> The Becoming
>  by Lemmers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Being Pony is Hard to Do...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh… this can’t be good…”

My eyes opened slowly as I narrowed in on the soft, pastel colors of the surrounding landscape. It was difficult to describe, though I recognized it almost immediately as being completely foreign. There were many things that I had never seen of course, but there were always fundamental similarities that helped me to realize that I was still looking at something… familiar. These trees and plants, the dirt beneath me, even the warm temperate air I pulled into my lungs all felt strange and different.

In all honesty though? I didn’t really feel uneasy in this new… dimension, was a good word for it. I myself had actually changed to match it. The only thing that no longer meshed properly with this place was the memory of my previous life.

“Not another one,” I heard from above and behind me, spoken in a stern yet feminine voice, and tinted with a defined regal quality.

I craned my neck and struggled to speak, though my ability to communicate seemed to have become inadequate in the short time since I had last spoken.

“Neigh?” was all I could manage.

I didn’t really have time to be astonished at the noise I had made, as my eyes had now settled on a strangely glorious sight. It was a majestic white creature, distinctly horse shaped, with magnificent white wings and a pointed, spiral-patterned horn protruding from its forehead. I was looking at a Pegasus unicorn hybrid of some sort, with a luminescent multi-colored mane and strange, vibrant eyes.

“You’re an Earthling, a… human, am I correct?” it inquired as it gently floated to the ground before me.

I went to speak, but again all I could make was another horse noise. The hybrid creature’s facial features produced what could only be described as a pitying look, and then it spoke again. It was like being criticized by some little girl’s giant plush toy, and yet I experienced this strange phenomenon as only a native of this world could. My indignity subsided almost immediately, and I was left simply in awe of the horse-creature’s majesty. 

“Do not worry Human, you have no need to fear me, or this place,” it assured, “your kind has appeared here on rare occasions, and all of them have been returned home without incident.”

My shoulders – both sets of them it seemed – slumped in relief at this news. My previous belief that this had only been a dream had been shaken to the core by the appearance of this strange being, yet now it seemed as though it didn’t really matter one way or another.

“My name is Princess Celestia,” she spoke, thankfully clearing up a few possible misconceptions in the process, “and this place you find yourself in is the Everfree forest, a mysterious land within the borders my kingdom, the nation of Equestria.”

I produced another animal noise as I tried to introduce myself, and for a moment it seemed as though the princess was about to laugh. If she was it was a momentary thing, and she quickly returned to her normal, dignified state. I briefly wondered if she was just putting on an act to welcome a guest into her home, but Celestia spoke again before I had the chance to ponder it further.

“You’re a bit different, aren’t you?” she asked, cocking her head in an amused fashion, “neither excited nor afraid, a lot unlike the others who appeared before you.”

I didn’t have the personal experience to agree with her, so I decided to take the princess’s word for it. Still, my inability to communicate left me feeling rather at Celestia’s mercy, something I was not particularly happy to be. I made another, slightly more articulate noise, but it was still nothing close to the language I knew.

This time, Princess Celestia really did chuckle, “You really don’t have to force yourself you know, we ponies speak through magic, and it is quite a bit different than what you are used to, I’m sure.”

All the pieces were finally starting to fall into place it seemed. This was indeed a different world altogether, a magical pastel-colored kingdom ruled by horse creatures known as ponies. I was beginning to hope that this was all just a very strange dream, but not even I could come up with a dream this ridiculous. Still, if it was magic that was needed to speak then I would just have to find it, and if there was anything I had learned from books, it was that magic came from inside yourself. I had always imagined it was like a light, a sun’s ray, with all the warmth but none of the glare. 

It was - simply put - magic, and as I thought these last words a heat rose up inside my chest. It pooled in my throat, as though I was going to be sick, and yet it did not make me feel ill or nauseous. I was instead filled with a sense of powerful nostalgia, as though a long forgotten memory was being dug up from somewhere deep in my mind. It flashed before my eyes and was gone like a bolt of lightning, and the sheer energy of the moment somehow gripped my tongue and moved the appendage all on its own, unlike anything I had ever before experienced.

“LIKE THIS?!”

I was almost as astonished as Princess Celestia when I heard my own voice echo from my mouth, which seemed to serve only as a funnel to communicate the impossible sounds I was producing. This voice of mine, despite all its similarities, was somehow different though. It was loud and booming, and shook the trees around us. I fell to the ground, my head suddenly spinning with an profound emptiness, and all I could do was let the world around me spin off its axis.

In fact, it was the first time I had been truly aware of my surroundings since I had awoken, and I listened intently as all of the birds and forest creatures scattered from the clearing where the Princess stood over me. There were so many of them watching, as though an intricate scene was playing out before them, and they looked on with large inquisitive eyes that showed obvious glimmers of a near human-like intelligence. Somehow, I hadn’t noticed them at all, and I wondered why it had taken me until now to realize it. 

Maybe I was just eager to find something that might serve to anchor me to reality, afraid that I might suddenly fall from the ground and up into the sky. 

“Oh my,” Celestia exclaimed, her eyes opening a bit wider with fascination, “this is quite the astonishing feat.”
I once again sought out that little warm spot in my chest, using it to shape the words I wished to speak, “WHAT IS?” echoed my booming voice, even louder than before. 

Once again the scenery seemed to shake violently. 

“A bit too much magic, I think!” replied Celestia, who had now turned her head and covered her ears with her… hooves? 

Her long legs ended in what appeared to be a rounded stump sporting a golden-gilded slipper of some sort. In curiosity, I looked down at my own feet, where my hands had once been. Indeed, I too sported a similar stump. I opened my mouth to speak again, this time with astonishment, but quickly thought better of the idea and resolved to keep my trap shut instead.

“I would normally ask that you attempt to quiet your voice, but it is rare enough for your kind to speak, let alone speak so loudly,” Celestia said, a bit subdued.  

I nodded my head somberly, as though I understood what she meant. In response, the princess lowered her head towards mine, and I got a better look at her large magenta-colored irises. Again, she was unlike anything I had ever seen, yet there seemed to be something in those eyes that did not fit. It was a weariness of sorts, and a hint of concern that had only been momentarily pushed aside. I felt the magic in my chest again, this time far dimmer, as though coming from across a great distance.  Somehow, it allowed me to scrunch what I had resolved to call my face into a quizzical expression. 

The princess ignored me, and I watched as a golden light began to envelope her horn. She brought her head lower, touching the very tip of the spiral-patterned horn against the hairs of my neck. I gulped audibly, perhaps against my will, but did not recoil from her. The light seemed to collect there at the tip of her horn, and then it was gone with a brief flash. Almost immediately I could feel my lightheadedness clear, and as it did, the heat of the magic that had nestled in my throat went with it. 

As impatient as I was, however, it didn’t take long for me to call it back. Again, the tiny warmth swelled up from far away, and I was able to produce a normal – if a bit raspy – voice.

“Oh, that’s much better,” I said, shaking my head as the princess withdrew her horn. 

“You are welcome my little pony – oops, I mean human,” she said, clearly pleased that I was pleased.

I stood up, amazed at my ability to balance on the extra set of appendages, but then I’d always been able to do it as a human. Doing it as a horse shouldn’t have been any different, though I imagined that I would probably have some trouble if I was required to do anything more than walk – err – trot. Still, the flexibility of my front appendages astounded me, and the strength and hardness of my feet were more than reminiscent of proper hooves. It was almost like having a layer of bone wrapped around my foot. 

“Do I really look like a pony?” I asked, turning my neck to get a better look at my body. 

Princess Celestia nodded, and then added, “You do, though you don’t seem too perturbed by the idea,” she noted, “again, I find your composure most impressive.”

I grinned, somehow rather happy to receive a compliment from the princess. Very rarely was I surprised or startled. I had always been an avid reader, always eager to discover new worlds and meet new characters. My dreams tended to reflect that, so maybe I was just subconsciously used to these kinds of wild tonal shifts. Rarely did a day or night go by that I did not find myself somewhere new and different, though I had to admit that this was on a totally different level than my usual dreams. It was hard to describe, suffice it to say that dreams tended to leave the unnecessary things out. Reality – this reality – felt as real as any realness I had ever experienced before in my life. I couldn’t deny it, no matter how hard I tried. 

“How did you find me, anyways?” I asked, nursing my head tenderly.

“I spotted your arrival from my perch in Canterlot, through my telescope,” she said, “and well, I couldn’t just leave you out here now could I?” 

The princess shook her head knowingly, presumably answering her own question. I, however, was too busy exploring the machinations of a pony princess Pegasus with a telescope. Nope… there was no point, I just couldn’t see it.

“Thank you princess,” I said, bowing my head ever so slightly, “I really do appreciate it.”

On a whim, I decided to test out my new hoof on the forest floor. It was strange, having a completely new body, and every little movement I made was fascinating in its own way. Before I knew it I was already asking absentminded questions.

“Why were you out looking through your telescope at this time of evening, if you don’t mind my asking? There couldn’t have been any stars worth seeing.” 

Princess Celestia’s mood seemed to deflate as I asked this question, as though I had reminded her of whatever pressing matter it was that she’d been trying to avoid. This was all just guessing on my part of course, but I quickly discovered that I was spot on in my assumptions given the princess’s sudden, audible sigh. 

“I’m afraid Canterlot, my home, has had a dire threat made against it in the past few days, and I have been keeping a vigil on this area at all times of the day in the hope that I might preempt an attack,” she began simply.

I thought that was going to be it, but suddenly the princess continued, rambling almost, as if she could no longer keep her words contained, “Of course, this threat could not have come at a less opportune time, as my niece is due to be married by the week’s end. To the captain of my royal guard no less! A pony who is himself responsible for defending Canterlot from outside threats. Even with the looming threat, I could not show any weakness. I couldn’t bring myself to cancel the royal wedding, but now I am no longer sure my actions were wise. This has been a very stressful time for me, I must admit.”

