//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: The Shadow of War 
// by Duffman18 
//------------------------------//

	Falling.  The last thing he could remember was falling through an unending darkness.  There was no fear, no pain, and no sensation just . . . darkness.  And then, pain.  With a grunt of pain the figure landed hard on the stone courtyard.  The human was a little over 5’10, had jet black hair and green eyes.  Slowly he eased himself up from the rough stone, a dull pain still throbbing through his chest. 
“What the hell,” he wondered aloud.  “Last thing I remember I was going to bed.  So how am I here?”  As he said that he looked straight up and opened his closed eyes.  What he saw shocked him into silence.  It was night, but never as he had seen it before.  There were no electric lights to drown out the starlight and the full moon hung in the sky like a fine pearl.  The stars that shone in the sky seemed to be without number and for a moment he just basked in the beauty and majesty of the sight.
A smile came to his face as he turned to get a look at his surroundings; only to be met with a powerful punch to the face.  As he hit the ground for the second time in just as many minutes, his assailants stepped out from the shadows.
“So,” said the first pony, a pegasus armored in black and silver armor.  “Do we take it the dungeons or get rid of it now?”
“Dungeons,” said the second one quickly.  “I’ve never seen anything like it before and the princesses might want a chance to study it.”  With a nod the first Lunar guard hoisted the unconscious human on his back and began the walk to the dungeons.
“AHH!” the human exclaimed as he bolted upright.  He immediately regretted this decision as the pain of the blow to his head and his initial fall came back to him full force.  After a moment of inarticulate cursing, he looked around at his new surroundings.  He was in a cell, with the bars on the left while the right had little more than a small window just out of his reach.  Beneath him was a small pile of hay that he was obviously meant to use as a bed.  
“Where the hell am I?” he wondered aloud.  “First I fall and land on hard stone and now I’m locked in a jail cell.  Oh joy.”  The human began to pace around the room, trying to find some hint of where he could possibly be.  The first thing he noticed was the torches outside the cell.  They were mounted on iron brackets all along the opposite wall.  Without much more light than that the hallway was visible, but there were shadows dancing all around as a result of the flames.  The second thing he noticed was the stones.  His cell, the walls, and the hallway outside all were made of rough stone.  There was no concrete or metal flooring anywhere.  The only way he could describe the scene was as “Medieval,” he said, shaking his head confusedly.
Moving back to the pile of hay he laid down as best he could.  His clothes were dirty from the fall and the hay, but they seemed relatively unharmed.  They were black jeans and a matching sweatshirt.  
“Well,” he said aloud.  “There are only four explanations I can think of for where I am so let’s run through the list.  I am either:  in a very antiquated jail somewhere after doing God knows what, traveled back through time to the medieval period, have gone completely insane, or I’m dreaming.”  He thought about those for a moment.  “Wait, you can’t feel pain in dreams so that theory’s out.  So only three options then.”
As the three options, none particularly appealing ran through his mind he glanced out the barred window to his right.  From this angle he could just see the full moon hanging in the sky.  Again he lost himself in the otherworldly beauty of the night.  The man had always been a night owl back home.  He would stay up into the early hours of the morning and sleep till noon.  Some of his best work was done during the night, or so he told everyone who asked about his odd sleeping habits.  	As such, he had always felt an affinity for the night. Some time passed and he yawned, leaning back into the hay to get his first night’s sleep in an unfamiliar world.
The human awoke to the clopping of hooves on the stone hallway outside.
“The hell?” he muttered.  “Is someone riding a horse through the halls?”  While he had been talking to himself, the clopping had grown louder and louder until the source of the noise walked into his field of vision.  What he saw shocked him out of his reverie as his jaw dropped open.  Standing before him were two massive horses.  The one on the left was had a fine alabaster coat and her rainbow colored mane flowed in an invisible wind.  She wore golden regalia on her hooves, chest, and neck, and a golden tiara adorned her head.  Upon her head was a long, curving horn and on her back was a pair of large white wings.  The one on the right possessed a dark blue coat and mane.  She too had a pair of blue wings on her back and a dark blue horn on her head.  Black and silver regalia covered her body in the same way as the leftmost creature and a black tiara sat upon her head. 
