N’Zoth’s Chosen

by Dracthul

Chapter 3: Of Certain Equine Princesses

Author's Note:

Here’s another chapter for you all to, hopefully, enjoy!

As I said, feedback is gladly welcomed. Oh, and happy belated Easter!

Happy reading, and now I need to get some sleep!

“Here’s the storage closet where I put your things,” Twilight said, opening the door to the closet. Tinnidas looked inside at the somewhat dusty area, spotting his golden armor and his bag.

“Thank you for keeping these safe.” He went over to his things and knelt down, picking them up. He carefully pulled his damaged chainmail over his head, adjusting it onto his torso. After removing his golden gauntlets, he slid one metal sleeve over his arm and pulled it up to his shoulder. He attached one of his pauldrons to the flexible metal of the sleeve and then slid a bracer onto his arm, finishing his arm plating. He then repeated the process for the other arm before putting his gauntlets back on, completing his armor. Next, he picked up his satchel, opening it to find only a few things intact. He pulled out an empty vial and another filled with the dark liquid of a potion, glad it was undamaged. After putting it back inside, he slowly lifted his Hearthstone out of the bag, wiping off the pieces of shattered glass on top of it.

“What’s that?” Twilight asked, reminding Tinnidas that she was still there.

“This?” he said, moving the device into her view. “This is a Hearthstone.” She took a few steps forward, scrunching her face as she examined said Hearthstone. She noticed its strange appearance and the damage it had received, and as she got closer, she felt the magic resonating from it.

“Whatever that thing is, it holds powerful magic. I can feel it seeping out of the crack on its surface.”

“You can feel that?” Tinnidas asked, looking back at the Hearthstone.

“My horn, like a unicorn’s, allows me to sense the magical energy moving all around us. While my senses are more acute, we ponies can kind of see magic.”

“Interesting,” he mouthed to himself. “This thing lets me teleport to a set location, but it does need time to recharge. Sadly, I broke it when I was in the forest.”

“The magic it holds is almost different from what I’m used to. While it has similarities, there is something about it I don’t recognize. I would fix it if I could, but I don’t think I can.”

He sighed. “Thanks for the thought. I doubt it would work anyway, seeing as how I’m on an entirely different planet.”

“Don’t worry, Tinnidas,” she started, putting a hoof on his shoulder, “I’m sure the Princess will be able to figure this out.”

“I hope so,” he whispered, putting his Hearthstone in his satchel and slinging the bag over him before standing up.

---

“Sister,” Princess Celestia began, urgency in her voice, “we can’t wait to assemble a small army to meet Twilight.”

“But how are we supposed to protect ourselves?” Princess Luna returned with, making her sister sigh.

“We don’t even know if this creature is a threat, and arriving with an army might give them the wrong idea of our intentions. Remember, we want to talk with them—not scare them.”

“So we are supposed to charge in there without any support?”

“If this mysterious being is able to overpower three alicorns at once, then I don’t think an army would do us much better, sister. We should leave immediately and meet them before anything happens.” She stared into her sister’s eyes. Princess Luna nodded out of reluctance.

“We suppose, dear sister.” She walked to her alabaster-colored sister. “Let us leave for Ponyville.”

“Alright then,” Princess Celestia replied with a smile, opening her wings and taking flight, her sister following suit.

---

“I really hope I’m not being a burden to you, Princess,” Tinnidas said. Twilight gave him a look, to which he corrected himself. “Sorry. Twilight.”

“Don’t be silly,” she dismissed, waving a hoof. “Like I said before, it’s no problem. Getting to know you would be an honor, and offering my home to somepony who needs help is simply the right thing to do.”

“You ponies really are kind,” he said with a grin. “Let me help you with that.” He grabbed the teapot she was about to levitate, bringing it over to the set table in the center of the room. There were three teacups at the table, each with the setting of a spoon and napkin. He adjusted one of the six chairs at the table to make everything perfect for the guest that would be arriving. He looked around at the rest of the room, finding it similar to something he might see in a Night Elf’s home. It was the literal inside of a tree, which, of course, meant it had wooden walls. The inside had been hollowed out to look like a regular room. There were pictures on the walls, bookshelves, a set of stairs, a couple of tables, chairs, and even a kitchen. He found the treehouse to be quite comforting.

He went to take a seat at the set table, but almost on cue, Tinnidas heard a knock at the door. His head whipped around, finding Twilight already at the door and reaching for the handle. He took a slight gulp as he steeled himself to meet arguably one of the most powerful beings on the planet. He hoped he had not made a miscalculation trusting in Twilight.

