I don't think I even got six hours of sleep before I jerked awake, disturbed by some nightly dream I can't remember. I look at the clock on the wall. It's almost six in the morning.

Turning over doesn't help me any. It's impossible to get back to sleep if it happens in the middle of the night, or at least it is for me. Is this even considered the middle of the night? When I think about it, I think this is just the right time for me to be getting up. A bit early, sure, but now I have enough time to get ready.

I hoist myself up off the bed and get to my feet. A wave of dizziness hits me, causing me to screw my eyes shut and hold my head. "Shit, got up too fast," I mumble to myself.

Do I even have time to get to Rarity's? Or the better question is, should I even bother? It seems to me like Rarity will have a bedroom on the upper floors, and won't hear me if I knock on her door. Plus, I don't know the exact time the princesses will show up.

Fuck it, I'm not going. Why should I care if a few stuck up pony princesses disapprove of my clothing? I just do what I always do and blow off their questions, get the information I need, kill Sombra, and hope that I die in the process.

Grabbing my rifle, I open the door to my room and step outside, almost running into a very tired looking Vinyl, who is probably on her way to get me. Well, I managed to stop myself, but she doesn't stop, running muzzle first into my shirtless chest. Vinyl lets out a grunt, and then she looks up at me. A few seconds pass before her sleepy mind registers what she's looking at.

"Oh...you're awake already..." Vinyl murmurs, rubbing her eyes with her hoof.

"Clearly," I say sarcastically, pushing the sleepy pony back a few feet. It's then that I realize I'm only in my boxers. My clothes are still in the bathroom. Shit. "My internal alarm clock is a bitch. Go back to sleep."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Vinyl responds, seemingly not noticing how relatively naked I am at the moment. Unlike me. I'm mortified that I forgot to grab the towel out of my room. Thankfully these boxers are the longer and thicker kind, more like shorts rather than those flimsy pieces of shit that have the holes right over the crotch. So I don't have to worry about my dick hanging out. That would be awkward. Makes me wonder why they making boxers like that in the first place.

I watch Vinyl slowly plod back to her room, and then I proceed to the bathroom post haste, shutting the door behind me. My shitty clothes are still hanging from the shower pole, ripped and torn as always. Upon touching them, I feel that they're all rigid from drying. Well, wearing them is going to be super uncomfortable. Let's just hope this meeting with the princesses goes by quickly, so I can get some new clothes.

Several curses and chafe marks later, I'm dressed again and ready to go. No point in eating either, since it's not my food. I descend the stairs as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb my landlady. Well, technically I should call her a landpony or landmare, but those sound stupid.

I walk out into the street, shivering a bit at the low temperature. Now, I've been to Twilight house enough times to know where it is, so it only takes me a few minutes before I get there.

A few of the lights are on in the tree, so I'm assuming Twilight got up around the same time I did. Good, that means she'll let me in out of the cold. My clothes aren't doing shit in the state they're in now.

I knock on the door, only for the door to open almost a second later. Twilight is there, looking as though she had woken up even earlier than me to freshen herself up. Her mane practically gleams in the light from inside.

Twilight's face lights up with a smile when she sees me. "Oh! You're early. I knew I could count on you. Come on in. The princesses should be here any minute."

I walk past her wordlessly, still tired from having to wake up so early. I immediately sit down on the floor, my back against one of her bookshelves. Twilight giggles when she sees my condition. "I can get you some coffee if you'd like," she offers. I give her an odd look.

"You have both tea and coffee?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. This only serves to confuse Twilight.

"Yes. Why? Do you consider that odd?" she replies, tilting her head. I groan and shake my head.

"That is so wrong," I mutter. Indeed, I know some people that would look down their noses at you for preferring one kind over the other. It seems really stupid now that I think about it. Yet another reason why the human race is fucking useless. "No thanks. I find that caffeine actually makes things worse in the long run."

"Okay. Also, I've been meaning to ask. Have you paid a visit to Rarity yet? She should be willing to make you some new outfits," Twilight changes the subject, while proceeding to pick up a few books on the center table and returning them to their correct spots on the shelves.

"I did yesterday. But she's still working on them, so I'm wearing these shitty clothes," I respond. Now Twilight looks genuinely surprised.