He could barely comprehend what he was looking at.  The beings in front of him shouldn’t exist, couldn’t exist, and yet here they were.  Staring at him and trying to decide just what they should do about him.  
But how? he thought to himself.  They’re just characters on TV.  They don’t exist.  But if this isn’t real then how could I feel pain or actually feel what it’s like to sleep on hay?  Am I . . . in Friendship is Magic?  But even if, for the sake of argument, I am they look so . . . different.
Celestia looked . . . powerful for lack of a better word.  In the show she had always been shown as a kind, caring, and maternal figure.  That could not be more different from the mare that stood in front of him.  This Celestia practically glowed with power at all times and her eyes were hard.  She gazed down at him with a neutral expression, her entire body rippling with powerful muscles that made her look more like a warrior queen than a loving princess.  Luna was both different and the same as she was in the show he knew.  Like this Celestia, Luna’s body rippled with muscles and radiated power.  She held herself up with a regal bearing and gazed down at him dispassionately.  Yet, her eyes were not like her sister’s.  While Celestia held a hard but fair look in her eyes, Luna’s were withdrawn.  To look into them was to see the same rigors and burdens of Celestia, but coupled with an emotion the man could only identify as bitterness.  And as the two sisters gazed at him,still lying on the floor of his stone cell, he could feel the sheer weight of their presence and thought to himself:   “Maybe they really are gods.”
“Creature,” said Celestia suddenly, snapping James out of his reverie.  “Do you know who we are?”  
He quickly thought of how best to answer that.  He did know who they were, but if he said that then would probably demand to know how he knew them.  Well, if he was right about where he was than being stuck in a cell like this was the least of his problems.
“No,” he said carefully.  “However I would assume that the tiaras indicate royalty.”
Luna smirked slightly at this.  Celestia only nodded, not reacting to the slight flippancy of his last statement.
“Indeed,” she said.  “I am Princess Celestia of Equestria and this is my sister Princess Luna of Equestria.”  At this Luna nodded before turning her gaze back out to the night sky that could be glimpsed through the barred window of the cell.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” the man remarked.  Luna’s gaze snapped back towards the human, her eyes betraying the shock at the compliment from the most unexpected source.  She looked as if she was going to respond, but Celestia began her questioning again before she could.
“Why and how are you here?” asked Celestia curtly.  The human flinched unconsciously.  This Celestia was just so. . . different.  Where in the show she had been a maternal figure, here and now she was a leader, a ruler, a . . . deity?  No, he thought to himself firmly, don’t get distracted now.  Think this through later when it won’t get you killed.
“To be perfectly honest princess, I don’t know the answer to either question.  I didn’t choose to come here, and as to how I got here.  All I remember is falling and then I was here.”
Celestia gazed at him, her blazing eyes seeming to bore into his very soul.  He realized that he was shrinking back and that a bead of sweat had appeared on his brow.   After what felt like an eternity, Celestia looked away from him and turned towards Luna.
“Regardless of anything else, he is not lying.”  With a nod Luna signaled her agreement.
“Indeed, but this creature is unlike any seen before in Equestria.  What are we to do with him sister?”  Celestia glanced back at the creature before her.  He sat on the floor of his cell, looking up at her with eyes that contained fear and awe in equal measure.  But there was something else there as well.  Shaking her head, Celestia determined that she could mull over this creature more at a later date.
“For now,” she said imperiously, “We will do nothing.  He will be left here until we can determine a more definite course of action.  Until then, I must go.  It is almost time for me to raise the sun.”  With this, Celestia walked away, leaving Luna with the prisoner.  As the sound of her hooves faded away he let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.  
“Damn,” he murmured under his breath.  “She is a scary one isn’t she?”  A light laugh answered his assertion and with a start he realized that Luna had not followed her sister.
“Tis not many who would accuse our sister of being “scary”,” she said a small smile adorning her face.  The man visibly paled at this.
“Please don’t tell her I said that,” he begged.  “It just slipped out, I didn’t mean it I. . .” He was interrupted by an even heartier laugh from Luna. 
“You are a strange being aren’t you,” she asked amused.  “Fear not, we will not tell our sister about your slip of the tongue.”  With that promise, Luna turned to leave, but was stopped as an idea entered her mind.  She turned back towards the creature interestedly.
"Twoud be rude to continue referring to you as a creature as you obviously possess a measure of intelligence.  What is your name?”
