> Between the Sun and the Moon
>  by Psychic Smith
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER I	





Long trips by car always seemed to lull Will to sleep. The monotonous hum of the engine, the long stretches of boring highway, and the same twenty songs playing on the radio every hour can do that to a person. But having a friend along for the ride definitely helped.
“... so Wyram went and created the White City, and it gets kinda complicated, but he separates himself by making his own pocket dimension…”
Nick loved his stories, and Will was more than happy to lend an ear to his ramblings. Nick fantasized about these crazy worlds with all-powerful gods, light and darkness, life and death. Those were his peanut butter and jelly. Well, that and world politics.
This monologue had lasted for a couple of hours now since Will picked Nick up from Boston. They had just passed a sign saying “Welcome to Connecticut.” Not far from the Big Apple now.
“Hey Nick,” Will interrupted. “How much longer till we get to Greenwich?”
“Just about an hour and a half.”
“Ughh… Dammit.”
“Come on man, you drove nine hours to Baltimore, and that was only because you wouldn’t let me take over in the last four.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Will leaned back in his seat, pushing his glasses further up his nose.
“Well, at least it will be worth it. I haven’t been to a Broadway show since Mary Poppins.”
“I’m surprised that Vincent even wanted to join us. Didn’t take him for a musical theater guy.”
The two lapsed back into silence as the highway began to rise above ground level slightly. The peaks of houses fell away, revealing the sprawling suburbia around them. Hartford seemed to be a simple small town brought to a larger scale. Cookie cutter houses laid out in a gridlike pattern, broken up by the occasional strip mall or public park. The traffic picked up as they entered the city proper, slowing travel slightly.
“So did you hear about the meeting the president had with North Korea?” Nick asked.
“You know I don’t watch the news,” Will huffed indignantly. “All news lately has been tragedies and celebrity scandals. I’ve already lost faith in humanity, I don't need any more reasons to not like politics.” Letting out a slight chuckle at the end, Will tried to cover for the slightly rude tone he used.
“I know Will, but it is kind of important. You do have a say in how your country is run. That’s why we vote.”
If not for the engine running, one could hear crickets.
“Will?”
“Yeah?”
“You didn’t vote, did you.”
“Uhh…”
The audible smack of Nick’s hand being applied to his forehead caused Will to flinch slightly.


-~xXXXx~-


Trees,
Trees,
Trees,
Oh look, a rock.
Forests like these were not very commonplace, but twisted chaos does strange things to flora and fauna. Kapok trees, or scientifically speaking, Ceiba pentandra, are very tall. So much so that their trunks reach far into the canopy, branching off into thick branches with leaves that both block out the sun, but also trap the heat below. Unlike normal Kapok, however, the trunks spiralled and curled around each other, their roots covered in thorns. Creatures like lizards, insects, and amphibians thrived in this climate. But for a pony with a fair coat? Sweaty, uncomfortable, and muggy are the words that would come to mind.
For Clover, however, it was par for the course. After all, she was a scientist. A unicorn! No amount of discomfort would warrant a pause in research. However, a nice cool bath would be well appreciated after her return home.
Animals called out to each other throughout the forest, creating a cacophony of sounds, like a tone-deaf orchestra.
“Shouldn’t be far now,” Clover mused out loud.
She had been travelling through the jungle for three moons, moving during the day, and resting during the night. The books written about this part of the Everfree said that most of the more dangerous creatures came out in darkness, so hiding was most likely the most logical solution.
“According to Master Starswirl’s notes, the shrine should be just ahead.”
Lighting her horn to push aside the thick leaves of the underbrush ferns, Clover’s eyes are forced to adjust as sunlight pierces the canopy.
Light filled Clover’s vision as she trotted through into a clearing, the thick ferns gave way to short grass, and the air here seemed to cool down slightly, as the wind was able to reach the forest floor here. Clover relaxed slightly as the slight breeze ran through her purple coat, and caused her well kept indigo mane to get blown into her face. What Clover was more interested in however, were six individual pillars of stone dominating the clearing, each made of a similar stone brick.
“Master, what did you get yourself into?”
Clover sat on her haunches just outside the circle of obelisks, pulling some paper from her saddlebags.
“I’m lucky you left your notes, Master,” Clover spoke to the air. “Interdimensional magics, far too advanced for any normal unicorn. I hadn’t even thought of the possibilities. If it weren’t for your ramblings, I would have no notion of what you’ve done. The notes are complicated, sure, but they don’t call me ‘The Clever’ for no reason.”
With that, Clover set the notes aside, stepping into the ruins. With a flash, Clover’s horn lit again and began to brighten slowly. Purple light gathered from the aether, condensing, becoming brighter and brighter. A second layer of energy began to gather, banishing all shadows.
With the flick of her neck, the light shot like a bolt into the sky. For a moment, it seemed to disappear, until a shockwave tore through the forest, light flying in multiple directions. For a moment, Clover swore she saw the sky crack.


-~xXXXx~-


“Come on Will, I'm telling you, you'd love Peter Capaldi's doctor.” Nick was trying to explain. 
“Two words Nick.”
“Yeah?”
“Sonic... Sunglasses. There’s bizarre, and then there is downright ridiculous.”
“As ridiculous as, oh I don’t know. A man in a blue box? Aliens that are essentially flying trash cans? Statues that send their prey through time to kill them and steal your life essence?”
Will fell silent, not quite sure how to respond to that.
“You really like being right, don’t you Nick?”
“Well, yeah but that’s beside the point,” Nick laughs.
The pair had driven through Waterbury around 30 minutes ago, and it was already getting dark outside, the sun starting to disappear from view, the sky turning various shades of oranges, reds, and purples. The traffic had lightened up since leaving Hartford at least. Sunset was on the horizon, silhouetting the trees on the edges of the highway, the autumn leaves fading to black shadows.
The headlights reflected the guard rails as they came up to meet the road, transitioning from metal to concrete. The red light of the sunset broke through the tree line, and shined off the small ripples of the river that showed itself passing underneath the upcoming bridge.
“Nick, what time is it?”
“Only about 6, we still have an hour and a half left ‘till the show starts.”
“So we have a half hour left before we get there. Vincent shoul- HOLY SHIT!”
Will, blinded by an eruption of purple light, covered his eyes in panic, letting go of the wheel. The two felt a violent jolt with the sound of the concrete barriers on the bridge being broken and metal twisting, crumbling, accompanied by the shattering of glass. The sensation of a freefall overtook the vehicle. The light persisted as the car was sent tumbling, spinning out of control. A thought occurred to Nick: ‘why aren’t we hitting the water?’ 
That thought was interrupted by the sound of crashing foliage and breaking tree limbs. Nick and Will were tossed around as the car bounced off tree limbs, the cabin crushing inward like a used soda can. With a few more rolls, the car seemed to come to a stop, the car leaning against the trunk of a tree. There was a moment of relative quiet, the groaning of the metal death trap slowing to a halt. The world, still tilted on its side, became still, Nick and Will struggling to breathe properly.
“You know,” Nick huffed, unable to see past his own strawberry blond bangs. “How we survived without the airba-”
With a loud pomf, their vision was whited out by fabric exploding from the dashboard. Will’s strained chuckles were muffled from underneath the now deflating balloons, streaks of red staining the white fabric.
“Oh, right. The fucking airbags.”
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER II




“Ah! Fuck that hurts.” Will exclaimed. Propped up next to a tree, Will held a piece of gauze to his forehead, wincing at the burning sensation of the rubbing alcohol Nick poured on the cut Will was now tending to.

“Be thankful the first aid kit from your glove box survived,” Nick said, eyes looking towards the small plastic box, battered and dented, set to the side. “That cut could’ve gotten infected.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now let me get the rest of the glass out of your arm.”

Over the past couple of hours, after prying themselves from the wrecked Nissan Maxima, they tended to their wounds from the violent accident.

“Will?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we going to address the fact that we’re currently sitting in a jungle after being in New England just an hour ago?”

“One thing at a time man, now hold still,” Will directed. Bracing himself, Nick tried his best to relax his arm, waiting in anticipation for the tweezers to attempt to remove small shards of glass in his arm.

“Okay. Three… two… one!” In a fluid motion, the tweezers pulled a shard away, leaving a small open gash that was immediately disinfected and replaced with a bandage.

“You know?” Will mused aloud. “Even though we somehow survived that car wreck, being out in the middle of nowhere like this, it’s gonna suck trying to keep these cuts from getting infected.”

“I know what you mean,” Nick agreed.

They spent the next half hour cleaning the last of their open wounds with the remaining materials from the first aid kit. Working in relative silence allowed their ears to tune into the sounds of the jungle surrounding them. The racket of animal calls echoing through the twisted trees and into the canopy above. The air down on the ground was stagnant and humid, and the layers of leaves and branches made the world seem as if it was shrouded in eternal twilight, with occasional shafts of light dividing the shadows. All in all, it was dark, it was muggy, and Will’s eyes (which were bad enough that he needed heavy prescription glasses) would sometimes catch imaginary figures moving in between the silhouettes of the trees. Satisfied with their work, they stood up as best they can, wincing slightly as their crude bandages shifted over their still-raw wounds.

“So, aside from the first aid kit, what do we have?” Nick asked, turning towards the crumpled body of the car, still sitting on its side, leaning against a tree, windshield shattered.

“Well, the trunk seemed to hold up alright. I had a duffle bag with some snacks and water bottles in it. We have a couple of changes of clothes in our suitcases.”

“We can’t take those huge things with us, Will.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“They’re large, awkward, and I don’t think that we have the luxury of staying in our hotel in New York for the night.”

“Fair enough.”

The pair attempted to pry the trunk open, yielding little results with their hands. A few attempts later, using a thick branch as a pry-bar proved effective.

“We should probably leave the non-essentials.” Will thought aloud. “Pack light and all that. Let’s take the water and snacks, maybe a change of clothes each just in case. Staying put won’t help us.”

“Yeah, we can’t sit around and do nothing. Nobody knows where we are, so staying put wouldn’t do us much good. What do you think?”

Will put a hand to his chin, stroking his messy goatee. “Well, if we can find water, we can probably follow that as a guide, right? Eventually, we need to try and find some sort of town or civilization.”

“Towns might be hard to find in a jungle, but it’s better than having no plan.” Nick mused. “If we can find moving water, that would be best. Those water bottles can only last us so long.”

Packing just the essentials, Nick and Will left the wrecked vehicle behind, only taking a duffle bag of belongings, food, water, and whatever was in their pockets. As they left the crash site behind and out of sight, one thought was at the forefront of Will’s mind.

“Damn… I loved that car. Dad is gonna kill me.”




-~xXXXx~-




The Everfree forest. A mismatched patchwork of twisted, diseased flora, and home to even more monstrous fauna. However, moving a castle and a decently sized village from the middle of a hostile environment is much harder than dealing with the minimal amount of monsters that got a little too close. And so the castle sat, a bastion built to withstand the wild creatures of the jungles, forests, swamps, and caves.

The stonework, while simplistic, was immaculate in its craftsmanship. Not a crack or blemish to be seen, with each row of bricks, perfectly laid so there were no unparallel lines. Towering above the walls, the stained glass windows shone a rainbow of colors in the midday sun, the tallest of the towers casting long shadows that stretched over the little village below.

Wooden homes and shops lined the cobblestone roads, their thatched roofs hung slightly over the doors and windows, and added a splash of yellow to the monochromatically brown color palette.

Ponies moved about the many shops, trading for goods as the farmers brought in the fruits of their labor piled in self-drawn carts.

Few were entering or leaving the village, for many did not wish to tempt fate by braving the dangers of the Everfree. Roads had been attempted, but ultimately were overgrown in a few days. See, the Everfree, in its way, was more of a monster than the creatures in it.

Back within the castle walls, a lone winged unicorn breathed in the fresh air from atop her balcony. Celestia relished the rays of her afternoon sun warming her pristine white fur, and spread her immaculately white feathered wings, stretching her stiff flight muscles. Straightening back up to her full height, she breathed a sigh of relief as the slight breeze caused her light pink mane and tail to sway. As much as she loved her subjects, Celestia needed a break from her duties as a princess and one half of a fledgling diarchy. However, this break did have another purpose.

“Thou hast summoned us, dear sister?”

Emerging from the interior onto the balcony, another alicorn, although slightly shorter than Celestia herself, squinted as the sun assaulted her eyes. Her light blue mane was disheveled, for she had just gotten out of bed. Luna internally swore, cursing her sister for waking her so early. Celestia turned to her younger sister, noting the black bags under Luna’s eyes that stood out even against her navy blue coat. Luna was definitely, as some would say, ‘not a morning pony,’ hence the unfiled horn, unkempt wings, and matted coat.

“My apologies Luna, I didn't want to wake you, but unfortunately, it's a matter of importance.” Celestia offered a soft smile of both sympathy and pity. Even though an air of professionalism was in order, given the nature of this meeting, Celestia understood the need for one’s beauty sleep. That, and how uncomfortable it was to go about one’s day ungroomed. Celestia would never again imbed her horn in another door frame.

Luna yawned, still in the process of waking.

“Verily, is thou referencing the magical disturbance? We felt it’s ripples in the dreamscape”

“Yes actually. I’m surprised you were able to feel it.” Celestia said, barely noticing the annoyed huff and accompany eye roll that came from Luna. “Were you able to discern anything concerning its nature?” 

Luna paused at Celestia’s words, using the moment to gather her thoughts.

“We sensed Ms. Clover’s magical signature, that is certain. However, something about it seemed… off”

Celestia tilted her head in curiosity. “Off? How so?”

“It felt similar to a spell we have witnessed before.”

Luna’s words gave Celestia pause, a moment of confusion. ‘We’ve seen this spell before?’ She thought to herself. ‘It is possible, sure, but a spell that can create ripples in the dreamscape? A spell like that takes an immense amount of power, and much more control than any normal unicorn could possess.’ As Celestia racked her brain, deep in thought, Luna already had her answer, which gave her ample time for internal jealous rambling as she looked upon her sister.

‘Their highness Celestia, with her perfect coat, perfect horn, white wonderfully preened wings. Even her pastel pink mane and tail are perfect in the way they fall in waves down her shoulders.’ In Luna’s mind, there was no question of why she was often overlooked by most ponies in favor of her sister.

‘Stupid, perfect, Celestia.’

Celestia’s eyes widened in an epiphany, ending Luna's inner groaning.

“Pray tell sister, what is your conclusion?” Luna asked.

“Luna... You don’t think that Clover cast the same spell Master Starswirl did before he disappeared?”

Nodding her head, Luna forgot her jealousy for a moment, her voice turning somber. “We hope for harmony’s sake that young Clover is safe.”

The two alicorn sisters fell into silence, incoherent ideas pushing the possible conclusions and consequences farther into the realm of absurdity. Celestia was pulled out of this state of clouded thought by another yawn from Luna, causing the elder sister to focus her attention, once again, on her younger kin.

“Luna, you look a bit more... frazzled than usual this afternoon. Are you feeling well?”

Luna internally scoffed at this. ‘Oh do we now, sister? It seems that is the natural occurrence when one wakes up a pony three hours before schedule.’ That was what she wanted to say at least, but thought better of it. Instead, Luna offered a simple, “We are fine, just slightly tired.”




-~xXXXx~-




“Hey Nick, how long have we been out here?” Will asked as the two trudged through the thick underbrush, pushing past thick foliage and rigid vines. Due to a lack of a blade of any kind, it was much more difficult to traverse the rough terrain of the jungle floor.

Will’s question made Nick pause for a moment. ‘How long have we been walking for?’ Neither of them was wearing a watch, so how could they tell the time without being able to see the sun?

“Honestly, I have no idea” Nick turned his attention back to the jungle, continuing to blaze the trail ahead.

The two traveled further still, their silence was made up for by the continuing sounds of the jungle. Their brows matted with sweat, they kept their eyes on their heading, focusing on heading in a single direction. It was some time until a thought arose.

“Hold on a sec.” Will stopped dead in his tracks.

“What? Think of something?

Searching his pockets for a moment, Will let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, having found what he was looking for.

“God damn we’re dumb. Nick, what is the one thing that anybody our age has with them at all times?

“I’m guessing you don’t mean crippling student loan debt.”

With a confident grin, Will pulled a small plastic case from his pocket, brandishing it with a confident smirk on his lips and behind his glasses.

“I meant a phone.”

Opening his phone case, Will’s smirk slipped from his face as his body went stiff. Nick came around, eyebrow raised at Will’s reaction.

“Come on, stop playing ga- Oh…” Nick never finished that sentence as he saw the multitude of cracks spider webbing across the screen. Will half-heartedly pressed the home button, yielding no results. Defeated, Will’s shoulders sagged.

“Whelp, there goes that idea.”

“Will, it was a great plan,” Nick encouraged, hoping to distract his friend from the negative train of thought he was on. “But we can’t stop now. Come on.” Pushing the next fern aside, Nick held open the metaphorical door for Will. Begrudgingly, Will complied, continuing past Nick in the opposite direction from whence they came.

“What about your phone?” Will asked over his shoulder.

“I forgot to charge it before we left. It died before we left Massachusetts.”

Will threw his hands up, features sagging in tired frustration.

“How convenient.”



Some time passed, and as the two walked, the constant white noise of the jungle became noticeably softer. They found walking had become much easier as the undergrowth thinned out over time. However, visibility became an issue, as veils of leaves became abundant, and quite effective when it came to breaking the line of sight.

Now, Will wasn’t very well-read when it came to geography and botany, but he knew enough that willow trees, that are common in New Hampshire, shouldn’t be growing in such a hot and humid climate

‘This jungle makes no sense. Why is it so hot? Wait, is that a frog-snake? Oh Jesus, dad is gonna kill me. Pa is gonna kill me. When I get home, I’ll be in so much trouble. Where is home? Where is here? This isn’t Connecticut. Am I dead? What if I’m in some sort of fucked-up purgatory?’ Needless to say, Will’s brain was set to overdrive and was on the verge of overheating.

Will silenced his internal ramblings when Nick held up a hand, motioning him to stop. Both waited silently for a moment, frozen in place.

“You hear that?” Nick asked, ears focusing on the sounds of the forest, focusing on a distant… hissing sound. Given its faintness, it was hard to discern if the sound was either what they were looking for, or a really large snake.

“Nick,” Will whispered. “-Hear what?” Nick didn’t respond, stepping gingerly over the rough terrain, moving as silently as possible. Will followed, picking up a sizable stick, holding it at the ready. As they got closer,

Pushing aside the veils of leaves, the two pushed towards the hissing, the sound growing louder with each step. Light shone through the final curtain of leaves, letting golden spots dot the forest floor. With one final push through the foliage, Nick and Will’s eyes were bombarded with sunlight.

Blinking to help their eyes to adjust, they were met with the sight of a small river, it’s water moving at a moderate pace, and a small waterfall bubbling and hissing continuously. The river cut through the forest in a jagged line, parting the canopy above, giving a perfect view of the slowly yellowing sky, heralding the oncoming sunset.

“Whelp, there we go. Fresh water.” Will said, leaning down to fill his bottle with some (assumedly) clean, flowing, high-quality H20.

Nick took a moment to look downriver, seeing the small rocks parting the water and the curtains of green leaves making the river bank seem like a living canyon. “Hm... Not even a sign of the jungle from here.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Will interjected. “I may not know much about trees, but I’m pretty sure trees from two separate parts of the world shouldn't be able to grow right next to each other.”

Motioning back the way they came, Nick pulled aside some branches looking back into the forest. “Did you notice that the dead ones look kinda weird?”

Sure enough, as Will poked his head through the foliage, the least healthy of the trees did seem to look a bit strange. They had a somewhat emotive quality about them. Will shivered for a moment. Looking closer, Will made out what looked like rows of jagged teeth carved from the tree’s bark. Two holes rested above the mouth, completing the face-like visage. Looking around, Will found more trees of similar design, their trunks warped into gruesome, sneering faces.”Wow, you would think this is something someone set up for Halloween. Where is my ominous violin?” Will joked.

“You’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would,” Nick deadpanned.

Will put a hand on Nick’s shoulder, seemingly not noticing Nick flinching at the contact. “Trust me, I’ll have my freakout later once we’re out of this.”

“Will, I think we need to consider the possibility that we won’t be getting out of this forest anytime soon,” Nick said, followed by a deep sigh. The two of them had been walking for most of the day, and there were still no signs of any kind of civilization. Will let out a yawn, letting it slip due to his exhausted brain. However, letting the moment of quiet pass while listening to the river allowed the two friends to reflect on the day's events. However, Will was thinking back to the car, and their trip to New York.

“So wait,” Will said, stroking his scraggly goatee. “The sun was setting before the crash, and now it’s setting again?” 

Will could already feel a migraine on its way.

Nick just shrugged. “ I dunno. One minute we were riding the interstate in a Maxima, and now we’re sitting in the middle of the Amazon. Nothing makes sense here.”

“Fuck man, this is some stupid time travel bullshit I bet. Next thing you know, some weird alien is gonna pop out of nowhere, and then the Doctor is going to show up like; ‘Oh hello! I’m the Doctor. No questions just run!’” Will rambled, hand finding a hold in his wildly curly brown hair.

“What is it with you and Doctor Who today?” Nick asked.

“...Honestly? I have no idea.”

With that, Nick and Will began following the flow of water. However, with night threatening to fall upon the land, thoughts of shelter were at the forefront of their minds.

Thankfully, the riverbanks were much easier to traverse, the only obstacles being the occasional rock outcropping. Travel became a lot quicker as a result, and as Nick and Will continued. The sky was gradually getting darker, with streaks of blues and purples appearing above them. Visibility was becoming an issue again, the shadows cast by the trees creating a dark realm of twilight beneath the canopy.

“Come on man,” Will complained. “We need to find a place to rest. We’ve been walking all day.”

“Just a bit farther, we still have some daylight.” Nick blazed ahead, leading the duo along the river. Nick’s eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings, but he was straining his eyes trying to see anything in the growing darkness.

After a short period of walking in silence, they reached a wider part of the river, where the solid riverbanks turned to thick clay and mud. A swamp like smell lingered in the air as a cold breeze caused the two to shiver. Will’s feet were getting wet as his running shoes sloshed through the muck.

“Alright, we should pull off into the woods soon. Rest up for a bit,” Nick suggested

Will, agitated from dealing with wet feet and an empty stomach, liked this idea. “Finally. Hey, you want a snack? We have a couple of granola bars in here.” Will pulled his duffle bag off of his shoulder, searching through it as they walked.

Nick kept his eyes forward still trying to be aware of his surroundings. However, while Nick’s eyes were giving him some difficulty, Will’s ears were well-tuned to the surrounding forest. However, the ambient white noise of nature was replaced by silence. No buzzing insects. No croaking frogs. Only the sound of their feet in the mud.

“Um… Nick?” Will said, just above a whisper. “Something isn’t right.”

“Will, come on, we’re gonna find a place to rest. Trust me, we’re fine.” Nick continued forward while Will reluctantly followed. They got about ten more feet downstream when Nick’s foot hit something solid.

~Crack~

Nick paused.

Looking down in the dim light, Nick saw his foot had broken something.

Something round…

Eggshells glistened in the dim light of the sunset.

In a sudden flash of motion, the river splashed up as a loud, throaty hiss broke the silence. A gargantuan shadow sprinted onto the riverbank, stopping to let out a second hiss. Scales caught the light, revealing the reptilian snout, filled with dagger-like fangs. A crocodile of massive proportions. 

“Nick? What the fuck did you do?”

The oversized lizard jolted closer, trying to drive the trespassers away. Nick and Will swallowed deep.

“I think I just made a mother very, very angry. Run!”

Nick took off with Will right on his heels. They heard the beast behind them, but it was fast. The croc easily kept pace with the two of them. Nick thinking quickly looked for a route of escape. Ahead, in the dim light of the sunset, he saw a large tree, it’s thick branches low enough for an easy climb. “Will, make for the trees!”

Will saw the tree Nick was making a run for and followed as best as he could. Nick was easily the better sprinter, gracefully navigating the underbrush. Will was able to keep up, but his long, lanky legs could not find proper footing. He stumbled once, twice, three times while trying to keep up with his more athletic friend. The crocodile was gaining on Will, but his goal was in sight.

He could make it.

Jumping into the air, Nick grabbed hold of one of the lower branches, using his momentum to swing himself up onto the branch. He looked back to Will, sprinting at the tree with the croc about 20 feet behind. 

“Come on, faster!” Nick yelled, holding out his open hand. “You got this. Run!”

Will reached for Nick’s outstretched hand, grabbing it, and with Nick’s assistance, Will was able to wrap his arms around the branch. Will tried to get his legs up there, but he lost all momentum. Will’s feet slid against the slick bark of the trunk, unable to get a good footing.

Nick began to worry. The crocodile sat below the branch, jaws open, still hissing angrily. “Will, get your ass up here-”

*Snap*

Letting out a terrible scream, Will let go of the branch, landing on his back with a thud, with a crocodile biting his leg. Flailing, Will tried desperately to turn himself around as the beast began dragging its prey to the river.

“Will!” Nick called out, hopping down from the tree, giving chase. Panicking, Will flipped himself onto his back, trying everything he could to hit the snout holding onto his leg. Sliding through the cold mud, Will drove his heel into the croc’s snout, which seemed to only drive the teeth deeper into his leg.

“Fu- uh-uck,” Will cried out.

Will felt his feet enter the water when he drove the second ax-kick into the croc’s snout. This was it. Will was being dragged into the river.

Suddenly, Will felt two arms wrap under him, holding him back.

“Don’t just sit there. Kick it again!” Nick commanded, using every bit of strength to keep Will from being dragged deeper.

Emboldened by his friend’s encouragement, Will gritted his teeth, raised his free leg one last time, and brought it down on the oversized reptile.

The crocodile opened its jaws, letting out an angry hiss. Nick pulled back, dragging Will out of the water. With a soulless glint in its eye, the crocodile slid back into the river, disappearing into the blood-soaked river. Will grunted in pain as Nick propped his friend up against a tree. Nick cringed at the state of Will’s leg.

Luckily, the croc didn’t get the best hold of Will’s leg, mainly sinking its teeth into Will’s pants, but it did catch a fair bit of Will’s left calf. Blood freely oozed from the wound as Will groaned in pain. The flesh was torn, shredded really.

“I got kinda lucky didn’t I?” Will wheezed.

“Lucky? Will, you just got bit by a croc the size of a car, and you call that lucky?” Nick scolded. Nick was already in the process of removing his shirt.

“Well, I still have my leg, right?” Will chuckled weakly.

“That’s hoping it doesn’t get infected!”

Shaking his head, Nick raised his friend's leg out of the dirt. Pulling out a water bottle, he cleaned the wound as best as he could, before covering the exposed muscle by wrapping his shirt around Will’s leg.

Will didn’t even flinch. His breathing became shallow, and his eyes glistened. ‘Huh, strange,’ Will thought to himself. ‘I can’t feel my body.’ Will didn’t even notice as Nick lifted him, draping one of Will’s arms around his shoulders. Nick took the brunt of the weight, practically dragging Will beside him. Nick was saying something, but it seemed so far away to Will. Everything looked sideways. Eyelids were so heavy.

“Will, I need you to stay with me. We’re gonna get help.” Nick trudged forward, following the river again, Will’s arm draped around his shoulder. He didn’t know if he would find any aforementioned help, but he’d be damned if he didn’t try. The night was beginning to fall, and Will closed his eyes.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER III





The main hall of Everfree Castle was bustling with petitioners the next morning. About 30 well dressed ponies were gathered around a central plinth where Celestia sat on a small cushion, dressed in one of her finest white court gowns, trying to make sense of the voices of concerned and complaining ponies echoing off the walls.
Celestia liked the open door policy that she had when holding day court, but on days like this, she wondered if she should be a bit more selective.
Today started with one or two ponies at a time, each with small but important concerns. Others came seeking advice, which never ceased to give Celestia a level of satisfaction in serving her ponies. As the day went on however, the more skittish of the townsponies began flocking in larger groups. Now it was approaching midday, and the small groups of individuals have grown into a small mob.
“We’re running out of food, my lady. We won’t make the winter!”
“My wife saw a timberwolf near our carrot fields!”
“Am I the only one who saw the purple light yesterday?”
Whatever these ponies were saying was lost to the awful din the rest of the voices. Celestia couldn’t understand the cacophony. Without moving from her seat, Celestia flared her wings, and sent a light pulse of raw magic through the crowd. The blast of warmth soothed the petitioners, as they all went silent at their ruler’s display of power. Celestia’s face softened to a caring smile as she looked upon her subjects, as they waited with bated breath for Celestia to speak.
“I understand your concerns,” Celestia began. “But, there is no need to panic. Yes it has been difficult due to recent events, but we have held strong, have we not?” Celestia paused, awaiting a response from the crowd, receiving none. Stretching her back slightly, Celestia folded her wings to her side. “Perhaps now would be a good time to break public court for the morning. I will see to those who have individual concerns in a half hour. Feel free to enjoy the garden in the meanwhile. It’s a gorgeous day.”
As Celestia stood, the ponies began shouting. The din returned in full force, with some ponies trying to approach their princess, only to be stopped by the throne room guards creating a barrier with their spears held sideways..
Flanked by two of her armor clad guards, Celestia left the petitioners to be escorted out the main door by the rest of her guardsponies. The doors closing behind her, Celestia dropped the mask of a smile she was forcing, letting out a tired sigh as the sound of the ponies in the courtroom began to fade. Celestia loved her ponies, but found it difficult to deal with their more skittish tendencies.
“Busy court today, your highness,” one of her escorts spoke. The stallion was covered from his barrel down in iron rings, woven together into a sort of barding. Segments of iron plates adorned his chest and around his neck, leading to a white cloak that draped over his back. His black mane was cropped short, and his coat was well kept.
“Yes, yes it was,” Celestia said as the princess and her guards continued through the winding halls of the palace.
As the group of ponies reached one of the longer corridors that lead to the dining hall, multi-colored light shone across the stone floors as sunlight passed through the various stained glass windows, each one showing a moment from ponykind’s history.
The first showed three ponies. A pegasus, a unicorn, and an earthpony glared angrily at each other while being separated by jagged lines. Around the outside edges of the window, white swirling shapes formed a blizzard with ghostly horse-like figures hidden within the wisps.
The second depicted a large pink heart made of fire. Below, three different ponies, one from each race, pushed back against the blizzard, their mouths open in song. 
‘It’s hard to believe that was only ten years ago,’ Celestia thought to herself as she looked at the next window.
The three kinds of ponies stood united before two familiar figures. Celestia remembered this day quite clearly. She didn’t know what to make of the ponies at first, but soon enough, the ponies began turning to her and Luna for guidance. It wasn’t long until the ponies gave the princess’ their titles.
The ponies wanted to use queen, but Celestia found that to be a bit too pretentious.
Celestia averted her gaze from the next set of stained glass windows as she lit her horn, opening the tall double doors that lead to the dining hall and private dining room. It was approaching midday, as Celestia thought 'I could really go for a nice warm bowl of oatmeal right now.'

After a quick brunch, Celestia began going through the rest of the day’s schedule. She spent some time with the petitioners that wished to be addressed individually, as promised. In an attempt to keep these meetings short, Celestia had her guards enforce a strict five minute time limit per petitioner. If she let her ponies talk without limit, she’d be answering to them all day,
Following that, Celestia’s day was a blur as she met with most of her senior staff. She had received situation reports from Guard Captain Hurricane and Lieutenant Sabre; addressed an issue in regards to the cluttered storeroom with Quartermaster Beardy; ordered tea and crumpets from Chef Julienne so that she could share a nice evening tea with her sister; and she had just finished writing a letter to Clover the Clever in regards to the magical pulse that came from the Everfree the day prior.
Celestia, lighting her horn, watched as the scroll rolled up, tied itself with her signature red ribbon, and dissolved into a multicolored ball of gas, flying off to wherever Clover may be.
Looking up at the stone ceiling of her personal study, Celestia heard a few pops as her stiff neck loosened. The rays of the evening sun passed through the window panes, showing off the reddish stained wood of the bookshelves that took up almost all of the available wall space. Most shelves held thick tomes that left no available space in between. Others held an assortment of trinkets of various importance and value.
Celestia sat at her long, mahogany desk that curved with the walls of the circular room, sitting beneath the largest of the three outward facing windows. A pristine white quill sat next to it’s inkpot on one side, and a sizable stack of notes, letters, and papers were piled neatly on the other.
Celestia leaned forward, looking down to the garden below, gazing fondly upon the beds of colorful flowers and well groomed topiaries. ‘If only if the garden was larger,’ Celestia mused. ‘We could have built a hedge maze like the one back home. Luna would like that.’ Celestia let out a heavy, nostalgic sigh, tinged with a fair amount of longing.
Celestia closed her eyes, sitting back into her cushion. ‘Luna will be awake soon, I should go make sure tea is ready.’
Standing from her desk, Celestia made her way to the door, ruffling her wings by her side. Descending the spiraling staircase past windows that overlooked the village far below, and the Everfree beyond, Celestia opened the heavy steel door that guarded her study, to find two of her personal guards flanking her as she entered the hallway of the northern wing. About to turn left towards the kitchen, Celestia’s ears perked to the sound of armor clad hooves galloping down the hallway to the right.
As if on cue, another castle guard came galloping around the corner, eyes locking onto his princess. Seeing said guard, Celestia’s escorts moved to intercept. Not in a threatening way, but as a mere precaution.
The galloping guardspony came to a quick stop, snapping to attention immediately, speaking through labored pants.
“Your highness, I don’t mean to intrude, ~huff~ but there’s a situation.”
Celestia’s full attention was given to the guard as she cocked her head to the side in confusion, thinking ‘What is it this time?’ 
“Speak freely corporal.”
“I… personally think it’s best you see this for yourself.”
Celestia, even more curious now, motioned for the corporal to lead.
Followed by her escorts, the princess followed her guardspony through the locked passageways of the servants living quarters, and towards the main hall and the entrance to the castle. Lighting her horn, Celestia pushed the large double doors, entering the main hall, eyes wide.
In the center of the main hall, six leather clad members of her town guard held pikes towards the thing that truly caught Celestia’s eye. A tall bipedal creature stood hunched over, its body devoid of any fur except for it’s strawberry blonde hair plastered to his forehead with sweat and dried mud. A light tan skin shown through holes in its tattered clothing, revealing dirty bandages. A pair of spectacles hung from the neckhole in its tunic, one lens clearly cracked.
Slung over its shoulder was a similar creature, slightly taller than its companion. This one’s hair was shorter, brown, and had more waves to it, but what really caught Celestia’s eye was the makeshift tourniquet and wrapping around its leg, all stained red from what was clearly a lot of blood.
Celestia jumped when the creature doing the carrying did the unthinkable.
“Sorry pretty horse,” a clear masculine voice emanated from the creature’s mouth. “But I’d really appreciate it if your attack ponies didn’t point sharp sticks at me while I keep my friend here from bleeding out on your carpet.” 
The princess nearly fainted.


