Good Things Come

by Sweet Tale


8. A Memorious Occasion

Twilight smelt the air surrounding my room and her reaction summed up that I was pretty much spot on.

"Yeuch! You do smell terrible...er...no offense. The bathroom is down the hall, second door on the left."

'I seriously did that last night? I'm so stupid! Great first impressions Owen, yeah. They'll all think you're fun to party with only after you've had a load to drink...and why the hell did I kiss Vinyl AND Rainbow Dash? I've never done anything like that before in my entire--"

"Hello? Equestria to Owen?" Twilight shouted, tapping my head with her hoof. I snapped out of my mental argument and faced her.

"Sorry...it's just...what happened last night...that wasn't me. I'm never like that...ever..." I mumbled meekly.

"What do you mean?"

"Last night sounded amazing. I had a party thrown for me, I got drunk and kissed two girls I barely know. I've only been out of the hospital for a day! In my whole 23 year life on Earth, I had NEVER done any of that. I've accomplished more here in one day than my whole life on Earth..." I explained, turning my head away at the end.

Twilight turned me back around and smiled at me. "That's not necessarily a bad thing. Think of it this way. So your life on Earth wasn't great, maybe that changed the way you think about the world. But here, in one day, you gained a whole bunch of friends, had a great time at a party and even had gifts made for you. This isn't normally you? Maybe it's time for a change." she offered with the most kind-hearted expression she could muster.

"Yeah...Yeah! You're right!" I pulled her into a hug. "Thanks Twilight, you always know what to say." I thank her. Twilight immediately pushes herself away.

"I'm OK with hugs but not when you smell like that. Bathroom, now, quick-march!" she commanded in a mock drill sergeant voice.

"Yes Ma'am!" I replied before walking out of the room down the hallway and into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror was a huge mistake. Instead of seeing my handsome good-looks staring back at me, what I got in return was a dirty, dishevelled lump of a man with the worst case of bed head. My eyes were blood-shot from the lack of sleep, accompanied with black rings around the eyes. Looking down, my clothes were filthy. I quickly undressed and crouched under the shower. Turning it on, I washed quickly, using whatever soap or shampoo Twilight had on her shelves.

Finished with the torrent of hot water, I turned off the shower and stood up, stretching my joints in the process. Looking around, I stumbled across a problem. I seem to had forgotten to bring in a towel and I was not getting back in those clothes. Opening the door slightly, I peeked to see if the hallway was clear, which it was. Picking up my clothes, I held them against my crotch and ran for my room, barely getting inside before Twilight appeared from her room. I quickly shut the door and called out to her.

"Uhh, Twilight? Have you got a towel anywhere I can use?"

"Hold on a second!" she called before rummaging was heard. Three knocks sounded the door. "Can I come in?"

"Uhh, sure."

Twilight opened the door and walked in with the towel suspended with her magic. I leant to grab it and the weight in my left hand gave way, dropping the clothes to the floor. Freezing still, I looked at Twilight who was staring at my mid-section intensely.

"So that's what it looks like. I don't know why you--"

I quickly snatched the towel out of her magic and covered myself. "You didn't see anything! Out, out, out!" I shouted, pushing her out of the door. I slammed the door shut and slumped against it.

"It's OK Owen! I won't inquire about it." she said before her retreating hoofsteps were heard.

'Ohhhh...shit. I am never gonna live that down...or hear the end of it...'

I walked to my wardrobe and opened it up, retrieving a daark red t-shirt and a black pair of trousers, along with underwear and socks. Once dressed, I dried my hair and flattened it. Couldn't be bothered to style it. Walking downstairs, I saw Twilight waiting for me. I walked up to her and she stood up on her back legs and embraced me in a hug.

"Twilight? What's this for?" I asked.

"Finishing what you tried to do earlier." she answered.

"Ohhhh. Right. Thanks."

"What would you like for breakfast?"

"Just an apple will do fine. Can't get enough of them!" I answered with a grin.

Twilight tossed me an apple with her magic which I gracefully caught and immediately began chomping into. Twilight made herself some toast and began to eat as well.

Finishing up the morning meal, we both walked out of the library into the crisp morning air, shutting the door behind us. Unknown to us, we had startled the remaining sleeping resident.

"Huh...uh...*snore*...kiss me Mr Kangaroo..."