The princess hung her head, and I listened in a stunned silence. Suddenly I felt less like a guest and more like an unwanted burden. 

“That is… quite the handful of problems you find yourself with princess,” I said slowly, unsure of how to proceed.

Of course, the princess herself quickly picked up on the atmosphere, and her mad dash to regain her composure combined with an attempted apology made an amusing sight to say the least. It was a shame then that I let my empathy get the better of me. I was not amused, and neither was Celestia.

“Oh dear, I am afraid I must apologize for my actions, this is certainly not proper conduct for a princess, and certainly not in front of a guest.”

I shook my head, my new mane bobbing to and fro, “I have no reason to hold anything but gratitude for you princess,” I said, “and it seems to me that any – err – pony who had as much to worry about as you do now, would need to share those feelings with some… pony… else.”

The fumbled over the last few words as they left my mouth, my speech altered almost magically against my will. It wasn’t as if I couldn’t say ‘anybody’ or ‘somebody’ but it felt almost… wrong to do so. Like I would be going against some fundamental law of nature. I momentarily tried to stare at my own tongue, as though I was going to reprimand it, before I simply wrote the whole surreal event off as more pony world magic.

“Maybe you could send for help?” I suggested, again, absentmindedly.

This sudden suggestion seemed lighten the mood, and the princess slowly returned to her previous lighthearted self.

“Thank you… um?” Princess Celestia paused, and I suddenly realized I had never introduced myself.

“Oh… right, my name – my name – my name is…” I tried to get the words out, but every time I tried, it didn’t work. 

It just… wouldn’t work… no matter how much magic I tried. In fact, the more I tried, the further my name seemed to slip away from me. I remembered having a name, it was… it was the same name that I’d always had. 

“I can’t remember it,” I concluded.

I should have been far more worried than I actually was, but something about this place, or perhaps being in the presence of the princess, filled me with a kind of supernatural serenity. Even while my mind whirled with questions and concerns, my outward appearance hardly changed at all. Maybe it was just because I needed to use magic to manipulate my facial muscles properly, but that could have only been a part of it. 

“My, that is a serious problem,” said Celestia with some concern. 

The princess took a few tentative steps and circled around me, as though she were inspecting some sort of science project. I wondered if I was interesting or informative enough to win a blue ribbon, but was pulled once again from my idle thoughts when Celestia’s horn began to glow again. It wasn’t nearly as interesting the second time around, but I still found myself following the magical appendage with my eyes as she pressed it to my forehead. For a second there, I think I went cross-eyed…

What followed next was a strange montage in my own mind, as what seemed to be all of the memories of my life flashed before my eyes. Each one of them went by in a picosecond, and then was filed away somewhere for easy storage. Heck, I even remembered where I had left my missing book of children’s poems when I was kid, not that it mattered much anymore. Despite the sudden surge of memories however, I felt a strange absence from them, as though something that was supposed to be there had gone missing. 

“Well?” Princess Celestia inquired, having finished her memory restoration spell. 

She looked down at me with anticipation, and I was disappointed when all I could do was shake my head in silence. The princess frowned, but placed a comforting hoof on my shoulder. Despite the strange hoof ornament she wore, I found her touch surprisingly warm and tender. 

“Do not worry, I’m sure you’ll remember it in time, it’s probably just the shock of so many new things all at once.”

I nodded my head, and watched as Celestia turned away from me, focusing her gaze towards the sky. 

“This twilight will not last long it seems," she said, and she turned to face me, "and we should be leaving this forest. I have us protected with my magic at the moment, but there are creatures within this forest that even I would not want to cross paths with.”

Again, I had to take the princess’s word for it, though I vaguely recalled her saying something about me not having to worry about safety. In hindsight, that was probably for my own benefit, to keep me from panicking. As it was, the Everfree forest definitely didn’t sound like anywhere I wanted to be. 

“Let us go now,” she spoke, “you may stay the night in my palace, and I will return you to your world in the morning.”

I was about to ask her why she couldn’t return me to my world right this minute, but I remembered all that the Princess had told me just moments before. I owed her quite a bit for her hospitality, and was in no position to demand anything at this point. Besides, I wasn’t particularly opposed to spending time in a magical pony palace. 

“Where is Canterlot?” I asked softly.

The princess turned her head, as though she was instinctively drawn to her home like the needle of a compass, “It is there, on the mountainside, though you cannot see it at the moment.”

“I’m sure it’s an impressive sight.” I added.

The princess gave me a quick smile, “You are too kind – Pathfinder.”

I raised an eyebrow and pointed a hoof at her, partly shocked at my own ability to adapt to ponyhood, “Did you just come up with that?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said, her horn now glowing with golden energy, “do you not like it?”

“Why Pathfinder?”

The Princess looked at me as though she were confused, “You found the path here didn’t you?” she asked.

I shook my head, “Well, if you put it that way,” I muttered, “I guess it’s pretty fitting, given the circumstances.”

The princess chuckled in that familiar sort of way, as though she were chatting with an old friend. Was she this friendly with everypony, or just those that she rescued? I blinked at my own thoughts, wondering if the pony world magic was beginning to invade my mind already. What a silly thought, of course it was!

“Now then,” she began, the glow of her horn growing ever brighter, “you may want to hold your breath, it can be rather disconcerting your first time.”

“What can?”

There was a bright flash from Celestia’s horn, and for a brief moment I felt as if I was being stretched between two distances that were farther apart than I was. Imagine if you will being in two places at once, then no places at once, and finally somewhere entirely different – all at the same time. Well, there might have been a slight delay between each stage of teleportation, but they certainly didn’t help to make it any less – disconcerting. 

Princess Celestia had obviously done this many times before, since she was still standing when we arrived in the Canterlot Castle throne room – what looked like the throne room anyways, though I didn’t exactly see a throne in the cavernous, window-lined chamber. I, however, was upside down and on the floor, still gasping for air. The cold marble tile was actually a welcome change I had to admit, since I wasn’t exactly used to being so... pony. 

“Ugh…” I groaned. 

The princess, much to my surprise, gave a loud yawn, “I did warn you, didn’t I?”  

I wanted to respond, but at this instant a group of armored unicorns entered the room with a machine-like efficiency. My natural calm was quickly being worn away by the mounting events, and it was all I could do to squirm to my feet – err – hooves. 

“Princess Celestia,” the lead unicorn began, “are you alright? You left so suddenly!”

I took a closer look at this particular unicorn, who was dressed in a more elaborate, colorful armor than the others. I could tell that, unlike the guards who kept their attention focused solely on me, this unicorn was concerned more with the well being of Celestia. I honestly couldn’t fault him for it. 

“There is no need to concern yourself with such things Shining Armor,” said Celestia in a commanding yet dismissive tone. 

I was a little shocked. It was hard to believe that this was the same princess Celestia who was chuckling and yawning in front of me only moments ago. Well, she was a princess after all. 

“But your highness,” he began, but was cut short by the Princess’s stern gaze. 

“I thank you Shining Armor, but don’t you have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment?”

“Yes Princess,” said Armor rather compliantly, “and your guest?”

The Princess looked down at me with a discerning eye, distinctly more judgmental than her earlier inspections of my ponyness. 

“Show him to a guest room,” she said, and I noticed she was choking back another yawn behind her regal façade.

The guards were already dispersing en masse as Shining Armor began approaching me from across the throne room. His armor was rather gallant looking with the moonlight now streaming in from the stain-glassed window behind me. It was also rather of intimidating, and I shrank back from the large white unicorn stallion. 

Before he reached me, the Princess quickly lowered her head and whispered in my ear, “Do try to keep a low profile Pathfinder,” she said, “I will send for you in the morning.”

I nodded, just in time for the Princess to pull away and disappear in a flash of golden light. Shining Armor was already in front of me, standing a few good inches over me. 

“Hello my friend,” he said in an arguably amicable manner, “allow me to be the first to welcome you to Canterlot Castle.”

His friendly demeanor did little to improve my attitude, and I felt a sudden sense of loss with the princess’s departure. 

“Thanks,” I croaked, unsure what else to say.

Shining Amor smiled, though I could tell from his face that he was more than a little curious about who I was and what I was doing here. It must not have been a common occurrence for Celestia to bring strange guests over, and I wondered if she had ever brought any other human ponies here before. She might have sent all the others home right away, which only brought up the question as to why she had invited me to the castle. 

If I had to guess, it would have been weariness. Teleportation, protection, voice-fixing, memory restoring, she had used a lot of magic in a short period of time, not to mention all of the mental stress she must be under with all of the goings on in the castle. I had nearly fainted just learning how to talk, so she must have been on her last leg if I was any good indicator of that. Somehow, I thought I might have been overestimating myself. Or underestimating the princess…

“Well…” said Shining Armor tentatively, “if you’ll follow me this way, I’ll show you to your room.”

He began trotting off, and I followed him as closely as I could, almost afraid that I might lose him. As soon as the princess had left I had felt a sudden wave of panic wash over me, and right now Shining Armor was the only pony around that I had any connection – no matter how insignificant – to. For the longest time we were absolutely silent, which was a good thing, since I had to focus all of my attention on getting the hang of turning corners and going up stairs. Not to mention my futile attempts trying to get some kind of mental layout of the castle. Needless to say the castle was huge, and I had only seen a tiny part of it. As far as I could tell, we were somewhere near a tower.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Armor began suddenly, “how exactly do you know Princess Celestia – um?”

“Pathfinder,” I said, “my name is Pathfinder.”

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow, and for a moment I almost thought he wasn’t going to buy the fake name the princess had given me. 

“Right, so… the princess?” he prompted.

“Oh –“ I stumbled over my words, “she helped me when I was lost.”

Telling stories wasn’t really my strong suit, despite my love of reading.

“Really?” he asked disbelievingly, “well, it’s not really my place to pry into another pony’s affairs, I was just a bit shocked by your appearance.”

