Douglas was very thankful he did not have Guard duty the next day.
He slipped out before breakfast and made his way quickly to the University where he went to the cafeteria and bought himself breakfast. He studied in the library until it was time for class, and remained at the University for lunch. He did not come back home until late in the afternoon.
He half expected a note from the Prince or an order to see him or even the Prince himself standing in the lobby wanting to talk to him about his rebuff. But nothing came and Douglas went to the Guard common room and did homework until the others started coming in and getting ready for dinner.
Tempo was not present at dinner.
Douglas asked around and found that Ruby Rose had been on escort duty with Douglas’ day off. He went over and asked how Prince Tempo was doing.
‘He seemed a bit moody,’ Ruby said. ‘He only did office work before heading up to his suite. He asked for no one to disturb him except if it was you, Gleaming Shield, or Crystal Barrier. In that order.’
‘What did he do in there?’
‘I don’t think he did anything. I couldn’t hear anything inside the room, and usually you can hear his hoofsteps wandering around every once in a while. It’s almost like he just sat. The only thing I heard was “You are excused for the day, Ruby. Go ahead and join the others for dinner.” I don’t think he’s gonna join us.’
That evening in the Guard common room, things proceeded as normal but at a more subdued pace. Every once in a while they shot a look of confusion towards Douglas. Douglas knew they were waiting on him to explain what happened that caused him to come bolting into the common room, but he didn’t say a word.
Thankfully, aside from the looks, no one pressed the issue and Douglas, tired, was able to go to sleep that night.
But the thoughts of the Prince wouldn’t leave him alone.
The nightmares returned, this time with him in the Prince’s suite with Tempo saying Douglas had to lay with him otherwise he couldn’t stay. Douglas tried declining, tried explaining he couldn’t with the different biologies, but Tempo refused the explanation. His eyes burned like fire and suddenly the whole room was aflame and the only way out was the window.
Douglas jumped out the window but forgot there was an eighty foot drop. He leapt over the side anyways, only to see the Prince jumping over after him. Douglas felt spears being thrown at him again as he fell even though nothing came at him and the only trace he saw of them was the bleeding holes down his arms and sides and chest. He fell down, down, down...
But he didn’t hit the ground. The entirety of the Crystal Empire suddenly became a giant portal and he fell down into it, feeling the pull and the pain of being pulled to another world. Down he fell, down into blackness...
But the Prince’s magic had suddenly enveloped him and he was being pulled out and back towards the Prince. No matter how hard the force of the gate pulled at him, the strength of the Prince’s magic was stronger and Douglas was lifted up from the blackness and towards the Prince, no longer looking at him with flame in his eyes but a commanding yet benevolent presence.
You don’t belong there anymore, the Prince said in his dream. You belong with me.
Douglas woke up the next morning in a cold sweat.
He dressed and went off to breakfast with the other Guards like normal. But once again the Prince did not show up at breakfast, and there was much discussion among the Guard; no strange warning had been given, no reports of medics going up to the Prince’s suite, and the Night Guard all exited without any reports of suspicious activity. Prince D’Amore Temporus had been awake since early that morning, and had simply requested privacy.
After breakfast, Douglas prepared himself and checked out the most likely room befitting his schedule as of late. But Prince Tempo wasn’t in his office, and a quick check of the next floor revealed that none of the advisers had seen the Prince at all that morning. Which meant Douglas was supposed to go up to the suite.
Douglas used the key he’d been given and rose to the top floor in the lift. He walked over to the double crystal doors leading to the suite and found them open. He knocked on the door three times with a free hand.
‘Who is it?’ Prince Tempo asked quietly.
‘Douglas, your majesty,’ Douglas responded. ‘I’m here for escort duty.’
There was a long silence before the Prince answered. ‘Come in.’
The Prince was sitting on the balcony looking over the Crystal Empire. His back was to Douglas and he was very still, even his mane didn’t move despite the cooler air from outside. Douglas decided to position himself over by the door and listen in case anyone came to call on the Prince.
It was an odd fact that the Prince did not move while he sat. To Douglas, it had seemed like he had constantly been moving. Today he was as still as a statue. He sat completely forward, his ears perked up and facing forward. Even his tail, wrapped around him, was unmoving. It was mildly unsettling and Douglas wondered what could have caused it.
