Monday, around twelve o'clock
"Honestly, Doctor!" shouted the Princess, outraged. "The Royal household pays you a rump-load every month to sniff out a cold from three miles away, and you're telling me that you didn't see his leg was broken?"
"Fractured, Your Highness." Doctor Splint re-ajusted his glasses and bow-tie, beads of sweat dripping down his face.
"Whichever!" Celestia retorted.
"He was under the effect of some sort of sedative, Your Highness. Therefore, I wasn't able to-"
"Dismissed!" shouted Celestia.
"But I-"
"Dismissed, Doctor!"
"Very well, your Majesty." The doctor bowed his head, and left the study.
The Princess of Friendship entered, along with Fluttershy, who was looking even more anxious than usual.
"Good afternoon, Twilight, Fluttershy," said Celestia, levitating a tea set and placing it on the coffee table.
"Your Highness," answered Twilight and Fluttershy in unison. They both curtsied so low that their muzzles touched the floor.
Celestia chuckled. "There's no need for that anymore, Princess Twilight. And I wouldn't mind it if you didn't curtsy either, Fluttershy."
"How is he holding up?" asked Twilight.
"Surprisingly well," answered the sovereign, an expression of mild puzzlement on her face. "The guards told me that he politely asked whether or not he could be escorted to a doctor. They asked him what was wrong, and he casually told them his leg was hurting. He refused to be hauled to the infirmary by the guard, saying that he 'didn't deserve' to be assisted. Doctor Splint discovered that one of his leg bones was 'fractured', and he started mending it. I think a lesser man or stallion would have screamed in pain, or at least shouted out for help, but this one, he stayed polite; calm."
"A real trooper," commented Twilight, being reminded of her brother.
"Anyway, on the way back, he asked for a guitar to be brought to his cell. So that's what the guards gave him. Listen, he's very good!"
The three ponies went quiet. From across the courtyard, they could hear a guitar, and a baritone voice singing along.
"When I was just a baby, my momma told me 'son,
always be a good boy, don't ever hit a foal',
But I hit a poor, shy filly; just to watch her cry...
When I hear that filly crying,
It makes me wanna die..."
"He's remorseful," remarked Fluttershy. "And, um, I don't think he wanted to hurt me..."
"Maybe not," said Twilight, "but remorseful ponies often feel more guilty than they really are."
Fluttershy could identify with that. Whenever she got metaphorically trampled on by other ponies abusing her kindness, she often felt guilty when it wasn't her fault.
Celestia nodded, wisely. "I've put his equipment on the desk, over there." She jerked her head towards a desk at the back of the room, where a mess of olive drab items lay. "I had a look. I'm sure he'll understand." She blushed.
Twilight and Fluttershy sat down at the desk and took a look at the soldier's gear. The harness, jacket, and pouches had been spread on the desk. They had been organized by resemblance.
On the left hand side, Twilight saw the rifle and the pistol, with some spare magazines for both. "I heard about these when I was in their world," she commented. "I even saw some pictures. I hoped I'd never have to see a real one." She gingerly levitated the pistol, and rotated it around, looking at every detail. On the barrel, some writing could be seen, carved into the metal, during its assembly.
"COLT'S MK IV/ SERIES 70
GOVERNMENT MODEL
45 AUTOMATIC CALIBER."
Fluttershy wanted to ask her friend what these items were used for. But she feared the answer.
Twilight carefully put the guns back in their place, and looked at the other objects on display. There was his jacket, with its strange camouflage pattern. It consisted of green, black, and brown stripes, in shapes that looked like a tiger's fur. It was strange, but the lavender princess assumed the pattern had a reason for looking like that. Then there were the olive drab pouches, and the butt pack which she emptied on the desk. The most striking of the bag's contents were the medals. About ten of them.
Twilight picked one of them up and looked at it. It was made of bronze. It had the shape of a cross, but... its arms were narrow near the centre, and flared towards their extremities.
At the centre, was a crown, with a lion on top of it. The words "For Valour" were inscribed underneath it. The medal itself was suspended from a crimson ribbon.
"For valour," read Fluttershy aloud.
Once again, these words stirred up Shining Armor's image in Twilight's mind. She put the medal down, and looked at the rest of the bag's contents.
Next, there was a small black-covered journal. It looked heavy enough, and it had about the same amount of wear and tear on it than any of the books in Twilight's library, which was virtually none. The human had gone to great lengths to preserve it. She was tempted to take a peek, but decided against it; the human would be less likely to cooperate if they violated his privacy.
Finally, there were the last three items of interest: the man's cigar box, his tobacco pouch, and his lighter.
"I've been wondering what these three things are," remarked Celestia, who appeared at Twilight's shoulder.