“Wha – what’s wrong with my appearance?” I asked, at a distinct disadvantage when it came to typical pony conventions. 

Shining Armor recoiled a bit, “Oh no, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being a blank flank at your age, I was just wondering is all.”

A stitch of panic crept up my mane, but I pushed it back, “Blank flank?” I inquired.

The unicorn seemed to be more than a little caught off guard by my unfamiliarity with the term, and he stopped trotting so that he could turn to face me. It wasn’t exactly that he was looking down on me, but more that he had no idea how exactly to deal with the question.

“You don’t have a cutie mark,” he said, hoping I would understand him just from that hint.

When he realized I wasn’t catching on, he turned his head over to his haunch and lifted up a plate on his armor. To my surprise there was a strange mark there, a purple shield emblazoned with a pinkish colored star. It was sort of like a tattoo, but melded so well into his coat that it appeared to have grown completely organically. Come to think of it, Celestia also had a similar mark on her rear haunch. I hadn’t given it much notice before. 

“I got this baby when I discovered my desire to protect other ponies, particularly my little sister Twilight Sparkle,” he said with an air of pride, “and now I’m captain of Canterlot’s royal guard, who would have thought huh? I’m even getting married to the pony of my dreams within the week, and she’s a princess no less!” 

I didn’t quite understand what exactly he was trying to tell me, but figured the cutie marks were something of a rite of passage that all ponies went through. Like a tribal marking or something. Of course, since I’d only been a pony for an hour or so it would only make sense that I didn’t have one of them.  I was going to reply, but Shining Armor’s face suddenly went deadpan, and he seemed a bit perturbed. 

“Sorry… I guess that was a bit too much information…” muttered the guard captain in an embarrassed tone.

I raised an eyebrow and took a step back, which was harder than it looked, “That’s – alright,” I said hesitantly, “Princess Celestia did the same thing, she even told me about your wedding, um… congratulations by the way.”

I wasn’t sure whether this news bothered or embarrassed Shining Armor more, maybe both, but he certainly didn’t seem to be expecting that curveball. In hindsight, I probably should have just kept my mouth shut about Princess Celestia’s confession. I’d mark it down for later. 

“Did she – say anything else about the matter?” Shining Armor asked more carefully, as though he were now wary of making me skittish.

I wasn’t sure how to reply, but the unicorn luckily interrupted me before I had the chance to stick my hoof in my mouth, “No, never mind,” he said, “I shouldn’t pry into the Princess’s private matters.”

He turned away from me, and we continued our trek up the tower stairs in silence. In fact, it wasn’t until we finally reached a large wooden door near the top that he turned back to me. His face was stressed into a rather serious looking scowl, and it caused me to recoil a bit. 

“A warning Pathfinder,” he said sternly, “we recently received a threat against Canterlot, and if I find out that you’re in any way involved…” 

Shining Armor paused, leaving the resulting threat up to my rather overactive imagination. I wasn’t sure what kind of punishments were regularly administered here in pony world, but the Everfree forest had shown me that were probably plenty of nasty places that I could be banished to if I upset the wrong ponies. Luckily for me, I was going to be getting out of here tomorrow. Hopefully Celestia’s spell came with optional memory removal, since nobody on my side of the dimensional barrier would believe this whole crazy tale anyways. 

“My thoughts exactly, Sir Shining Armor,” came another distinctly regal voice from behind me. 

For a second I thought Princess Celestia had returned, but the ominous presence behind me was too – well – ominous to belong to the kindhearted Celestia. Not to mention the voice, which had a distinctly domineering quality to it. 
“Princess Luna!” Shining Armor exclaimed, promptly bowing down to the looming pony behind me. 

I myself turned around to be greeted with an interesting sight, another Pegasus unicorn, with a coat the color of a blue night sky and a shimmering blue mane speckled with starlight. Again, she reminded me a bit of Celestia, and for good reason if Shining Armor’s reaction was any indicator. This pony princess, Luna, was a bit smaller than her morning glory counterpart, though arguably more imposing. She floated silently onto the spiral staircase behind, almost eerie in the stealth that she displayed. Too bad she ruined the effect when she opened her mouth. 

“You dare not bow thine head before us?” Princess Luna asked me, more bemused than angry.
Well, Princess Celestia didn’t really seem to have a problem with my lack of submission, not that I wouldn’t have given it to her if I knew how. I was still just getting the hang of navigating this new body, much less performing fancy gestures with it. 
Somehow, I didn’t think the excuse of, ‘I don’t know how,’ was going to fly here though. 

“No matter,” she said dismissively, “We simply came to introduce our royal self to our sister’s esteemed guest,” 
It didn’t really make me feel better. 

“Our name is Princess Luna of Equestria,” Luna began, “bringer of the night and protector of this city while the sun sleeps,” and she pressed a hoof to her chest in a gesture of pride.

I smiled sheepishly, or as sheepishly as my magically fueled pony muscles would let me, “Well, it certainly is a beautiful night Princess Luna, one of the –“ I was fishing for words now, “darkest – I’ve ever seen.”

I cringed a bit, but was shocked to see Luna’s ominous visage deflate almost immediately, “Do – do you really think so?” she urged, as though she were seeking my approval. 

The princess had somehow invaded my personal space before I even had the chance to notice, and I nodded my head nervously. I watched as a grin began to stretch slowly across Luna’s features. She just barely managed to catch herself it seemed, and quickly distanced herself from me, returning to her earlier façade. She even turned her head and gave a faux cough. Now that I had seen through it though – not sure what exactly I had seen – it wasn’t nearly as intimidating. 

“Um, Princess?” Shining Armor spoke up, “maybe we should let Pathfinder get some sleep?”

It seemed to take Luna a moment to realize who Shining Armor was referring to, which only managed to catch her all the more off guard. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn she even blushed. 

“If you think so,” she scoffed, forgetting her royal wording, “good rest to you – Pathfinder…”

With that, Luna stretched out her wings and flew off into the night, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly she disappeared into the darkness. Actually, I guess it wasn’t that impressive after all was it? I turned my head when I heard the click of a lock behind me, and saw Shining Armor withdrawing his horn from a keyhole in the large door. He pushed the massive thing open with ease, revealing a hauntingly beautiful image of a moonlight illuminated bed chamber. Somehow, I felt Luna might have had something to do with this… though the effect of it was quickly ruined when Shining Armor lit several of the lamps in the room with a spark of fuchsia colored magic. 

“Although nopony will be forcing you, I would advise against wandering the castle grounds at night, Pathfinder,” Armor said sternly, “as I said, it would be best to avoid casting any suspicions on yourself.”

I nodded silently as I entered the room, still allowing my eyes to grow accustomed to the sudden increase in light. 

“Goodnight to you then,” Shining Armor concluded, shutting the door rather brusquely as he left. 

You know that strange sort of empty feeling when a lot of things happen to drag you along one after another, and then suddenly you’re left to your own devices with nothing else to do? Yeah, that was what I was feeling right about now. I stood in that spot, doing nothing, for what seemed like hours before I finally worked up the nerve to actually explore my new environment. First I decided to get myself accustomed to the all too human furniture in my bedchamber, even going so far as to inspect the fully functioning bathroom. I had heard stories of medieval castles that were renovated with all of the modern amenities; I just never expected magical ponies to also be able to do it too. Granted, I never expected magical ponies to do anything, since I didn’t really know they existed. 

There was even still the chance that I was dreaming, though I had all but given up on that flimsy pretense about fifteen minutes ago when I got a dim look at the bustling little city of Canterlot. It was simply too stunning to describe, and had taken until now to truly process the peculiarity of a pony built city. That, and my strange meeting with the second pony princess, Luna, had been more than a bit shocking. Was it just me, or did the ponies in this world seem a bit too kind and trusting? Well, aside from Shining Armor, but then he had a good reason to be suspicious of me. Maybe if I met some more of them… maybe if I had the chance to meet some more of them. Even princess Luna could turn out to be a nice pony if I got to know her better!  

Ugh… scratch that thought.

I forced the thought of the midnight mare out of my mind and returned to more practical problems, like operating this new pony body I had acquired. I might as well try to get the hang of it now and save myself the embarrassment of it later. Not that I expected to be here long, but it certainly couldn’t hurt. I spent the next hour or so, as the clock – the pony-made clock – kindly let me know, trying out different walking and running speeds. I climbed on and off the bed a few dozen times, and even tried jumping on the furniture only to fall flat on my face. Kicking off for a jump was certainly going to take some more practice. I even tried to manipulate some things with my hooves, and to my astonishment, they served the purpose rather well. 

There was a sort of weak clenching muscle that I could operate with my Spark, as I had come to call my inborn pony magic, which allowed me to grasp simple machines and even lift light objects. Anything heavier would probably require me to use my mouth, which was as strange as I thought it would be, and any sort of dexterous feats still left me in the dark. I guess you needed magic for that, though all of my attempts to do anything beyond the usual everyday practices were met with failure. It was a little upsetting, but I guess I just didn’t have enough magic for things like that. Or a horn, that might be useful. On the other hand, I did discover that my tail was surprisingly mobile, and that I could use it to swat various things or even fan myself.  

All of this experimentation tired me out rather quickly, however, and I soon collapsed on my bed. My body melted into the downy covers almost immediately, and while I didn’t exactly think I would be getting cold – since my pony body was quite a bit warmer than my human body – I pulled the blanket over my hindquarters with my teeth just to be sure. 

Before I knew it I had drifted off into a pleasant slumber. Pleasant – in the sense that it was plagued with worry, regret, confusion, and of course terrible flashes of bright green light that seemed to haunt the periphery of my mind.

Somehow… I didn’t think my stay in pony world was going to go quite so smoothly as I had hoped. 
	
	

> Waking Up is Hard to Do...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Message for Pathfinder!"