Of course, he had his suspicions, but he couldn’t be too sure that was what caused it. Tempo had gone and kissed him and he ran away without waiting for explanation. But surely if the Prince had wanted to explain, he would have struck up a conversation with Douglas even the following morning. Yet the Prince had kept a far away look in his eye and Douglas had gone to being stoic like any other guard.
Even so, Douglas did feel bad for the Prince. It had been a lovely evening at the botanical gardens. And for it all to crumble at the mere gesture that could have been entirely innocent was probably a bit much on Douglas’ part.
After a few hours of standing in place, Douglas shifted a little bit. Even the sound of his armor didn’t seem to disturb the Prince. Douglas decided to see if something was the matter himself.
‘Do you need something to eat, your majesty?’ Douglas asked.
Prince Tempo’s ear flicked. ‘No.’
‘How long has it been since you ate?’
‘I have not been neglectful, if that’s what you were wondering.’ The Prince’s voice was dark and hurt. ‘I ate this morning. But I did not wish to eat down there.’
‘Are you sick?’
‘No.’
‘...are you going to go downstairs?’
‘Eventually.’
Any further questioning was useless. Prince Tempo did not say another word in response to any of Douglas’ questions. He didn’t move either. The only movement that came from the Prince was the occasional levitation of a glass to get a drink of water. Even then, Douglas soon realized he probably had the room memorized enough that he didn’t even need to twitch to command it with his magic. There would be a sip of water and the room would fall back into silence.
Sometime in the evening, Tempo finally spoke. ‘You may go down to dinner, Douglas.’
‘...are you going to come down tonight?’
‘No.’
It occurred to Douglas that the Prince was choking and holding something back. He had a feeling that if the Prince said any more he’d burst out crying or potentially violent. ‘...do you want me to inform the cooks?’
There was a long silence. One word came from the Prince, and it sounded strained. ‘Please.’
Douglas quickly but quietly left the room and headed down in the lift. He went to the dining room and found the offshoot to the kitchens before delivering the notice that the Prince would take dinner in his room tonight.
The Guard common room was quiet that night after dinner. It was unheard of for most of them to have the Prince shut up for so long in his room. He’d always come down to breakfast and dinner and laugh and talk with the Guard at the beginning and end of the day. The fact that he was going on three days without speaking to anyone was surprising.
Everyone went to bed early. Douglas wished they didn’t, especially when he had the nightmare again, only this time there was a twinge of desperation in the Prince’s pleas to stay with him.
Douglas ate a quick and rudimentary breakfast before rushing himself up to the Prince’s suite. Once again he knocked and informed the Prince he was there, and once more the Prince let him come in. He was sitting on the balcony again as though he had not moved the whole night, though Douglas saw with some relief the bed seemed to be messy and unmade as though he’d recently removed himself from it. His mane was also slightly disheveled as though he’d slept on it.
Douglas took up his position by the door again and waited silently. He thought about starting a conversation but if the Prince was in much the same predicament as the previous afternoon of being on the verge of an outburst, he decided to stay quiet.
But Douglas soon moved his position from by the door to the entrance of the balcony. No one would be looking for the Prince, so Douglas was not worried about anyone coming by; if anyone did, he would hear them knocking or calling inside. He hardly moved and the Prince remained still as he approached and did not even turn around to acknowledge him.
Douglas was almost surprised when the Prince suddenly heaved a huge sigh.
‘...was it something I said?’ the Prince asked.
Douglas was both relieved that the Prince was actually speaking and yet unsure of how to respond. It was clear that Tempo was talking to him, but he wasn’t sure if he was waiting for a response.
‘I only wished to reach out. Not to push you away.’
Douglas remained silent. There was a slight tinge of melancholy in the Prince’s voice that made him feel bad for running away as he did on the night of the gala.
Tempo sighed again. ‘I meant it all,’ he choked. ‘Every last word. But was it too much too fast? Or was it simply the fact I said it?’
Douglas decided he had to interject at some point. ‘It was nothing you said, sir,’ he said.
Tempo stood up and turned around. Despite the brightness of his fur, he looked oddly dark as he turned into the shadow of the Crystal Palace to face Douglas. ‘...then why did you run?’
Douglas felt a tingle go up and down his spine. ‘Because you kissed me, sir.’
