//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 - All Good Stories... 
// Story: Following In A Knight's Steps 
// by Spacecowboy 
//------------------------------//

        My brain futilely attempted to reboot itself after the shocking question.  My mouth opened and closed, reminiscent of a fish, as I attempted to get out some sort of sound.  My brain was slowed down as numerous questions formed themselves within my mind, the loudest one being what the hell did Arthur have to do with Equestria?  I mean, who doesn't know at least some of the story of King Arthur, Excalibur, The Knights of the Round Table, etc?

        Celestia studied my expression, a faint concern showing itself in her eyes.  "So..."  She gently prodded me in the ribs with her magic, getting my attention.  "I take it that the names are familiar to you?"

        I mutely shook my head up and down in confirmation, my voice still eluding me.  Celestia and Luna looked at me in shock, the others in awe.  "It has been a long time, I would've thought..."  She trailed off, uncertainty now showing in the creases on her face.

        "I don't think there's many people who haven't heard of King Arthur..."  I managed to say, my voice finally catching up.  "I mean, he's an iconic legend figure in our world, the King of England some..."  My eyes rolled into my head slightly as I tried to recall which century he was believed to have lived during.  "One thousand and six hundred?  Seven hundred?  Years ago.  We don't know a lot about him, but there is quite a bit of lore that has sprung up over the years."

        Luna got up from her chair, looking Celestia in the eyes.  "Unless you need me further, I see no reason why I should be here for this...  history lesson, sister."  Note to self, make sure to never be alone with this mare, not if I want to keep all of my limbs attached.

        Celestia sadly shaked her head.  "No, the important thing has been accomplished, Luna."  She leaned in closer and whispered something, then pulled her head back after gently nuzzling Luna.  I received a contemptuous glare as she left the room.

        Twilight hastily got up as well and rushed to follow Luna.  She paused, turning to face me.  "I'm really sorry for her attitude, you'll understand why soon enough.  I'll do my best to at least get her to cool down some, but...  I can't make any promises."  She turned towards the three remaining ponies in the room.  "Good night you three!"  She hastily ran out the room.

        An awkward silence hung in the air for a few seconds, then was dispelled with a cough from Cadance.  "So, uh...  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?"  I attempted to get the conversation started once more, even if it was a rather corny one liner.  Shining seemed to get the saying, while the two mares joined him in understanding a few seconds later.

        "A very... interesting line, that.  Remind me to remember that one, dear."  Shining stated to his wife, keeping his voice level until the end, where he began to chuckle.

        Cadance fixed him with a level gaze, showing me just how obvious it was that these two were married.  Not only that, but one of them was probably going to be on the couch tonight.  It seemed that there were a lot more similarities between our worlds the more I looked.

        Celestia let out a short laugh of her own, then turned her attention back to me.  "Well, hopefully if you're here for long, my sister will indeed eventually warm to you."  She raised a hoof to the bottom of her chin, which caused a small chuckle on my end.  It looked very comical, seeing a pony imitate 'The Thinker.'  "Ah, yes.  So, our first visit from humans was some one thousand and seven hundred thirty years ago.  Two humans, to be exact."

        I was racking my brain on what little lore I could recall in regards to King Arthur.  I was an avid fan of both ancient mythology and the more popular lore, and this particular area was the creme of the crop.  Even if most of the time thoughts of Monty Python filled my head when I thought on the lore, it was still a very fascinating subject.  "I am going to go out on a limb and guess one of the visitors was King Arthur?  And, since magic was probably involved, Merlin was the second?"

        Celestia nodded as she began talking.  "Indeed, the two of them appeared in the middle of a court session my sister and I were holding.  It caused quite the commotion, and they were quickly apprehended and secluded from the populace.  We had never seen a species quite like them, the closest we have here on Equestria are the Minotaurs."

        I was leaning forward in my chair, drinking each and every word coming from Celestia.  I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that the married couple were listening rather intently while leaning into each other.  "Minotaurs?  That's pretty cool.  It sounds like a lot of what we consider mythology is true here."