"You did? I'm pleasantly surprised. I'd have thought you'd have refused to let her make anything for you, knowing how you are. What changed your mind?" She questions. Okay, she's the second one to say that. "Knowing how you are." That makes me annoyed.

"Look, don't give me shit about it. I did it for my own reasons that I don't feel inclined to share with you," I snap at her. Twilight's ears fold back, flinching at my tone.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just curious," she apologizes. Huh, that's interesting. Usually if I snap at someone, their first response is to act defensive, even if they're wrong. Here though, all the ponies seem to just get depressed. I don't understand at all.

"Secondly, you don't 'know how I am.' You've known me for what, three days? That's nowhere near enough time for you to know me," I continue, rising to my feet. Twilight takes a few steps back. "Thirdly, I don't intend for you to know me. So get that idea out of your head right now."

"Look, Seth, please. Calm down. I didn't mean anything by what I said. I was just making conversation," Twilight pleads with me, visibly intimidated by my angry expression. "You're right, I don't know you as well as I'd like, but you're not exactly making it easy for me, either."

"Good. Don't get attached to me. All your friendship will do is hold me back," I grunt. I notice the moment I said that last sentence that Twilight now looks as if I'd slapped her. But it's something that had to be said. I don't want anything holding me back when I go to fight Sombra.

"Seth...what made you like this? Why won't you let anypony get close?" Twilight asks softly, causing me to rub my forehead in exasperation.

"If I didn't tell you the first time you asked, why would I tell you now?" I point out bitterly. Twilight lowers her head.

"Because if you don't tell anypony, we can't help you get better," she answers me timidly. That just makes me angrier.

"'Get better?' You say that like I have a disease that needs curing. Fuck you," I growl, earning an irritated sigh from Twilight.

"That's not what I meant. You should know by now how lonely it gets when-" she begins, but then she cuts off suddenly, lifting her head and looking around. "The princesses are here!"

"Finally," I say, glad to be done with this conversation. Twilight is starting to get on my nerves now. Twilight spares me one last sad look, and then she opens the door of the library, gesturing for me to follow.

Wonderful, we're back out in the cold again. I take a quick look around, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. So where are these princesses? "Are...you sure they're here?" I question skeptically. Twilight nods emphatically.

"I felt them. Chances are, they'll be coming from the air," Twilight explains, pointing a hoof at the skyline opposite the front door of her house. I follow her hoof, and sure enough, something is approaching from over the town. I'm interested to see how the ponies in this era fly. Do they have airplanes? Or it is...fucking Santa Claus style. Are you kidding me?

I'm not joking. There are two chariots approaching, being carried by what seems to be armored pegasi. I can see more and more of their features as they approach.

The chariots are fucking massive, and have varying color schemes. The one that's closest to us is mostly golden, and the pegasi are armored in a similarly golden color scheme, though they have roman-esque helmets, with a blue plume and everything. The other chariot and pegasi I can barely see, because they're colored black and purple, blending into the night so well that I have to really strain my eyes to see them.

As for the ponies riding in the chariots, I can't see them very well at all until the chariots land with a crash, coming to a stop just in front of us. And the first thing I notice is that the ponies in the chariots are fucking gigantic. Like, more like horses, rather than ponies.

The one on the golden chariot is a large white pony with both a long sharp horn on her head, signifying her as a unicorn, and a large span of feathery white wings, making her also a...pegasi? What? Does that make her a...pegacorn? Unisus? Fuckin...whatever. That aside, her mane and tail are four different colors. They're the cool colors, like pale blue, magenta, pale green, and pale violet. And what's even trippier is that they're is waving in a non existent breeze. That's just freakin cool. Mane aside, she's wearing a golden neck brace thing...I don't know what to fucking call it...with a purple gem set in the center of it, and a golden crown with a similar gem on it.

The second one is much darker than the other, being a midnight blue with both a horn and wings as well. I guess that's a trait common to royalty. Her mane is also trippy, yet in my opinion being far more beautiful. It looks like a slice of pure night, waving in a nonexistent breeze like the other. There's even points of light present in her mane that look like stars. Lastly, she's also wearing a crown, only hers is black, and her neck brace has a crescent moon on it.

So I'm guessing the white one is Celestia, and the blue one is Luna. Both of them are looking directly at me. Celestia is giving me a very guarded expression, while Luna just looks downright suspicious.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cries out happily and runs towardsthe princess, as the regal white pony steps down from the chariot. Celestia greets her student with a warm smile, craning her head down to nuzzle Twilight affectionately. "It's good to see you. And you too, Princess Luna."