Tempo’s eyes narrowed and he looked like he was glaring at him. ‘Have you never been kissed before?’
Douglas looked around awkwardly for a moment before meeting the Prince’s eyes again. ‘Especially not in the way you did it, sir.’
‘Stop calling me “sir”!’ Tempo suddenly shouted, causing Douglas to jump and drop his shield with a clang. When Tempo continued, his voice was lower but still spitting and angry. ‘I don’t want any formalities out of you anymore while. No “sir”, no “your majesty”, no “Prince”. None of it.’
‘...what about in public?’
‘Even in public.’ The purple eyes seemed almost black in the shadow, sclera indistinguishable from pupil. ‘I don’t want you as just another Guard. I don’t care if you will stand out because you’re human. I don’t want you to become just another face in the crowd.’
‘Then what do you want me to be?’ Douglas asked. ‘I’m already your escort and lately I’ve been your friend. What more do you want me to be?’
Tempo opened his mouth a little but no sound came out. He merely let out a sigh and turned back around so he was facing away from the suite. ‘I want you to understand.’
‘You haven’t been very forthright,’ Douglas said. ‘You dodge the issue every time I ask; whatever reasons you have for putting me in this position are never clear. I won’t understand what you want me to understand unless you tell me!’
‘I have been!’ Tempo roared, ears flattening. ‘But you... every single time I did something I thought would bring you out further... you recoiled.’
‘I’m not used to this!’ Douglas retorted. ‘When I decided to take up the position of a Palace Guard, I had no idea that I would be taken on a flight of a city, eating private lunches, or being asked to attend a gala not as a Guard but as a-a-a partner! That’s not what happened in Canterlot, and it’s not what I expected from getting the position up here. So forgive me when I wonder what the hell is going on.’
‘Think about it, for Celestia’s sake!’ Tempo said, whirling back around and glaring at Douglas again.
Before Tempo could say any more, there was a knock at the door.
Tempo looked over to Douglas, who was still standing looking at the prince. ‘Well?’ Tempo said expectantly. ‘Why don’t you go answer it? Since you’re my Guard, after all.’
Douglas had the feeling Tempo’s words had a bit more venom in them than usual and gave him a disapproving look. The look caused Tempo’s entire face to suddenly droop before turning back around and giving a sniff. Douglas didn’t care for what the Prince thought of his look and turned around to walk to the door without saying another word.
Crystal Barrier was at the door. He saluted Douglas.
‘Afternoon, sir,’ he said. ‘There is a Gleaming Shield here.’
Douglas turned around to tell Tempo, but Crystal Barrier spoke up. ‘It’s not for the Prince, sir.’
Tempo’s ears perked up and Douglas turned back towards Barrier. ‘…then who is it for?’
‘You,’ Barrier replied. ‘Gleaming Shield wishes to speak with you in private, sir.’
Douglas turned around to Tempo, who had by now turned around to listen to the conversation in progress.
‘Douglas,’ he called, ‘you may go meet with Gleaming Shield. Return here when finished. Crystal Barrier, I need you to stand outside the door and let no one in until Douglas returns.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Crystal Barrier opened the door for Douglas before closing it and standing in the center of the double doors. Douglas stood in the hallway momentarily.
‘Where is she?’
‘Down in the main hall,’ Barrier responded. ‘You can use the lift to go down.’
Douglas nodded and entered the lift, pressing the down button. The lift slowly went down from the top floor of the palace and opened up to let Douglas into the main hall. As Crystal Barrier had said, the white unicorn with the electric blue mane was in the hall, looking out a window.
‘Douglas,’ she said. ‘It’s good to see you again, Lieutenant.’
‘Pleasure, Miss Shield.’ Douglas saluted.
Gleaming Shield saluted back, calm and composed, but as soon as her hoof went down she immediately turned to an almost panicked state. ‘Douglas, there are some things I need to speak with you about. Is there anywhere we can talk without anyone hearing?’
‘Perhaps the throne room. Prince Tempo is currently in his suite, so it is likely open.’
‘Very well. Let’s go.’
Gleaming Shield followed Douglas as they went into the next hall and up the stairs to enter the throne room. As Douglas suspected, it was unlocked and completely empty. Douglas opened the door for the unicorn and looked around for anyone watching them before shutting the door and locking it.