        "It could very well be, I only visited your Earth once.  When my sister and I had the chance to sit down and question them ourselves, we learned a great deal about your race, and found the two before us to have no ill will towards us.  We quickly came to respect them as a matter of fact, as their ideals were noble.  Arthur was in the process of campaigning to win freedom for his people.  Luna and I sympathized, as we ourselves had just recently abolished a darkness that had threatened all we held dear.  We offered aid in the form of training, as it would've been unwise to expose ourselves and our ponies during the rebuilding period we were in."  She stopped in her narration, conjuring a tea set and offering me a cup.

        "This must've been when Arthur and his knights were fighting the Saxons, if I recall correctly.  I don't remember the specifics, but he was going against superior numbers for most of the war, yet managed to prevail over his enemies so that he could set up a 'kingdom of peace,' as he envisioned it.  You're saying you had a hand in that?  Just... wow."  I carefully held the offered tea cup between my hooves, ensuring that I didn't drop it.  Drinking from it was another story, and I elicited laughter from the three ponies in the room at least four separate times.

        Once the laughter was out of the way, Celestia continued her story.  "Yes, my sister and I trained them in both combat and magic.  I took Merlin under my wing and taught him how to harness the magic found here in Equestria, while Luna helped perfect Arthur's melee skills.  She always was the more nimble of us..."  Her gaze unfocused for mere moments, her mind caught up in memories, most likely.  "I also had Luna assist me in forging a cosmic weapon; a most rare occurrence.  There was just something about Arthur that told us we needed to lend aid, as much as we could."

        A yawn broke free from the confines of Cadance's mouth, her face slightly flooding with crimson in embarrassment.  It must be getting late in the day, although I didn't have any accurate way to tell that.  "Sorry aunt, but I think it's time I went to sleep."  She sleepily got up and grabbed Shining's hoof.  "Come on, I need my snuggle pillow, Shiny."  He grudgingly got up and let his wife carry him off.

        He glanced in my direction as he was being whisked away.  "Please, do me a favor and don't cause any trouble while you're in the castle...  things are already interesting enough without adding anything you might be able to do on t—"  He was cut off as Cadance pulled him through the sound barrier that Celestia had set up.  I sat there in utter bafflement as Celestia was openly laughing, and loudly too.

        "Wow...  poor guy.  I know who holds the marbles in that relationship."  I muttered more for my own benefit, however it had the effect of sending Celestia into further laughter.  "So...  how exactly was she able to drag him out of here like that?  They're basically the same size, yet it looked so...  effortless, on her part."

        She held up a hoof in reply as her laughs began to die down.  Wiping tears from her eyes, she gazed upon me and replied.  "It has to do with a pony's inherent magic.  Shining is a unicorn, while Cadance is an alicorn.  She has the added benefit of an Earth Pony's magic, which makes her stronger.  We can explain all of that later on though, I'd like to finish this story and tell you what we have planned for you before it gets any later...  Oh, there is one other thing."

        The now familiar golden radiance formed and I felt an odd sensation above my forehead.  My horn felt all tingly, and for some reason I was thinking of the candy pop rocks as to what it was.  A moment later, I felt as if a large weight had been removed from me, and a spiral shaped piece of metal with a clasp at its base floated in front of my head.  "What is that?"  I enquired, reaching out a hoof to poke it.

        She jerked it away from my hoof while keeping it within my reach.  "This is a magical inhibitor.  It's sole purpose is to prevent a unicorn from accessing their magic, allowing us to easily detain them when needed."  She moved it to rest it on a small table nearby.  "Now, back to the story, where was I..."  She trailed off for a few moments in thought.  "Ah yes.  We forged Arthur a weapon that he could take back with him.  He named it Caledfwlch."

        "Excalibur?"  I breathlessly asked.

        She nodded, the corners of her lips uplifting in a light smile.  "Yes.  It and its scabbard were very much one of a kind.  It's not often that Luna and I come together to form an eclipse and hold it for the time needed to forge and imbue such a weapon with the amount of magic we used that day.  The sword was capable of blinding one's foes, and the scabbard held such curative magic in it that nothing short of dismemberment could kill the bearer.  With the aid of it, and Merlin's new knowledge, they were successful in creating the kingdom Arthur had hoped for."