A look of surprise came over the man’s face as he took in her unexpected question.  However after a moment, this was replaced with a small smile.
“My name is James your highness.”
----
Luna stood tall on the palace balcony looking over the capitol city of Canterlot alongside her sister.  The moon had finally set and Celestia was beginning to raise the sun.  Celestia’s horn lit up with a beautiful golden glow which seemed to suffuse throughout her entire body.  As the golden light intensified the first rays of sunlight that preceded the dawn began to peek over the horizon.  With the new illumination Luna could see the masses gathered below the balcony in the castle courtyard.  They were packed in tight and expressions of awe and happiness adorned their faces as the sun rose over the royal city.
While outwardly there was no change in her demeanor, internally Luna felt a pang of bitterness and anger.  These teeming masses awoke early and flocked to the courtyard all to see her sister bring about their beloved day.  The happiness they felt and the reverence in which they held this daily ritual was obvious.  Yet who came to see the raising of the moon?  Who took the time out of their day to come to the courtyard and witness Luna carrying out her sacred duty?  Nopony.  Nopony came to see the beauty she brought about at the end of each day or ever complimented her night as they constantly complimented Celestia’s day.  Why should they love the bland, stale day when they could love the intricate and subtle beauty of her night?  Why couldn’t they just see. . . NO.  Luna shook her head to rid herself of these dark thoughts.
She was just as important as Celestia.  Without her the night could not come.  Without her the harmony of Equestria would be disrupted.   Without her. . .
“Luna?”  Luna shook herself from her reverie to see her sister looking at her concernedly.  Luna gave her sister an embarrassed smile.
“It is nothing dear sister, we were just thinking James.” 
“James?” asked Celestia.  
“The creature from last night,” Luna clarified.  “We asked him his name before we took our leave.”
“I see,” said Celestia.  “Did you learn anything else about him?”  Luna shook her head regretfully.
“No we did not.  After we asked his name of him, we took our leave.”  Celestia nodded.
“Then we shall have to endeavor to learn more about him tonight.   While it might be easier, we cannot leave him in the dungeons forever.  Eventually our little ponies will have to learn of him and it would be better if we can reassure them that he is not a threat when they do.”
While the two princesses conferred about the fate of the human in their dungeons, said human was fast asleep.  James had given up on sleeping on the hay and had opted for the stone floor.  He was awoken as a guard brought in a tray of food.  Looking at it, James saw some vegetables, hay, and water.  
“Hay, really?”  he asked.   He dug into the vegetables and water after placing the hay to side.  While not the best food he’d ever had it was still food and he was grateful for it.  That done, and not much else to do in a cell, James began to pace back and forth in the cell.  As he did his right hand began to unconsciously stroke his chin thoughtfully.
“Right,” he began speaking aloud.  “Let’s just run through what I know so far.  First:  I’m in Equestria.  After everything that’s happened I’m pretty sure of that.  Second:  I’m not in the same time as the show.  Everything looks too medieval.  In addition Celestia and Luna are not like they are in the show, and since they are obviously still ruling together there is only one logical option as to where I am:  I’m a thousand years in Equestria’s past.  Luna hasn’t fallen yet and Discord has just been turned to stone.  It makes sense I suppose, but that still leaves one very important question:  What the hell do I do now?”
He paced around the room unsure of how to proceed.  If he was right than he had advance knowledge of the future and if science fiction had taught him anything, it was that changing the slightest thing in the past could have catastrophic consequences for the future.  Would he change the events of the show by his mere presence?  Or would he actually have to try to change something?  Or was all of that just science fiction bullshit?  James shook his head.
“For now I guess I should just try to stay on the princesses’ good side and go from there.”  With his path now somewhat clearer than it had been a moment ago, James sat down against the wall and slowly drifted off back to sleep.
Celestia and Luna strode down the corridor towards James’s cell, the Lunar guards guarding the dungeons all saluting or bowing as the two princesses passed by.  Every now and then Luna would give a slight smile or nod of acknowledgement to her guards.   
“So sister,” Luna began, turning her attention to Celestia.  “Do you have a plan for this, or shall we simply ask him whatever comes to mind?”  A slight smile came to Celestia’s face at this.