"Indeed. It has been far too long, my dearest student," Celestia returns the greeting with a kind voice, causing me to raise an eyebrow. Isn't she being a little too friendly for royalty? At least Luna over there is watching me like a hawk. You know, in case I wanted to kill them. Like a smart ruler should.

Then Celestia turns her gaze onto me, and for a reason I can't understand, I tense up as her magenta eyes stare into my own. There's...I don't know how to explain it, but it's like those eyes are piercing through my damn soul. I can't hold her gaze for more than a few moments before I avert my eyes. I think I understand what Twilight meant by "feeling them" as well. There's a slight pressure in the air that wasn't there before, probably caused by their presence. Just how powerful are these princesses?

"You must be Seth Rogers," Celestia conjectures, walking closer to me. She's taller than I am, if I take her horn into account. Wow, it's odd to be standing head to head with a pony this tall. Okay. I need to not be cowed by this fucker. Steeling myself, I return my gaze to her eyes.

"I don't know, do you see any other humans around?" I remark sarcastically. Twilight looks horrified at that.

"Seth! Don't be rude, she's a princess!" Twilight hisses at me. I ignore her though. As far as I'm concerned, her part in my story is over. She can go sit in a corner while I murder Sombra.

"It's quite all right, Twilight," Celestia soothes her. Twilight doesn't look satisfied, but she does back down. "Now then. I must say, it is quite the honor to meet one of our precursors. I am Princess Celestia."

"And we are Princess Luna," the other princess says, having descended from the chariot and joined us. She's not as tall as Celestia, but still tall enough that she can look into my eyes without craning her head. I raise an eyebrow. Did she just say, "We?" What's up with that?

"Well, you already know my name. I hope you didn't expect someone useful. I'm here because I'm unlucky," I return, shoving my hands into my pockets to warm them. "Now what exactly was so important that you felt you needed to come see me personally?"

"Before we get into that, why don't we go inside?" Celestia suggests sensibly, and I find myself nodding in agreement. It's freezing out here. "Twilight?"

"Of course, princess! My house is always open to you. Come on in, everyone!" Twilight obliges with an excited smile, leading the way into her house.

"Guards, remain on standby until we return," I hear Luna order the armored pegasi outside, just as I walk back into Twilight's house.

Celestia and Luna then join us inside the house, their eyes now solely on me. Twilight notices the atmosphere and gulps. "I'll uh...go make some tea," she stammers, removing herself to the kitchen. That leaves me alone with the two princesses.

"I'm sure you must have a lot of questions, Seth. Do you mind if I call you Seth?" Celestia finally begins, breaking the awkward silence.

"I actually prefer it," I reveal, idly running a hand through my hair, wincing when I come across several knots. "So...really? You're just going to let me start?"

"Of course. There must be some reason a human has appeared for the first time in three millennia. I assume you would be disoriented or confused," Celestia explains, rather accurately describing how I felt when I first arrived in this era.

"Huh. Very perceptive of you. That's...not at all what I expected," I admit.

"Oh? What didst thou expect?" Luna speaks up for the first time, and to my shock, I realize she's speaking in early modern English, just like Sombra did.

"If the government here was anything like it was back in my era, I half expected to be immediately seized and thrown into a lab somewhere for study," I tell them bluntly. The both of them look appalled at the notion.

"Absolutely not. Putting your species' history behind, you are a newcomer to Equestria. As its sovereigns, we would like to make you feel welcome here," Celestia affirms, giving me a warm smile.

"Though we art quite curious as to thy origins, when thy kind hath been considered extinct," Luna adds. And there's the catch. Oh, sure, you're welcome...as long as you tell us what we want to know.

"Make me feel welcome, huh? Why don't I believe that?" I ask sardonically, crossing my arms. Celestia raises an eyebrow at my cynicism, but Luna is much more vocal.

"ART THOU CALLING MY SISTER A LIAR?!" Luna's voice suddenly rises several decibels in volume, her eyes blazing white with what I assume to be magical power. I step back, cover my ears, and screw my eyes shut until the last echoes of her incredibly loud voice fade away.

