Twilight Sparkle has asked a great many of questions of Timothy Berfield. Ranging from the simple to the complex. He had been polite and patient with each answer he gave. However, he grew weary at the sheer number of questions she had. It was one of her bad habits. Acquiring knowledge had been her forte since she was very young. It came naturally with being Princess Celestia's star pupil. But never once in her life did she once regret something she learned. That would change today, and it would come from her teacher's teacher...................
Tim was silent for a good five minutes, rubbing his forehead, trying to alleviate his mind from the pressure and persistence of Twilight's questions. She had been going at it for a solid two hours straight. He'd never answered this many questions at once in his life. He knew the questions were sincere and for a noble purpose, but it was hard not to find them just a bit annoying. Tim didn't envision that the level of detail she wanted out of him would be this in depth. Tim found that her level of curiosity was fierce.
She asked just about every question Tim could have asked her about her world, plus everything in between. One of the questions was "what's the best way to cook meat for a human." Tim thought that particular one was odd considering that it was coming from someone who not only didn't eat meat, but was physically incapable of eating it. When he asked the question's purpose, she replied by saying that it was a response to Tim's answer to an earlier question, when she asked what his favorite food was, which was chicken noodle soup. Suffice to say, Tim needed a break, but Twilight was more than eager to continue.
"Are you ready yet?" asked Twilight.
"No." Tim grunted.
"That's fine. It's just that it's been five minutes and I was really wanting to get back to my questions."
"Princess, I hate to be rude, but we've been at this for about two hours now, I need a breather. Feels like school all over again."
"Okay, take all the time you need, its fine."
But to her it wasn't fine. Her persistence was at an all-time high and with every detail of human life and culture Tim had shared with her, the more it grew. She wished to learn more in several areas of interest, particularly in the level of technological advancement humans possessed. However with every new detail she learned from him, there was at least five more he was holding back from her. He wouldn't go into detail on how the technology worked, and the subject he would not budge on, no matter how hard Twilight pressed, was on his current home. He withheld any details on cities, nations, type of government, or population. Even when Twilight made it perfectly clear that her intentions would not bring harm to him or those he was trying to protect, he would still refuse to give any information. He particularly didn't like it when she asked him something about his past. He avoided it as if it was the plague. All she knew was that his family was gone, and had a feeling that it somehow related to that, which was understandable.
Tim had a feeling she was growing weary of the same old excuses when discussing the subject, as was he. He would be more than happy to share all he could if the state of things back home weren't so dire. The Survivors were hanging on a thread as it was, and if he were to just tell Twilight about the current situation on Earth, it would present a major breach in their security. Tim knew well enough on what to say and what not to say in order to protect his fellow man, a duty he swore when he joined the ranks of the Militia.
What was killing him was the fear that he might get to the point where he'd have to tell her everything. From the way he saw it, she really wasn't leader material, so he figured that her mentor, Celestia, was the one to take that responsibility. He had no idea if her mentor was even going to be sympathetic towards his plight. Shortly after hearing the contents of Celestia's letter, his thoughts developed on a bit of an ominous note. She specifically instructed Twilight to stop helping him for the time being, but why. Not to mention the fact that she supposedly bringing her sister along with her, who also happened to be a Princess as well. Tim was just a regular grunt, he wasn't sure if he could keep a lid on any information about The Survivors whilst three of Equestria's rulers were coming by and would obviously want to start asking him questions. Tim's internal worries paused when Spike entered the room, running towards them and stopping at the chair where Twilight was sitting.
"Twilight, the Princesses are here." announced Spike. "They're waiting outside."
Twilight smiled with anticipation. Tim had an uneasy feeling in his stomach, but he thought that may be due to the incessant Q&A he had with Twilight.
"That's good to hear, I'm sure they're eager to meet you, Tim." said Twilight.
Tim looked up at her and gave her the best smile he could muster.
"Uh yeah, about that." said Spike.
"What is it Spike?" asked Twilight.
"Princess Celestia asked me to tell you that she wants to speak with you in private and she asked me to stay here with Tim."
Twilight found that a bit puzzling, but not to out of the ordinary.
"Well okay then. I'll be back shortly"
With that, Twilight got up from her seat and walked out into the hallway to greet her guest currently in wait. Spike hopped into the seat next to Tim.
"She talk your ear off?" he asked with a smirk.
Tim shot his vexed gaze the young dragon next to him. He couldn't help but give a smirk right back.
"You knew she was gonna go rambling on, didn't you!" Tim accused.
"Maybe." Spike replied with a mischievous smile.
Tim couldn’t help grin back.
"You could've given me fair warning you twerp."