What if she was fooling me? he thought. It would be all too easy, considering how helpless I currently am. She could bring me to her ruler, only to have me killed! I have no idea what I’ve gotten myself into…

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as the door creaked open, Twilight looking slightly up. Tinnidas did the same, the light of the sun blocking his sight. He squinted his eyes, trying to see the princess, but he could not.

“I wasn’t expecting you both to show up,” Twilight said, sounding more surprised than Tinnidas liked. He could hear Twilight escort what he guessed to be the two ponies inside, hearing her close the door as she did. As his eyes adjusted, he was able to see the two royals in front of him.

One was a dark blue, whose color resembled the night sky, with splotches on her body that looked like spilled ink. She had a fitter form than any of the other ponies, the contour of her muscles apparent, and her wings looked smaller compared to her body than Twilight’s did. There were pieces of what he gathered to be regalia on her body, their dark color matching her own. Her mane was similar to her body color, but it had a texture that looked identical to a starry sky. Also, her mane drifted in an invisible breeze like it was floating through the air. He saw a small black crown on the top of her small head and the somewhat unpleasant look on her face.

Tinnidas then looked at the other princess, this one the polar opposite of the other. She had a white coat that rivaled marble, and her mane was a mix of vibrant colors such as green, blue, purple, and pink. It, too, floated in an invisible wind. Her overall size was significantly larger than the other two princesses. Her head was almost exactly at his eye level. She had a thicker figure than her counterpart, but she did not look chubby. Her barrel had a more rounded shape, and her hindlegs had an extra thickness to them. The regalia she wore was a golden color, opposite the other. One of her more unique features was her eye color. While her counterpart had bluish-green eyes, she had light purple eyes—something he found intriguing.

One of the other unique features of the two princesses was their horns. Unlike Twilight’s, their horns looked like literal spears. The larger princess’s horn was a foot long, and it spiraled to the tip, which was incredibly sharp—unlike Twilight’s. Seeing as how she had a pike on her head, Tinnidas wondered just how much damage she could do in hand-to-hoof combat, finding it a chilling thought.

“So,” Princess Luna said in a strong, impatient voice before pointing at Tinnidas, “this is the creature thou spoke of?” Twilight nodded, turning to him.

“This is Tinnidas Geurin.”

“A most interesting name,” Princess Luna stated before stepping towards him. He stayed still, watching the Lunar Princess come up to him. She slowly circled his body, eying his form up and down like a hawk. Squinting her eyes, she saw the intricacy of the armor he was wearing—as well as his weapon. She went back to his front, leaning her head in.

As she got closer, he found himself looking into her emerald-like eyes, finding them magnetizing. She seemed to huff in his face, something he found more cute than intimidating. The deeper he looked into her eyes, the more he recognized the emotions she was hiding behind her seemingly unwavering performance. It was an emotion he knew well. How? He did not know, but it mattered nonetheless. He could see the fear in her eyes, something he had not expected to find from one of the rulers of Equestria. He pondered whether it was a fear that would make her falter, or one that would make her dangerous.

She continued to bore into him, almost as if she was trying to read him as he was her. Even if she could, he had no emotions to show. He had barely even felt anything since he awoke in that strange cave.

Finally deciding to break the pregnant silence, he cleared his throat.

“Good evening, Princess,” he greeted, trying to sound as sincere as possible. He noticed the short presence of disbelief on her face as she heard him talk, but her stony expression quickly replaced it.

“He speaks.” She broke their eye contact, raising her head slightly and looking upward. “I am Princess Luna of Equestria,” she announced, keeping her pose. Tinnidas debated whether he was supposed to make a gesture, but that question was answered when she looked down and practically commanded him to “Bow.”

Not wanting to anger her, he started to shift his legs, but he paused when he heard a giggle coming from the other princess. He gave her a confused look as she used a wing to cover her mouth, laughing into her feathered appendage.

“There’s no need for him to bow,” she said in her almost angel-like voice, removing her wing and taking a step toward him. “He is not one of our subjects.”

“That may be, but he is in our kingdom,” Princess Luna retorted, opening her wings in front of Tinnidas. While he knew it was a mere mental trick to scare him, seeing her wings that darkened his vision and her stern expression made him feel uneasy.