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The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was uneventful. Along the way, many ponies had greeted us with the common 'Good Morning' before going about their daily business. Twilight and I chatted about the certain ponies we passed and what they did for a living.

'Mental note. Must visit the spa at some point.'

Arriving at the farm, we walked up to the house and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the elderley matriach of the Apple family opened the door.

"Good mornin' Twilight and Owen. Nice ta see you up and early." Granny greeted.

"Good morning Granny Smith. We're looking for AJ, is she around?"

"Oh yes. She's out in the orchard. Started bucking as soon as the sun rose. Oh Owen, before I forgot. Rarity left this in the barn last night. It's addressed to you."

I picked up the box with was wrapped with a indigo bow. Undoing the bow, I opened to box to find a pair of shoes in it. Lifting them out, they were simple slip-on shoes, light blue in colour and had her cutie mark on the side. I quickly put them on.

"Wow, these are really comfortable. I'll have to thank her for them some time."

"Thank you. Have a nice day!"

We began our walk into the orchard to locate the farm pony. I turned to Twilight.

"Just a question. She did say 'bucking' right? Because I wasn't sure if she mea--

"Yes. She said bucking." Twilight deadpanned.

"Good. Just wanted to clear that up." 'They even have swearing here! That's hilarious!'

Walking further into the orchard, a loud noise was heard.

*THWACK* *RUMBLE*

"What on Earth was that?" I questioned.

"We're getting close. AJ?!" Twilight shouted.

*THWACK* *RUMBLE*

The source of the noise became clear. Looking through an opening, the sought-after mare was kicking a tree with her back legs, causing the apples to fall into buckets around the base of the tree.

"Bucking...makes sense now...bucking of the...yes..." I mused to myself. The farm pony noticed our prescence and looked over to us.

"Howdy guys! Glad ta see your finally here." Applejack greeted, running over to us.

"Morning AJ. We would have been here soon but 'someone' had a bit of a sleepy start." Twilight said, nodding towards me at the mention of 'someone'.

"Hey, come on. I had a perfectly good reason for that!" I looked at Applejack and stared in amazement. "How do you do it AJ?"

"Uhh...do what?"

"You were at the party last night. You didn't go to bed until the early hours. Yet still, you're able to get up at the crack of dawn and begin work and look like nothing happened. It perplexes me."

Applejack giggled. "Well partner, if you're used to what I do every mornin', a hangover is nothin'. I'm guessin' it's bad for you, huh?" I nodded in response. "Well, you look like ya needed the party. Heck, everypony needed it!" We all shared a laugh. Twilight raised her hoof to speak.

"Right AJ. What do you want us to do?"

"Here's the plan. Twilight, you use your fancy magic to put the buckets around the trees. I'll buck the trees. Twi, you put the buckets back on the cart and Owen, since ya look like the strong sort, you can pull the cart along with us. Sound OK?"

The prospect of pulling a heavy cart laden with fruit around all day was not what I was expecting but I didn't want to appear rude.

"No problem AJ. Happy to help." I said with a smile.



Over the next few hours, I watched how the farm made it's profit. Applejack's kick was a hefty kick, definetely a bone breaker. How she made all of the apples fall down in one go, I'll never know. Pulling the cart was much easier than I thought it would be but over time, it got gradually heavier. Still, I managed to pull it along without groaning about it.

The sun was high in the sky and was reaching it's pinnacle. The heat was intense. I began to drag the cart over to the last tree and waited for AJ and Twilight to finish. Loading the last of the apples onto the cart, Twilight turned to me.

"That's it for now. Good work, everypony!" she chimed. "Boy howdy, with you two around, my job was made so much easier. I can't thank you enough."

"No problem AJ, I...myself and Twilight were happy to help" I said, almost taking all of the gratitude.

We all walked back to the house. Well, Twilight and AJ walked, I pulled the cart. But the majority of it was downhill so it wasn't so bad. Arriving back at the house, we all sat down on the porch where Granny Smith had left out some apples and three glasses of apple juice. We all happily relaxed and chatted for a while, mostly about last night.

"...and then, Fluttershy changed after her third drink. Like she was a whole diff'rent pony!" Applejack said.

"That was quite funny. I hadn't really spoken to her yet but she seemed really timid when I did. But last night, my goodness, she was a barrel of laughs!" I chimed in.

"Well, I hate to cut this short but we need to get back to work. Shouldn't take too long. With your help, I think we'll be finished by four--"

"TWILIGHT! OWEN!" a voice shouted in the distance.