Twilight always enjoyed a visit from her teacher, and with Twilight attending to her own duties as a princess herself, it made the occasion few and far between. Twilight was curious as to whether or not Celestia had a solution to Tim's problem. Twilight knew almost everything there was to know about magic, but Celestia was much more experienced in the field, having an eternity to master it. Twilight was almost certain they had something to offer.
Twilight opened the doors to her castle, expecting to see both Princesses waiting somewhere near the castle steps, with two lines of guards proceeding their entrance. What she saw instead did more than catch her off guard. Before her stood about 40 guard ponies, all garbed in full armor sets with chest pieces, bracers, face covering helms and each one armed with a steel spear. Half of them were under Celestia's command and the other half were under Luna's. Twilight wasn't sure why there were here. Twilight managed to finally spot Celestia and Luna, who were now approaching her with all of their guards accompanying them. Twilight respectfully bowed and they too bowed to her.
"Twilight, it's so good to see you." said Celestia.
"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I'm glad to see you both." said Twilight. "But if I may ask, what's with all the guard ponies?"
Celestia and Luna both looked at one another, indicating they were aware of the abnormal security presence.
"Yes, I assume you're referring to the heightened security?" said Luna.
"Yes, why so many and why so heavily armed?" asked Twilight.
"We have much to discuss, Twilight, and we would like to discuss it before meeting with the human." said Celestia.
Twilight caught that the tone of her teacher's voice sounded troubled. This meant bad news, like if Tirek came back bad news.
“Whatever is on her mind obviously has something to do with Tim's arrival. But what would motivate a response like this?” Twilight thought to herself.
Twilight saw they were both waiting for her to respond.
"Of course, right this way."
The three princesses and a fourth of the escort entered the castle while the rest of the escort guarded the exterior. Twilight led them to her room so they could speak in private. When they finally reached her room, Luna ordered the escort to wait outside in the hall. Once the doors were closed, Luna cast a spell on the door. Twilight looked to her for some sort of explanation.
"It's a sound-proofing spell. What we say must not be heard by any ears but ours." said Luna.
This was entirely unlike them. Private conversations were one thing but this was bordering on top-secret. Twilight was half-scared and half-shocked by the whole thing.
"Princess, what is this all about? Why are you putting all these precautions in place?" asked Twilight.
Celestia gave out a sigh of discontent.
"I apologize for the large escort, but my sister insisted on bringing them when we received your letter." said Celestia.
"Sister, it's to ensure everypony's safety." said Luna.
"Luna, you have my support. Even if I disagree with the notion."
"Safety? What are you talking about? Has something happened?" asked a confused Twilight.
"No, at least not yet." said Luna "But that's why I took precautions before we arrived."
"What do you mean?" said Twilight.
"Twilight, we know what humans are." said Celestia
Twilight was dumbstruck.
"H...how do you know?" she asked.
Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You remember the mirror portal in Canterlot, the one we used to travel between this world and it's alternate counterpart?" asked Celestia.
Twilight began to recall the memory of the world in question, where everything was opposite to her own. Where the heroes of her world were villains and Equestria was in an endless state of unrest.
"Yes, the one you and Starswirl used to visit the King Sombra of that world? We had to stop the two worlds from ripping each other apart. The mirror was destroyed when the Sombra of that world sacrificed himself to save you and Luna."
Celestia's head went down, as the memory of her former lover brought her great pain. She shook it off and continued to answer Twilight's inquiry.
"Many years before you and your friends had knowledge of it, Starswirl forbid me to use the mirror by myself. He told me it could risk tearing the fabric of reality, which later became a very real concern. However, it turns out there was another reason why he was so hesitant on using it. He feared where it might take us, and what we might let in if we we're careless."
At that moment Celestia's horn lit up with a magic spell, which summoned a book into the room. It looked to be an old journal of sorts. She levitated it down and laid it out on Twilight's dresser. She opened the journal, flipping through the pages, until stopping at the desired page.
"What is this?" asked Twilight.
"This was Starswirl's private journal." Celestia answered. "This is where he would write down some of the more secretive knowledge he gained in his years of study. That page covers his encounter with the human world, and we were appalled by what it revealed."
"Twilight, we would like it if you read it yourself." said Luna.
Twilight found this whole move by the two very strange. However, if both Celestia and Luna insisted on it, she knew it must be important. She walked over to her dresser and looked down at the journal. The pages were yellowed and the leather cover had become wrinkled and aged, but thankfully, the handwriting upon the pages was still legible. Only two entries were written down, the first one being quite long, and the other being a paragraph in length.
"Twilight, I warn you, what you are about to read might disturb you, but it is for the best." said Celestia.
Twilight kept her mentor's warning in mind as she began to read what Starswirl wrote so many years ago.