Twilight didn't answer. She opened the cigar box, took one of the brown tubes out, and examined it. She knew she'd seen something similar when she was in the human world, but where? She put it back in the box, which she replaced on the table. Then she opened the tobacco pouch, and looked inside. There was a considerable amount of shredded tobacco, complete with some paper to roll it in. Once again, she knew she'd seen something similar, but she didn't recall it. It was only when she picked up the petrol lighter, flicked it open, struck the wheel, and saw the flame that she remembered.
"Ah, yes!" she exclaimed. "The humans hold these in their mouths with one end ignited and puff the smoke. I saw some people at Canterlot High do it, but it was all pretty hush-hush, like a taboo."
"Why would they do that?" asked Celestia, frowning. "Why would anypony willingly breathe smoke?"
"I don't know," answered Twilight. "But judging by how secretive they are about it, they aren't supposed to."
Fluttershy had remained silent the entire time. She didn't even know what in Equestria the two sovereigns were talking about.
"Um... Twilight?" timidly interjected Fluttershy. "Maybe we can ask him when we see him. I mean, I really don't like to keep people waiting."
Twilight Sparkle levitated the cigar, lighter, and tobacco pouch in front of her, while Fluttershy took the diary in her mouth, and they both proceeded to the Eastern tower. They were greeted by a couple of royal guards, who stepped aside to let the princess of friendship and her companion enter.
But as Fluttershy was about to enter the cell, she froze, not finding the strength to enter. Twilight looked around.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Oh, um, nothing, Twilight." The yellow Pegasus took a step back. "Just- Go ahead, I'll join you."
Twilight shrugged, and proceeded into the cell. There was the human, back to her, staring longingly out of the window. His frame was so big that he blocked almost all the light coming through the window.
"Hello!" beamed Twilight, as the guards shut the door behind her.
"Hey." The human didn't move.
"How do you do?" asked Twilight, placing the items on the cell's table.
The human turned around, and moved away from the light, dazzling Twilight in doing so. He sat down on the bed, and looked at the Princess. He was surprised to see that she was the winged unicorn he'd seen back at the village. But as he did with almost all of his emotions, he concealed his astonishment, and only displayed his usual stoic expression.
"Why is she here?" he asked, jerking his head towards the door. "Am I to be forgiven for what I've done?"
"I don't know anything about whether she intends to forgive you or not," Twilight said. "But I am here to study you further."
Brian didn't answer.
"Maybe I'll introduce myself," Twilight said. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, princess of Friendship. But please, just call me Twilight."
"I see," retorted Brian. "I'm Captain Brian Havelock. Call me Captain." His eyes drifted towards the cigar and lighter on the table.
"Can I smoke?" he asked. Twilight looked confused.
"Well, I don't know, can you?" she asked. "I mean, are you asking me whether you can turn to smoke, or burn? Or are you asking me permission to turn to ash? I mean, if you really need to, but is it something that's absolutely necessary? Are you guys just like phoenixes, and you turn to ash to regenerate or-"
"No, just, can I stick this tube of tobacco in my mouth and puff on the smoke that's produced by igniting the non-curved part?" he clarified.
"Oh, right!" exclaimed Twilight. She levitated the cigar and lighter towards Brian, who took the items from her magical grasp. He ripped the cigar's cape off with his teeth, and held it between his lips. Flicking his lighter open, he tried to light it. Nothing. He tried, and tried again, but couldn't manage.
"No petrol..." he thought.
But suddenly, the cigar ignited, just like magic. He looked at Twilight, who smiled.
"Thanks," he said, taking a drag. "So, I guess you're gonna ask me why I'm here. Or something like that."
"No," answered Twilight. "I'm here to ask you about... well, about you."
Brian chuckled. "I advise you not to," he cautioned. "I'm really boring."
"Come on, don't be like that." Twilight smiled at the Captain and sat down. "Here's what we'll do: I'll ask you some questions, and in return, I can answer all of yours."
"Fair enough." Brian blew some smoke out of his mouth, and leaned forward, resting his cigar arm's elbow on his knee. At least he'd have something to report when (or rather if) he made it back to his world.
"Where were you born?" asked Twilight.
"A country called Rhodesia," answered Brian. "Or at least, that's what it was called when I was born. About forty years ago, I'd say. The country's called Zimbabwe, now. Or at least I think that's what it's called..."
"That's where you grew up?" asked Twilight.
"Not really." Brian took another drag on his cigar. "When I was about five, I had to flee. Long story short, I ended up in another country called the United Kingdom. That's where I stayed."
"I see," said Twilight, writing all of that down on her parchment. "You said that you were born about forty years ago, is that it?"
"Yes."
"You don't know exactly when?"
"No. Never have."
Twilight looked at Brian with sympathy. "That's sad", she thought. "Poor guy doesn't know when he was born."
"Something else," started the Princess. "You said you had to flee your homeland?"
"Rhodesia was never really my homeland," answered the Captain. "But yeah. I had to leave."