Looking for the source of the voice, I spotted a familiar purple dragon running towards the house. Approaching us, he slowed and stood next to Twilight, gasping for breath.

"Spike! What's wrong? Are you OK?" Twilight asked with concern.

"I *gasp* got this *gasp* for you *gasp* Twilight." he managed to squeeze out before collapsing with fatigue. A rolled up scroll fell out of his hand. Twilight immediately recognised it.

"It's a letter from the Princess!" she exclaimed. She unrolled the scroll and read it out loud.

To my faithful student Twilight Sparkle,

Thank you for alerting me to the full recovery of our guest. I am certain he will do well in your care. I would like to invite you and Owen to come to Canterlot this evening. I would like to converse with the human myself and I could do with a personal catch-up from yourself. I have taken the liberty of providing train tickets for yourself and Owen. I look forward to seeing you both.

Yours Sincerely,
Princess Celestia

My mouth hung agape at what I had just heard. The Princess, ruler of all the land, wants to meet me...now.

"I...she...the Princess want's to see us today?!" I asked in disbelief.

"It seems so. It'd be nice for you to finally meet her." Twilight replied happily.

"What time is the train for?"

"Let's see." She levitated the two train tickets from the scroll. "It says it leaves Ponyville at 2PM...and it's first class!"

"First class? Hoowee, that's mighty fancy!" Applejack cried.

"Sorry AJ but this takes priority. You don't mind me and Owen leaving do you?"

"Heck no! An audience with the Princess is more important than this. I'll be fine."

"Thanks AJ. Come on Owen, let's go and pack."

"Sorry to leave like this AJ. See you around!"

Twilight and I ran off back towards Ponyville. Back on the farm, a certain dragon finally came to his senses.

"Huh...Twilight? She left without me! What am I gonna do now?" Spike said to himself.

"Well partner, I've got a couple of jobs for ya." Applejack said with a mischevious grin.

"Oh, darn it..."

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The railway station in Ponyville was pretty basic albiet colourful. A simple ticket hall and a platform with a few seats. A singular track ran alongside the platform. Twilight and I had arrived at the station with 15 minutes to spare and we stood near the edge of the platform, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the train.

In the time we had to prepare, Twilight had packed her saddlebags with many notes, spare quills and various knick-knacks she would need. I packed a change of clothes and my Ipod as I didn't really have much else to choose from. I took my Ipod due to the fact that I'd need to explain it to the Princess one day or another.

"Twilight, can I ask you something?" Twilight gave a hum to answer my question. "This Princess Celestia, is she friendly?"

Twilight turned her head sharply to me and met my gaze. "You have nothing to fear. Princess Celestia is the kindest pony in the whole of Equestria. Why do you ask?"

"Back on Earth, monarchs and royalty are normally considered to be kind of intimidating to normal people like myself. At least I now know that this Princess is friendly and kind."

Before Twilight could respond, a sharp whistle came from the distance as the train came into view. A huge steam train pulled into the station pulling 5 carriages. The train was immaculate, like it had been washed and polished the entire time it had been travelling. It reminded me of a trip I took on a steam train on the East Lancashire Railway (Seriously, Google that railway. It's an amazing journey through the countryside.)

The train came to a stop and let off a hiss of steam, making me jump and causing Twilight to stifle a laugh. Twilight motioned for me to follow her to the First Class carriage where some ponies were departing the train. They were all dressed in smart clothing and looked prim and proper. Some even had monacles! Once everyone had got off the train, Twilight approached an Earth pony guard, who was grinning at her.

"Twilight! So good to see you again. Going to see your parents?" the pony asked.

"Not this time Ground Herder. Myself and Owen here" she said pointing to me. "are going to see the Princess."

Ground Herder looked towards me and gave me a nod. "Glad to meet you, dear boy. I must say, you're not from around these parts are you?"

"No Sir. I'm from...a long way away."

"Ah I see. Glad to see you in the prescence of such a refined mare such as Twilight." he said, winking at Twilight.

"Oh stop it, you'll make me blush! Here's our tickets." she said, handing over the two golden tickets. Ground checked them over and gave them back to Twilight.

"First Class this time, eh? The Princess really treats you well doesn't she? Well, enjoy your trip."

"Thank you." we both replied.