Entry 64,
The mirror has shown us many worlds, whether it be an opposite reality to ours or something different entirely. For the last few weeks I've had concerns on using it so liberally, fearing something might happen from our constant strain on it, we still don't know much about it. But truly, my greatest fear is of the unknown. We do not know what could be lying in wait within the mirror's reach, just waiting for us to slip. I now come back to it with another spell in hoof to open a pathway to yet another world. I did not regret my actions, as my fears proved to be right. This world I saw showed me horrors beyond what I thought was possible, and I lack a word that can accurately describe it. I was there for only a few hours, but it was enough time to realize no light shined in this world. The first thing I saw when exiting was the sight of multiple fires burning across a ravaged landscape. Buildings and skyscrapers are obliterated, crumbling, and are on or beyond the point of collapse. I saw the remains of multiple machines, unknown in their design and complexity. But now they've all suffered heavy damage, either blown up or burnt out entirely leaving only empty shells to rot. The sky was a mix of black and brown, filled to the brink with dust, smoke, and ash, making the air hard to breath. In the distance I could hear the echoes of faint pops and bangs. I'm still unsure of where or what they were coming from, but I prayed I wouldn't find out. Monsters dominate the landscape, but they are abominable to look at and unnatural in body structure, with deformed limbs and appendages, veins stretched, organs bulging from the body and imprinting in the skin, and all have an excess of skin deformities. They kill anything on sight and I am led to believe some of them might be in a constant state of pain, which might cause they're aggression.
But what terrifies me the most is the fact that all of this devastation was self-inflicted. As I walked across this horrid plane, I came across several bodies of the world's inhabitants, all of which were bloodied, mutilated, decayed, strewn across makeshift constructions as if they were trophies, or hung from high reaches above. All covered in blood and dirt, some with pieces missing, some completely torn apart. The stench of them was sickly sweet. It was then I learned that death is an apparent normality of this world, and it is when I truly began to fear for my own life. The creatures in question are ape-like in nature and structure, and to say that they are extremely violent wouldn't even begin to cover the extent of their madness. It was after I recovered the only surviving piece of literature I could find that I came across two of the creatures who were still alive, and I was revolted at what I saw one do to the other. The level of barbarism and savagery was unspeakable, I cannot even bring myself to describe the carnage I witnessed. Suffice to say, one killed the other. The creature would not ponder the morality of his act for long. A split second passed when a flash of white light burst in the distance, temporarily blinding me. When my vision returned I looked back up and saw something that I could only describe as death itself. A massive cloud of smoke and fire, formed in the shape of a mushroom rising several thousand feet into the air, towering over the tallest building. I didn't gaze upon it long as the ground began to shake from under me. In the distance a wave of fire and debris charged forth towards where I was standing, destroying everything in its path. Fearing for my life and my way back home, I set up a magical barrier to defend myself and the mirror portal, which was embedded in the base of a crumbling statue. From my shield of safety I watched as the flame incinerated the creature to his bones and then to complete nothingness. The shockwave would have killed me as well if I had not escaped at that moment. The barrier was rapidly cracking under the sheer force of this explosion, so I escaped at a moment's notice.
I assume that the statue was destroyed after my departure, which would mean there would be no way to go back. I don't know of anything that would be capable of causing such an act of devastation. It took me a few hours to recuperate from the experience, it still sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it. When I came back to the world I decided to take a look at the only artifact I brought back with me. The text I recovered is incredibly damaged, with more than half of its pages burnt and the other half missing. I couldn't even read it, as it's written in a language completely foreign to me. I must know if these creatures fell victim to some external threat, or if they truly did suffer from their own destruction. That massive explosion, it's hard to erase from my mind. What could have done that? No spell in the world could have created something of that magnitude.
Entry 65,
After several months of decoding this text, I came up with a rough translation of its title. "The Art of War". In it I learned that these creatures are called "humans" and that they have a very firm grasp on the knowledge of warfare. Whether this book had something to do with the destruction of their world, I can't say. What I can say is the portions that were still legible are a testament to strategies, tactics, and brutality. Nopony can read this, lest they bring that kind of violent influence to our world. I have hidden it in an undisclosed location to prevent anypony from finding it. I can only pray that the statue was the only way to our world. Humans pose a very serious threat, and I cannot imagine what would happen if they found Equestria. In response, I now know that using the mirror has its risks. I know Celestia has made a habit of using it without my knowledge for quite some time, but that ends today. I cannot stress this enough. We must use caution when using the mirror. If we were to let something as violent as these humans into our world, the consequences would be fatal.
Twilight was at a loss of words. Her hoof covered her mouth at this revelation. This level of detail was fear-inducing, learning that the state of the human world was borderline apocalyptic, one wouldn't hesitate to label humans as savages. Twilight closed the journal, giving the other two princesses an indication that she had read enough.