Gleaming Shield spoke in hushed voices. ‘How are you doing with Tempo thus far?’
‘He’s been a bit moody ever since we went to a gala at the botanical gardens,’ Douglas responded in an equally hushed tone. ‘I dare say the gala wore him out.’
Gleaming Shield nodded. ‘Look, I’ve received some word about what happened at that gala. I had ponies posted among the guests watching over the events.’
‘I saw a few when we were at the tables. But what do you mean when you say you received word about what happened?’
‘Princess Celestia sent a note personally to me saying that I watch over you. I need you to tell me what Prince Tempo told you that night; I heard some things from some plain-clothes ponies who were gauging reactions and want to see how it compares.’
Douglas thought back. ‘Well, he complained about the realities of being a Prince and how it wasn’t so glamorous. He told me he came for the gala simply to speak with the curator of the museum, to eat, and then leave. He also told me about how he was happy to have someone who wasn’t as stoic as the usual guard.’
‘There is a reason most of the guard are stoic,’ Gleaming Shield said. ‘They try not to draw attention to themselves.’
‘Have I been drawing too much attention to myself?’ Douglas asked. ‘Are you implying I should be stripped of my position?’
‘No. I’m thinking of seeing about transferring you back to my command because Tempo himself has drawn attention to you.’
‘Do they hate me?’
‘On the contrary. They think you’re more than just his guard. And yet it’s the happiest they’ve seen their prince and they can’t complain.’
‘So what’s so wrong about me being his friend?’
‘There was nothing odd to you about Tempo’s behavior?’
‘What do you mean? We simply ate, went to the dance floor, waltzed for one five-minute song, enjoyed the music for a while, then left.’
‘I had a guard report Tempo as nuzzling you and maintaining within a relatively short distance the entire time. He thought it strange, but as the evening wore on, more and more ponies thought it was more than a simple escort.’
Douglas suddenly froze. ‘You mean... it was possible Ancient Treasure meant it when he called me the Prince’s “consort”?’
‘Someone called you a “consort”? I almost want to laugh, except that’s quite a far way to go for someone who’s been here barely two months. And Ancient Treasure isn’t the only one; word has already spread amongst the ponies and some are talking like it’s final.’
‘Hold on a second. I don’t even know what a “consort” is.’
‘It means they think you are partners with the Prince.’
It took a minute to process. ‘No. Absolutely not. I am not like that. I probably found myself a little lost in the moment since Tempo’s been one of the first to treat me kindly around here, but it’s not like that.’
‘That’s why I want to transfer you. This behavior from the Prince is strange if he’s grown attached to you that quickly. And if others are catching on, it may not be long before something happens and the Prince acts on this. I dread to think what he may do.’
‘What do you wish to do?’
‘I will inform Tempo that there is unrest within the community about him having a human Guard within the Palace, that they still believe the stories about humans being cannibals and monsters. With any luck, I will then convince him to transfer you back over to the guard, where the citizens will feel safer from more of us available to… subdue you if necessary.’
‘You make me sound bad. I almost don’t mind Tempo compared to that.’
‘I don’t want to stoop to that level, either,’ Gleaming Shield said. ‘I will be coming around to speak with Prince Tempo in a few days’ time, and hopefully that argument will be enough to convince him to bring you back.’
‘But what if the Guard still hate me?’
‘I have made them swear an oath that whoever lays a hoof on you with malicious intent will be punished severely. The only one I’d be worried about is Storm Shield, but he’s received a warning for starting a fight and it’s demotion the next time he acts out.’
Douglas nodded. ‘If it’s what you think it’s best, then do it. I don’t know what I want, really, but right now I’m open to anything if it means getting away from him.’
‘Is he mad at you?’
‘Not really. He’s more moody. Angry one minute, pensive the next, crying another, that sort of thing.’
Gleaming Shield nodded. ‘Good luck, Douglas, and hopefully I will be able to do something about Tempo’s rather abnormal behavior.’
Douglas escorted Gleaming Shield out of the throne room and back to the main hall. They saluted again without saying a word and Gleaming Shield left the main hall via the lift. Douglas, meanwhile, walked all the way up the stairs to the top floor, where Crystal Barrier was still sitting.
‘Our meeting is over,’ Douglas said to him. ‘You may leave.’
