgy lens of a simple camera With the pictures snapped and in the bag, I again smiled at myself and made a mental note to get these developed whenever I can. I was about to exit the room when something else suddenly caught my eye. Following my sight, I was surprised and both confused to see light shining through a small gap coming from Nava’s night stand drawer. Once more, curiosity took the best of me as I opened the drawer, only for my eyes to go wide and for my confusion to only deepen at what I saw. “What… the heck is that?” I wondered to myself, silently. At first glance, I thought that it was nothing more than notebook, until I realized that notebooks or anything else related to them in general don’t really have a shining front surface with animated icons on them. The ominous light that the thing gave off around its glossy surface should be enough to confirm that. Curiously, I began to lift it up from the drawer with a wings to have a closer look at it. I began to carefully expect it in front of me, watching as a bunch of unrecognizable icons on its surface were moving and dancing around whenever I slightly tilted the thing. Out of curiosity, I began to tilt the device to the right and almost dropped the thing in surprise as the entire image and set of icons began to right themselves back upwards. “What kind of magic is this? Is this some kind a magical notebook? I mean, if it is, then how the heck did Nava get his hooves on something like this? An item like this would most likely cost a huge amount of bits.” I thought to myself. I brought the tablet thing back up close to look at all these icons separately. All of them looked both familiar and both unrecognizable at the same time, like that colorful arrow icon that is labeled “Play store”. Or that blue and white sphere that is simple titled “Earth”. I was about to graze my hoof over its smooth surface when Nava suddenly began to stir in his sleep, before rolling himself to his side facing me. I immediately froze with only my eyes moving to him, waiting with baited breath and hoping that he wouldn’t suddenly wake up. I quietly exhaled after a while when I realized that nothing else was happening. He was still asleep, which, obviously, was good. I knew that I couldn’t stay here for much longer in threat of him suddenly waking up and seeing me. If he did, then trying to come up with a believable excuse as to why I am even here in his room in the middle of the night would be… rather difficult. I doubt I can make this any less awkward for the both of us with my sleep deprived mind trying to come up with something. So, instead of risking it, I quickly decided to leave the crime scene while I still could. I mean, I have already done what I came here to do, so, besides that, there really wasn’t any reason to stay here any longer. I trotted quietly over to the door until I suddenly realized that I was still holding onto Nava’s unknown magical notebook/tablet thingy. I paused, looking down at the thing and once more being drawn by its somewhat alien nature, specifically that bright and colorful surface with all those wiggling icons. I was curious, beyond curious at this thing. I knew that this was his, but I just had to look deeper into this, as it just seemed so… unique. My Inner filly just demanded it. I just hoped that it would be kind of okay for Nava for me to momentarily “borrow” it, if only for the night, returning it to him before he could wake up, and if he still does before that, then I could easily say that I found it in his drawer when I was dusting off his room a bit… yeah, I think that excuse can work. With that little brain fart out of the way (Yes, I am capable of chiding myself, thank you very much, Flitter!), I snuck my way past his door and gently closed it. I sighed in relief once I was out, before trotting over to the kitchen. I obviously haven’t forgotten about plan for a late night snack, plus I am kind of thirsty now, anyway, so a nice glass of milk would also be a good choice. Placing the item onto the counter and raiding the fridge for anything that I might feel for, like that batch of yogurt and, of course, that half full bottle of milk. With my items fetched out from the fridge and placed onto the table next to Nava’s device, I sat down before bringing it back to my attention. I once more began to look at its surface and all its colorful and dancing icons on it. What I didn’t first noticed though, was what was behind those icons, the background, if I had to guess. It was actually quite interesting, a rather nice and very well drawn picture of both a female Deer and an… Antelope or Gazelle? Anyway, it looked very impressive, and the reason why I knew that it must have been drawn is simply because of the colors and the lines used for all of its edges. They looked a bit to vivid and kind of jagged on the edges for them to be photos. Huh… who knew I had an eye for art? Must be from my mother’s side, as she did tend to paint sometimes, when she got stressed out. I shook my head. Thinking about our parents always tends to get me into a depressing mood. Even got myself into trouble a few times because of that, like getting distracted in the middle of my job. Pushed a cloud far off its course, which caused us to be somewhat behind schedule. Either way, with the threat of discovery gone for now, I was free to examine this thing to my heart's content. Well, almost, I obviously didn’t want to accidentally break this thing, which would make explaining myself later on almost impossible. I shook my head and got myself back on track. I was about to go and grab the class of milk I have prepared for me beforehoof, which caused a part of my elbow to accidentally brush the things on the tab’s surface. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see how that simple action pretty much caused everything on that thing to move the same way how a pony would flip a page inside a book, causing the original set of icons and background to disappear. I immediately froze, my eyes quickly focusing back towards the device as panic started to seep in. I honestly thought for a second there that I somehow managed to break it with all of the original icons being gone and replaced with a lot fewer new ones. All of that panic quickly dissipated, though, when I tried to repeat the same action twice and got pretty much the same result as before. The image moved and all of the original icons returned. At this point I was even more curious and fascinated than I was before, sweeping my hoof across its smooth surface a couple of times and getting the images and icons to move back and forth like a book. I was honest to Celestia having just a tad too much fun with this rather simple action, just watching all of those icons zip by and for the background to change into the other one that seemed shared the same art style as the first one. Either way, after a while of just playing around with this awesome but still at the same time rather simple thing, I eventually began to focus back on the individual icons themselves. Again, they were all a rather curious in design, not just because of their imagery or the tendency to wobble around, but also because of the labels underneath them. Like, “Internet”, “Chrome” or “Youtube”, to name a few. All words or names I have never heard of. The only icon that seemed to be the simplest to recognize at first glance was an icon named “Images” with the obvious depiction of staged photos above it. Already knowing that this device seems to be operated via simple touch, I pressed the tip of my hoof onto the “Images” icon and watched with mild surprise that an entire separate page opened up. I began to just call them pages simple for convenience sake. My eyes immediately widened when the thing suddenly displayed rows upon rows of images and photos in front of me. Some of them being simply pictures of landscapes, while most of them were images of places I have never seen before, like massive cities, none of which looked remotely pony made. But the most curious and also shocking part were images depicting single or groups of strange upright beings clad in clothes. In fact, most of these pics have them, either inside of strangely decorated homes, cities, or somewhere in places, which, once again, I have never seen before. “What the, what are these creatures? They look a lot like those fairy tale creatures that I remember from my filly years.” I thought to myself, trying to think back on those times. Easier said than done, as those distant memories were somewhat hazy at best. But besides that, I still kind of remembered the basic stance and shape of those creatures. Long and slender bipedal creatures, similar to what are depicted on these pictures. That also obviously means that I also forgot the names of these beings, too. But still, the overall resemblance with what I can still puzzle together so far are quite astonishing. “Again, why is this thing so full of them? In fact…” It was then when I noticed something, many of these pictures were depicting similar bipedal beings, if I am not mistaken. Actually, no, I wasn’t. They all are the same beings on a lot of these images. In fact, call me crazy or something, but this thing does seem to kind of resemble someone I know of. That hat, those glasses, and in some cases, the red and yellow scarf. This… this just had to be some kind of a coincidence, but if I am not mistaking or getting lost within my imagination, then I would say that this particular being looked a lot like... “Nava?” I whispered to myself, looking at a particular close up of this thing. The hair, the eyes… it’s just… is this real or just a coincidence? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. “I already told you, struggling like this won’t do anything besides making yourself look even more pathetic then you already are.” Glade commented as she casually dragged me along the cloud floor and towards the already waiting hot air balloon in front of her. It’s obvious that I have absolutely NO desire in climbing back into that thing, no matter how necessary it even is. I am still afraid of heights, and the concept that a thin layer to braided fiber is the only thing that is keeping me from falling down onto the far, FAR distant earth below is not doing me any favors in actually stepping onto that thing and flying to the second highest elevated city in all of Equestria. But hey, at least Canterlot is built on a solid ground against the side of a mountain. So, at least, it gets some bonus points for that, unlike a city literally made out of nothing but clouds and Pegasus piss. Why Pegasus piss? Well, the waste from the toilets has to go somewhere... Overall, not a happy camper right about now, and the added feeling of embarrassment towards all of the bystanders that are watching me acting like a scared little child is just rubbing salt on an already open wound. That, and both Flitter and Cloud found this spectacle amusing as well. I thought these girls were on my side, not the crowd’s! “Come on, Nava, just be a stallion for once and get into that balloon. You already have partook on one of these rides four times, if I am not mistaken. You would think that at this point you would have gotten used to them already.” Flitter commented, while Cloudchaser just continued to snicker at my lack of masculinity. “Easy for you to say. Neither you, nor your sister, suffer from Acrophobia, and I know for the fact that this thing is going to start swinging as well… like every time so far, when I had to ride these things.” I thought, right before Glade literally pulled me off the ground and threw me right into the basket. I yelped, groaned and mentally swore in a span of just 3 seconds. I knew she was strong, but not that strong… well, that sounded stupid, of course she is THAT strong… I could see Flitter right outside the gondola, while busy rubbing my head. Yes, of course I hit it head first, what would you expect? “Okay, Glade, I have to admit that THIS was completely unnecessary and uncalled for.” Flitter argued. Glade scoffed. “What? it worked, didn’t it? We got him into that flimsy little balloon, and now we can finally be off towards Canterlot.” She answered which caused someone else to response. “Hey, my balloon is NOT puny, I have flown this all across Equestria, and I navigated it through a couple of hurricanes. This baby is a lot more sturdier than she looks.” A rather familiar sounding voice argued, which caused my pony ears to immediately go on standby. I picked myself, peeked over the edge and was immediately surprised to see who the driver, or rather pilot, was. “Charley Steam?” I thought to myself in surprise. He was the same stallion who gave me the very first balloon ride when I was new to this world. Never wondered where he flew off after we first landed on Cloudsdale, but then again, why would I? I was still a bit on the edge, thanks to the ride itself, and I just assumed that I would never see him again judging by the fact of just how many balloon ride services actually exist. But, whatever, he is back, and so am I, back inside a gondola of a hot air balloon. Why do these two have to live in Cloudsdale? Glade just smirked before getting right into the stallion’s personal space, which in turn melted his bravado right away, especially when she started staring directly into his eyes. “A couple of hurricanes, you say? How about having flown through a dozens of bone chilling blizzards, in between mountains, while battling with giant rock birds and it’s children. Try to do THAT with a balloon.” She taunted, which caused Charlie's eyes to go wide. “Well… uhm… that’s… that’s quite a story there… miss?..” He stammered as Glade moved away from him. “My name really isn’t important, especially since neither you or me are going to see each other again. Just take us to Canterlot, and you can have your payment.” She stated, climbing into the gondola herself. “Bloody show off.” I heard Cloud mutter, as Charley finally managed to recompose himself. “Well, anyway, let’s just get into the air, then.” He announced somewhat awkwardly as he too stepped into the gondola and began to fiddle with the flamer on top. I sighed before turning my gaze to the two sisters with a somewhat tired look. “Well, I guess, I’ll see you two later in Canterlot, after my meeting with the Princesses is done? I asked. Flitter nodded, giving me an encouraging smile. “Yes, we will, and please, try to behave yourself in front of the Princesses, the last thing I want to hear is that we have to pay a jail bail for you. We may have a lot of money in our bank, but that still doesn’t mean we can just throw it all out willy nilly.” She joked, which just made me chuckle… awkwardly. It was then when Cloud had to butt in as well. “Or we could just bust you out of there, gangster style. These Royal guards will never know what hit them, because we are going to be super secretive and silent!” She added with a grin. I shook my head. “Won’t be necessary, I am sure that I will be motivated to behave in front of the two most powerful ponies in all of Equestria. A really good motivator, I have to say.” I assured as the sounds of blasting fire could be heard in the background. “Alright, here we go. Next stop — Canterlot!” Charley shouted as the balloon slowly but surely started to lift off from the platform. Both Cloud and Flitter looked up as they both waved me goodbye. “You honestly don’t need to worry too much, Nava. The Princesses are known to be one of the kindest souls in the entire kingdom, so you really can’t do anything as far as I am concerned.” Flitter called out. “Yeah, like, maybe punch one of those nobles in the muzzle, for example. I am sure the Princess is going to actually reward you for your bravery instead of punishing you.” Cloud added one last time before me and the two below were way too far apart to properly hear one another. I sighed, getting off the edge and just sitting down against a corner. Glade just looked down at me and smirked, a rather mischievous look in her eyes, which didn’t set well with me. “I thought that you are suffering from Acrophobia? Yet you do seem somewhat calm, even though we are basically off the platform with nothing but air and at least 2000 meters away from the ground.” She pointed out, probably in hopes of messing with me, or something. I just shook my head, huddling tighter against my corner. “As long as I don’t have to see it, it won’t bother me, simple as that.” I casually stated. Glade just looked a bit disappointed from her failed troll, before her usual smirk returned. “Well, that’s fine, I guess, certainly better than having you going full panic mode and accidently hurling yourself out of the basket while doing so. I don’t feel in a particular mood to save your ass by flying after you. Already have enough crap to deal with myself, while you go have fun with Sun Rump and Moody Moon.” She announced before turning herself away and just looking off into the distance. I just rolled my eyes. “Well, maybe it would actually be better to just hurl myself off this thing and no longer have to listen to your snarky little ass. I certainly don’t look forward to this meeting, anyway, even though I knew it had to come someday.” I thought to myself before the stupid thing suddenly began to sway again. This is what I always hated about balloon rides, the fact that this blasted thing kept swinging back and forth with only the smallest wind gust hitting it. I do not need to be reminded that I am inside a gondola while being inside a gondola, thank you very much. My Acrophobia already has enough ammo to fire at me in regards to the realization that I am already living in the highest laid city in the entire kingdom. At least, Canterlot has some solid ground to sit on. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. “Canterlot ahoy!” Charley suddenly shouted, which forced me to open my eyes despite my nausea. Did I ever mentioned that I found out that I suffer from a serious case of the seasickness as well, thanks to all of these balloon rides? Well, now I have, and now you all know. The constant swaying of the damn thing is doing some real wonders for my much more heightened senses. Even worse, I was forced multiple times from a certain Thestral to just “chuck it down” whenever I was on the brink of losing my breakfast.  