"You know...if you really want me to tell you anything, is shouting at me really the smartest thing to do?" I point out, gingerly moving my hands off of my ears. If anything, Luna looks even more enraged. She opens her mouth again, but this time Celestia places a hoof on Luna's shoulder, and then gives her a stern look.

"Please forgive my sister, Seth. She does not entirely trust your species," Celestia explains with an apologetic expression.

"How can we, when all of thy literature we hath discovered shows a fixation with war and other atrocities?" Luna protests. In response, I give her a grin, which surprises her.

"Okay, I like you. You're smart," I say, pointing at Luna, who now looks utterly perplexed, as does Celestia. "You're right. Most of my kind is vicious, ruthless, and evil, and if you have access to some of our literature, you should know not to trust us."

"Thou admits it freely?" Luna says with a suspicious glance. I nod in response, before looking at Celestia.

"My question is why you are so willing to trust me. Come to think of it, everypony here has completely opened themselves up to me, even though I'm a complete unknown. Why is Luna here the only one who isn't naïve?" I demand, jabbing my finger at her. Celestia's ears twitch, but she manages to keep her expression neutral.

"You appear to be a very cynical individual, Seth," Celestia states, causing me to roll my eyes. Gee, what was your first clue. "Perhaps to one such as you, my view point may indeed seem naïve. But if there's one thing I've learned from my long years of life, it's that everyone deserves a chance, no matter who they are."

"Long years, huh? How old are you, anyway?" I question, her words resonating in my mind. She sounds a lot like my mother did, whenever she would lecture me about the ways I treated people.

"My sister and I have been in power since Discord's defeat, over a millennia ago," Celestia discloses, and then my jaw promptly falls to the floor. The princesses are over a thousand fucking years old?! How...what...are they immortal?

That means they've had a lot more experience with ponies than I have, and if ponies are similar to humans, then she would know what she's talking about...no, she's an idiot. She can't possibly expect me to believe that there's ponies worth trusting out there.

"I see your point," I admit reluctantly. She basically told me to shut up because I'm nothing but a child to them. "Now then...I can accept that you are willing to trust me. But I have to be honest: I'm not going to trust you so soon after meeting you."

"I appreciate your honesty. All I ask is the opportunity to earn your trust," Celestia acknowledges with a dip of her head.

I don't know how to feel about this. She's a pony, yes, and since they're like humans, she'll have some ulterior motive behind her being this nice. But on the other hand, it feels like she's being sincere. Instead of acting defensive or depressed when I act cynical like I always do, she essentially told me that she's fine with it, and hopes that I'll eventually trust her. That...is the most unique approach I've ever seen anyone take when talking to me.

"The tea is ready!" Twilight calls, and then she emerges from the kitchen. Floating in the air in front of her is a platter with a teapot and cups atop it. Luna and Celestia's horns light up a dark blue and a soft yellow, respectively, and then two cups levitate from the platter and fly over towards them.

"Thank you, Twilight. Now that you are here, I believe we can cut to the heart of the matter," Celestia says, her tone becoming dead serious. I watch the princess curiously, taking the cup that Twilight offers me. "Seth, would you mind telling us how you know about King Sombra?"

I grip the teacup harder, a dark look crossing my face. This is it. I will finally learn about the bastard that killed my family and friend. "Before that, I'd like to know who he is," I answer rudely. When Luna opens her mouth, probably to protest, I cut across her. "Look, you ponies have been trying to get information out of me ever since I got here. I said I wasn't telling anypony anything until I learned more about Sombra, and I meant it."

"I'd like to know who he is, too, princess," Twilight joins timidly, gazing at her mentor. "I'm interested in why he's not in any of my books or records."

"I suppose that's fair," Celestia relents, while her sister looks less than pleased. Celestia produces a small pink crystal from her mane, and then places it on the ground. "I'd best start from the beginning. Over a thousand years ago, in the far north, there was a separate kingdom known as the Crystal Empire."

Celestia's horn lights up, and suddenly a beam of light strikes the crystal. To my shock, a three dimensional hologram fades into existence. It depicts a massive city arranged in an angular pattern around one massive crystal structure that looks like a cross between the damn Eiffel Tower and the Crystal Tower from Final Fantasy III. Wow, that's just fucking awesome. I look in awe at the city before me. So this is the Crystal Empire. It's beautiful.