I awoke the next morning to the sound of hoofbeats against my bedroom door. Already the sun was shining high in the sky, and streamed in through a window above my silken four-poster pony bed. The covers were tossed every which way, and the vast majority of the pillows that had graced my bed were laying unattended on the floor. My mouth was dry and yet felt peculiarly sticky, and my eyes stung with exhaustion. My neck was cramped, my legs were numb, and my mane was tangled. Actually, I think it was caught on one of the bed’s posters.

Even with a brand new pony body, it seemed I couldn’t get rid of my usual sleeping habits, and here I was hoping that I could finally have a good night’s sleep. Though I had to admit, it was nice to see that some things never changed. Still, I couldn’t even remember my dream from last night, which was even stranger than waking up in a pony body in the first place. For a moment I wondered if this was concrete proof that I was, in fact, not dreaming about being a pony, but decided that it honestly didn’t matter. Then I wondered if I could ignore the urgent beating at the door and go back to sleep.

“Message for Pathfinder!” came a soft, feminine voice from the other side of my bedroom door. 

My first thought was, ‘Who the buck is Pathfinder?’ before the memories of last night’s escapades finally came back to me. 

That’s right, Pathfinder was the name I had assumed – courtesy of Princess Celestia – after I discovered my rather selective name-forgetting amnesia. My second thought after realizing all of this was, ‘why the buck am I using the word buck for any reason whatsoever?’ before I also remembered the rather invasive magical nature of this strange pony world. Primarily the magical nature of the pony’s speech, and how it was controlled by my Spark, my tiny glimmer of magic that allowed me to do all of the things ponies normally shouldn’t be able to do. 

Sometimes, remembering things was harder than actually experiencing them, like getting a lecture on something you just did… even though you just did it. 

“Message for Pathfinder!” 

I finally waddled out of bed, almost collapsing under my weight as I let the pins and needles kick in. It was an entirely different feeling when it was going through four limbs all at once. I ran an ineffectual hoof through my mane and wiped something crusty out of my eye before I made my way across the room. The pony on the other side of the door must have heard my echoing hoofsteps on the stone floor, since she stopped wrapping on the massive wooden portal.  With a distinctive groan I pushed open the door, surprised at the strength I had managed to display. I guess this was why ponies didn’t worry about building their doors so heavy. Even I was strong enough to open it without too much trouble. 

“I’m Pathfinder,” I said sleepily, feeling the warm tingle of magic in my throat. 

I was sure I’d get used to that eventually... if I had any plans to stay here. Luckily for me,  I was getting a one way ticket back to the human world today. In fact, this was probably my summons from Princess Celestia for just such an appointment.

“Here you go!” said the small unicorn… um, mare? 

She levitated a small scroll of parchment up to my face, and then stared at me for a moment with large yellow eyes. They were mesmerizing in a way, and matched her pale gray coat and yellow mane in a peculiar fashion. Actually, this was the first pony I'd met that wasn't related in some way to Celestia and Luna – oh, I get it now – and she was actually a rather fascinating creature.

“Um… you’re Pathfinder right?” she asked, snapping me out of my inner monologue, “aren’t you going to take the message?”

I looked down at the parchment positioned in front of my face before I finally realized what she wanted me to do with it. Reluctantly, I opened my mouth and gingerly clasped my teeth around the scroll. The slow, methodical way in which I approached taking the thing must have startled the other pony, since she left in a rush almost immediately after I had grabbed it. I wanted to pass it off as her being busy, but even I had to admit that I probably looked a bit like a creeper. Whatever the equivalent of a pony creeper was…

Sill pondering how to actually open the scroll, I trotted back into the room. I considered donkey-kicking the door shut, but realized that I would probably end up breaking my spine if I tried it. I opted instead to close it gently with my rear end, still balancing the parchment in my teeth. 

In the end, opening the scroll turned out not to be a problem. As soon as I set the darn thing down on the table, the seal that kept it shut seemed to magically dissolve. The scroll even rolled open in front of me with a little flourish, laying itself out like a nice, neat sheet of paper. I looked at the writing on the parchment with confusion before the letters began to rearrange themselves magically before my eyes, forming proper sentences that I could actually read. I probably should have been shocked by this, but I was a bit too tired at the moment to react to anything in an energetic sort of way.


My Dear Pathfinder,


The letter began, and I couldn’t help but feel a tiny prick of longing to see the princess again.


My Dear Pathfinder,

How have you enjoyed your stay here in Canterlot Castle? I hope your room is to your liking, as I’m afraid you must remain our guest for a short while longer. 

I know that I had promised you a safe return to your home this morning, but I have unfortunately forgotten some pressing matters I must attend to in the kingdom. This news must come as a shock to you, but I know that you will understand when I say that my hooves are tied. Rest assured, as soon as this business with the royal wedding has concluded I will see to your return. 

In the meantime I have tasked my younger sister, Luna, to your case. I understand you have already met her, which saves me the trouble of having to introduce you two. Do not let her looks or attitude fool you, she is a master of unicorn magic and a real sweet pony at heart. I am sure that you two will get along famously! You should be able to find her in the library, just ask one of the guards for directions.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

P.S. Thank you for your suggestion last night, it was sound advice to send for help with the wedding preparations! :)


I wondered if ponies were capable of hyperventilating, considering how close I was to undergoing a panic attack. If it wasn’t for my strange and unfamiliar admiration for the sun-patterned princess, I might have eaten the scroll in a rage. It was probably a good thing that I hadn’t, considering this one promptly rolled itself back up and disappeared in a flash of golden light. I guess she wanted to make sure that I had gotten it.

Still, I found myself at a loss for words.

…

Ok, not really, but you understand what I’m getting at. 

I would have complained more about the situation, but for brevity’s sake I forced myself to just accept my circumstances. I hadn’t chosen to come here to pony land, and I certainly shouldn’t be upset that I ended up getting a royal welcome and a room in the castle to stay at. If I’d been born with worse luck, I might have been stranded in the Everfree forest and forced to scavenge for food until something big and nasty finally came along and ate my little pony brains. I should just be grateful that the princess still intended on sending me back all, when she could have just as easily ignored me. 

My loyalties to Celestia reaffirmed, I focused my attention on the latter half of the letter. The parts about the night mare princess Luna. Apparently she had been assigned to my case, which probably meant – actually I had no idea what Celestia meant by that, but it must have been important whatever it was.

“Library – ask the guards,” I told myself, “I got this.”

If I was going to have to spend a week here in pony world, I was going to live it to the fullest. Who knew, I might wake up in a padded white cell when I finally got back to the real world. 

I washed up a bit in the sink, still somewhat wary about using the tub, and did my best to groom myself. My mane was shaggy and tangled, and needed more than a hoof to get it looking even remotely neat. I wasn’t sure why I even cared what I looked like as a pony, but some part of me just never wanted to make a bad first impression. My eyes were bloodshot and exhausted looking, and my coat had a distinctly dull quality to it, unlike the lustrous coats of the other ponies. No wonder that messenger unicorn was so eager to get away from me. 

In the end I decided that no amount of pony preening was going to make me look much better than I did right now. It certainly wasn’t going to make me feel better seeing how frumpy I looked, and as a I left my bedchamber my concerns seemed to evaporate into the crisp morning air. I hadn’t noticed it last night, but the view from my tower perch was utterly intoxicating. A swift breeze blew through my mane, and I basked in the warm sunlight. I could see nearly the entire city of Canterlot from here, not to mention the castle grounds, which were abuzz with an incredible sort of liveliness. I had never seen so many ponies before either, and I was amazed at the sheer quantity of the color spectrum they seemed to span. If I could have see my own eyes right then, I’m sure they would have been sparkling with excitement. 

“So... awesome…” I muttered to myself as I started descending the stairs. 

Since wandering around the castle was only going to get me lost, I stopped the first guard that I met and asked him for directions to the library. At first I was worried that the big unicorn stallion wasn’t going to help me, but he eventually relented after a I stood there for a few moments without trying anything funny. I wondered if the unicorn Captain of Canterlot’s Guard, Shining Armor, had told his sentries about my presence. For all I knew, this could have been one of the guards who surrounded Celestia and me in the throne room last night. 

“You’re standing in front of it,” he said grumpily, pointing a hoof at the building behind me. 

Sure enough, there was a large round building opposite the courtyard from me, though I couldn’t see how I would have known it was the library if the guard hadn’t just told me as much. 

“Thanks,” I murmured, slinking off silently.

I was a good three yards away when the guard spoke up again, “Hey!” he called out, causing me to jump.

My heart was racing as I  turned my head back to look at him, “Y-yeah?” I asked. 

“Be on the lookout for any suspicious looking characters, kay?” 

My front legs began to wobble unsteadily, and – almost like magic – they gave out under my weight. I fell forward, my chin hitting the dirt – hard. It sent a jolt of pain through my jaw and into my skull, and it was almost as uncomfortable when my hindquarters, which had been sticking straight up into the air at this point, came plopping back down to the earth with their own pronounced thud. 

“Have a good day!” the guard replied merrily, trotting off. 

I had never actually given a pratfall before, but I was fairly certain that it wasn’t supposed to hurt quite so much. I placed a hoof to my jaw and rubbed it sorely before standing up and cantering off to the library, eager to avoid any more comedic situations. Somehow I don’t think I’d survive an anvil falling on my head, and there was no telling how the magic of this world affected the actual physics. All I knew was that that fall was certainly no work of my own.

“Hello?” I whispered, opening the library door. 

With no real purpose it seemed, as I soon discovered this wasn’t really that kind of library. It was more of an archive really, and there was certainly no helpful pony at a reception desk to point me where I needed to go. Not that I needed it, libraries were home turf for me, and princess Luna was sure to stick out like a bruised thumb in this place. 