Not even mentioning some of the parts where I was about to lose my fuel, until I realized again that I was pretty much 2000 meters above whenever I peeked over the railing. So, overall, this ride was, once more, a total nightmare to sit through. I am just happy to finally be able to touch down and never have to do this shit again. Yeah, let’s just keep telling myself that. I could feel the gondola touching down onto the landing platform, which caused me to jerk a bit from my fetal position against the corner. I sighed a breath of relief before being surprised by another upchuck. Glade in front of me just shook her head, before opening the side hinge and stepping out of the basket. I was slow to follow as I obviously still had sensory issues. Grabbing hold onto the railing above me and pulling myself up, I was rather pleased to see rock solid ground instead of just clouds and damn air. I could hear Glade tapping her hooves impatiently while I was just hanging over the railing. “For the love of the Elder Gods, could you please move your pathetic pony ass and get off that child’s toy? Some individuals actually have places to be and things to do, like, actually planning for the bloody trip to Nassgardiath with your ASS on it.” She announced, sounding quite annoyed. I just groaned and turned my head to give her a soft glare, which she simply ignored. Charley of course wasn’t too pleased in her calling his balloon childish. “Hey, my balloon is NOT some meek foal’s toy! First, this is a serious transport business here in Equestria, and second, my balloon has weathered storms and hurricanes with almost zero efforts! So, certainly a lot more sturdier than she seems.” He rebuked. Glade on the other hand just rolled her eyes. I just exhaled heavily, before forcing myself back onto all fours and wobbling out of this infernal basket. Seriously, if it’s up to me, then I would certainly never set foot or hoof onto one of these things ever again. But since I lack the ability to fly by myself, and the fact that I am living in a city made out of clouds, it means that my say in the matter is pretty much nonexistent. Just like much of my new life here. “Well, bloody finally, now come and follow me, and DON’T force me to drag you all the way to our destination once more. It might be funny to do, but, as I said, some individuals have places to be.” She declared before leading the way. I just grumbled as a response, before reluctantly following her. I swear, her bossy and rock hard nature is going to be the death of me. I always had the same problem with military authorities during my ROTC training back in Marine Transportation. Not just because I wasn’t up to be bossed around and shouted at, but mostly because I was more or less lacking a lot in physical aspects. I am a writer and an artist, not a military guy, damn it! Also, an introvert, too. Besides my current lack of enthusiasm for… everything, I was still somewhat interested enough to have a look around as me and Glade left the Balloon landing zone and entered the city proper, and I have to say, the Renaissance and Victorian feel is strong with this one. I mean, I already knew how the city will look, thanks to all of the art concepts and, of course, the show itself, so the level of surprise and awe was pretty minimal at best. That, and I was still suffering from the aftermath of seasickness, too. Overall, Canterlot was similar to Ponyville. Similar as in the other only area that looked pretty much accurate in comparison to how the show depicted it. Granted, I am not really sure how big the city actually is, or how its layout differs from the show, but I would guess that the actual ground coverage couldn’t possibly be any greater to either Cloudsdale or Manehatten, as this city is literally built into the side of a mountain. Magic or not, certain physics and geography must still be obeyed here, we are still dealing with a mountain that still doesn’t offer a lot of accessible building ground without having to result in creating the ground artificially yourself. That, of course, can bring up some serious issues as well, but who am I to know. Either way, the city was just as busy as any other city would. Ponies were either mingling about, trotting here or trotting there, minding their own business, or interacting with others in a simple and pretty casual way. The nobles, of course, were being nobles, very easy to distinguish from the rest of the crowd with their usual snootiness and an overenthusiasm with clothing and bling. There were even some foals here, running around to break the monotony. But, overall, pretty normal and certainly not much need for any lengthy attention. What did eventually took most of my attention though, were all of those pony drawn wagons and carriages to be found all around the city, either being parked next to the sidewalks or clambering around the very busy streets with passengers onboard. I do have to say that watching these ponies driving other ponies to their destination is quite a humorous sight to see, especially when you imagine a similar situation where human pulls a human too. I mean, yes, such services DO exist back in my world as well, mostly around Asia. But still, watching ponies being pulled along by their own kind in wagons and carriages just adds this extra layer of irony over it that would normally be absent when you see a human do it instead. It’s generally just funny to look at. That’s when I accidentally crashed into someone, simply because I wasn’t paying any attention where I was going. Both me and the pony I bumped into collapsed onto ground simultaneously with a heavy thud and momentarily causing confusion in the both of us. The random pony was first to recover. “For the love of Equestria, can’t you watch where you go, you filthy peasant?!” I heard a stallion say while I was busy rubbing my now sore ass. I looked up from my spot and was immediately greeted with a pompous and fancy looking stallion. A noble, if I am not mistaken, which would make this the absolute worst pony I could have possibly bumped into. He continued to glare at me as I was still busy trying to get the pain out of my flank. “The nerve, for such a simple peasant like you to bump into an elite. There should be a law for stupidity like this. In fact, ponies of lower status shouldn’t even be allowed to enter this fine city. Why the Princesses allow such trash such as yourself into the city in the first place is beyond me. Just absolute disgraceful.” He ranted on. I was about to finally get up myself, when all of the sudden this spoiled and arrogant little bitch decided to kick dust directly into my face, which caused me to flinch and fall back onto my flank with my eyes now stinging like crazy. I heard him huff before eventually trotting off, leaving me with an eye full of dust and a serious case of the maliciousness aimed at that bastard. I may be a coward, but that still doesn’t mean that I can’t at least imagine horrible things to oppressors, especially when I can actually take them with a bit of will. Obviously, not Glade, though. For one, I don’t hate her, and two, I know for a fact that she can easily kick my ass into space if I give her a reason to. This day has already started to be super duper awesome, and I haven’t even reached the fucking palace yet. Maybe getting away from Equestria would actually be a good idea, after all… or the last trip I will ever make. Who knows and who really fucking cares at this point, as everything that this fucking land has given me is awkwardness, pain, sadness, trouble and an almost near death experience because of my new Alicorn senses. My eyes began to water almost instantly as I continued to try and rub the dirt out of my eyes as I heard a set of hooves approaching me, from the sound of metal hitting stone it was quite easy to determine that it must be none other than Glade herself. Though, what happened next afterwards was what really confused and surprised me. I felt a hoof gently parting mine before another gently pressed itself against my pain stricken eyes which almost made me flinch. I suddenly saw a quick red flash enveloping my vision before all of the pain and discomfort within my eyes mysteriously disappeared. The hoof retreated, which allowed me to finally reopen my eyes and stare up at a rather mild looking Glade towering above me. I blinked a couple of times in confusion as Glade’s trademark expression suddenly returned. “There, your eyes are fixed. Can we now continue on, or do you prefer to get yourself owned by more useless nobles?” She questioned in her usual displeased demeanor. I was, of course, still confused as to what just happened, but still complied with her demands regardless, as I shakily got back up on all fours. I just smiled awkwardly at her, which in turn just gave me an eye roll from the bossy mare before she turned away and lead the way once more. I just followed, this time making sure to at least pay attention as to where I was going and not to cause such discomforting mishap once more. The rest of the trip went pretty well and pretty safe. I do have to say that I was pretty surprised when I eventually realized that nobody, not even a single pony so far has ever commented or rather taken note of the fact that I am basically running around with both a horn and wings free to the public. Which is both a relief, thanks to previous situations, and also somewhat worrying