Twilight's eyes light up immediately, and she levitates a stack of parchment and several assorted writing materials over to her. She immediately starts taking notes, causing me to roll my eyes.

"The magic of the Crystal Empire was so great, it affected the land around it, causing crystals to grow naturally from the ground and giving the pony inhabitants a crystalline appearance," Celestia continues. I adopt a deadpan expression at her words. Really? Crystals growing from the damn ground? There is something seriously wrong with this world, I swear. "Not only that, but the magic of the Crystal Heart, the embodiment of the hope and love of the citizens, was strong enough to blanket all of Equestria in these traits."

As I watch, the hologram zooms in to the bottom of the tower, making me feel like I'm actually there. In the middle of the clearing beneath the tower, there's a glowing heart carved from crystal slowly spinning in a crystal apparatus. Geez, everything in this place is made of fucking crystal.

"The Crystal Empire enjoyed a peaceful prosperity, trading crystals with neighboring countries in turn for the resources they did not have. This all came to an end, however, when Sombra first appeared."

The hologram pans away from the Crystal Heart, flying across the entire city in the space of a few seconds until at last it rests upon a crystalline clifftop on the outskirts of town. There is a dark figure standing there, and as the hologram draws closer, I recognize him immediately.

"That's him," I gasp. There's no way I forget him. Sombra stands atop the cliff, garbed in that same iron breastplate and red cloak, along with that crown that held back his wild black hair. There was only one difference between this Sombra, and the one I'd seen. He is a pony here. A unicorn as well, if that vicious looking reddish horn is anything to go by. He looks the very essence of evil, a wolfish grin stretched across his face. "Holy shit!"

Behind Sombra is a giant fucking army of what looks like...undead? I'm not wrong. Even Twilight is gasping at the terrifying sight. There's a lot of skeletal ponies out there, along with a few relatively fresh looking ponies that are probably the necromancers.

"Sombra's lust for power, as well as his grudge against the royal family of the Crystal Empire, caused him to invade the empire with all of his might. He was too strong for anypony to stop him, so it wasn't long before Sombra had seized control, proclaiming himself King," Celestia details, changing the hologram yet again, only this time there's a huge difference.

The city is now fucking black. Like, the crystals beforehand were all light blue and pink, but now they're black and gray. The tower looks like something out of Lord of the Rings, only minus the giant ass eye at the top.

"So Sombra is still in control of this place?" I ask eagerly, already envisioning what I'd do to him. Celestia shakes her head solemnly.

"He is not. But before I explain that, I would like for you to detail your experience with him," Celestia expresses, allowing the hologram to dissipate. I shrug, watching the city fade away into thin air. Fair enough. I've learned a lot about Sombra, so it's time I kept my word.

"All right. I met him back in my era, three thousand years ago, only he looked human for some reason," I relate. This short sentence is enough to surprise them.

"What? Sombra made it back to thy own era? Sister, how is this possible?" Luna inquires.

"I'm not sure, but it would explain why he was missing that one week before you and I made our counterattack," Celestia replies.

"I actually have a theory," Twilight spoke up, getting our attention. She quails slightly when we all look at her at once. Celestia gives her a warm smile, encouraging her to continue. "Well, from the information given, I can only assume that King Sombra must have seized control of Starswirl the Bearded's time travel and self-transformation spells. He then perfected them, allowing him to travel much further back in time than previously thought, and for a longer period of time, while transforming his body to fit in."

I gape at Twilight. That actually makes a lot of sense."But that still doesn't explain how I got here," I point out.

"I was hoping you could tell us more," Twilight says hopefully. Celestia, who had been thinking since Twilight's theory, returns to the conversation.

"That is a matter of some concern, as those spells were locked tightly within the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the Canterlot Royal Library," Celestia recalls, looking towards Luna.

"Indeed. We do not believe Sombra could have infiltrated the castle so easily," the night princess concurs. Now, I'm not the smartest of individuals when it comes to real life situations, but I can put two and two together. Somehow, Sombra got his hands, claws, hooves, whatever on that spell.

"That means one of two things," I start. The other three look at me expectantly. "Either your security sucked a lot more than you want to admit, or you had a traitor."

Both of the princesses glanced at one another, looking visibly disturbed at that notion, though I can't understand why. You're in charge of a country. It's obvious that someone's not going to like you.

