The monotonous sound of the train traveling down the tracks was slowly lulling me to sleep. I was fighting simply to keep my eyes open. It didn’t help that Twilight had insisted on waking up early in order to get to Canterlot in a timely manner. She must have forgotten what she had said about us needing energy for today’s events.
Since it was Princess Celestia who actually invited us to come to Canterlot, I didn’t see why we had to be early, but Twilight had insisted. So, after eating a quick breakfast that consisted of only a couple of apples, we had headed down to the train station.
We had no issues purchasing tickets, as Twilight decided just to use the Royal Coach again. There was a different pony behind the counter this time; a young pegasus mare with the attitude of a teenager. I don’t think she even said three words as she hoofed over our tickets with a bored expression on her face.
Now, here we were, on our way to Canterlot. I sat in the compartment, my face pressed against the cool glass of the window as I watched the scenery whip past, trying not to fall asleep again. Twilight sat on the opposite side of the carriage, resting her head against her own window. She had been abnormally quiet ever since we had gotten on the train, and was now quickly drifting off to sleep. Not that I minded, though; I had too much on my mind to be able to have a decent conversation with anyone at the moment.
Here I was, on my way to see the two people—or ponies as the case may be—that could actually get me back home to Earth. I should be happy; I should be thrilled. Instead, there was a lump slowly rising in my throat as Canterlot drew closer. When it came right down to it, I didn’t want to go back to Earth.
In the five months that I had come to call Equestria home, the place had slowly grown on me. It had a sort of mythical charm to it, the kind that Earth didn’t have. I mean, how many people on Earth could say that they watched as a bunch of ponies created a thunderstorm from scratch? That shit was awesome!
Don’t get me wrong, Equestria wasn’t perfect; the fact that I had almost died several times while living here could attest to that, but I still couldn’t help but be drawn to this exotic place. Here in Equestria, I was living with a princess and a national hero. On Earth, I was just a cook at McDonald's.
I reached up and rubbed my right eye as I tried to sort my thoughts, watching the land flash by. I knew I should return home, back to Earth and my friends and family. Back to the world I was born in, and back to where I belonged. The choice should have been easy; back home I would be treated like an individual, along with the rest of the human race. Here, I would be treated like a beast, just like every other human in Equestria. Why the hell would I want to stay in Equestria?
My gaze slowly drifted over to Twilight. Her head was resting against the window, her eyes closed as she breathed softly, her breath fogging up the glass. Her forelegs, folded against her chest, would twitch every so often as she dreamed. As I watched her sleep, a smile touched my face. I’ve never really realized how beautiful she is, I thought absentmindedly as a beam of sunlight hit her mane.
I continued to stare at her happily, until my mind registered what I was doing and thinking. I quickly returned my gaze to the window as a blush spread across my cheeks. Shaking my head, I went back to my musing as the train made its way further along the tracks, carrying us to Canterlot.
I wonder if the princesses would care that I want to stay? I mused. Princess Celestia had seemed rather adamant about sending me home. I wasn’t sure if it was because she felt bad about everything that happened to me while I was here, or if she just wanted me gone. I guess we’ll find out, I thought as the train continued its journey.
~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~
The train ride didn’t last long enough, and in no time at all we were pulling into the station at Canterlot. As the train slowed to a stop, I stood up and stretched, taking care not to strain my back or shoulder too much. My stitches pulled as I raised my arms.
Stifling a yawn, I shuffled over to Twilight and shook her shoulder gently. She woke with a start, muttering something about cupcakes.
She looked up at me questioningly, blinking sleep from her eyes. I jerked my head towards the window, indicating that we were at our destination. Sighing, she rose to her hooves and made her way to the compartment’s door. I followed behind her, and we both stepped out onto the platform.
The station was not overly crowded, considering it was a weekday. At least, I think it was a weekday; I had long since lost track of the days. Ponies were bustling to and fro, some getting on the train, others disembarking. Workers unloaded cargo for train, ferrying them into a side warehouse. There were several humans scattered throughout the crowd, their owners leading them along as they went about their days.
Standing there in the sea of ponies was a group of guards, their golden armor glinting in the light. When Twilight and I stepped off of the train, they perked up, their gaze locking onto us. It was apparent that they were waiting for us, and as we stood there blinking in the bright sunlight, they approached.