Twilight and I boarded the train and made our way to a private cabin, located towards the rear of the train. I marvelled at the decor of the interior of the train.

"First Class is nice. Real nice!" I exclaimed. The interior was mostly wooden. The cabin supplied two lounge sofas, easily big enough for myself. A table sat aside the window, laid out with cutlery for the passengers. A vase full of brightly coloured flowers sat on the end of it. Many pictures adorned the walls, mostly of other trains and pictures of the cities and towns it passes through.

"I'm glad you like it. The Princess normally doesn't buy First Class tickets for me. Maybe she wants to make a good first impression for you." Twilight said.

"Well, she's definetely done that!" I replied with a smirk.

The sound of doors slamming shut was heard and the 'all aboard' signal was shouted by a male pony. The train suddenley jerked forward as it started it's journey. I sat down on one of the sofa's and laid back into a comfortable position.


* Two Hours Later*


"So Princess Luna was Nightmare Moon? That's amazing!"

Twilight decided to bring me up to speed with some recent Equestrian history regarding the Princesses. She had told me about some of the battles and wars that had raged in the past. She had told me what she knows about Celestia and her sister, Luna. I was quite intrigued to find out that Luna was once evil before Twilight and her friends stopped her and turned her back to normal.

"Sounds like they've both lead busy lives - protecting and ruling Equestria for all that time. Especially for Celestia since she had to do it alone for a millenium."

"Indeed they have. Now that Luna is back to her normal self, things aren't so stressful for Celestia anymore. Sure there are still the mundane duties such as the royal court and paperwork to do but she doesn't let it get on top of her. Celestia is always calm."

"Cool, calm and collected right?"

"Right!"

"Well then, I'm looking forward to meeting them both. I must admit thought, I'm quite nervous but I'm sure that'll--"

*SCREECH*

The train made a horrific screeching sound as the brakes were put on full. The sudden jerk of the train's movements caused everything on the table to fall off, including the vase with it smashing on the floor. The train finally came to a stop. Looking out of the window, we could both see that we were not at our destination. There was just countryside, nothing else. No buildings, no towns, just fields and trees.

Before Twilight could assess the situation, a voice came over the tannoy system.

"Sorry Fillies and Gentlecolts but the train has had to make an emergency stop. A rather large tree has fallen onto the tracks and blocked our path. We have a team of ponies sorting it out as we speak and we should be moving within the next hour. Sorry for any inconvienience this may cause you."

Twilight's eyes went as wide as saucers. "Oh no. No no no no no!"

"Hey, calm down. What's the problem?" I asked.

"We can't be late. I've never been late for the Princess. NEVER!" she shouted.

"Whoa, enough with the shouting. Look, just sit down and wait for the train to move. I'm sure the Princess won't mind if we're late. There's nothing really we can do about it is there." I offered.

Twilight calmed down and sat on the sofa. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." Twilight began fidgeting with her hooves and looking out of the window at the obstruction on the tracks.

About 15 minutes passed before Twilight stood up again. "I'm just going somewhere. I won't be long. Stay here OK?" With that, her horn glowed purple and in a sharp, blinding flash of light, she was gone.

I looked around for her. "Not in the cabin." I walked outside of the cabin to the hallway to try and spot her. "Not out here either. Twilight?" No response.

I walked back into the cabin and sat on the sofa. I pulled out my Ipod and began listening to some Foo Fighters. Singing along to the songs, a bright light appeared again and Twilight re-appeared in front of me. Shutting off the Ipod, I said the first thing that came to mind.

"What the hell did you just do?!" I shouted.

"Relax, I teleported to the Princess' throne room."

"Teleported? You can do that?"

"Sure I can. Now, I asked her if I could bring you to the throne room by teleport. She agreed but only if you say it's OK. Are you alright with it?"

"Will it hurt?"

"Not at all." she replied, placing a hoof on my hand. I grabbed the hoof with my hand.

"OK then. Teleport away."

With that, she charged her horn and the world around me faded into white.

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My body felt weightless, like it was falling through the air. My stomach started doing somersaults as I wished for the teleport to end. As I did, I felt the ground beneath my feet again.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it? Although, first time I teleported, I did feel rather sick." Twilight mused.

"You got that right..." I mumbled. The remnants of breakfast and lunch were counting down to launch with only T-Minus 2 seconds to go. I looked around and saw a plant pot which I ran towards. Falling to my knees and leaning my head into the pot, I upchucked...loads. A collective gasp was heard after I had finished.