“Ideally I would like to know everything about him, but somehow I doubt that he will simply tell us everything about 	himself so readily.  At the very least I would like enough information to affirm that he is not a threat to my little ponies.”
“Our little ponies sister,” Luna corrected quickly.  Celestia looked confused for a moment before nodding in agreement.
“Of course sister, our little ponies.  After that I suppose we will need to find a place for him to stay that is not made solely of hard stone.”
With this the princesses arrived at the cell and gazed inside at James’s sleeping form.  He sat there, slumped against the wall of the cell, a single shaft of moonlight shining through the barred window of the cell illuminating his recumbent form.  After a few seconds of silence, Celestia took a breath and said a single word:  “JAMES.”
“Ahh!” he exclaimed, the sudden onslaught of sound not only woke him, but caused him to jerk backwards as fast as he could.  The result being him sprawled all over the stone floor, his heart still beating a mile a minute.  
Both princesses strove to stifle the laughter that arose at the scene as Luna addressed Celestia.
“Behold sister, the scourge of Equestria.”  Celestia shook her head at the blatant sarcasm in her voice.
“I know sister, but we both know that appearances can be deceiving.  She turned back to James as he slowly got up after that embarrassing scene.
“Especially the most amusing ones.”  After that her expression turned serious once again as she spoke to James directly.
“My sister has told me that your name is James.”
James nodded at this.  “It is your highness.”
“Very well then James.  We have been deliberating for some time on what exactly to do with you.  While you do not seem to be a threat to Equestria, you are still a strange creature that we know very little about.  A creature that nopony has seen before.  We have decided that until further notice you will be staying at the castle under the watchful eye of my sister and I as well as the Solar and Lunar guard.  You will be given a proper room rather than a prison cell and be given some limited freedoms. “
James couldn’t believe his ears.  This was better than he’d hoped for.  A single day and he had his own room at the palace.  At least he wouldn’t be stuck in a prison cell for the duration of his time in Equestria.
“Thank you princess,” he said inclining his head in a slight bow.  “That is exceedingly generous of you.”
Celestia gave a slight smile at the courtesy.
“I know, but there are a few conditions of course.”  James flinched slightly at that.  Why was he not surprised?
“You will be asked to swear an oath that you will not deliberately harm any of my subjects and you will have to obey the orders of ourselves and our guards. Should you violate that oath there will be severe consequences.  Is that understood?”
James nodded quickly. 
“Yes princess.  I swear that I will not deliberately harm any of your subjects and I will obey both of your orders and the orders of your guards.”
Celestia nodded, pleased with how smoothly this was going. 
“Good, than follow us.”  With a slight burst of magic, the cell door opened and James walked out, following the two princesses to wherever they were taking him.  As they walked through the halls of the castle, James marveled at the castle’s architecture.  Columns of marble supported intricately carved stone archways.  Massive, gilded doors inscribed with historical images led into cyclopean rooms and halls.  Flowing tapestries and stained glass windows done in every color of the rainbow lined the halls, letting in multicolored shafts of moonlight to illuminate their way.  Eventually they continued to climb through the castle, James almost losing track of the labyrinthine corridors and stairways they had traveled through.
“How does no one get lost in here?” he wondered aloud.  Luna looked back at him.
“They do.  Luckily the guards are required to know the entire layout of the castle so they can usually help those lost find their way again.  Eventually they arrived at the top of one final staircase.  Through a simple wooden door lay the room he had been assigned.  As simple as the door that guarded it, the room contained a bed and a writing desk and chair.  Across the room was a single window.  Well, thought James to himself, anything is better than that damn cell.
“This will be your room for the time being,” said Celestia.  “If you need anything call down the stairs, there will be someone to help you.  Tomorrow morning we shall go over what you can and can’t do while you are a guest here.  Good night.”
And with that Celestia left, the sound of her hooves fading as she descended the spiraling stone staircase.  James had just begun to walk into the room when he heard a voice behind him.
“James.”  He flinched as he turned to face Luna, who had a slight scowl on her face. 
“What did I do now?” he thought morosely to himself.  “Yes?” he asked slowly.
Luna was silent for a moment, staring at him intensely as he got steadily more worried.  After a moment of this, Luna’s face broke into an amused grin at his obvious discomfiture and she turned to leave, leaving him with only a brief, but heartening message.
“Welcome to Equestria.”