        Celestia floated the teapot over and refilled our cups.  With a muted thanks, I carefully picked the glass back up again.  Back home, I already knew that American tea wasn’t as great as the British tea, however...  This tea here set the bar even higher than imaginable!  I savored its flavor, this time, as the blend of honey and other herbs melded seamlessly together.

        We set our cups down, a small sigh escaping my lips.  “Merlin and Arthur came and visited us every few months, always bringing tidings of their newfound kingdom, gifts, and news.  All was rather well, to be honest.  Their visits were something my sister and I came to look forward to, although my sister more so than I, at first."  A faint smile graced her thinly pursed lips.  "She fell for Merlin, you see.  It took her quite some time, but after some time she finally convinced him to stay."

        Now that was some interesting information there.  "She loved a human?  I wouldn't have expected that given her current... disposition towards me."  I was on the edge of my seat, curiosity driving me to want more, and to hear how this tale ended.

        "Indeed, they were quite smitten with each other after some time.  Merlin used his magic to keep an eye on Arthur, then devised a spell to become a 'local.'"  She briefly giggled as I looked on in bafflement.  "Oh, he made quite a handsome stallion is all.  For a few years, everything was going smoothly in both worlds.  Merlin made the occasional visit, and..."  She trailed off, a sudden haunted look coming into her eyes.

        I felt it best not to press her on what she was about to say, and instead decided to try and get the conversion back on track.  "Where did things go downhill?  In the lore, Arthur was supposedly killed by the hand of his bastard son, Mordred.  Is that what happened?"

        She sighed deeply, a sadness contained within.  "Yes, one day Merlin just completely froze, then his face just... dropped.  He disappeared almost instantly and didn't return for some time.  When he came back, however...  Arthur was near death's door and beyond all our help.  We had just enough time to say goodbye to an old friend."  She took a sip of her tea, probably to calm herself some.

        "Our reaction to this was...  drastic, to say the least.  Merlin brought me over into your Earth for a visit.  The magic that permeated your planet existed in its very core, and I used my connection with the sun to seal it off from the surface.  Needless to say, so long as your sun continued to burn, no one would be able to access the magic contained within..."  She trailed off once more, a thoughtful expression crossing her face this time.  "Oh, is it that simple?  No, it can't be, but..."  She muttered to herself, ignoring my presence for the moment.

        I finished drinking the tea in front of me, making a mental note to get the details on how it was made before going back home.  I could make a killing with it, if I didn't just end up drinking it all myself instead.  I watched as a myriad of expressions crossed her face, it was almost comical.  I noted yet again just how expressive a pony's face could be, I also took note of the sun on her flank, I'd seen other images on the other ponies, but hadn't enquired about it yet.  Another mental note to make.

        Celestia focused her attention back on me.  "I believe I owe you an apology, it seems.  Merlin had made mention of some potential issues with the actions we took that day, however I had nearly forgotten about them; recounting this tale brought them back to the front of my mind.  It seems that when I sealed off the magic, your planet continued to slowly accumulate the magic behind my barrier.  With no manner of 'bleeding' available to the magic, and a steady flow into an already limited space...  something was bound to give.  It would explain the earthquake you mentioned as well, the burst would be accompanied with some rather sudden events.  It was basically complete chance that you were the person who was swept away in the current and brought here.  Really, you could've ended up anywhere, so I guess there is some small blessing there..."

        I sat there dumbfounded, all thoughts fleeing my mind.  According to Celestia, I had been living on the equivalent of an explosive powder keg, ready to blow at any moment.  What did this mean for Earth?  What sort of damage happened, how many others ended up scattered to places unknown?  "Is...  is there any way to find out if anyone else was stranded here?"  If I were swept here, then what about my friends, family, and anyone else important to me?  What was the point of wanting to get home of there was no one to go home to?

