//------------------------------//
// Sorry, your Princess is in... 
// Story: My Little Journal 
// by Brolkier 
//------------------------------//

Hello anyone...anypony reading this. Not sure how much difference it makes now. I just got back from Canterlot this afternoon, and I think that might speak for itself.

It's been over a month now, since I awoke in Equestria, and I get the feeling that there will be many more to come. But, perhaps I should recap again, seeing as how I didn't do any entries on my way to, and from, Canterlot.

Well, after working in Cloudsdale for the rest of my first month here, I had finally gotten enough money to buy a train ticket to Canterlot, to meet the Princess. Also, I had been able to get a couple days of work off at the Cloudsdale Archives, after telling the curator that I needed some time to sort out some personal things. Before I had actually bought the ticket, I flew back down to Ponyville, to ask Twilight if she and/or any of her friends wanted to come along with me to see Princess Celestia. Twilight was more than happy to go, but the rest of the mane six already had prior engagements to attend to, and couldn't leave.

The next day, Twilight and I went down to the train station, and bought our tickets. I had offered to buy Twilight's as well, but she politely turned down my offer, telling me that she didn't want me to waste my hard earned bits, especially since I had an apartment to keep up with too. We bought our tickets and waited for the train.

Needless to say, I was very excited. I was finally on my way to meeting Princess Celestia, and figuring out whether or not I could go home, or at the very least, try and change my situation here some. *Cough* Pink mare *cough*. I knew that the train ride was going to be a fairly long one, but I decided to run through what I was going to say in my head again, while I sat there waiting. I'd never spoken with royalty before, especially not fictional royalty, so I wanted to make sure I made a good impression at least. Although, I guess you could call this "real" royalty. I asked Twilight for any pointers she could give me, and she replied by saying that I should just be myself. Hopefully I wouldn't lock up when I spoke with her, like I kind of do when I speak with high ranking officers in the real world.

Eventually, the train finally arrived, and Twilight, myself, and the rest of the ponies waiting at the station boarded. The train wasn't that crowded, so Twilight and I were able to get seats across from each other next to one of the windows. I always enjoy watching the scenery fly by, and getting to see this scenery was no exception.

Now, whenever we'd watch the trains traveling in the show, we'd always see either the same prepared backgrounds, over and over again, or a quick bit of originality while the scene progresses. I wondered what I would get to see, now that I was actually on the inside of the train. Would I still see the same scenes like the animators had drawn, or would I get to see something completely unique and original? The train took off, and I soon got my answer.

I suppose I should also point out that there's a bit of a loop around in the tracks, so that the train can head back in the other direction, or come in from a different way. Hopefully this sheds a little light on how the Ponyville train survived when the Crystal train came barreling down in that recent Discord episode.

That also reminds me, I haven't been able to keep up with the episodes since I've been here! Now I'll have no clue if they ever get that box open! If anyone in the real world gets this entry, and they finally manage to open the box in the show, please find a way to tell me what happens!!!

Getting back on track, so to speak (ha ha). The scenery was amazing! I've never ridden a non-subway train in the real world, so that made what I was seeing all the more spectacular. There were sights and spectacles that the writers and animators could never dream of creating. Fluid moving waterfalls, gentle windblown fields, effortless clouds in the sky, and just plain countryside that had just about gone away back where I'm originally from. I should ride trains more often!

While I had my eyes glued to the window, I eventually noticed that Twilight had been looking at me, and was trying to say something. I finally pulled my head away from the window, and asked her if she could repeat herself. She commented on how happy I looked, looking out the window, and that I should try looking out the other side too. While that would've been the typical tourist thing to do, since I was still relatively a tourist here myself, I told her that I would admire the other side's view on the way back. That way, I wouldn't miss anything on each trip. Although, I did decide to stop my sightseeing for a bit, since I figured that Twilight would point something out if anything good was coming up.

It had been a long while since Twilight and I had done the turn question game, so I started asking more questions about the world here. In my month’s time here, I had been able to find out the answers to a lot of questions that I had originally had, both canon and non-canon related, but there were a few things that I wanted to know that I still hadn't gotten the chance to figure out yet. I asked Twilight if she knew anything about a magic mirror in the Crystal Empire, and I was met with a no. Personally, while I was still a little confused on how she'd still done things during the time when she would've been an Alicorn in the real world, I was glad that the whole EG thing hadn't happened. Rest easy Bronies, your OC-ships are still safe.

Now her turn, Twilight asked me what my first plans were when/if I got back to my world. I told her that I would most likely try to figure out "when" I was first, before deciding what to do from there. Since I don't know the time correlation difference between these worlds, I would want to see exactly how long I've been gone.