"Twilight, are you alright?" asked Celestia sincerely.
Twilight took a deep breath to calm her nerves, but it had little effect as the vivid imagery sent shivers down her spine.
“This was the war, this was The Conflict?” she thought to herself.
"Twilight, please tell me you're alright?" her teacher asked her again.
"I'm..........not sure." Twilight responded.
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but it was so you knew the harsh truth. We need to resolve this situation before any harm can come of it.“ said Celestia.
Twilight realized that their minds were set on Tim being a threat. Even though Starswirl's encounter revealed to them the horrifying nature of human warfare, her outlook on Tim hadn't changed. She had a much more important set of questions for him that needed to be addressed, but he never hid any of this information from them. He wasn't one of the brutes that Starswirl encountered. He had a very friendly attitude and showed very little acts of aggression towards anypony in town. The only time he got legitimately angry was at Rainbow Dash, but it was only because she was quick to judge.
"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Tim's not dangerous! He's been polite and friendly to everypony since he's been here."
"Twilight you must listen to us." urged Luna. "This human might have told you a great many things, but we fear much of what he told you and your friends may have been false information, in an attempt to hide his true nature. He might have been trying to gain your trust. That is why we wanted you to read Starswirl's entries, so that you could learn the reality of his kind. They're dangerous, and we believe that this may be a prelude to something much direr."
"What do you mean?"
"We believe humans could bring a war to Equestria. And if it were to happen, I am not certain what the outcome could be."
"Sister, we went over this, one human doesn't make this an invasion, but it does leave us more than concerned. Twilight, any race that destroyed itself through war could have devastating repercussions if we don't take careful action now." said Celestia. "I trust your judgement, but we need to make judgements for ourselves first. If he is cooperative and not a danger like you say, we will still plan to help him. But you read it yourself Twilight. He and his kind-"
"He's already told me about this!" interrupted Twilight.
Both Luna and Celestia were surprised by that revelation.
"He did?" asked Luna.
"Yes, Princess, I believe Starswirl traveled to the human world during the worst time in their history, a war they call The Conflict, and may have made a rash assumption."
"I highly doubt that the great Starswirl would do anything rash in his life." said Luna. "He was always careful when conducting his research and studies, right sister?"
Out of the two alicorn sisters, Celestia spent more time with him. She knew him very well, and knew what his habits and routines were when conducting these sort of field experiments.
"Starswirl would always be well prepared for any situation and always came up with a detailed and thorough conclusion by the end of it." said Celestia. "But, I think Twilight may be right on this one."
Luna gave her sister a sudden look, and Twilight did the same.
"Starswirl might have took more time in his past ventures, but this particular scenario was extremely dangerous, which would have called for different and more extreme circumstances, like trying to stay alive. The journal says he saw what they did to one another, I have no doubt it was violent and unspeakable, but he never mentioned the motive behind it and he never said he conversed with any human. This was written 30 years ago. A lot can change in that time."
Twilight found it strange that her mentor, Princess Celestia, who was considering Tim a threat just a moment ago, was now second-guessing her decision.
"You mean, you're agreeing with me? Just like that?" asked Twilight.
"Somewhat. Unlike my sister, I thought the need of a heavy escort was unnecessary. I believed it would unintentionally provoke him and would have made a very bad first impression. But, I still do have concerns on the level of violence these humans could bring. Even if he isn't dangerous like you say Twilight, the fact remains that his kind devastated their own world, and Starswirl had a good reason to be fearful of them. However, I am of the belief that they can be reasoned with. After all, you seemed to have befriended him."
"Or he's gained her trust." Luna claimed.
"Princess, I can assure you he's not a danger. He hasn't shown any signs of being hostile towards anypony, and he can also tell you first hand that he, and many others like him, never wanted that war to happen." said Twilight.
"Are you certain of that? We don't know anything about them other than their destructive nature." asked Luna.
"They're not destructive. He's told me a lot about human culture." said Twilight. "They have no magic in their world, but they've lived their lives by harnessing technology. They’re works of literature aren't all about war. He can feel happiness like we do, compassion like we do, and even create friendships. Yes, I'm still cautious because of what they did to their world, but he's shown me that he acts like your average pony. Although he can be a little eccentric at times, he has a noble heart."
Luna's feelings of uncertainty were still lingering but no longer as bold. When she learned of the human race upon her return from banishment, she envisioned something along the lines of Chrysalis, Tirek, or herself at a much darker time in her life. Selfish creatures who think only of themselves. If what Twilight said was true, her decisions and attitude would have been gravely misplaced. Luna looked at her sister, looking for any signs as to what her thoughts may be, but honestly, it was hard to tell. Celestia had been telling her that her decisions had been too hasty and she feared that somepony would be hurt if things went sour. Luna brought the large escort because she was concerned for the well-being of everypony. Nevertheless, if the human really wasn't a threat then it would have been for nothing. However, she wasn't one for taking chances.