The library itself was a round building with two floors, connected in a full circle by a single long hallway. Several smaller rooms branched off of these hallways, each with their own distinct name, no doubt dedicated to a pony of great accomplishment. The center of the library, however, took up the majority of the building and showcased the majority of the books and scrolls that made up the collection. It was an impressive sight, even more so when I remembered it was constructed by ponies.

After wandering around the building for a good twenty minutes or so, just getting the lay of the land, I finally found the big blue princess on the second floor, in what appeared to be the strangest room of them all: the Starswirl the Bearded section. The room was a cluttered mess of books and scrolls, torn open and off the shelves with little regard to the obvious frailty of the works. Luna looked no better, now that I saw her in the light, and she seemed strangely different without a shaft of moonlight at her back.  

“Hello?” I called out, passing by the prison cell styled door that stood open in the entryway.

The princess turned to me, an obviously flustered look plastered on her face, and I couldn’t help but notice a distinctive eye twitch. When she saw that it was me, however, she seemed to relax.

“Oh, it is only you Pathfinder,” she said as though that was supposed to make me feel better, “come in.”

I looked around the mess of the room, “Did something happen here?” I asked.  

“We are not sure,” she said, “this room was like this when we arrived, and so help us we will wring the neck whoever pony did this!"

Princess Luna’s anger management issues aside, I figured it was better to leave the matter at that and help the princess out. She was obviously not used to manual labor, or cleaning for that matter. I trotted over to her and picked up one of the scrolls in my teeth, making sure I didn’t harm it. 

“Where dosh thish go?” I asked. 

The princess gave me a quizzical glance before finally pointing a hoof at one of the shelves, where I quickly deposited the scroll. We didn’t say much more than that, and the princess only spoke when I needed clarification as to where something went. It was strange how in sync we seemed to be, but then I was used to cleaning up books and the princess was used to ordering people around. We were just doing what we did best. It didn’t even take us that long to get the mess all sorted out.

“You are quite a bit more capable than we had originally thought, Pathfinder,” said Luna, looking at our handiwork.

“Yeah? Well… I mean… I’m used to it,” I replied sheepishly.

My own book collection wasn’t quite as big as this, but it did require a bit of maintenance when I really dug into it. It was strange how the thing I loved most felt so far away now, and a wrenching sense of homesickness overcame me.

“We can tell,” she said proudly, “in fact, you remind us a bit of our friend, Twilight Sparkle.” 

The name sounded familiar to me, and it took me a few moments to remember where I had heard it from, “Shining Armor’s sister?” I asked, and Luna seemed surprised at my knowledge. 

“Why yes, where did you learn that?”

I raised an eyebrow, “From the pony himself actually…” I said, “weren’t you there?”

The princess suddenly seemed flustered, “I – we – certainly were not!”

I chuckled, which only served to aggravate Luna further, “Honestly!” she snapped, “must I suffer such indignity, and from a human no less?”

My eyes widened a bit, and I was unsure why I suddenly felt so guilty, “Oh, so you heard about that, huh?” I asked.

The princess, noticing a chance to gain the upper hand in the conversation, took it, “Of course, we were tasked to find a way to send you home, after all!” 

“Can you really do that?” 

Luna stumbled, “Were we in our prime, it would be as simple as raising the moon!” 

Much to my chagrin, I ignored the implication that Luna had allowed me to clean up the mess of scrolls for her when she could have just as easily done it with magic, and repressed my rage in the usual spot.	

I resolved to press further, “So… no?”

“Listen here human!” Luna snapped, “if it weren’t for a run in with rogue magical rainbow, we would be ruler of all Equestria by now!”

I frowned, “But you can’t send me home now, can you?”

“Well…” Luna shared my frown, “no, not at the moment, and sister is far too busy with her preparations to tend to your predicament.”


“It’s fine,” I said, reassuringly, and princess Luna seemed shocked by this, “I’m in debt to Princess Celestia… and even to you. I’m fine with being a pony for a while longer.”

Luna’s gaze softened a bit, “You certainly do seem to be more a proper pony than those who came before you,” she said.

It donned on me at this point that I hadn’t ever inquired about the other human ponies who had come to Equestria. How had they gotten here? How did Princess Celestia send them home? For that matter, how did I end up getting here? There were so many questions that I somehow forgot to get answered when Princess Celestia took me out of the Everfree forest, I couldn’t even think of them all right now.

“So, what do you know exactly about the human ponies?” I asked.

Luna shot me a perplexed glance, “The human ponies?” she clarified, “not much. There haven’t been very many of you, and only one of you ever spoke before.”

I nodded, informing her to go on, and she sighed.

“Well… the first of you appeared a few years ago, a young woman as she called herself. She spent a few months here in Equestria, in secret, while sister searched for a way to send her home. Everything we know about humans we learned from her during her short stay, after she learned to speak of course, but we’ve sent all of the others home without much ceremony.”

“How did you send them home?” I asked.

Luna didn’t really seem to think I would understand her explanation, but I guess my shining personality must have finally won her over, “Well, the returning spell itself isn’t exactly difficult to perform, but it requires several procedures that make it a bit... tricky. It’s more of a ritual than a spell really. First, you must cast the spell from the grove in the Everfree forest, where the barrier between our world and yours is the weakest. The target must also have a strong desire to return home, and a clear picture of where that home is. This is why sister always tries to carry out the spell as soon as possible, while the human frantically wishes to leave. There is also the matter of the sheer amount of magic necessary to bridge the gap, which is a feat that only my sister can accomplish.”

Well, that was actually quite informative. Luna really was an expert on unicorn magic. I knew I could trust Princess Celestia.

“How are you sure the spell works?”

This time Luna scowled at me, “If you jest, your sense of humor is not appreciated. Sister would never willingly put another in jeopardy. The spell works, you can rest assured of that.”

I nodded, somehow able to smile in a situation like this, “I agree with you,” I said, much to Luna’s surprise, “I don’t think the Princess would do something like that either, but do you know why she didn’t just send me back right away?”

Luna seemed to ponder this, which I thought was supposed to be my shtick, “Perhaps because of your ability to speak, sister believed she could learn more about your kind. You are the first to grasp our laws of magic so quickly…” she said, and then quickly added, “even we were impressed.”

I laughed, “I don’t know about that. I just ended up shouting at her. It’s nothing to be impressed with.”

“Shouting?” Luna inquired, “how so?”

I thought about this for a second, letting my memories refresh themselves, “It was sort of like… a big, concussive blast. I don’t really know how to –“

“LIKE THIS!?” Luna shouted at me with such force that the book shelves began shaking, and I was momentarily afraid that all of our hard work would come crashing down again.

“Exactly like that!” I said loudly, my ears now filled with a piercing ring.

“That is the Royal Canterlot Voice…” Luna said, suddenly sounding grim, “this is a very intriguing discovery indeed. Why did sister not mention this to me before?”

“What? What did you say?” I asked, again partially deaf. 

“Tell me, Pathfinder, are you absolutely certain that your voice took on this quality?” 

I dug into my ear with my hoof, ignoring the fact that it was physically impossible, “Yeah,” I said, “it was the same.”

“Perhaps… no…” Luna was whispering to herself now, “I am afraid I must leave you now Pathfinder, I apologize for the abruptness, but I have much to think about.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but Luna was already headed towards the door. 

“Wait, Luna!” I called after her, forgetting my decorum.

The Pegasus unicorn turned back to me, a little abruptly, “Y – yes?” she asked, somewhat nervously.

“I uh…” I was looking for the right words to phrase this, “I…”

“Yes?” Luna prompted.

I couldn’t hold it back any longer, and my stomach let out a cavernous howl, “What exactly do ponies eat?” I asked in mock desperation.

Luna’s face took on a deadpan quality, and she trotted out of the room without another word.

“W – wait!” I panicked, “Luna – ack – I mean Princess Luna! I haven’t eaten anything since I got here!” 

I followed her out the door, quickly returning to shut it behind me before chasing down the fleeing princess.

Later, when I found myself in the kitchens at the night mare’s behest, I was silently thanking her. That was certainly something I never thought I would be doing. Sure she had abandoned me on a whim, insulted me, forced me to do unnecessary menial labor... you know, I wasn't really sure where I was going with this. At least she had been kind enough to answer my kitchens and send me on my way to the questions. Wait… reverse that. Anyways, here I was, a lone pony in a foreign land with no clue what to do aside from beg for food. I was getting too used to this place…

“What? No I don’t have time to help you! The caterers for the wedding will be her tomorrow afternoon! I have to get this place spick and span! Now shoo!”

I was speechless as the chubby brown pony in a chef’s hat and coat pushed me out the kitchen door, leaving me sitting in the hallway, dumbfounded, as I listened to the distinct slam behind me. I wasn’t sure whether I was more surprised by his reaction, or by his fancy handlebar mustache. I didn’t even know ponies could grow facial hair. Maybe they were part goat? Either way, that could have gone much better than it did, and it still didn’t solve my hunger crisis.

“Haha, got booted out of the kitchen by Chopping Block did you?” came a familiar voice from down the hall.

I turned my head, only to see Shining Armor, the captain of the Canterlot Castle Guard, headed my way. At his side was another unfamiliar Pegasus unicorn, about Luna’s size, but distinctly less mystical. It was probably the lack of a magical translucent mane. She was thin and elegant looking, like the other princesses, and I figured this had to be Shining Armor’s one and only bride. That, or the guard captain was going to be in serious trouble later, given how close they were trotting to one another.

I frowned, “Yeah…” I muttered.

My first meeting with Shining Armor wasn’t exactly what you would call pleasant, and I had trouble figuring out whether he thought of me as a guest or a pest. He didn’t trust me, I knew that much at least, and was it just me or did he seem a little too happy about my current predicament?

“You should try out one of the shops in town,” he said, “Sweetie Treats would probably give you something if you tell them that I sent you.”

Again, I couldn’t tell if he were being sincere or condescending. Not to mention, the pink pony by Shining Amor’s side had spent the last few moments staring at me intently, which only added to my discomfort.