“Princess Sparkle,” one of them said, saluting. Unlike the other guards around her who wore golden armor, her armor was silver and decorated with several spikes, as well as an ebony symbol engraved into the surface of her pauldrons. It looked like a sun rising out of the horizon. Her coat was pitch black, as were the wings folded at her sides. She didn’t wear a helmet and her red, two-toned mane hung down over her face and withers. Her tail was cut short and looked ragged in appearance. She regarded both me and Twilight with icy blue eyes, “First lieutenant Avera Noctus. We’re here to escort you two up to the palace.”
“Why do we need an escort?” Twilight asked as Avera (I had to go back and check how the fuck you spell that in order to write it down. It’s pronounced “a-ver-ah”, but I couldn’t spell it worth a shit. Neither could Twilight, although she could tell me what it meant) lowered her hoof. “I know where it is.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t have an answer to that. The only thing Princess Celestia told us was to 'make sure that nopony hits him over the head again before he gets here’,” Avera said with a smirk, waving a hoof in my direction. My eye twitched and I huffed indignantly. Beside me, a small smile flashed across Twilight’s muzzle. “We’ve been briefed about him and the situation, and have a good idea what to expect. Just go the route you’d normally go, and we’ll follow behind you.” Twilight nodded and, turning, head towards the station doors.
As we made our way out of the train station, the guards walked behind us, just far enough away that they gave us breathing room but close enough that they could spring into action instantly should trouble arise. Avera chose to walk beside me, scanning the crowd around us with a bored expression on her face. As she walked, her hooves made a weird sound against the cobblestone street. Unlike the typical clip-clop of pony hooves, it was more of a scraping noise, like claws against stone.
Some ponies would stop and bow to Twilight as we passed, but the majority of them just turned their noses up and continued about their business. Twilight just acknowledged those that showed her respect, while ignoring all the rest. The guards glared at the crowd, especially the stuck-up ponies, but that didn’t do much either. It was clear that most of Canterlot did not respect Twilight, and for some reason I found myself growing very aggravated about that.
At one point we had to stop as a bunch of ponies leading a pack of humans crossed the street in front of us. Our guards stopped the ponies in order to make sure that the handlers had the paperwork needed to sell humans. The ponies pulled out stacks of green paper and handed the forms to Avera, who quickly glanced over them.
Satisfied that everything was in order, the guards allowed the ponies to continue on their way. The entire time that the guards were dealing with the ponies, I was eyeing the humans. Most of them just stared idly ahead, or would glance around to see the source of some random noise. Some humans, however, were looking around with almost a disinterest, scanning their surroundings with an almost curious gaze.
My brow wrinkled slightly as I watched them. What are they doing? Most humans that I’ve observed never really cared about where they were, so why did these couple break that mould?
That was another reason I wanted to stay: something was happening to the humans here—I was sure of it—and I wanted to find out what it was. Hopefully it had nothing to do with my arrival, but somehow I had a sinking feeling that it did. I glanced over at Twilight, chewing the inside of my cheek. If it turns out that I have to return home, I’ll tell her to look into the humans for me.
As the pack of humans began to move again, the last human in the group glanced back at me, a strange expression on her face. Her hair was cherry blonde and hung down to her shoulders, and she gazed at me with intense blue eyes. She looked at me with a small frown on her face, her head cocked to the side. I watched her go, absentmindedly rubbing a finger along my right eyebrow.
“Looks like you caught somepony’s eye,” Avera snickered, watching the group move off. Snorting, I rolled my eyes and fell into step behind Twilight as we continued with our journey.
“You seem really calm about this whole thing,” Twilight said, glancing back at Avera. The mare nodded, the smirk still on her face.
“I was here for the original Discord incident, as well as when he was living in the castle. I’ve seen some weird shit,” she said, falling in to walk beside me again. Twilight just nodded, then continued walking.
We made our way to the palace without further distractions. As we entered, I looked around, my mind noting that not much had changed since I was here the first time. There were a few different pictures hung upon the walls. When I had first arrived, the paintings had a sort of summer theme about them; the pictures now were fall themed. I guess they change them to match the season, I mused as I studied the picture closest to me.
Avera stopped us in the main hall just off of the throne room.
“The princess is in the middle of day court at the moment,” she said as the other guards slowly dispersed. “Please wait out here while I go inform her that you’ve arrived.” With that she slipped into the throne room. When the door opened, the gentle murmur of voices emanated from the other side, accompanied by the soft rustle of paper. They were silenced again when Avera closed the door quietly behind her.
There were chairs placed along the walls of the hall that were meant for ponies waiting for an audience with the princess. Twilight sat down in one of them, staring at her hooves in silence. I moved to join her, but I stopped when a nearby doorway caught my attention. I’m not sure what drew me to it; there were several other ones that looked exactly the same. This particular one, however, captivated me.