for paranoia reason. I mean, yes, of course I am happy that nobody here is really giving me any attention thanks to my abnormal appearance, but still, this raises a couple of  question regardless, questions as to why nobody is actively gawking at me given the fact that I am basically an unknown Alicorn running around in the very capital of Equestria. Even more so when you consider just how badly both my horn and wings stick out, especially with my wings as its silver feathers do gave off a rather noticeable gleam in the sunlight. It’s either the business of the city and its citizens that keep their attention to themselves, or it's maybe because I am missing something here? This is certainly a question that is seriously burning inside my mind right now. I increased my pace to get closer to Glade. “Hey, uhh… Glade.” I began awkwardly, which got the Thestral mare’s attention. “Well, is there maybe a particular reason as to why most ponies around here don’t give me any attention despite the fact that I am running around fully exposing myself to be an unknown Alicorn within their midst?” I casually questioned, rubbing my neck. Glade immediately perked up at that as she looked thoughtful for a moment. She eventually looked back at me with the answer.” Well, I think I managed to forget to inform you that the Princesses have already openly announced your presence and visit to the city the day prior.” Glade answered, which just made me even more confused than I was before, with some new and obvious questions raising from that answer. “What, really?” I began surprised.” But… but, that still doesn’t explain the reason as to why everybody here is acting so chill about me. How come nobody is being wondrous or on the verge of freaking out at my sight?” I asked further, which, in turn, caused Glade to sigh as we both crossed a rather busy looking street. She looked at me with a knowing look. “Well, to put it simply, when the Princesses announced something that this thing, this person, or whatever else isn’t a threat or danger to anyone, then every pony in this kingdom is going to immediately take their word for it, and trust in their Princesses’ judgment. This is actually one of the many things that just annoys me with this nation of herbivores. They rely WAY too much on their natural herding instinct and don’t trust themselves and their own minds to be more mentally independent. Something I personally love to blame Celly for, as she is babying her little ponies WAY too much, in my opinion. True strength, companionship and cooperation only come through hardship and loss. Something these ponies obviously don’t know of, because they live in their own little slice of Paradise with only the occasional demi-god to cause trouble.” Glade openly explained before refocusing back ahead of her. I was speechless, to say the least, not just because of how logical her explanation sounded, but also how openly judgmental she is towards Celestia and Equestria as a whole. Thankfully though, nobody around us even gave me and Glade the smallest hint of interest when she sprawled that out. Which is good, I hate to be the center of attention for very obvious reasons. Plus, it would also mean that Glade wouldn’t be in need of starting another scene so soon. That weapon of hers actually gave me some very unsettling feelings, now that I reflect back on it. Not the type of unsettlement you would get for it just being a weapon in general, but rather, a more deeper and foreboding feeling. I know that the weapon has magic in it, or rather, operates with magic in mind, but still, for some reason… that magic just felt unsettling to me. I just rubbed my forehead before focusing back on the task of just keeping close to this mysterious Thestral over here. A few streets later, we finally reached the main Plaza that caps the front entrance of the Palace, and I have to say, seeing Canterlot Palace in real life for the first time is really quite something. The entire thing just kind of reminded me of a mix between Castle Neuschwanstein and the Moscow Cathedral. A lot of people back home that I know of always kept referring to Canterlot Palace as Canterlot Castle, even though in a general sense it is far from being an actual castle, or rather what defines an actual Castle. A castle is a defensive structure built primarily for defense and military use. Even though Canterlot Palace possess high towers and walls facing the city, it really doesn’t have anything defensible otherwise. The towers are just more for esthetic rather than practicality, and the walls don’t have any proper battlements attached on them, either. Furthermore, a very high number of large windows were decorating the ground level floors of the entire complex with the actual main gate being just that. A simple gate that anyone could easily break down with a big enough ram. I am not trying to be nitpicky here and say that the entire thing is horrible or anything, I am just mentally pointing out the mistakes of calling it a castle and its fundamental lack of what makes an actual castle. Overall, it’s fine, and I am not going to judge the misconceptions too much. It’s still a very impressive Palace, but NOT a Castle. With that little self-rant out of the way, I continued to follow Glade. I didn’t realize that I must have stopped when I was mentally evaluating the Palace’s design, as her expression made it very obvious that I did. Glade looked as impatient as ever. I just gave her an awkward smile, which she simply ignored before heading directly towards the main Palace gates, which were flanked by at least four guards. I, of course, followed her, which in turn caused one of the rather stoic looking guards to react to my presence. One of them stepped up and blocked my path almost immediately. “Halt there, citizen, state your intention. This right here is the entrance to the Royal Palace, unless you have some official business here or a permit to enter, you are not allowed to enter Equestria’s seat of power. So, again, state your business, or turn away.” He instructed loudly. I was about to say something when Glade decided to beat me to it. She constantly kept on harping that she had places to be and things to do, and, judging by her expression, I guess I believe her now fully. “You narrow-minded incompetent rookies! Are your helmets somehow inhibiting your sense of vision, or are you just that dense?! Look at him more closely and tell me what exactly you all bloody see on him?” She challenged, which in turn caused all of the guard to give me a second, more thorough look. The effects were almost immediate, especially for the guard blocking my path. Their stoic expressions quickly gave to one of superb surprise, as their eyes fell on both my very sharp horn and silver feathered wings. The guy blocking me immediately stepped off to the side. “My apologies for my short sightedness, sir. The Princesses are most likely awaiting for your arrival as we speak. You are free to pass through the Palace gates whenever you please in the future. I shall inform both the Captain and the rest of my colleagues of your status.” The guard informed me with a short bow, which was also mimicked by the rest of his colleagues. I just stared at them, dumbfounded, before hearing the constant tapping of Glade’s hoof against cobblestone, which basically forced me to move further. I just decided to ignore this unexpected action for now, as I swiftly followed Glade into the Palace proper. Passing through the main gate and ascending some stairs towards the front portal. The doors were immediately opened for us, giving me the first real life look inside Canterlot Palace. I whistled. “Well, just the same way as I imagined it.” I commented as Glade and I entered. The interior was, again, pretty similar to the images and pictures that both fanart and the show itself depicted. Large halls with large columns flanking each side of the walls, large stained glass windows and banners with Equestrian insignia hanging from the ceiling. Overall impressive, but nothing I haven’t been expecting. I am not saying that I have been into a Palace similar to this back in my world, but I just already knew how this whole compound would look like from the inside, thanks to a lot of premature exposure of it. So really, all of the wow is basically on an all-time low at this point. Or I am just really hard to impress, who knows. Either way, this entire thing just made me ask even more questions as to why these two rulers, or really anyone, both here and in my world, would ever need so much freaking space to live in? It’s pretty clear that all of this doesn’t serve any practical use or purpose besides being a big money bleed to construct and just giving you basic bragging rights in the end. Which… kind of could be considered to be a practical reason when you have a couple of rivals that you just want to outdo. At least, gives the workers and architects something to do and make some money. That is, if the one hiring them actually gives them money. Anyway, it didn’t took us very long for us to eventually reach a rather large door at the end of an equally large hallway. It doesn’t take a lot of guessing as to what was on the other side, especially with all the guards flanking