“I mean you no harm,” he told her, “if that’s what concerns you. I know some of the great power you possess.” He saw her eyes widen some as she realized how easily he had read her actions. Her wings snapped to her barrel as she went to her sister’s side.

“I must apologize,” Princess Celestia began. “I did not introduce myself. I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Princess Luna.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Your Highnesses,” Tinnidas replied, bowing.

“As I said, there’s no need to bow.” With a smile, he rose back to his feet.

“Please,” Twilight offered, “take a seat.” She pulled four chairs out from the table, having the princesses sit down first. She took her seat, and so did Tinnidas. He saw that Princess Celestia did not have a cup, so he lifted his plate and stretched his arm over the table, holding it in front of her.

“Please, take my cup,” he kindly said, bringing a smile to her face.

“Thank you, Tinnidas,” she said back in her smooth voice that made him feel more at ease, “but I shouldn’t rob you of your drink.”

“I insist,” he warmly countered, giving her a smile of his own.

“Well, if you insist,” she teased, grabbing the white porcelain cup in her bright yellow magic and lowering it in front of her. “But let me repay you.” With a flash, another cup appeared in front of him. Tinnidas watched in awe as the gold-like energy dissipated, descending her horn to the base and sputtering away.

“It’s good to see both of you again,” Twilight said, lifting the teapot from the center of the table and pouring tea into each of the four cups.

“And we, you,” Princess Celestia replied. “Sugar, anypony?”

“Yes, please,” Tinnidas said, watching as she magicked a sugar cube into his cup. He saw it quickly dissolve in the amber liquid, grabbing his spoon and gently stirring the beverage. She gave herself a cube, mixing it into her tea. She lifted her cup, taking a small sip from it. He did the same, the vibrant flavors hitting his mouth. Its warmth washed over his body as he wondered why he had never had such exquisite tea before.

Princess Celestia wiped her muzzle as she gently cleared her throat. “Sadly, we’re short on time, so if you didn’t mind getting down to business, that would be great.” Twilight nodded.

“As I said before,” she started, “this is Tinnidas, who I think is from another world.”

“Is this true?” Princess Luna asked, turning her attention to him. Everyone else’s eyes fell on him as he set his cup down.

“To be honest, I have no idea. I would tell you if I could, but I don’t remember anything from my past.” The royal sisters pondered that for a moment.

Twilight spoke up, saying, “He woke up in the Everfree Forest yesterday—right next to the Tree of Harmony.” That got both of their attention. Princess Celestia, who had been stirring her tea, dropped her spoon, making a ringing noise as the metal hit her cup.

“That is… unsettling,” she cooly replied.

“He managed to survive in the forest long enough to make it to Ponyville, but a pack of timberwolves attacked him while he was there. I found him lying on the outskirts of town, close to death, so I took him home and healed him up.”

“Kind as ever,” the Solar Princess said in her motherly tone, getting a smile from Twilight.

“When he woke up, he seemed frantic and lost. As he calmed down, I was able to speak with him. It seems he doesn’t have any of his memories before showing up in Equestria. He also lacks knowledge about the world that he would certainly have if he was from our planet.”

“This is why you think he is from another world?” Princess Luna questioned.

“It is.”

“I thought you said he lacked his memories, so how would he know of the workings of the world?”

“That’s the thing,” Twilight said, looking at Tinnidas. “He remembers some things about how his world works, and in his world, the sun and moon move on their own, and weather occurs naturally.”

“Tell us more of your planet,” Princess Celestia said. Tinnidas glanced at his cup and then back up at her.

“My planet is called Azeroth, and it has four main continents: Northrend, Pandaria, Kalimdor, and the Eastern Kingdoms. It is inhabited by many races, such as dwarves, elves, tauren, orcs, goblins, gnomes, and humans. There are two main factions that fight with each other for control: the Alliance and the Horde.”

“Which side are you one?” Princess Luna asked, clearly trying to feel him out.

“I believe I was with the Alliance,” he answered. “Sorry, my memory is lacking. I sometimes remember things in flashes, but most of it is lost to me.”

“It’s no problem,” her sister said. “Just take your time.”

“Thank you.” He shifted in his seat, trying to think. “I am a human, and humans were the founders of the Alliance. I seem to remember serving its leader, Anduin Wrynn. If I remember correctly, I was a general.”

“A general?” Princess Luna repeated. “So you were a warrior?”

“I am,” Tinnidas answered, hearing the distaste in her voice.

“You say your planet battles for control?” He nodded. “What do you think that says about you?”