After casting a quick glance at Twilight, I slowly made my way over to the arch. Peering through it, I saw that it was connected to a short passageway that lead to the castle’s gardens. Looking back at Twilight one last time, I turned and made my way down the hallway, following the pulling sensation.
As I stepped out into the garden, I noticed that the air seemed to be abnormally still. It was also surprisingly quiet, considering how close we were to Canterlot. I couldn’t hear any sounds of the city at all, almost as if a spell had been placed around the entire place. Instead, only the soft sound of birds chirping and insects humming could be heard. A small stream babbled quietly through the gardens, slowly working its way towards a still pond filled with lily pads and reeds. The whole place felt like it was cut off from the outside world.
I was making my way deeper into the garden when I realized that I didn’t really know where I was going. I was simply letting my feet take me where they would, although I knew I was on the right track as the pulling sensation was slowly growing stronger as I walked.
A small flock of hummingbirds flew around me as I made my way over the stream by means of a small bridge. They didn’t seem bothered by my presence, just curious. If only everyone was as accepting as you guys, I thought as one of them nestled on my shoulder for a brief second before flying off to a patch of flowers.
A rustling from one of the hedges caught my attention, and a family of rabbits emerged from the undergrowth and made their way across the path. I watched them go with a small smile on my face, scratching at my scraggly beard absentmindedly. Fluttershy would like this place, I thought, thinking back to how the yellow pegasus loved animals. I wonder if she’s ever been here before. Maybe I should ask the princesses if she could visit. Perhaps I could go with her if I’m still around…
I groaned, running my hands through my hair as I gritted my teeth. I was slowly beginning to get a headache.
Trudging deeper into the garden, I continued to watch the wildlife, especially the birds. I was too preoccupied looking up that I failed to see a protruding root sticking up in front of me. My foot connected with it and I fell unceremoniously to the ground. Grunting in pain, I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees. I made to stand back up but froze immediately when I saw what was in front of me.
I had collapsed right in front of a statue. That in and of itself wasn’t alarming; it was what the statue was that chilled my blood. It was the beast from my nightmares. Its body was huge; easily over sixteen feet long. Its tail, coiled beneath its frame, acted almost like a chair and kept the creature upright. One of its hind legs was crossed over the other. The mismatched pair of wings on its back were flared slightly, keeping it balanced. It was its face, however, that was the most unnerving.
Unlike in my nightmare, the statue’s face actually appeared almost… normal. Stony eyes glared down at me, an evil looking smirk adorning its face. It looked smug, almost to the point of being arrogant. That, combined with the fact that its arms were folded across its chest, made it look as if the creature knew something you didn’t.
This doesn’t make sense, I thought, staring at the creature in horror and confusion. Why is the creature from my nightmare here?
Sense? a voice in my head chuckled. What fun is there in making sense?
Time seemed to stop as I sat there, staring up at the statue with an open mouth. Despite the fact that it looked like the horror from my nightmares, it was slightly different as well; more friendly, if only just. I was completely entranced by it; something about it just called to me, begged me to reach out and touch it. My body, however, was frozen, unable to move.
I wasn’t sure how long I sat there staring at the statue, before the sound of something landing behind me with a soft thump snapped me out of my daze.
“There you are,” the new arrival said, their voice soft. “We wondered where you had wandered off to.” Tearing my gaze from the statue’s face, I glanced over my shoulder. Princess Luna stood there, her dark mane wafting in its non-existent breeze. A tiara made of black metal rested behind her long horn, glinting in the light of the sun.
As I studied her, I realized that she looked slightly different in the daylight than she had in the darkness of the hospital room at night. She seemed less intimidating, more royal and graceful. Her coat wasn’t black as I thought it had been before, but more of a darkish blue. She even appeared slightly smaller without the shadows concealing her form. She had a kind of alien beauty that couldn’t be matched, even by Celestia. Of course, that could just be me being biased, as I was more of a night person anyways.
As she drew nearer to me, I could feel the power radiating off of her, similar to Celestia’s, but instead of warmth, there was an icy chill. I shivered as goosebumps erupted across my skin. The chill only lasted a second or two, and then the area returned to its normal temperature.
“When the lieutenant told us that you were waiting, my sister suspended the rest of day court to meet with you,” she said as she came to a stop beside me, looking down at me with her cyan eyes. “When we came out into the hall to meet with you, we found only Twilight Sparkle. Needless to say she became quite distressed when she noticed that you were gone, but we knew you couldn’t have gone too far. Tia stayed with her to calm her while we searched for you.”