"Princess Twilight, I apologize for the inquisitive behavior. I want to believe you, but so many creatures in the past have tried to take advantage of Equestria. Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, the list goes on. I just want to see our country, and our subjects, safe from those who mean them harm."
"I understand where you might be coming from, but I swear, you'll find that he's just trying to find his way back home."
Luna let out a deep sigh.
"Very well then, I'll trust your judgement for now." said Luna. "I suppose now we should discuss an answer to his predicament?"
"A splendid idea." said Celestia with smile. "I believe our guest will be anxious to know we have several possible ways for him to return home."
"You do? That's great! He'll be happy with a bit of good news." said Twilight.
"Well, best not keep him waiting, shall we?" said Celestia.
"Should we tell him about the journal?" asked Twilight.
"Perhaps later, once the more important details are covered." said Luna. "I have a few questions for this human and I would like to get them out of the way before we discuss anything else."
With that Twilight led them out of her room and towards the cutie map room. The guards posted outside followed them down the corridor. Twilight had her hopes that the meeting between Luna, Celestia, and Tim would go well, but now, she wasn't so sure. She had no doubts that Princess Celestia would try to make the best of things, her calm and friendly nature was legendary. But now after reading about the level of violence humans can bring, she had no idea how Tim would react to the armed escort, and she caught on that Princess Luna was on her guard and probably still skeptical of Tim's intentions. Twilight noticed Celestia had whispered something into Luna's ear, and from Luna’s expression, it sounded like it might have been an argument of sorts.
Twilight's thoughts still lingered on Starswirl's journal and what it had revealed. Twilight was focused on the why aspect. Why would humans stoop to that level of destruction and at the cost of so many lives, and in the billions? What drove them to a war that could cause that much devastation? She wondered what kind of information Tim was withholding, and if he really was withholding it for the reasons he said he was.
“Could he have been lying? Could Tim really be playing me for something?" Twilight thought. “No. No, I'm certain he was telling the truth, Applejack can spot when someone's lying. He must have been telling the truth, everything he said sounded overwhelmingly sincere. He just wants to find his way home. Hopefully everypony can come to terms on that and we can start finding a solution.”
Her thoughts stopped when they finally approached the doors to the cutie map room. The moment of truth had finally arrived.
“I hope this goes well.”
Twilight's horn lit up with a violet aura as she opened the doors. Tim was still sitting in the same chair from earlier, and apparently had struck up a conversation with Spike in the time she was gone.
"Okay, so you use it as a way to send mail. But what if you were to burn up something that wasn't a letter, like say stacks of firewood, would that take it somewhere else?" asked Tim.
"Well honestly I never thought of using it like that before, though I suppose it would go straight to Celestia and........ooh! That would probably hurt." said Spike, cringing at the thought.
"Yeah, but is there a way to transport it somewhere else, where it won't fall on someone's head? Cause' if ya' get it workin' right it be a pretty handy supply system. Just flame some stuff up and boom! It goes where you need it. Save ya' time and a long haul."
"Ahem!"
Spike and Tim turned to the source of the disturbance to see that three alicorns had entered the room. Spike got up from his seat and walked over to greet them while Tim followed from behind.
"Hello your majesties." said Spike respectfully, bowing to them in the process.
"Greetings, young Spike." said Celestia.
Tim approached slowly towards them, getting a good look at both of them. He was actually stunned at how different they looked compared to Twilight, with crowns, flowing mains, and the fact that they were almost as tall as he was. The one with the white coat was at least in the low 5-foot range. It almost seemed like the light in the room was radiating off them. To him, they looked majestic. The white one wore a set of golden regalia depicting the sun, while the other bore an ebony chest piece with a white moon emblazoned upon it. He noted he was taking a little too much of his time looking at them and walked a little faster so that a formal introduction could be made.
"Tim, I'd like you to meet my mentor, Princess Celestia, and her sister, Princess Luna." said Twilight
Celestia and Luna gave a slight bow, Tim was unsure if he should bow back, he wanted to be as polite as possible, but bowing meant you owed allegiance to that particular person, which he did not. He instead respectfully tipped his hat.
"Hello." he said.
"Tim was it?" asked Celestia.
"Yes, ma'am, my name is Tim, short for Timothy Berfield."
"Well Timothy, It is a pleasure to finally be meeting you. I take it your stay has been an enjoyable one?"
"Yes, it has. Well, other than the first night, I slept on a bench."
Celestia chuckled and smiled. Tim smiled in return.