"Owen! Are you OK?" Twilight's voice eminated from behind me. I turned to face her.

"Yeah...I'm OK...for now. Could have done with a warning about the stomach upset..."

"Ehehe...sorry. I forgot."

"It's no problem. Probably lost weight doing that as well! So...where are we?"

"In my throne room, young Owen." a female voice sounded.

I froze. Turning my head left slowly, I came face to face with the biggest pony I had ever seen. I got to my feet and it sunk in how tall she was. She was at least 6 foot tall. She had a horn and wings so I don't know what kind of pony she's called. A pegacorn...unises?

Her mane and tail was multicoloured and flowed like it was caught in a slight, gentle wind which covered one of her huge purple eyes. A golden crown sat above her horn with a purple gem encrusted into it. She also sported a kind of breastplate with the same colour scheme and gem as the crown. Looking at her rear, her cutie mark was a picture of the sun. I looked back at Twilight who was kind of lying on the floor with her eyes closed.

"Twilight, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Bowing before the Princess."

"Bowing before who now?" I turned to face the white pony who was smiling at us both. "Bowing...that means...*GASP*" I gasped before bowing my head as a sign of respect.

"It's quite alright. I should have thought you wouldn't have been in the audience of a Princess before. I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria." Celestia walked towards us and stopped in front of me. I lifted my head to see her bowing hers! "It's a pleasure to meet you at last."

"O-of course. It's good to meet you as well. Twilight has told me all about you." Celestia began to walk back to her throne. Looking around, I marvelled in the decor of the throne room. The room was enormous. It had a red rug on the floor leading from the door to the top of the throne where a large chair was seated. The throne even had water flowing out of it. The room itself was styled in a kind of medieval style castle, only more colourful. Stain glass windows depicting many ponies adorned the walls - I swear one of them looked familiar.

Following Celestia to her throne, I noticed the amount of white pegasus ponies standing around, completely motionless. Looking more carefully, they all looked the same. Completely white with a two-tone blue mane and tail. They each sported golden armour and shoes. They never once broke eye contact with which way they were facing.

Celestia sat on her throne and cleared her throat. One of the pegasus' turned to face her.

"Yes your highness." he saluted.

"Now that the guests have arrived, you may all be excused to outside of the throne room. No disruptions, no exceptions." she commanded.

"Yes your highness."

With that, all of the pegasus' departed the room and closed the door. The room was quiet with only myself, Twilight and the Princess left in it.

"This is a momentus occasion! My first encounter with an alien species. I hope your stay in Equestria has been satisfactory so far?" Celestia asked.

"Oh, more than satisfactory Princess, it's been amazing...you know...minus the whole crash and staying in hospital for near a week."

"Of course. I trust Twilight has taken well care of you?" Celestia said, looking towards Twilight.

"Yes she has. She's given me a place to stay and introduced me to all of her friends. I've learnt a lot from her in my short stay here."

Twilight's face lit up. "I have? Oh, thank you. You've taught me some new things as well. All that information about your world is overwhelming."

"Well, that is one of the reasons I wished for yourself and Twilight to come here today. I asked Twilight not to arise a certain subject with you until we were together." Celestia chimed in.

"Oh, well, I'd be more than happy to give any information you wish about my world. What would you like to know?"

"It's not so much your world we need information of. I want to know about you. Your life."

Oh no. I really, REALLY hoped that I wouldn't have to talk about my past. All the bad memories and all of the problems I faced in my youth. My demeanour changed into sorrow as I turned my smile upside down and hung my head, trying to avoid what the Princess had just mentioned. Unfortunately, they wanted to know.

"Is something the matter, Owen?" Celestia asked.

"No...yeah...yeah there is." I let out a long sigh and looked at the Princess. "My past isn't exactly sunshine and lollipops. My youth was very hard for me and most of it wasn't good. I kind of don't like talking about it to be perfectly honest..."

"If you don't want to, then there's no--" I raised my hand to stop the Princess.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you...but no. I suppose you have the right to know. I must warn you though, I don't like talking about it at all so I aplogise now Princess if I start to get angry about it later."

"Please, call me Celestia." she said.

"OK...Celestia." Celestia lit her horn and two chairs materialised behind myself and Twilight. We both took to them as I composed myself.

"Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning." I took a deep breath and sighed again. "I was born in 1989 to two loving parents. At least, that's what I know. Two weeks after my birth, I was put up for adoption due to a problem with my parents. That problem, I never found out what it was." Celestia and Twilight held a hoof to their mouth in shock.

"I was adopted when I was six weeks old by a old couple who lived near the sea. Janice and Brian. They taught me how to talk, how to walk and how to read. They raised me as if I was their own." I smile as I remember a good memory. "I still remember that morning when I first started school. Janice had given me a stuffed animal toy to take with me to school. A giant stuffed giraffe. I never lost sight of it. It was always near me as I took it around with me anywhere I went."

"When I was 9, they both contracted a virus. Influzenza. They were coughing and being sick all the time. I tried to help but they said they'd be fine. One morning I got up out of bed to see both of them coughing violently in their bed. Everytime they tried to move, they'd cough more and more. Eventually I called for help and some doctors took them to the hospital. They told me that they were very sick and that they were looking for care for me. That's when I met my second family. A middle-aged couple, Abigail and Steven. They took me back to the house and asked me to collect my things. When I asked, they told me that Janice and Brian had gone away and were not coming back. I was devestated that they left me. That afternoon, they took me away to their own home where I was told I was to stay with them. It wasn't until I was 11 when they told me the truth - that Janice and Brian had died." I quickly wiped a forming tear from my eye.

"Abigail and Steven were amazing people and quickly accepted me into their family. They had a son, called Josh. He was a year younger than me and we got on great. Going into secondary school when I reached 11, my life changed. I was immediately set upon by various students who bullied me after they found out I was adopted. I had horrible names chanted at me, objects thrown at me, I was beaten up for my possessions. I always told the staff at the school about it but it always made it worse. Eventually I started taking my frustration out on Abigail and Steven, shouting at them, causing arguements and breaking things around the house. They got me to visit a child psychologist who talked to me about what happened and eventually, I got better and the bullying died down a bit. When I reached 14, Abigail and Steven wanted to move away to another country but I didn't want to go. With that, I was situated with a single mother, called Sylvia."

"How I got put with Sylvia in the first place, I never knew. She was mean, un-caring and she got drunk on a constant occasion. She used to beat me with a piece of wood and constantly harrassed me about my slipping grades at school. The grades slipping was caused by her neglect and the fact that I gained the ability to not trust anyone anymore. This made a social outcast at school and I was normally by myself at breaks or in lessons. One good thing came out of this place. Sylvia's mother. She treated me with the upmost respect and we were really connected."

I held my hands to my face and breathed heavily for anticipation of the next part.

"When I reached 16, Sylvia chucked me out of her home and told me to go live somewhere else as I was 'old enough' to fend for myself. I tried to live with Sylvia's mother but she had no room for me. After going to the social care office, I was given an room in a local hostel which was housing people in my similar condition. We never spoke to one another and I never really gained any social skills from them. A few weeks into my accomodation, a relative of one of my neighbours knocked on my door and offered me a job in the construction trade which I gracefully accepted. For two years, I worked for this guy who provided me with a decent job which paid well. I eventually saved up enough money to rent myself a place near the beach. Not two weeks after I moved in, my employer's company collapsed due to the economic problems of the world and I was out of a job. So then began the arduous task of trying to find another job. But with money problems worldwide, every company was struggling. So in the end, I had to resign myself to apply for benifits from the government. And I've been living that way for 5 years."

"And that's about it. I'm sorry it was so long-winded and depressing but...hey, are you two alright?" I asked, noticing the condition of the two ponies in front of me. Twilight and Celestia both had tears streaming down their face and were wiping them away. Twilight ran up to me and embraced me in a hug, sobbing onto my shoulders.

"That's *sniff* the saddest thing I've ever *sniff* heard..." she managed to squeeze out. "I'm so sorry."

Celestia came over to us and draped one of her huge wings over my shoulder. "Owen, you have my utmost sympathy. I'm very sorry you had such a terrible upbringing."

Looking at the state of these ponies, I realised something. These ponies, who I've known for such a short while, are caring me in a way I've never experienced. Listening to Twilight's sobs made my heartstrings twang and I leant my head onto hers. Tears were falling from my eyes but I kept my composure. I stroked the back of her head with my hand, trying to calm her.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. No need to cry." I feebly said. Twilight looked into my eyes and noticed my teary complexion.

"But you're crying as well!"