        "It's truly impossible to know..."  She started, then took note of the expression on my face,  "but it's very unlikely, I promise!  The way my shield was designed would prevent the magic from randomly spraying everywhere.  The pressure that caused it to fail probably only made a miniscule breach, think molecular level.  This would cause the affected area, even at the surface, to be no more than a few paces in diameter.  So, unless there were others around you?"  A quick head shake was my only reply.  "Then, it is highly unlikely anypony else was in the magic stream."

        I sat there for some time, simply thinking as to what this all meant, for me.  It seemed that if I could indeed make my way back, there would at least be something for me to return to.  Got to look at the silver linings, I suppose.  I couldn't really blame Celestia, it sounded as if she was simply trying to protect herself after being hurt, even indirectly.  I remember when a close friend passed away a few years ago, I did quite a few drastic things myself to cope.  Maybe not quite on the 'use a sun to seal a planet's magic' level of things, but still...  "I see.  Then, at least there's something to go back to."  My voice had a cheerful quality to it, although some sadness did seep into the tone.  "So, what happened next?  I have a feeling that there is still more to this story?"

        Celestia gave me a comforting look, while also slouching her posture in apparent relief.  "Sadly, yes, and this is where my sister's hatred comes into play.  With Arthur gone, Merlin had no more reason to visit Earth, and for some time all was well.  However, around one hundred years later, Luna began to act somewhat erratically.  I was rather wrapped up in the affairs of state; having taken much of the burden so my sister could spend time with her lover.  Sadly, Merlin thought he could handle it on his own, by the time he came to me for help it was too late...

        "You see, Arthur had killed Mordred, but only his body.  Due to the more malicious aspects of magics that he had learned, his soul had rode alongside Arthur, eventually finding his way to Luna.  He spent a century trying to subvert her for his own purposes, but never fully succeeded.  The end result was that my sister lost her sanity, killed her husband, and the only way I could properly handle it all was to take another drastic measure..."  Tears moistened her cheeks, the depths of her eyes filled with a sorrow that I'd only witnessed in war veterans before.  "I banished her to her moon for one thousand years."

        My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, quite an impressive feat really, considering just how huge they were now.  A thousand years?  "That's...  insane.  Such a long time?"  I noticed that she was openly crying now, I could only imagine how much guilt she still felt over it, even if she didn't have any other option available to her.  Family is everything, after all.  I clumsily got up, one of my rear legs asleep, and hopped over to the chair next to her, awkwardly hugging her around the neck.

        Celestia opened her eyes in surprise and opened her mouth.  No words came out, however, and she relaxed into my friendly gesture.  She gently broke the hug after a few more moments, a sincere look of gratitude reflected deep within those amethyst eyes.  "Thank you."  She moved to stand up, her wings rustling lightly.  "Even though my sister has been cleansed of his tainted soul, she's only been back for ten years now.  I don't know how long her hatred will last, but hopefully it won't be focused on you for much longer."  She walked towards the door, letting the barrier of magic finally fall.  "Well, I know that the hour is rather late, but would you be interested in a late dinner before I show you to your room?"

        Answering for me, my stomach loudly rumbled, causing a small grin to form on my face.  I shrugged, finding the motion still easy to replicate, as I opened my mouth.  "Seems that you've got your answer, I'm pretty hungry.  If I was out for most of the day, then that tea was the first thing 've had in about a day."  I carefully made to follow her, having feeling in my leg once more.  "What's on the menu?"

        She laughed, the sound warming me to my core.  "Anything, really.  We have a kitchen staff on hand that can whip nearly anything up on short notice.  And oh, that reminds me.  The only meat a pony can stomach is fish, I remember when Merlin found that out the hard way!  You'll also find that you can eat hay, grasses, and flowers too now.  I'll have to see what notes of Merlin's can be dug up after all this time, he might have some rather invaluable information left behind you can use.

        I followed her down the many corridors, taking note of the intricate details that went into, well, everything.  The craftsmanship was something that was rarely found back home, even the armor belonging to the guards we passed looked finely made.  It was most impressive, a display of power, wealth, and knowledge all rolled up into one bundle for all to witness.  I also took note of just how tall Celestia was.  Luna had maybe an inch or two on me, but Celestia...  She had to have had at least eight inches, if not a foot.  It would've been rather intimidating, if she didn't seem to be so approachable to me on our first meeting.