‘I have not heard a sound from him,’ Crystal Barrier responded. ‘You’d do well to make sure he’s alright. I fear he may skip dinner again tonight if this continues.’
‘I will try.’
The two saluted and Crystal Barrier left. Douglas opened the door to see the Prince back to sitting still as a statue on the balcony.
‘I have returned.’ Douglas almost said ‘sir’, but halted himself after remembering Tempo’s outburst.
Tempo’s ears perked up. ‘What did my Captain need with you?’
‘She merely wanted to see how I was doing,’ Douglas responded as he walked closer to Tempo. ‘I was supposed to be her charge, after all.’
Tempo nodded. ‘You had no troubles?’
‘No. She asked me a few questions then left.’
Tempo nodded again.
Douglas scratched the back of his head. ‘Are you alright? You’ve been sitting there for the last couple of days.’
‘I’ve been thinking,’ Tempo said. ‘I feel the only way I can process things at the moment is by sitting completely still. Not having to move a muscle, I can then concentrate on my thoughts.’
‘What have you been thinking about lately?’
Tempo was silent and still for a long time. Douglas half wondered if he’d returned to his previous state of melancholy until he spoke up again. ‘...why are you afraid?’
Douglas wasn’t quite sure if he heard the Prince correctly. ‘...excuse me?’ he said.
‘Why is it that, every time I try to reach out to you, you shrink away? Are you afraid of me?’
Douglas thought about it. But before he could respond, the Prince spoke up again.
‘No,’ Tempo mused. ‘It’s not me. It’s not who I am. It’s what I could do to you, isn’t it?’ He turned around and faced Douglas again, his face looking lighter but searching him intensely. ‘Be honest with me, Douglas: what are you afraid of?’
Douglas remembered his nightmare and wondered if he should tell the Prince about it. ‘You... you’re rather forward,’ he said. ‘I... I often wonder why you place me so highly. Not because I am insecure about myself, but because I don’t understand your reasons’
Tempo nodded. ‘Is that the source of your dreams?’
Douglas was about to ask how Tempo knew, but realized he’d already told him about one. He probably assumed that there were more where that came from. ‘My nightmares are more about reliving the circumstances that threw me through the gate. But lately, whoever did it to me before is replaced by you.’
Tempo looked at him without speaking for a long time and Douglas wondered if he felt the same reaction as he had to some of Tempo’s announcements: the feeling of being punched in the gut. But after a while Tempo’s reaction changed and Douglas realized it had hit him somewhere else, and harder; Tempo’s eyes suddenly widened and his mouth dropped slightly in horror.
‘No... Douglas, why...’ But his words were fractured and he couldn’t even get a full sentence out.
Douglas felt he’d better explain. ‘A few nights ago, I had a dream where you were forcing me to lay with you and I said no. Because I said no, you charged me with conspiracy and sedition and threw me off the side of the tower. I was struck with spears and eventually fell into the gate again.’
Tempo’s eyes were glistening. ‘Douglas... I would never do any of that to you. I wouldn’t harm you, I wouldn’t exile you, and I certainly would not force you to do something like that.’
‘Why not? You kissed me on the night of the gala.’ Douglas found his voice steadily rising as he continued. ‘I thought we were just going as friends, but then you do... that... and suddenly the entire Crystal Empire is thinking of me as your consort!’
Tempo looked shocked enough to keep from crying. ‘...so not just Ancient Treasure?’
‘According to Gleaming Shield, rumors have been spreading around since the night of the gala when we danced.’
‘Douglas, let me make myself perfectly clear: you are not my “consort”. And you want to know why?’ Tempo put his hoof on his heart again. ‘I can feel it. You wouldn’t want it. You want companionship, but I wouldn’t even cross that boundary to “consort” with you because I already know you wouldn’t accept it.’
‘That still doesn’t explained why you kissed me.’
‘I know your relational fears. But I thought something simple like that, showing you I cared for you, would be okay. If it isn’t then the fault is mine and I should have realized that before.’
Douglas sighed. ‘Look, I like you. But where I come from, a kiss is reserved for... well, people who might be close to considering “consort” position. Lovers. But because of our differing species – me being human and you being pony – I don’t think I could ever go that far. There are cultural differences that I still don’t have squared away and don’t think I ever will, and that is one of them.’