For my next question, I decided to dive into more fandom made related questions. I asked her if she'd ever seen a blue box appear and/or disappear in Ponyville, or anywhere for that matter. She didn't seem to quite understand what kind of box I might be talking about, but said that had seen blue boxes of all different sizes around Ponyville. I quickly snuck in another question by asking if she'd seen Derpy near any of the blue boxes, and she told me that she had, but only walking by one. My guess is if the Doctor does exist in this world, then he's doing a good job of keeping a low profile.

For her next question, Twilight asked what was different about her world now, compared to what I already knew about it, before being here. During short conversations in the past, I had mentioned to her that her world was a little off from what I knew, but I didn't want to get into great specifics, since I still wasn't sure what kind of turn the world was going to/could take. Getting a bit complacent, since I had strong hope that I could possibly be leaving this world soon, I decided to tell her about a few of the bigger differences that I had noticed in this world. I told her about the conflicts that she would/should have faced by now in the show (i.e. Discord, Chrysalis, and Sombra). I also told her about her becoming an Alicorn, and about the mysterious box that she and her friends were still trying to open back in the show in the real world.

Again, I hope I haven't missed it yet. TELL ME!

Twilight was amazed at all the different kinds of events that had supposedly happened in her life, and wondered if they would ever happen to her here. I told her that at this rate they most likely wouldn't, since from what she had told me so far, she had already done things that were supposed to, and did happen, before and after each of the events. Although, I told her not to give up on the Alicorn thing, since there was always the possibility that she could achieve that some other way in this new-ish world.

I followed with my next question by asking what her plans would be once/if I was gone. I figured it would only be fair to ask what she planned to do once/if this was over, since she had asked me. Twilight told me that she wasn't exactly sure. She guessed that she would continue with her life like she had already been doing, but that she wanted to make some way to remember me by. She said that she thought about writing a book about me, including all of "my" adventures here, and about this whole situation, and suggested that perhaps I could do the same for my time here. I don't know if I could write a giant book on everything that I've seen and done here, since back in my world this was all just a TV show, but I'm sure I could make a really good fan fiction about all of this.

I didn't really blame her though, if she just continued on with her life as if none of this ever happened, or if this was all just like another episode played out back in my world, and things moved on afterwards. Since I have no clue how I got here, or even how I would get back if I left here, moving on just seems like the most likely thing to happen. However, I was still up in the air on whether I would even leave if I could, once I got to Canterlot, so I didn't let it get to me too much.

I would guess that we were around half-way to Canterlot, when Twilight asked her last question, before I went back to sightseeing out the window. She asked me if there might be somepony waiting for me when I got back. I don't know if she was thinking about the whole possible time difference as well, but I understood what she was asking. If I was still asleep in my bed in the barracks, then probably not. If I woke up from a coma after some time, then maybe. If it turned out that the time gap between our worlds was extreme, then I think I'd be more concerned with how I was still alive, rather than who was there. I could tell that my answer made her a little sad, since I kind of made it sound like no one seemed to care about me back in my world, which wasn't true, but came off that way I suppose. I have plenty of friends that I had made over the course of my life and work, but due to the hours and location(s) of my job, I didn't really have time to find the somepony that Twilight was most likely talking about. I told her that one way or another, everything would be fine, and that I was sure I'd find that somepony eventually. I made a little joke by saying; "Who knows? Maybe Princess Celestia will send you back with me, and you could be that somepony?" We laughed it off, and I could tell it made her feel a little better.

The train continued on for about another hour, until Canterlot finally came into view. Seeing it in the show is one thing, but when you're actually there, it's a lot bigger and much grander. The train pulled into the station, and all of the ponies, including Twilight and myself, got off. I thought about looking around first, but I wanted to make sure that I could actually visit the Princess, so I told Twilight that I was going to head to the castle first. She agreed with my decision, and the two of us headed towards the castle.

As we walked, we passed by several different regal Unicorns, all caught up in their lavish lifestyles, and seemingly too busy to give us much mind. Guess I shouldn't be surprised that this aspect of Equestria didn't change. We even passed by a couple book stores, and I caught Twilight turning her head to look inside each time. Eventually, we passed by a particular book store, where Twilight stopped in her tracks and gawked at the display inside. There was apparently a new Star Swirl the Bearded book for sale, and Twilight had her face glued to the glass window, just like I had mine to the window of the train. I told her that she could go ahead and get the book now if she wanted to, and that I would meet her at the castle. She said thanks, before zipping inside the store. Pinkie probably could have done it faster, but when it came to books, Twilight was still pretty quick.