"Care to elaborate?"
"No."
"Come on!" she insisted. "Pretty please?" She smiled an encouraging smile at the captive.
The soldier sighed. "Please, Twilight. I don't feel like exchanging life stories, today. But I'll give you a summary, if you want."
"Go ahead." The Princess put her quill back to the parchment.
"In brief," said the human, "People of my..." He lifted a hand and moved it up and down in front of his face, "... skin type arrived in Rhodesia over a hundred years ago. And after decades of colonial rule and exploitation, we'd outstayed our welcome."
"And?"
"That's it. Basically, anyway."
Twilight had just discovered a depraved side of humanity's nature. Some ponies in Equestria did hate others just for being different. But they were a rarity to come by.
"Okay." Twilight wrote it all down, and continued her interrogation. "That other country you mentioned, the United Kingdom. Tell me about it."
"What do you want to know?" asked Brian.
"You serve that country?" questioned Twilight.
"Yes. In the British Army," answered Brian, proudly.
"Do you report to a King?"
"A Queen, actually." The Captain flicked the ash off his cigar into his empty drinking glass. "Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth The Second. Well, I don't know her personally. I just met her when I was awarded a medal."
"You must've been proud," remarked Twilight.
"I was," retorted Brian. "And before I knew it, all the newspapers in the country wanted to know whose shirts I wear."
It was then that he realized that he was doing exactly what he had told the Princess he didn't want to do. He was telling her about his life. He felt defeated, somewhat.
"But enough about me," he said. "I want to know more about your people."
"Very well," answered Twilight. "Shoot."
"So, how does your society work?" asked Brian. "I mean, you've got unicorns, regular old ponies, pegasuses, and-"
"Pegasi," corrected the Princess, smiling comprehensively. It was a common mistake among foals.
"Pegasi, sorry," said Brian. "Is racism a big problem here?"
"Not really," answered Twilight.
Almost immediately, she launched into an explanation of what they ponies called Hearth's Warming. According to the legend, Unicorns, Earth Ponies, and Pegasi lived a "precarious peace": The three species lived divided, and only pursued their selfish needs: Earth Ponies would harvest food for the Unicorns and Pegasi- Pegasi would regulate the weather so as to achieve a balanced climate; and the Unicorns would raise the sun and moon for the others. To Brian, it all seemed very similar to a feudal system. But as creatures called the Windigos brought about an eternal winter, the three races had to band together, and make friends if they wanted to survive. And that was how Equestria was founded.
"That's... a pretty nice story," said Brian. By then, his cigar was almost finished. He took one last drag, and delicately placed it in the drinking glass. Rule of thumb was to let the cigar die with dignity.
"Any more questions?" The Princess asked.
"Yes." The captain once more leaned forward. "You said that Unicorns raised the sun and moon. How does that work?"
Twilight then explained that Celestia and Luna raised the sun and moon on a daily basis.
"Interesting," remarked Brian. "So without them, you're essentially screwed."
"That's... one way to put it," retorted Twilight.
"That brings me to the the next question," continued Brian. "How many princesses are there in Equestria? Do you all rule the country as a council, or do you report to a queen?"
"Only four of us," answered Twilight. "Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and... Me. Celestia and Luna rule Equestria in a general sense, Cadance is the ruler of the Crystal Empire, and me, well... I don't really rule anything. I'm not really a leader."
"Don't put yourself down, Twilight," advised Brian. "You're the Princess of Friendship. And if anything in life is true, it's that friends can lead you to a better path whenever you need guidance. That makes them the best leaders."
The lavender Alicorn looked up at the human, a hint of a tear in her eye. "Thank you, Captain."
"I've got another question," said Brian. "Celestia said that she knew what 'my species' could be like. Do you people know of our existence?"
"She, I, and a select few do," answered the Princess. "But I'm the only pony I know of who's ever been to your world."
"So you mean to say there's a way I can return to my world?" asked Brian, eagerly.
"There is, but I wouldn't get your hopes up," retorted Twilight. "The gateway opens every thirty moons."
"Oh." Brian's hopes fell flat. "And there's no way to, erm... jumpstart the gateway?"
Twilight shook her head. "Not that I know of," she said. The princess wore a sympathetic expression on her face. The human was in the same situation she would have been in, had the portal closed before she could leave their world. Well, almost the same, if you remove the prison cell and the fact that Brian hadn't become a pony on entering Equestria.
Brian looked down at his knees. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead, and rolled down his cheek into his beard. Then, it unceremoniously fell onto the stone floor. Twilight mistook it for a tear.
"Are you okay?" asked Twilight.
"Could you leave me alone for a moment?" asked Brian in return.
"Certainly." Twilight left the room. As one of the guards opened the door to let the royal out, Fluttershy caught a glimpse of Brian's face. He was doing a good job at hiding his sadness, but Fluttershy could see through his mask.