"That is a matter for another time. For now, there is something that doesn't fit with Twilight's theory," Celestia finally says after that awkward silence. I notice that Twilight is actually nodding, as if she had expected her to say that.

"Even if he did acquire Starswirl's spells, they're far from being efficient enough to facilitate time travel to a time longer than a week, much less three millennia," Celestia explains. That reminds me of what Twilight had said during one of our previous conversations. "In addition, the self-transformation spell is heavily flawed, in that it is permanent, and if performed incorrectly, can kill the caster."

"Therefore it stands to reason that Sombra found some way to improve or perfect these spells, if we assume that the spells were stolen in the first place," Luna completes. You see, this I can get into. These rulers are clearly very intelligent and willing to work with me make sense of this whole situation. If I know more about Sombra, the higher my chances of killing him are.

"Possibly. I don't recall Sombra being the scholarly type, so I think it unlikely that he created these spells from scratch. By that same logic, however, it's also a stretch to think that he could have improved upon Starswirl's spells without help," Celestia asserts. Twilight is scribbling notes at an incredible pace to keep up with everything that's being said.

"Whether he had help or not, the fact remains that he did make himself a human and come to my era. He was in my school, for god's sake," I say, changing the subject. While interesting, finding out how he came to my era doesn't change the fact that he did.

"Truly? What purpose didst he approach thy school?" Luna asks, quirking an eyebrow. Both Celestia and Twilight are looking at me with interest. Dammit, guess I'd better tell the full story.

"Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is what he said to me, and what he did to my race," I say, shrugging. "Let me give you the shortened version. I ran into Sombra in the stairwell of my school on a normal day. Literally, I ran into him. He was preparing some spell or another that he accidentally cast on me when I ran into him, and he was angry about it for a few moments before he decided I fit his criteria or whatever. Then he left, I passed out, and now I'm here. But while I was unconscious..."

"Tell me, do you know what happened to the human race?" I ask in a deceivingly calm voice.

"Unfortunately, we do not. Despite our age, there was not much in the way of records left behind. There are many theories as to why the humans disappeared," Celestia replies, appearing uncertain as to where I'm going with this.

"My favorite is that the humans suffered from overpopulation, a theory which is supported by the presence of advanced technological constructs designed to promote health, such as the heart rate monitor that we use now," Twilight spoke up, seemingly oddly excited. She wasn't completely wrong; no doubt humanity would have had to face the desolation of our planet's resources had we lived a few decades more. "As a result, humanity resorted to underground bunkers-some of which we've discovered-and the historian Noire Page even theorized that some humans may have traveled into space!"

I did my best not to laugh at that. Yeah, there wouldn't have been any humans going to space. Our space exploration program had their funding pulled a while before the whole Sombra incident. As for underground bunkers...that makes a little sense. No doubt pockets of human resistance turtled up within these bunkers in an attempt to hold off the Oppressed. Too bad it didn't work.

"Ludicrous. The night skies are under my command, and there are no humans living among the stars," Luna says with a scoff. I raise an eyebrow at that. The night skies are under your command? The fuck does that mean?

"Luna's right. There was no space travel," I affirm. I don't miss the slight look of disappointment cross Twilight's face. "The overpopulation theory is also wrong."

"Can you tell us what did happen?" Celestia asks softly. From the way she's looking at me, I think she knows what I'm about to say.

"They all died. Sombra murdered every single damn one of them, down to the last man, woman, and child," I growl. Twilight gasps in horror, while Luna raises a hoof to her mouth in shock. Celestia looks down with a sad expression. Turns out she had her suspicions after all. Now idea how though. She's also super old, so I'm guessing reading people comes with age.

"That's...that's horrible!" Twilight exclaims. A few moments later, she looks at me with grim understanding in her eyes. "...Is that why you won't let anypony get close?"

"Yeah, go ahead and make assumptions Twilight. It's none of your damn business what I do with my social life," I growl at her, annoyed that she brought that up. Tell someone one small unrelated detail, and suddenly they think they have you all figured out. Fucking pisses me off. When Twilight opens her mouth to protest, I cut her off. "Hello, there's princesses in the room? This is no place for that kind of talk anyway."

"We...I am sorry thou hadst suffered such tragedy, Seth," Luna chokes out. I give her a disbelieving look. Like I care what you feel about it. You weren't there. You can't know. I wasn't there either, and that's what makes it worse.