        "I said, how do you like the night sky?  It's my sister's work, after all."  Her voice broke me out of my thoughts, a faint blush creeping over my face as I realized my gaze had been fixated on her.  She looked at me with a playful grin, letting me know that she noticed.

        I jerked my gaze to the night sky, where a full moon dominated the sky.  It looked to be at least three times the size of the one orbiting Earth, and the face of it was completely unblemished, causing me to nearly drop my jaw.  Twinkling across the night sky were various stars, their radiance dominating the night sky.  The last time I recalled seeing such a sky was back in my childhood, when my family went camping a hundred miles away from the nearest town.  With no light pollution to compete against, the sky had looked very much like this one before me.

        "It's...  beautiful.  You very rarely see such a sight back home, the lights of the cities tend to drown out all but the brightest stars at night.  This, though..."  I let out a content sigh, pausing in my walk to stand there and simply stare at the sky.  "One could spend the whole night enveloped in it and not regret losing the sleep."

        Celestia quietly chuckled, casting her gaze to the night as well.  "Indeed.  My sister is an artist, the night sky her canvas.  Her first action after being cleansed of Mordred's influence was to take her brush back to the sky.  I have no such talent, however.  I only know order; doing what she does requires some sense of the abstract."  I glanced over and noticed that a happy look on her face, an unseen radiance highlighted by her smile.

        The loud rumble from my stomach reminded me of our original intentions.  "Err, mind leading the way to the food?  Even though I wouldn't mind looking at the stars some more, my body seems to disagree."  I brought a small grin to bear on my face.

        She laughed that clear, radiant sound once more, before turning her focus back to the walkway.  "Very well, follow me please.  We're not too far away, then we can order whatever you would like."  Celestia began walking through the corridors, me following just a stride behind her off to a side.  "I personally recommend a daisy salad with italian vinaigrette, or a daisy sandwich.  We just took delivery of some of the best daisies grown in Equestria yesterday, so it should make for a great first impression."

        "Huh."  I found it interesting that the ponies here raised flowers like crops, while we considered quite a few of them to simply be weeds and wanted nothing more than for them to not mar our grass filled lawns.  We arrived at our destination at last, a small private dining room, from the looks of things.  A small table sat in the center of the room, capable of seating no more than maybe eight ponies.  Cushions took the place of chairs, allowing one room to comfortably sit down.

        The next hour or so was rather interesting, I have to say.  I went ahead with what Celestia had recommended, the daisy salad.  The flowers had oddly tasted like chicken, and when I made that remark, she looked at me slightly odd.  I rather clumsily made my way through the meal, rather envious at Celestia's manipulation of the fork in front of me.  Learning how to utilize my magic is a definite high priority, the lack of hands makes it ridiculously hard to manipulate objects.

        We really didn't talk all that much, at least not about anything important.  When I enquired into learning about magic, I found out that Twilight was going to start tutoring me tomorrow.  I also learned some of the more recent events that had occurred in Equestria, I was rather surprised to learn that friendship was literally magic here, and that it had saved the land on more than one occasion, under the guidance of Twilight and five of her friends, no less.  When Celestia informed me that she literally moved the Sun, and her sister the Moon, it evolved into a fifteen minute conversation about exactly how our planetary bodies orbited the sun.

        I was also warned about Twilight's tendencies towards being a rather... inquisitive individual, to put it lightly.  Celestia warned me that although she meant well, it could easily become overwhelming if I didn't have a firm hoof with her.  I'm not sure what alarmed her more, though.  That I openly burst out laughing when I heard 'firm hoof,' or my reassurances that I would be just fine with Twilight.

        Finally, we were both done eating, empty plates before us, and a decent sized pile of used napkins in front of me.  The hour was growing late, the moon well on its way through the night sky.  Celestia slowly stood back up, letting out a very content sigh.  "Well, I need to show you to your room.  Do not worry too much about sleeping in, Twilight will be coming by late morning to grab you.  She'll also be helping you fit into society here during your stay.  Hopefully by the end of tomorrow, we'll have all of Merlin's works ready for you to look over as well, maybe one of them has a detailed description of how to use your human magics."