us from both sides ever since this hallway began. But just for consistency sake, I decided to ask regardless just to seem a bit more casual. “So, is this it? Is this the entrance to the throne room?” I simply questioned to my guide as she was giving the guards keeping vigil in front of the door a simple hoof gesture. They both nodded before moving towards the handles and pulling against them. Glade gave me a sideways glance as this was happening. “Well, what do you think? Actually, you will receive your answer to that question regardless. Just keep your eyes on the door while these two guards open it.” She responded with a gesture towards the big portal. I, of course, followed her order, watching as the two guards slowly opened the big wooden doors with a small level of expectation. What I eventually saw pretty much confirmed my ideas. “Well, here you are, the throne room. I do believe that you should be capable of foalsitting yourself from here on out and NOT make any more unnecessary scenes for yourself.” Glade stated before giving me a bit of a shove towards the obvious room of the thrones. I looked back at her with a semi annoyed look as she just smirked. “See you in the Palace dungeons then. But don’t worry, I will personally bust you out of it once our pick up to my home finally arrives. Just try to not annoy the inmates with your constant crying, they might actually be turned on by that, given the fact just how… well… FRESH you look for them. Well, see you later.” She obviously teased before turning herself around and trotting back the same way we just came from. I, of course, just gave her a glare before sighing in defeat, knowing full well that arguing with this person is very much impossible and maybe even dangerous to my balls. Which are only covered up by my tail, mind you. I still remember the little self-examination I did two days ago. Either way, I pulled myself together and simply began to trot forwards, not giving the somewhat bowing guards any attention as I walked past them. I could already see a very famous pony sitting on her elevated throne from where I moved, watching her noticing me as I casually strode closer towards the most powerful pony in all of Equestria. So, to say that I was feeling somewhat nervous would be an understatement, despite knowing that she is clearly always depicted as a very patient and kindhearted individual. That is… if you don’t take this whole “Alternate Equestria” reality into consideration. I have long accepted the fact that many more things can be different here than they really should be. So, vigilance is key, if I don’t want to transform Glade’s joke into a reality. I do have to admit that I seriously do look like someone that a lot of dudes could go gay for, which is a highly unsettling realization, I have to say. I didn’t even notice during my short contemplation that the Princess had risen from her seat and was gently trotting over to me to meet me at the middle. My heart rate increased as a sense of panic sets inside of me as I watched her gently and gracefully make her way over to me. I had this sudden urge to bolt when her gentle and quite relaxing looking smile immediately put my notions to rest. I guess, the stories and depictions of her were true. Her usual kind and collected nature does have the ability to calm almost everyone down. Or, maybe, it’s just me? She stopped right in front of me with her usual kind smile. A smile that I just somehow felt a little bit more suspicions about than it normally should. But, I guess, I am just getting a bit paranoid about all of this. Really, who can blame me? “Well, hello there, you must be Nava the Elusive Alicorn that both me and my sister have been hearing about.” She greeted warmly and gently. I just nodded, not really capable of finding my voice after she decided to do the first move. I can easily say that my confidence just now has given way back to nervousness. “Just look at her wavy mane, and everything should be just fine.” She seemed to notice my sudden issue as she just chuckled. “No need to be so nervous, I won’t bite, I promise. Not that I would be able to do so if I wanted to, being an herbivore and all.” She assured me. My logical side immediately reacted to that, not the best timing, I have to say. “Well, even so, if you bite just hard enough, even flat herbivorous teeth could do some serious damage as well.” I answered which again made her chuckle. Now I am starting to feel calm again. Damn, what is it with this mare and causing me some real emotional stress here? She eventually extended a friendly wing towards me. I was about to question why, when she provided the answer for me. “Would you like to come with me out into the garden? My sister won’t be coming down from her room for a little while as she managed to eat something that she shouldn’t have, despite me warning her this morning.” She suggested before lowering her head closer for a whisper. “Though, don’t tell her that I told you. My sister is a rather proud mare, and she would feel incredibly embarrassed if somepony other than me would know of that.” She whispered before raising back up at full height. I just felt somewhat indifferent and neutral about all of this. To be honest, I was just at a loss as to how to behave or react around her. I was never before in the presence of major leading figure, let alone royalty and someone who isn’t a human with magical sun controlling powers, and that jazz. Excuse me when I seem to act out of character to most, but I seriously have no clue as to how to behave. My mind just receded into a complete blank. I blame her erratic emotion changing abilities and everything else that has happened to me today so far… or rather, since I woke up from my coma, as everything now seems to happen really, really fast. Faster than I would have personally liked. I just scratched my head before looking up at her a bit. By the way, she is pretty tall for a pony, especially now that I am personally standing right in front of her. Not necessarily taller when I was a human, but still pretty tall, compared to her little ponies and somewhat to me. Because even I am just a tad bit taller compared to most ponies, too. How this works is obviously a mystery to me, both Cadence and especially Twilight later on had very reasonable sizes as Alicorns in comparison to her and Luna. Maybe, she just dug into her broccoli with a little bit more vigor than most? A joke that is out of place and unnecessary in my current situation, I know that. I just nod to her request. “Sure, I guess, going back outside after just arriving would be okay.” I answered with a mental shrug, which made her chuckle again. Seriously, what is it with me and becoming so observant and casual when feeling unsure about everything? Oh, wait, I am always naturally observant regardless of my mood. When it comes to my casualness, I don’t know. She just smiled, signaling me to follow her with a head nod before leading the way. I, of course, as always, followed. Which is something that I have been doing, or rather forced to be doing, ever since I woke up today. You can’t say no to Glade, after all. It didn’t took too long for us to eventually reach a very normal and plain looking exit that lead out directly into the Palace Gardens. My eyes immediately went wide at the sight of this botanical wonder. Again, nothing I haven’t seen before, thanks to having visited England once when I was a kid, but still, such well-kept and organized gardens are still a sight to take pictures of. I think, I do have some of them saved up in my tablet, now that I think about it. Either way, Celestia eventually lead us towards a rather large looking tree somewhere at the center of the garden, before resting down under its wide shade. I, again, felt a bit hesitant as I usual do, as I just decided to stand close to her instead of sitting down. She again just smiled at that, before her gaze eventually switched over to a large and beautiful water fountain that was decorating the central area in front of us. There was a moment of silence before Celestia decided to break it once more. She removed her Tiara from her head and gently sat it down next to her before starting. “You are probably wondering why my guards treated you with a sense of utmost respect the moment they saw you, don’t you?” She suddenly questioned, still keeping her gaze fixed on the fountain. I looked at her with surprise. “How… how do you know that?” I questioned. She again just chuckled for like… the tenth time, as she kept her gaze in front of her. “It’s honestly not too hard to expect. It’s not like Alicorns are a common tribe within society, after all. Plus…”She finally looked over at me.” Both your horn and wings are pretty obvious even at a first glance, so it’s bound to be noticed by somepony regardless of how you like to twist it.” She answered, which, I guess, does kinda make sense. There was obviously the incident with Gate guards, but those can easily chucked down as an incident of boredom thanks to their job of just standing around all day. Boredom does have the ability to cloud someone’s sense of reality. I just nodded. She went back to watching the fountain as she answered. “Well, to put it simply, an Alicorn in modern day Equestria