"A bench, that sounds awful."
"I offered him a stay in the castle after that." said Twilight.
"Well I'm glad to hear you're being taken well care of." said Celestia
"I appreciate everything she's done for me, she's been very kind. If I may ask this, Princess, do you have any way for me to get back home?"
Before Celestia could answer his question, Luna interrupted.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I believe we have several matters to discuss first." said Luna
Tim recognized a certain tone in her voice that seemed unnerving. It sounded almost as if she was angry. Then his eyes caught onto something that unnerved him. Behind Luna were ten heavily armed guards, armed with spears and full body armor. Tim didn't like how they were all giving him looks, as if waiting for him to make a wrong move. He could tell instantly that something was amiss.
Luna didn't like the look of him. She noticed that he had a strange device strapped to his back, but it did not in any way, shape, or form resemble any object she had knowledge of. However, he appeared to be a rough-looking man, with several tattered bags, dirty camouflaged apparel, thick beard, and for his state of hygiene, no comment.
"Shall we sit down?" asked Luna to Twilight.
The rest of the group headed for the round table, when Twilight turned to Spike and halted his advance.
"Spike, I think you should sit this one out."
"What, why?" he asked in a confused manner.
"Please, just do as I ask."
"Fine." he said unhappily. "But you owe me for this later."
With that he walked out of the room. Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that this meeting was going to turn out ugly, and she didn't want her little brother in here if things turned drastic, or worse, violent. Twilight walked over to the round table and found a spot next to Tim, while Luna and Celestia sat across from him.
"So, what was it you wanted to know, Princess?" he asked.
"Just a few questions, then we can get to helping you."
Tim was beginning to find her tone to his disliking.
"Like what?"
"Let's start with where you come from exactly and how you got here."
Tim then engaged into yet another Q&A session, only this time it was with a different princess and he was rather unsettled about some of the questions he was getting. Did he come with anyone else into this world? What did he bring? Was his arrival intentional? Did he hurt anyone in the time he was here, and so on? The further they progressed, the more it felt like an interrogation. Things then began to melt down when she asked if he had killed anyone in his life. Celestia began giving her sister a distasteful look. By that time, Celestia no longer saw Tim as a threat and instead viewed him as just another creature life had to offer. When that question came up, she protested it, finding it extremely rude and inappropriate. But Luna ignored her, and pressed the question again. He answered yes, but only in self-defense. Then came the question that lit the fuse.
"How many humans are there on Earth."
The one question Tim hoped he wouldn't be asked just did.
"I can't answer that one, I'm sorry."
"I see, why is that exactly? Something you don't want us to know?"
Tim looked up with an angry glare in his eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm just saying, if you want our help you'll answer the question."
"Luna that was not what we planned on doing!" said Celestia.
"Planned on doing what?" asked Tim. "What the hell-"
Twilight could see that tensions were beginning to escalate and quickly tried to intervene.
"Let's come back to that question later, shall we?" suggested Twilight.
However, Tim ignored the suggestion. He was slightly offended by Luna’s insinuation, and he was now curious about why she seemed to have a beef with him.
"Princess Luna, I can't answer the question because it puts the lives of the people I care about at risk!" he said loudly.
"I can assure you that we are of no danger to your people, but the same cannot be said of your kind." Luna argued.
Tim took that as an insult.
"Excuse me? Just what the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he yelled standing up.
The guards were now on high alert with lances raised. Luna blew a bit of a fuse, as she was unaccustomed to being talked to that way.
"Watch your words, remember who you're talking to, cretin!"
"Luna!" shouted Celestia. "That was very rude. Guards, stand down. I think we've gotten off on the wrong hoof."
"You're afraid of me, aren't you?" Tim asked.
"Tim, we're not afraid of you." Celestia assured him.
"Really? I find that hard to believe when your sister and the beefed-up security seem to have it out for me. I've only met ya' just now, what's your game behind all this protection? Five guards is pushing it for a personal security escort, but you got what? Ten in here and probably a whole lot more outside."
Both Luna and Celestia were speechless, as his perception and knowledge of security procedure was unexpected. Celestia grew tired of hiding secrets from him, and chose to go with a direct approach to resolve the conflict that had started.
"Yes. There's a reason for it, Mr. Berfield." said Celestia. "We...have knowledge of your world and the war that almost destroyed it."
Tim's eyes shot up. There was good news and bad news with this new information. The good news was that it meant there was a way back to Earth. Bad news was that they could possibly have knowledge on the current state of mankind and the technology he was feverishly trying to protect.
"That's means you've been to Earth, right?" he said.
"Not quite." said Celestia. "We did not visit your world, but a unicorn by the name of Starswirl the Bearded did. He was an old friend of mine."
"How'd he get there?" asked Tim.