        I got up myself, and on a whim I gave a slight bow to Celestia.  "Thank you very much for helping me out, Celestia.  I'll admit that this is indeed an odd occurrence, and if our positions were swapped, I can almost assure you that it wouldn't be as smooth as this has been."  She nodded after a few moments, turning to walk out the door.

        I followed her through the maze of the castle once more, unsure of my bearings after the fourth turn.  Celestia was still silent, as if what I said had provoked a thought that required her to think on it.  After a few minutes, we came to a lavishly decorated hallway with doors lining each side of the hall every dozen paces or so.

        "This will be your room for now, I hope that it is to your liking, Arthur."  She opened the door for me, and we both walked in.  The room did not disappoint, that was one certainty.  The bed alone looked to be a queen or king size, set on an elaborate four poster frame.  There looked to be a door to a bathroom in the back of the room, and the carpet on the floor was so soft and smooth.  The furnishings looked to be of the highest quality, even my untrained eyes knowing that they held a high level of craftsmanship.

        "This is... phenomenal!  This is easily the fanciest room I've ever stayed in."  I turned from my observations of the room to look at Celestia.  "Thank you, Celestia.  It is perfect, and honestly, even if the room were half as fine as this one is, I would still be fine."  I made my way to the bed, letting a loud yawn escape my mouth.  "I suppose that I shall see you at some point tomorrow between the 'torture' that Twilight plans to inflict?"  We both shared a brief laugh at my remark.

        "Good night then, Arthur.  And yes, I suppose I shall see you again at some point tomorrow."  Celestia walked towards the door, but paused in the doorway, the faint moonlight illuminating her form.  "I must ask, as it has been nagging me all day.  How are you not freaking out over this?  You've been transported to a whole new world and inserted into a body that is not your own.  You are taking it far better than one would imagine."

        Hmm, she raised a damn good point there.  Quickly thinking, the answer came to me.  "There was a great man who penned a saying.  I've found that it is very helpful, and so I follow it the best I can."

        Taking the bait, Celestia asked her question.  "And what is this saying?  It must be something most profound or thought provoking to keep one so calm in such an... odd situation."

        Widely grinning, I opened my mouth.  "Don't Panic."





        Luna paced angrily in her room.  "Why won't sister listen to me?  She knows very well exactly what humans are capable of, we should've simply sealed him in stone and be done with it right then and there!"  She fumed, only pausing long enough to bring up the moon.

        The door to her room opened, causing Luna to look up at the new arrival.  Twilight quietly closed the door behind her, walking straight up to Luna.  Without a word, she wrapped her front hooves around Luna's neck in a reassuring hug, calming her down slightly.

        Twilight held her hug for a minute, simply letting her body convey what she wanted to say.  "Luna...  I know that you're against it, but please...  trust us?  You know Celestia would not make a decision that could jeopardize any of us, you more than anypony else at that."

        Luna sighed, her anger still present, yet held back.  "I know that my sister believes such, love.  However, I know what humans can do, how they think.  It doesn't matter if their intentions are pure, they are nothing but a rot that needs be removed from our land before it can spread.  I do not agree with the decision, nor will I ever.  Just watch, he will prove me true, sooner rather than later."

        It was Twilight's turn to sigh, as she and Luna walked over to their bed.  "My Moon, please, just...  try to let it go.  I don't expect you to open your heart to him or go frollicking about, but can you at least try and be somewhat civilized with him?  He is a victim as well, you know.  Unable to go home at the moment, and with no knowledge of this strange and foreign land he now finds himself in.  Just play nice, that's all I ask..."  Twilight trailed off, a yawn escaping her mouth as she and Luna laid down upon the soft mattress.

        A small grumble was Luna's reply as she held the smaller mare within her hooves, the two letting the first tendrils of sleep lay claim to them both.  A tender nuzzling was exchanged between the two, covers magically pulled up and over them both.  One last thought drifted into Luna's mind as unconsciousness claimed them.  I will find some manner of dealing with him, he cannot be trusted.