"I know, I know. I still feel upset, everytime I think about it."

Celestia leant her head down towards mine. "Maybe it was time to let some of that emotion out."

"Yeah...you're right. To be honest, it felt good to talk about it. I suppose keeping all of that cooped up for too long was doing me no good."

Twilight released the hug and stood up, which I followed. Celestia stomped her hoof to attract attention. A guard quickly opened the door and ran up to Celestia.

"Yes, your highness?"

"Prepare the private dining room for the evening meal. Myself, Luna, Twilight and Owen will be dining."

The guard saluted and walked out of the room. Commanding orders were heard and the guards quickly dispersed.

"I thought that we could dine in the private suite. With you being in the castle, I wouldn't like to draw attention to the other attendees here."

"Hmm, good idea. Are there still some ponies that still don't know about me?" I asked.

"Only a few I can think of. The main pony I want you to steer clear of is my nephew, Prince Blueblood." she replied with a stern look at the end.

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"He can be a bit intimidating and judgemental against new ponies or in this case, new species."

Celestia led me and Twilight down a hallway, which was styled the same as the throne room, and came to a large set of double doors. The guard on duty opened the door for us, which we thanked him for, and walked inside.

"Celestia, can I ask you something? I know of the three types of pony; Earth, Unicorn and Pegasus. So...what type are you?

"I am a winged unicorn or and Alicorn for short." Celestia answered.

A large table sat in the middle of the room. The table sported a frilly tablecloth, white and pink in colour. Not my choice but hey, not my castle. The cutlery and plates had been set down already for all four of us. Wait...

"Celestia. You mentioned that Luna would be joining us. I heard her backstory from Twilight. She sounds like a troubled individual." I said with a hint of concern. Celestia noticed my concern and frowned slightly.

"Yes, she will be joining us for dinner. And you are right. Since her return to Equestria, she has been a bit anti-social and hasn't really ventured outside of the castle. I do hope she'll take to you well."

We all sat down, waiting for the arrival of either the staff of the castle or the other royal sister. We chatted for a while - Twilight talking to Celestia about some new spells she had learnt. I tried to keep up with them but some of the words she used just confused me. Still trying to keep up with the talking encyclopedia, the doors flung open to reveal another Alicorn.

'This must be Luna. She...she's beautiful.'

I stared at the entrant in awe. I don't know why but my stomach decided to do loop-de-loops the moment I saw her. She was dark blue in colour and had a flowing mane and tail, just like her sister, only hers was dark blue with white dots twinkling in it...like the night sky. She sported a black crown above her horn and wore a similar coloured breastplate. Her cutie mark was a white crescent moon on a black background. Her eyes were a dark blue-green. Luna approached the table and noticed me sitting there.

"This must be the human. Charmed." Luna held out her hoof which I bumped with my fist. She walked around to seat herself next to Celestia.

"Luna, this is Owen. Owen, this is Princess Luna, my sister. Now, I have asked the chefs to prepare us some amazing food for us all. I hope you will all enjoy." she said with a hearty smile.

As soon as she said that, the doors flung open again with 4 ponies walking in, levitating dishes with their magic. A dish was set down on each of our plates. Looking down at the dish, I stared in awe at what it was. Pasta. The dish was piled with pasta in a tomato based sauce. Many fresh vegetables garnished the dish such as onions, peppers, aubergine and even some chilli. Celestia, Luna and Twilight all used their magic to lift their cutlery whilst I used my hands.

I scooped a small amount of the food onto my fork and brought it to my mouth.

'Oh, my, god.'

The taste was almost orgasmic. The pasta was cooked to perfection, the sauce was delicious and the vegetables that garninshed the dish tasted very fresh. I couldn't help but 'mmm' at the taste which caused all three of the mares in front of me to giggle. I smiled at them and went back to eating.

During the meal, Celestia asked more about my world. Many subjects arose such as politics, currency and technology. I pulled the Ipod out of my pocket to show them the only technology I had which amazed them. I said I'd show them how it works later.

I couldn't help myself but continuously give stares at Luna. I don't know why, but she made me feel safe, made me feel happy.

'She's very nice to speak to, such a lovely voice. Why can't I stop staring at her then? Is it because I...NO! I can't! She's a pony for Christ's sake!'

Finishing the meal, we made our way back to the throne room were Celestia and Luna stood before us.