“Well,” he started, sighing, “it doesn’t paint me in a great light. On the one hand, I could have killed countless of the other faction to help the Alliance in the war. On the other hand, however, I could have protected my people. Even though we have two factions, we rarely get the chance to fight.”

“What do you mean?” Princess Celestia asked, hearing the sorrow in his voice.

“I remember Azeroth being a very dangerous place. While there were plenty of civilized creatures, there were many murderous, wicked ones. It seemed that there was always a threat to all life on the planet. The Horde and the Alliance would band together to help protect Azeroth from those threats, putting aside their differences to help stop their common enemy. One of our greatest foes was the Burning Legion.” Princess Celestia watched his expression turn cold at that name. His eyes wandered off onto nothing as he stared into oblivion.

After watching his motionless form for a moment, she spoke up.

“Just how dangerous were they?”

“They were a formidable force,” he answered almost instantly, snapping out of his memory. “They were a legion of almost endless demonic creatures from numerous worlds who served the Mad Titan, Sargeras. He and his Burning Legion laid waste to countless planets, destroying every one of them. It was only through the help of an old enemy that we were able to use their own power against them, a dark and powerful magic called the Fel, and fight them back. We took the fight to their realm, which meant we could kill the demons once and for all. It took all that we had, but Azeroth was able to defeat their leader.”

“That sounds horrible,” she concluded, feeling genuine sympathy for him.

“It was, and I’m glad I don’t remember more of it than that.” He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “Could we speak of something else?”

“Oh, of course,” she replied, not wanting to upset him. “You said that you were a hoo-man?”

“It’s human,” he said with a chuckle which she shared. “Yes, that is what I am. We are not the strongest of the races on Azeroth, but our determination and wit are what helps us survive.” He raised his arm. “That and these rather useful hands,” he joked while moving his fingers.

“Those do seem most useful,” she observed while studying his digits.

“I have a question for you.” He took a small sip of tea, savoring the taste. “Do people ever call you horses?”

“Whorses?” she said half out of shock, an unbecoming blush coming across her face. Her sister looked like she had been thoroughly slapped. Twilight was also blushing.

“Yeah, horses,” he replied, unknowingly doubling down. “You look very similar to them; you just seem smaller and less muscular.”

“I’m sure you don’t mean that,” Twilight nervously chuckled. The confused look he gave her only made her worry more.

“You don’t see it?” He gave an unsure expression, deciding to continue. “Are you a type of horse?”

“Enough!” Princess Luna shouted, startling Tinnidas and scaring him all the same.

“I don’t understand. What did—”

“Silence!”

Panic raced through him as he watched her stand up from her chair, glaring down at him with eyes of rage.

“Thou DARES to insult us when we came to negotiate with thee?” He gulped.

“I apologize if I insulted you, but I don’t know what you’re talking—”

“Do not act like a colt!” Princess Luna shouted. “Thou calleth us lowly escorts!” Her eyes flickered white, her pupils shrinking immensely. Tinnidas steadied himself as he got ready to reach for his sword. “Such a slight against us shall not go without retribution!”

Glancing at the poor man and seeing his face of partial understanding, Princess Celestia snapped out a wing, blocking her sister from lunging at him. Holding her sister at bay, she used her magic to immobilize her for the moment.

“Everypony, please calm down!” She sighed, looking at her sister with scolding eyes. “He said he did not know what he did to offend us. It would only be fair for us to believe him.” She turned to Tinnidas, prompting him to explain himself.

“Once again, I apologize for offending you, but I don’t know what I did. You must forgive me.” Seeing the Lunar Princess’s eyes return to their normal state eased his panic. Her sister thought so as well, removing her wing. During this time, Twilight had been thinking of what Tinnidas had said and why.

“Tinnidas,” she began, drawing his attention, “how do you spell whorse?”

“H-o-r-s-e,” he responded, wondering what she was getting at. The sudden exasperated sigh that came from her meant something, especially when Princess Celestia did something very similar.

“I guess it was an assumption that you would use such a term so similarly to us,” the white pony admitted.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, the horses you spoke of are supposedly an ancient ancestor of us ponies, but we rarely ever talk about them. The more commonly used term that sounds identical is whorse, w-h-o-r-s-e.”

“Whorse?” he repeated, never having heard of such a word.

“It means… well—as my sister said—an escort of certain… promiscuous sorts.”