~We?~ I asked, hoping that, like her sister, Luna could understand hoof-language. Apparently she did, as she cocked her head to the side as I signed, an intrigued look on her face.
“Interesting,” she said. “We did not—” she paused briefly, an annoyed frown flickering across her otherwise impassive face. “Sorry, I did not realize that Twilight Sparkle had taught you the art of hoof-language. I can see though that it would benefit you, seeing as you cannot speak.”
~How did you find me so quickly?~ I asked as I stood up, brushing off my pants. When I looked back over at Luna, I saw that she was looking at me with a small frown on her face.
“I have been searching for nearly an hour,” she said, studying my face closely. “I was flying over the garden when I spotted you just sitting here, staring at Discord.”
~This is Discord?~ I turned back to look at the statue again, taking in the details for what was probably the hundredth time. For some reason, the strange creature just captivated me every time I glanced at it.
“Indeed it is,” Luna said, stepping closer to me and looking at the statue as well. “He is the one most likely responsible for bringing you here, to Equestria, and if what I saw was correct, he is also the one that was haunting your nightmares.” We both stared at the statue for a long moment before Luna turned and shook her head, snorting softly.
“Come,” she said, draping a wing over my shoulders and tugging me away from the statue. “My sister is expecting you. I believe it is time to send you back home.” I blinked and looked over at her, nodding weakly. Voices began whispering in the back of my mind, their words unintelligible. It sounded like two entities, fighting to be heard.
Luna withdrew her wing, tucking it neatly back by her side. I turned to head off towards the castle but was stopped when Luna placed a hoof on my cheek. Turning my head towards her, she gazed into my eyes, her brow furrowed. As she forced me to look at her, I realized that I was taller than her, but not by much. Her horn was at the same level as my eyes.
“Are you alright?” she asked, concern in her voice. “Your eye appears to be slightly hazy.” I raised an eyebrow at her, confused. I reached up slowly and covered my right eye with a hand. Luna shook her head at my movement, “Nay, I did not mean that eye. I meant your other one.” I moved my hand over to my left eye, rubbing the skin beneath it.
~I’m fine~ I replied as Luna continued to look at me, ~just a little tired~ She continued to study my face for several more seconds before removing her hoof from my cheek. Nodding slowly, she turned and began to lead me away from the stone statue of the one called Discord.
As we walked away, I couldn’t help but cast one last glance back at him. His stone eyes appeared to follow us, the smirk seeming to grow with each step we took. As we left the gardens, I could have sworn that the statue was laughing.
~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~
Celestia and Twilight were waiting for us in the throne room when we arrived back at the palace. Celestia just smiled when Luna lead me through the large double doors. Twilight, however, was a different story.
Her mane was disheveled and her eyes were bloodshot, as though she had just been crying. Upon seeing me enter the room, she let out a strangled cry and staggered forward, flinging her forehooves over my shoulders. My arms moved of their own accord and I wrapped them around Twilight to prevent her from toppling over. I looked over at Celestia with a raised eyebrow, hoping to glean some understanding as to Twilight’s current state, but was only met with a confused look in return.
Reaching a tentative hand up, I patted the top of her head softly. This caused her to sniffle into my shoulder.
“I thought you had left without saying goodbye,” she murmured in my ear, nuzzling my cheek. As she released me and dropped back down onto all fours, I gave her a half smile.
~I wouldn’t do that to you, my friend~ She blinked up at me, tears returning to her eyes. I turned to look back up at Celestia, and saw that Luna was now standing next to her. They were looking down at Twilight and I, a small smile on both their faces.
“I think,” Celestia said, “The time has come to send you home, my dear human.” Turning to Twilight, her smile turned sad. “Now is the time for any final words, Twilight.” Sniffing loudly, Twilight nodded and, tears beginning to drip down her face, she turned to look up at me. Her violet eyes glistened as she stared into mine.
“I realize that we didn’t get off to the best start all those months ago,” she said, her voice wavering slightly, “But I… I’m glad that I had the c-chance to get to know you. Also, t-thank you, for everything that you’ve done for me.”
~I didn’t do that much, Twilight~ I signed, shuffling awkwardly. After all, she had been mostly taking care of me for the past few months, providing food, shelter and comfort. I just lived with her, making her laugh and smile when needed, as well as providing manual labor when required.
“You did enough,” she sighed. Closing her eyes, she dragged a foreleg across her eyes, trying to dry them, yet the tears continued to come. She looked like she wanted to say something else to me, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out. She continued to look up at me, and I could see her composure slowly slipping. That sight alone nearly broke my heart. The voices surged forward, the volume of their whispers increasing slightly.