-~xXXXx~-


        The barracks underneath the Everfree castle wasn’t glorious in the slightest. The air held a musky smell from the colts that lived and slept here. The stonework was rougher than the upper floors of the castle, and the living spaces were much more spartan than the ornate decorations of the main hall. However, despite its appearance, Nick found his surroundings surprisingly clean. 
It would set Nick’s mind at ease if these pony guards would stop eyeing him like a tiger about to pounce.
After his brief experience with what Nick assumed to be the leader of the civilization of kaleidoscope colored mythical equines, the leader gave her orders. The guards rushed both Nick and the unconscious Will to the medical ward beneath the castle. Nick’s wounds were minor, so the healer pony simply changed Nick’s soiled bandages. However, Nick did manage to get a glimpse of Will on the other side of the curtain that divided the two friends. Flashes of light and faint twinkling came from Will’s bedside.
Nick was moved out of the ward a moment after his new bandages were wrapped, (he was still impressed at how dexterous these creatures were using their mouths and hooves). As he was escorted out by more guards, he saw blood soaked bandages float through the air in a yellowish aura, into a bag of refuse.
And now Nick was across the hall, sitting on a low bench, being stared at by four armed and armored horses. One even had wings folded to its side, and another had a horn protruding from its shaggy mop of a mane. Each one at the ready to attack if Nick made anything that could be construed as a hostile move. Clearing his throat, Nick shifted in his seat as the guards flinched at the movement.
“So… do you guys do glue here?… or..?” Nick joked awkwardly, and was met with only more silence. 
Sighing, he looked to the guard with the horn, the stallion’s armor being the most ornate out of all of the guards present. This pony was probably the one in charge at the moment, and even though the small horse only stood at chest-height to Nick, the stallion’s eyes told of experience.
“Look, I’m going to be honest with you horses, I’m about as freaked out as you are. Can we just calm down for a moment. Talk like normal people? Equines? Creatures?”
Taken slightly aback, the guard paused, eyes widened, then let out a soft breath, letting the cold visage he was holding drop for a moment, before hardening again.
            “We have orders to watch you until the princess arrives to question you,” the unicorn spoke up, his voice sounding like tires rolling on gravel. “Until then, you will be guarded until further instruction.”
‘The princess herself is going to question me? Why not just this guy?’ Nick thought.
Subconsciously realizing he was conversing in common english with a horse-like creature, Nick felt a headache coming on. Hopefully this was all just a bad acid trip, and he was hallucinating all of the talking ponies, but he would have to deal with the hand he was dealt. And apparently that hand had talking ponies. Great!
“So… you're are all ponies here?” Nick asked. The guards took a moment to look to each other in brief confusion before the unicorn guard spoke up again.
“Well, yes. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies. You’re not from around here, obviously.”
“Have any of you heard of Canada, the Roman Empire, or Anime?” Nick inquired. When he received a collection of head shakes, he had his answer.
“Well, then I am a very, very long way from home.”


-~xXXXx~-


“Your highness, the creature has lost a significant amount of blood. He seemed to have lost consciousness about a full day ago. We were able to make duplicates of his blood vessels, but the wound is quite deep. Aside from that, we have him in a stable condition. Other injuries include two broken ribs, and a fractured bone just above the joint connecting the leg to it’s fleshy hoof.”
Celestia listened intently as the healer continued to explain the condition of the creature known as Will. Even still, her mind wandered.
‘What are these Creatures? Where are they from?’ and other questions plagued the
princess's mind as her eyes roamed over the being laid across the medical bay cot, eyes closed. Having removed the clothing that was ruined in whatever fight Will was involved in, she could somewhat make sense of the musculature. Whatever created the form of these beings was clearly an expert. Not any handiwork Celestia had seen before, but the clear skill involved was baffling. Not a single muscle or bone out of place.
A bit too much fat for Celestia’s liking, if his somewhat chubby midsection was anything to go by. Though, the one being held by her guards looked much leaner.
“Thank you Heartbeat, see that the creature’s condition doesn’t deteriorate further.” The healer bowed before Celestia, and swiftly returned to her work. Somewhat satisfied, Celestia left the medical ward, turning down the clean stone brick hallway as she made her way to the barracks. 
“I’ll have Ms. Stitch look after him once he’s stabilized.”
Opening the doors, Celestia spotted the other creature sitting against the wall, the bench clearly too short for it’s lanky legs. Her guards that surrounded the creature snapped to attention as they spotted their princess entering the room.
With a wave of her hoof, Celestia signaled her ponies to be at ease. They cleared a hole for Celestia as she approached. A soft smile crossed her lips as the strange creature looked up to meet her gaze.
“Apparently we have gotten off on the wrong hoof,” Celestia said using her most comforting tone of voice. “Would you care to join me for tea.”
The guardsponies in the room looked to each other in slight confusion, while a smile also crept across Nick’s face.
“How can I decline an offer like that?”

Nick assumed that sitting in the royal sitting room was usually reserved for whoever ran this acid trip of a kingdom of ponies, but in this instance, this so called princess was apparently willing to make an exception. Sitting across from Nick, the large alicorn known as Celestia was pouring two decent sized cups of tea, the pot floating in mid-air in a golden glow. He swore he could even hear the sound of windchimes as the princess’s horn began glowing in a similar aura. He was too busy trying to understanding this sorcery to notice the teacup and saucer floating in front of him.
“Ahem,” Celestia cleared her throat, bringing Nick back into the moment. Shaking his head, he focused intently on the ruler he happened to be sharing an afternoon tea with .
“My apologies, your highness,” Nick said, head slightly bowed as he took hold of his hot beverage. “It has been a long couple of days.”
“I can tell by the way you and your friend looked when you walked through my door, you must of had quite the ordeal.” Celestia’s voice was smooth as silk, but Nick caught a bit of nervous warble in her tone. She was clearly trying to keep up her appearance.
“Sorry about the ‘bleeding on your carpet’ comment.”
“Not to fret, I took no offence. You were clearly speaking out of stress and jest.”
“Although, I have to wonder, princess, why did you help us?”
Celestia paused to take a sip of her tea, and Nick followed. Now Nick was quite the connoisseur of ‘hot leaf juice’, but whatever nectar of the gods he was drinking could have sent him to cloud nine, and die happy. He hummed in satisfaction.
“Well, to be honest, I was a bit confused when I first laid eyes on you. Never have I seen anycreature quite like you or your friend. At first I thought, ‘what demon kept clothed, hairless monkeys as pets,”’ Celestia turned away and gave an embarrassed chuckle before righting herself again. “-But then you spoke.”
“Well princess, allow me to give a formal greeting on behalf of the human race,” Nick said with a smirk.
“Can’t say I have heard of any race quite like that. Especially not of any race or civilization as advanced as yours appears to be, given the complexity and quality of your clothing.”
“And I can’t honestly say that I have heard of any kingdom of talking equines, yet, here we are.”
“If that is the case, how did you and your friend get here?”
Nick began retelling nearly every event of the day prior, from the car crash, to being assaulted by the oversized crocodile, being very careful not to divulge anything too specific. He only gave generalizations. When Celestia was confused by the concept of a car, Nick simply explained it away as a motorized wagon or carriage. The entire time, Celestia’s eyes never left Nick’s, her attention firmly on the human.
“My, you two have suffered quite a bit haven't you?”
“You could say that,” Nick shrugged. “The important thing is that we’re alive.”
“I can respect somepony that strong of will and resolve.”
The survivor and his savior lapsed into a brief silence, as the two enjoyed their tea. Nick shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Mostly, it was an involuntary action. Currently, the cushion he was sitting on was positioned in a way that left his back open to a window. A fact that his paranoid mind greatly detested.
“You’ll be pleased to know your friend, William, that is his name, correct?” With a nod from Nick, Celestia continued. “Well, William’s condition is stable. Our healers are doing our best to mend the torn flesh and broken bones, but he may not be able to wake up for a few days.”
Nick breathed out a sigh of relief. Nick and Will had been friends since highschool, and now that the two of them were in an alien nation, they would need each other more than ever.
“Now, I do not believe I have had the pleasure of knowing the name of our visiting human here,” Celestia softly laughed.
Nick reached forward with a hand, expecting a handshake. Celestia, slightly confused, placed her hoof in Nick’s palm, which he took firmly planting a small kiss upon it before letting go. Celestia pulled her hoof away holding it close to her barrel. “Is this a customary human greeting?”
“Only to royalty, your highness. Nicholas Winters, a pleasure.”
“Well then, Nicholas, my name is Princess Celestia Solaire of Equestria, pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Standing up, she opened the door that lead to the hallway, where her guards were waiting at attention. “Corporal, if you would, ask one of the maids to make up a guest room for Nicholas here,” Celestia ordered. It wasn’t harsh, but the tone was slightly more authoritative. “Oh, and could you see if my sister is awake? I think we have something that requires her talents. Have her meet me in the medical ward.”
“At once, your highness. Shall this Nicholas continue to be guarded?” The guards words gave Celestia pause, as she turned to Nick.
“Nicholas, I mean no offence, but I’m not quite sure what to make of you at the moment. I will have my guards watching you in the meantime.”
Nick tensed at this, but was, at the same time, relieved. He was surprised at how casual his meeting with the princess was. It was unusual that she didn’t even bring a guard into the room during the conversation. Then again, Celestia clearly used magic. Nick didn’t know how to fight magic. At least Celestia’s want to keep an eye on him assured Nick that there was still some predictability in the ponies of this world.
“I don’t mind Princess.”
Celestia nodded, as the corporal came into view.
“Sir, if you would follow me.” For the umpteenth time today, Nick was escorted by armed guards through an unfamiliar castle. But paused when Celestia left him with some parting words.
“I rather enjoyed our conversation, Nicholas. Perhaps we could share pleasantries some other time.”
Nick nodded, giving a small smile and a shallow bow. “Of course your highness.”
As Nick was lead around the corner and out of sight of the princess, a thought occurred to him.
‘Wait… Sister?’


-~xXXXx~-


As Luna made her way down the staircase from the royal quarters, she yawned. The guard that greeted her said that Celestia needed her for… something. The stallion didn’t give any specifics, just to meet her sister in the medical ward. Perhaps it was another case of nightmare memories with another guard, those seemed to come up more often these days
The twilight sun shone through the windows of the Everfree Castle, meaning Celestia had already began lowering the sun. Looking to the eastern horizon, Luna lit her horn calling upon the inner magics of the weave, reaching out to her beloved astral body, and lifted. Luna’s short blue mane began waving in a non existent breeze, horn began to glow the typical azure aura, and her eyes glowed a cool white as the moon began its ascent into the air, bathing the skyline in a cool blue and purple blanket of darkness. Smiling to herself, Luna made her way to the stairs into the basement, and after, the medical ward.
Opening the door, Luna was greeted by her sister, coming out of a contemplative pose as Luna made her presence known.
“Sleep well Lulu?”
“Like a foal sister. Thou didn’t wait for us for our usual afternoon tea. Is something the matter, sister?”
“You could say that.”
Lighting her horn, Celestia pulled at the curtain of what Luna assumed to be her charge for the evening. What she didn’t expect was to see a near hairless, ape-like creature lying in a cot much too small for its larger body. 
“Pray tell sister, what is that?” Luna asked, a bit startled.
Celestia began explaining everything she had heard from Nick, and the experience of when they first met in the foyer. Luna’s gaze turned from shocked, to curious, then to attentive as Celestia gave as many details as she could. Luna nodded as Celestia finished her explanation, with one question on her mind.
“Well the creature seems contained for the moment. What do you need of us?”
“William here has been stabilized, but we have no bearing of his mental well being. I was hoping that you could delve into his dreamscape, and possibly confirm this story Nicholas had told.”
“It is possible, yes,” Luna began. “But depending on the state of the creature’s mind, We are not sure that his mind would be stable enough to enter the dreamscape. And do not forget sister, that a dreaming mind is not usual coherent enough to speak with any sort of meaning. The realm of dreams is usually a generalization of somepony’s character, worries, and fantasies.”
“Is it that much to ask to try?” Celestia asked, a bit annoyed. Luna grumbled under her breath at Celestia’s scolding tone..
“Tis’ not, We were simply making you aware.”
“And Luna, there is no use to use the royal We anymore. This isn’t the Hidden Valley.”
Luna hung her head with ears pinned to her skull, partly in embarrassment, and partly in nostalgic sorrow.
“We- I mean, I know sister. It’s just that I have never gotten used to the common speech of this era. It’s difficult for me to… forget.”
Celestia draped a comforting wing over Luna’s withers, pulling her younger sister into a comforting embrace. She bent her head low, touching her forehead to Luna’s.
“I know, but we need to move forward. We can’t keep looking back like this. Just keep looking forward. Things will be better, you’ll see.”
Luna gave a slight sniffle, nuzzling into the warm embrace of her sister. “Thank you, Tia”
“You’re welcome Lulu.”
Retracting her wing, Celestia allowed Luna to approach the bedside to get a good look at the catatonic human.
“Well then, let us give this a try, shall we?” Luna closed her eyes, as a bead of white light appeared at the end of her horn. The mote of light floated gently through the air towards the sleeping creature. When the strand of light connected with Will’s forehead, Luna’s vision flashed white from beneath her closed eyelids. 

As Luna’s vision cleared, she found herself standing, or rather floating in a blackish purple void. Vague dots of light imitated stars as she looked around the dreamscape of the human known as Will. Despite the lack of a moon, the fur of Luna’s coat was faintly lit as if she was standing in the open night air.
There was no smell, but the sound of music came from everywhere. A plucked stringed instrument of some kind, accompanied by a faint violin in the background. The song was slow and soulful in cadence, as a baritone voice joined the music. 

	*Second verse from Every Rose has its Thorn, by Poison*

Turning her head, she saw what must be the source of the music. Will, not seeming to notice Luna’s presence, kept singing. Luna approached slowly. 
Even though dreamers couldn’t truly see her due to the nature of the subconscious, she didn’t want to disturb the performance. To Luna, it was impressive, that even in this state, this human was able to recall such lyrics in such a deep sleep

	*Chorus*

As the last word of that chorus led into a shift in tone, Luna came around to see the spectacled face of this creature.
Will was sitting on a wooden stool, his dreadnought acoustic guitar in hand, with a keyboard to his side, and microphone at his mouth, all connected to a pedal at his feet. His usually unkempt five o’clock shadow was trimmed into a neat goatee. His curly brown hair sat neatly atop his head, giving Luna a clear view of his closed eyes and near sorrowful expression.
He tended to get pretty emotional while singing.
Dressed in an open collared shirt and khaki pants, he relished in the moment as he began
the bridge of the song. He opened his eyes, and they immediately locked onto where Luna was standing, and the music suddenly stopped. Even though Luna knew that it was impossible to comprehend her presence, she stood starkly still.
“Well this is interesting,” Will said nonchalantly, placing the guitar on a stand that seemed to appear out of thin air. “I’ve never had a shared dream before.”
Luna didn’t move. Luna didn’t speak.
“What’s wrong? Is this new for you too?”
Luna sputtered for a moment, shocked into incoherent speech until she gathered her thoughts.
“You- you can see us?”
“Well, yeah. I can see you just fine. I can see me too, but that’s most likely because it’s my dream,” Will chuckled.
“You’re aware that you’re dreaming?”
“Yup. Always been able too. I have to say, that’s an interesting form you’ve dreamt up for yourself. Might have to give it a try.” As Will said that, his human form shifted as the musical equipment faded to nothing, temporarily forgotten. In mere moments, Luna stood face to face with a near perfect replica of what a male alicorn would look like. Will still had his curly hair, but it adopted a more magenta color, as his skin turned into a deep violet coat. His glasses rested on a more blocky, masculine muzzle. “How do I look?”
“How are you doing this?” Luna inquired, generally curious, and choosing to ignore the question.
“I’m a lucid dreamer, I can essentially dream up anything I can imagine, and it will happen. Don’t know why it’s this good tonight though. Typically, I can’t dream up things this extreme. Better than the nightmare I had before this at any rate.” There was a shiver that ran through Will’s astral pony body. Steeling himself from the memory, he smiled back to Luna. “The name’s Will by the way. William Thorne.”
“You may know us as Princess Luna Selene.” 
It was in this moment, Will's faulty social filter decided to malfunction.
“Princess huh? You must think highly of yourself,” Will chuckled good naturedly.
“Such Insolence!” Luna bellowed, her voice causing Will to flinch back in fear. “How dare you mock our status! We could have thee thrown into a cell to rot for such a comment.”
“Woah woah calm down, it was a joke!” Will nearly cowered at the mere presence of the horse lady in front of him. In the panic, he inadvertently returned to his human form. “I didn’t mean to offend, honest.”
Luna took a second to gaze at the human practically cowering like a foal beneath her before settling back down. “We accept thine apology. See to it doesn’t happen again.”
“Noted your highness.”
“Now, tell me of this nightmare you had.”
Will stood and conjured a couch to sit on, looking at the alicorn princess in confusion. “Wait, you scream at me and now you are trying to help me with my bad dreams?” Will softly chuckled to himself.
“Indeed. It is why I came here.” Luna thought that perhaps this nightmare could give her some insight into the mind of this human, and possible correlation to the story from the one called Nicholas.
“Okay… Well then, take a seat.” Will said as an identical couch appeared behind Luna, and a massive black TV began floating in mid-air. Luna did just that, making herself comfortable as the strange black metal window flashed in bright colors, a painting coming to life before her eyes, and, to her surprise, began moving.
Soon enough, Luna realized she was watching a near perfect retelling of the story Celestia was told by Nicholas. The motorized carriage, the purple flash, the crash, the kragadile attack, everything. The Will in the television was clearly speaking, but no words left his lips, probably because dream Will couldn’t recall the exact words. Some sentences were spoken, but the rest was silent. ‘The other human, the one with the reddish hair must be this Nicholas’, Luna concluded. 
As the film faded to black, Will shifted in his seat.
“And that’s where the nightmare ended. I’m probably just worrying about the New York trip in the morning. Doesn’t explain the massive crocodile though.”
Luna was silent for a moment. Should she tell him? If she didn’t, Will would be in for quite a shock when he woke up. With a more reserved posture, she turned to Will on the other couch again, speaking with more of a softness to her voice.
“We don’t believe that was a nightmare, William.”
“How could it not be? There are no jungles in Connecticut. That, and I’m pretty sure crocodiles don’t get that big.”
With a roll of her eyes, Luna lit her horn, causing the dreamscape to bend and fold the mental space to her will. The void closed in on the two dreamers, replacing the emptiness with the stone walls, and beige curtains of the medical ward. Will looked on, wide eyed as he witnessed the hijacking of his own dream.
With a hoof, Luna pulled away the curtain, gesturing for Will to enter. Poking his head through the veil, Will nearly choked on his dream tongue as he inhaled sharply, blindsided by what he saw.
It was him. Well, another version of him maybe?. He was lying unconscious on a cot, arms at his side, the only movement being the slight rise and fall of his still breathing chest. Bandages covered his body, more specifically a thick wrapping around his left calf. Dream Will didn’t breathe for what seemed like ages. Luckily, in a dream, oxygen wasn’t a necessity. 
But this wasn’t some copy Luna had conjured up, and Will stared blankly at his unconscious body, all he could only say one word. “Why?”
“Why what?” Luna asked, a worried expression cast in the direction of the very tense human.
“Why would you show me this?”
“We’re afraid we don’t quite understand what you mean.”
Will’s fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. He practically was vibrating in a maelstrom of emotions.
Luna began slowly approaching a if she was trying to get close to a dangerous predator. “William, what is wrong?”
“Why couldn’t it have just been a dream? Why couldn’t I just wake up in my bed at home, go to work, come back home, and just not deal with all of this bullshit?!” With that last word, the entire dreamscape shook like an earthquake. Gone were the walls of the medical ward, and the purple, star filled sky. Will stood there in a black empty void, eyes closed off from his subconscious.
“William,” Luna’s authoritative voice broke through whatever wall Will was trying to build around himself. “Thou needs to remain calm. A torn psyche can tear the dreamscape apart with it. We do not wish what that could do to thy mind in the state thou is in.”
With a slow inhale, every muscle in Will’s body contracted, nearly to the point of being painful, and with an even slower exhale, that tension slowly dissipated, as Will slumped down on the non-existent ground, arms hugging his knees close to his chest.
“Princess… Where am I?”
Luna only paused for a moment, changing her tone to a more neutral one.
“Thine body is currently at rest in the medical ward of the Everfree Castle. Thou art being tended to by our best healers.”
“And where is this Everfree Castle?”
Luna, off to the side gave a slight shake of her head.
“If what thy friend Nicholas said was true-” Luna was interrupted as Will’s eyes snapped to hers, coming out of his fetal position.
“Nick’s there too? Is he alright?” Any hint of sadness fled from his voice, now replaced with concern.
“He is doing well according to our sister. If his story is the truth, Nicholas carried thee through the night and into the next afternoon.” Luna’s lips curled into a small, thin smile, noticing how Will’s muscles were visibly relaxing. “Thou has quite a good friend. If not for him, you very well could have perished to the kragadile.”
“Yeah… yeah I do... By the way, princess, is this horse form of yours just for show in the dream realm, or the real deal.”
“This is our true body, yes. We found it queer when you had mentioned it the first time. Dost thou not have any ponies where you are from?” 
With a shrug and a shift in posture, Will made the couches reform, taking a seat on one of them.
“Kinda, I guess. Back home, ponies are a lot smaller than you are,” Will said, taking the first real good look at the princess. Despite the body being clearly quadrupedal with legs ending in hooves, Luna’s face still held a bit of familiarity to it. “-They don’t have horns or wings, and they aren’t sentient enough to talk. That and they don’t have that, how to put it… human quality about it? No, that’s not right.”
“We believe we understand what thou are trying to say.”
The conversation lapsed into silence that was deafening in the dreamscape, the only sound being a very distant drum beat. The two pulse rhythm, Luna realized, was Will’s heartbeat echoing through the dreamscape.
“I’m not in America, am I?” Will said, disappointment and resignation stained his voice.
“We do not believe so, no.”
“Fuck.”
“Thou art alive, no? We’d say that is a blessing.”
“I know, I know. It’s just… a lot. A lot to take in at the moment. I think I need some time to think, I guess.”
Luna nodded solemnly. “We understand. It must be a heavy weight we have placed upon thou. We will take our leave then.”
“Thank you, Princess, for the talk I mean. I kind of needed the wake up call I guess.” A somewhat sorrowful, but equally thankful grin on his face.
“You are quite welcome.” At his genuine gratitude, Luna couldn’t help but let another smile sneak onto her muzzle. He looked at her like ponies looked at her sister, and Luna couldn’t help but take a bit of pride in that.
“Will I see you again after I wake up?”
Luna lit her horn preparing to leave the dreamscape for the evening.
“We would like that very much.”
In a flash of white light, Luna left the human to his dreams.


-~xXXXx~-


Celestia never left the bedside, watching in silence while her sister delved into the mind of William. So far, it had been at least twenty minutes since Luna had cast her spell, and Celestia had started to worry. ‘What did she find in there I wonder,’
Nopony came or left at the medical ward, as per Celestia’s request. This was a private matter after all.
Luna’s horn began to dim, and motion returned to her body as the trance like state faded. Luna turned to look at her sister, a small smile adorning her face.
“Luna, everything went well?”
“Indeed sister, William seems to be a bit troubled, but perhaps that will pass in time. We shall see when he awakes.”
“Good, and on the topic of Nicholas’ story?”
“A perfect match.”
That comment caused Celestia to pause. ‘Didn’t Luna say that ’The realm of dreams is usually a generalization?’’
“How do you know?”
“He showed us, every moment of it matching what thou had described.”
“He showed you?”
“Sang for us as well. Quite the musician actually.”
Celestia gave an annoyed glance at her sister after the slightly snarky comment. To which Luna let out a small laugh.
“Yes, Celestia. Although, we do have to prepare for my nightly studies. Do you have any other tasks for me to perform before you retire for the evening?”
“I don’t believe so. Goodnight Luna.”
Luna made her way to Celestia, giving a warm hug.
“Goodnight Tia.”
And with that Luna left the medical ward, leaving Celestia alone for a brief moment. Before exiting, Celestia spared one last glance at the unconscious human.
‘I haven’t seen Luna laugh in months. What did you do to bring that out of her, Will?”
And with that, Celestia yawned, leaving the human to the care of the healers, retiring for the night.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER IV




For Nick, the following days passed at a snail's pace. Even though he was constantly accompanied by at least one guardspony everywhere he went, he didn’t engage in conversation with any of them for any length of time.

Nick’s routine was the same throughout the week. Wake up, have breakfast, read in the library, sit with Will in the infirmary, have lunch in the garden, read some more, have dinner, return to Will, then go to bed. It wasn’t the most exciting experience, but at least this place’s history was quite something. Stories and legends of old here on Equis reminded Nick of a bunch of the classic fantasy books back on earth. Maybe that had something to do with the abundance of magic in the tomes he had found.

Since his first day in the Everfree Castle, Nick hadn’t been invited to second tea time with Celestia, although that probably had more to do with the crowds of ponies flocking to meet with her. Given what Nick overheard from the petitioners, remaining hidden, of course, an unknown creature dragging a bleeding body through the streets of a village surrounded by guards stirs up quite a bit of panic.

That definitely wasn’t Nick… totally not him. What gave you that idea?

If Nick wasn’t mistaken, today marked the eighth day Will had been unconscious for. It was these moments sitting with Will that offered Nick a small break from the constant vigilance of the guards. Nick’s stomach full of the salad and fruits he had for dinner, he watched while his friend slept. Candlelight flickered in the small side room Will had been moved to. A simple washbasin sat on a wooden table along one wall, along with various rudimentary medical supplies, which mainly boiled down to the thread, needles, bandages, herbs, and whatnot. It wasn’t long until one of the healer ponies came knocking before letting herself in.

“Good evening,” She said politely as she entered. Mending Stitch, a simple unicorn with a tan coat and brown mane tied in a bun, lit her horn, and magically closed behind her with her signature white aura. Among the three healers that served in the castle, Mending was the mare that tended to Will’s bandages the most.

“Good evening.” Nick’s reply was mostly without feeling. Currently, his mind was elsewhere, eyes focused mainly on the now sunken features of Will’s face, cheekbones easily seen underneath his skin. ‘Come on Will, you gotta wake up sometime!’ Mending worked around Nick, checking Will's pulse, doing some sort of medical scan with her magic, and replacing dirty bandages. All the while speaking softly to herself. Nick was so lost in his head that he didn't see Mending looking at him over her shoulder, a soft smile on her lips.

“It’s sweet, you know?”

Startled from Mending’s voice being directed towards him, Nick jumped in his chair in the corner.

“Sorry, what was that?” Nick’s response garnered a giggle from the unicorn mare as she returned to her work.

“What you’ve done for your friend here, it’s sweet. Not to mention heroic if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Elaborate.”

“Well, you carried him through miles of jungle, through town with guards pointing their spears at your throat, and then waltzed right into the castle.”

“Yeah, no offense to Celestia, but her security could do with a bit of an overhaul,” Nick chuckled.

“Don’t let Hurricane hear you say that. She’ll have your head, and I don’t think even Celestia could stop her,” Mending giggled. “Regardless, even though he is asleep, you still sit with your friend twice a day. I can’t think of many ponies outside of family that would do that for me.”

Nick’s attention turned to Will again, thinking for a moment.

“He’d do it for me, it’s the least I can do.”

“You two must be pretty close then.’

“Yeah, you could say that.”

Mending, having replaced some of Will’s bandages, levitated the old ones away, moving over to the washbasin to wash her hooves before checking the stitches on Will’s leg.

“What is he like?”

Nick hummed to himself, returning his attention to Will’s healer.

“Well, he’s not boring at least. He’s kind of a weird one. Good with a pencil, and a guitar. He’s kinda… how do I wanna put it? Skittish? Excitable? He likes to worry about the little things too much, but he’ll stick by you. He can put fears aside to get stuff done.”

“High praise. If he’s as you say, I can’t wait to meet him.”

A slight groan and shuffling of sheets interrupted Nick’s reply. “You know it’s impolite to talk about someone like they’re not in the room right?” Will hoarsely whispered from his cot. Nick stood from his chair so suddenly it toppled backward as he moved to Will’s bedside.

“Well hey there Sleeping Beauty!”

“Hey yourself, man. Ohhh fuck I feel like death.”

“Well I’d be worried if you didn’t,” Mending spoke up, returning to the bedside. “You’ve been asleep for nearly eight days.

Will squinted in the dim light, trying to see who spoke.

“Hey, Nick? Do you have my glasses?”

“Oh yeah, here,” Nick cleaned the lenses with his shirt the best he could, placing the glasses on the bridge of Will’s nose. “Better?”

“Much, thanks.” Will turned his head to the side, eyes widening as he made eye contact with Mending for the first time. “Oh… right. The princess wasn’t lying. Talking horses. Fuck.”

“Ponies actually, my name is Mending Stitch, I’m the healer that has been tending to you since your condition stabilized.”

Will lifted his arm from underneath the sheet covering him, shakily extending a hand to the mare. Mending looked at Will’s outstretched hand slightly confused.

“He wants to shake your hoof, Mending,” Nick spoke up. “Don’t worry Will, Princess Celestia had the same reaction when I tried kissing hers.”

“Celestia, I thought her name was Luna?”

“Ah, so you’ve met Princess Luna,” Mending said. 

“In my dreams, yeah.”

“Well, Princess Celestia is Princess Luna’s sister. I’m sure you’ll meet her soon enough. Speaking of which, I should notify her that you are awake. Nick, keep Will company while I gather the princesses.” With that, Mending left the two humans to themselves, leaving the door ajar as she hurried off. Will sighed, coughed to clear his throat and looked back to Nick.

“So…”

“Yeah.”

“Ponies?”

“Yep.”

The two humans lapsed into a short period of silence.

“Dungeons?”

“Yep.”

“Giant alligators?”

“Among other things.”

…

…

“Nick, what sort of fucked up, horse themed session of D&D did we land in?”

“I’ve been asking that same question for the past week.”

Will shuffled slightly, wincing as his wounded leg shifted underneath the blankets. “Fuck, I was out for that long? How bad is it?”

“Oh, your feeling ghost pains, Mending said those should pass within a couple of months. The amputation went off without a hitch though.”

“What!?” Will rocketed up, sitting straight, eyes wide in terror. Which also caused the bandages on his chest to shift. “God damn ow!”

“Calm down Will, I’m joking.”

“Jesus Christ, Nick, not funny. Ow.” Will’s hand subconsciously rubbed at the pain coming from his chest. “Seriously, what’s the damage?”

“According to what Mending told me, a broken femur, two broken ribs, open wounds on your chest, severe blood loss, and malnourishment. Their magic has been keeping you alive, but they don't have intravenous transfusion technology, they had no way of feeding you other than forcing what they could through your throat.”

“Sounds like I’ll be bedridden for a couple of days huh?” Will slowly lowered himself back onto the bed, wincing as aches and pains screamed in protest.

“Probably a couple of weeks at the minimum, and even then you’ll need to work on that leg of yours.”

“Huh. I wonder what pony physical therapy is like.” Will’s chuckles came out breathy as if he knew a full laugh would puncture a lung.

The two humans lapsed into a comfortable silence, both lost in thought.

‘I wonder, depending on how powerful the magic these ponies have is, could they have brought us here?’ Nick thought to himself, looking to the door Mending had left slightly ajar. ‘Can they send us back?’

Will stared up at the ceiling, with an internal yearning to go back to sleep, but also the need to stay awake to meet this second princess. ‘Ma and Dad are probably worried sick right now. How the fuck am I going to explain any of this to them when we get back. And… Oh shit, I hope the Dungeons and Dragons crew isn’t too worried.”

Both Nick and Will’s heads snapped to the doorway as Mending entered, holding the door open for two much larger ponies. Both humans gave small smiles as Celestia and Luna entered the room. Celestia stepped forward first, approaching Will’s bedside.

“Well, it seems like you’re finally awake! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance William,” Celestia said, offering a hoof, which Will promptly shook, and then gave it a small kiss, remembering Nick saying that he did the same. At the same time, she glanced at Nick with a knowing nod. “I am Princess Celestia Solaire, ruler of Equestria.”

“William Thorne. I’d bow, but as you can see,” Will chuckled as he motioned to his wounded form. “I’m a bit immobile at the moment.” He looked to the other side of the bed, where Luna was approaching.

“It is good to see thou in the waking world William.”

“Good to see you in the flesh as well, Princess Luna.” He gave Luna the same hoof kissing treatment.

“We won’t stay long, as I am sure you are wanting your rest,” Celestia said. “We just wanted to meet you formally at the moment. We’ll have time to discuss later.” This grabbed Nick’s attention, who was, up until this point, content to let Will have the attention of the royal sisters.

“Good, I’ve had a few questions on my mind.” Nick’s words caused Celestia to turn to face him.

“I know, but this is why you and I haven’t interacted since we shared tea. I wanted to have both of you present before we talked about your situation further.”

“Makes sense,” Will said from his cot. “I take it you will be there as well, Princess Luna?”

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but Luna was quicker to the draw. “We shall be there. Thine predicament has become quite intriguing and We cannot help to be anything but curious. That and to offer our services as need be.”

“Regardless, Luna and I will let you rest. We can talk more tomorrow William,” Celestia said, making for the door.

“Rest well William, thou shall find rest to be the best medicine,” Luna said, falling into step behind her sister.”

“I’ll come to check on you tomorrow morning,” Mending smiled from over her shoulder, following the princesses out.

Nick waited for a moment, getting another glance at Will’s body.