Tempo, flustered, shrugged his shoulders weakly. ‘Then, wh-what would you want me to do to show you I care?’
‘Speak with me. Tell me you care. Maybe a hug every once in a while; I can take that and that happened back where I came from. But no kisses, no dances, no dressing me up and taking me to private events all the time.’
Tempo nodded. His ears fell and soon his head followed, looking at the ground in disappointment. He sniffed and wiped his nose with a hoof. Douglas figured he had probably been silently crying for a while now but didn’t feel as guilty about it as he did before.
After a long while of sitting like this, Tempo finally stood up again. He looked around the room, then walked over to the vanity and looked himself over; at the bags under his eyes, at his disheveled mane, at the eyes that were slightly red. ‘I want to go walking around the town tomorrow, Douglas. I’m sick of sitting here and doing nothing.’
Douglas nodded. ‘As a guard?’
‘As a guard, and as a friend. I need to see Ancient Treasure to drop off my donation to the Museum. But, as I think you would like it, I will show you around as well.’
‘If that is what you want,’ Douglas said, ‘then I will join you. As your escort, and as a friend.’
Tempo closed his eyes and Douglas saw a small, melancholic smile form on his face. ‘Thank you for giving me that, at least.’
It occurred to Douglas that the day Tempo finally left the palace again was the first day it wasn’t sunny and warm. A northern breeze blew in clouds that covered the sky and turned it a mild grey. According to Tempo, they wouldn’t bring in any rain or snow, which was a good thing, but it would turn the weather colder for a little while.
Thankfully for Douglas, it had not been Tempo’s idea to walk around the city all day. Instead, he decided to take Douglas to the Museum of Natural History that had hosted the gala at the gardens. Tempo and an accountant had already accounted in the budget for a donation of fifty thousand bits to the museum for research and preservation but had yet to deliver it. And, since Douglas had not been there, it seemed a prime location to spend an otherwise cold afternoon.
The museum was wide, tall, and airy and colored in warm browns and golds, though the floor was the same crystalline blue as the Palace. Tempo first went through to a small desk towards the back of the museum and spoke with an attendant, who immediately ran off through a door behind the desk into what Douglas assumed was the museum’s research department. A few minutes later, Ancient Treasure appeared from the door and started talking with Tempo at the desk, pushing up the glasses that were sliding down his nose.
‘I’ve come to deliver your donation,’ Tempo said, pulling out a check in the sum of 50,000 bits.
Ancient Treasure inspected the check. ‘You remain the highest donor our museum has had all these years,’ he said thankfully, taking the check in a light yellow aura. ‘It’s no wonder the people appreciate your service for the Crystal Empire.’
‘Well, it’s simply a matter of keeping those under my rule not only well fed, but happy and educated. A strong mind is as important as a strong body.’
Douglas had a slight feeling that wasn’t exactly part of his ‘manifesto.’ But considering no one was complaining, it at least held some truth and he wasn’t going to bother Tempo about it.
‘I agree, I agree.’ Ancient Treasure nodded his head sagely. ‘It’s always important for young foals and adult mares and stallions alike to understand the importance of education.’
‘Perhaps Douglas here will be a researcher,’ Tempo said, turning to Douglas. ‘I take it he will be attempting a biology and chemistry course sometime soon at the University.’
‘Anything to get me away from technology and physics,’ Douglas said. ‘I’m ready to be done with those.’
‘Bad career choice?’ Ancient Treasure asked.
‘Poor career choice, yes,’ Douglas said simply. ‘Also, I rather like biology and chemistry more.’
‘Ah! Well you’d be right at home in our research department, then.’
‘Douglas was actually transferred here to the Crystal Empire because he had excellent grades, enough to boost our funding from Canterlot. He used to be in Canterlot, but we’re glad – and the University will be as well – that he made the decision to transfer here.’
‘A sort of guard scholarship, then?’ Ancient Treasure replied with interest as he pushed his glasses up his nose. ‘Well, we have extra benefits for those who served in the guard. It will be an excellent choice if you were to come and work with us.’
‘Thank you very much, sir. The offer is appreciated. I should like to work in a museum once I get a degree.’
‘A history, chemistry, or natural science degree ought to serve you well,’ Ancient Treasure smiled at Douglas. He then turned to Tempo. ‘So, how have things been going since the gala?’