I continued to make my way through the streets, using the top of the castle in the distance as a reference. Granted I could have just flown over there, but I wanted to take in some of the sites on the ground while I was there. I finally arrived at the front gate of the castle, and was stopped by the guards posted outside. They asked me to state my business, and I told them that I was here to see Princess Celestia. They asked for my name, and I told them Cloudy Airy. The guards looked at each other, but didn't seem to react to the name at all. I told them that a letter had been sent by Twilight Sparkle for me to the Princess, and that I had been told to show up here in person. The guards still didn't seem to respond. I felt like I was talking to one of the British guards that never spoke, nor moved, but was at least granted a little of both here. They told me that the Princess could not be bothered at this time, due to visiting dignitaries, and that I'd have to wait. So wait I did.

I sat on the ground a little ways away, looking around the whole time. The guards just stood there, staring out in the same direction the entire time. I considered just using my wings to fly over them and into the castle, but when I stretched one of my wings out, one of the guards advised me not try it. I told them that I was just stretching my wings, but I don't think they bought it. I wasn't sure what was taking Twilight so long. I would have figured that she'd be in and out of the store in a flash, but she must have found some more books to get.

I must have sat there for at least ten minutes, until I finally noticed some movement from within the castle. I looked up, and saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna flying away in their Pegasus drawn chariot. I tried yelling to get the Princesses' attention, and started to fly away, but was quickly stopped by one of the guards using their magic to hold me in place. I yelled at them to let me go, but the guard kept a firm grip with his magic, as the Princesses got further and further away. I lost my temper a bit, and demanded that the guard let me go, saying things like; he shouldn't dare hold a mare against her will, and that I had traveled all this way on official business, and that he had no right to stop me. The guard used his magic to lower me back to the ground, while the other guard used his own magic to tie a rope around me, preventing me from using my wings.

I was about to drop some harsh human lingo on the guards, when Twilight finally showed up, and asked what was going on. She used her magic to undo the rope around me, and asked the guards why they had done that to me. I tried to use the distraction to escape, but the guards used their magic to hold me down once again. Twilight almost said; "Let 'him' go." to the guards, but quickly caught herself and said "her" instead. The guards told Twilight that they couldn't let me go, since I was trying to chase after the Princesses, who had already disappeared from view. She told them that I was here to see the Princess thanks to a letter that she had sent a month ago, and the guards looked at each other again, this time seeming to believe the story. They let me go, but told me not to try flying off again.

Not that the timing would have made much difference, but I probably should have come to the castle with Twilight first, instead of by myself. I could have avoided the whole tying up mess at least. The guards told us that either way, now that neither of the Princesses were in the castle we couldn't enter, even though I had Twilight with me. I let out a distraught sigh, before sitting back on the ground. I had finally traveled all this way to talk to Princess Celestia, and now she had flown away to who knows where. Twilight reassured me that it was going to be okay, and the two of us began to walk back into the town. As we were walking away, Twilight turned back to the guards, and asked if she could receive a letter once the Princess had returned. The guards responded that they would, and we continued walking.

That night felt like the longest night I have had so far. I don't remember if I've said that already, but this felt like the new longest if so. After wandering around Canterlot for the rest of the day, Twilight and I put up for the night at a hotel. I didn't sleep very well, as I was still concerned about the disappointment of coming here, that, and about the nightmare I had.

I've already explained about the kinds of dreams that I've had since I've been here. The whole human and pony combination dreams and the like, but this one was different. This time, I was looking through the eyes of presumably another pony, as they were walking around in the darkness. Eventually, the scenery changed to that of the hedge maze in the castle garden, and after taking several different turns, ended up in the opening in the center, where we/I was greeted to the statue of Discord. He was still the boastful stone version of himself, when the Princesses had first sealed him, but soon, things began to change...for the worse.

The statue slowly started to move, and the stone was replaced with Discord's regular skin and appendages, only they were becoming much more demonic. A crooked smile appeared on his face, and his eyes glowed a blood red, before everything turned a dark black, and in a horror game style distorted voice, he said; "You're going to be trapped here FOREVER! HA HA HA!"

I woke up in a cold sweat. I stared out the open window on the wall, as I sat up in my bed. It was already morning, and Twilight was starting to wake up in her own bed. After she was up, we both went downstairs, and checked out of the hotel. We stopped by a café for breakfast, before making out way back to the castle. Twilight had received her letter saying that the Princesses had returned last night, but I had already fallen asleep by that point. When we arrived at the front gate, the two previous guards had changed out with new ones, and they let us in.

As we walked inside the castle, and up the stairs, I looked out one of the windows overlooking the garden below. I could see the statue of Discord down below, and thought back to my nightmare. I shook it off, as we were about to enter the Princesses' throne room.

