After Princess Luna had raised the moon a few hours ago, she and her sister enjoyed the calm beauty of the starry night sky. Ever since she had been saved from Nightmare Moon’s curse, the sisters had been able to put aside their mishaps and get on with their lives. On a silent night like this, Princess Celestia could almost forget the anguish and turmoil wrought by Nightmare Moon entirely. She stared at the moon, full and beautiful, free of the silhouette of an alicorn mare on its surface.
Just as the Princesses turned to go back inside through the balcony doors, a howling wind shattered the silence. There was a sudden, brilliant flash of light from the nearby forest which caught their attention. It was like a sun, its radiance tearing through the blackness...
It was not any villain they had fought. Those foes were either imprisoned, turned to stone, or banished. Still, Celestia felt something was amiss. Equestria facing another danger was not beyond the realm of possibility. Fearing the worst, she spread her wings and took flight, with Princess Luna following after her.
As soon as they approached the source, the light became so intense that they were all but blinded by it. They tried to see if the anomaly was being caused by some sort of magic, but even together, their magic couldn’t sense any disturbance.
Celestia and Luna couldn’t comprehend it even as it began to generate powerful waves of energy. It was like a scorching, summer day instead of the chilly night it was supposed to be. The sound was muffled, as if they heard it through water. It was deafening, and the sisters covered their ears. There was a loud BANG and a gust of wind no sooner than they did, and then all was calm once more.
The anomaly had disappeared. There was nothing to indicate that anything had happened there... except the small figure lying unconscious in the grass in front of them, something which took them by surprise and caused them to gasp.
“Sister, is this...?” began Princess Luna.
“Yes, it is, Luna,” said Princess Celestia as they looked in both shock and awe, “It's a human child.”
“But that's impossible,” Luna said. “Humans are only a myth.”
“And yet here's one before us.” Celestia drew closer to the young-looking human. “Hello?” she asked softly. The child offered no reply except a soft moan as he slumbered.
“He must have somehow fallen from his own world into ours,” said Luna.
Without looking away from the child, Celestia replied, “When he awakes, he'll be in need of an explanation as to what happened. We'll have to take him with us to Canterlot.”
“Are you sure that's best, sister?” asked Luna.
“We don't have any other choice,” said Celestia, “Judging from his size, he must still be very young, maybe no more than eight years old. He's too young to be able to protect himself, let alone understand anything of our world. The most we can do right now is to take him to the castle to provide him shelter.”
“Very well, sister,” said Luna. Just as Celestia was about to lift him with her magic, she stopped her. “Wait, what's happening to him?”
An unfamiliar magical energy radiated off the child’s body. There was an abnormal protrusion forming on his forehead, a testament to his slow, but radical change. The shade of his skin darkened until it was a dark gray coat, and his hair grew longer and silkier. The cause of his transformation was unknown, but every passing second led to him being less human and more equine.
“He's turning into a unicorn,” said Celestia with intrigue in her voice, “Though how that is possible, I do not know.” Luna opened her mouth to speak, but no words were uttered.
“We must get him to the castle as soon as possible,” she continued when Luna had nothing to say in return. She lifted the child.
Luna merely nodded and teleported them back to the castle. Once they situated him comfortably within a guest room, they closed the door behind them so that he could rest.
After Princess Celestia raised the sun the next morning, she headed over to the guest room to check on the child. She opened the door gently and peered inside; the child’s transformation into a colt was complete.
By then, the colt was already awake, looking at his hooves and then taking in his surroundings. He seemed very confused and, as expected, had trouble adjusting to his new body. His legs were shaking, and he would fall over every few seconds. Through strenuous effort and determination, he managed to make his way, albeit shakily, to a mirror on the other side of the room. A confused look adorned his features when he reached it; she thought perhaps there may be fear hidden behind his eyes. At the moment, however, he seemed unusually calm.
She politely knocked on the door twice, causing him let out a startled gasp and fall over. “Are you okay, little one?” she asked calmly.
“I think so,” he muttered. He heaved himself back up on shaking legs, pressing against the mirror for support. He looked around the room; his eyes passed over her. When he did not see her, he quirked a brow. “Who said that? Where are you?”
She stepped into the room. “I am Princess Celestia, and you are in my castle of Canterlot in the land of Equestria.”
“Princess?” he asked. “I'm sorry.”
He bent his knees in an attempt to bow before her, but he toppled over instead. Though he wasn’t native to Equestria, it seemed he understood something of princesses from his own world before. The respect he showed her was akin to worship, just the same as everypony else.
“It's quite alright.” Celestia giggled as she enveloped him in magic and set him on his hooves. She then slowly exchanged smiles with him. “It seems like you have a lot to learn. Tell me, what is your name?”
The colt's smile faded almost immediately. He was slow to respond, putting a hoof to his temple as if in pain. When he spoke, his voice was soft and sluggish. “I... don’t remember... I can't remember anything before I woke up.”
“Nothing at all?” Celestia asked in shock.
The colt shook his head. “No,” he said, “Nothing. All I remember is just darkness, and then waking up in this bed.”
After overcoming her shock, Celestia wrapped a wing around the colt and proceeded to explain, “You were in the forest when I found you.”
“You found me?” asked the colt with concern in his voice. “Why was I out in the forest though?”
“I have no idea,” she said. It was the truth; perhaps it wasn’t the whole truth, but she wasn’t yet sure how to put the nature of his arrival into words.
The colt became dejected. “I wonder why...”
Celestia couldn't let despair take his mind. Trying to take a step, the colt stumbled again, but before he fell, Celestia steadied him once more. “Don't worry,” she said, “what matters is that you're here now, safe and sound.”
“Yes.” Though the colt acknowledged her words, his nervousness continued to overwhelm him. Only when he noticed Celestia's magic aura around him did it begin to dissipate. “What is this?”
“My magic is there to keep you from falling,” said Celestia. She slowly dispersed her magic so that he could attempt to balance again.
“Wow, can I use magic too?” the colt smiled, marveling at the novel concept. He stumbled slightly as the elder pony’s magic dissolved, but he was able to stand upright once he began to get acclimated.
“You will be able to cast magic one day, my little pony,” she said, “but it will take much practice to harness.”
The colt nodded in understanding, as if he was already fully aware of the possible advantages and consequences of learning magic. “Can you teach me, please?” he asked politely.
“I can indeed teach you how to use magic,” said Celestia, “But it’s still quite early for you to start learning. Perhaps we can begin our lessons after you have settled in.”
He looked confused for a few seconds, wondering why he couldn’t learn magic right away, but he smiled and nodded. “Okay,” he said. Celestia smiled back, impressed at how quick he was to understand everything she told him.
“If you wish,” she said, “I could give you a tour of the castle so you can know where everything is during your stay.”
The colt nodded and said, “Yes please!” Celestia smiled at the colt’s enthusiasm and led the way out the door. He stumbled and fell through it, as he stood up and giggled, she couldn’t help but giggle as well. The determination of this young lad made her wonder of the things to come.