I watched as she nudged Shining Armor, maybe a little too forcefully, “Ahem?” she prompted.

“Oh, right,” said Armor, “this is Pathfinder dear; he’s a guest of the Princesses.”

I couldn’t help but notice that he’d made it plural. 

“Charmed,” said the pony with a curtsey, “you may call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“Uh – charmed,” I replied awkwardly, still sitting on my hind haunches.

She smiled ominously and nodded her head, “You must come to our wedding Pathfinder, it would be a shame if the princesses esteemed guest couldn’t be there.”

Shining Armor chimed in, “Dear, I don’t know if –“

Cadenza ignored her fiancé and interrupted him, “Consider it an invitation,” she said with a wink that made a shiver creep up my spine, “from me.”

With that she walked past me, and Shining Armor passed by shortly after, sparing only a single glance over his shoulder as they left me sitting in the hallway. I was more than a little disturbed by the surreal conversation, and waited for them to disappear around the corner before I stood up. The kitchen door opened behind me.

“Are you still here!?” Chopping Block scolded, “I told you to get! Get! Take some oats and leave me be!” 

He threw a small burlap sack in my face and slammed the door again.

“Whoopie,” I said, picking up the sack with my teeth, “I jusht love oatsh.”

I didn’t really love oats...   
	
> Making Friends is Hard to Do...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you absolutely certain this is safe?”

I had spent the last two days in a desperate struggle for sanity, pulled every which way by the nightmare – no pun intended this time – that was Princess Luna of Equestria. After spending an entire day doing exactly what Luna's older sister, Princess Celestia, had told me to do – keeping a low profile – I was woken up in the dead of the night by a knock on my door. Somehow I knew who was responsible even before I had opened it, and I reluctantly came face to face with the Pegasus unicorn princess that was in charge of bringing the moon to pony world.

I spent the entire night as the subject of her experiments, which ranged from testing my stamina and reflexes, to having me hooked up to a strange seismograph-like machine and having me try to levitate or otherwise magically influence various objects. I was exhausted, and the constant attempts to tap into my pony magic only served to aggravate the problem. The lightheadedness was bad enough, but I also had to contend with the princess’s stunningly demanding personality. Every little thing she did seemed to rub me the wrong way, and I suffered in silence for a reason that continued to elude me.

Maybe it was because I felt she had my best interests at heart, though I had no idea where that thought had originated. When I finally returned to my room the sun had already risen, and I didn’t care. I slept through the entire day, which was perhaps the most frustrating thing of all. The only food I had been able to get a hold of was a bag of oats, which I had eaten sparingly over the course of my first day in Canterlot. They were bland, obviously, but at least it quieted the pain in my stomach. Now, thanks to Luna, I had completely missed out on meeting the caterers for Shining Armor and Cadenza’s wedding. While I wasn't sure what ponies ate during weddings, I was certain they must have been more flavorful that oats. 

This evening, Princess Luna was courteous enough to let me gulp down the last of yesterday’s lunch before I followed her up to her tower. I never actually got to see the princess’s room, as we went almost immediately to her laboratory, as I liked to call it. Of course there was no explanation for why she had a laboratory, suffice it to say that she was a centuries old princess who got bored on occasion. Yeah, she was apparently centuries old too, which made her strange childish habits and fits all the more confusing. It must have been a side effect of cooping herself up like this, not that there was anything particularly interesting to do around Canterlot for a night owl like the princess. 

Truthfully, I think Princess Luna actually enjoyed having my company these past few days, and I had to admit that I liked having someone to talk to. Even if I did think that she was far overdo for a lesson on playing nice with others...

“Are you insulting our magicometer?” Luna scoffed, “of course it is safe!”

“I’m just not sure what this has to do with getting me back to my own world,” I replied, wiggling my hooves, which were strapped onto a podium adjacent to a massive, purple, egg shaped device.

“Sister intends to send you home in a few short days anyways,” she said dismissively, “we have altered our assignment to include studying your strange magical readings.”

I sighed, “And what have you figured out… exactly?” I asked.

Luna trotted around me, inspecting several wires and widgets connected to the machine before settling in front a familiar seismograph-like readout. She lifted some of the pages with her hoof, glaring at them with a scientific intensity. Luna placed her other hoof to her chin and balanced on her hind legs, a pose I had gotten familiar with seeing from her.

“Nothing of great significance,” she said, “We’ve determined that your magic is even weaker than that of a typical Earth pony’s, and it certainly isn’t anywhere near powerful enough to produce a Royal Canterlot Voice.”

“Anything else?” 

“Well,” Luna began, “your strength, coordination, and charisma are all below average.”

I wasn’t sure when the princess had gotten comfortable enough around me to start throwing casual insults, and I would give anything for her to go back to her usual royal self.

“Thanks,” I said halfheartedly.

Luna approached me and studied my face… again, “You human ponies certainly are an enigma, we cannot seem to fathom how you accomplish all that you do.”

I also wasn’t sure when I had become comfortable enough around Luna to actually start arguing back, “It’s a kind of magic,” I said playfully.

She frowned, “I hardly see how that is the case.” 

It was a shame that she didn’t understand half of what I said, and that the other half she tended to misinterpret. Being a loner was one thing, but Luna was even more socially confused than I was, and that was saying something.

“Look… just tell me what tonight’s experiment is going to be so we can get on with it.”

Luna returned to her readouts, “There’s no need to be in such a rush,” she said, “tonight we simply wished to question you about your home world.”

“I don’t think that’s such a great idea…” I said, receiving only a pitying look from the princess.

“Nonsense. Sister says that discussing such matters is good for the heart.”

How could I possibly argue with that? “Fine…” I relented, “shoot…”

The princess looked at me now with confusion, trying to grasp the meaning of my slang, and I wondered if and when she was ever going to get used to my wild antics.

“First question, your name, it was not always Pathfinder… are we correct?”

She was indeed correct. Pathfinder was the name that Princess Celestia had give me when she rescued me from the Everfree forest. This was shortly after I woke up there in the body of a pony, mind you, and Princess Luna knew that just as well as I did. If I had to guess, this question was just to gauge whether the machine was functioning properly or not.

“Correct.”

“Good,” she replied, “do you remember what your original name was?”

“I forgot,” I replied promptly.

My name was actually the only thing that I had forgotten, and as for why? That was still one of the many mysteries that I wanted answered by the time I left this world. This one was also a test question.

“What about family, what was your family like?” Luna asked me.

"Pass."

"Pathfinder..." she scolded, and I cringed at her sternness.

My eyes darted around the room nervously, and I could feel a twinge of irritation in the back of my mind. Even when I opened my mouth to reply, I was unsure how to approach the situation, “I… never really had a family," I said delicately.

“Oh,” Princess Luna frowned, “we are sorry.”

I appreciated her pity, but I shook my head, “Don’t worry about it,” I assured her, “I had my books.”

Luna’s mood remained negative, “What about friends?” she asked.

“Books.”

“Hobbies?”

“Bo – “

“Aside from books!” the princess fumed.

I sighed, “I’m just telling you the truth.”

“No, you are dodging my questions!”

I felt my temper begin to waver, and I choked back an insult, “I am not dodging your questions!”

The princess stamped her hoof down, “We will decide when you are and are not dodging our questions, Pathfinder.”

I snapped, “My name is not Pathfinder!” 

Luna stared at me, shocked, but I didn’t care. I wanted her to be shocked. I wanted her to take me seriously for once, “I’m not a pony ok?! I wasn’t born here, and I wasn’t raised here. Where I'm from –  the human world –  it isn’t such a nice place.”

Somehow I’d made this personal, “I… We hardly doubt it’s –“

“What exactly did you want to hear from me?” I asked accusingly, “I grew up in a terrible home, with terrible people! Is that it!? Is that what you hooked me up to this machine for!?”

“I – I…”

I couldn’t keep the scowl off my face, “Yeah, well, not all of us can be a princess in a magical kingdom…”

Luna suddenly reared back, her face flushed with anger, “How dare you!” she snapped, “do you actually think my life was so easy? I spent hundreds of years ignored by my own subjects, and a millennium trapped in a space rock by my own flesh and blood! My idol!" she hissed. "I’m not a princess – I’m a – a – a horror story!”

There was a glazed look in the princess’s eyes, and I knew she was trying to hold back some tears. I wanted to sympathize with her, but I was too angry. I hadn’t known how hard she’d had it, that was my own fault, but I wasn’t ever going to be in the mood to compare sob stories with her. We were both flustered, and our eyes were locked in an all too familiar, all too painful glare. It took me a moment to gather my bearings, but I eventually broke the silence with a reluctant sigh. 

“Look,” I began, averting my gaze to the floor, “I spent all of my time in a library, and I worked in a book store… I lived in a cheap little hoofhole with nothing but a leaky faucet and a book collection to call my own.”

The princess followed me with those spite-filled eyes, “And you actually want to go back to that?” she asked, as though insulted by the notion.

I turned back to her in a huff, my anger suddenly reignited, “Hey!” I shouted, but I managed to catch myself and ease into a deep breath. 

I looked anywhere but at Luna, “Some of us are just better off stuck in the moon…”

There was a long silence where we remained like this, no doubt wrapped in our own thoughts. There were so many times when I would do something that I ended up hating myself for later, and even though I always said I’d do better next time, I never did. I still let my temper get the better of me. Even as a pony… I was still only a human. There was a loud clack, and the bindings on the magicometer podium slid open with a metallic hiss.