"Before you ask, he did use a portal, but it's been destroyed for quite some time."
Tim's head fell down in disappointment, thinking he found a way home. He let out a sigh and brushed off the frustration, at least they seemed unaware of The Survivors. Nevertheless, he was curious of what this Starswirl saw when he traveled to Earth.
"What did he see?" asked Tim.
"Tim, we think he came to Earth during the time of The Conflict, we have the journal of his account." said Twilight.
"When was it written?" he asked.
"About thirty years ago." said Celestia. "Would you like to read it for yourself?"
"Yes, I would like that." he said.
Celestia conjured up the book with a spell and levitated it over to where Tim was sitting. If it was written thirty years ago then there was no doubt it was during the war. Tim opened it and turned to the page he was told to go. He read the whole thing silently, his attention fully engaged in the text. With every word came another bad memory, he couldn't help but recall the hell he went through in his life, when fires burned, and the next breath you took could very well be your last. Constant fighting, constant danger, and then there was the depiction of the nuke. He wholeheartedly agreed with this Starswirl, when you see the mushroom cloud and incoming shockwave it creates, all that comes to mind is death. This Starswirl fella, he saw Tim's kind as monsters, and he didn't blame him for it.
The whole time he was reading, the princesses were watching him, waiting for some sort of reaction out of him. Twilight was scared that he might get defensive and that he and Luna might get into a heated argument. Celestia hoped he would remain calm, but expected Luna to instigate another argument. If it did resort into a verbal battle, or worse, a regular battle, that she would have to resolve. Luna was prepared for an act of retaliation. Despite Twilight's assurances, she was still in the mindset that he was a threat, and expected hostility from him at any moment.
However, what happened next was completely unexpected by all of them. He slowly closed the journal, with one hand covering his eyes and let out a deep sigh. When he moved his hand, Luna then noticed that a single tear had formed in his left eye and had traveled down his cheek. He wiped his eyes clean and caught his breath.
"I understand. Why y'all fear me now." he said solemnly. "But ya' act like I was responsible for it."
"But you do understand why we are fearful?" asked Luna.
"I understand. But you think I'm here to start a war like that, don't you?" he asked.
"Considering how your kind brought it upon itself, it's a possibility."
Tim looked directly into her eyes.
"A possibility?! Let me clear those thoughts from your mind, cause' I want to make this clear, to all of you!" he yelled. "That war took everything from me! I wouldn't wish it upon anybody, especially not here. I hope nobody has to see the shit I saw! Constant killing, crucifixions, firefights, mutants, raiders, soldiers, every damn day, a new danger! Every day, one hell after the other! My entire family DIED because of it! And you're just going to base an entire fucking species based on what just one guy said?!! So before you start labeling me a threat, sit down, and think for just a moment on how I saw The Conflict, cause' I can guarantee you that this Starswirl fella had no clue of what life for was like back then!"
There was a good moment of silence afterwards, everyone, including the guards, didn't make a peep. A lot of rage had built up inside of him. Twilight was now seeing the reality her new friend faced, and she saw why he wouldn't talk about his past. Tim sat back down and let out a deep sigh.
"Look, I..I just want to go home. I...I..I'm not here to start a fight."
His eyes began to water up and he found it difficult to speak. All three of them began to realize that he was legitimately in pain just thinking about it. Twilight got up from her seat to comfort him. Luna now felt awful, she knew speaking about this any further was a really bad idea. She looked over to her sister, and saw the most punishing glare directed at back at her, the one that pretty much said the lecture she would be getting later would be one for the record books. Celestia stood up and gestured for Luna to do the same.
"Tim, we are sorry for your loss, we're finished with our questions. We will help in any way we can finding a way for you to return home." said Celestia.
Tim managed to keep it together through that whole ordeal without shedding any tears.
"Thank you, Princess. If ya' don't mind, I kinda' want to be alone right now."
"Of course."
With that, Tim left with Twilight accompanying him to his room. Luna watched as they walked out and the doors shut. She then turned to her sister who was about ready to unleash a storm of guilt upon her.
"Captain, you and your men wait outside." Celestia commanded.
All the guard ponies saluted and filed out of the room in an orderly manner. Once they left, it was just Luna and Celestia.
"Luna, we need to talk."
Later that evening Luna was walking the halls of Twilight's castle by her lonesome. The talk with her sister made her feel all the feelings she was supposed to feel after talks like these, regretful, guilty, hesitant, and of course, sad. Celestia told her that she went too far on this one, that she put her own personal bias above how others may feel, and that none of that would have happened if she had derailed into trying to fish information out of Tim.