Tell her you’re planning on staying. Tell her; make her feel better!
Before I could, however, Twilight seemed to give up on her attempts to speak. Instead, she turned quickly and trotted to the doors. Flinging them open, she rushed out of the throne room before slamming the doors shut behind her. I watched her go with a frown. I hope she doesn’t go too far.
The sound of hooves behind me snapped me back to the moment at hand. I turned to see Celestia slowly approaching me while Luna remained standing on the steps to the throne.
“Don’t worry too much about her; she’ll be fine,” Celestia said, draping a wing over my shoulders. “I’ll go talk to her after we are done here.” Releasing me from her wing, she turned and headed back up to stand next to Luna. I positioned myself at the bottom of the steps, gazing up at the two alicorns.
“Now then, this is a fairly simple spell,” Celestia began, her horn beginning to glow softly. “It requires nothing from you, other than for you to not move. Both Luna and I shall cast the spell, and you should feel a slight tingling sensation before you shall be transported back to your home. Although,” a sheepish smiled flashed across her muzzle, “we don’t know where exactly on your world you’ll end up.”
That means that if I go through with this, I might end up in some third world country with no way to get back to home. Or even worse: the spell could transport me to the middle of the ocean. All the more reason to stay here, where I’m safe. This whole process was leading to too many uncertainties, and I didn’t feel comfortable with it. There was no telling what was waiting for me back home, but now Celestia was telling me that they didn’t know where they were sending me. What if I ended up somewhere bad? I would have no money, no means to communicate back home. I could even end up in a country that spoke a language I didn’t even know.
And that was if I ended up on land. There was the large possibility that I could end up in the middle of the ocean. Good luck surviving that, the voice in my head chuckled. As I looked back up at the princesses, both of which had their horns surrounded by a magical glow and their eyes glowing white, I made up my mind on what I was going to do, although a small part of me disagreed with it. That last bit of information that Celestia provided me was the final nail in the coffin: I was sure of what I wanted to do.
“Alright, young one,” Celestia said, a smile touching her lips as the power radiated from her in waves. “Are you ready to go home?” It was at that moment that I felt a huge surge of… something deep within me. It welled up from within my very soul, coursing through my veins like molten metal. I felt my body react first, my mind close behind it. As I looked up at the princesses getting ready to send me back to Earth, I took a deep breath…
…and shook my head. I don’t think that either princess was expecting an actual answer, let alone that one in particular. So it came as no surprise that I caught both of them off guard. Instantly both of their magical auras disappeared, the power emanating from them ceasing to flow. Their eyes returned to normal and they gaped at me, shocked expressions adorning their faces.
“N-no?” Celestia stuttered, looking at me as though I had grown a second head. I shook my head again, more firmly this time.
“There is no need to fear,” Luna said. “This spell will not harm you in any way.” Still I shook my head. They both stared at me in confusion, unsure of what to do.
“Thou does realize that this spell will take you home,” Luna said in the same tone a teacher would use with a student who was having difficulty in class. “We can send you back to your own world.” Again, I shook my head, but this time I offered an explanation.
~I’m already home~ Now it was the sisters’ turn to shake their heads at me.
“No,” Celestia said, shaking her head slightly “You are not home. This isn’t your home world. We are trying to send you back—”
~What you are trying to do~ I signed, interrupting her, ~is kill me~ Celestia looked as if I had kicked her in the gut with a steel-toed boot. She gazed down at me, a shocked and hurt expression on her face.
“I thought I made it clear when we met yesterday that I mean you no harm,” she said, her voice low. “We are just trying to help you.”
“In what way could we possibly be trying to kill thee?” Luna asked, sounding slightly irritated at the accusation.
~You claim you can send me home, but that you can’t send me to a specific location~
“That is correct,” Luna sniffed, tilting her head up slightly. “We fail to see the problem with that.”
~Did you consider how large my world is? Or the fact that the surface of my entire planet is seventy percent water? That’s a very high probability that I will be ending up in the middle of a huge body of water, with no way to reach shore safely~ Both of them reeled back at that. I just stared at them incredulously. Seriously? Neither of them had thought of that?
“T-that may be true, but I don’t think—” Celestia began, but I cut her off again.