is seen as a sign of Royalty to most. Or at least here, in Canterlot.” She explained. I was surprised again. The fact that ponies here would even remotely consider me, a nobody that nobody knows, to be royalty, is quite a brain twister. Especially, given that back in Cloudsdale they demonized me for something I had no control over. This, of course, gave me an interesting questions to ask. “Does every city within Equestria kind of operates under its own law, culture and beliefs? Similar to a bunch of city states?” I randomly questioned. Celestia, for the first time, took a few moments to think by tapping a hoof against a chin. She eventually looked back at me. “A rather smart question, I have to say, and to answer that, yes. Yes, they do all possess a level of autonomy from one another, if I have to be honest here. Which is also why you can find so diverse architectures and cultures within the land, which you most likely guessed already. But to answer your question again, yes, they all have a healthy level of self-government and self-unity. I mean, they have to, otherwise governing this whole nation all by myself would have been a nightmare, and I wouldn’t be able to sit here freely talking to you. I would have most likely DIED from pure stress and exhaustion alone if that was the case.” She answered with a little chuckle at the end. I again just nodded. “Well, this answers that question as well, I guess.” At this point I finally felt comfortable enough to sit down as well. Celestia smiled at my new level of trust as the two of us just decided to quietly stare at the running fountain in front of us. Watching the water flowing and falling down into the basin from the many different birds and flowers the fountain was depicting. “You know, it’s a heavy thing to wear this crown, especially when being immune to the passage of time.” Celestia suddenly commented, which in turned forced me to look up at her. She looked neutral, for the first time since I meant her, looking down at her left with a certain level of longing. Longing of what, though? I have this feeling that I will found out soon. “What do you mean?” I casually questioned. She just quietly sighed before giving me a somewhat sad smile. “Oh, nothing much, really, just that… it's actually quite a heavy burden knowing that everything around you changes while you, on the other end, don’t. Even more so when you know that your immunity to time won’t guard you from your own inevitable demise as well. Even I and my sister have to eventually bow down to the cycle of life and leave this world, just like everypony else. No amount of magic, fighting or the use of harmony will ever fix that.” She added. Well, this certainly got real dark very quickly. Actually, when you think about it, it does kind of makes sense in some way. Even immortals have to give way to change at some point, if I have learned anything from both physics and existence in general, is that everything, in a way, has a beginning and an end, like nothing is truly eternal in a general sense. If you’re not religious, that is. Not really a surprise that Celestia, of all ponies, would accept such reality. But still, one obvious question was still open. “What do you mean? Why are you suddenly telling me all of this out of the blue?” I obviously questioned. She, again, just looked back at the fountain as she answered. “Just to make sure that you won’t do anything that will endanger you or your companions on your upcoming journey. Just because we’re capable of incredible magic and are immune to the ever moving effects of time, it doesn’t mean that you are immune to death itself. A hard enough blow can easily end you just as quickly as it can for me and my sister.” She answered. This, of course, was nothing new to me as well. I mean, sure, what I am about to compare is kind of farfetched and generally just a game, but, even in the God of War game series, Kratos was very able to battle and kill alleged gods and titans with nothing but his skills and his overpowered arsenal. Granted, in the end of the first game he was far from a normal mortal, but still, the concept alone still states that even immortals can die. They might be tougher, but it’s still possible. I guess, it also kind of makes sense then for her to tell me all of this, in case she thinks that I am unaware of my own mortality. She just wants to make sure that I don’t just recklessly throw my life away while being arrogant, just because I happened to walk in the body of a magical Avatar. Arrogance can get you killed, after all. But, besides that, I still get the feeling that there is more to her message then just that, and judging by the sideways glance that she is giving me, I guess she is expecting me to ask more question regardless. I would say I am not disappointing her. “Well, thanks, but… I was already kind of aware of that truth… especially, given that I managed to almost die… because of my overconfidence.” I admitted solemnly, still remembering the vague feelings of pain and coldness of that almost fatal event. I could tell that she understood, as I felt a wing gently wrap itself around my back. I looked back up at her and saw that she had a genuine look of understanding and regret. “I am sorry for having accidentally brought that up. I am not sure what must have transpired with you back then, but I could tell from first laying my eyes on your broken body that you only barely escaped the Reaper’s cold grasp. Such physical and magical damage dealt at such a level has never presented itself to me. It was actually a miracle that the doctors still managed to stabilize your body, or so I have been told. Again, I am… truly sorry for re-opening this up.” She apologized in a truly sincere tone that isn’t too rare for a character like her. I just shook my head before rubbing my temples. “It’s… it's fine. What happened, happened, it obviously can’t be reversed now. I… I guess, it’s also kind of a good that it actually happened in the first place. Gave me a quite the wake up call on my own mortality despite my… new form. You know what they say, mistakes make someone smarter, or something like that.” I explained solemnly. Celestia just nodded to that, keeping her wing gently wrapped around me as a few moments of silence dominated the very space around us. Only the distant chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves could be heard echoing around us, and, of course, the flowing water within the fountain as well. After a while, it was again Celestia who broke the peace. “Nava, even though this is the first time we can truly converse with one another, which… might possibly also be the last, given that you will soon be leaving for a new land…” She began, which again forced me to look up at her with mild surprise. But before I could ask, she continued. “…I just want to also tell you, just in case, that you should cherish the moment you can have with those you hold dear to yourself. As you know, being what you are means that you will most likely outlive everyone and even beyond… if you are smart and careful about your choices.” She continued on. Again, surprising, but still very much true when you start to realize that. I already knew from the very beginning that me waking up as an Alicorn meant that I would easily leave for generations or centuries if I am intelligent enough to not get myself killed during that time, which I almost accomplished before I could even clock in my first year in this pastel colored, but still very real and serious world. A constant rainbow and sunshine world this is not. Not like the Equestria I am mostly familiar with. Far from it, in fact, in certain aspects. Actually, this just reminds me, the very reason why I wanted to come here in the first place. To look for answers. I looked back up at the Princess. “Celestia… uh, I mean, Princess Celestia…” I began, which in turn just made her chuckle. “Just call me Celestia, titles really mean nothing when I am not sitting on the throne. Right now, I am just an average pony sharing her long life experience with somepony who might need it.” She suggested with a smile. I, again, just nodded, before recollecting my thoughts, trying to pick a start. I quickly managed to find it. “Celestia, I… I actually have a bit of a confession to make, if you want to hear it, that is. I am not sure if you know, but, for the rest of my questions to make sense, I need you to know this.” I laid out, which actually got the Princess’s full attention this time. She looked at me curiously with her ears on full attention. “A confession? Well, this is certainly an unexpected turn of events. But sure, I will gladly listen as to what it is that burdens you. I won’t judge you if it is something wrong or unethical. We are all prone to do mistakes or horrible things, after all.” She assured me which again made me shake my head, much to her slight confusion. “No, its… it’s not something like that.” I began with a sigh. “I am actually not from this world, or a pony for that matter. I was something completely different before I mysteriously woke up in this world with the body you see me inhabiting now. I was never born as a pony, or an Alicorn, for that matter.” I explained, being quick and bold with my approach. I was