‘A bit rocky,’ Tempo said. ‘I wager the late night plus the socializing of the event probably wore us down a bit.’
‘Oh, I know the feeling. The wife always is bothering me for a day or two afterwards whenever we have an event at our house, but she cools down in the end. And by the way, she completely recovered the morning after the gala. What do you think of that?’
‘Seems like my threat worked once again. I said I would send an army and it vanished.’
The two laughed and Douglas hazarded a smile.
‘Well, I shall leave you two be for now,’ Ancient Treasure said. ‘Oh, but I will let the guards know to give you early access to our newest wing! One of our archaeologists found some ruins about fifty miles out and brought back some rare and interesting pieces. You’ll be glad to know they’re set up, but we’re waiting for the official opening for the beginning of next week.’
‘Oh, well, thank you for the invitation. Douglas and I shall go and perhaps give some feedback on the arrangement of the exhibits.’
‘Your comments are always welcome, my Prince,’ Ancient Treasure replied. ‘Good bye for now, and thank you again for the donation.’ And he retreated back into the door behind the desk with a bow, and the attendant returned as though the curator had never been there, wishing them a pleasant visit.
They did not proceed to check the new wing immediately. Rather, Tempo took them all over the museum. They went to large halls containing mammals that had died of natural causes, been restored and stuffed and placed into positions in dioramas that simulated their natural habitat and read the placards with information. They went to a hall filled with gemstones and minerals with information about size and quality, as well as formation. They explored halls filled with birds in more simulations that allowed them to walk through as though observing in the wild. And they went to a humid building that contained live reptiles and amphibians from lizards to frogs to snakes (Douglas appeared afraid of the snakes for no particular reason, so they avoided those).
After a while, they stopped at a café for refreshments. Douglas found they sold iced coffee and bought one, while Tempo had himself a fruit slush drink – ‘They don’t make these in the palace as often as they should,’ he said – and they sat themselves down on a terrace just outside the museum café for a rest.
‘Rather a wonderful place,’ Douglas said. ‘I think I will take up the curator’s offer once I’ve gotten my degree.’
‘Ancient Treasure is a wonderful friend of mine and an excellent scholar,’ Tempo replied. ‘The museum is in good hands. One of his sons looks to be in good shape to take it over once he’s retired, but he’s young and strong and I don’t see him leaving any time soon.’
‘Also, fifty thousand bits seems to be a lot of money,’ Douglas remarked. ‘Back where I came from, fifty thousand bits would hardly cover the expense to build a house.’
‘Perhaps with the war the cost of things was higher,’ Tempo said. ‘Inflation would have increased the rates. Equestria has enjoyed years of peace and thus things don’t need to be so high priced.’
‘All the better,’ Douglas said. He sipped his coffee. ‘I have come from a place where there is too much fighting. Perhaps I am not used to it considering a choice to go into the guard, but I do enjoy this peace.’
‘I would rather have a guard in peacetime just in case than an army in war because it’s needed,’ Tempo commented.
‘Seems you hardly ever go to war.’
‘More than you’d think, and more than I’d like to. We still have our enemies, but for the most part such conflicts are arranged more often through talking than through fighting.’ Tempo sipped his slushie. ‘But let’s not concern ourselves with such depressing matters. This is about us getting back on solid ground and enjoying an afternoon.’
Douglas nodded. ‘So, what do we have left?’
‘I believe all that remains is the new wing that Ancient Treasure mentioned,’ Tempo said.
‘Do you know what it contains?’
‘No. Once Ancient Treasure gets into a piece of work, he loses himself in it and never tells a soul until he’s absolutely sure he’s finished. If it won’t open until next week, he won’t actually say a thing until next week.’
‘Sounds like a stallion devoted to his work.’
‘Which is precisely why I like him and donate money here. It’s used productively as opposed to private finances.’
Douglas nodded. ‘Certainly have made a fine use of it.’
Once finished with their drinks, they made their way to the newest wing. It was a small addition to the museum that was blocked by a series of closed double doors and a series of guards standing in front of the doors. Tempo made his way up to him.
‘I am Prince D’Amore Temporus, friend of the curator, Ancient Treasure,’ Tempo told the guards. ‘He said that me and my escort were free to check out the new wing of the museum.’