“I am sorry for troubling you Pathfinder,” the princess said quietly, completely ignoring her usual pluralizing, “but you should go…”

I opened my mouth to protest, but decided against it. I wanted to get out of here as fast as I could, didn’t I? The princess had given me free reign to do what I wanted. I wasn’t in the wrong here… she was! She was the one who had asked! I had just told her the truth. The hard truth. I turned and left without another noise and made my way back to my bedchamber in the far tower. The night air was warm, and crickets were chirping nosily on the castle lawn. Somehow, I couldn’t help but shoot a cold glare at the moon, staring at it intently from the perch outside my bedroom door. It just hung there in the sky, silently mocking me. The moon didn’t have any problems to worry about it. It was beautiful, mysterious, universally loved but never in the spotlight. Nobody judged the moon. 

“Jerk,” I mumbled as a slipped into my room.

When I next awoke it was midday. All of my energy seemed to have been sapped, and I lied in bed for at least an hour before I was finally forced to leave. I walked to the bathroom and stood there in front of the tub, too lethargic to manage anything other than a sigh. It had been days since I last bathed, and I was sure I was starting to stink. I had also grown hungry again, but was so focused on wallowing that I didn’t even have the energy to seek out a meal. Even the bath felt like too much trouble now…

The day went by slowly, and I was so detached that I hardly remembered any of it. At times like these I would usually sink into a book and try to forget my problems, to try to learn a good lesson from some other person’s problems. Now I didn’t even have that. Every time I thought I had come to terms with mine and Luna’s argument it seemed to find its way right back to the forefront of my mind, and I was forced to relive it all over again. At first I was angry with Luna, and then I was angry at myself, and then Luna again. What bothered me –  what confused me most? Why did I even care in the first place!?

There was a knock at the door, and I raised my head from the pile of pillows and blankets I was laying in.

“Message for Pathfinder!”

“Go away!” I shouted back with a miserable whine to my voice.

“Message for Pathfinder!”

“Just leave it outside!” 

There was a short pause, peace and quiet, and I sank my head back into the pillows with a sigh.

“Message for Pathfinder!”

I bolted up from my bed and skittered across the floor, half trotting and half falling, leaving a trail of discarded bed linens in my wake. I all but kicked the door open with my front legs, though the effect was ruined when the thing only opened a few feet.

I stuck my head out the crack in the door, “What?” I asked, exasperated.

It was a different pony this time around, a tan Pegasus with a green mane and eyes. She didn’t even bother to look at me, and instead pulled a small envelope from a brown bag slung over her back. I snatched it from her mouth with my teeth and stormed – as best I could – back into my room. I slammed the door and waited to make sure the messenger pony wasn’t going to call out to me again before I set the letter down on my table and inspected it more closely.

It was an ornate little envelope printed on some pretty nice stock and embossed with an unfamiliar seal. My name, and by that I meant the fake name Pathfinder, was written on the front with a beautiful and carefully practiced calligraphy. It was a wedding invitation… that much I could tell, I just wondered what the need to send me one was. Maybe as a formality, or so I could actually gain access to the ceremony? Whatever the case, I left the envelope unopened on the table. I had no desire to read any letters right now. Especially not one from Shining Armor or Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. 

Blegh…

But now what? It was almost sundown and I hadn’t done anything all day. There was certainly no way I was going to be able to sleep, either, not with everything that weighed on my mind.

A walk maybe?

I’d always heard stories from the little old ladies that came in the book store. Magical stories of a thing called physical exercise, a mysterious old wives tale that was said to serve as cure all treatment for anything that ailed you. Could it have been true? Could there really have been such a thing? Ok... so I didn’t get out much…

I poked my head out the door and looked both ways, making sure that the messenger pony wasn’t anywhere in sight. I didn't think I could handle the embarrassment of meeting somepony I was so rude to before. The thought of meeting Luna was equally impossible to bear, and I hung my head. The sun was low in the sky now, just like when I first arrived. Obviously it would be night soon, and I wondered if it was really wise to be wandering around in the dark. 

This was when I noticed a faint glimmer in the sky, as though the sun's light had reflected off of some solid surface up there. I shook my head and blinked my eyes a few times, and then it was gone. Was I just imagining it? Could it have been a trick of the light, or was I starting to go crazy? Then I heard skittering on the roof behind me, and I turned with a startled jump.

“Who… who’s there?” I croaked. 

I stared at the roof with great intent before a bird finally skittered down the tile and took off into the air. My mouth hung agape, and I was overcome with a sense of self-loathing and mild amusement. Spending so much time in my room really was getting to me if I thought there were Ponies lurking on rooftops.

“BOO!” 

I jumped again and ran headlong into my bedroom door, which rebuffed me coldly and laughed as I fell to the group in a little heap. Wait… that wasn’t the door laughing.

“BWAHAHA!” called a crisp, boyish voice from behind me, “he actually fell for it!” 

The laughing continued, and I turned my head to get a look at the perpetrator. Hovering in the air just past the edge of the balcony was a light blue Pegasus with a rainbow patterned mane and a smug look on his face. I gave him a sharp scowl, but it didn’t do anything to ruin his mood. 

“Rainbow Dash…” another voice called, this one very mild and feminine, “you’re supposed to be looking for Mr. Cardinal, not spooking the guests.”

I guessed that this must have been scolding of some sort, though it certainly didn’t seem have much of an impact on the rainbow colored pest. 

“What was that for you little brat?!” I snapped at Rainbow Dash. 

The blue pony twitched with frustration, “What did you call me punk!?” he demanded, flapping over into my personal space.

“A brat!” I spat, “because you are one.”

Rainbow dash hovered an inch closer to me, practically shaking with irritation, “Yeah, well what would a punk like you know about anything!?”

“Brat!” I called again.

His raspberry colored eyes narrowed on me, “PUNK!” he snarled.

“BRAT!”

“PUNK!”

“BRAT!”

“Um… if you would please…”

“PUNK!”

“BRAT!”

“I just... my bird… he…”

“PUNK!”

“BRAT!”

“Stop it!” shouted the third party.

Rainbow Dash and I both stopped when the other pony raised her voice, and I finally got a good look at her. She was another Pegasus, this one with a long pink mane and a yellowish coat. It was almost like a light shade of gold, even more pronounced by the pink of sky and the setting sun on the horizon.

“But he started it!” Rainbow Dash and I both shouted in unison, which only served to irritate me further.

Not quite as much as Rainbow Dash mind you, since the Pegasus was now less than inch away from my face and literally snarling. 

“HE!?” he screamed in a fit of rage, “I’m a girl!”

It was at this point that I probably should have just held my tongue, and on any normal day I would have. This, however, wasn’t a normal day.

“Well you certainly don’t act like one!”

The pony screamed at me, pulling on her own mane, and looked just about ready to sock me one before the other pony interrupted.

“Rainbow Dash, I think Mr. Cardinal went that way,” she said, pulling lightly on her companion's tail.

Rainbow Dash turned to look where the yellow pony was pointing, before giving me one more glare from over her shoulder. It meant, ‘We’ll settle this later.’ I would have returned it, but I didn’t have the energy left for another prolonged argument, even if it was on the intellectual level of a couple grade-schoolers. Rainbow Dash spun around and took off like a bolt of lightning, leaving a distinctive rainbow trail in the sky behind her as she did so. I would have like to admit that I was impressed, but that would have involved leveling a compliment at the Pegasus, which I wasn’t going to do.

“Sorry about that…” the yellow pony said shyly, “Rainbow Dash can be a bit temperamental sometimes.”

I furrowed my brow, “So can I...  apparently…” I said, turning away from the other pony.

“Um…” she began nervously, “my name is Fluttershy.”

I started to answer her, but for some reason I didn’t want to say it. I didn’t want to tell her my name was ‘Pathfinder.’ I didn’t want to become attached to the persona anymore than I already had, and yet the eager gaze of the yellow pony was almost heart-melting. She was obviously very proud of the way she had introduce herself, and I found my earlier irritation fading away. I tried desperately to hang on to it, but it was little use.

“P – Pathfinder,” I said, almost as nervously as she had, “my name is Pathfinder.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak again, but I cut her off, “You –  you should probably go after your friend,” I said sternly, “…and uh, tell her I said sorry about the gender thing.”

The pegasus seemed a little hurt by my sudden reaction, “Oh… ok,” she said, and then added, “it was nice meeting you.”

And with that, she flew off after her friend. She was definitely a lot slower than Rainbow Dash, but then with a name like Rainbow Dash how could you strive to be anything but the fastest? Somehow I was sure that the tomboyish pony wasn’t going to accept my apology, but at least it made me feel a little bit better about the way I acted.

I wanted to go back inside now, but instead I forced myself to meander down the tower stairs and out into one of the many courtyards. It was just as pretty as I'd remembered it, and filled with perfectly cultivated nature. I would have loved to come out here and read if I ever got the chance, though at one point I could have sworn I saw a tropical toucan fly overhead. I ignored it for fear that I really was going crazy. I was under too much stress as it was; or rather, I was putting myself under too much stress. Why couldn’t I just let this go and get on with my life?

“Urh… why!?” I punched – err – kicked a tree with my front hoof.

“Why what?” a head poked out from behind the tree I had hit, an orange head wearing a brown hat, “are you tryin’ to get something outta this here tree?”

The pony stared me eagerly. While I wanted to be startled, I was too focused on processing the thick southern accent that the pony was sporting. Then again, I’d already met princess ponies and chef ponies, I guess there had to be some sort of pony world variant for a lady with a drawl – and here she was. 

“Wha – no, I mean –“ I fumbled. 

“Here, Sugarcube, let me show you the proper way to get something outta a tree,” she said, circling around to my side and turning her rear to face the arboreal beast of a tree.

She bent forward with ease on her front legs and kicked out the rear ones, striking the tree with a powerful kick that seemed to shake the thing to it’s core. The canopy of branches above our heads shook violently and sent dozens of loose leaves and twigs plunging to the ground. Much to the southern pony's surprise, however, nothing other than tree matter had fallen. 

“Shoot... musta been off center...”

Still stunned, I put a hoof on the pony’s shoulder, “That’s – enough,” I told her, “I didn’t lose anything in the tree.”