~Not to mention the fact that you can’t send me to my own country. There’s nearly two hundred countries in my world, and that’s not counting the land that isn't inhabited~ My mind immediately snapped to images of me landing in another desert, or a dense jungle, or possibly Antarctica. That would be a great way to die; standing around with a bunch of penguins. The two of them continued staring at me with wide eyes. Luna mouthed “two hundred countries” when I mentioned them, a look of awe on her face.
~If it’s all the same to you two~ I signed, looking up at the stunned princesses, ~I’d prefer to stay here, rather than risk dying back home~ They stood there, mouths agape as they stared down at me, their brains working overtime to figure out what had just happened. I could almost see the smoke coming from their ears.
Celestia was the first of the two to recover. Shaking her head, she blinked down at me, “But, what about your friends? Your family?”
~I’ve been gone for nearly five months now~ I replied, keeping my face neutral. ~There are no possible leads for any investigation to follow. I disappeared out of a busy location, and nobody saw me leave. My…~ I paused, trying to figure out a word to replace ‘car’ ~carriage was still there, so I couldn’t have left that way.
~five months is a long time to stay hopeful when there is no evidence to be had. By now everyone probably thinks I’m dead and gone~
“Even more reason to go back to your world,” Celestia countered. “You can alleviate their worries, make your family whole again!”
~And leave Twilight all alone?~ I asked before I could stop myself. My face lit up instantly as a smile quickly spread across Celestia’s face.
“Ah, I see. So there is another reason for you wanting to stay,” she said smugly, her eyes drifting towards the doors Twilight had just exited out of. “So it seems that you’ve become close to somepony during your stay here?” My blush deepened as Celestia laughed. “It appears that may be the case.” Leaning back, Celestia folded her wings as she looked down at me.
“It’s an odd request, given the circumstances around you,” she said, her voice calm. “Have you given this much thought? You do realize that you’re basically going to be living in a land where your species is less intelligent than what you are used to, right?” I nodded, keeping my eye locked on hers. “And you’re sure that you don’t want to return home?” I nodded again, a determined look on my face; I wasn’t budging.
“Even after almost dying several times?” Celestia asked suddenly, tilting her head slightly.
~No world is perfect~ I replied, a small smile on my face. ~My world is as dangerous as your world, except in different ways. Here I run the risk of getting attacked by a manticore. Back home, I’m at risk of getting in a fatal accident while going to work, or getting shot and mugged. There is always a risk wherever you live. It’s how you deal with it that matters~
Celestia studied my face for a few more seconds, a troubled look on her face, before she sighed heavily and giving me a small smile.
“Well, I can’t say that I was expecting this, but I guess if that is your wish, then I have no problem with it, so long as none of my ponies come to any harm because of it,” she said. Luna just continued to stare off into space, blinking every so often. “In that case, I have but one real requirement if you are going to be staying in Equestria, Max.” I looked up at her curiously, tilting my head to the side. “Please, I know that after all you’ve been through it’s not my place to make demands, but I must ask that you continue to make Twilight as happy as you possibly can—” her gaze turned icy and her voice steely as she glared down at me “—for if you cause her to become hurt in any way, I will make you wish you had returned to your world.” I gulped nervously, but nodded, trying hard to stop my entire body from shivering. There was that god again, staring down at me with all the authority of fate itself.
I clenched my fist, trying to steady my nerves. If she thinks I’ll go down without a fight, she has another thing coming.
~I wouldn’t dream of hurting her~ I replied stiffly. ~She means too much to me~
“Good. Now then, what do you think, Luna?” Celestia asked, turning to her sister. “You’ve been fairly quiet this entire time. Do you have anything to add?” Luna didn’t seem to hear her, however, continuing to stare at something just over my head. I glanced back to see what had fascinated her, but I couldn’t see anything.
“Luna?” Celestia asked, nudging her with a hoof. “Lulu, are you okay?”
“Two hundred countries…” Luna’s voice was so quiet that we could barely understand what she had said. Celestia looked back at me, and I just shrugged my shoulders.
“Could you repeat that?”
“Two hundred countries,” Luna said, a bit louder this time. “He said that there were nearly two hundred countries on his world.” She finally blinked, her eyes darting down to look at me. Swallowing, she cleared her throat before she spoke again, “Could you possibly tell us how many humans inhabit your world?” I blinked at the odd request, but couldn’t see the harm behind it.
~Last time I checked before ending up in Equestria, there were around seven billion humans estimated to be living on Earth~ This caused both of them to yelp in shock.
“Seven billion!?” Celestia asked, her voice cracking slightly. I frowned, unsure of what the big deal was.
~Yeah, that’s right. Why?~ Luna and Celestia looked at each other, sheepish smiles spreading across their faces.