“Thanks, by the way,” Will said.

“For?”

“Oh you know, saving my fucking life,” A thankful smile crossed Will’s tired features.

Nick placed a hand on the doorframe, looking back at Will over his shoulder, a similar grin on Nick’s lips. “Don’t mention it. Now get some rest. Princess’ orders.”

“Night, man.”

After the door closed, Will was left to himself in the dimly lit room. In the relative silence, Will closed his eyes, and in mere moments, slipped off into his personal mental playground.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER V




With Will now awake, he easily became restless. The morning after Will woke up, he tried to get out of bed three times, each attempt yielding varying degrees of failure. Due to the weakened state of his legs, he couldn’t get too far.

It got so bad that Mending nearly had to strap Will down just to keep him from reopening his wounds.

After Nick had a brief conversation with Celestia before morning court, the two came up with a compromise. A compromise that left Will in a Frankenstein’s monster contraption of half wooden armchair, and half of a broken cart. Granted, it did serve well as a wheelchair, even if Nick had to push him everywhere. The axel squealed whenever Nick pushed Will through the halls of Everfree castle, and they needed a unicorn to levitate Will up any stairs that got in the way.

Breakfast went easily enough. The large fruit salad garnered no complaints from Will in the slightest as he practically inhaled the entire bowl. Will, however, was known for eating entire watermelons as a snack, still having room for half a cantaloupe after.

What could he say? Will likes his fruit and melons.

Celestia had told Nick, before she left for her morning duties, that Will and himself should expect to be summoned shortly after lunch. She had morning court to attend, and she still needed to speak with the two of them. Which left Nick and Will a couple of hours of free time.

Luckily, some things transcend dimensions. Like chess.

Granted, the ponies here didn’t have actual chess, but the board still had the black and white checkered marble pattern. They just had to scrounge together some makeshift pieces.

In a corner of the royal library, within an alcove surrounded by books covered in dust, Nick and Will sat across from each other, looking down at their battlefield of white and black. Nick’s rook in a perfect position to trap Will’s king between his bishop and pawn. That wasn’t to say Will didn’t have Nick on the ropes. On the other side of the board, Will still had a knight, and bishop, not to mention a pawn one space away from becoming another queen.

As Nick moved another pawn forward to threaten Will’s king, a smirk crossed Nick’s features. “Check.”

Will’s eyes never left the board, hyper-focused on the game in front of him. Seeing that nothing was stopping him from taking the pawn, he moved the king, removing the pawn from the board.

With Will’s king in the open, Nick moved his rook, positioning the piece for a checkmate on the next turn.

Will smiled mischievously as Nick let go of the peace. Sitting up straighter, Will moved the pawn onto the edge of the board, promptly replacing the said pawn with his queen.

“Checkmate.”

“What?!” Nick exclaimed, quickly looking at the positioning of all of Will’s pieces, noticing the one pawn of Will’s Nick had neglected. It was protected by the knight nearly the entire time, but now, Nick saw that if he moved his king, the pawn or the rook could take him, and the newly crowned queen was forcing him to make a move.

Reaching over the board, Will offered his hand. “Good game man.”

“Hell yeah good game. What does that make our tally now 5 to 4?”

“I thought this made us tied at 5 to 5.”

“You got better since the first time we played at any rate.”

“What can I say?” Will chuckled, still afraid to hurt his ribs by laughing too hard. “I learn quickly when it comes to competition.”

“I guess all those hours playing Xcom helped your chess game,” Nick joked. Will just shrugged. Too enveloped in their banter, they didn’t notice the guard that had been watching from the corner of the room step forward, a stoic expression Nick has grown accustomed to over the past week. When the two humans finally recognized the guard’s presence, the stallion cleared his throat.

“Princess Celestia has summoned you two to the private dining room,” the guard said curtly. “I shall escort you.”

Nick nodded, standing and pulling Will’s macgyvered wheelchair out from the table. “Lead on then.” Nick fell into step behind the guard as they made their way through the halls. It was strange to see a castle this empty. Even though Celestia had said she would be busy, not a single civilian pony roamed the halls of the castle. Nick was used to this. As he thought about it, Nick realized he hadn’t seen a pony not in uniform, whether it was a guard, nurse, maid, cook or butler. After a couple of turns, the guard came to an abrupt stop in front of the door, motioning for the humans to enter. 

“The Princess shall be along in a moment. I will wait outside”

Opening the door, Nick was met with a familiar room and a very familiar tea set. After wheeling Will to an open spot at the table, Nick took a seat of the less fancy of the cushions. The door promptly closed behind them, leaving Nick and Will alone to wait. The silence was almost palpable.

“It’s like being called to Mr. Donnahue’s office,” Will joked.

“I never had a problem with him.”

“He gave me detention once, you know.”

“What for?” Nick asked, not quite remembering.

“Remember when I dressed up as a banana for twin day?”

“Oh yeah, when you drew the face on an actual banana and called him Jorge èl Banano?”

“Yup.” Will laughed a bit at the memory.

“He gave you a detention for that?”

“He didn’t like the fact the banana suit had a hood.”

“Gotcha.” Nick chuckled as well.

It was at this moment the door opened, revealing Princess Celestia, her pink mane and white coat immaculate as always, a smile on her lips, and faint bags under her eyes. Nick immediately shot up from his seat, giving a bow as the princess entered. Will, being as immobile as he was, simply bent forward slightly in his wheelchair in a similar fashion. Celestia herself, lowered her head slightly in reciprocation, turning her gaze to Will. 

“I heard you were giving Ms. Stitch quite the hard time this morning, William. Care to explain yourself?”

“My apologies, your highness. It’s just hard for me to sit still for too long,” Will smiled sheepishly.

“As much as I can sympathize, you should listen when Mending says to take it easy” Celestia sat on her cushion, motion for Nick to follow suit, which he obliged. The teapot lifted off of the table in a golden aura, pouring the liquid into the three cups already laid out for the three creatures. Will’s eyes widened at the display, much to Nick’s amusement as a chuckle escaped his lips.

“I had the same reaction Will, you’ll get used to it.”

“Bu- but. You have magic? You have, like, actual magic!?”

Celestia smiled in amusement. “Yes, William, I am capable of feats of the arcane variety.” Celestia was about to move on, but Will was quick to interrupt, lips moving quicker than lightning as the stream of questions poured from them.

“Wait, so how does it work? Is it all channeled through your horn, or do you have magical pathways through your whole body? Oh! Oh! If you use too much mag-”

*Smack*

Nick was quick to shut Will up with a swift strike to the back of Will’s head.

“Will, calm down. It’s incredibly disrespectful to interrupt royalty. My apologies, Princess, Will tends to get a bit... intense at times.”

“As I can see.” Celestia took a long look at Will, reading his features. ‘He acts like most of my ponies, I guess humans are just as easily excitable. Sipping her tea, Celestia glanced over at Nick. ‘At least Nicholas seems to have a better handle on his emotions. Much more polite too.’

Rubbing the back of his head, Will looked back to Celestia. “Forgive me, your highness, I shouldn’t have spoken out of turn.”

“That is quite alright.”

“If I may,” Nick piped up. “You wanted to discuss something with us?”

“Ah yes,” Celestia righted herself and cleared her throat. “First, allow me to start by asking a question. Do you know how you ended up here, in this world?”

Celestia’s question was met with a brief silent pause.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” Nick began, “but I don’t quite understand. I told you everything that had happened up until I walked through your doors. I just remember the flash of purple light that sent us careening off a bridge. Then we were just… here.” Will nodded in silent agreement.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear. Do you understand how you arrived in Equestria?”

Will shifted slightly in his chair, his back cracking as he sat up straighter. “I’m assuming it was... magic?”

“My sister and I believe so.”

“We don’t know anything about magic,” Will shrugged. “Where we come from, magic doesn’t exist.”

Celestia’s ears perked up, eyes widened. ‘An entire world where no magic exists? How are these two even alive?” With a concerned look in her eyes, Celestia lit her horn, as her eyes began glowing bright white light, seeing into the weave. For Celestia, the world around her became a myriad of colors, the auras of the ponies outside the room, and the magical remnants left by the builders of the castle blended like a watercolor painting. However, where Nicholas was sitting, Celestia saw nothing, and Will was only visible by Mending’s aura that lingered over his wounds. Neither human produced any magic at all.

“Well, that’s disconcerting.” Celestia’s eyes returned to their normal state, her pink irises easily seen in her widening eyes.

“Is something the matter?” Nick inquired.

“Well, to give a short explanation, neither of you should be alive at the moment.”

“What!?” Nick and Will exclaimed in unison.

Celestia’s voice remained flat, and matter-of-factly “Well, the simple explanation is that every creature in Equestria and beyond have some form of magic reservoir deep within them when they are born. The world around us also produces magic of one kind or another. Every living thing has this in common. When a pony, tree, dog, or flower dies, the magic that lived within them leaves their body and is released back into the world.”

“So to you, we are clinically dead,” Nick reasoned.

“Precisely.”

“Huh,” Will muttered, as he scratched the facial hair growing on his chin.

The tea, momentarily forgotten, continued to steam as all three creatures fell into silence. Will, took a moment to take a crumpet from the plate on the table, nervously chewing on it as the contemplative quiet took hold. They sat like that for what seemed like a few minutes but was probably less than one.

“Well, that leaves the second possibility,” Celestia spoke up, acquiring the attention of both Will and Nick.

Nick raised the cup of tea to his mouth. “And that possibility is…?”

“You died in your world, and your souls ended up here.”

…

…

…

“Well that sounds highly improbable.”

“Forgive me. Even though I am the ruler of this land, I am no expert in the matters of the arcane. That title would belong to my teacher.”

“Well, why can’t we ask him then?” Will said, just a bit too loudly.

“He went missing about a year ago,” Celestia said solemnly. “The only pony I know who could answer a question like this would be his protege. Clov-” Celestia paused, eyes widened in revelation. Words from the past week flashed in her mind. 

“Luna... You don’t think that Clover cast the same spell Master Starswirl did before he disappeared?” 

“Am I the only one who saw the purple light yesterday?”

“Clover the Clever…” Celestia’s voice finished a hint of surprise in her voice. One Nick easily picked up on but said nothing.

“Well, if you think she could help,” Will chimed in.

“If anypony could deduce what happened, it would be her, yes,” Celestia said, lacking the emotion her voice carried before. “She should return within a few days at the least. I know it’s not ideal, but it seems you will be staying in the castle a bit longer. In the meanwhile, what do you plan on doing while you are here?” Having noticed Celestia’s eagerness to change the topic, Nick placed his cup of tea down on the table, scrutinizing the details of the princess’s face.

“Well, first we need to focus on getting Will better,” Nick began.

“Come on man, there’s no need to worry about me,” Will waved a hand dismissively. “I just think we need to be getting home.”

“Listen, Will. Do you think your family would be fine if I brought you home like you just received the Purple Heart? Not to mention, we have no idea what magical transportation would do to your body.”

“It’s better than not going home at all!” The room went silent at Will’s outburst. His knuckles turning white from his grip on the armrests of his wheelchair. Celestia turned her gaze pointedly to Will.

“I understand your want for returning home, William,” Celestia scolded, “but you must understand that matters like this require patience. It’s just a discussion about plans moving forward. Try and calm yourself.”

Furrowing his brow, Will released his grip on the wheelchair, placing his hand on his chest as he inhaled. Will held his breath for a few seconds before exhaling, moving his arm in front of his torso.

“Alright then,” Will sighed. “What is this plan then?”

Nick decided this would be the best time to jump in. “First things first, we need to get you back on your feet.”

“I concur with Nicholas.” Celestia’s gaze softened slightly as the tension in the room ebbed away.

“Okay, I’ll admit it, it has only been a day, and I am already hating being chair bound.”

The conversation became a lot more relaxed as plans were being made. Between the two humans and the alicorn princess, the three agreed that Will should start the road to recovery as soon as possible. Any plans of returning to Earth would require Clover the Clever, but she had yet to return, and Celestia hadn’t received any response to the letter she sent Clover. It wasn’t long before the teapot was empty, and conversation ran dry.

“Alright, I believe that is everything that we can discuss at the moment,” Celestia said. “We will have to have another conversation when Clover returns, but I fear that I must return to my duties.” Celestia stood up, levitating the empty teapots and teacups onto their silvered platter. “Please enjoy the rest of your day. Oh, and William, after you speak with Ms. Mending, I wish you luck in your recovery.”

Will grimaced shamefully as she said this, not willing to accept any subtle forgiveness from the princess. He promptly bowed forward in his wheelchair. “Thank you, Princess, I apologize for my earlier transgressions.”

Celestia smiled good-naturedly. Seeing a creature as troubled as William was very similar to what Celestia saw in Luna for quite a while. Full of worry and spite. Not to mention quick to anger.

“It is quite alright William, now if you’ll excuse me.” With that, Princess Celestia opened the door, allowing two guardsponies to enter, motioning for Nick to stand.

Leading the two humans out of the royal sitting room, the guards directed Will and Nick out of the restricted wing of the castle. Nick watched as Celestia turned off the hallway, ascending a long, seemingly curved staircase, the entrance to which was guarded as well.

As the humans were lead back to the public wing of the castle, a blur of blue blasted past the group. The air displaced in the thing’s wake was strong enough that Will was pulled forward by the vacuum that was left behind in the empty space, causing him to nearly fall out of his chair.

A new voice asserted itself. “So! This is what has my guards talking.”

As Will looked up, he was greeted by the sight of a pegasus mare hovering above him, the beat of her wings caused bursts of air to buffer t. She had a light blue coat, a windswept grey striped mane, and was decked out to the nines in regal-looking armor. The guards escorting Will and Nick stiffened, standing at attention as they saluted.

“Captain Hurricane,” the mare said introducing herself. Nick figured she would’ve been a higher rank than the guards he had seen if her armor was anything to go by. He offered a hand and was about to greet the mare before Hurricane interrupted him. “I’d say it was a pleasure to meet you if I knew anything about you, but I don’t.”

‘Wow, she’s kinda a bitch,’ Will thought to himself. Captain Hurricane definitely held herself in high esteem with the heroic pose and an almost narcissistic grin the captain gave as she lowered herself to the ground.

“You humans have been a thorn in my flank since you showed up, you know that? Having my guards escort a hairless monkey and his crippled friend when they could be on Everfree duty… I will never understand those princesses.”

Nick’s eyebrows raised at that. None of the ponies he has met have ever talked about their ruler in such a negative way. This mare was a guard captain? This mare was a hothead!

‘Keep your mouth shut, Will’ Will thought to himself. It was taking most of Will’s effort to not jump out of his wheelchair and clock the mare in the muzzle. Rage was making Will grip hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

“Got something to say, Monkey?” Captain Hurricane teased with a smirk.

‘Don’t do it!’ a small part of Will screamed.

‘Oh Lord, now she’s done it.’ Nick knew what was about to happen, and was already pulling Will’s wheelchair backward slightly.

“What did you say?” Will snarked, a scowl etched on to his face. “Sorry, I must have missed it. You see, I’ve already had a pretty shitty day, and to be honest, I’m choosing to be deaf to bullshit coming from a plucky goose that thinks she’s all that. So could you say that one more time?”

Great, Will, now you’ve done it.

However, instead of the violence that Will, Nick, and the Guards were expecting, Captain Hurricane’s smile only grew larger.

“Huh. This human has some balls! I think we’ll get along just fine.”

“What?” Will was dumbfounded. Like an idiot, he just insulted a high ranking military official, and she wasn’t about to kick his ass?

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. If you were one of my recruits, I’d be making you do latrine duty for the next year for that little comment.” She held up a hoof for Will to bump, which he did even though he was still a bit confused. “But from a creature from another world? It’s good to see somepony has a spine. Even if that spine only comes out when he’s about to come out swinging.”

Disarmed by that comment, Will allowed himself to relax back into his chair. He was about to speak before Nick stole the words from Will’s throat.

“I hope we haven’t been too much of a bother then.”

“Oh, you have.” Captain Hurricane’s words caused an eyebrow to rise slightly on both Will’s and Nick’s face. “You got any idea how hard it is to keep ponies eyes away from two aliens, one of which towers over most stallions by two heads?”

“You have been hiding us?” Will questioned.

“Of course. It’s the only way we’ve been able to keep the public from going into a full bloom panic. Your friend here made quite a spectacle of himself when he carried you out of the Everfree, and strolled right up to the castle.”

“My bad,” Nick interjected.

“Don’t apologize.” Captain Hurricane’s voice was stern, but Nick didn’t feel like she was reprimanding him. “You got guts. From what I was told, you carried William here for a little over a day in the Everfree. Most of my guards wouldn’t take a leisurely stroll an inch into that cursed forest. And more wouldn’t even look at the forest without a blade at his side. I’d kill for a few guards with guts like that.” The two escorts glanced at each other, slightly ashamed, but those expressions faded quickly as they caught the glare of their captain.

“True,” Nick said, holding up a finger. “But bravery is a double-edged sword. Bravery sometimes leads to rash decisions, and rash decisions lead to mistakes.”

Will knew that sentiment too well. “Dad always said to respect danger. To fear it. That way, when you finally face that danger, you don’t underestimate it. ‘Fear the blade, because if you don’t, you’ll take shortcuts and suffer from your own negligence.’”

“When did your dad become a philosopher,” Nick asked.

“I never said he was. I may or may not have embellished on the wording a bit. I bet what he actually said was, ‘be scared of the saw, so you don’t chop your own finger off.”’

Both Nick and the captain chuckled slightly. It wasn’t very funny, but both of them understood the sentiment. Regardless, the captain used her wings to lift herself into a hovering position again.

“Well, as fun as this was, a captain must tend to her guards. Until next time!” With that, the captain bolted down the hallway with one flap of her wings, the displaced air causing Will’s hair to poof out wildly.

“Well, she was a character,” Will commented. One of his escorts let out a snort.

“You don’t know the half of it.”
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


CHAPTER VI


For the next couple of days, Will continued to be confined to his wheelchair. It wasn’t a comfortable situation to say in the slightest. When Will had asked one of his pony escorts for a cushion to place on the seat, they declined. Apparently being an alien entitles you to a wheelchair, free medical care, food, and a bed. Cushions were a luxury he guessed.

Will knew he should be exercising his legs, but attempting to put any weight on it felt like knives shooting up through his bone marrow. Nick and Mending both scolded Will like a child for not attempting to stand, but when it hurts like hell and rarely resulted in success, it was hard to keep up with the recovery. 

Will soon fell into a simple routine. Will would be woken up by Mending early in the morning, who would take him to the medical ward in the basement, where the ponies had set up a large basin for Nick and Will to bathe in. The thing was made like a barrel. Hell, it probably used to be a barrel. Warped panels of wood were held in a circular shape with bands of metal and a kind of sealant on the inside. Mending would use her magic to help Will into the bath, and would always complain about how hard it was to move him. 

Then Nick and Will would meet for breakfast, which nearly always consisted of oatmeal soaked in warm water and various fruits. There was never any meat. Every meal was like that in some way. Lunch usually consisted of sandwiches and salads, and dinners were pretty much the same with the additions of soups and some pasta. When it came to dessert, Will had to admit he had quite a sweet tooth, and the pastries these ponies made tasted like pure ambrosia, the food of the gods.

Ponies, being herbivores, found the consumption of other creatures incredibly horrifying. When Will mentioned that humans needed fairly high amounts of protein in their diet to stay healthy, instead of the juicy steak dinners Will was hoping for, more and more nuts, mushrooms, and eggs were added to the menu.

After that, Will and Nick would go to the library. It was common for the two friends to play a game of makeshift chess when they weren’t caught up in other readings. For Nick, the library was quickly becoming his favorite room in the castle. The place was massive with two stories of ten-foot-tall mahogany bookshelves, only interrupted by small reading nooks, and a desk where the head librarian sat.

Nick tended to read a lot of history books, which were often very difficult to read. Not because the wording was difficult, but because each of these books was handwritten by scribes or the author themselves. Most of the time the handwriting was legible, but some books were filled with chicken-scratch much to Nick’s frustration.

He learned of the Three Tribe Civil War, where the earthponies, pegasi, and unicorns fought over rulership of the land that would become Equestria. Each tribe had complaints when it came to the others. Earthponies thought that the unicorns were messing with the sun and moon so much that it was killing crops, and they blamed the pegasi for not providing said crops with enough rain. Pegasi constantly complained about earthponies not providing enough food to feed the pegasi as well, and didn’t trust unicorns due to a disagreement between the rulers of the pegasi and the unicorns. Unicorns thought they were more superior than the other two tribes due to their mastery of magical spells, and their ability to move the celestial bodies.

Nick didn’t quite believe that last fact. Creatures magically moving celestial bodies that hung in the sky? He found the idea of it preposterous.

There were some books that Nick had found that had large sections of the writing erased or blacked out. In those books, he found a couple of entries referencing a “spirit of chaos.”

Will had no interest in history. It was his worst subject in school, and being flung into a strange world did not help Will stomach that type of reading. Instead, Will poured his attention to books on magic. After his encounters with the alicorn sisters, Will became fascinated with the idea of magic.

Pouring through plenty of tomes of the arcane was an adventure in and of itself. Each author had their own discoveries to share, from anatomical sketches to mathematical formulas that Will could only guess at their meaning. He was decent at math, but this was beyond him. Surely if he understood the variables he could decipher some of the equations.

What didn’t help was that most of the books contradicted each other. One author would believe one concept was true, and the next could straight-up disprove or disagree with the said concept.

Granted, this only took up a portion of Will’s days. Nick could stay and read for long periods of time, but Will couldn’t stand it. Will needed to move, which was frustrating enough while being chair-bound every waking moment. Needless to say, Will was bored out of his mind.

Whenever his guards would allow, Will would take himself out to the walled gardens of the castle. Granted, he still needed two unicorn guards to levitate himself and his chair down the stairs that lead down to the gardens themselves. The garden wasn’t much better than being inside the castle. There were never any ponies besides the castle staff in the garden when Will went outside, just like Guard Captain Hurricane had said.

Days passed slowly, and Will could barely remember the details of each day. They seemed to blend into each other, forming one amorphous period of time. At the moment, Will sat in his wheelchair in the room that princesses were kind enough to provide for him. It was nearing nightfall, not like Will could tell in his windowless bedroom. His bed consisted of four pony-sized cots pushed together with a pile of woolen blankets making up some semblance of a mattress. It was comfortable enough, but it felt like sleeping on a broken futon. The stone walls of the bedroom were bare aside from a wardrobe against one wall, and a small desk against another that doubled as a nightstand. 

With a sigh, Will rolled his wheelchair back and forth, feeling restless. He let his gaze wander about the small room, which was no bigger than most one-car garages. The same thing he did every night before asking one of his guards to help him to bed.

He hated sitting still. He hated the monotony, but there was nothing he could do being chair-bound like he was…

Or could he?

With a determined look, he rolled himself over to the door, opening it to find one of the unicorn guards that usually would guard his door in case Will decided to act up.

“Do you need assistance getting into your bed?” the guard asks. Will was tired, but this new idea had him excited.

“Could you send someone to find Mending? I had a question. Also, if she could bring some bandages, and a piece of wood the length of my leg? Oh and maybe another about this tall,” Will said, holding a hand up above his head. He approximated it to be the perfect height to rest comfortably under his armpit.

“I’m sorry sir,” the guard said, “but Ms. Mending is most likely about ready to turn in for the night. And I’m not sure if she would have the wood you would need.”

“It doesn’t have to be anything well made. Hell, I bet you guards must have a broken spear or two lying around.”

The guard’s face hardened. “So you are asking me to provide you with a weapon?”

“What? No, nothing like that.”

The guard paused for a moment, staring hard into Will’s eyes. “Give me one good reason to allow you to have such things.”

“Because if my idea works, you won’t have to lift my fat ass into this bed, or carry me up and down flights of stairs all day long,” Will said, a slight cunning smirk crossing his lips.




-~xXXXx~-




“You interrupted my nightly ritual… to have me help you splint your leg?” Mending was looking at Will incredulously as the human sat on his bed, wounded leg outstretched. Will was wincing as he massaged his injured leg.

“I thought I was supposed to be exercising my leg. I can’t do that if I’m bound to that chair.”

Mending let out a slight huff, deflating a bit. “Did you have to pull me away from my bed to get this done? It couldn’t wait until morning?”

“I wouldn’t have been able to sleep,” Will shrugged. “Once I have an idea in my head I can’t let it go.”

“And your big idea was a splint and a walking stick?” Mending gestured to the two pieces of wood that the guards had brought in. One was nearly as tall as Will when he stood up, the other was the old broken shaft of a spear.

“A crutch, there’s a difference.” Will lifted himself off of the cot, balancing on his good leg. It was still weaker than he was used to but was still strong enough to support his weight if he braced himself with a hand. He motioned for Mending to hand him the larger stick. He held it up along his side. “Now, all we have to do is cut it just under my armpit and make a ‘T’ using the excess.” 

With the help of one of the unicorn guards, the stick was split appropriately and was secured with rope, wrapping the extra rope around the underarm for extra padding. The whole process took less than fifteen minutes with the aid of unicorn magic. Every time Will saw a horn light up, he couldn’t help but feel a slack-jawed expression cross his face.

“So this is meant to help keep weight off of the injured leg?” Mending asked.

Will shrugged. “I wasn’t a medical expert, but that is what I think of when it comes to leg injuries. It’s a pretty common thing back home.”

“Well, if it worked for your healers, I guess it should work for us here. Now sit back.” 

Will did as he was told, wincing as Mending helped prop his leg on a chair, leaving Mending some room to wrap the bandages around the splint. The old spear shaft was splintered at one end, but that was, once again, easily solved with the lighting of a unicorn’s horn. How was it that these ponies were still stuck in the medieval ages with arcane abilities like this?

With his leg properly splinted, and makeshift crutch in hand, Will sat on the edge of his bed shifting back and forth. He had extra support mainly focused on the lower part of his femur, and his ankle, so the bandages and wooden dowel might prove to be exactly what Will needed. Mending and the guard were both standing on either side of him.

“Go ahead,” Mending reassured. “If you start to fall, we’ll catch you.”

Will nodded nervously. He knew putting his full weight onto his wounded leg would hurt like a bitch, but it was either he tried this, or go back to sitting in the chair.

Fuck that chair.

God, Will, do you even do phrasing anymore?

Unable to bend his splinted right leg, Will lifted himself off the bed using only his left leg and the crutch to help pull himself up. In an agonizingly slow ascent, Will was standing, leaning on the crutch to balance himself. But it wasn’t over yet. Will still needed to put weight on that leg. Slowly, Will gingerly shifted his weight, slowly putting pressure on the splinted leg. He winced as a dull pulse of pain shot through his leg, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. Mending was smiling despite the tired circles that were beginning to form under her eyes.

“Well? come on,” Mending encouraged, stepping out in front of Will, motioning for him to follow.

Will was cautious. He could handle pain, but he was still very averse to it. Who wouldn’t be? With great care, he took a step with his good leg. He knew that would be fine, but it was the next part that would be the difficult bit. As Will stepped with his wounded leg, he supported himself with the crutch, holding onto the stick with white knuckles. Putting weight on it again, he winced but barely stumbled having mentally prepared himself for the pain. Will couldn’t help but grin.

“Freedom!” Will held up a hand in triumph, earning an eye roll and smile from mending, and a small chuckle from the guard.

“Okay big guy, keep moving.” Mending teased. “You have me for a few more minutes before I head back to bed.” A yawn escaped her muzzle. “I can’t just let you walk about on your own just yet. So keep it moving!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Will saluted with a smile.

Over the next ten minutes or so, Will kept walking up and down the hallways in the basement of Castle Everfree. Mending even encouraged him to try the stairs, which he managed to do, albeit it was slow going. Eventually, the stumbling lessened. When it was time for Mending to turn in for the night, Will walked into his room on his own two legs. The feeling that came from the mundane act was a breath of fresh air. Will sat on his bed with the largest smile he had given since he arrived in this strange world full of ponies.

“Hey, Mending? I just wanted to say… thank you.” Will felt slightly guilty when Mending let loose another yawn. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Mending smiled despite her tired eyes. “If walking on your own brought you that much joy, I’d say an hour of lost sleep was well worth it.” Mending turned and walked out into the hallway, and Will’s guard returned to his post just outside the door.

Will laid back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling lit by the flickering candlelight that lit the room. Blowing out the candle, the darkness consumed the room. Before, this room felt like a prison, and the dark was Will’s warden. Now, the shadows felt like a comforting hug, holding Will as he drifted off to sleep, and then to his dreams.




-~xXXXx~-





That same day, from Nick’s perspective:


Nick went through his day with a small inkling that something was wrong. Will had been awfully quiet during breakfast, a trend that continued to the library, where he was nearly completely silent throughout their daily chess game. A game that Nick had won way too easily.

Will was too competitive to just allow someone to win without putting up a fight, but there he was. Nick couldn’t help but notice the far off expression on his friend’s face. Clearly, Will’s mind was somewhere else.

After the game, Will, pushed by one of the guards, left Nick alone in the library. The two had started spending more time apart as the days went on. ‘Is Will mad at me?’ Nick wondered. He told himself that the idea was silly. Will wore his heart on his sleeve, and now he was still coming to terms with everything that has been happening. Nick should simply enjoy the time he had while they waited for something to happen. It seemed like the two humans were being kept at arm’s length from everything and everyone. Understandably, Nick admitted, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

As lunch came around, Nick ate alone under the supervision of a guard. He had realized that talking to any of the guards was a fruitless effort. They didn’t seem to talk much, often responding in short phrases or non-committal grunts. The other castle staff members were another story. At least they had made attempted to make small talk with an alien.

Nick had shown up to lunch late, meaning Celestia would be starting afternoon court shortly. He hadn’t seen the princess for a couple of days now. That seemed to be the pattern, not that Nick could blame her. He bet being a princess in this country meant Celestia had plenty on her plate, especially since she was rebuilding society after an attack from a so-called spirit of chaos, and a full-on tribal war. 

Nick didn’t fully understand the timeline or details regarding those events, the authors were always quite vague, or parts of their writings had been redacted. Maybe he could ask Celestia about that sometime. When she wasn’t so busy with princessy duties.

Nick paused for a moment, an idea coming to him. Quickly, Nick left the dining hall, leaving his salad on the table with a guard immediately on his heels.

“Nicholas, where are you going?” The guard asks in a calm monotone, the usual tone of the castle’s royal guards.

“Do you think I would be allowed to sit in on Celestia’s court?”

“Sir?”

“Just to listen, I know that Captain Hurricane has orders to keep me out of sight of the common folk. I just want to listen to what’s actually going on in this kingdom I find myself trapped in.” Nick and the guard, whose name Nick still didn’t know, stopped outside of the entrance to the private wing. 

The guard thought for a moment. “That would be up to the princess.” He went up to speak to another guard stationed beside the doors. Nick’s guard said a few quiet words, then the other disappeared beyond the doors. For a few minutes, Nick stood awkwardly in the hallway, waiting.

The door guard came back shortly, standing at attention at his post. “The princess says you may listen from behind the separating wall behind the throne. You may not speak, you may not be seen, and you will be watched over by a guard at all times. If important matters of state are mentioned and require privacy, you will be required to leave the royal court. Are these terms acceptable? If you cause the princess to believe that you shouldn’t be allowed to sit in on day court, you will lose these privileges. Understood?”

Nick’s face lit up. “I’ll take it.”
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER VII




“I- I don’t know what happened. One moment she was laying in bed, then she started sneezing! Ne- next thing I know, the roof is on fire!”

Celestia gave a worried frown, still maintaining her regal stature. Amethyst had just given birth to a unicorn filly, and now the scared mother is dealing with a sick unicorn with an excessive amount of built-up arcane energy.

“Oh dear, is everypony alright?” Celestia had reports from her guards of the incident already, but Amethyst needn’t know that. What the mare needed was some reassurance that she and her foal would be taken care of. That, and a little fake ignorance to build a compassionate and caring image. It wasn’t that Celestia didn’t care, but feigning ignorance came easily to the alicorn. It was almost an instinctual response now. When dealing with plenty of ponies that want to take advantage of you, and you can’t just sweep them under the rug, you must take every advantage you can get. And having your adversary underestimate you is quite the advantage, indeed.

“Everypony is fine.” Amethyst let out a shaky breath, trying to calm her nerves. “The guards arrived with water before the fire got too large, but what if Jewel does it again? My stallion is watching her right now, but I can’t keep her safe from herself. Is Jewel alright?” The panic was settling back in.

“I am not very knowledgeable in the field of medicine, but we do have some ponies here in the castle that-,”

“If I’m not mistaken,” a new voice interrupted. A mare with a purple coat. “It sounds like a sign of magic buildup. If I had to guess, there is some sort of blockage in your filly’s magical pathways. If so, a quick examination and plenty of bed rest should be enough. I could take a look at her if you wish.”

A disheveled unicorn mare strode past a line of petitioners, much to the ponies’ disapproval. Her purple coat was sticking out in many places, and deep navy blue mane looked disheveled. Heavy looking saddlebags rested at the mare’s side. Seeing the mare, Celestia’s eyes lit up, a small smile crossing her face.

“Clover, it is good to see you.”

“It is good to see you as well my lady,” Clover bowed slightly. “I answered your summons as soon as I could.”

Almost completely ignoring the fact that Clover was addressing the leader of her country, Amethyst crashed into Clover in a tearful hug.

“Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Amethyst was latched on to Clover, ignoring Clover’s grimy coat, tears streaming. Clover did not look too pleased to be crushed in the death grip of gratitude. Celestia giggled.

“Well, it seems like you have impeccable timing as always Clover. Ms. Amethyst.”

“Yes, your highness?”

“I’d like to invite you and your daughter to the castle on the morrow. We can have her looked at, and you may dine in the castle hall.” Amethyst opened her mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by Celestia with a wave of her hoof. “Please, I insist, that is if Clover is alright with it.”

“I’d be happy to,” Clover said, bowing her head.

“Splendid,” Celestia smiled, clapping her forehooves together. “now if you would excuse me, but I believe with Clover the Clever’s return, the two of us have very pressing matters that cannot wait. I fear I will have to end day court early.”

Several of the petitioners groaned in frustration, a few cried out in anger as they were escorted out by guards. Amethyst practically sprinted out of the throne room to go share the news with her family.