By this time, she usually would sit in her room and self-reflect on what she had done, but she was tired of partaking in self-pity after the Tantabus incident. She wanted to make amends, and to do that, she needed to talk with Tim. She legitimately wanted to apologize, she didn't realize the extent she had pushed him until it was too late. Hearing about the human world was awful, reading in it from a book was one thing, but when it was coming from an individual who lived it day in and day out his whole life, you didn't fear him, you felt sorrow for him.
She looked inside all the guest rooms until she found one with its doors half open. She peeked inside and saw Tim sitting in a chair staring out the window into the night sky. He hadn't noticed her entry just yet, so she knocked on his door to gain his attention. He turned his head and saw her standing by the door. He had a displeased look on his face.
"What do you want?" he asked bluntly.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier." she said. "It was insensitive of me to label you like that. And I didn't realize that you were that deeply affected by it."
Tim's expression changed, he looked as if he was ready to make amends as well.
"Apology accepted, Princess. I'm not one to hold a grudge, especially when you didn't know. And for the record, I'm sorry for the language, it was uncalled for."
"A truce then?" she asked.
"Truce. Why don't ya' come and sit down, stay for a spell."
Luna nodded with a slight smile. Tim noticed she wasn't wearing her regalia from earlier and her mane was tied into a ponytail, like she was ready to head in for the night. She pulled up one of the other chairs in the room and sat right next to Tim, when he stroke up a conversation.
"The nights here sure are beautiful, ain't they?" said Tim.
Luna smiled. She liked it when somepony would comment on her handiwork.
"Thanks, I raise them myself."
"Wait a minute, you raise the nights around here?"
"Indeed, the moon in particular, and my sister raises the sun."
"OHHH! So that's why your name is Luna. And your sister is named Celestia cause' she raises.......the sun.......damn, I'm an idiot. I can't believe it took me that long to figure it out."
Luna could clearly see some of that eccentric behavior Twilight was talking about, she found it amusing.
"Also explains why you got the moon on your.....uh......how do I put this.......your.......rear." he noted.
"You mean my cutie mark?" chuckled Luna.
"So that's what they're called, huh? I notice everyone round' here has one, are they like tattoos or what?"
"They're a magical embodiment of a pony's unique special talent. Mine as you might have guessed is raising the moon every night."
"Are you born with it?" he asked.
"No, each pony has to discover it for themselves, and when the time is right, the mark will appear. I'd describe it almost as a coming of age ritual and-"
Luna felt like she was stalling and wanted to go ahead and address the skeleton in the closet.
"Listen, about earlier. I just wanted you to know, that I never had the intention of making you upset." said Luna.
"Princess, you didn't make me upset, reliving my memory did. The war left its mark on the world and everybody in it. It left me with more scars than I could handle. Add that with the fact of being away from home, my friends, and that everyone here who doesn't know me is giving me the cold shoulder, it's like I'm being treated like..."
"A monster? Like if you make one wrong move you'll regret it?"
"Yeah, that's exactly it."
"I know the feeling. Once upon a time, I myself threatened the safety of Equestria. When I came back, nopony trusted me."
Tim raised in eyebrow in disbelief.
"Really? Back there it looked like you made it a point that the safety of your kind was top-priority. I figured they would commend you for that."
"Well, it wasn't until I was brought back to my senses. For the longest time I just felt guilty of what I did, I didn't talk to anypony and I punished myself for all the wrong I had done. But eventually, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and I tried to make up for it by putting the interests ad needs of my subjects before my own. In time I earned everypony's trust again. Today you showed me that maybe I was trying just a little too hard. In my attempt to protect my people, I was blinded by distrust and the fact that you were trying to do the same for your people. "
"Actually, that argument we had made me realize something. I need to trust others if they're going to trust me. So I've given it some thought and I've decided I'll give you the need-to-know information on me and my people."
"You will?"
"Yes, I figure that you deserve to know what happened after The Conflict so it'll set everyone's mind at ease, but if it's okay with you, I'd rather have Twilight and your sister present when I do. Knock three birds out with one stone."
Luna found that idiomatic phrase a tad bit frightening for her tastes, but understood its meaning and smiled with content nonetheless.
"I thank you for that, I know it's not an easy thing for you to do."
"Yeah, well I've made harder decisions in my life."
"I don't doubt that at all, well the hour is late, goodnight Mr. Berfield. I enjoyed our talk."
"Goodnight, Princess."
She got up from her seat and headed out of the room. Tim followed the same course of action she took hopped into bed, but took a little while longer to look out upon the night sky. Many things were still on his mind. The journal, the meeting, The Conflict, a way home, as well as his worries from before, like getting back to his people and performing his duty. The supply shortage was still a very crucial worry in his mind. Then the thought occurred to him.
“What if we lived here?” he thought to himself. “What if we were to make this world our home?”