expecting a lot of reaction at this point, surprise, shock, maybe her thinking that I was crazy or joking, but what I actually saw from her was a look of understanding and realization. She even rubbed her chin in thought. “Well… this certainly confirms a theory that I had when I first saw you. When I… felt your aura for the first time.” She accounted, which at that point was my turn to look curious. “My… aura. I have an aura? What about it?” I asked. She looked back at me with a nod. “Well, yes, every living being, or at least here in our world, possesses a certain magical aura, which is unique to every different species. Dragons, Gryphons, Minotaurs, you name it, they all irradiate some form of an unique magical signature that anypony, or anyone skilled enough in the magical arts, can detect by giving the creature or individual in question a short magical probe. I, of course, don’t need to explain myself in terms of skill level.” Celestia explained with a small mug smile in the end. But again, before I could even ask, she continued, after returning to her more neutral look. “Anyway, to cut a long story short, when I curiously did a quick magical scan on your beaten body to give myself a better and a more personal picture as to how deep the sustained damaged really was, I was genuinely surprised and confused when the magical aura I felt inside of you was neither of the 4 pony types as I expected.” She paused for a bit.” In fact… it was… something I had never seen or felt before… something… alien, and… kind of rebellious in a way, especially when I allowed my curiosity to take the better of me and tried to look into your alien like aura deeper, only to find heavy resistance when just pushing against it lightly.” She again paused to take a breather. “I was concerned at first, even downright suspicious for just a second, until I realized that, besides its unknown feelings and unsuspected resistance, there really wasn’t anything odd or wrong about it like I originally thought. I was still something skeptic then, but now… now I finally know, I guess.” She finally finished up. Well, the cat is certainly out of the bag now. Though I am feeling quite thankful that her first initial reaction wasn’t anything I originally feared. In fact, now that she knows, I might actually get ahead and ask perhaps the most important question that has been burning inside my head ever since I woke up here. I sighed, collecting my thoughts before looking back at the Princess. “Well, besides you now knowing that I actually might be from a different world entirely…” I paused for a moment. ”…is there… maybe some kind of way for me to return to my home world and also perhaps getting my old body back? This is the one and foremost question that has been running free inside my head since my arrival, and I thought that maybe you could help me with it. Just to finally put this to rest besides anything else” I finally asked. The very question to ask for months, but obviously never got the opportunity to do so. She, again, seemed thoughtful at first as she went back to rubbing her chin, most likely in search through her own 1000 plus years old Wikipedia. My hopes were sky high as she kept on thinking. Perhaps, I might still have a chance to return home and leave all of this fucking crap I have been forced through finally behind me. One thing is for sure, I certainly should write a book about this when I get back. Such experiences, despite how crappy they were for me, need to be recorded one way or another. I was almost on the brink of smiling when Celestia suddenly had the audacity to immediately crush it by shaking her head and looking at me sadly. My ears dropped at that. “I am sorry, but… the barriers that separate worlds from dimensions to universes and beyond are force that is completely and utterly beyond me. Even if I could, I still wouldn’t be able to send you back, as the numbers of worlds or dimensions are basically infinite. It would be almost impossible for me, or anypony else, to pinpoint the exact fabric of reality from where you hailed from, and that is not even mentioning the amount of energy such a feat would require to even create a rift between two realities. So, no, I am sorry to say, but this is just something which is far beyond my understanding or capabilities.” She carefully explained. Which was basically the final nail in the coffin for me. I immediately got up, walked over to the fountain and let the true reality of my situation sink in. I had a feeling that this might have been the truth, but up until now I still managed to hang on to the smallest, the tiniest sliver of hope that there might actually still be a chance for me to finally return home. Similar to a happy ending after a long and, at least to me, annoying adventure. Just like how it is in almost every story, game, movie, or book. Only mine isn’t one of them, it seems, as depressing as it sounds… and certainly feels. I just peered over the edge of the fountain's basin and stared at my own rippling reflection. My thoughts once again mimicking my own expression. “So, this is it, then. This is truly it. I will never see my old home or my old life ever again. This here is my home now… if I want to or not. I am now stuck here forever, which might actually be true given what I have become. Stuck in a world in which I have no real place, shown by the fact of just how everything has been kicking me in the ass ever since I got out of the Everfree with Cloud and Flitter. Just perfect.” I thought to myself as I allowed myself to close my eyes to reflect on this more clearly. Like it not, I somehow needed to be in peace with this if I ever wanted to find a certain level of normality for myself again. Crying, complaining and bitching about it won’t fix anything. I just need to let this go slowly over time and just… try to start from scratch. But, hey… it’s not all bad. At least, I do have a solid foundation to start from, thanks to the generosity and understanding of both Flitter and Cloudchaser. Two of the BEST ponies, in my opinion. I smiled at the thought of these two as I reopened my eyes and gazed upon my now happier looking reflection again. I mean, I am not completely OKAY with this reality just yet, but knowing that I have at least two ponies ready to stand by my side no matter what the situation, is truly a remedy for all of my still consisting problems and struggles to come. I might actually have a chance to call this new world my home, after all. Of course, I won’t ever forget my true roots or my humanity. That would be a sin worse than death, in my opinion. But, at least, I will have my magical Hat to still give me connections to my lost… And then it hit me. “Wait a minute. My HAT!” I exclaimed before removing the head wear from my noggin. Celestia perked up at that. “Your hat? What about it?” She curiously asked. I just turned around. “My hat.” I called out, presenting it to her. “It actually possesses some kind of dimensional bridge between this and my world. I can literally pull out all of my personal belongings I had prior from waking up here. Like my smartphone or tablet.” I explained. Celestia got up on that, trotting over to where I was standing to give my hat a more concentrated and evaluating look. She immediately noticed the unnatural looking void that makes out most of the hat’s interior as her brows rose in curiosity. She even went so far as to inserting her hoof into my head wear and watching as her hoof just unnaturally disappeared further and further into the abyss. Her curiosity raising further. “Well, this is certainly a type of magic I haven’t seen for a VERY long time.” She commented, which in turn cause me to perk up this time. “Ma-magic? What kind of magic.” I questioned confused. Celestia again rubbed her chin, this time with her right wing instead of her hoof. “Well, a type of magic that is more intended in creating copies of whatever item the owner can remember owning. A type of multiplication and cloning spell, though a lot more focused on the user's memories rather than on actual physical items. I can easily recognize THIS magic without even having to scan them. Something like this was quite common within the Nobility back during my filly days until it was finally outlawed, just like every other cloning and multiplying spell, for very obvious reason, as you probably can imagine.” She answered. I could feel a second set of disappointment creep up to me as I looked back at my headwear. “So… does that mean that this right here ISN’T some kind of a magical gateway connecting this world with mine?” I asked, sounding clearly disappointed. Celestia shook her head. “Magic, yes, but dimensional, not. If it was, then this pretty little hat of yours would automatically cause all sorts of problems with the fabrics of space-time. Problem, which I can assure you, won’t look pretty in the slightest.” She confirmed. Which again was just a second blow to my already low sense of hope, which by now was basically all gone and crushed at this point. I looked down at my now not dimension breaking hat with a sense of betrayal for obvious reasons. I still remembered the first ever encounter I had with Silver, when he openly mentioned that I could pull out MY STUFF out of my