Once the throne room was clear of citizens, the door guards closed the two great doors, leaving Celestia, Clover, and a few guards in the main room. Celestia, on the other hoof, looked back over her shoulder as if she was addressing somepony behind her, but nopony was standing on the raised platform with the princess.

“Nicholas, if you would, take a guard and fetch William. I need both of you here.”

Clover heard the shuffling of… something behind the divider that separated the rear entrance to the throne room from prying eyes. It wasn’t hooves. Hooves made clicking sounds on the stone. This sounded like clothing shifting and the soft taps of non-equine footsteps. There was the sound of a door opening and quickly closing.

“Who is this Nik-oh-las?” Clover said, struggling with the pronunciation herself.

Celestia chuckled softly. “Oh Clover, you should prepare yourself for quite the surprise.”




-~xXXXx~-



Clover sat across from Celestia in the princess’s private dining room. Clover had been here so many times before since it was the favorite meeting place of the royal sisters. The usual teapot sat steaming on the table, filling the room with the familiar scent of rose petal tea. Celestia’s favorite. Normally in these sorts of circumstances, Clover would have liked to at least do her mane first, but she hadn’t even bathed since she had returned to the castle. Her stench must be rancid.

“So are you going to tell me now?” Clover asked, levitating her cup of tea to her mouth, taking a sip. It was refreshing to taste something other than water and trail rations.

“If I did, that would ruin the surprise,” Celestia said, a smirk growing on the alabaster alicorn’s muzzle.

“You know I can’t take the suspense.”

“Trust me, Clover, it will be worth it. Once our other two guests arrive, we can discuss what we require of you.”

Clover nodded but was groaning internally. She sometimes hated these games the princess liked to play. Although, seeing Celestia finding her own fun was comforting, at least slightly so. It reminded Clover that there was a pony behind the political mask. A mare she had been honored to call princess.

A moment later, a sharp knock against the door announced the entrance of one of the guards, his metal armor making a satisfying ‘shink’ sound as the guard stood at attention. Nicholas and William are here, as requested princess.”

From behind the guard, Clover expected to see some foreign dignitaries of a far off land. Names so strange couldn’t have originated from equestrian heritage. Turns out Clover was half right, as she watched two monstrously tall hairless apes wearing clothing that covered their torso, flank, and legs.

“Nicholas, William, meet Clover the Clever,” Celestia motioned to the awestruck unicorn sat on the opposite side of the table.

“Celestia, forgive me, but what in the name of Tartarus are those things!?”

At the sharp sting of Clover’s words, the creatures flinched slightly. Clover noticed that the creature with hair on its face and spectacles on the bridge of his nose would not look her in the eye. Could these creatures understand language?

“Excuse me Ms.” the ape with the strawberry hair glowered. “I’d like our first meeting with you to go smoothly. If you want to make Will here feel like an asshole for no reason, we can just go.”

Oh, so the thing could speak Equish too.

Wait, what?

“Come on Nick,” the creature whose name must have been Will spoke up, “So you’re Clover the Clever, right?”

Clover just blinked owlishly. Her mouth tried to form words for a second, then she turned to Celestia.

“Princess, did you slip something into my tea? If I’m not mistaken I just heard a very tall monkey speak.”

At being called a monkey, Will’s demeanor changed. Where he had once been slightly ashamed for frightening the pony, Will was now contemplating just how quickly he could get around the table and smack-a-bitch with his injured leg. Celestia seemed to sense this as the alicorn spread out a wing, making a barrier between the angry human and the scared unicorn.

“No, Clover, this is no hallucination,” Celestia explained. “I had hoped first impressions between the three of you would have gone smoother, but perhaps I had overestimated you, Clover.” The political mask Celestia couldn’t take off did nothing to hide the princess’s disappointment.

Clover eyed the two ape-like creatures. Starswirl had made notes about a race of creatures like these once, but Clover had never met one in person. Those same notes mentioned a mirror made of crystal. Despite her best efforts, Clover had never been able to find the mirror. She concluded it was either destroyed or forever lost in some far off land. The rest of those notes were destroyed when Master Starswirl had a bit of an accident and lit a portion of his study on fire. Most of the notes were recovered, but others would never be read again.

Dumbly, Clover looked at the two creatures standing above her. They were much taller than her, and it was rather intimidating. It took nearly all of her will to sit and not gallop out of the room screaming.

Her insatiable curiosity also helped quite a bit.

“So are you two extra-terrestrials, or extra-dimensionals of some sort?”

That seemed to take the two humans by surprise, as the comment seemed to lessen the fiery anger and they visibly relaxed. The one wearing spectacles, leaning on a long stick under one arm, shrugged slightly.

“The second one maybe.”

“And you speak our language?” Clover asked. Getting a pair of affirmative nods. Levitating a quill, ink, and roll of parchment out of her saddlebags, Clover’s ears swiveled into focus onto the two creatures. “Tell me everything.”

So they did. Over the next thirty minutes, Nick and Will recounted their first few weeks in Equestria. Well, Nick did most of the talking, with Will filling in some details here and there. To Nick’s frustration, Will seemed more focused on the floating quill as it scribbled notes without Clover looking at it. In fact, her eyes never left the two humans.

Celestia was content to sit back and watch the exchange unfold. When the conversation became the sharing of information for academic purposes, emotions seemed to be dulled. The fear and anger that permeated the room had wafted away as if it was blown away by the draft from an open window.

When they had recounted everything up until Will had woken up in the castle, Clover had them start all over, going over some details in more scrutiny while skipping others entirely. Apparently, those bits were not worth listening to a second time. When Clover moved on to a separate sheet of parchment and took a sip of her tea, she paused thoughtfully.

“Celestia? When we were in the throne room you said you had something that would require my expertise. A task that involved these two. What do you require of me?”

Being brought back into the conversation, Celestia shifted slightly. “Well, I figured since you studied under Starswirl more closely than either Luna or I, you would be better suited for the problem at hand.”

“And that would be?” Clover asked.

“Getting William and Nicholas home, of course.” Celestia’s tone was curt and direct.

Clover couldn’t help but let out a snort.

“What’s so funny?” Nick asked.

Clover shook her head slightly. “Oh, nothing. Just that the ruler of my country just requested me to discover the means for inter-dimensional travel.”

“And that is funny, because?”

“It’s not funny,” Clover sighed. “It has just never been done. I don’t even know where to sta-”

Clover stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening. All the eyes in the room turned to the bookish unicorn as she nearly dove into her own saddlebags. A moment later she sat back up, a piece of parchment in her telekinetic grasp. As she read through the notes, she spoke.

“What did you say was the last thing you saw before the metal carriage was sent flying off of the bridge?”

“A flash of purple light,” Will answered. “Why?”

“I’m getting to that,” Clover waved a hoof dismissively. “And Nicholas, how long ago was the accident?”

Nick thought about it for a short moment.

“A little over three weeks now I believe. It’s not like this place has any written calendars.”

Despite have a thick purple coat to hide her skin underneath, Clover looked pale.

Celestia looked concerned. “Clover? What’s wrong.”

Clover gulped nervously. She didn’t want to say it, not in front of the humans. William was so easy to anger, and Clover didn’t want to have to defend herself. It would be an easy fight if William lashed out, but Clover didn’t want to hurt him.

“I- um…” Clover tried to speak.

Now or never, Clover.

“Out with it,” Nicholas said sharply. Normally, Clover would have taken that as hostility. But she understood why Nicholas was aggravated. It looked like Clover was stalling, and he didn’t trust her. Clover understood that.

Clover breathed in… then out.

“I think I may be the reason you two are here.”

The comment was met with a near-maddeningly long silence.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER VIII




“Are you serious?” Nick finally asked, breaking the tension that was building over what seemed to be minutes of silence. “You are the reason we’re here?”

Will was balling his fists, the hand holding onto his crutch had white knuckles. His hand was shaking. Whether or not it was anticipation or anger, no one could tell. Celestia stayed seated on her cushion, her face an impenetrable mask that hid all emotions. Clover nodded slightly,  as the unicorn seemed to shrink into her seat slightly, temporarily forgetting her usual racial confidence.

“Well that’s good news, right?” Will asked, trying to ease the tension in his body and think positive. “If you brought us here, you can send us back!” Clover couldn’t look Will in the eye. Seeing the shimmer of hope that was in those eyes had broken her heart. Nick, seeing Clover deflate further, got all the answers he needed from that small change in posture.

“You can’t,” Nick said flatly, lacking emotion.

Clover could only give another nod.

“You can’t?” Will asked, not able to wrap his head around the fact. “Why not? You did it before!” His voice was getting louder. A trait he inherited from his mother, who would always raise her voice to a yell whenever a conversation got stressful. Clover straightened a bit, now on the defensive.

“It was an accident!” Clover’s voice matched Will’s tone and was just slightly louder.

“Oh really? And how exactly is magic just supposed to happen accidentally?” Will added air quotes at the end to emphasize his frustration. “Did you just go ‘Oh, oopsie! My silly horn tore a fucking hole in the space-time continuum’?” The volume of Will’s voice prompted the guards from the hall to enter, spears at the ready. Celestia stopped them with a raised hoof. Will, didn’t seem to notice, continuing his rant. “That’s fucking horse shit! I may not have any magic of my own, but I don’t think you can summon wormholes on accident!”

“Well, it’s not like I wanted two hairless freaks to come to my home!” 

“Freaks!?”

“That spell wasn’t meant for you! It was meant for-” Clover stopped herself like she was just about to give up a terrible secret. 

Celestia noticed, finally deciding to join the conversation. “That spell was meant for, who?” Straight and to the point. 

The question had backed Clover into a corner. She could try to lie, but why? This was the ruler of a kingdom she was addressing now, not two aliens that Clover had no measure of their capabilities. She wasn’t sure what she was afraid of more. Will, who looked ready to lash out at any moment, or Celestia, the princess that could see through any lie from a mile away. Honestly, Clover would rather take on the alien. She could magic her way out of that one. Clover sighed, voice softening.

“I- I tried to bring him back.”

The room went silent again. Celestia just nodded sadly.

“Clover, I know it’s hard to take in right now, but Starswirl… he’s-”

“My master is not dead!” Clover was nearly screaming at the princess, taking the wind right out of Nick and Will’s sails. “I read the spells, it should have been perfectly safe. I read master Starswirl’s notes, and everything looked flawless. I couldn’t pull it off because my magic isn’t strong enough. I have the technique, but I don’t have the power. Not yet. Master always had the strongest magic of any unicorn. Master Starswirl is alive!” Clover’s rant left her breathless, panting as the princess, humans, and the guards stared at her wide-eyed. She started weeping, looking down at the ground, not willing to meet the other’s faces.

Forgetting his anger, Will hobbled around the table, plopping down next to Clover. A little unsure of himself and after a brief hesitation, Will wrapped an arm around the crying mare, pulling her into a hug. Clover tensed, not sure how to feel, but eventually leaned into the embrace. Nobody spoke while Clover sobbed into Will’s shirt.

Nick was the first to speak up. “Will? What the hell?”

Will smiled sadly. “You remember that time we were left in tears thinking about… well, you know… the time after we saw West Side Story?”

Nick remembered. Will had just received news that an American ship was attacked by a middle easter torpedo. There were minimum deaths, but Will was terrified. If there was about to be another war he didn’t want to see his brother Jeremy be taken back into the service. Nick nodded.

Giving Clover a gentle, reassuring squeeze, Will looked up to Nick. “You know I can’t stand to see someone crying. It’s like a yawn. Sadness is contagious. Nothing that a hug can’t fix though.”

Clover gave a weak chuckle, tapping Will’s arm telling him to let go. He did. She used a foreleg to wipe the tears from her eyes.

“Thanks. I needed that.” Clover shifted in her seat, straightening up to a more professional posture. “Now. Yes, the spell, if it did cause the rift that brought you to this world, should not have been capable of reaching through to other dimensions than the intended destination,” Clover explained. “To be honest, the original spell was created to create a small dimension, separate from ours. He was going to use it to trap... something. His notes didn’t go into details of that nature. The point is, my reference material was in how to create a small dimensional rift, and not how to re-open one.”

Will’s eyes went wide. “Holy shit.” 

Nick eyed his friend, who was still sitting next to Clover with a bit of interest. That was the tone Will used when he finally figured out the answer to a problem, or just had a realization to some degree.

“What is it?” Nick asked

“This is really pony themed D&D,” Will said shaking his head.

Nick snorted back a laugh.

“Seriously!” Will turned his attention back to Clover. “So what you’re saying is… Unicorns are capable of magic so powerful, you can create pocket dimensions on a whim?”

Clover nearly looked offended. Her eyes said ‘how dare this creature say such a thing.’ “Not all unicorns can cast spells that advanced. Most don’t go beyond basic levitation. Magic requires study, practice, patience, and luck.”

“What does luck have to do with it?”

Clover huffed indignantly. “Not all ponies are born with massive mana wells. And those who are sometimes can’t control it well enough to be effective. Have you never learned about any of this in your schooling? Does your world even have schools?”

Will’s hands raised in surrender. Nick figured now would be a good time to step in.

“Ms. Clover, we mean no disrespect. Magic is just a fairytale where we come from. Magic doesn’t exist.”

Clover blinked owlishly at that. Celestia knew what was going through the unicorn’s mind. Clover lit her horn, but Celestia waved a hoof dismissively.

“Clover, I have looked into the weave, and they speak the truth. They have no magic within them whatsoever.”

Clover continued anyways, eyes glowing white like Celestia’s had when the princess looked into the weave. Clover tilted her head as she examined the two humans.

“Well, I can certainly see that they cannot produce magic on their own, but they do have some magic in them.”

Celestia nearly froze. Had she missed something? She cast the spell and saw what Clover was seeing.

Even though the two humans were mostly invisible to the arcane eye, magics of various colors swirled within their torsos and down to their abdomens. Will also had a few areas of golden color that showed where his wounds were, and where Mending had helped treat.

The humans had been completely invisible to the arcane eye before. Now, even though they looked like magic floating in the open air, Celestia knew the two humans now had some magic in their systems.

“If I could hazard a guess,” Clover began, “I’d say that consuming our foods and receiving medical treatment from a unicorn has caused some of the world’s magic to seep into their bodies.”

Will and Nick shrugged. “Sounds right to me,” They both said simultaneously. Will’s arm shot up as he pointed a finger at Nick.

“You owe me a Coke!”

Nick chuckled good-naturedly, maintaining some level of decorum in front of royalty. In any other circumstance, he would have chastized Will for his immature nature that he would let slip in front of a princess. Thankfully, Celestia seemed to somewhat enjoy that side of Will.

Nick looked at his friend, who continued to inquire about the nature of magic. Will had always been emotionally volatile. Volatile, Nick realized, may have been the wrong word. Will didn’t just snap on a whim, and he wasn’t bipolar. He just tended to… overreact. Overreact was a better descriptor. If Will was angry, you would know immediately. If he was happy, he wouldn’t stop talking unless if it was interrupted with laughter. Sadness usually brought out the tears. Will wore his heart on his sleeve, and Nick admired Will for allowing such a vulnerable part of himself to show so easily. That was something Nick often had trouble with himself.

“For the sake of keeping this meeting on-topic,” Celestia interrupted, turning to address Clover. “Is the solution to re-cast the spell, and send William and Nicholas back through?”

Clover shook her head. “There are too many variables in the spell for the result to be 100% reliable or accurate. We don’t know where exactly the two of you came from.” Clover looked between the two humans, a shadow of a sad frown on her lips.

“Well we came from a place called Earth,” Will said. “Earth of the Milkey Way Galaxy, specifically North America, the United States, and New England.” With a smirk, Will added, “go, Patriots,” in a hushed tone.

Clover sighed. “If only it were that simple. There could be hundreds of thousands of universes out there. Finding yours would be like finding a stem of barley in a wheat field.”

“So it’s hopeless?” Nick asked dejectedly.

“I wouldn’t say that yet,” Clover said quickly. “I still need to do some research into Master Starswirl’s notes. Those could have an answer for you, but I don’t think I will be able to send you home for a while while I continue my study of said notes.”

A brief moment passes, and Will turned his head away, hiding his face. He used his crutch to help himself stand. “I- I’m going to go take a walk,” Will said, making his way towards the door leading into the back corridor. He paused before turning away, out of sight. “Please excuse me, Princess,” Will bowed. “And thank you, Clover, for seeing us.” With that, Will left the room, the sound of a guard’s armor shifting as Will’s escort followed in step behind the human.

Nick saw the guilt on Clover’s face out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t worry about him. He just needs a moment.”

Celestia nodded sagely. “I had hoped that the solution would have been far simpler. I’m sorry Nicholas.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, your highness. You’ve taken us into your home, you’ve fed us, and you’ve treated our wounds. We owe you a lot, Princess.”

“Then please, enjoy the afternoon. My sister and I should probably begin making preparations to lower the sun.”

Nick bowed and left the room, thinking about that last statement. Surely she meant some sort of religious ceremony or another piece of symbolism. Magic horses may be able to do all sorts of crazy shit, but he didn’t think one would be able to move a giant, burning ball of hydrogen that orbited millions of miles away.




-~xXXXx~-




Will was holding back a dam of tears.

The guards had allowed him to find a seat on one of the balconies overlooking the gardens. Luckily this side of the castle was facing away from the setting sun, giving him plenty of light to see the parchment on the small table in front of him, but not enough to blind him. Will held a stick of writing charcoal that his guard had asked a maid to procure for him. Roughly, Will sketched little pieces of the landscape he found interesting or a particular building beyond the walls of the garden. Being above the walls allowed the wind to easily reach Will, chilling the human slightly, and made the paper frustrating to hold down.

From his seat, he occasionally saw the silhouette of a pegasus flying above the rooftops, appearing black in the orange sky. He sketched the silhouettes once in a while, but that was difficult because they wouldn’t stop moving.

‘What was I expecting,’ Will thought to himself, leaning back in his chair. Putting the charcoal down, he stroked his beard. It must have looked horrendous. When Will didn’t shave, the full beard looked patchy and gross. He could usually get away with a thin goatee.

‘Mom, Dad, I hope you aren’t worrying too much.’ But of course, they probably were. He had been gone for so long. When neither Will or Nick made it back home, there were probably missing person reports filed. They were probably looking for the two of them all night and day. ‘I can’t imagine Ma has been getting any sleep.’

“What art thou doing out here?” a voice broke Will out of his stupor.

“Princess Luna!” Will struggled to stand so he could address the princess properly. When he managed to prop himself up on his crutch and give the best bow he could. “I’m sorry, the guard outside said I could sit out here. If you would like me to leave, I will.” Will tried to sound cheery, but he could force the frown from his lips.

“No need,” Luna waved a hoof. She let out a brief yawn as if she had just woken up. “We are just curious is all.” Her horn lit up a soft blue as the paper Will had been drawing on floated to her. “Thou hast made this?”

“Yes, your highness.”

Luna looked at the sketches with a critical eye. Seeming to remain unimpressed and stoic, She placed the parchment back onto the table and stepped past the human to the railing of the balcony.

“Thou has quite the talented eyes for one who needs spectacles.” She didn’t look back to Will as she spoke. “We consider ourselves somewhat of an artist as well. Although, our medium for our work is quite different from coal and parchment.”

Curiosity killed the cat. Luckily Will was not a cat. “I’d love to see some of your artwork. Seeing other’s art is one of my favorite things.”

“Is that so?” Luna quirked an eyebrow. That was something new. Horses here have eyebrows. Luna paused for a moment, turning a thought around in her head. “Alright then. One moment, We have something We must attend to.”

“Fantastic, I-” Will stopped as Luna’s horn lit up again, her eyes closed. 

As Will opened his mouth to question, he was interrupted by a second layer of light joined the first, lighting the balcony like a bright blue lantern. Luna flinched slightly as the third layer of light emanated from her horn. The light had an almost tangible feeling against Will’s skin. Said human was forced to close his eyes, as the light became almost blinding. Through squinted eyes, Will couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

From the horizon, the moon was rising, outlining the blue alicorn in the silver glow of the astral body. That in and of itself wouldn’t be particularly unbelievable, but even he could tell that the moon wasn’t rising slow enough to move on its own. This pony… this princess was raising the moon itself.

At this moment, Will felt something cold enter his body, but that chill warmed up immediately. It pulsed like a living heart, and Will instinctually knew it came directly from the lunar princess herself. Magic poured off of the alicorn in waves that slammed into Will’s soul. And like a sponge, Will’s body absorbed all of it, sucking it up like air filling a true vacuum. Will’s heart raced along with the pulsing of the magic. He had never felt like anything in his life. His whole body felt hot, and it seemed to coalesce in the pit of his stomach. He was too distracted by the feeling in his own body to notice the concerned princess in front of him.

“William? Art thou feeling alright?”

Will barely registered her words.

“That was… incredible. I feel funny.” As the last word left Will’s mouth, he collapsed onto the floor of the balcony, seizure-like spasms wreaking havoc through his body.

“William!” Luna bellowed.

He couldn’t hear her past the ringing in his ears. His eyes were wide, staring into the stary sky above. He couldn’t control his limbs. They twitched as if they were hit by electricity. Luna stood over him, but he couldn’t force any sound from his tight lips. She was panicking, which was not doing Will any favors. He was scared enough as is.

Will’s world shifted as he was lifted by something. He couldn’t tell what it was, but he was moving now. The magical energy in his own body went from warm to hot, then to burning hot. Everything hurt. His heart felt like it was skipping beats like no tomorrow, and his stomach was on fire. As the world passed by him, his body slowly went numb, and images became a blur. He thought for a brief moment he saw Nick’s face, then Mending’s, then Celestia’s. Celestia looked like she was yelling at someone, but Will couldn’t tell who. Next thing he knew, the ceiling went from the vaulted ceiling of the castle to the cut stonework of the basement, then to the roof of a cave. Finally, the world stopped moving for Will as he looked up and saw crystals reaching like tree branches above him. 

In the back of Will’s mind, he felt the gentle caress of something. Some presence that was comforting him in this moment of great pain. Only then did Will finally pass out from pain and exhaustion.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER IX




The sound of Nick’s feet hitting the marble floors of Everfree Castle echoed off of the walls and vaulted ceilings. As he stormed to the door separating the public areas from the private wing, he saw a familiar guard standing by the door. The guard following Nick kept his eyes focused on the alien, prepared to strike if the need for violence arose. 

Nick stood tall above the armored stallion flanking the locked doors. “I need to see Celestia.” He was blunt and forceful in his approach, not hiding the anger in his voice, but he spoke soft enough to show he was in control of himself.

“The princess is in the middle of day court at the present time. If you would like to listen in again, you’re allo-”

“You aren’t understanding me,” Nick growled. The guard escorting Nick tensed, readying himself. “I need to speak with her, and I don’t care if she has to kick out every one of those damn petitioners out of her courtroom. Hell, I’ll do it myself.”

“Are you declaring you intend to take hostile actions against the royal sisters?”

Nick knew the guards knew what he needed to get through to Celestia. All of the castle staff must know by now. Perhaps this was the wrong approach. Nick knew he didn’t have much over the ponies here, aside from height of course. They could cut Nick down in an instant. Nick let out a sigh.

“Look, you know why I’m here. Just let me-”

“I can’t allow that, Nicholas.”

The rage bubbling beneath the surface of Nick’s calm demeanor threatened to break the surface. “Wouldn’t you do the same!?” Nick yelled. “I saw my friend being carried away, unconscious last night. You expect me to just allow anyone of you ponies to shove me in my room, forbid me from leaving until morning, and not tell me if he is alright?” Nick would have ranted longer if it wasn’t for the quick rush of wind, and the armored pegasus now hovering in front of him.

Captain Hurricane kept herself airborne to keep herself eye level with Nick, a serious glare in her eyes.

“And what do you think you’re doing.”

“Me?” Nick asked, a bit of his anger continuing to leak through the filter he struggled to keep on his words. “You know damn well what I’m doing. You’re a guard captain, surely you got to see your princesses take Will away. What did they do to him!?” He was fuming at this point, his face reddening with the heat of a building rage.

“As far as I know, nothing intentional,” Hurricane explained. “He is being tended to at the moment. He’s in safe hooves.”

“Oh really?” Nick asked incredulously. “If he was in such good hooves as you say, how did Will end up hurt again? Not to mention your princess is keeping me from seeing him? How can I not be the tiniest bit suspicious.”

A sudden shift of expressing in Hurricane’s face told Nick that the captain didn’t know that last bit either. The mare hovered there for a moment, then scowled.

“Hold here for a moment.” With that, Hurricane opened the locked door and bolted through, closing it behind her. Suddenly, Nick was struck with a bit of deja vu. This was almost exactly like when he asked to listen in on day court in the first place.

However, Hurricane was a lot faster than the guard from that last time, as she busted back through the door in under a minute.

“You have five minutes, that’s all I could do for you.” The captain gave Nick a hard stare. It wasn’t hostile. If anything it was one of recognition. “You have loyalty to your friend. I respect that. Do me a favor though. Do not threaten my guards or the royalty again. Next time, I won’t be so lenient.

Nick gave the Hurricane a curt nod of affirmation. Nick half expected Hurricane to bolt off again. She seemed to do that a lot. She didn’t, opting instead to escort Nick to the courtroom herself. Even though the mare was shorter than him by a fair margin, she seemed so much larger in comparison to most of the ponies he’d seen. Her voice and stature commanded attention and gave her quite the imposing presence. It was, Nick realized, why Hurricane was so much more intimidating than the guards she commanded, and why she now held Nick’s respect. Nick fell into step with the captain’s wingbeats, practically marching to the throne room.

Coming around the partition that blocked the rear entrance of the courtroom from the rest of the throne room, Nick saw that all of the petitioners had already been moved out of the room. Celestia stood a few feet away, eyeing Nick and Hurricane seriously. She addressed Hurricane first.

“How much did you tell him?”

“Enough,” Hurricane said simply.

That caused Celestia to frown as she eyed Hurricane with a piercing gaze. “And pray tell why you ignored my direct orders?”

“Because that order was ignorant, and, forgive me for speaking bluntly, idiotic.”

Rage seemed to boil beneath Celestia’s mask. To Hurricane’s credit, the pegasus stood at attention unflinching at her ruler and superior.

“Explain.”

“You had ordered that Nicholas would be contained in his room for the night after having just seen his friend being rushed away by the alien guards of a country that may or may not become hostile to him or his friend. His friend that he carried through the dangers of the Everfree.”

Celestia seemed to be taken aback by that. “I thought our hospitali-” Celestia began, but Hurricane continued, interrupting the princess. As grateful as Nick was, he was appalled at the apparent disrespect being shown to the ruler.

“As the former commander of an army of pegasi, I understand trying to keep possible hostile prisoners separated, but I believe that is not the case with these two. I also understand that you are uncertain of the possible negative repercussions that would arise if Nicholas saw William at this moment.”

Celestia seemed to soften slightly behind her mask, and Nick’s face hardened. Hurricane paid them no mind as she kept talking.

“Normally, if a creature threatened my subjects with violence, or was causing more trouble than it was worth, I would have eradicated the creature before either occurred. Of course, that is unless said creature was important to the safety of the kingdom, but that isn’t the case either.”

‘Gee. Thanks, Hurricane,’ Nick grumbled to himself. Hurricane wasn’t done though.

“So since you have not taken care of the situation through the removal of the problem, and the issue is not a matter of importance to the country, I would say that it would be in your best interest to provide comfort in this troubling time, and not use lies, deceit, and the withholding of information.”

Hurricane, having finally finished, stood silently in attention as Celestia regarded her guard captain with scrutinizing eyes. They were silent for a few moments as Celestia thought.

“William is currently in stable condition,” Celestia began. Seriousness caused each word from the princess to be emphasized in a way that held a feeling of finality. Like every word was truth in its most basic form. “There was a magical mishap that caused him to have seizures and collapse. Currently, both Clover and Mending stitch are tending to him. William has been moved to a secret location that is specialized for magical treatments like this.” That last part was a lie, or possibly a half-lie. Nick could tell but he let it slide. “My sister and I are not sure if William’s condition could be contagious to you, so we are keeping you separate for the meantime until it is safe to let you see him.”

Magical mishap? “What caused it?” Nick asked.

“William witnessed a very powerful spell being performed by my sister Luna.” Noticing shock and anger appearing on Nick’s features, Celestia clarified. “He was not the target of the said spell, do not worry. Since his body is essentially a void of magic, my sister’s magic poured into him, filling that void. That build-up of magic energy, with no way to expel it, is what caused the seizures.”

Nick nodded. “So his body wasn’t able to handle all of that magic, I’m guessing?”

“As far as Clover was able to explain, yes,” Celestia said. “We are doing everything we can at the moment, but I need you to trust me. Exposing you to too much magic all at once could result in you experiencing what William is going through at this very moment. That, and I can’t guarantee what state this will leave your friend in.”

“Best case scenario?” Nick asked.

“William wakes up completely healthy.”

“And the worst?”

With a slight shiver, Celestia forced a single word from her throat. “Death.”




-~xXXXx~-





Magical and Physical Examination, 



Conductor of Evaluation: High Mage, Clover the Clever


Assisted by: Healer, Mending Stitch


Name: William Thorne

Species: Human

Gender: Male

Heart Rate: 75bpm

Level of Consciousness: Unconscious/Comatose


Notes: Seems to be asleep. Some stirring in rest, muddled speech as if dreaming. Attempts to wake via normal measures unsuccessful.


Height: 5’11.5”

Weight: 165lbs


Note: Lost considerable amounts of weight from being unconscious from previous incident. Make a note to ask regular bodyweight of Human Species.


Notes of incident:


Specimen exposed to large amounts of magic expelled from Princess Luna. Specimen collapsed and began having violent seizures. Minor bruising along arms and legs from flailing limbs. Leg, previously broken around what the human’s call the ankle, seems to not have worsened.


Magical Examination:


Specimen previously showed no magic whatsoever when viewed through the Arcane Eye. Previous conversation confirms that humans come from a planet with no magic. After exposure to large volumes of arcane energies, a lot of that energy was absorbed into the subject. When looked at using the Arcane Eye, subject glows a bright blue very similar to Princess Luna (Further analysis required.) With no way to expel excess magic from specimen’s system, may result in a form of internal magical disintegration. With no previous incidents to compare to, will keep notes of specimen’s condition.


Treatment Notes


Upon suggestion from Princess Celestia, subject has been moved to the Tree of Harmony. Celestia believes that the tree may hold some healing capacity. The magical study of the tree has been inconclusive. When asked, Celestia too seemed unsure of its capabilities, saying “Sometimes it is almost as if the tree itself speaks to me.” Having wielded the Elements of Harmony before, there may be a connection between the two (requires further research.) With no arcane pathways through the specimen, there is no way to safely extract the arcane energy, will use forceful measures as a last resort. Mending and I will watch over the specimen in rotating shifts, monitoring the specimen’s condition. Recommend that Nicholas be kept a safe distance away from all major sources of magic until William’s condition is fully remedied. That includes keeping Nicholas away from William himself.





As Clover put down her quill, she turned to the human lying upon the roots of the massive crystalline tree. Nopony had been able to fully understand the capabilities of the strange plant, yet the princesses must have some connection to it. Clover was a child when the Princesses first arrived, so she wasn’t able to witness the first use of the Elements of harmony, the multicolored gemstones set into the branches of the crystal tree high above Clover’s head.

As Clover thought about it, not much was known about either Celestia or Luna prior to the fabled tale of the princesses driving the lord of chaos from the land, only leaving a statue of the creature’s likeness as a memory of the horrific events. Nopony has seen that statue for many years as well.

Too many things were lining up for Clover to think that it couldn’t have been all a coincidence. She would have given anything to know the entire truth about the Tree of Harmony, but that would have to wait for another day. With a heavy sigh, she sat a few feet away from William.

Celestia’s suggestion had left Clover confused. The Tree of Harmony was a massive source of untapped magic in and of itself. Wouldn’t the act of bringing William here be contradictory to their goal of removing the magic from him? But if the tree itself spoke to Celestia like the princess claims, how could Clover resist seeing what would happen.

“What are you doing?” Clover asked the tree.

Clover felt stupid. Here she was, trying to talk to a tree. A tree of magic, sure. But still, even magic trees didn’t talk.

Clover’s ears perked up as a gust of warm wind caressed her coat, and she could have sworn that she heard a voice in the wind speak a single word…

“Patience.” 
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌ 




The training yard in the shadow of Everfree Castle was alive with noise. The thundering of the guard’s hooves echoes off of the stone walls of the courtyard, each step kicking up a low lingering cloud of dust. The stench of equine sweat filled the cold morning air. What seemed to be instructors of some kind shouted above the noise in order to command their troops in training.

As Nick walked into the yard tailed by his escort for this morning, he passed by squads of ponies, usually separated by their tribe, running through various exercises. Earth ponies and unicorns ran laps around the yard, stopping at stations to either buck thick wooden posts, pass through various obstacles, or do bodyweight exercises like equine versions of sit-ups or pushups.

‘Wait, how do quadrupeds do pushups if they are on all fours all day anyways?’ Nick thought to himself. Apparently, the answer lied in the fact that a pony’s body was much more flexible than most four-legged creatures, although they needed to prop their hind legs on a box in order to get the form right.

Off to the side, some earth pony and unicorn squads practiced with weapons. Spears and swords mostly. Unicorns levitated the practice weapons around with practiced ease, going through disciplined routines, following their commander through the forms. There were some earth ponies in that group, wielding their weapons in their mouths since they were incapable of anything magical in that regard. Said earth ponies couldn’t move with the same grace as the unicorns and Nick suspected that hitting anything with a weapon you held in your mouth couldn’t be healthy. The earth ponies didn’t seem to share that concern, instead, they kept pace with their unicorn brethren.

He then saw another group of earth ponies lined up in front of large stones. Their commander slammed a hoof down onto some sort of gong on the ground. Immediately, the earth ponies in front of the rocks spun, and kicked, shattering large portions of the solid stone. Each pony then moving onto other drills as if nothing had happened.

Pegasi seemed to perform other exercises based mainly on flight control and speed. An obstacle course of rings loomed above where the rest of the ground-bound soldiers trained. Every few seconds, a pegasus zoomed through the course above, performing extremely tight turns and constant changes in elevation. In another corner of the yard, more pegasi held weights aloft for extended periods of time.