The guards nodded and stepped aside. One stepped forward and unlocked the doubled doors. ‘It’s not finished quite yet,’ the guards said. ‘The curator may have one more change before it’s final.’
Tempo and Douglas stepped in. The room was dark, save for small lights scattered around and illuminating various objects. Douglas, used to the brighter lights of the main museum, found himself stumbling about in the darkness as the guard closed the door behind him and couldn’t see a thing.
‘Perfect…’ Tempo said. ‘Just perfect…’
‘What is? I can’t see a thing.’
‘Close your eyes and count to ten. It will help adjust to the light.’
Douglas did as Tempo asked. When he opened his eyes, the dim lights in the exhibits and the grey sunlight coming from outside were perfect for viewing the dim room. Douglas carefully walked forwards as Tempo jauntily stepped into the room.
Douglas looked around. There were odd things scattered around the room. There was a glass case with deep purple velvet that held little green pieces of cloth with various numbers on them. Another, similar case held three pieces of paper with faded and yellowed parchment. Another contained what looked like an old coat of arms with an eagle holding an olive branch and a pair of arrows. Douglas tried to read the placards, but there wasn’t enough light to see.
But soon there was a strange piece of metal. It was mostly green with a faded silver outline and large lettering, about three feet wide by two feet high. It read “New York City City Limits. Population 13,478,291. Elev 22.”
Douglas stared at it in fascination, but he wasn’t sure what it was. He turned around, eventually looking to see Tempo staring at the pieces of green cloth.
‘What are all these?’ he asked. ‘I’ve never seen anything like them.’
‘They are the relics of an old civilization,’ Tempo said. ‘One that lived and dominated this land for nearly seven hundred years. But one day the climate changed. The seas rose, the land shrunk, and the atmosphere changed. The place became inhabitable, and they all died out.’
‘But what were they?’
Tempo motioned to another exhibit on the other side of the room. It was a skeleton, bipedal and standing almost as tall as Douglas had been. It had quite a normal set of teeth and had rather normal proportions other than it standing higher than the ponies were.
‘This place was built on the ruins of a continent once known as North America,’ Tempo said. ‘It used to be covered with your kind.’
‘But how am I able to live here if the atmosphere changed to kill my kind out?’
‘We ponies changed it back. It became inhabitable again. We replanted the fields, repopulated the forest, and eventually reconquered the untamed wilderness and ruins you left in your wake.’
Douglas stared at the skeleton, the street sign, the pieces of cloth and the parchment. ‘All of this was once created by… by people like me?’
‘Millions of them,’ Tempo said. He pointed to the number on the sign. ‘That number right there was just in one city. And there were hundreds of thousands of cities across this continent. Now? Triple that is how many ponies exist in Equestria at this minute. Our numbers are growing, but it is expected we’ll never match what humans once did.’
Douglas continued staring at the sign.
‘That’s why Celestia was so interested in me when I arrived.’
Tempo nodded. ‘It’s been centuries since a human ever set foot here.’
‘Are there more?’
‘You are the first in ages,’ Tempo said. ‘Celestia and now Luna have kept watch for centuries, but there have been no signs of them.’
Douglas continued staring at the exhibits around him. ‘…then how was I in some other dimension?’
‘I don’t know. Perhaps the fates placed you there for a reason that you made history by coming here, even if it was by happy accident. But perhaps it’s appropriate for me to say: welcome home, where you belong.’
Douglas did not know what to say.
It was not for several minutes did Douglas move, and then it was only to fall to his knees on the floor of the museum wing.
After a few minutes more, he stood up. ‘Let us go. I cannot stand to see this anymore. I am not comfortable here.’
Prince Tempo nodded and they exited the wing. The guards locked the room behind them as they left, and they returned to the palace. Tempo returned to his suite and Douglas left in the direction of the Guard common room, presumably to shower.
But suddenly, mere minutes before he went down to dinner, the Prince’s door flew open and Crystal Barrier was standing at the door panting. Tempo whirled around at him in shock. ‘Crystal Barrier!’ Tempo exclaimed. ‘What’s the matter!?’
Crystal Barrier’s next words were frantic, and sparked in Tempo all the horrors he’d ever imagined.
‘Douglas is gone!’