"Owen, has Twilight told you what we do every day?" Celestia asked.

"Uhh, she told me that you take royal court, you help ponies with their problems, you do paperwork...why, is there something else?"

"Follow us." Luna replied.

Following Celestia and Luna, we walked out onto a balcony that overlooks Canterlot. The city was huge and looked amazing. Many houses and buildings scattered my view, all with that rustic charm to them. This really did feel like a medieval time. Celestia and Luna stood at the edge of the balcony looking towards the sun.

"Twilight may have told you our names but not our titles. I am Princess Celestia, Princess of the sun. Luna is Princess of the moon. Together, we control the sun and moon's risings and settings."

"You er...you what now? You...rise and lower the sun and moon?" I questioned.

They chose not to respond. Celestia's horn lit up with a glow and she closed her eyes. Twilight nudged my side to make me look towards the sun which was setting slowly.

"There's no way she can...that's impossible..." I stuttered.

Luna's horn began to glow and just as the sun sank over the horizon causing the day to turn to night, the moon started to rise high into the sky. The town below began to shine under the light of the moon as many home's lights were flicked on. The princesses looked at me to await my reaction.

"I...that...heh, that was amazing! How did you..." was all I managed.

"We've been doing this for thousands of years. Ever since we were young." Celestia said.

Walking back into the throne room, my brain wracked with thought over how they could do that. Eventually the answer came...magic...of course.

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"Now my dears, the hour is late. I have rooms set up for you both in the castle for you to stay in overnight. I hope they will be to your liking." Celestia mentioned.

"Wow uh...thanks very much Celestia and Luna." I was shocked to see that they had provided accomodation for us both. "I'm quite tired so I think I'll retire for the night." I began to turn around but Celestia called out.

"Owen, wait. There's one more matter we need to address." I turned to face the princesses. "This won't take long but...do you know how you got to Equestria in the first place?" she asked.

"Well I..."

'I crashed...didn't I? How did that happen though...I should remember....ARGH! Why can't I remember?"

"I'm sorry but...I don't remember. I know that I crashed into a child's playhouse but that's it."

"Twilight, I think it's time to remove the spell." Celestia instructed.

"Wait...what spell?"

"I asked Twilight to place a memory block spell on you. I hope you don't mind but we didn't know who or what you were when you were found. To be on the safe side, we used the spell to prevent you from remembering your recent events, just in case you were going to cause harm."

"I...I suppose. Is that why I can't remember then?"

"Indeed it is. Twilight, remove the spell."

Twilight faced towards me and charged her horn. A purple light enveloped me and my head started pounding. I fell to the floor in agony but as soon as the pain started, it stopped. I was levitated to my feet by Twilight.

"Owen, are you OK? I didn't mean for it to be painful!" Twilight explained.

"It's OK. I'm fine, I'm just..."

The memories came back to me.

"I remember now! That night, it was a Friday. That day hadn't been too great and....I went for a walk to the local woods to relax for a bit. I took my Ipod with me as well...then...oh yeah! I came to this clearing in the woods where a tree stump was. I sat down and looked up and there was a circular clearing in the trees where I could gaze at the night sky. It was such a beautiful night."

"The night is always beautiful." Luna chimed in.

"Yeah, it is. It always relaxes me. Listening to my music, something caught my eye. It was bright and it shot across the sky. It was a shooting star."

Celestia gasped and looked towards Luna.

"Something wrong?" I asked

"No...no, please continue." Celestia replied.

"Err...OK. Well, there were loads of shooting stars. I had never seen so many before in my life. Now, it's a kind of good luck thing to do on Earth but if you see a shooting star, you make a wish and hope it comes true. I did just that, regardless if how childish it was. As soon as I made the wish, the stars disappeared. I got up to walk away but a bright white light shone in the sky. It was approaching me and it got closer and closer. Eventually I couldn't see and I felt my body being lifted and thrown about before I crashed into something made of wood...that must have been the clubhouse!"

I looked towards Luna who was trembling. She looked terrified.

"Luna, what's wrong?" I asked.

"W-w-what did you w-wish for? What were your exact words?" she asked nervously.

I thought back to it and tried to remember. "I wished...I wished for..."

Then it hit me.

"I wish to get away from all of this. I wish for a different life."

*THUD*

I looked towards the princesses and saw that Luna had fainted. The only sound that filled the room was the three of us screaming the same thing.

"LUNA?!"