In the dead center of the field itself, where Nick was headed, the sound of combat could be barely heard. Sparring rings lined with thick rope were occupied with various pairs of ponies. In most, the ponies in the rings were of the same race each wearing the equivalent of wrestling padding. They weren’t the ones Nick was looking at though.

The center ring was surrounded by ponies from every race three lines deep, each pony wearing a white band around their right forehooves and a distinct lack of protective gear. Even though Nick was taller by these ponies by a good 2 feet, he found it difficult to see the center of the circle. Through the gaps in the spectators, Nick saw flashes of unprotected steel in the early morning light. Clearly, he did not want to miss this.

As Nick approached, the eyes of the ponies turned to watch the human come closer. Many eyed him with curiosity, some tense. Nick didn’t recognize most of these ponies, but he didn’t pay their stares much mind. He did catch the eyes of some of the guards that he had seen escorting Princess Celestia around. Coming up to the edge of the circle, Nick saw a pegasus and a unicorn panting with exertion, circling the ring a fair distance from each other, their weapons on the ground to the side of the ring. Nick discovered his previous observation was somewhat mistaken, as he noticed that instead of a white band, the pegasus stallion’s band was a shimmering silver.

In fact, Nick noticed that other ponies in the circle had different colored bands too. Some wore blue as well, like the earth pony stallion that was currently facing off against the silver banded pegasus. From Nick’s point of view, he could see that the earth pony was clearly the one looking worse for wear. The earth pony breathed heavier, and blood trickled from a cut above his left foreleg. The cut wasn’t deep, but it must’ve stung since he was favoring his other leg, limping slightly.

In a blur, the pegasus leaped forward, spreading his wings, flying low and straight at the defensive earth pony who was bracing himself for a frontal impact. Nick had seen the slower non-banded pegasi training above, and their captain who seemed to break the sound barrier every time she flapped her wings, seeing the silver banded pegasus fly at a speed somewhere between the two extremes seemed to be a decent measure of skill.

The earth pony stallion turned, raising his rear legs to buck at the oncoming attacker. However, the pegasi timed his approach, adjusting his flight pattern at the last minute as the earth pony stallion committed to his buck. With a flap of his wings, the pegasus flew over the earth pony’s head, landing with a sweeping kick, knocking the earth pony off of his hooves. In another flash of movement, the pegasus’s legs were wrapped around the earth pony’s neck and they squeezed. Both ponies struggled for a moment until the earth pony tapped out.

Releasing the hold, the pegasus stood himself up, while the earth pony struggled to his feet. With the excitement over, for now, Nick fully took in the scene. Every pony in the circle was now looking at him except for the pegasus stallion with the silver band, who stood in the center of the sparring circle, catching his breath and standing tall.

A brief moment passed, and the silver banded pegasus turned around, looking at Nick with piercing yellow eyes. His grey coat shimmered with sweat, but he didn’t seem to have any trouble breathing now.

“Nicholas Winters, now this is a surprise,” the pegasus said, with no small amount of snark. The stallion’s voice reminded Nick of some people he had met in Boston who said they were from Scotland. “What can I do for ye?”

Originally, Nick had just wanted to blow off some steam. Having not truly exercised since his arrival in the Everfree, he needed to get back in the habit of keeping in shape. However, after seeing the sparring circle, Nick had the urge to hop into one. 

Nick could tell he couldn’t keep up with such experienced soldiers, he could tell they were far out of his skill level. However, maybe he could stand a chance against some of the lower-ranked ponies here, and work his way up from there.

“I’ve been in that castle for too damn long, I came to get a workout.”

That was part of it. Nick was still a bit hot under the collar from his encounter with Princess Celestia the day before. Then there was Will. Nick needed something to keep his mind from worrying too much about his friend. 

Nick’s words were met with silence until the grey pegasus burst out laughing, a deep guttural laugh, but cut himself off quickly, slamming a hoof into the ground. Instantly, every guard in the circle stood at attention and formed a path for the stallion to fly right up to Nick’s face. Nick could smell the rancid breath of the stallion, even through his tight-lipped scowl.

“What makes you think that you can keep up with any of my recruits, human?” the stallion grumbled, eyeing Nick’s body unimpressed. “I bet ye wouldn’t las’ ten minutes with the new blood.”

“I’ll take that bet,” Nick said coldly as the pegasus continued to hover inches from his face. They glared at each other for a few moments.

“Sergeant Ironwood!” The pegasus bellowed.

“Yes, Lieutenant?” an earth pony mare wearing a white band from the circle stepped forward.

“Get yer privates with the freshest legs, aye? This should be entertaining.”

Next thing Nick knew, he was lined up next to four different earth ponies on the dirt track that circled the yard. He stretched out his legs, looking at his competition, he began analyzing each one of the ponies next to him. In all fairness, the only real advantage he had was his long legs. ‘No problem,’ Nick thought to himself. ‘Ponies are just about as large as a very tall dog. It’ll be just like chasing down Kimmi. Maybe?’

“Runners ready?” Sergeant Ironwood called out. The lieutenant was watching from the sidelines as well, an amused smirk across his muzzle.

“This will be a standard gauntlet fitness test. Recruits, you know the drill. Three laps with one station at the end of each lap. The first station, 30 pushups. The second, climbing nets and obstacles. Finally, a quarter lap carrying a stone weight. Recruits, your times will determine your placement in the squad Ironwood. If any of you let the human beat you, you’ll have latrine duty for a month.” Sergeant Ironwood began to say something else but stopped as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. “Nicholas Winters,” Ironwood grimaced as the human’s name passed from her lips. “As per the orders of the Lieutenant, if you finish before any of these four recruits, you will be allowed to train with this squad, understood?”

Nick had missed that part of the conversation, but he guessed that would be about as good as he could get. A test? That he could handle. Nick nodded.

“Runners set!” Nick and the recruits flanking him lowered into running stances.

“Go!”

In an instant, all five runners took off, kicking up dust in the sprint. Nick was right in one regard. If these ponies were the size of his dog Kimmi, he would be able to run faster than these recruits. However, ponies are larger by a fair margin.

In the first lap, all of the recruits bolted ahead of Nick at a full sprint. Shaking any feelings of discouragement, he kept his fast but even pace. The track, Nick had estimated, was about a quarter-mile. If this was just a normal run, he would’ve run flat out. However, given that there were other challenges ahead, he knew he had to pace himself to some degree.

Nick arrived at the first station about 5 seconds after the last recruit did. He quickly fell to his stomach, placing his feet onto the box and getting into a high plank, and began the exercise. A trainer counted the reps. He caught up a fair amount during the pushups and was the third to leave the station, one of the recruits struggling with the last few push-ups.

As Nick ran the track, the recruit caught up and passed Nick a hundred feet before the lap line. Seeing the climbing and agility course, Nick smirked. There was no way ponies could beat the dexterity of hands or feet. He only felt slight disappointment when the first and second place recruits easily scaled the triangular climbing net. However, Nick picked up the pace as the third and fourth stumbled, their hooved legs falling through the netting. Nick scaled the netting hurriedly, passing the recovering ponies as they tried to get their footing on the ropes. Nick swore he saw the Lieutenant’s amused smirk turn into a look of genuine interest. Ironwood’s scowl only deepened.

Climbing down the other side of the netting, Nick made for the hurdles. For what must have been difficult for a pony two feet shorter, Nick cleared the obstacles with ease, charging at the final obstacle, a wooden wall about as high as he was tall. Jumping, Nick planted his hands on the top of the wall, hoisting himself up and over it. Seeing the track again, the leaders had pulled further away from Nick, but he sprinted forward, using all of his saved energy to close the gap.

Finishing the third lap, Nick finally saw the weight he’d have to carry. The stone was shaped like a kidney bean, easily about as large as Nick’s own torso. The first and second place recruits struggled to turn the weight upright to get the stones onto their backs to carry it. Nick deadlifted the stone, his muscles straining to lift the small boulder onto his shoulder. The thing must’ve weighed nearly a hundred pounds!

Nick jogged forward slowly, pulling ahead from the other recruits at the station. He didn’t even look back to see where the two he had passed on the climbing net were. He stepped with bent knees, trying to brace himself with each step. In no time at all, the first two of the recruits blazed past Nick, carrying their stones on their backs at a swift canter.

‘Of course,’ Nick thought with a huff. ‘They were probably more capable of carrying heavy weights on their backs. Not so different from earth horses after all.’

The first two recruits had already passed the finish line, dropping their stones while Nick was about thirty paces away. There was a glimmer of hope in Nick’s eyes that was almost extinguished as a third pony passed him. He could almost hear the pounding of hooves behind him getting closer.

His muscles screamed as Nick forced himself to run faster. He nearly threw himself over the lap line, dropping the stone weight onto the track. Nick supported his upper body by placing his hands onto his knees. A second later, a set of four hooves crossed the finish line behind him.

Standing up, Nick’s eyes met with Sergeant Ironwood’s, the mare scowled as she approached.

“Congratulations,” Ironwood said. “Understand this. You are not a member of this squad. You are not one of my ponies. You are an alien. You have been allowed the privilege to train with us. You say you want an exercise? I’ll make you vomit your lungs.” With that, the earth pony mare spat at Nick’s feet and turned away. 

Nick spared a glance at the Lieutenant. The pegasus stallion chuckled and shook his head as he turned away. Nick realized then he never got the Lieutenant’s name.

So much for all of these ponies being friendly.
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌I 




The crisp chill of an autumn night breeze flowed through the gardens of Everfree castle like a whisper in the dark night. The sound of crickets filled the otherwise silent garden, only to be accompanied by the clopping of hooves on cobblestone pathways as Princess Luna strolled by the light of her moon and stars.

Luna was wide awake despite the time of day. Being the princess of the night, Luna lived a mostly nocturnal lifestyle, opting for the comfort of her night sky as opposed to her sister’s hot sun.

Luna walked through the garden with her eyes not really focusing on any one thing. Lost in thought, she barely registered the sweet smell of the flowers of the shrubbery that started wilting with the colder weather.

‘It’s my fault,’ Luna thought to herself. She had only wished to show the human William her domain. Possibly, humans may have held the night in higher regard, unlike the ponies of Equestria that her sister seems to love so much.

When Will had started having spasms, Luna had brought the human directly to Celestia in a panic. Celestia, in turn, was very cross.

Luna hadn’t ever heard her sister use the ‘alicorn voice’ before that.

Under Celestia’s stern orders, Luna attempted to remove her magic from the human, but it stuck to him like sticky swamp mud and tree sap combined into one. Luna, being the more adept princess when it came to magic, should have been able to separate the magic from the human easier. When it didn’t work, Celestia had Clover take William away. When the two princesses had the room to themselves, Celestia let the mask that hid her rage fall.

“Luna, how could you have been so careless? You had no idea what your magic could do to the humans, did you?”

“S-sister, please! We didn’t think-”

“Of course you weren’t thinking! Did you even use any modicum of reason?”

Luna’s lip tightened, her sister’s words had ignited some sort of fire within her.

“I bet you didn’t know either!” Luna yelled, dropping her old ways of speech. “You are blaming me for something neither of us could have known!”

Instead of arguing that point any further, Celestia laid further into her sister.

“That human could die Luna! William could die, all because of one magical incident. One! Whos hooves would that be on. As far as the castle staff would think, it would be on both of ours. We rule together Luna! Anything you do affects me as well!”

A shiver ran down Luna’s spine as she recalled those words, a tiny spark of anger towards her sister still burning.

“At least they hadn’t been integrated into the public yet,” Celestia had said. “The political damage caused by his death would be small, but it would still color our images in some of our closest advisers. Both Clover and Hurricane seem to actually like the two of them.”

“Do you not!? You’ve already done so much to help them.”

“Just because I’ve given them aid, doesn’t mean I actually care for them. It was out of the kindness of my heart. At least Nicholas is somewhat decent...”

“And William isn’t?”

“William is a short fuse hothead with little to no social tact. When he rains those things in? Sure, he is fine.”

“Then why do you care for his well being?”

“Because I can’t just let him die!” Luna had thought that statement was strange and wanted to question it, but Celestia kept speaking. “Luna, I forbid you from helping with this William situation. You’ve done enough as is.”

“You must jest! I could help! I know as much or even more of the intricacies of magic. I could save-”

“You’ve done enough already!”

Past Luna had stopped, staring at her sister wide-eyed, a single tear falling. Celestia’s face that was twisted from rage had softened as she saw the near heartbroken face on her sister.

“Luna, I’m so-”

Celestia’s words were cut short as Luna turned and slammed the door behind her as she left the room.

Now, two days had passed since the conversation and Luna was still walking the razor’s edge of screaming and breaking out into tears.

It was her fault. Luna just hoped she had met somepony (somehuman?) who would appreciate her work. She had no idea why, but William seemed like that somepony.

Luna remembered William’s dreamscape, seeing the starry sky that he had dreamt up. Maybe that was it.

Regardless, the stress had kept Luna from assuming her usual duties of dreamwalking. Luna stopped and closed her eyes, feeling the cold breeze brushing through her coat, and it seemed to soothe the emotions boiling underneath the surface. 

Luna knew she could help William, but Celestia didn’t trust her enough to let her anywhere near the human. Celestia, the princess of the sun, and what Starswirl had described as the worst student he had ever taught, was keeping Luna from doing anything. Luna knew where William was being kept. He was under the Tree of Harmony. Whether Celestia knew it or not, Luna knew that was possibly the best place they could have taken him. That and Luna knew of one way to save the human. William might be upset with the results, but it would save his life.

If Luna did nothing, Celestia’s version of cleaning up would be disposing of a body. And for once, the usually subservient Princess Luna said one thing that felt so right but never could bring herself to say.

“Buck Celestia.”

With that, Luna re-entered the castle and made her way toward the basement.




-~xXXXx~-



It was hard to tell the passing of time in the boredom of an underground cavern, but having a book helped keep Mending Stitch from falling asleep. For the first couple of hours, the grandeur of the Tree of Harmony was breathtaking. With its massive crystal branches above and sprawling crystal roots, the tree itself seemed to take up the entirety of the cavern it rested in.

Despite being underground, the cave was comfortably warm and well lit, both attributed to the Tree of Harmony, Mending had guessed.

William rested, unconscious against the trunk of the tree, tossing and turning slightly in his sleep. Mending looked up from her book, glancing at the human.

‘Poor thing,’ Mending thought. William’s time in Equestria was met with nothing but injury after injury. And now?... Mending wasn’t sure if William would make it.

From the castle’s entrance to the cavern, hoofsteps echoed off of the stone walls. As Mending turned, she expected to see Clover for the shift change. Instead, Mending was startled to see Princess Luna stroll into the cavern.

“Your highness!” Mending stood up quickly, dropping into a deep bow. “I was not expecting you.”

Luna smiled slightly, retaining her stoic exterior. ‘Good,’ Luna thought to herself ‘she doesn’t know that Celestia forbade me from coming here.’

“Forgive me your highness, but Lady Celestia said to turn you away if you came here.”

‘Bucking dammit,’ Luna swore internally.

Striding past Mending, Luna made her way towards William. “If We are not mistaken, sister dearest and we rule together, do we not?”

Mending nodded, but Luna didn’t even look back.

“Even though she is our elder sister, we can make choices for ourselves. So, if thou wouldn’t mind, we would like to see that this human survives.”

“How?” Mending asked.

Luna didn’t answer, but lit her horn and closed her eyes as she got close. A blue aura surrounded the alicorn of the night as her magic reached out to the tree itself. The Tree of Harmony responded, glowing a cool blue as a brisk breeze swirled the dust around the cavern.

Within the branches above, six gems descended in a circle above Luna, each shaped like a diamond spinning in a slow circle as the fell. Each gem shined a different color: light blue, deep violet, light pink, orange, red, and fuchsia respectively. 

Mending’s eyes dilated as she witnessed the Elements of Harmony hovering in a circle around both Luna and the unconscious human, William.

“Wow,” Mending whispered.

In six individual flashes of light, the Element’s magic coalesced with Luna’s as a rainbow-colored beam of light slowly flowed towards Will. As the beam of light touched the human’s chest, the muscles in his body tensed as a gasp escaped his lips. With Mending standing behind Luna, the medicine-mare couldn’t see Luna’s eyes glowing as the princess looked through the arcane eye.

William’s body was flooded with Luna’s own magic with no way to escape. What was the best way to relieve all of that built up magical pressure?

Give it someplace to go.

Luna guided the magic of the Elements of Harmony throughout William’s body. As the Elements did their work, Luna began seeing the changes she predicted.

Most of the magic gathered around what Luna assumed to be William’s heart. From there, the magic spiderwebbed out from that central point, shooting through William’s veins. As the tendrils of magic reached William’s fingers, they created points all throughout his body: One in each palm, one in the bottom of each foot, a massive well of magic in his stomach, one on his forehead, and one last one in the center of his chest that pulsed with each heartbeat.

As the light faded, Luna let go of the arcane eye spell as she saw the Elements of Harmony retreating back into the branches above. William laid still, chest rising with each even breath. While Luna looked over William’s condition, Mending ran from the room.

Luna laid on the ground next William, his peaceful rest warming Luna’s heart. She may have caused the pain in the first place, but she was at peace knowing she had a hoof in fixing her ‘mistake’ as Celestia had called it. Luna took notice in William’s hands as they glowed the same faint blue aura that came from her own horn. Good, the excess magic was flowing out of him as she had hoped.

Luna didn’t know how much time she spent like that, but she was brought back to the present as the sound of three pairs of hooves entered the room.

Mending had returned, with Celestia and Clover following behind. Celestia motioned for the two unicorn mares to wait with the flaring of a wing, and Celestia approached her sister and the human at the base of the tree.

“I thought I told you to stay away from here.” Celestia’s voice was calm and even, trying to hide whatever emotion hid beneath its surface. Luna guessed fury.

“We saved young William’s life,” Luna simply stated. “We cleaned up our ‘mess’ as thou so eloquently brought to light. Is this not acceptable?”

“You still disobeyed.”

“Pray tell sister, what did we agree to on the day the two of us had our crowns placed on our heads?”

Celestia’s face softened at that, recalling the memory. “That we would rule together… side by side,” Celestia quoted. Laying on the crystal roots next to her sister, Celestia draped a wing over the smaller alicorn. “I’m sorry Lu-, I shouldn’t have been so harsh. You were right, neither of us knew what could have happened. You knew how to save him, but I was just too angry to see past my own muzzle.” Celestia nuzzled her younger sister. “Forgive me?”

A small smile crossed Luna’s muzzle. “Thou art already forgiven,” Luna said, returning her sister’s affections. “How is Nicholas by the way? We have not been able to see him for a few days now.”

“I haven’t spoken to him either. I figure he is rather cross with me after our last conversation.”

“About William?” Luna asked, looking to the human in question.

“Yes. I think Nicholas understands why I did what I did, but that doesn’t mean he likes it.”

A moment of silence passed. Mending and Clover approached the peacefully resting human, evaluating his condition with the supervision of both princesses. Clover’s eyes widened, confused and in awe.

“Princess Luna, what did you do exactly?”

“Clover, we simply used the Elements of Harmony to relieve his magical buildup. This tree is, as we understand it, acts as an epicenter of harmonious magic and does actually retain some level of sapient thought. If the tree saw that William was worth saving, it would do everything in its power to do so. We simply guided that magic in the process of healing. It seems that the Tree of Harmony has deemed young William worthy.”

“What would’ve happened if it hadn’t,” Mending asked.

Celestia spoke up. “While the Elements cannot kill in and of themselves, they could have done nothing, and William would be dead.”

Clover shifted uneasily. “Well, regardless, William now has similar magical pathways to any pony, the excess magic is venting out easily, but that’s not what worries me.” As she talked, Clover the Clever began writing with a hovering quill and scroll. “He also has the mana well and his heart has been altered to produce mana. He has mana points in his hands, not unlike an earth pony’s hooves, or a unicorn’s horn. Regardless of that, his magical output is stable, but I only know of two ponies that have this kind of mana output and mana well.”

Celestia looked at Luna, shocked. Luna shook her head.

“It wasn’t our doing, sister. The Elements seemed to have taken some liberties with the process. We are not sure what plans Harmony has for him, but William has been woven into this world for a reason.”

“This makes sending him home more complicated now,” Celestia said, worried.

Clover kept talking to herself as she wrote her notes. “Another possibility is that with all of the alicorn magic from Princess Luna in his body, the Elements could have given him the capabilities of the original magic’s owner. It is only a hypothesis, and requires further testing.”

During all of this, Mending was checking over William’s body and gasped as she reached his previously broken ankle.

“Your highnesses! It’s like his magic accelerated the healing process. The fracture is nearly completely gone!”

Celestia blinked at that. “We should move him to a proper bed, I assume he will awake in the morning.” Levitating the body, Celestia lead the group back into the castle proper. As they exited the secret door that leads to the Tree of Harmony, none of them noticed a creature in a black cloak slip into the passageway behind them as the door closed behind him.

As the figure laid his eyes upon the crystal tree, he chuckled softly in a deep bass. “Oh my lord will definitely want to hear about this. With a flash of light, the stallion disappeared in a flash of sickly green light.
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌II 




Sweat dripped down Nick’s forehead as his muscles strained under the weight of the small boulder on his shoulder. His knees shook as he squatted down, breathing deep before standing back up in time with the exhale. In the late morning sun, Nick’s skin glistened giving emphasis to his muscles that were prominent on his thin body. He wasn’t a bodybuilder by any means, but he was glad to find a workout that helped maintain his physique. Even if the trainer was a bitch.

Sergeant Ironwood was forcing Nick to do weighted squats while the ponies in squad Ironwood took a break from the drills. Granted, forced was probably not the best term to use. Nick could leave at any time. He wasn’t a part of the Equestrian army. Instead, Nick glared at the sergeant with a cold glare as he went through the exercises.

“Enough,” Ironwood barked, motioning for Nicholas to drop the boulder. The rock hit the ground with a heavy thud.

“Color me surprised, didn’t think you’d last this long. Two days in and you seem to be keeping up fairly well.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Nick said, wiping his brow.

“Don’t thank me human. Even though you’ve impressed to some degree doesn’t mean that I like you.” Ironwood tossed Nick a towel to dry off with. “Now get your ass moving. The captain sent word that her highness is looking for you.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Celestia wants to speak with me?” The princess hadn’t spoken to him since he confronted her about Will.

“Yes, what are you, deaf? And use the princess’s title next time! Show some respect to your superiors.”

Nick felt his blood run hot when he turned to leave the training yard.

“Might want to take a bath first. I doubt her highness likes the smell of sweaty alien monkey.”

Nick just scowled as a guard fell into step next to him, keeping his eyes forward as the two made their way through the basement of the castle. They made a brief stop at the barracks, pulling out a basin of sudsy water and another of clean water. Nick took a sponge and bathed as best as he could. Then, changing into a tunic and trousers that were way too loose, he made his way to the royal dining room. He followed the routine sitting down on a cushion as he waited for her highness to join him. Nick wasn’t kept waiting long as Celestia came into the room shortly after, her pink mane braided around the tiara she wore on her head.

“It is good to see you again Nicholas,” she said, seemingly testing the waters before diving right in. “But I do think I have some information you would like to hear.”

“Skipping the formalities, princess? Should I be worried?”

“Oh no, nothing of the sort. You see, it is more of a good news, bad news situation.”

‘Well that is comforting, I don’t think,’ Nick thought.

“Then what is the good news?”

Celestia smiled with relief, she hadn’t expected Nicholas to be open to conversation given their last discussion. “William’s condition has improved remarkably. He is completely stable, thanks to my sister’s helping hoof, and should be waking up in a few days’ time.”

“Why does the good news always make me feel like the bad news is going to be that much worse?” Nick deadpanned.

Celestia’s smile fell. “Well… If my sister, Princess Luna, hadn’t intervened, William could have been burned from the inside out due to the overwhelming amount of magic trapped in his body.”

Nick blinked at that. He had seen Will’s body before the princess ordered him to be taken away, and he knew Will was on hurt badly, but he had no idea to what extent. He was about to interject when Celestia started speaking again.

“Using magical relics here in the castle, Luna was able to give the magic in Will’s body a way to escape, but that also came with certain… complications.”

“Complications like...?” Nick asked.

“I’m sorry, I was never had the magically inclined mind of my sister. Clover should be along at any moment.”

As if on cue, Nick heard hooves clopping on the marble floors of the hallway. Not a moment later, a well-groomed Clover the Clever entered the private dining room, wearing silky purple robes a shade darker than her coat. “Sorry, Princess, I was held up with Jewel and Mrs. Amethyst.”

“Not to worry, Clover. You arrived at the perfect moment. Please, take over for this part. I was just attempting to describe Luna’s contribution to William’s recovery.”

“Excellent,” Clover said, taking a seat next to her princess and addressing Nick properly. “Originally, Princess Luna intended to allow the magic in Will’s body to vent out through his hands. That way, the magical pressure could be relieved without much hassle. However, the Elements of Harmony had an additional effect.”

“Wait a moment,” Nick interrupted. “What are these Elements of Harmony?”

Clover was forced to still her tongue for a moment as Celestia held up a hoof. “The Elements are a closely guarded secret that should not have been mentioned. I will leave it at that.” Clover wilted slightly at those words.

“Ah- forgive me, Princess. Regardless. The El- I mean, the magical artifacts altered William’s body somewhat, to the point where he can now handle all of the magical energy within him without any physical harm. He even has the capability to regenerate mana on his own like any pony.”

“Well, that is good news then, right?”

“In a way,” Clover said. “It does lead to some complications with the prospect of you returning home. Both of you had said that your ‘Earth’ is a world without magic, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, depending on how much William’s body will rely on magic in order to continue living, going to a world without magic may cause all of the magic in his body to be forcefully extracted. Similar to when William absorbed a lot of magical energy from Princess Luna raising the moon, all of that magic could be sucked out of him in a world devoid of magic. Depending on how much he will rely on magic-”

“He could possibly die from that lack of magic.” Nick finished.

The room was silent for a moment as Nick mulled that thought over. Concern bubbled in the forethoughts of his mind. “Well, are there any other things I should know then.”

Clover put a hoof to her chin, looking to the ceiling in thought. “Well, given what we know about magic… and with the sheer amount of magic he holds within him… William could experience a few things: heightened strength and speed, incessant yearning to fly, magic surges, extended lifespan-”

Nick once again interrupted Clover, much to the mare’s frustration. “Wait. Why are these side effects so extreme? Apart from the fact that returning home is now nigh impossible, the side effects sound great. Why wouldn’t everybody be doing this?”

“Because ponies are not capable of absorbing magic like you humans can. Granted, your bodies are not suited for so much energy, so absorbing magic is quite dangerous for you. Will no longer has that problem, and will probably be able to grow even stronger over time.”

“This is the first time something like this has ever happened,” Celestia explained. “This is new scientific territory, but we are doing our best to adapt.”

“Now,” Clover continued. “If you don’t want the same thing happening to you, I would suggest receiving magical infusions slowly over time. That way, your body can naturally acclimate to the energy and make the necessary adjustments to your body over time. William had been exposed to this all at once, which led to his current state. This way, we can prevent you from undergoing the same, although it might take a bit longer.”

Nick blinked owlishly. “So… this is a preventative thing.”

Both Clover and the Princess nodded. Nick scratched at the stubble growing on his chin.

“We cannot rely on the Elements of Harmony to work the same way with you,” Celestia said. “This is the safest way to ensure that you won’t be harmed by any excessive casting you witness. I know it is not the perfect solution, but it is the best we have. We can focus on returning you home in the future, but first, we would like to ensure your safety.”

Nick nodded. “But, Princess. Why are you contributing so much to help two alien creatures? It doesn’t make sense.”

Celestia paused, stunned for a moment. She smiled. “I’ve actually grown to enjoy your company, Nicholas. And both Luna and the Elements have taken an interest in William. I feel like the world is on your side.” Celestia paused for a moment. “I think you two are more interwoven with this world than we originally thought. For better or for worse? I don’t know.”

Nick turned the princess’s words over in his head for a moment. “Will I be able to cast magic.”

Clover shrugged. “It’s possible.”

Nick smiled to himself. 

‘...Bitch’n.’




-~xXXXx~-



In the far northern reaches of the continent, a pale green flash erupted in the darkness of the night, the trees casting jagged shadows on the snow-covered ground. A cloaked figure stood at the entrance of the gaping maw of a cave in the side of a mountain, hidden by the forest foliage. As he strode forward, he pulled his hood back, revealing his olive coat and horn, and strode into the cavern. 

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, the hard clopping sound of his hooves hitting rock turned into the light ringing of crystal with each step. No amount of light would help here. He knew that the crystals in this cavern were black, lining every surface as the tunnel spiraled deep into the earth.

The caves split in multiple places, but the stallion took each turn without hesitation with the ease of a pony in their own home. 

As he entered a larger chamber, the faint glow of a red crystal in the ceiling lit a furnished room, the black crystal reflecting dimly. In the center, a stallion was bathed in the red light distorting the actual color of his fur and mane. A smooth, upward-curving horn rose through his jet-black, wildly messy mane.

The green unicorn strode into the room, bowing to the other pony. When the stallion didn’t turn to address him, the green unicorn stood smiling wickedly.

“My Lord, I come bearing news from the Everfree…”
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌III 



Will waved a hand through the air as the void changed from a beautiful blue sky to a near-perfect recreation of the milky way galaxy. Closing his eyes, he swore he could hear the sounds of the wind over open ocean, the creaking of wood of an old schooner, and with a sniff, he smelt the wonderful smell of ocean seawater.

Opening his eyes, the ship was there, lolling gently on the small waves of a calm sea with no land on the horizon. Standing on the deck of the ship, Will didn’t realize how much he missed this feeling. The calm isolation of a boat underneath a sea of stars. He had only ever lived this once before, and he was able to relive it in the form of a dream.

He remembered the incident with Luna, he remembered the crystal tree, and he remembered… something. Something calling to him. Something that promised that everything would be alright.

It was his only solace when all signs pointed to him laying on his deathbed.

Now here he was, still dreaming. If he was dead, Will surely wouldn’t be able to imagine these dreamscapes he’d been entertaining himself with.

For the most part, Will had been recreating old memories. His house, his neighborhood, the trail where he used to take Buddy for a walk. He tried creating people around him, but they always looked like silent ghosts. They looked like the people or animals they were supposed to be, but it was like watching a black and white silent movie while in the movie himself.

Placing a hand on his chest, Will looked back up at the starry sky, dark aside from the purple cloud-like band of stars that reached high above him. Will felt something within him. Something new pulsing with a gentle warmth. It was like having a second heartbeat. Was he a timelord now?

Ooh. The inside of a TARDIS… now that’s a dreamscape idea.

Will was broken out of his stupor as the moon seemed to shimmer above him, a single ball of light descending onto the deck, solidifying into a familiar shape.

“Princess Luna, I take it this means I’m not dead,” Will chuckled. At first, he blamed Luna for being in a coma for the second time in a month. After ruminating on it, Will realized it was most likely an accident.

“Indeed, thou art still among the living,” Luna said in her usual regal tone. Taking in her surroundings, she nodded in approval of the dreamscape laid out before her. “Quite impressive, thou have nearly mastered the art of manipulating dreams.”

“It doesn’t feel like I’ve done anything differently,” Will shrugged. “Somehow I am just able to do all this now.”

“This is all quite fascinating. We have never seen such a seafaring vessel. And this sky, quite creative.”

“Yeah… I miss these night skies. I’ve only been able to see Earth’s stars like this once on a ship kinda like this one. We call it a schooner.”

Luna was taken aback by that for a moment. “Thine night skies look like this?” She paused for a moment, taking in the sight fully. “We are jealous. Whoever creates thine stars must be quite the artist.”

“Make our stars? What do you mean?”

Luna cocked an eyebrow. “Is there no ruler that creates the night sky? No one to raise Earth's moon?”

Will shook his head. “As I’ve said, no magic on Earth, sadly. Where I come from, the sun and the moon move on their own.” Will waved his hand and a model of the solar system appeared before him. Luna approached, curiosity in her eyes. “They orbit each other going thousands of miles an hour, the gravity of each planet and moon held in orbit by their gravity.” As Will spoke, the model began to move. Luna looked on with rapt attention.

“Pray tell, which one of these spheres is thine Earth?” Luna asked. Will reached into the model, pulling out a blue, green, and white planet from the model, causing it to grow. The clouds on the surface cleared, becoming a globe as the rest of the model faded.

“So this is where thou came from?”

“As I remember it anyway.”

“Truly Fascinating...”

Will took the globe, spinning it around until he placed a finger on a green landmass. “There are over a hundred countries, er- kingdoms on Earth.” As he touched it, black lines outlined the United States. “This is the one I lived in.” Making the sphere larger, lines began spiderwebbing in front of Luna’s eyes. “And the United States is split up into 50 individual states. I live in this one,” Will said, pointing to a small triangle shaped territory on the northeastern coast.

Luna looked at William curiously. He was an impressive dreamer when she had first met him, but Luna didn’t remember him being this good. He was even maintaining the surrounding environment, which William hadn’t been able to do before. It was then she felt it.

Her own magic was such a familiar feeling to Luna that she hadn’t immediately noticed the nearly identical magical aura radiating off of William even in the dreamscape. Suddenly, it all made sense as she put the pieces together.

“William,” Luna began, hesitantly, hoping she wouldn’t say the wrong thing. “We believe that we must inform thee of your current… state.”

Returning his full attention to the alicorn princess, Will was getting nervous. “I’m not dying, am I?”

“No… Quite the opposite actually. Thy recovery has been surprisingly rapid. Thy leg is fully healed now as well.” 

“Now that I find hard to believe.”

“Normally, we would agree. But now? Now thou has absorbed a quite large amount of magic. My magic.”

“Forgive me, Princess, but I don’t fully understand.”

Luna chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment thinking. Will found her face to be incredibly adorable, only suppressing any urge to ‘daww’ upon realizing the adorable pony was the ruler of a kingdom.

“Perhaps it would be best if we show thee.” Lighting her horn, an archway appeared in the dreamscape, a shimmering white light emanating from the empty space rippled like water. “Come now, follow close. We’re not certain that this will work, but it should if we are correct in our assumptions.” With that, Luna strode into the archway, disappearing within the rippling light.