“Oh, I see now,” he mouthed in realization, suddenly understanding how awkward he had made the conversation. “I am so, so sorry for that.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It was us who made the assumption you would know what the term meant.” Tinnidas was moved by her kind words, apparent by the smile on his face. Princess Celestia turned to her sister, giving her a feigned smile. “It was our fault, right sister?”

“Of course,” she deadpanned in response. “We apologize for our…” She waved a hoof around, searching for the word. “...outburst.”

“It was simply a misunderstanding. Let us continue discussing what we were.”

“Ah, yes,” Princess Celestia began. “I think we have made our decision as to what we shall do about your appearance.”

“Oh?” She nodded.

“We will allow you to stay in Equestria and will protect you like one of our own. We will also let you stay here in Ponyville—if you would like. Twilight here will help you get acquainted with the locals—they can be real charming—and get you settled in. In the meantime, my sister and I will look into this ‘Azeroth’ that you speak of. If all goes well, we will be able to find a way to return you to your home.”

“Thank you,” he said purely out of gratitude, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. He returned the smile she was giving him, nodding to her and her sister out of respect. “I hope to honor your kindness, Princesses.”

“I’m sure you will,” Princess Celestia responded in a smooth tone. She stood up from her seat, her sister doing the same, and paused before leaving. “One thing before I go.” Tinnidas perked up.

“Of course. What is it?”

“I was hoping you would let me inspect some of your belongings.”

---

Tinnidas led Princess Celestia upstairs, taking her to the room Twilight had offered for him to stay in. It was the same room he first woke up in when Twilight had saved him. The bed was somewhat small, considering his size, but he could make it work. There was a brown dresser on one wall, pictures of Twilight and her friends hung around it; a nightstand by the bed; and a desk in front of the sole window in the room. He went over to the bed, sitting on its cushiony edge. As far as beds went, he thought it was one of the softest he had ever felt.

Princess Celestia looked around the room, trotting over to the dresser and looking at all the little baubles that decorated it. Her eyes found their way to the pictures, bringing a smile to her face. Old memories of her faithful student’s past were there. Some were from when she had just met her friends that would change the world, and some were more recent ones, such as the Summer Sun Celebration.

“Remembering something over there?”

She snapped out of her trance, turning her head and looking back at Tinnidas.

“I am, in fact.” She slowly went over to him, her head just about the same height as his. “Just reminding myself of the great pony my student has become.”

He chuckled. “Well, by my standards, she is exceptional. I mean, who would save some stranger’s life, take them to their home, and offer them a place to stay? Not where I’m from.”

“That’s my Twilight,” the princess said in agreement. His visage told her that he was thinking of his world. “I hope you’ll find Equestria to be a wonderful place. While it won’t cure your pain, it may ease it.”

“Wise words, Princess, but I’ve already gotten more than I deserve from you and Twilight.”

“You shouldn’t sell yourself short, Tinnidas.”

He pondered that for a moment. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he began, getting a nod to continue. “Why do you have wings and a horn? Twilight does as well, and so does your sister, and all of you are princesses.”

“We are what you call alicorns. We can use magic, and we can fly. We also possess the physical strength of earth ponies, who have neither a horn nor wings. Alicorns are royalty, and that is why we rule Equestria.”

“I feel like there is a lot more to that story than you are telling me,” he teased.

“There is. I just don’t want to bore you. One thing I will tell you, though, is that Twilight was not born an alicorn. She ascended when she proved herself worthy of being a princess.”

He sat there for a moment, processing the miniature bomb she had dropped on him. His mind spun thoughts, wondering what Twilight was like before she became a princess.

“Anyway, what do you want to see first?” he finally asked, returning their attention to the matter at hand.

“Your sword, please.”

He reached behind his back, grabbed the handle of his blade, and took it out of its sheath. He carefully put it in front of him, putting two open hands on the blade and the handle, offering the sword to her. Her horn came to life, sparking with energy as she lifted it in her magic. She stared at it, examining everything from its length to its shine.

“It was crafted so… precisely,” she said aloud. “It is unlike anything I have ever seen…” She moved on with her observation, taking note of the overall size of the weapon. A sword of such a size could only be used by a creature similar in size to him. The next thing she noticed was the runes that ran along the center of the blade on both of its sides. The little engravings had a pattern to them, a sequence of characters repeating over and over again. What the sequence meant, she had no idea. What she did know was that the sword had magical properties to it. As she held it in her magical grasp, she could feel the sword’s energies pushing against her own. It was faint, but she could tell it was there.

“Your sword is… alien.”