She turned to look at me, and I saw that her blonde mane and tail were both pulled into… well, ponytails. Was this an in-joke that I just wasn’t getting? She looked at me for a moment before giving me a sympathetic smile.

“Yeah, I figured,” she said, “you city ponies would sooner climb a tree than try to buck it.”

City pony? I wasn’t sure if I should take that as an insult or not.

“I was just tryin’ to see if I couldn’t help with what’s eatin’ ya,” she explained. 

“What’s eating me?” I asked, “how could you tell something was eating me?”

She made a terrible impression of my voice, contorting her face into a humorous expression, “Urgh! Why!” she mocked, hitting the tree much as I had, though she actually managed to make it budge. 

I thought I might be angry with her for a moment, but to my surprise I suddenly found myself laughing, “You’re not very good at impressions are you?” I asked, trying to repress my chuckles.

The orange pony winked at me, “No worse that you are at buckin’ trees,” she replied, and we both shared a brief laugh. 

“Thanks,” I said finally, “I needed that.”

“Say no more – name’s Applejack.”

“Uh,” I hesitated, “Pathfinder.”

Applejack walked around to my front and sat down under the shade of the tree. She leaned back against the bark and crossed her legs, obviously enjoying herself, and even went so far as to pat the ground next to her. This was utterly baffling to me considering it was almost dark now, and yet for some reason I couldn’t quite place I joined Applejack under the tree, sitting down awkwardly next to her.

“Ya know, my Granny Smith always told me that there’s nowhere better to talk about your problems than under a tree.”

I turned to look at her, “Why are you so interested in the first place?” I asked, considering I’d only met the pony moments ago. 

Applejack leaned over to me and put a hoof to her mouth, as though she were trying to keep someone from reading her lips.	

“Between you and me,” she said in a slight whisper, “I got a friend that would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t help out a unhappy pony.”

“That makes sense,” I lied.

“Well shoot," said Applejack, "it don’t need to make sense, Sugarcube, I just have to do what feels right an’ not regret it later.”

“That actually makes sense,” I said, chuckling, and Applejack responded in kind. 

“So?" she began, "What in all o’ Equestria has you in such a foul mood?”

I briefly considered telling her about my argument with Luna, but decided it would probably be in my best interest if I didn’t mention the heated exchange between myself and the princess. It would be impossible to explain without revealing my secret too, though I couldn’t just tell Applejack nothing. I could already tell that she wasn’t the kind of pony to take ‘no’ for an answer. In the end I told her about my argument with the Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, up to the part where I apologized to Fluttershy. Much to my astonishment, Applejack listened without a single interruption before finally bursting into a fit of laughter.

“Aaahahaha!” she said, trying to stifle her laughter, “you actually told that Rainbow Dash that she was a colt? Who woulda guessed that’d be one of her hot buttons!”

“Wait,” I interrupted, “you know that pony?”

“Know her?” replied Applejack, “she’s one of my best friends!”

I frowned, “Oh… sorry,” I murmured, suddenly feeling much... much worse.

“Don’t be,” said Applejack sternly, “she deserved it. ‘Sides, I can already tell you feel bad enough ‘bout it as is.”

“But I don’t get it – you said she was one of your friends.”

“And?” Applejack asked, “part of bein’ good friends with somepony else is knowin’ all about ‘em, and Rainbow Dash had it comin’ to her if you ask me.”

I didn't answer, and instead stared at the ground as though it were utterly fascinating.	

Applejack gave me another reassuring look, “Look, sugarcube, friends get into arguments all the time, s’just part o’ the natural order o’ things,” she said with absolute confidence, “but if you’re really friends –  true friends –  then you’ll find a way to forgive each other.”   

I listened in silence, suddenly feeling as though a heavy weight had been lifted from my –  wherever it was that ponies carried their heavy weights. 

“I – think I get it,” I said, standing up.

Applejack smiled and nodded, standing up next to me, “Good fer you,” she said, “now if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go find those wayward friends o’ mine, s’why I’m out here in the first place.”

I chuckled, “Thanks, Applejack.”

“No problem Pathfinder, hey, feel free to come find me and let me know how things go with that friend o’ yers when it’s all over, kay?”

I was confused, “Wait, what friend?”

Applejack was already trotting away, “The one you got into an argument with!” she called back.

I watched as she rounded the corner of one of the walkways, her hay-colored tail somehow calling goodbye with a last little wave. I wasn’t sure whether to be thankful or angry at the strangely insightful pony. Was I really that transparent? Or was that just one of the benefits of actually having friends? I didn’t know. I couldn’t know, but I was sure as hoof going to find out.

I took off at a gallop for Luna’s laboratory, racing against the setting sun, knowing that this might be my only chance to talk with the princess before I had to leave. The wedding was tomorrow, which meant I had one… maybe two days left before Princess Celestia sent me back. I couldn’t leave things as they were, I just didn't have the mental fortitude to keep things like that on my conscience.

It was getting darker and darker out, and I felt almost as if I were chasing my own shadow as I rounded the spiral stairs that led up the side of Luna's tower. I reached the top just as the sun dipped beyond the horizon and the first stars began to twinkle in the sky. My breathing was heavy and labored, and I could hardly feel my legs they were so tired. I really was out of shape… even as a pony, but I had made it. The moon hadn’t risen yet. 

I rapped hard on the wooden door with my hoof, still panting, “Luna!” I called, “it’s me, it’s Pathfinder!”

There was no reply, and I took a step back, trying to catch my breath. My little pony heart was pounding in my chest still, so much so that I could barely hear anything else. I stood there for a whole minute before I finally heard something from the other side of the door.

“What? What do you want from us?”

It was Luna’s voice. 

“I need to – to talk to you,” I said, gasping for air mid-sentence.

There was another pause, “Your concerns are unnecessary, Pathfinder, I have decreed that there will be no more experiments henceforth.”

I wrinkled my brow in frustration, “Just shut up and get out here,” I demanded. 

There was no pause this time around, “How – how dare you! We are – we are a princess! We will not tolerate this kind of –“

“I said shut up,” I interrupted, “you’re not my princess, remember? I’m a human, not a pony.”

I guess she didn’t really feel like arguing with that logic, which saved me quite a bit of time in the long run. I was glad, since I only had one last trick up my sleeve, and that was my ace…

“We don’t want to,” she said finally. 

Figures… but I was ready for this.

“You still have to raise the moon, Luna,” I said victoriously, “you have to come out sometime!”

Another pause.

“We are perfectly capable of raising the moon from indoors!” Luna retorted, slightly insulted that I had insinuated otherwise.

I… didn’t actually have anything for that. I had just assumed she needed to be outside. I was completely and thoroughly beaten. In logic anyways. All that meant was that I just had to resort to the human way of doing things. Pure, unadulterated, stubbornness.

“I – I’m not leaving this spot until you come out and talk to me!” I concluded, turning around and placing my back to the door.

The princess didn't bother to keep me waiting, “So be it!" she said sternly, "you may stay there all night if you wish!”

“Fine! I will!” I snapped.

I thought for a moment that Luna might actually leave me sitting outside her door all night, and I certainly couldn’t blame her if she did. If it were me… well, I had no idea how I would handle the situation. I would probably be annoyed and confused, and maybe even a little bit flattered to tell the truth. Without the moon it was so dark I could hardly see, and there was no telling how confused the rest of pony world had to be considering one of their celestial bodies was a no-show. I had almost started to give up hope as the third minute of silence rolled around, which showed just how dedicated I was to my cause, I guess. Then I heard a quiet voice from inside.

“We – we can’t actually raise the moon from indoors,” Luna said, sounding embarrassed, “not even sister can accomplish such a feat.”

I rested my head against the door and stared into the darkness, “You could always go out through the window,” I said simply.

I’m not sure what I had said, but it must have been a magic password or something, since I felt the door behind my head slowly give way. I jumped back almost immediately and turned to face the opening, watching as Princess Luna peered out at me from the crack. I had wanted to talk to her face to face, but I guess this would have to do.

“What do you want from us?” she asked, “please make it quick.”

I wanted to hang my head again, but I didn’t, I looked her right in the eyes, “Princess – no, Luna, I’m sorry. I – messed up.”

Her gaze was still cold, but the door opened a bit wider.

“I was so caught up in my own problems,” I continued, really wishing I had rehearsed this or something, “I couldn’t see how upset I’d made you. I mean, I never even said thank you for all of the nice things you did for me, and that’s just – inexcusable.”

The door opened wider.

“I was being a self-centered jerk, and I hurt your feelings, so for that I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to think that I held a grudge against you after I left…”

The door was all the way open now, and Luna looked to be somewhere between angry and embarrassed. No less embarrassed than I was, I was guessing. 

“That was very – heartfelt, Pathfinder,” the princess said, “I suppose we – I – owe you an apology as well. I should not have pried into your personal matters.”

“That’s – it’s fine, I was just caught off guard is all," I paused awkwardly, "apology accepted?"

“Apology accepted, Pathfinder.”

“Same here,” I said meekly, extending a hoof, “friends?”

Luna looked at my hoof for a moment before hesitantly extending her own. It touched against mine, and was warm, like her sister’s. It was also quite a bit larger than mine, which made me feel a bit silly in hindsight.

“Friends,” she said, finally allowing herself to smile in front of me.

That night I watched Luna raise the moon for the first time, and it was absolutely stunning. It left me silent with awe, and made my Spark stir with a powerful warmth. I felt as if I could do anything now that I had somepony to call my friend, and somehow I had three complete and utter strangers to thank for it.

Rainbow Dash… Fluttershy… Applejack. I wondered if I’d ever meet them again, or be able to thank them properly for what they had given me.

“Would you like to continue or experiments where we left off last time?” Luna asked cheerily, having returned from raising the moon.

I frowned at first, but finally relented, “Uh – sure…” I said, following her inside, "but do you think I could get something to eat first?"