Will grumbled to himself. “The last time I listened to you, I ended up in the second coma of my life… At least in a dream, I can’t die… Eh, fuck it.” As he touched the rippling white light of the dream gate, Will was sucked through. It was dark for only a moment, before he felt his feet hit solid ground. Luna stood before him, smiling knowingly, but what he was surrounded by took his breath away.

Surrounding the two dreamers, thousands upon thousands of orbs of light floated in the astral space. Upon closer inspection, Will saw that each light was like a window. Inside of one, he saw a filly playing with a large white bear, in wheat fields that were made of what looked like red licorice. Another showed a mare, Will recognized as one of the castle guards, was resting by a fire, a ghostly representation of a stallion laid next to her, holding the mare in his arms.

“Luna… What is this place?”

Luna chuckled at the human’s look of total awe and wonderment. “Congratulations, young William. Thou hast become the second creature to acquire the ability to dreamwalker.”

“Wait… I’m a what?”

“A dreamwalker, William. One of many things if the rest of our suspicions are correct.” Luna gestured to the world around them. “This is the dreamscape in its entirety. What thou sees when you dream is only a window into a small portion of the larger place. Each light is another pony’s dream. Normally, the common pony cannot see this place, for it requires too much magic and effort to reach this plane. However, if a pony is a lucid dreamer like ourselves, and have the proper magic, they can come here and enter any dream they wish. With enough practice, one dreamwalker can even alter the dreams of the pony he or she visits.”

“Like you did when we first met…”

“Precisely.”

“Wow,” Will said as he watched Luna flap her wings, lifting herself into the air. But, with that one flap, she seemed to float there in mid-air in a similar fashion to every depiction of a spacewalk in movies.

“Now, we believe there is someone who would benefit from knowing that thou art indeed alright.”

Will kicked off of the ground, joining Luna in the air. “Nick? How will we find his dream among all of these others?”

“Simply will the dream to come to thee,” Luna explained. “As a dreamwalker, thou has a more direct connection to the dreamscape. Thine influence can bend the world of dreams to your will.”

“Princess, how is all of this possible? I understand that I now have a piece of your magic in me now, but what will that mean.”

Luna hesitated for a moment. “We don’t truly know the full extent of what will happen to thee,” Luna said solemnly. Should she tell him everything? “With our alicorn magic integrating with thine body, any number of possibilities could become reality. Thou may continue to inherit my abilities, may live hundreds of lifetimes, or it is possible that none of those possible outcomes may come to fruition. Only time will tell.”

Will’s brow furrowed “Huh. It seems like there is a ‘but’ to go along with all of this.”

Luna cringed internally. If she said nothing, she would raise more suspicion, but there was a chance of William being able to see through a lie she could spin. Celestia was always much better at that.

“If we tell thee, thou must not lose thyself to your emotions. Remember, in the dreamscape, thine emotions are amplified and affect the dreamscape around you.”

“You know, the last thing a guy wants to hear when he is suspecting the worst is ‘hey, you’re not going to like what I have to say, but you can’t get mad.”’ Will’s were met with a flat stare from Luna. With a sigh, he prepared himself mentally with a few calming breaths. “Alright, hit me with the truth.”

Even with Will’s promise, Luna wasn’t sure if his words would hold water. “Well, thine body now has the facilities to store and create magic. As time passes, thou might find that thine body will become more reliant on the magic within it. For ponies, magic is about as vital as blood. Do thee see where this may become a problem?” Gaining only a shake of Will’s head, Luna sighed. “Thou said it thyself. Earth is a world without magic. If our magic filled the void in your body in such a rapid manner, imagine what will happen when thou returns home which is itself a magical void.”

Will blinked, breathing deep. Even while dreaming, he felt his heart tighten in his chest. With a long exhale, he closed his eyes. Even with his eyes closed, he could still feel the presence of all the dreams around him, but everything felt so much colder. And even with the princess right in front of him, Will felt so very alone.

He shoved those feelings aside for the moment, calling out to Nick in his mind. When Will reopened his eyes, he saw a dream floating there. Through the light, he saw Nick’s dream as a pony in military uniform was being stripped of her rank while Nick himself watched. Reaching out, Will paused the scene and dove inside.

Nick was looking around the courtyard. He had been watching all of his hard work come to fruition, and he was about to enjoy watching Sergeant Ironwood’s career crumble around her, all to his own design.

Hey, he’s not a supervillain if she deserves it, right?

Will stepped into the dream, fading in as he materialized. “Wow, somebody must’ve really pissed you off for you to be dreaming about something like this.”

“Huh? Dream? Wait a second, Will? How did you get here?”

“Luna showed me a few things,” Will said with a forced smile. One Nick saw through immediately, but he didn’t push the issue.

“So… we’re sharing a dream now?”

“More like I am paying a visit to yours. Would you mind if I made this a bit more comfortable?”

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about, but sure.”

With Nick’s permission, Will waved a hand. He knew the physical gesture wasn’t required since Luna never needed to do it. But making the physical motion helped Will visualize what he wanted. Soon the courtyard was replaced with an enclosed room with bookshelves lining the walls. Some tables appeared, and some wooden chairs around them. A coffee bar came into being along one wall. In one corner, two familiar club chairs appeared with a table and chessboard separating them.

“Woah, trippy,” Nick commented. “Looks just like back home.” He took a seat in one of the club chairs. This was a coffee shop and book store where Nick and Will would frequent. They liked to play a game of chess and talk while sipping strong coffee and warm hot chocolate respectively.

“Just wanted to let you know I’m alive, you know? You have a lot of time to think while in a coma, and not all of those thoughts are… healthy.” Will took his seat, holding his head in his hands.

“Well, I can’t say that you’re alone in that. Celestia tried keeping you a secret from me. Hell, I still have no idea where your body is.” Nick placed a comforting hand on Will’s shoulder. “I was furious with her, but she told me a few things. But it is good to know that you’re still alive and kicking.”

Will chuckled, but the sigh made all traces of a smile disappear. Lowering a hand, Will looked to Nick.

“Hey, question.”

“Shoot.”

“...What if we don’t get to go home…” Will felt his chest tighten as the words left his mouth like he hadn’t felt the weight of their meanings until they left his mouth.

Nick froze. This was dangerous territory. He could see the tears beginning to form in Will’s eyes. “Luna told you, didn’t she. Celestia did warn me about the possibility. Especially with you.”

“Yeah, she did.” Will choked on his words for a moment. “I already miss them. My mom, my dad, Vincent, Jeremy… I want to go back home so badly it hurts.” Tears began rolling down Will’s cheeks. “I miss the house. I miss the small downtown shops. The bike rides... the neighborhood. The trees. The grass. Everything we had… gone.”

“Hey… Will, take a breath. Even if we don’t go home, Luna saved your life. Isn’t that worth something?”

Will’s shoulders slumped. “I’m not sure if it’s even worth it. Living with the pain of wanting something I can’t have. Something I’ve lost… I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Hey! Don’t you dare go there.” Nick’s sharp words caused Will to jerk, meeting his friend’s eyes. “Your life is worth more than that. Sure it’ll suck for a while, but where is that optimistic Will I know?”

Will turned away. Nick kept talking, and he knew Will was still listening.

“C'mon, pick that chin up. I know you! Even if we can’t go home, we can make a new home here.”

“But how can we do that if we are never able to leave the castle? We’ve been kept like caged animals. The only ponies I have really interacted with are Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, Clover, and Mending. They’ve been kind so far, but I know not all ponies will accept us.” Nick’s mind immediately went to Ironwood, but Will continued. “We’re not like them. To them, we are outsiders. We are dangerous! In this world, we are aliens.”

Nick stood up, moving in front of Will so that the two friends had no choice but to look into each other’s eyes. Nick reached a hand down to Will.

“Well then, why don’t we prove them wrong?” Nick smiled. “Besides, remember what you told me when we took a drive to Manchester? When we were talking about what we wanted to do most in life, and what we wanted to leave behind.’

Will paused for a moment, a small smile appearing on his lips. “Heh, I forget the exact words, but I think it was something like: ‘I wanna make people smile, whether it was through my artwork or my music.’” Will took Nick’s hand and used it to stand. “Even so, nowadays I think I’m mainly known for sleeping for weeks at a time

Nick shook his head as he laughed. “I know you don’t believe it, but you do have a knack for brightening other people’s days.”

“And here I thought my talent was being weird,” Will chuckled.

“Well, normal is boring.”

“Here here!” Will shouted, raising his fist like he was toasting with a tankard.

In a corner of the dreamscape, Luna watched and listened. She knew that Will hadn’t seen her. After the first time, she knew to make sure she wasn’t seen by Will. 

She had heard every word, and her heart ached for Will. A scarred, emotional wound opening at the reveals of such loss. Her eyes held no pity, but instead shimmered in a distraught empathy. Looking to Will, she felt a connection with the strange human apart from the magic he now shared with her. 

‘William,’ Luna thought to herself. ‘I understand your pain. I will not allow you to suffer as I did.’

Now, with this new insight, Luna realized how similar the human was to herself. He too had lost all he loved and thrust into unfamiliar lands with no understanding of how this new environment functions. And, like Celestia was to Luna, Nick was acting as William’s emotional anchor.

Luna left the dream, waiting for William to leave as well. Plans began forming in her mind as she waited.
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌IV




(One week later)


Celestia sat within her office in the high tower above the Everfree castle, once again surrounded by her bookshelves and the desk that was currently neatly arranged with unread reports, requests and notices on her left, and acknowledged documents on her right.

Feeling the cold chill of the stormy evening outside of her tower window, Celestia was comforted by the warm orange light of a nearby candle burning brightly. Sure magical light was more effective and efficient, but a candle was welcomingly natural; a tiny flame that flickered playfully as it’s wax burned lower. Both were magical in some regard, the difference being that the magic of a burning candle was alive and free, while magical light was contained and controlled.

Her focus set to her work, Celestia’s eyes scanned the document currently in front of her. ‘Seriously? Somepony wishes to extend the day so their crops would grow better? Even plants need their rest.’ With flowing hornwriting, Celestia wrote ‘denied’ across the page before placing the quill into its inkpot.

Celestia turned to the next document in waiting when she heard a knock at her door. Knowing only a few ponies were allowed to access her study, she lit her horn, opened the door with magic.

“We see thou art busy with work, sister. Is this a bad time?”

Celestia turned from her desk, looking to Luna with full attention. “Oh Luna, please, papers can wait. Of course I have a moment.” Standing from her spot at her desk, Celestia hugged her sister briefly. “You hardly ever come up here. Why now?”

“We wish to inform you that we have taken an interest in the well-being of young William personally. We wish to aid him in his recovery and possibly integrate him into pony society.”

Celestia blinked. “What? Luna, I don’t think our subjects are quite ready for that. What do you think the reaction to them will be? Our subjects have been through turmoil in recent years, and you want to introduce something new now? Ponies don’t like change.”

Celestia stilled her tongue as Luna lifted a hoof. “We understand, but the Elements have spoken. William is woven into the fates of this world now, whether we want it or not. Right now, young William doesn’t trust us. He sees us as his captors rather than his saviors. He does not need a warden. What William needs is a guide.”

Hearing such sage words coming from her sister, Celestia was struck with a sudden thought. ‘Had Luna always been like this? I’m her sister, how couldn’t I have noticed? Perhaps Luna could handle more responsibility now. She had never been this independent before, so something must have changed. Luna hadn’t been like this until…’

“There is more to it, isn’t there?” Celestia questioned softly. “You care for William. Why?”

Luna’s brave shell cracked slightly. “We- I do. He just…” Luna got her thoughts together as Celestia gave her the moment to pause and catch her breath. “He realized he may never return home. He is going to lose everything just like we did when that monster-” Luna choked on her words for a moment. “When that monster destroyed everything.”

Luna felt Celestia’s wings wrap around her. That feeling alone was enough to trigger the flood of painful memories that reduced the lunar princess to tears. Sobbing in her sister’s white feathery embrace made Luna feel small. Once again second to her sister. But, she felt safe.

Celestia nuzzled her younger sister. Even though they had both lived two lifetimes, Luna was still her little Lulu in some regard. “I understand. I miss them too.” Tears formed in Celestia’s eyes, but she held her resolve. “You know what, I think you’re right.”

Luna held back another sob, resting against her sister’s barrel and let herself calm down. Luna spoke with a shaky breath. “I don’t want him to suffer the same way we did.”

“He will suffer no matter what we do. He will mourn. He will be distraught. But, there is one thing we can do.”

“What?”

“I think young William needs someone else to lean on. Nicholas may have served as his support well enough so far, but Nick will need to come to terms with this as well.”

“But he can still return home.”

“Something tells me he will be stubborn in his wishes to bring William with him. Nicholas nearly died bringing William to us. I have a hard time believing he will return home without his friend.”

“But, sister,” Luna said, pulling out of Celestia’s wing-hug. “Nicholas will need the same support, right?”

“Agreed. Then we shall both be busy,” Celestia smiled. One which Luna returned softly.

“I’m sorry I interrupted your work, Tia. I’ll take my leave now. I have the night to tend to.”

“Never be sorry for something like that Lu.” Celestia watched as the door to her study closed behind Luna. With a sigh, Celestia returned to her desk, the emotional stress fading in from the back of her mind. ‘Perhaps we will all benefit from having an outsider’s comfort.’ Looking to the warm light of the still flickering candle, Celestia blew sharply, extinguishing it.




-~xXXXx~-



Nick watched over the training yard from atop one of the balconies. Once again, the guards trained in the morning light. He entertained the idea of joining Squad Ironwood again. Even though the ponies in the squad were warming up to him after a week of training sessions together, Ironwood herself still despised him. And as fun as it was to go and demolish the challenging routines he was being put through, the alienation was starting to get to him. ‘Maybe Will was right. These ponies don’t like us at all.’ The thought took a little wind out of his sails.

Nick stretched slightly. He felt great. Sleeping during a thunderstorm always did wonders for his sleep schedule.

“Bit for your thoughts.” Nick whirled around as Captain Hurricane landed beside him. He wasn’t expecting to see the Captain here. He had been training for about a week now, and Nick never saw the captain oversee her guard’s training.

“Captain, sorry, just lost in thought.” Nick would’ve saluted, but he reminded himself of Ironwood’s words. ‘You’ll never be as good as any of my squad. You aren’t one of us.’

“Already figured that. Now. Answer the question.”

Nick sighed. “It’s nothing.”

“Well I know that is a load of shit. So spill it.” Hurricane’s commanding tone reminded Nick of his time spent in JROTC back in high school.

“Are you aware that I have been training with a squad of your guards?”

“Lieutenant Storm said as much. Squad Ironwood too, if I’m not mistaken. The sergeant hasn’t shut her muzzle since you started showing up, complaining that the ‘princess’s pet monkey’ is being allowed to train alongside her trainees.” Nick smirked slightly upon hearing that he has been such a thorn in the grumpy mare’s side, but Hurricane continued. “She even sent requests to have you banned from the training grounds. She used claims of everything from disobedience, safety concerns, and a conflict between you and other trainees to try and kick you out.”

“Then why hasn’t it happened?” Nick asked.

“I tore up the reports as soon as they hit my desk.”

Nick was taken aback by that. “Why though?”

Hurricane spat on the ground beside them with a grimace. “Because that mare needs to be taken down a few notches. All of the control she has is going to her head, and you are messing with her ego. She hasn’t even been here for a year, and she has already been making a mockery of what the guard is supposed to be. The only reason she sits where she is now is because Lieutenant Storm gave her the position on a silver platter.”

“He didn’t consult you first? You are the captain, so shouldn’t you have been notified?”

“Oh, that bastard should have. Chewed his flank out for that one. Can’t get rid of him though, he’s a good lieutenant, and those are in short supply these days.” Hurricane uncharacteristically paused, contemplating her words for a moment. “Storm likes you, by the way. He finds you amusing.”

“Forgive me for not finding that ‘I am a circus animal to entertain the masses’ all that amusing.”

“Better than getting on his bad side.”

“Regardless, if Ironwood is such a problem, then why don’t you just cut her from your ranks?”

Hurricane chuckled slightly. “Nicholas, as much of a fan I am of brute force, I’ll enjoy watching that mare squirm. No, this matter requires more subtlety.”

“And that plan requires me?”

“You know it.”

“You’re putting a lot of faith in an alien you barely know.”

“Ha! From what I’ve seen, you’re a good stallion-”

“Man,” Nick corrected.

Hurricane paused, slightly irritated by that, but let it slide. “You’re a good man. Loyal and stubborn, almost to a fault. Plus, I see that conniving twinkle in your eye. You want a shot at Ironwood just as much as I want you to.”

“You’re not wrong,” Nick admitted.

Jumping from the ground, Hurricane was now hovering at eye-level with Nick, a hoof on his shoulder. “Then I got a plan. I’ll tell you later, but for now, Princess Celestia sent for you. The maid she sent was too slow, so I figured I’d get here faster. She mentioned tea on the garden balcony.”

“Then I know where I’ll be needed. I’ll be off then, if I am dismissed that is, Captain.”

Hurricane nodded. “Don’t keep the princess waiting.” With that, the captain took off over the training field, and Nick turned back into the castle to meet with Celestia for tea.

Making his way through Castle Everfree, Nick easily found his way to the balcony, where Celestia sat on a cushion beside a table holding the usual tea set, and a familiar black and white marble checkered board. 

Nick marveled at the sight for a moment. Once again he was struck with the fact that he was in the presence of royalty. Celestia’s white coat gleamed in the morning sun, making her seemingly glow a warm yellow. Her pink mane cascaded down her neck like flowing water, the gold of her crown shined bright resting on top of her head behind her horn.

Straightening his back, Nick strode out onto the balcony.

“Princess, you wanted to see me?”

Celestia smiled at Nick as the human sat. “Nicholas, thank you for joining me. And please, there is no need for titles for the moment.” Celestia levitated the tea kettle, pouring ample amounts of the liquids in each cup. “How has your week been? The captain tells me you have been exercising with the guard.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t ask you first. They are your guard, I didn’t mean any offense if it seemed that way.”

“Oh, hardly. From what Ms. Hurricane told me, you are doing very well. Were you in a military where you come from?”

Nick chuckled softly. “No, nothing like that, I just like staying in shape. Back home we have whole facilities filled with weights and other exercise equipment. I used to be part of an… education program similar to military training, but that’s it. I did some martial arts when I was younger, but that’s about it.” Nick took a sip of the ambrosia in his cup and shivered at the delectable taste. “Princess, if you don’t mind me asking. How has your week been? I’m sure ruling a kingdom must be quite interesting.”

“It has it’s high and low points, I assure you. Mostly holding court and paperwork, mixed in with various meetings with my staff. There is not much of interest.”

“I suppose you get used to it over time, huh?”

“Indeed.” Celestia turned, horn glowing. “Now, I do have something I wanted to show you. Young William helped with this, and Luna aided with the construction. I must say I am quite fascinated.” From beside Celestia’s chair, a wooden box no larger than a decent novel levitated its way onto the table. Nudging it towards Nick, Celestia motioned for him to open it.

Lifting the lid, Nick gasped. Within sat two rows of marble figurines, a white and black set respectively. Nick understood why the chessboard was here now. The chess pieces were immaculately crafted, and Nick lifted up the white king and felt the weight of the carved stone in his hand. These were probably the nicest chess pieces Nick had ever seen.

“I was told that you and young William play this ‘chess’ game. From what I hear, it seems quite intriguing. I would like you to teach me how to play.”

Nick’s lips stretched into a wide smile, beaming at the alicorn next to him. “Celestia, it would be my honor.” He took another sip of the tea as he pulled the pieces out of the box. “You know, this tea would go great with a nice piece of carrot cake.”

Celestia blinked. “Oh, is this ‘cake’ a food from your home?”

“Wait a second, You’ve never had cake?” Nick gasped.

When his question was answered with the shake of her head, Nick’s jaw hit the floor. ‘Oh, I’m going to have to fix that!’
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌V




“My lord, are you feeling well?”

Looking out upon the frigid tundra, Sombra didn’t turn to his subordinate. In the dim light that made it through the cloud layer, Sombra’s grey coat and knotted black mane long blended in with the bleak greyscale of the landscape. However, the red irises of his eyes seemed to glow with some internal power. 

“You dare interrupt?”

“I- I’m sorry my lord,” an olive coated unicorn stuttered, bowing his head to the huge unicorn stallion, Sombra being twice the young unicorn’s size. “It’s just that you have been staring out there for such a long time.”

With a huff, Sombra never looked away from the distance, where the distant mountains disappeared into the thick grey clouds. “See to it that it doesn’t happen again. I’d hate to see you go out into the tundra with nullstone around your horn. I’d give you… fifteen minutes until you froze to death. Now, leave me.”

The sound of the clopping of galloping hooves fleeing quickly told Sombra he was alone. At least until he heard another set of hooves approaching from behind. These were calmer and came in a particular rhythm unique to one pony in particular.

“Tell me, Sidian, what news do you bring from the Everfree. I hope that it is good, I have been feeling rather frustrated as of late.”

From the shadow of the black crystal caves, a cloaked unicorn emerged onto the cliff and stood next to Lord Sombra, neither pony looking at the other. Sidian’s black coat made him look like a shadow within the cloak itself, the only distinguishing features being his yellowish-green eyes. A black horn within the hood caused the hood of the cloak to look similar to a pitched tent.

“I’m afraid I bring bad news along with the good.”

“Then out with it.”

“It seems as if Ms. Steelwill is getting a bit hotheaded again. Her actions have aroused some suspicion among the guards of Everfree castle, specifically the Captain. I fear that if not dealt with soon, Steel will reveal herself.”

Sombra grumbled in irritation. “What is the cause.”

“See, now this is where our situation becomes interesting. It seems the source of her ire is a strange alien creature we have never seen before.” As Sidian spoke, a thin grin stretched across his muzzle, his white teeth appearing in a thin line between his lips.

“Hmm, go on.”

“The creature call’s himself Nicholas and seems to have gained the favor of both of the royal sisters. He has integrated himself into the guard, specifically in Steel’s squad.”

“So, her tribalism is getting the best of her, I see.” Sombra chuckled darkly. Steelwill had always shown her hatred for other pony races, but up until now, she always held her anger to maintain her cover. Apparently, this alien was bringing that out of her once again. “This does pose a problem.”

“Yes, yes it does.” Sidian audibly sucked on his cheek as he snarled. “Regardless, there is a bit of a development with this crystal tree underneath the castle.” Sombra’s ears perked up as Sidian continued. “There happens to be two of these aliens, and the second one seems to have some sort of bond with this tree, and it’s fruits the princesses call the Elements of Harmony.”

“Do you have any knowledge of what this tree is capable of?”

While Sidian’s darky amused tone that always tinted his voice, he hummed in brief thought. “It seems as if the tree has some magical healing properties. I have yet to study it at any length as it is frequented by the princess’s high mage. I could remove her, but that would raise too much suspicion. Her notes would be invaluable.”

For the first time, Sombra looked to his cloaked lieutenant. “And neither you or Steelwill are capable of stealing them? If so, I can always find a more… capable pony for the job.”

“Oh, there is no need for that. It’s just this Clover mare is about as paranoid of her research as that old greybeard Starswirl. However, I was able to do some research of my own with the limited time I have had with this Tree of Harmony. As the name implies, it is a very large source of harmonious magic. It is probably why the tainted Everfree cannot spread within its influence.”

Sombra’s brow furrowed. “You understand that such a source of harmonious magic poses a threat to any assault I bring to bear against them?”

“Honestly, my lord. I fail to see why such a small kingdom is worth your time.” Sidian chuckled. “They are brittle. In a few month’s time, you could easily take the capital by yourself.”

“You underestimate them too much,” Sombra said darkly, returning his gaze to the snowy horizon. “They hold the powers of Selene and Solaris within them. If I am to take what is rightfully mine, they must be brought to their knees.”

“And how do you plan to do this, my lord?”

Sombra turned, motioning for Sidian to follow behind as they reentered the black crystal cave. Lighting his horn, Sombra seemed to phase through a wall in the cave, entering a chamber deep within the earth that Sidian had never seen before. Tools and notes littered tables strewn about the well-lit workroom. Sombra went to one table in particular where an object was covered with a cloth. As the cloth was removed, Sidian got a good look at the strangest helmet he had ever seen. 

The metal would encase the entire head of a pony, locking around the neck so it couldn’t be removed easily. A diamond-shaped space in the base of the neck laid empty, awaiting some sort of crystal to be placed within it, Sidian guessed. However, the small eye slits baffled Sidian. How was anypony going to be able to see out of it?

“It is nearly complete,” Sombra said simply. “Once my research is finished, I will be able to destroy nations under my army’s hooves. All shall bow to me. Not even those alicorn princesses will be able to stand against me. Soon, the power of the night shall be mine. They will know me as King. King Sombra, the Conqueror. The Black King. The Corruptor. Fear will taint their hearts, and I will be unopposed.” As Sobra turned, Sidian followed his gaze, and his malicious grin widened at the sight of a massive pair of black metal doors.




-~xXXXx~-



Will awoke with a groan, his eyes blinking blearily. His whole body felt sore as if he was beaten and bruised to a pulp. Shifting in place, he stretched his muscles and was shocked when he wasn’t met with the stabbing pain from his leg that was present weeks before.

Sitting up, Will groaned and looked around. He wasn’t in his room within the basement, but a much nicer bedroom, on a bed with the proportions of a queen, but was sized more like a twin in comparison to the human. There were two fairly large windows looking down upon the city below where Will saw a myriad of colored ponies going about their day beyond the walls. Looking out further, the Everfree forest was tinted orange by the setting sun. Wait… Setting?

“Eep!” A squeak startled Will, causing him to spin around to look at the door to the room, where a mare with a mop and bucket jumped in surprise. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were awake.”

Will, feeling guilty for startling the mare, relaxed and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle.”

Still tense, the pegasus mare stayed in the doorway. She had a light grey coat with an ivory mane tied in a high bun. The mark on her flank looked like a large bubble. It was a cute tattoo, Will had to admit. However, he had thought those tattoos were reserved for the princesses only. Maybe all ponies had them, but he had never noticed since most of the ponies he’d met were guards or castle staff. Aside from the princesses, Will hadn’t seen many unclothed ponies. He blushed slightly as the realization that he was essentially looking at a sapient naked horse.

“I su- suppose I should find the princess… She should be-” the maid was interrupted as a voice came from the hallway

“No need, we were aware of William’s awakening. You are dismissed.” The maid all but bolted from the room, a stark reminder for Will that he was the scary monster in the room. He masked his pain behind a smile as Luna entered. 

“Your highness,” Will said, bowing from his upright position on the bed.

Luna dismissively waved a hoof, stepping into the room. “When we felt thine presence leave the dream realm, we knew thou were awakening. We have already sent for Nicholas.”

“Thank you, Princess. By the way, what time is it?”

“Just about… an hour before my sister and I bring forth the night,” Luna said squinting out the windows at the setting sun.

“That late? Damn, I hope I didn’t miss dinner,” Will said, followed by a loud rumble from his stomach. 

“Fret not. The chefs do have a night shift for the night guard and myself.”

“Thank god, I’m starved.” Throwing his legs over the side, he found himself dressed in simple trousers, but these were not the pants he was wearing when he first arrived. Luna saw Will’s quirked eyebrow.

“We may have taken it upon ourselves to have a seamstress make thine new garments. The ones thou wore before were not of acceptable quality.”

Will tugged at the black material of the pants. They felt like wool, but did ponies sheer sheep to make the material? Then again, he guessed it could be possible that there were sapient sheep in this crazy land of talking magical animals. Maybe they sell their own sheered wool. A windchime jingle and a light blue aura from Luna’s horn captured Will’s attention as a matching tunic floated through the air towards him. The stitching was exquisite, with silver intricate designs that played over the surface. ‘Very fancy,’ Will thought.

“Princess, how did you even get my measurements. Heck, I walk on two legs, so adapting clothing for me couldn’t have been easy.”

“Nicholas allowed us to study the stitching on the clothing that thou had arrived in. It was a simple matter of measurements, according to the seamstress.”

Will shrugged, donning the tunic, reveling in the fact that it had fit perfectly. “Awesome.” Groaning as he stood up, Will stretched his muscles and picked up his glasses, blinking in surprise when he realized that the cracked lens was fixed. “I take it you had my glasses repaired too?”

“We actually did it ourselves. Repair magic is relatively simple with practice.”

Will was about to thank the princess, as a familiar head of red hair peered around the open doorframe, wearing equally fancy garments.

“Hey! Look who’s risen from the dead a second time,” Nick said, smiling. “Don’t go doing that again, or you might not make it back next time.”

“‘William Thorne, the boy who lived,’” Will joked. “Next thing you know I’ll have some sort of scar on my forehead and I’ll start slinging spells.”

Nick chuckled. “From what I’ve heard, that second one might not be far off. First though, dinner is being served downstairs, and Princess Celestia invited us to eat with her.” Luna nodded in affirmation, a knowing smile on her lips. Will thought he should be worried about that smile as Princess Luna lead the two humans down two flights of stairs to the dining hall. As they reached the door, Luna motioned for Nick and Will to wait with the guards stationed outside for a moment. Luna entered, leaving the door slightly ajar, letting Nick and Will hear the myriad of voices on the other side quieted as Luna’s hoofsteps went deeper into the dining hall. The two humans looked at each other nervously as they realize that this wasn’t the private dining hall they were used to.

The two guards moved to flank Nick and Will, one turning to look at the pair of humans. “Act natural you two. There will be many questions directed to you. Just answer however you wish, but try and remain respectful.”

Nick was about to ask about that comment when he heard Celestia’s voice from the dining hall and the words died in his throat.

“Mares and gentlecolts,” Celestia began. “We welcome you to this fine banquet as we introduce two honored guests to our fine kingdom. From what I hear, there have been rumors surrounding tonight’s guests. I wish to disperse any negative notions you may have. Know that our guests have the respect of myself, Princess Luna, High Mage Clover the Clever, and Guard Captain Hurricane.”

As Celestia paused, Will swallowed nervously. He was woefully unprepared for what must be on the other side of this door. Trying to straighten himself out, combing his hair back with his fingers, Will began putting on a brave face. 

Nick simply recognized what he was walking into, and his posture stiffened with confidence. How Nick could do that, Will didn’t know. Even a performer like Will had moments of stage fright, and right now, he was hoping his improv skills would be enough.

Celestia cleared her throat. “Without further delay. As the princess of the sun, I would like to bring forth Nicholas Winters and William Thorne, representatives of the human race.”

The guards pushed the doors wide, and Nick and Will were bombarded by the stares of bafflement, fear, eagerness, and curiosity of the ponies that filled the dining hall. There was polite applause that rippled through the crowd, but not everypony was clapping. Flanked by the two guards, Nick and Will entered and were guided to the elevated table where the princesses, Hurricane, and Clover sat. Two chairs sat next to each other with each flanking one of the princesses themselves. Nick sat between Hurricane and Celestia, while Will sat between Luna and Clover.

The crowd erupted in frantic speech and hushed whispers, and Nick and Will had only one thought. 

‘Why couldn’t they have been at least told about this so they could prepare.’
> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌VI




Sitting with the Princesses during a royal banquet should’ve felt like an honor. For Will though, he felt like a zoo animal on display for the masses.

Each of the ponies sitting at the four long tables that stretched through the dining hall stared, gawking at the strange alien creatures sitting next to their rulers. In some regard, the room looked kinda like the sorting hat scene from Harry Potter, minus the floating candles. There were even banners displaying the sun and moon hanging from the rafters above, flowing slightly in the breeze. The scent of roasted vegetables wafted from beyond the kitchen doors while the muffled murmurs of the crowd hadn’t died down since Will and Nick took their seats. 

“Well, this is sudden,” Nick whispered to Celestia. “How long have you been planning this?” Will barely was able to hear Nick from where he sat with two alicorns between the two of them.

“We sent the invitations a week ago. Luna gave me the idea. Most of the ponies here are relatively well-known business ponies. Of course, there are a few farmers and commoners as well, but they are very influential in their communities.” Celestia pointed with her white hoof to a well-built earth pony mare sat at the middle-left table with her back turned toward the royal table. “For example, Ms. Oakhammer is one of the most gifted blacksmiths Equestria has ever seen. Her and her apprentice make nearly all of our guard’s weaponry and armor.”

“And she does mighty fine work,” Captain Hurricane added.

Will looked between his two table neighbors. He hadn’t known Clover nearly long enough to make any sort of meaningful connection with her. Aside from a comforting hug, that is. He looked to Princess Luna who sat to his right. 

“Was all of this necessary?” Will asked. “What is this even for anyways?”

Luna leaned down to whisper directly to Will, probably to keep Celestia from overhearing. “We may or may not have noticed that thou were not happy being stuck to the confines of the castle, and we may have brought this to our sister’s attention.”

“Would’ve like to have known that there was a dinner being held where I was going to have to speak.”

Luna sighed. “Yes, our sister tends to be a bit… spontaneous at times. Which leads to her forgetting to tell those her plans affect the most.”

Celestia shifted on her cushion. “Shall we get started then?” Celestia asked.

“I believe thou has made the ponies wait long enough.” Luna nodded. Clover gave Will an encouraging smile.

“You shouldn’t worry too much. This shouldn’t be too bad.”

Will nodded, pushing back from the table and giving a short whistle that got Nick’s attention. Nick gave a thumbs up that Will saw peek from behind Celestia giving Will a wink.

Celestia stood, rising tall above the table as she flared her wings wide. At the display, the tables quieted down over a minute as more and more ponies paid their full attention to their solar princess.

“Now, before the banquet begins, I’m sure you all are eager to ask your questions. I request that a queue be formed through the middle aisle. We will attempt to answer as many as possible before dinner is served.”

Will swore internally. Why couldn’t they have eaten before all this?

With little decorum, nearly everypony got up from their tables, flocking to make a line through the center of the dining hall. With a whistle from Captain Hurricane, a guard approached, that listened intently as he received orders from the captain. In but a moment, he approached the part of the line that reached the end of the middle aisle and stood in the line. He began turning ponies away, keeping the line at a reasonable level. However, that still left almost 50 ponies.

When the stragglers took their seats, Celestia sat back down while folding her wings back to her sides. “Will the first petitioner step forward?”