“Are you talking about its magic?” She nodded, still focused on the blade. “Twilight mentioned something very similar. She said she couldn’t recognize the type of magic it was imbued with.”

“That’s just it,” she said, breaking away from the sword and lowering it onto the bed, “I may not know what it is, but I do recognize it as not being Equestrian. The magic in your sword has a different arcane structure entirely, pointing to it being from another world, or possibly another dimension.”

“I’m no mage,” he replied, “but I’m guessing that means it works differently?”

“Yes,” she answered with a grin. “Let me see your plating.”

He popped off his pauldrons, setting them on the bed. She picked them up, holding them in front of her face. She saw the same type of engravings on them as what was on the sword. The sequence was different, but they repeated—just like the others. Even the deepness of the carving seemed the same between the two items.

“I think one person made these—or gave them their magical properties at least.”

“Interesting,” he said, putting a hand on his chin. “My knee plating looks the same.”

“Do you know what they do?” she asked, curious as to exactly what powers the items gave him.

“I do actually—or at least some of what they do.” He grabbed his pauldrons, attaching them to his shoulders again. He picked up his sword, raising it sideways. She took the hint, taking a step back. Sure she was out of the way, he struck his shoulder, being sure to hold onto the handle. As the blade went down, coming within an inch of his pauldrons, the runes on his armor ignited in a golden color as a layer of identically colored energy appeared on top of his shoulder plating. His sword hit the barrier, every ounce of force it hit with being turned against it, causing it to almost fly out of his hand. Steadying the blade, he lowered it to his side.

“I was only half sure that would work, but it worked.”

“Well, work it did indeed,” Princess Celestia tittered, intrigued by the armor’s protective spell. Tinnidas got up from the bed, walking over to the window and looking for a way to open it. Spotting a latch, he undid it and pulled the bottom of the window up, cool air entering the room as he did. He lifted his sword, pointing its end out the window.

“What are you doing?”

“Just wait.” He closed his eyes, trying to recall how he felt in the forest when he was fighting with the timberwolves. He concentrated on his emotions, bringing back the sense of control he had when he put out his sword. He felt the same feeling in that moment, opening his eyes as he truly felt the sword. His mind became one with it for a flash as he gave it his command. An orange glow ran down the spine of the sword, flames following closely behind. A jet of fire shot out from the end of his sword, unable to burn anything.

“Wow,” Princess Celestia said out of awe. “I was not expecting that.” He sheathed his sword again, closing the window.

“I discovered that when I was fighting with a pack of timberwolves. It was definitely helpful.” He went over to the side of the bed, bending down and picking up his satchel from the floor. He put it on the bed, opening it and pulling out his damaged Hearthstone. He turned around, showing it to her.

“This is my Hearthstone.”

“Its magic is potent. I can feel it from here.”

“Well, it is damaged and leaking some of its energy, but it is a very powerful item. It allows one to teleport to a set location at will, as long as you let it recharge for about fifteen minutes.”

“No wonder I could feel its power. A spell like that would require a large amount of energy.” She took a closer look at the crack in its exterior, feeling how the flow of magic was disrupted within it.

“It broke when I dropped it in a cave, and I don’t know how to fix it.” He put it back in his bag.

“I can’t either. I may have a lot of raw power, but fixing that would require a far greater understanding of the workings of arcane energy than I possess. I really wish I could help.”

“It’s nothing,” he said with a wave of his hand. “By the way, it’s nice to have someone I don’t have to look down at.” That got a smirk out of her.

“Do you mean somepony?”

“Oh, that’s what you’ve been saying. Humans call each other someone, but I guess somepony makes sense seeing as how you’re all… well, you know.”

“Yes,” she chuckled. “It is nice for me too.” She trotted over to the door, glancing back at him. “It’s been nice meeting you. I hope my sister and I can find a way home for you.”

He nodded to her with a friendly smile, watching her return it before she turned away and went out the door. Looking outside the window, he realized it had gotten rather late. He pushed his satchel to the side of the bed, removing his sword and propping it against the other side. He took off his armor, putting the pieces on his desk before plopping down on the bed.

He let out a sigh as he thought about his current situation. It seemed he had made some new friends, but he still did not know who he was. His mind was blank, the only memories of his past appearing in occasional flashes. He hoped that the princesses would be able to restore his memory and help him get home.

As he continued to think about his new life, his eyes slowly closed. His body slowed as his senses faded, his conscience drifting off into sleep.