hat for all kinds of use. Granted, I already forgot if he specifically said “from my world”, but in this case it really doesn’t matter anymore, as the whole “Hat mystery” thing is fully debunked now, and that Silver is more or less gone as far as I am aware of. I might actually ask Celestia about this as well while I still have the chance, but really one question at the time. Don’t want to sound demanding in front of the Princess, after all. With a bit of a heavy heart, I replaced my trusty head wear back in its place, before giving off a quiet sigh. It may not do what I have been believing it could do, but that still doesn’t mean that it will be completely useless, quite on the contrary, in fact, if Celestia is right about her statement. All of my items may be physical fabrications of my own memories, but that still doesn’t mean I couldn’t have fun with them. Plus, I might still use it as a storage device without having to carry a huge backpack with me. In fact… “What about the whole void like ability? Can I use it to store items in it like how it looks and obviously reacts?” I asked the Princess. She again looked thoughtful for just a second before replying. “Well, possibly. It’s also not too rare to see two types of spells combined into one to enhance their effects. I would believe that it's added pocket dimension aspect could be used as a more practical storage option. Of course, only items that FIT through the rim can placed into its void. So, obviously, don’t bother trying to somehow force a carriage into your hat, that would certainly end in… well, nothing.” She explained with another chuckle attached to it at the end. I just nodded. I was obviously already aware of that logic. Another question down, more to go. “Is it okay if I ask you more questions about things I still don’t understand? I actually have a couple more, if it is no trouble for you?” I awkwardly asked, rubbing the back of my neck. She just smiled. “Of course, sharing my knowledge with others is basically my prime job as Princess, anyway. Just don’t ask the nobles about it, though.” She answered with a bit of a frown, most certainly aimed at the nobles. From what I know, who could blame her. I gave off a small smile of thanks of my own, before sitting down onto the edge of the fountain. “So, this is how Lyra does it then.” I thought to myself as I looked down at myself. But obviously, the main reason as to why I sat down is because… well, this might take a while, plus, we still need to wait for Luna to arrive from her puking session or bad case of the diarrhea. It’s pretty obvious to imagine what her problem is when Celestia said. “Eaten something she shouldn’t have.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... “No, no, and NO. You can NOT take that junk with you. I am not going to pay EXTRA for the shipping fee to take your Science McDoohickey with you.” Glade scolded a timid but secretly annoyed Batpony stallion. Midnight Gear was quick to protest, despite the captain's intimidating glare. “Bu-but I have to… I have a project to… well… present to the science division back in… in.. Kazzas so that I can… keep my position with the guard. As stressful this position is… it has also given me all of the resources I ever wanted to do… what I love… tinker and experiment.” He countered, although with a bit stutter, which was typical for him. Inventors and Geniuses tend to be highly anti-social, anyway. Glade, on the other hand, just crossed her hooves as she leaned back against her chair. “If you mean busting holes through walls with unexpected and should I also add “Controlled Experiments”” She said with air quotes. ”Then, yes, the bucket heads back home have certainly given this overseas job to a complete nuthead.” She commented, much to the young stallion’s dismay… and secret insult. “Nutjob. I am the only one who is fixing all of your shit, damn it. Like that dusty old blood weapon of yours that most would be clueless about to even sharp.” Midnight thought to himself, even though his outside expression didn’t match his thoughts or feelings. Which is intentional, he has seen what she does with enemies and… victims. She makes it look so easy, but of course he knew that it isn’t. How in Tartarus can slaying a dragon solo even be considered easy? But then again, she did have an old pact to uphold if she wants to keep her Immortality intact. But he is probably thinking too much about it, as he still has a more pressing matter to solve. Like getting her to agree that he can take his latest work back to Kazzas on the upcoming flight. He tried once more to convince her. “But… but isn’t the airship being… paid by the… same military branch that… that you are part of? How can you state that… adding my invention into the… cargo list would cost extra… somehow? Don’t you have some… sway to not make it cost anything?” He again questioned. Glade just sighed, rubbing her head in frustration. “For one, this whole “paid trip” service is only covered for members of the military, NOT a civilian, which you are enlisted as, and second, just because I am a leader of one of the major clans back at home, it doesn’t mean I can bend some rules that have existed for over a millennia all willy nilly. The council will still have my ASS if I ever tried to pull such a stunt.” Glade explained before looking back at the tinker with an indifferent look. “Also, if you really want to take this contraption of yours with you back to Kazzas, then why in the God's name don’t you just pay the fees yourself? The last time I checked, your monthly income dictated a rather healthy sum of support for your services far to the south. It’s YOUR project, so YOU shall pay for it.” She finalized. Midnight continued to protest though. “But-but, I don’t even have the money anymore… most of the income I get sent in… is meant for funding my continuous… work and projects in the fields of magic… science… and Magi-Tech.” He continued to whine, which in turn was slowly going into Glade’s head, if her slowly increasing frown was anything to go by. “Not my problem, simple as that.” She simply answered. Midnight Gear was at the edge of frustration as well, though, again, internally and not externally for his sorry ass sake. He was about to say more on the matter when a knock on the door prevented him from it. This,of course, got Glade’s attention, just for the sake of having something else to talk about. “Come in.” She announced before seating straight. It was one of her fellow guards, a Thestral stallion, to be precise, though a bit on the skinny side of things compared to the rest. A trainee, as far as Glade was concerned. These guys were more or less the post boys of her division until they can grow their skills and muscles to be considered full fletched Thestral guards in the future. The stallion stepped into the room and did a Chest salute towards his captain, at which Glade nodded to him in response. He quickly eased up before starting his business here. “Miss Glade, the gate guard in front of the Barracks has just been given a letter by a mail pony.” He explained before reaching for his pouch while continuing. “I was instructed to further deliver this mail to you, miss, after it was found out that the letter was specifically addressed to you.” He continued as he pulled out a letter from his pouch and presented it towards his captain. Glade’s eyebrows immediately rose in curiosity as she grabbed the offered envelope with her hoof before opening it up and reading its contents. Both Midnight and the newcomer simply waited as the captain continued to read the offered letter. Her curious brow slowly and surely morphing into a small frown as she slowly made her way to the bottom of the letter. She eventually grumbled to herself before dropping the piece of paper down onto her table. “Thanks for bringing this to me, recruit. You are now dismissed.” She casually stated with a hoof gesture. The stallion did another quick salute before filing himself out of the room and closing the door behind him. It was once again just Midnight and Glade, as Glade simply began to massage her temple with a bit of a sigh. She eventually looked back at the timid stallion. “Pack your oversized project. The Science and Magic Department back home has personally paid for the transportation expenses needed to haul you piece of whatever back to Kazzas. What a ridiculous way of timing.” Glade explained. Again, Midnight was about to say something before being cut off once more. “I don’t care or want to know what it is that you have been working on these past few weeks. All the ruckus, fires and horrible stench coming from your workshop is all I need to know.” Glade interrupted. “Now, go away. I still have some more legal work to do before our pick up arrives. Just be happy that you still can take your machine with you free of charge.” She ordered. Midnight gear just nodded timidly before showing himself out. With Glade finally alone and some time to just think to herself, she eventually turned herself around on her seat towards the moderate sized window overlooking the barrack grounds behind her. She exhaled sharply as she watched some of the new recruits getting kicked around by the more experienced veterans. Quite literally, I may add.