The hall went silent as a unicorn stallion stepped forward, bowing, then standing before the royal table. His bespectacled face and skinny features suggested he was some sort of scholar. He spoke with a slight rasp to his voice. “Scrawl, head of the Equestrian Scribe’s Guild. Forgive me your highnesses, but it appeared that you were conversing with these creatures. Have you discovered a new species capable of speech?”

Celestia, instead of answering motioned to the two humans at the table.

Will could feel the tension in his body build up. His hands started shaking. He wasn’t ready for any of this. Nick was pretty quick on the draw. He cleared his throat, getting the stallion’s attention.

“Excuse me, we are completely capable of common speech. It is great to make your acquaintance. My name is Nicholas, my friend is William. We will be happy to answer your questions to the best of our ability.”

Shocked mumbles shot through the crowd, but Scrawl excitedly drew a scroll of parchment and a quill that quickly began writing in Scrawl’s telekinetic grasp. “Fascinating! This is simply incredible. Where do you hail from? What foods does your kind eat?”

Luna’s hoof struck the table with a loud ‘thunk’ quieting the scribe before he began rambling and caused the dining hall to go silent once again.

“We believe there are other ponies wishing to speak, scribe. Please, think of them as you return to your seat.”

“Of course your highness, forgive me,” Scrawl huffed. “Perhaps you shall permit me to continue to take my notes while I listen?” 

At that, Luna gave a curt nod. “That seems acceptable.”

“Thank you, your highness.” 

And with that, the questions continued in rapid succession: ‘How did you get here? Why are we only hearing of your kind now? How long have you been here?’ Each one was met with a quick and simple answer from Nick. 

It was after about 20 of those questions that a purple coated unicorn mare with a short-cut blue mane stepped forward followed closely by a much younger pony of similar colors. The older mare bowed, and the younger mimicked as best she could before looking up at the royal table with the biggest golden eyes Will had ever seen. Before the mare could introduce herself, Clover spoke up from Will’s left.

“Amethyst, it is so good to see you. And Jewel, this is a pleasant surprise. Are you giving your mother a hard time?” Clover smiled good-naturedly.

“Nope!” Jewel squeaked in an incredibly high pitched voice. Will clutched his heart as it seemed to seize.

“So adorable,” Will whispered.

Celestia smiled down at the young filly. “I’m glad you decided to attend, Amethyst. I know that you have been rather busy as of late.”

“Oh, everything is going much better now. Jewel’s magic practice has been going along wonderfully. Thank you for that, High Mage Clover.” Amethyst’s kind words caused Clover to blush slightly. “Regardless, Jewel has a question she wanted to ask.”

Suddenly shy, the young filly stepped forward with ears pulled tight to her head, and when she spoke it was more of a mumble than anything coherent.

“Jewel, you have to speak up honey,” Amethyst encouraged.

“Do you have a…” Jewel stage whispered.

Pushing his chair back, Will began standing up, towering a head above Celestia while she remained seated. Amethyst’s ears folded to match her daughters at the sheer size of the unfamiliar creature.

“May I?” Will asked with a small smile on his face. Amethyst looked to Celestia, a near panicked look in her eyes. Celestia simply nodded, which Amethyst mirrored to Will a moment later. The human stepped around the table and descended to the floor below. Jewel looked up at the huge alien and froze completely. 

When he was a few feet away, Will sat cross-legged on the floor, and Amethyst visibly relaxed. Looking at the alien in the eye was easier when he was so much lower to the ground. Will could’ve sworn that he heard the outcry of some distraught seamstress at the thought of such fabrics being dirtied by stone floors, even though said floors were polished marble tiles. He couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Hi. I’m sorry if I’m kinda spooky. I get it, I’m weird, and I’m certainly no pony.” Will stuck out a hand with his palm up. Amethyst eyed his hand with confusion, but her ears perked up in interest.

“It’s a... customary greeting where we come from.” Will peeked at Nick, who returned the glance with a small thumbs up.

“It’s called a handshake. Just place your hoof in my hand.” Tentatively, Amethyst did as Will asked. Gentle but firm, Will gripped the hoof, and moved his hand up and down. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I’m William, but please call me Will.”

Amethyst smiled. “Amethyst and the pleasure is mine.” Will turned his attention to Jewel who was still looking up at him with wide eyes and a slacked jaw.

“And you must be Jewel. I really like your mane.” There was a certain sweetness to Will’s baritone voice that came with his experience with younger kids back on Earth.

That seemed to bring the filly out of her shocked state as Jewel smiled wide and played with her pinkish braided hair. “Thanks! Momma did it for me.”

“Your momma must be very good with hair. Now, did you have a question for me?”

“Oh yeah!” The squeaky voice-crack nearly made Will faint from exposure to sheer cuteness. “Do you have a cutie mark?”

Will blinked. “I’m sorry, could you say that again?”

“I just wanted to know what your cutie mark was. Everypony has one! Momma’s is a pretty purple gem, Daddy’s is a pickaxe, but I haven’t gotten mine yet. They say I’m not old enough.”

“I have no idea what a cutie mark is,” Will shook his head

A shocked gasp erupted from the crowd, especially from the young filly, prompting Nick to speak up.

“If I may, we come from a place without any magic whatsoever. So if this ‘cutie mark’ has anything to do with magic, we will not have much knowledge of it. I have done my best to learn as much as I could in the short time I was here, and all I know of magic I have acquired since we arrived.”

“We can discuss this at a later date.,” Celestia said. “Jewel, do you have another question you would like to ask?” A couple of ponies left in line groaned as so much of their time was being taken up by a little filly.

“Hmmm,” Jewel thought hard looking at Will before gazing at his folded legs. “What is it like being so tall?”

A mischievous smile crossed Will’s face. “Well, if it is okay with your mother, I could show you. Amethyst, I swear I’ll be careful.”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Amethyst looked down as the filly in question tugged on her mother’s foreleg with a pleading expression. “Fine. Please, be careful?”

“Of course,” Will responded. “Jewel, can I pick you up?” 

Jewel nodded vigorously. The little filly practically vibrated with excitement when the proportionally large hands of the human lifted her off the ground.

“Jewel, hold onto my head with your hooves, okay?”

The little filly squeed as her rear legs rested on either side of the giant’s neck. “Okay!”

With Will now confident his passenger was secure atop his shoulders, he began to stand up. “Woah!” Jewel exclaimed as Will pitched forward slightly. Raising himself to his full height, he couldn’t help but chuckle as the little filly began giggling uncontrollably. “Momma, you look so small from up here!”

Amethyst chuckled at the sight of her daughter riding a massive alien creature. Or was it more like said creature was wearing her filly as a hat? She couldn’t tell. Some other ponies began laughing themselves as they watched the antics of the filly as Jewel just looked around in wonderment at the novelty of being near twice the height of the tallest stallion in the room. Even Celestia and Luna began giggling to themselves. Nick and Hurricane simply wore amused smiles.

“Well, I believe we have made these ponies wait long enough,” Celestia called to Will. “Amethyst, you and Jewel are invited to eat with us here at the royal table. Silver Platter,” Celestia addressed a maid standing close by. “Could you please bring two more cushions for these two.”

The maid bowed politely. “Of course, your highness.”

With two cushions brought to the royal table, Will and his rider made their way to the table with Amethyst following close, smiling at seeing her filly still laughing atop the human. When Will sat down, he set Jewel down on the ground next to him. 

Amethyst insisted on taking the cushion next to the human, and Will couldn’t argue with that. Even if the tension he saw in the mare had lessened somewhat, he was still a stranger and she had to protect her daughter.

The questions continued, but the murmuring ceased completely, the anxiety of the ponies settling greatly. In no time, dinner was served and voices of merriment and laughter rumbled throughout the hall. 

Jewel and Amethyst kept asking Will questions as they ate, smiles plastered on their muzzles. With everypony having a great time, the only two disappointed parties were the two humans in the room, who still haven’t seen any meat in the past month of being stuck in a complete herbivore society.
> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌VII




“You don’t think I was… too immature, do you?” Will asked, wringing his wrists. The banquet ended about an hour ago as Will walked with Nick back to his room. Nick had already been awake most of the day and was yawning almost constantly. Will, on the other hand, was still wide awake. Honestly, he should’ve expected that all of this time in a coma to wreak havoc on his sleep cycle.

Nick shook his head. “Naw. You saw how tense those ponies were. I think it set most of them at ease. All in all, I think that was as good of a success we could’ve hoped for.”

Interrupting their conversation, both of their stomachs rumbled causing Will to hold his stomach in discomfort. “I just wish they served some sort of meat. I know that they are herbivores, but I don’t know how much longer I can deal with this. I mean, I have never been skinnier in my life, but I don’t think this is the healthy kind of weight loss.” For emphasis, Will lifted his shirt, where his ribs showed faintly under his skin.

“I get what you mean,” Nick sighed. “All of this working out with the guards has been a great distraction, but without much protein, I can’t build any real amount of muscle.”

“Why don’t we just asked the princesses? I’m sure they’d understand.”

“I just don’t think that a society of ponies would be very thrilled with two aliens that ate other living creatures living in the same town as they did, not to mention we are staying in their fucking castle.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

As the two friends reached Nick’s door, Will realized that Nick had also been moved to a much nicer room in the same hall that he was staying.

With a quick fist bump, Will gave Nick a wave. “Well, goodnight man. I think I’m going to take a bit of a walk. See you tomorrow.” Nick gave a thumbs up before closing the large wooden door behind him and left Will standing in the hall.

Will stood there for a moment, noticing for the first time that the castle seemed completely silent. During the day, Will remembered the constant white noise of the bustling castle staff. Maids cleaning from room to room, cooks in the kitchen preparing meals and washing dishes, and the occasional sound of shifting metal as an on-duty guard moved softly were all gone now. Will just began walking, a slight breeze wafting in from the cold night outside chilled him, but Will wasn’t overly bothered by it.

In no time, Will was lost. And finally noticed that there was no dedicated guard following him. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Will was alone. Well, not totally alone. There was still the occasional guard posted here and there. As Will walked by one he thought looked familiar and waved, he only got a nod in response.

Will continued exploring, trying to map the expansive layout of the castle. It was sort of monotonous after a while. Long corridors were colored with the blue-tinted moonlight broken up by lit crystals glowing a warm orangish color set into metal pole housings. They almost looked like torches, but when Will couldn’t feel any heat coming from the crystal, it left him feeling a little uneasy. It felt like something was missing.

Eventually, Will came to a very familiar balcony overlooking the royal garden below. Stepping through the decorative glass doors, the chill of the late fall night hit Will with force. Luckily the wind-chill was low enough he didn’t freeze instantly.

As he looked up at the night sky, Will was once again mesmerized by space’s never-ceasing beauty. Millions of stars littered the sky, each twinkling softly.

Will blinked. ‘Did that star just move?’

Sure enough, suddenly the stars began to dance on the blackened canvas above. Some changed colors as they swirled around each other, and Will swore he saw the bluish-black sky lighten in an arch above his head. Soon what looked like slightly brighter purple nebula clouds began gathering. It almost looked like-

“We hope thou enjoyed the show. We may have taken some inspiration from a certain human.” In a moment, Luna stood next to Will. Luna still found it amusing that he was one of the only creatures who was taller than her.

“Luna, this is amazing,” Will said, awestruck. “You did all of that?”

“Well, the night is our domain. Our magic is able to move both the moon and stars.”

Will shook his head slightly. “It’s… There have been so many things that have changed in the past month. Wait… has it been a month? Eh, it doesn’t matter. But all of this. Magic? Talking ponies? Dream walking? Back home, stuff like this is only seen in fantasy novels. And here I am, living it.”

Luna looked up knowingly. “But thou are not happy. We know.”

Will let out a shaky breath. “I try not to think about it too much. I can’t do anything about it, so I shouldn’t let it bother me. But-” Will choked back a sob.

“We- I mean, I understand.” Luna’s voice was soft as she lifted a wing, wrapping it around Will’s back, pulling Will closer.

“You stopped talking like a medieval English woman for a second,” Will chuckled through the tears threatening to pour down his face.

“It is a bad habit. But forget about that. Every time you bring this up to me, you always stop yourself. Why is that?”

Will’s shoulders sagged, and he opted to sit on the cold stone of the balcony wrapped in the alicorn’s wing. Luna sat next to him, and she felt him pull away slightly and used her wing to keep him from going too far.

“I- I just don’t want to be a bother. I don’t want to be a burden that keeps crying about his problems. I may be far from home, but you and Princess Celestia still need to run a kingdom.”

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Will rubbed his eyes clear with the back of his tunic’s sleeve. “Maybe another time.”

The two sat there for a moment, listening to the soft wind whistling through the garden below. The cold eventually started to get to Will, and he unconsciously shifted closer to the alicorn princess. Wrapped up in her wing, Will felt a lot warmer, and not so alone.

A thought came to Will a few minutes later. “Luna, what is a Cutie Mark?”

Luna giggled slightly. “I see that little Jewel’s question has piqued your interest. How in-depth would you like this explanation.”

“Well, maybe we could get out of the cold first? And a cup of tea maybe.” Will’s eyes brightened as another idea popped into his head. “Wait. Do you have chocolate in Equestria?”

Luna blinked owlishly. “Well, chocolate hadn’t been discovered up until a few years ago. When the Everfree was formed, a couple of ponies stumbled across it. Now they make it into solid bars of sweets using milk, vanilla, and sugar. Why?”

“Luna, do you think the chefs would mind if I borrowed some ingredients and a pot?”

“William, what do you have planned?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Will said with a smirk, the previous sadness slowly leaving his features. “I’m just about to give you a little taste of one of Earth’s greatest discoveries.”

In no time, Luna convinced the remaining kitchen staff to allow Will to use a few ingredients and their equipment. Having never used a wood-fire stovetop before, Will needed a few pointers from Chef Julienne. 

One by one, the ponies that worked the kitchen came out to see what Will was doing, forming a circle around him and Princess Luna.

Will was lost in the familiar process. He started warming the cow’s milk in the closest thing he found to a saucepan, then opting for a larger pot when he realized the eyes of curious ponies all but surrounding him. He paid them little mind as he added in the freshly ground cocoa powder and sugar slowly, continuously stirring. 

Wait, how do ponies have cow’s milk? Do they have dairy farms? Will decided that was another question for later.

Then, he found a couple of pieces of unwrapped bars of milk chocolate. It was strange seeing the chocolate in such a basic form. No brand name or anything. But when he tried a piece of it, Will hummed at the familiar taste. It wasn’t as sweet as the chocolate back home, but he preferred dark chocolate anyways.

Finishing it off with a splash of vanilla, Will was hit with the aroma of his childhood. He smiled to himself as he brought the pot to the plain teacups that were laid out and began portioning it out in equal amounts. When he was done, the kitchen ponies each grabbed a cup, smelling the hot chocolate while they waited. 

Chef Julienne stepped forward with his own teacup full of the drink. His cream-colored wing cradled the cup in front of him. His mane was greyed with age, and there were noticeable bags under his eyes, and deep frown lines creased his features like the old stallion hadn’t smiled in years.

“Please, your highness, allow me to try ‘zis drink first. Somepony must make sure it iz safe for consumption, no?”

Luna shook her head but yielded to the elderly stallion. “By all means.”

With a nod, Chef Julienne wafted the aroma. With a raised eyebrow, the stallion took an experimental sip, and his eyes widened in shock and struggled to keep the liquid in his mouth. A kitchen aid stepped in to assist.

“Chef, is everything alright?”

Waving his hoof dismissively, the chef swallowed the drink. “No, everyzing is okay. Just still hot.” Will cringed internally, swearing that he should’ve warned the chef about that first. Chef Julienne blew on his hot chocolate before taking another sip. 

Will had his fingers crossed that he followed the recipe correctly, but any fears were dashed when Chef Julienne gave a small grin.

“Mmm, delicious. I do say, human, what exactly is zis?”

Will breathed out a sigh of relief. “It was an old recipe from my grandmother. I was worried I didn’t make it right.”

“Well, zat mare taught you well,” Julienne said as he continued to drink the hot chocolate. 

As more and more ponies tried the warm treat, excited chatter broke out among the kitchen staff. Some ponies came forward to ask questions, many of which Will couldn’t answer. He was no expert when it came to cooking, but he still had a few other treats he promised he could make for them sometime. Chef Julienne nearly pleaded with the human for the recipe, which Will gave without fuss, a kitchen aid writing down every word Will spoke. 

Meanwhile, Luna just sat back with a smile, watching how Will’s demeanor changed entirely. The depressed human was gone, and he reveled in the attention of the ponies. Eyeing the teacup meant for her, Luna levitated the cup of steaming liquid to her mouth and swallowed the contents.

It was like ambrosia. The sweetness hit her tongue, with the slight bitterness of chocolate soon to follow. As the warm liquid traveled down her throat, a warmth emanated from her stomach that relieved all the tension in her body as she seemed to melt like the chocolate bar used to make the hot cocoa. Luna was brought back to reality when she heard somepony snicker in the room.

Opening her eyes, Luna found Will eyeing her with an amused expression. “I take it you like it, Princess.”

Luna hummed to herself. “We believe thou have found our new favorite beverage.”

Will took notice when Luna reverted to her usual, archaic speech patterns, and raised an eyebrow. Luna, in turn, lit her horn, as Will felt a light pressure in the back of his head.

“I’ll tell you later,” Luna’s voice echoed through Will’s skull. Luna’s lips didn’t even move.

Telepathy, huh? Cool.

“Now, Chef Julienne, We believe William and I shall make use of the royal dining room. Thou needn’t stay up on our account. Thou and thine staff are dismissed for the night.”

“Nonsense, your highness,” the stallion in question dismissed. “I shall have somepony to serve you. However, you are right. I am very tired. I shall retire. Your highness, mazter William, I bid you adieu.”

With a chorus of thanks from the kitchen staff, Will followed Luna to the dining room, each carrying a full wooden stein of hot chocolate with them. Entering the room Luna summoned her cushion and sat, Will taking the seat across from her. Luna shook her head and moved around to sit next to the human. Will smiled down at the princess, before looking into his stein with a distant expression on his face. Luna was quiet for a moment, waiting for Will to speak. When he did, Luna was silent as she listened.

“It tastes just like how mom made it. I think I get so upset because I worry about them so much. Dad hadn’t been doing okay since he lost his job.” Will quickly corrected himself. “He wasn’t sick or anything. He was just so… upset. He was doing so well for himself, but now he’s washing dishes at a sandwich shop during the day, and cleaning a bar at night.” Will laughed to himself. “Huh, I’m worried about them worrying about me. Heh… I miss them a lot, but even if I never got to see them again, I just wish they knew I was okay.” Hearing those words leave his mouth made tears threaten to start again.

Luna interrupted that train of thought. “So, Cutie Marks. Where shall I start?” 

“Huh?”

“Well, a Cutie Mark is the symbol that represents a pony’s inner magic. Usually, it is an indicator of what the pony most enjoys or their talents.” Luna motioned to the white crescent moon on her black spotted flank. The distraction seemed to have worked, as Luna now had Will’s full attention. “When a pony comes of age, their Cutie Mark usually appears during an event where their inner magic is most prominent. When a pony becomes what Harmony has destined them to be. Usually, there is a large celebration when a filly or colt gets their Cutie Mark.”

“Huh,” Will paused taking that all in. “So it’s like a right of passage? Where the filly becomes a mare, or a colt becomes a stallion?”

“Precisely.”

“Neat.”

“There is much more I could teach you if you’d like. I might need to utilize the services of Ms. Clover. Now that you have magic yourself, I could have you casting in no time. Possibly within a month, depending on how well you take to it.”

“Really?!” Will’s excited exclamation and ear to ear grin made the princess laugh behind a hoof before nodding.

“Really.”

Their conversation carried through the night before Will finally succumbed to the sweet embrace of sleep in the waning hours of the night. 




-~xXXXx~-



Nick was enjoying a dreamless night of sleep when a loud knocking at his door jolted him awake as he bolted upright. The door opened quickly, and a uniformed pegasus mare zipped into the room, lighting a candle quickly.

“Up and at’em! The sun only waits on the princess,” Captain hurricane shouted.

“Jeeze not so loud,” Nick picked at his still ringing ear. “What time is it?”

“Three hours before sunrise. Come on, training starts now!”

Nick blinked, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. “But the guards don’t start training until two hours after sunrise!”

“Yeah, you’re right. You start early.” Nick could hear the cheeky grin on the blue pegasus’s face.

“And why is that?”

“Because now you’re training with me! You’ll need it if this plan of mine is going to work. You have ten minutes to dress, eat, and get your flank to the front gate, understood?”

Eyes widening in understanding, Nick jumped out of bed, saluting. “Yes, ma’am!”
> Chapter 18
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌VIII




“Come on, you got three more in you! Now, push!”

Nick grunted as he strained under the weight of the rocks that were placed into a modified harness on his back. In his low plank, his muscles screamed out in pain as he tried to push himself up. With a final, defeated grunt, Nick slumped to the ground, rolling so the rock wouldn’t pin him there.

“Now, what was that? I’ve seen you do much more than that with Ironwood’s squad.” Captain Hurricane stood over him. The pegasus mare’s burning gaze would’ve made Nick flinch if he wasn’t so exhausted.

“And look at you! You have barely bulked up at all over the past few weeks. What gives?”

As Nick rolled to an upright position, he ran his hand through his sweaty mop of hair. He really needed to get it cut. When he pulled his hand away, he saw some of his strawberry strands of hair stuck to his palm. Was he going bald? He nearly began vomiting.

Hurricane saw this and immediately backed off slightly. “Hey, you alright? You’re not sick or anything, right?”

Nick shook his head. “I don’t think so. I-” Nick’s stomach growled loudly, interrupting whatever he was about to say as his stomach cramped up.

“Horsefeathers. Don’t play dumb with me. C’mon, let’s have Mending take a look at you.

As they walked back into the castle, Nick blanked out for a second. When he came to, he was standing in the doorway into the medical ward, Mending looking at him curiously.

“Nicholas? You seem a bit… off today. Are you not feeling well?” Mending used the distraction to herd Nick with prods from her hoof, eventually guiding the human to sit on one of the medical cots. “Last week you seemed fine. Has anything changed?”

Nick leaned back, a yawn escaping his lips. “Well, I haven’t been getting much sleep lately. And, I guess I am constantly hungry, which is kinda new.”

“Don’t forget your hair is, quite literally, falling out of your head,” Hurricane added.

With piqued curiosity, Mending lit her horn, and Nick felt her magic ruffle his hair. Sure enough, strands of Nicks’s hair came clean from his scalp in small clumps, floating in Mending’s telekinetic grasp.

“Is this normal for humans?”

Nick blinked his drooping eyelids. “I don’t think so.”

Mending turned away from Nick. “Captain, could you send for William? I think Nicholas here is becoming delirious.” Hurricane was out of the room before Nick could protest.

“Now you, just relax. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Gently placing a hoof on Nick’s chest, Mending forced the human to lay back fully on the cot.

Nick closed his eyes and tried to doze off, but the growing feeling of pain in his gut kept him awake despite how tired he felt. A few minutes later, he heard two feet and four hooves enter the room.

Will yawned. Hurricane had barged into his room yelling about Nick. Normally he would’ve been more awake, but he had only fallen asleep a few hours ago. “So, what’s up?”

“Nicholas doesn’t seem to be feeling well,” Mending explained. “He says he hasn’t been sleeping, is constantly hungry, and he seems to be having cramps in his midsection. Given that I am fairly certain he has been eating at every mealtime, I find it hard to believe that he could still be hungry.”

Will chewed on his lip for a moment and adjusted the bridge of his glasses on his nose. He looked at Nick as if asking for permission. A look that Nick didn’t see as his eyes were still closed.

“I was worried that this would happen. I think he just needs… a different kind of food.”

“But the castle chefs make some of the finest foods in the Everfree Township. What could his diet be lacking?”

Will saw Nick shake his head from the bed, silently saying one thing: ‘Don’t say it.’

Will turned and sat on an adjacent cot, looking to the two mares in the room. He started to talk, paused in thought, then started again. “Well, humans need a decent amount of protein in our diets to stay healthy. It’s how we build muscle, and it helps keep us from getting sick.”

Hurricane piped up. “So, you need more of this... protein, right? How do we get it?”

“Well, the easiest way… is to eat… flesh.” 

Mending and Hurricane’s eyes went wide. “Humans are Meat-eaters?” both say in disbelief, but Mending flinched much more than Hurricane, who’s eyes just turned steely.

“See these?” Will said, opening his mouth wide, and pointed to his canines. “And these?” Will pulled his cheek back, revealing his molars in the back of his mouth. Hurricane got closer and inspected the teeth while Mending still cowered a good distance away. “It means we’re omnivores, that we both need meat and vegetables to survive. We have some humans back home called vegetarians who only eat vegetables, but they can get their other nutrients, like protein and iron, artificially. We… can’t really do that here.

Will nearly whithered under the hard glare he was receiving from Hurricane. She hummed thoughtfully before she brought herself to eye level with the human.

“So… answer these questions for me.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Will nearly whimpered.

“Have you ever eaten a pony?”

“No.”

“Would you ever eat a pony?”

“Not one here! You’re like… people? People-ponies? You talk!”

“So you only eat things that can’t communicate with you?”

“Ye- wait. No. NO! I meant things that aren’t intelligent enough to speak. Like… like… Fish!”

Hurricane took a long, silent look at Will. And, to his credit, he was still standing and his pants weren’t stained yellow. “So… are we good?”

Hurricane paused for another moment, and Will tried his damnedest to look Hurricane in the eyes.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Will sputtered for a second. “Wait, what?”

Hurricane landed and began making for the door. “We’re going to see that you and Nicholas get some meat. You mentioned fish, and luckily for you, I don’t think the princesses will mind very much in that regard. So, let’s go get you some fish.”

“But where are we going to get fish from?” Will asked. “Don’t all ponies just eat things like carrots and apples? I haven’t seen anything aside from that here in the castle before, and I’ve met Chef Julienne.”

“First of all, ponies can eat much more than ‘carrots and apples,’” Hurricane said, a hint of disdain in her voice. “Secondly, most ponies can’t stand the smell of cooked fish, but some pegasi eat it quite often. Nick, get your flank up! We’re going to get some fish, and you’re not getting any if you stay here!”

Will had never seen Nick move so fast to get out of bed, suddenly wide awake. Nick followed hot on the hooves of the captain as Hurricane led them to the door to the barracks.

“Wait here,” Hurricane said, as she zipped into the room. Seconds later, two very disheveled looking, and quickly armored pegasus guards stepped through the doors, with Hurricane behind them.

Hurricane placed a wing on the back of one of the two pegasi, with a bluish-grey coat and navy mane. “This here is Lieutenant Sabre, she and the private here will be escorting you two to Meadwing’s, ain’t that right Sab?”

The mare in question groaned. “Yea, yea. Couldn’t let me ‘ave a few more minutes could ya? I jus’ got off the night shift.

“Heh,” Hurricane snickered. “You know I have to get those other flab-flanks in gear. You and your company are the only ones who are gonna be off duty for this.” Hurricane gave Sabre a shake with her wing, one Sabre pulled away from while batting the other mare’s wing away with her own.

“Aye, Captain, but you owe me.”

 Hurricane suddenly dropped a small bag in front of the Lieutenant. The bag itself nearly left a crater in the stone floor.

“That’s this month’s pay, plus a little extra for taking our human friends to an early breakfast. You pay for them, keep the townsponies a safe distance away, then you get to come back and get some shut-eye. Deal?”

Sabre felt the weight of the bag with a hoof, the sound of metal coins jostling around caught Will’s attention. “Honestly Cap’ when did ye get the time to get the bits. Ah- nevermind.” Putting the bag of coin on her belt, the lieutenant turned her attention to her two charges for the morning. “Well, lads, ye ready ta’ go?”

Nick looked at Hurricane quizically. “Is the guard truly necessary. You weren’t following us around the castle, and we’ve been introduced to the public.”

Hurricane hummed. “Well, the common pony may not be aware of you yet. We have no idea how they will react. It is more for your protection that the lieutenant goes with you.” 

Nick knew that she was right, but that look in the mare’s eyes told him there was more to the situation that he couldn’t see. With a loud stomach growl, he lost all motivation to press for more information.

Will shrugged. “Well, if you are sure.” Will gave a sloppy salute to the captain before turning to Lieutenant Sabre. “Please, lead on.”

Will hadn’t seen the scowl that crossed Hurricane’s face as he was already following Lieutenant Sabre down the hall towards the stairwell that led up to the main floor of the castle.

 


-~xXXXx~-



It was getting closer to the first set of training for the castle guard, as Captain Hurricane paced the outer walls of the castle. She enjoyed these moments of quiet and relished in the fact that she didn’t have to play the harsh guard captain for once. She tried to do this every morning, coming out and watching the sunrise over the eastern horizon.

It was still dark out, Princess Luna’s stars littering the black sky above, everything lit by the pale blue light of the moon, but hints of orange began to peek up over the tree line. Looking down at the abandoned training field, Hurricane remembered that she’d be actually overseeing today’s training. As she was looking at the pegasus flying rings, she caught a shadow moving out of the corner of her eye.

‘Now that’s odd,’ Hurricane thought. ‘Nopony should be out here this early.’ She followed the vaguely pony-shaped figure with her eyes as it came to the corner of the a-frame obstacle course element before disappearing beneath it.

With a practiced flap of her wings, Hurricane glided down as silently as an owl to the training field below, staying to the shadows under the walls. As Hurricane snuck closer, she was able to hear a pair of voices coming from within the a-frame.

“-momentsss away from blowing your cover. Had you opened your muzzle one more time, you would’ve been ssseen as a liability.” It was a stallion’s voice Hurricane didn’t recognize, the elongated pronunciation of his ‘s’ reminded the captain of the sounds snakes made when they stuck their tongue out of their mouth. However, her ears perked when the second voice spoke up.

“Do you know what I have to deal with? Do you really have any idea? I have been dealing with both featherbrains and horn-heads for the better part of a year now! Now I gotta deal with some hot-head monkey alien thing. Somepony needs to put that human in his place!”

Hurricane scowled. There was no denying it. That was 

Ironhoof.

“Hisss plans take priority over your petty sssquabblesss with the tourisssts.” The stallion audibly sucked on the inside of his cheek as he spoke. “Now that guard captain has become sssussspicious of you, which means Hisss plans must be pushed forward. We musssn’t loose the element of suprissse. If we are to take this town, we must ssstrike soon.”

Hurricane had heard enough, and she took off into the early morning sky. Unbeknownst to her and to Ironwood, the stallion grinned wide as he caught a glimpse of the guard captain in the now rising sun.
> Chapter 19
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌IX




The streets leaving the castle were bustling with the crowds of ponies beginning their morning routine. However, the appearance of two armored pegasi flanking two towering, unfamiliar creatures certainly sucked the life out of the surrounding area to only be replaced by shocked expressions and ponies fleeing the scene.

The cobblestone roads had small rivulets of water flowing between the individual stones. Somepony must’ve spilled some sort of water cask at some point because it hadn’t rained last night. As the group kept walking, they never needed to step around any sort of litter. Whoever was in charge of the clean-up crew was doing an incredible job.

Those were the things Will noticed as he kept his eyes down to avoid the piercing gazes of the ponies all around him.

“Hey,” Nick whispered as he nudged Will’s shoulder. “Stand up straight. Show some confidence.”

Reluctantly, Will stood a little taller. Nick was still dealing with whatever the effects of protein deficiency were. If he could hold up like this under the simple, leering gazes of a couple of ponies, surely he could do the same.

Wait a second.

“Nick?” Will got his friend’s attention. “If you feel like shit because you haven’t eaten any meat, how come I’m not feeling it too?” Nick raised an eyebrow, prompting Will to continue. “I mean, I’m still really hungry all the time, but it doesn’t hurt or cause my hair to fall out.”

Sabre cleared her throat with a slight cough. “Probably tha magic in yer body. I’ve heard of Starswirl going days without eatin’ while in that study of his. Crazy ol’ goat.”

“How’d you know about that?” Will questioned.

“Guard lieutenant, ya gotta know things. Even things ya don’t think ya need to.”

Nick was quick to move past that. “I’ve heard Starswirl mentioned a couple of times now. Who is he?”

The lieutenant chuckled mournfully. “More like ‘who was he,’ mate. Starswirl disappeared nearly a year ago. Used ta’ be the high mage at the castle, but some sort of spell caused him ta’ vanish. Trust me, lad, if a pony goes missing in the Everfree, they won’t be comin’ back.”

“Clover seemed to be fond of him,” Will mused.

“As she should,” Sabre retorted. “That lass was Starswirl’s prized student before he poofed himself.”

“Heh… poofed himself.” Will was quick to shut his mouth when he was met with a raised eyebrow from Sabre. “But what made him so famous?” Will asked.

“Are ya buckin’ jokin’? Do ya know how many horn-headed books that greybeard wrote? I swear they could build a whole library dedicated to his spells alone. He knew more about magic than the princesses, and they are pretty much the most powerful magic users ever! They can move the sun an’ moon by themselves. They used ta get a whole village of unicorns to move the sun, but would have ta get a different village to lower it.”

Inside Nick’s mind, puzzle pieces used to fit together. “So, the princesses’ rule solely rests on their sheer power? Just because they have the power of multiple unicorns?”

“Ha!” Sabre exclaimed. “More like hundreds of unicorns, mate.”

“Wait. So what are the princesses? Goddesses?” 

“If a goddess is the savior of an entire race and destroyers of masters of chaos... Aye lad, I’d say they’re goddesses.”

Will was still confused. “But, if they are so powerful, why do they need guards protecting them?”

Nick interrupted Sabre before she could respond. “Remember when we play chess, Will? No matter if you still have your queen on the board, if the other player has more pieces, you are more likely to lose. The princesses, at the end of the day, are just two ponies.”

“Aye, and would ya look at that. We’re here.”

Sure enough, the group was coming down the road toward a large wooden building. Sitting upon a ten-foot-tall stone foundation, white painted walls were supported by inset wooden beams. The sloped roof was made with golden thatch that gleamed gold in the morning light. Hanging above a double-door entrance, a large sign that looked like an unfurled wing behind a wooden stein swayed in the slight breeze. The words ‘Meadwing Tavern’ was written in yellow on a large forest green sign that leaned against the side of the building, chipping paint was a testament to the age of the establishment.

“Told you,” Will snarked. “Horse. Themed. D&D.”