I had already seen the room from different angles and perspectives, thanks to the show and fan works, so I wasn't as taken aback, as most ponies probably were, seeing it for the first time. Princess Celestia greeted us as we approached. Twilight bowed, and I followed suit. Princess Luna was by her sister's side, but she remained quiet. Princess Celestia asked her student what brought her here today, and asked who I was. Twilight introduced me to the Princesses, then re-stated what she had originally written in her letter a month ago. A surprised shock took both of the Princesses' faces, before Princess Celestia spoke.

She said that she thought that I might have changed my mind on coming, since it had been so long since she had received the letter regarding my situation. I told her that I would have tried to get here sooner, but that I had been trying to save up for a ticket to come here first. She told me that given the circumstances, I could have asked for an escort train to get here, as soon as I had received the reply to Twilight's letter. A slight twitch came to my eye, but I shook my head, before speaking again.

I explained my situation again, in as much detail as I could, and asked if there was anything that she or anypony could do to help me. She told me that after the initial letter, she and her sister had tried searching through the old Canterlot archives, but that they could not find anything to help any of my predicaments.

Princess Luna then spoke, saying that aside from returning me home, the only one who would have the kind of power to fix my other issues, was the Draconequus; Discord. However, he was still trapped in stone, down in the Canterlot gardens, and they had no plans to free him at any time. Thinking back to his magic/antics in the show, and how I just had a nightmare involving him, I should have figured that he would be the only one to help me. However, even I knew that I couldn't very well have him released, just so he could try and help me. Besides, unless he was reformed, and Fluttershy had him under her stare, I'm pretty sure he would only half-step help me anyway.

Princess Celestia apologized to me, saying that she wished she could do more, but that a situation like mine has never once happened before in Equestria. She tried to give me some hope, by saying that she had heard tales of ponies in other parts of the world, whom were able to change the color of their bodies. I thanked her for the attempt, but declined, stating that just coloring myself to look more like my OC, wouldn't make me feel any better. Needless to say, both the Princesses, and every other pony in the room, aside from Twilight, were confused at the term: OC. I told her that it was a term from my world, but that I'd rather not talk about it right now.

With my hope to ever return home just about gone, I asked the Princesses if Twilight and I could be dismissed, since I had a lot to think about now. The Princesses agreed to my request, telling me that if I ever wanted to speak with them again, that she would tell her guards to allow me to roam the castle and grounds, just as she allowed Twilight. I thanked them, but asked them to remind their guards to be a bit more courteous to ponies. Just because I was a stallion in a mare's body (so to speak), that didn't mean that I was alright with getting tied up and held against my will, just for trying to get somepony's attention. Princess Celestia said that she would have a talk with her guards, and then Twilight and I left.

On our way out of the castle, I asked Twilight if we could visit Discord's statue before we left. I half expected her to say that it was probably not a good idea right now, but she seemed to trust me, and agreed. We made our way through the garden, until we came to the statue. We both looked on at the statue, Discord still seeming quite proud of himself, even behind a sheet of stone. I took a few steps toward it, until I could have put my hoof on him. I heard a slight ringing in my ear, closed my eyes, and brought a hoof to my head, trying to get rid of the ringing. As if by telepathy, I heard Discord speak to me in my head. Talking in his normal voice, he said; "I told you that you'd be trapped here forever." I opened my eyes and backed away from the statue. Twilight asked what was wrong, but I just said aloud; "You don't need to tell me twice." I turned around to leave the garden, and Twilight followed with me.

The train ride back was a quite one. I stared out the window almost the entire time, not saying a word. Twilight had a concerned look almost the entire time as well, but didn't bother to pry into anything. When we got back to Ponyville, Twilight tried speaking to me. She told me that it was going to be alright, and that she and her friends would be there for me. I thanked her, told her that I knew, and said that I just needed some time to think everything over. She nodded with a smile, and I gave a saddened smile back, before opening up my wings, and taking off back for Cloudsdale.

When I got back to my apartment, I let myself in, and closed the door behind me. I slowly made my way over to my bed, before collapsing on top of it, crying. All the emotions, feelings, and thoughts that had run through me since I arrived here, all came in at once. I'm going to be stuck here. I'll never see my home again. My family, friends, co-workers, gone, maybe forever. I'll either have to wait for whatever force that brought me here to send me back, or remain here for the rest of my life.

I cried for a good solid five minutes, until whatever thought process that exists in my brain, managed to convince me to stop crying, and move on. It wasn't a feeling or process that I enjoyed, but I knew it had to be done. I sat up on my bed in silence, wiping away any tears that were left on my face. I looked over at my journal scroll, but continued to sit on my bed for a little longer. Eventually, I got up, and made my way over to write this entry. I'm still not sure how I managed to write all of this, without getting any leftover tear drops on it, but perhaps for anyone else out there reading this, it won't matter.

If these entries of mine really are making it back to the real world somehow, I only wish that I could follow that process.

From a fellow Brony in Ponyville;

Cloudy Airy.