“No wonder we underestimated his world,” Celestia said to Luna, who nodded in agreement. Turning back to me, Celestia smiled apologetically. “You see, my dear human, there are currently only around 4 million ponies alive on Equus right now, and we don’t exactly know the number of humans living here. We thought your world would be similar, so we didn’t account for it being as large as you claim.” I nodded, smiling as it all clicked in my head.
There was one thing, though, that I had to make sure of. Glancing up at the two princesses, I gave each of them a nervous smile, ~So, I can stay… right?~ Both of them smiled warmly down at me, calming my nerves.
“If that is what you wish,” Luna said, “then we have no problems with it. In fact, we believe that you might not be the only one who favors that decision.” Her eyes flickered to the doors, the same ones Twilight had exited out of. My blush returned and I glanced off to the side, causing them both to chuckle.
~I actually have two requests of my own~ They both looked at me curiously. ~First, I would like to know if the passage home is still open should I change my mind~
“At any moment should you wish to return home, you are free to do so,” Celestia said, dipping her head slightly. “We will not force you to stay in Equestria against your will, nor will we force you to return to your own world if you are uncomfortable doing so.”
~Okay, thanks~ I signed with a smile. ~And secondly, could you send a letter to my family back on Earth?~
“I don’t see why not,” Celestia said, cocking her head to the side. “But didn’t you say that you weren’t sure if you were going to end up anywhere near home? It will be the same for the letter.”
~I’ll put my family’s address on it when we send it through. If it gets to them is up to chance, but I would like to send one, just in case~
“I see no problem with that,” Luna said, moving to stand next to her sister. “When you have finished the letter, have Twilight send it to us and we will transport it back to your old world.”
~Thank you, your majesties~ I said, bowing slightly. Celestia giggled, which caused both me and Luna to look at her in confusion.
“Sorry,” she said, waving a hoof in the air. “It’s just, I think that’s the first time you’ve actually used the term ‘your majesty’ to either of us. I wasn’t expecting it.” Her eyes sparkled merrily as she continued, “Please be aware that if you are indeed staying here, you will have to live with the majority of the world treating you like an animal. Unfortunately, there is little either of us can do at the moment to change that. There are certain laws in place that help protect humans from neglect and abuse, but other than that we cannot do much more due to the fact that they are animals.
"That being said, I realize that you are a special case, and I promise that Luna and I will help you with any problem that may come up. Should anything happen to you, or should anypony treat you badly, please don’t be afraid to write to us. Either Spike or Twilight can get a hold of us quickly enough.” I smiled, nodding as she spoke. “Now then, if there is nothing else that you wish to discuss, I do believe that a certain pony needs a little comforting.” Her eyes flicked again to the door, a smirk on her face again. Rolling my eyes, I bowed again before turning around and heading towards the large golden doors.
Reaching them, I placed my hands on them and pushed. They swung open and I exited the throne room. I glanced back as the doors slowly began to close behind me. Luna was still standing there, smiling kindly at me. Celestia’s smile, however, was absent on her face. Instead, she was looking at me with a troubled expression, her eyes narrowing slightly as I looked at her. It wasn’t an angry look, or an accusing one. It was almost like she didn’t know what to think at the moment.
I locked eyes with her for a split second before the door closed and they both were lost from view.
~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~
I found Twilight lying in the center of the main hall, crying her eyes out. There were no guards around, so it was just me and her. As I watched her sob into her forelegs, I sighed softly, saddened to see her like this.
In her state, she didn’t appear to have heard the doors open behind her, or else she didn’t care who it was. Walking silently over, I stood beside her, trying to think about how to proceed. As I stood there, she obviously felt my presence, but mistook me for Celestia.
“W-why?” she asked, not raising her head. Her voice was broken, and she sounded as if the world itself was coming to an end. I didn’t know I meant that much to her, I thought, staring down at her. “W-why did this have to h-happen? Why d-did he have to l-leave me?”
Now, I knew that this mare lying there, sobbing, on the floor was crying because of me, and I knew that I should probably handle this delicately. Unfortunately, my inner jackass was acting up, and I just couldn’t resist.
~Don’t worry, Twilight. There are plenty of fish in the sea. You’ll find the perfect stallion someday~ Her ears twitched and she stopped crying as her brain slowly processed what she had just heard. Someone was standing next to her, using hoof-language to talk to her. Slowly, she lifted her head and turned to see who was standing by her side. When her gaze landed on my feet, her eyes widened. Slowly her gaze rose, her mouth hanging open till she was staring up into my smiling face.