Sabre rolled her eyes. “I ‘ave no idea what yer talkin’ about, but now I’m getting hungry. If the two of ya want yer fish, get yer flanks over here.”

The black coated pegasus guard that accompanied the Lieutenant cast wary eyes to the small crowd staring in awe before turning to his commanding officer. “I’ll keep an eye on the streets.” With a nod from Sabre, the pegasus took to the skies.

Entering the building, Nick soaked in the fantastical architecture. From the way the support pillars spiraled to the ceiling, splitting off at certain places. It almost looked like they had built this place using full trunks of trees. 

Will, on the other hand, was enraptured by the artistry of the carvings in the wooden features of the tavern. Somehow, whoever decorated this place made it almost look like pictures from a ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ children’s book. The walls and pillars were covered in images of clouds and towering plants that pierced into the ceiling above. Occasionally, Will could spot a carving of a pegasus flying in and out of the clouds.

All sound in the tavern died as the two humans stepped into the main room. The few pegasi patrons seated inside looked at the aliens with wide, angry eyes that held a glint of curiosity.

“This place is… Awesome,” Nick whispered.

“Sabre!” A gruff voice yelled from behind the bar. A pudgy pegasus stallion stood there behind the counter, his maroon fur unkempt, and an unbrushed dull yellow mane gave him a rather grizzled appearance. “What in Tartarus are those things doin’ in my bar!”

“Friendly too,” Will muttered.

“Mornin’ to you too, Stein,” Sabre said with a forced formality.

“Answer the question, ya mad-mare. What are you doin’ with… with those?” The stallion gestured angrily at Nick and Will.

“Business of the crown. I don’t have time for this, where’s yer pa?”

“Probably sleepin’ off last night’s festivities. And he won’t take too kindly to you bringing animals into his bar, no matter if they got clothes on their backs.

Lieutenant Sabre scowled. “Watch that tongue of yer’s Stein, or you might find that I’ll cut it off. Now… where’s yer dear ol’ dad?”

“Now now, no need to talk about a stallion when he’s standing right here,” an older, raspy voice interrupted. A similarly colored pegasus, albeit much older given the greying fur and mane, rubbed at his eyes with the back of his forehoof from a doorframe in the back of the bar area. Despite his age, his well-built frame and defined muscles showed the strength of a much younger pony. “Now what’s all this ruckus about?”

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, the elder stallion looked across the room, his eyes landing of Lieutenant Sabre’s. “Ah, Lieutenant. What a pleasant surprise.” As he crossed the room, he had quite the limp, favoring his right foreleg as he walked.

Sabre gave a casual salute. “Aye, the pleasure is mine, Lieutenant.”

“Bah, I gave up that title when I retired. This old warhorse has had his day.” As he walked past Stein, the younger pegasus got a swift smack from his father’s wing. “How dare you talk like that to a ranking officer. Respect your superiors ya lazy barfly.” As stein tended to his smacked cheek, Meadwing turned and addressed Lieutenant Sabre, but froze in his tracks, wide-eyed, when he was standing in the presence of giants. Before the stallion could speak, Will stepped forward, bonking his head on a low hanging rafter before getting on one knee to make himself seem smaller. Pony buildings were obviously not meant to accommodate humans.

“It’s, uh, a pleasure to meet you Mr. Meadwing. My name is Will, the human.”

The stallion and the entire tavern was at a loss for words for a moment when they heard the strange creature speak. “Sisters, they can speak. My apologies, I thought the Lieutenant brought guard monkeys,” Meadwing laughed. “I kid, it’s always a pleasure to meet a new race, welcome!”

Stein seemed taken aback by his father’s reaction. “But, Dad!”

“Colt, I have seen much stranger in my service under Captain Tornado!” Meadwing snapped. “I was there when we first contacted the gryphons! I sat on the shore when Thunderhoof called for the aide of the seaponies to stop a hurricane from destroying a nearby village. Tartarus, I even shared a drink with a dragon.” 

‘Dungeons and dragons,’ Will mouthed over his shoulder to Nick. Nick shook his head with a chuckle while Meadwing finished lecturing his son, who was starting to look a little pale under his yellowish fur.

“Now, anypony, or any human in this case, who is a friend of the crown is allowed here. What can I do for you three?”

Lieutenant Sabre saddled up to the pony-equivalent of a bar stool, turning to lean back against the wooden counter. “Three of the catch of the day, and keep em’ coming. I bet these two are hungry.”

“Ah, another race that enjoys the bounty of the sea,” Meadwing eyed the humans’ size, almost calculating. “Or river as the case may be. We don’t get many saltwater fish here in the Everfree. Take a seat, boys. Stein!”

The young pegasus stood straight, pupils shrinking at his father’s voice.

“Get back in the kitchen, and if that Everfree Trout ain’t perfect, I’ll have your wings!”

There was a small dust cloud where Stein once stood, followed by the slamming of a door in the back of the tavern. None of the patrons moved a muscle, instead, trying to avoid the gaze of Meadwing.

“What’s wrong with you lot?” Meadwing addressed the room. “We welcome any creature here at my tavern. As long as they don’t make a scene, they can eat here. Anypony got a problem with that?” A murmur of head shaking and non-commital answers came from the other tavern goers. “Good.”

As Meadwing walks back behind the bar, he approached the two humans currently attempting to sit on the incredibly low stools, essentially sitting cross-legged on the floor, much to the muttering of the less flexible Will. The old stallion pulled out three mugs from underneath the counter, wiping the insides with a clean white rag before placing one before each of his three guests.

“Now, what brings you two to Equestria? Never seen anything quite like you before. Minotaurs are kinda close, but you’re something else.” Meadwing questioned.

Nick shifted in his seat as he watched the old stallion deftly pour a clear yellow liquid into the three mugs. “There was an accident, and we got lost. Landed right in the middle of the Everfree. We come from very, very far away.”

“Ah, sorry to hear that boys. Drink up. That’s the main attraction here. It’ll keep you coming back day after day, I guarantee it.”

Following Sabre’s lead, who was already burying her muzzle in her cup, Will and Nick shrugged and took a swig of the nectar, slightly flinching as the zing of alcoholic honey wine hit their tongues. The sweet liquid slowly traveling down their throats, warming their cores when it hit their stomachs.

“You know,” Nick coughed. “I wasn’t expecting to be drinking this early in the day.”

“Ha!” Sabre laughed. “You don’t go to Meadwing’s without getting the good stuff.”

While Will, Nick, and Sabre enjoyed their mead, the scent of cooking fish wafted through the kitchen door. It took every bit of self-control from the humans to keep themselves from drooling at the smell. Somehow, their bodies knew what they needed, and craved whatever was cooking behind that door.

A few minutes later, a scowling Stein carried out three platters of the largest trout filets Will had ever seen. The meat was at least 18 inches long, resting on top of a bed of greens with steam wafting into the air. A wooden pony-made fork and knife were placed in front of each of them, followed by the massive plates.

Will wasn’t the biggest fan of trout. He much preferred haddock, salmon, or his favorite: mahi-mahi. His stomach didn’t care.

With quick movements, a piece of the fish was already in Nick’s mouth, who moaned at the explosion flavor.

And with Will’s first bite, he was in heaven.

Time seemed to fly by as Will and Nick ate like men possessed. They didn’t take notice at Meadwing’s laughter, Stein’s judgmental scowl, the passersby that poked their heads through the front door, or the shocked expressions of the patrons. And soon the fish was gone, then a second round, and for the first time in a month, Will and Nick felt full.

“I swear, I have never seen anypony that enjoyed my food that much,” Meadwing commented. Stein cleared his throat, his frown deepening, but Meadwing ignored him. “What were ya, starving?”

“Pretty damn close to it,” Will mused dreamily.

“They don’t serve any meat up at the castle,” Nick explained. “We’re omnivores. We need that kind of food to live.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to give Julienne a stern word or two for denying you what ya need. I see him at the market once in the while with his underlings. I’ll set him straight.”

“No, please. Not *burp* his fault. We never told them,” Will interjected

“What?” Meadwing shouted. “What has gotten into your heads, boys? If you were sick, why wouldn’t you say something?”

Nick raised a hand. “That would be my fault. I thought that all ponies were herbivores, having two meat-eating aliens living next door would’ve caused a panic.”

“Ah, well no matter. You’re here now and got something in your stomachs.”

“You know,” Will mused. “This is the first time we have ever left the castle… Lieutenant, would you mind if we took the scenic route back? Give us a chance to stretch our legs and see the sights?”

“M’fraid not,” Sabre shook her head. “Not the greatest idea with the crowd outside.”

Will looked at his empty mug, discouraged at Sabre’s words. Nick interjected “Sounds fair to me. As nice as it would be to get out more often, we don’t want to cause any trouble.”

“Well, sounds like we’re done here,” Sabre said as she placed a small pile of gold coins on the counter. Meadwing gave the two humans a big smile as they stood to leave.

“You two come back any time. I’d like to hear about your home. If my idiot son gives you any trouble, smack him one upside the head for m-”

The bar went silent as a wail starting softly emanating from the front door. Said wail grew to ear-piercing screams as the thundering of hooves shook the foundation of Meadwing’s tavern. Suddenly, the black pegasus guard that accompanied Sabre burst through the front door.

“Lieutenant, Ma’am, we need to go. Timberwolves have breached the western wall.”
> Chapter 20
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌X





-Earlier that morning-


Normally Hurricane gave jobs like this to Lieutenant Sabre, but hindsight is always the clearest. 

Hugging the walls of the basement of Everfree Castle, Hurricanes hooves fell silently, ears perked, tracking her target just around the next corner. As the captain reached the corner, she peeked and waited for Ironwood to round the next corner before following.

They were in one of the auxiliary hallways leading away from the main barracks. Hurricane waited against the wall when Ironwood opened a door on the right side of the next hallway, which could only mean the room was the armory. Hearing the door close, Hurricane quickly and quietly placed her ear against the door. At first, the muffled sound of hoofsteps stopped, and Hurricane thought she lost Ironwood somewhere. It wouldn’t have been hard to find the traitorous mare, but it would have been quite the annoyance. But those thoughts were dashed when Hurricane heard the snake-like voice she heard the other night.

“Isss everything ready?”

“Ravenlock is en route to his point. Hurricane had sent him away with those two apes and the Lieutenant, but he will find a way to carry out his part of the plan,” Ironwood explained.

“Good, without the guardsss occupied, our work would be much harder here.” The mysterious voice took on a much darker tone. “Pray the mare is ssssuccessful… for your sake.”

“Yeah yeah, keep that horn on your head, Sidian. I-”

The crack of hoof hitting head echoed from the armory, causing Hurricane to flinch, but she didn’t flee.

A rage was building in the stallion, Sidian’s throat. “How much of an idiot are you? We do not use our true name while on mission!” Hurricane’s ears perked up when she realized his slurring of his ‘s’es stopped. “If someone were to hear, do you know how much trouble that would cause?”

“I- I’m sorry, Sid- I mean, Blackwatch, it won’t happen again.” It sounded like Ironwood was trembling

“Make sure of it.” For a moment in the brief pause, it sounded like the stallion was sucking on something in his mouth. “Now, our Lord has not had the pony-power to make too many of his devices, so he gave us these for the meantime.” There was the sound of latches coming undone, and the squeaking of hinges from within the armory. “We only have 12 of these things, so we must use them sparingly. Latch this around almost anypony’s neck, and they should follow any command you give them. Not as powerful of the real thing, but it will do for now.”

Hurricane’s eyes widened. Mind control? This was far beyond her paygrade. She needed to find Clover.

“Your main targets are the captain, the high mage, and the Lunar Princess. The rest should be used on any high ranking guards that could be useful for the capturing of the civilians.”

Hurricane needed to leave. Now. She pulled away from the door and made it halfway down the hallway before she heard the telltale twinkling of a unicorn using its horn behind her. Lashing out with her rear hooves, the captain hit nothing but air as a shadow of a stallion seemed to float in front of her. A thin white smile crossed his muzzle and a menacing glare emanated from those sickly green eyes.

“Oh, Captain, thank you for making this easy for us.”

The Captain’s screams died out when she felt cold metal wrap tight around her neck, and her vision faded to black. Hurricane’s voice filled her own ears, her muzzle moving on its own and her muscles not responding to her will as she tried to escape.

“My master, I obey.”




-~xXXXx~-





-Moments after the breach-


Celestia sat in her tower as a loud rapping came from her study’s door. Without her consent, the door burst open, and two of her royal guards stepped into the room.

“Your highness, we must get you to safety, the city is under attack.”

Celestia’s look of shock persisted as she had to regain her composure due to the sudden intrusion. “Attack? By whom?”

“Timberwolves, your Highness. About six of them have crossed into the western part of the city. The guards are working on containing the damage while evacuating the civilians to the eastern quadrant. They can handle it. We are here to escort you to the Tree of Harmony, where you will be safest.”

“What about Luna?” Celestia asked as she left her tower and followed her guards

“Your sister will be joining you shortly. We have sent two sergeants to go collect her.”

What the guards did not know was that said sergeants were wearing two metal chokers around their necks underneath their armor.




-~xXXXx~-



“Timberwolves? How did they get past the gate?”

Lieutenant Sabre questioned the pegasus mare, Ravenlock, while Nick and Will exchanged worried looks.

“They didn’t ma’am, They came up and over the walls! We need to get Nick and Will back to the castle.”

As Ravenlock talked, Nick noticed that despite the panic in her voice, her eyes remained calm. Any person in a panic would be looking around shakily or at least would be trembling slightly. This guard was showing neither. As the lieutenant kept Ravenlock’s attention, Nick moved around behind the guard, blocking the exit.

Will and Sabre noticed, and the questioning changed slightly.

Sabre’s voice grew more serious. “Where were you when the timberwolves breached the wall?”

The guard was taken aback by this question.

“W- I mean, I was watching the streets for trouble like I told you.”

“Oh really? Then how did those ponies get to the door earlier when they poked their heads in?”

Ravenlock began to sweat as she backpedaled slightly under Sabre’s intense glare. Nick whistled slightly, grabbing Will’s attention before motioning with his eyes to a nearby stool, then with his head towards Ravenlock.

“I must have let a couple of b-by” Ravenlock stammered through her excuse. As she stepped backwords further, the pegasus mare felt her rump come into contact with something other than the free-swinging door of Meadwing’s tavern. Looking up and seeing the stern look of a towering alien, Ravenlock’s ears folded back to her head.

With a nod from Lieutenant Sabre, Will picked up the stool and brought it down in a wide arc, slamming the wooden object on top of Ravenlock’s head. Even though the swing was inexpertly telegraphed, Nick’s and Sabre’s distraction allowed Will to catch Ravenlock off guard. The pegasus guard crumpled to the ground in an instant.

Quickly, Lieutenant Sabre rummaged through Ravenlock’s saddlebags, recoiling as she took a whiff of the one on the right.

“What is it?” Will asked, pinching his nose as the putrid scent filled the tavern with a smell like skunk spray.

Sabre stepped away from the unconscious mare. “Chaos fruit. That traitor was carrying Chaos fruit!” At Will and Nick’s curious expressions, the lieutenant continued. “Chaos fruit only grows in certain parts of the Everfree. When ripe, it is the primary food source for plant-eaters in the Everfree. When it starts to decay, like this one obviously was, it attracts some of the more dangerous predators.”

“Like these timberwolves,” Nick guessed.

Sabre nodded. “Correct. We can’t worry about that now. We need to get you two back to the castle.”

Before the trio hastily exited the tavern, Will had a thought. “Wait!”

“Will, come on. We need to go, what is it?” Nick asked.

“If Ravenlock was a traitor, wouldn’t it be safe to assume there are more at the castle?”

Nick caught on to what Will was saying, but was waiting for an order from the lieutenant.

Sabre thought for a moment, her face hardening. “Leave that scum ta’ me. Say close.”




-~xXXXx~-



Amethyst was working at polishing a ruby at the desk in her shop in the southern market district when a thundering stampede erupted from the market outside her door. Sprinting to the window, Amethyst squinted to see out the cloudy window panes, only seeing blurry shapes running through the streets outside.

“Mama? What’s happening?” The squeaky voice of her daughter caused Amethyst to whirl around.

“Honey, stay upstairs. Where is your father?”

“He said he was going to Hayfair’s to get dinner. He didn’t want to interrupt you.”

With a worried glance at the door, Amethyst looked to her daughter. “Stay up there, I’ll go find your father.”

Before Amethyst could reach the door, the thing nearly flew off of its hinges. Amethyst yelped as a loud crack and a hoof sized hole punched through the wood, and as the door slammed open, a guard stepped through.

“Amethyst Gemstone?”

With a startled waver to her voice, Amethyst took a step away from the guard in metal armor.

“I am Amethyst. What is the meaning of this?”

“You are coming with us. There has been an attack on the west side of the city, and we are here to escort you to the eastern gate.”

“What about my mate? My daughter?” 

“No time, we must leave now. More guards will collect them with the rest of the civilians.”

“I am not leaving without my Jewel!” Amethyst took another defiant step away.

“Then you leave me no choice.”

Meanwhile, little Jewel watched unnoticed from the top of the stairs as a metal-clad hoof slammed into the side of her mother’s head, and an armored hulk of a pony carry her mother’s unconscious body away. She couldn’t scream. Jewel was frozen in fear for what seemed like minutes. 

“The Princesses. The Princesses will help,” Jewel told herself, tears flowing freely.

On her tiny legs, Jewel bolted from the shop, heading north to the towering castle on the hill that looked over the city. Dodging underneath the stampeding crowd’s hooves.
> Chapter 21
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ XXI




The streets were filled with ponies at full gallop making a mad dash from… something. Everypony with wings took to the skies, leaving their ground-bound brethren alone. Nick knew that the beasts they were running from were called Timberwolves. However, given the panicked mob mentality and the giant crocodile that he and Will encountered when they first arrived, he had a feeling that these were no ordinary wolves.

Lieutenant Sabre was fast. Since their quick exit from Meadwing’s the pegasus mare flew above the crowd, guiding the two humans through the streets. Nick could see that Sabre wasn’t even close to flying at full speed, the mare occasionally bolting ahead with near-impossible acceleration to look around the intersections before returning to her charges.

Being as tall as they were, it looked like Nick and Will were sprinting through a waist-deep, multicolored, living river of equines. The humans were easily able to keep track of the Lieutenant.

Nick looked behind him to see Will panting heavily as they ran. Apparently, losing all the weight he had during his time in a coma did nothing for his physical abilities. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up for too much longer.

“Lieutenant!” Nick yelled above the thundering hooves. “How much farther?”

Sabre spun around, flying backward for a moment. “About another 10 minutes at this pace, lad!” 

‘So about another mile’ Nick guessed.

Soon the crowd began thinning out. Ponies were much faster on their four legs in comparison to the human’s two. As the noise of the mob grew more distant as ponies ran past, the lively city grew quiet as Nick and Will ran.

The soundscape changed slightly as they rounded the corner of one intersection. Faintly, it sounded like a large creature crashing through the underbrush of a forest.

But there were no trees anywhere near them.

Sabre stopped at a nearby alleyway and motioned for the humans to follow before darting between the buildings.

The ground went from cobblestones to dirt as the humans entered the alley. Sabre was low to the ground like a tiger on the hunt. Will braced himself against a wall as he panted from the exertion.

“We were too slow,” Sabre whispered. “Move quietly, ya don’t want to tangle with these beasties.”

Will immediately held his breath, freezing where he stood in the alley. Nick crept further into the alley, listening closely.

The sound of snapping tree branches was getting louder, and suddenly, a large brown figure bolted past the opening of the alley, a trail of broken twigs left in its wake. Then a second. And a third.

“You didn’t say that those things were, quite literally, made out of wood,” Will whispered in disbelief.

“Too busy savin’ your lives,” Sabre shrugged. “I left that part out. At least they didn’t see us.”

Any conversation was silenced as something was making loud thudding sounds from above, and getting closer. One, two, three, four… Then the sound stopped. Nobody breathed for a long moment, refusing to move.

Then a small stick fell from above into the alley, right in front of Nick.

Sabre looked up, and her eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “Run!”

With that, Nick and Will bolted further down the alley behind the lieutenant, and the sound of snapping wood was hot on their heels, this time accompanied by heavy footfalls along the rooftops.

As the trio ran from the alley and onto the next street, Will spared a glance back, which only prompted him to run even faster.

The creature was covered in a bark-like texture, it’s body and limbs looked as if they were made out of the branches of trees. With each step, twigs and leaves would fall off of it, making a cloud of foliage that followed it like an afterimage. The thing was easily about the size of a car as it bounded across the gaps between the buildings. However, Will was scared shitless by the piercing menacing glare of a predator on the hunt that came from its glowing green eyes. That fear spiked as those eyes locked on to Will as the timberwolf leaped onto the street below.

“Fuck!” Will shouted as he sped up in an attempt to catch up to Nick and Sabre who were a short distance further.

“Sabre! Where are the guards?” Nick asked as they ran. 

Sabre didn’t answer with words, but the mournful look on her face said everything her voice didn’t.

“Alright then, no back-up. How do we lose them?”

Sabre immediately looked to the air before shaking her head. “Usually? I’d say fly, but ya don’t have any feathers on ya, so that’s out of the question!”

As they turned onto another intersection, the sound of wood scraping against stone rounded the corner, followed by the sound of a house front getting smashed in.

Ahead, the street opened up into a decently sized market, with stalls stood vacant under their colored cloth canopies. On the hill above, the Everfree Castle stood above the roofs. They were close.

Nick ran behind Sabre through the market, dodging past unattended wagons and barrels of stock, Will not far behind. The sound of the timberwolf was getting fainter. Nick and Will turned to see if it was still following, to see the first few stalls erupt into an explosion of wood cloth and produce.

And cabbages. Lots and lots of cabbages.

But Will’s ears turned to the faint sound of a girlish scream being drowned out by the charging timberwolf, it’s green eyes in hot pursuit.

As he ran, the screams continued. It was coming from one of the stalls to Will’s right. Despite every part of his brain told him to keep running, Will slowed down slightly, before shaking his head. He needed to keep up with the other. Stay alive.

“Somepony! Help!” the voice screamed. Nick and Sabre’s heads whipped around at the sound, and Will’s eyes widened in realization before he took off towards the scream.

Will heard the timberwolf switch course, opting to follow Will, the slower human, as he sprinted between the stalls.

As he rounded the side of a cart with a yellow tarp over it, he saw a small purple filly shaking in a ball of fur behind one of the wheels. It took him only a moment to scoop up the filly like a football before taking off again.

And not a moment too soon as the cart was sent flying into the side of a building as the timberwolf once again slid across the smooth cobblestone.

Will shouted above the din. “Jewel? What are you doing out here?”

From her place in the crook of Will’s arm, Jewel looked up at the human carrying her through teary eyes. “Mister William!”

“Where is your mother?”

“The- they…” Jewel choked on her words.

Holding the filly tightly against his chest, Will kept an ear on the timberwolf chasing him, taking quick glances occasionally. Nick and Sabre could only watch as outside spectators as the timberwolf herded Will towards the corner of two buildings.

“Goddammit,” Nick swore, as he took off after the timberwolf, Sabre close behind before bolting past Nick.

Will kept running as the timberwolf swept from side to side in its charge, constantly changing its direction of approach. Suddenly, while looking behind him, Will slammed into the side of the building.

When he realized he was cornered, Will pressed himself up against the walls of the building. In his arms, Jewel was shaking in terror as she watched the green eyes of the timberwolf slowly push its way past the last few stalls. Will took the filly, and placed her behind his back, covering her with his wide frame.

The timberwolf fully emerged from the market stalls, Will finally getting a good look at its head. Leaves made up the thing’s eyebrows, and its dog-like muzzle was made of bark like the rest of its body. The soulless green eyes stared at the human, jowls pulled back to reveal a set of sharp, jagged, wooden teeth. The timberwolf approached slowly and with purpose. Stalking.

Will turned slightly, shielding Jewel with as much of his body as he could. He could feel her shaking beneath him as the timberwolf loomed above them.

The beast stopped inches from Will’s face, it’s hot, rotting pine-scented breath washing over the human, who was now shaking just as much as the filly he was shielding. The timberwolf’s paws made cracking sounds, as long thorn-like protrusions extended like claws.

In a flash of motion, the timberwolf reared up onto its hind legs. As the claws descended onto Will, the human cowered, shielding himself with his arm outstretched in terror and defiance.
> Chapter 22
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




CHAPTER‌ XXII




‘Is this is what it feels like to die? Does everything slow down as you wait for your demise to descend upon you, said demise coming in the form of a wooden wolf’s claw?’ Will thought as he clutched Jewel close to his chest. ‘If I am going to die… at least save Jewel. I won’t let this thing hurt her.’

Will felt a warmth radiating from his core as it spread through his body, focused in the palm of his outstretched hand. He felt his need to protect the filly coalesce in his being as resigned to his fate, and became the small filly’s shield.

‘God, that claw is taking a very long time.’

“Mister William?” Jewels small voice brought Will out of his stupor. Will opened his eyes and looked into Jewel’s.

“It’s okay, I got you.”

Looking up, Will noticed something seemed off. There was the twinkling of wind chimes in the air, and the world looked like it was behind a light blue filter. The timberwolf stood a few feet away, head cocked to the side in confusion.

The Timberwolf lunged forward, claw outstretched again, only to bounce off of... something. The blue light brightened at the impact, and the force sent a pulse of energy shot back into Will’s hand. Will’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

“What the fuck?” Will whispered. That was a magic shield…

And he was making it.

With his back to the corner of the building, he used the moment of relative safety to look for a way out. Suddenly, a grey blur slammed into the side of the timberwolf’s head, making an explosion of sticks as the beast was knocked to the side. Lieutenant Sabre hovered there, speaking words that Will couldn’t hear. It was like she was trying to talk underwater.

Will lowered his hand and the shield fell.

“-n’t know ya knew that horn-headed magic. No time. We gotta move.” Sabre waved for Will to follow before flying her way back to Nick.

Will scooped Jewel back up, holding her tightly to his side as they ran. The warmth in his hand faded, but he held onto the warm feeling he felt in his stomach.

“What was that?” Will shouted.

“No idea!” Sabre responded. “I have the foggiest when it comes to magic. Whatever ya did, it worked. Keep up, my kick will only keep it down for a few seconds.”

Nick fell back slightly and ran alongside Will. “Dude, how the hell did you do that?”

“No idea. I just kinda held up my hand and I felt something. I don’t get it either.”

Nich shrugged. “Well it worked. Hopefully you can do it again.

Will didn’t question it and kept running. A few minutes passed as they ran around another corner, turning onto the road that led up to the castle.

“Looks like we lost them,” Nick commented.

Sabre nodded. “Aye.” 

As the group bolted up to the great gates, two guards at the entrance blocked their way with spears.

“I’m sorry,” The stallion spoke in an emotionless monotone. “Nopony is allowed into the castle at the moment. Her Highnesse’s orders.”

Sabre’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Care ta’ repeat yourself, cavalier?” Each consonant was sharp, meant to intimidate. The cavalier didn’t even meet her gaze.

“I’m sorry, but nopony is allowed into the castle at this time.”

Will quirked an eyebrow. For some reason, he could only draw similarities between this stallion and automated voicemails.

“Listen here you gimpy knob swallower,” Sabre growled. Will and Nick recoiled at hearing the closest thing to a swear they have heard come from the mouth of a pony. “If you had half of a brain, ya would know that orders are to escort civilians to the castle in times of crisis. Now, let - us - in…”

“Um… Miss guard lady?” Jewel squeaked, the lieutenant’s head snapping to the unicorn filly, still in Will’s arms. “I heard a scary guard say they were taking ponies to the eastern gate before… before they took-” Tears streamed down Jewel’s cheeks before burying her face in Will’s tunic as she sobbed.

Will looked paralyzed when he felt the tears soak his shirt. He shifted Jewel in his arms, bringing her up to his chest, hugging her firmly while she cried. When Jewel looked at Will, he didn’t pry, but she managed to choke out a few words.

“They took momma.”

“Jewel, what do you mean?” Nick asked.

“A- a stallion in scary armor… he told mom she needed to go to the eastern gate. Sh-she wouldn’t go without me, so… he hit her.” The tears intensified as Jewel cried into Will’s chest. “They took momma!” the filly wailed.

Sabre’s gaze hardened even further and every muscle in her body tensed. Like a spring releasing, the pegasus mare leaped off of the ground, instantly followed by the sound of hard hooves slamming into a metal helmet. Before the second guard could fully bring his spear to bear, Sabre was on top of him and dropped the stallion with a single strike of her forehoof.

To the two humans, the mare was just a grey blur. Probably even faster than Hurricane.

“Search ‘em,” Sabre ordered. Nick promptly took off the stallion’s helmets, revealing bloodied skulls within. They were breathing, but that would be one serious concussion. If her strikes were any harder, Sabre would’ve killed these guards. But Nick’s eyes were drawn to a strap of leather wrapped around the guard’s neck, a red gem inset into the front of it.

Moving to the second guard, he found another identical choker. “The hell are these?”

Sabre was by the human’s side quickly. “Aye, never seen anything like that.”

Will took a glance at the gem from over their shoulders and shivered. Something just wasn’t right about that gem, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. As he stared, he saw that it was pulsing with some sort of energy deep within. The roughly cut gemstone was emanating some sort of energy, and Nick was reaching towards it.

“Don’t touch the gem!” Will shouted, startling Jewel.

Nick stopped suddenly. “Will?”

“Don’t touch it with your bare hands. I don’t like that thing. We are dealing with magic now, Nick. This looks like some bad ju-ju.” Will tore a piece of cloth from his tunic, handing it to Nick. “Please, just trust me on this one.”

Sabre and Nick nodded as Nick picked up the choker with the cloth, wrapping them up before Sabre took the pair.

Their moment to breathe was cut short as a beastly howl called out from the road behind them. Stalking up along the pathway, three timberwolves were slowly stalking their way towards them. The beasts were only about a hundred yards away.

“Shit, they must have heard you, Sabre. Inside. Now!”

The group hurriedly swung the castle gate open as the Timberwolves charged remarkably fast. Will put Jewel down on the ground a good distance away before joining Nick in holding the door shut when the first one impacted the thick metal bars, a claw scratching Nick’s shoulder.

The gate was almost like a small tunnel, just big enough to fit the three timberwolves side by side, or a large cart.

“Will, another shield would be great right about now!” Nick yelled as the timberwolf readied itself for another charge, it’s soulless eyes intent on breaking through this metal door. “Any time now!”

“I would if I knew how!” Will braced himself as the timberwolf threw itself at the gate again, the humans’ feet sliding across the cobblestones as the metal bars buckled slightly.

“I got an idea, hold on lads!” Sabre yelled as she took to the air.

Nick and Will’s eyes met as the timberwolf shook off the last charge. With knowing looks, they nodded to each other before digging their heels into the ground. From where they were, Nick heard the shredding of metal armor past the timberwolf about to charge. It was like opening a can of baked beans. In the opening on the other side, there was a pair of blood splatters and the sound of wooden teeth tearing into flesh. The other two timberwolves slowly entered the tunnel, fresh blood dripping from their thorn-like fangs.

“Jewel, don’t look,” Will said slowly, an uneasiness in his stomach. He closed his eyes, calling upon the warm energy in his core, he let it flow through his hands, imagining it coating the gate’s metal bars. Soon, the gate was covered in a dim, cool blue light. Nick looked at his friend. Will was holding the gate shut with all of his might, sweat pouring from his face and a vein visibly bulging from the strain of concentrating on the flow of magic through his hands. 

Nick turned to the timberwolves, all three readying a charge. Then, all at once they threw themselves at the gate. Nick felt the impact, but it was much less than when the first timberwolf charged alone. Will on the other hand, looked like he was just punched in the gut. Nick’s eyes widened, Will’s magic absorbed a lot of the blow.

When Will looked up to meet the gazes of the recovering timberwolves, there was a fire in his eyes Nick had only seen a few times. A mixture of anger, determination, and focus were alight in Will’s dark brown eyes. Despite this, the magic Will was casting was noticeably dimmer than before.

“You got this,” Nick said evenly. Will didn’t respond, but his grip on the bars tightened. And with a howl, all three timberwolves charged.

-Only to be crushed by a falling steel portcullis.

The explosion of wood sent splinters everywhere. Nick and Will shielded their eyes to protect themselves from the shrapnel. When the dust settled, the timberwolves were gone, the wood that made up their bodies slowly turning to black. With a gust of wind, the sticks crumbled into dust, wafting into the air carried by the wind.

“Haha!” The two humans looked up to see Lieutenant Sabre flying above, doing small loops in the air. “That’s how ya do it, lads!”

Will panted, hands on his knees, snark coming through in his tone. “Yeah, thanks for making us the bait.”

“Ah lighten up, we still got work to do. And seein’ you two work, I could use yer help!” Sabre punched Will lightly on the shoulder. “Right! We still have traitors on the loose. With me. Little miss!”

Jewel’s ears perked up. “Yes, miss Sabre?”

“We’ll see to getting yer mom back, but for now you’re gonna stay with us. You stick with Will.” Sabre looked Will sternly into the eyes. “You keep her safe, aye?”

Will straightened his back, catching his breath and nodded without thought. “That I can do.”

“Good. Sisters, I would kill to make the two of you guards. You take orders better than half of those spineless excuses for ponies they usually give me.”

As the group approached the donjon, everything was quiet. The courtyard framed the spectacle above them perfectly. The stone that made up the walls of the Everfree castle gleamed near-white in the midday sun. The stained glass windows shined bright colors, almost making parts of the castle look like a pastel rainbow. It was unlike anything Will had seen on Earth. Nick had seen this once before, but it was as beautiful as the first time he saw it.

As they approached the large double doors, inlaid with gilded accents, the humans had a sinking feeling in their stomachs despite the gorgeous exterior. Because, for the first time, this place was hostile territory.

“Hey, Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I finally know how to answer that question they always ask at each doctor’s visit.”

Nick looked at Will quizically. “Yeah? What’s that.”

A forced smirk crossed Will’s face, but the humor never reached his eyes. “I really don’t feel safe at home.”

“Quiet you two!” Sabre barked. “We have a job to do. Full focus. We need to find the princesses, and hopefully the captain. If this is how the guards are actin’ then she must be in trouble, or a traitor herself. Stay close, and trust no one.”