She stared up at me, stunned, for several seconds before speaking. Her voice cracked slightly as she did so, “M-m-max? Is… is t-that really you?” I raised an eyebrow, still smiling down at her.
~You know any other human that’s this good looking?~ She gawked up at me, still not believing what she was seeing.
“B-but, I thought y-you were going h-home!”
~I am. Let’s get going, shall we?~ I reached down and picked her limp body up. Lifting her over my shoulder, I placed her on my back piggyback style, wincing as my stitches pulled slightly. She clung to me in disbelief as I made my way out of the palace, descending the steps into the city.
As I walked through the streets, ponies stopped and stared at us, whispering to each other behind their hooves. Some of them even looked horrified at their princess’s scandalous behavior, but I didn’t care. I don’t think Twilight did either, as she was too busy staring at me in confusion.
“B-but, I thought you were going home,” she repeated after several minutes. “To your own world!”
~Change of plans; I decided I like Equestria more. Looks like I’m staying~ I spotted the train station in the distance and began picking my way through the crowd towards it.
“B-but… why?” she asked simply, hooves shifting slightly on my back as she repositioned herself into a more comfortable position.
~Don’t question it. Just go with it~ She became quiet again, and I glanced over my shoulder at her. She was staring off into the distance, a blank expression on her face. Her fur on her cheeks were still wet, but her tears had stopped flowing.
“So, you’re staying here… with me?” she whispered, looking back at me.
~Yeah, you’re stuck with me~ I smiled, nodding my head. A smile slowly spread across her face. ~Besides, I did promise that you would have to put up with me for many years still, right? Don’t want Pinkie to think I’ve broken a promise~ Her smile continued to grow, tears of happiness starting to flow from her eyes. Suddenly, she leaned down and nuzzled the top of my head happily. I couldn’t help but chuckle at that as I reached up and scratched behind her ears. She murmured happily into my head as we continued towards the train station.
As we drew nearer to the station, I sighed happily, content with what had transpired in the throne room. I was overjoyed that the princesses had allowed me to continue living here, with Twilight, even if Celestia was troubled by something. I knew that it probably wasn’t going to be easy living in a world like this, but with Twilight by my side, I was sure that I would be ready for the challenges.
If someone else was in my shoes, they might have made a different decision. Hell, I was fairly sure that most people might argue that what I did was stupid.
I wouldn't care about their opinion, however, because in my heart I knew: I was homeward bound. Back to Ponyville, and the friends I’ve made there. I was pretty sure with their help, as well as the help of Twilight and the princesses, my life was going to start looking up.
As Twilight wrapped her wings around me, the scent of lavender surrounded me and I inhaled deeply. As we reached the station, a single, happy thought drifted across my mind, making me smile slightly as I reached up and stroked the inside of Twilight’s wings absentmindedly. The voice in the back of my head purred at the thought, but I chose to ignore it. After all, it was good to be home.
~ ~ ~ ~ > > ? ? ? < < ~ ~ ~ ~
I sighed happily as I watched Max walk back towards the train station, the Alicorn of Magic perched upon his shoulders. I feared for a moment that he would choose to leave, causing the poor alicorn’s heart to break. I didn’t want to think what would have happened to the Elements if that was the case.
I hovered in the air, keeping an eye on the silent human as he slowly disappeared into the crowd. I hadn’t been too sure about him when he had first arrived, but after watching what he had managed to accomplish in the time he had been in Equestria, my view of him had changed completely. It was because of this that I was actually willing to help him.
If it had not been for my intervention and assistance, he would be nothing but a blubbering mess of nerves, and a panic attack away from taking his own life. I had protected his mind from the worst of the horror he had went through, sheltering his sanity.
A smile touched my lips as I thought back to the moment we had first met; him lying there, dying, as his mind floated in the darkness. I had given him the spark needed to keep himself alive long enough to receive medical attention.
“He has such kind eyes,” I whispered to myself, “for one that has been through so much.” I blinked as a wave of pressure descended upon me. Turning my head, I glanced in the general direction of the Royal Gardens. There was only one creature I knew of that could cause that kind of magical pressure.
“Discord…” I breathed, my wings flaring slightly as I glared at the horizon. He was happy about something, but I didn’t know what it was. I knew that he had been manipulating the Sun Alicorn's mind yesterday evening, but I wasn’t sure what his endgame was.
It didn’t matter, however. We had beaten him twice before; three times if you count his current predicament, and we could beat him again.
“Although,” I muttered, turning my gaze back towards the train station. “We might need some help this time…"