"Doesn't this mean that Sombra is in part responsible for our very evolution?" Twilight speaks up timidly. The Luna looks thoughtful at that suggestion, but Celestia is still gazing at me with veiled worry.

"No. The human race would have died out anyway. It was just a matter of time," I correct her bitterly. "You weren't wrong about overpopulation. It was a problem, one that would have severely affected us even if Sombra hadn't arrived."

"Oh..." Twilight trails off, looking crushed. Finally, I get annoyed at being stared at, so I return Celestia's gaze, glaring at her.

"I assume you want revenge?" Celestia asks me softly. Once again, she shocks me with her perceptiveness. I'm starting to see why she's part of the ruling duo. Besides being immortal, of course.

"You're damn right I do," I answer, a twisted grin crossing my face. This earns a sad sigh from Celestia, while Luna and Twilight give me concerned looks.

"Would you mind if Seth and I spoke privately?" Celestia requests suddenly, addressing Twilight and Luna. I give the princess an askance look. What could she possibly have to say that can't be said in front of her sister and student?

Turns out I'm not the only one who thinks this is a bit odd. "Sister?" Luna asks curiously. This prompts Celestia to give her sister a long, calm look. "Okay. We trust thee."

"Of course, princess. If you'd like, you can use my room upstairs," Twilight offers, deciding not to question it as well. How nice it must be to blindly trust someone like that. I see Celestia gesturing towards the staircase.

"Oookaayy..." I mutter, a bit concerned. Whatever. I'm sure it's important, whatever it is. Pony or not, she is royalty.

I tramp up the stairs after ear, feeling the eyes of Luna and Twilight following us until we pass out of view. I've never been in this portion of the house, and...now that I think about it, I've never actually been in a girl's room. Not that I'd see Twilight as a girl...it's that she's female...and...fuck it, why am I bothering to explain it? This is my own journal, after all. If someone else is reading this, then fuck you with a house.

Walking into Twilight's room, the first thing I notice is...more bookshelves. I don't know what I expected. This in an interesting set up for a room, though. Twilight's bed is on an extended ledge situated just above us as we enter, beneath a window, with a smaller staircase circling around the right side of the room.

Celestia keeps walking until she reaches the other side of the room, and then she turns around, her mane gently reflecting the early sunlight. She regards me with what I'm sure was supposed to be a motherly expression for a few moments, until I get impatient.

"Okay, so what do you want, and why can't Luna or Twilight hear it?" I demand, crossing my arms across my ripped and stained shirt.

"It's mostly for your sake, rather than theirs," Celestia reveals, albeit cryptically. "Now, I want you to listen very carefully to what I have to say."

Suddenly I have a very bad feeling about this. "Get on with it."

"I would like you to abandon your plans of revenge," she begins, and immediately I get angry. "All it will do is bring you pain."

"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" I shout instantly, preventing her from speaking further. "I don't care that you're some pony princess or whatever. I'm not a pony, and therefore not your subject!"

"You are right, of course. I cannot order you to listen to me. This is simply a request from one who knows how it feels to be wronged as you have," Celestia clarifies, not even flinching at my angry outburst.

"Don't you even. Don't you dare say you know how it feels! Have you lost your entire race?!" I shoot back, jabbing a finger at her. Celestia gives me a sad, knowing smile.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this is about your race," she corrects me softly. I freeze. But...my race...she...how the fuck did she know? I think my shocked expression is enough for Celestia to know she's right.

"You..." I stammer out, but I can't seem to form an intelligable sentence.

"I don't know who in particular you lost, Seth, but taking it out on Sombra will not bring them back. In the end, the only one hurt will be you." Celestia moves closer to me.

My knees feel weak. Celestia's words are cutting right through me like a knife. I don't know how she knows all this. Everything she says is spot on, and that's only making me feel worse.

Celestia is quiet, allowing me to sort through the jumbled mess of thoughts that are running through my head. I mean, it's not like I haven't heard a speech like this before. There's animes out there that have this very same lesson in it. It's just that I've never had it spoken specifically to me before, and had it actually apply.

Celestia is right. Even if I kill Sombra, Amaryllis, Maka, Adam, and my parents will still be dead. No, instead I'd have to deal with the fact that I'd killed someone in cold blood.

You know what? I'm prepared to deal with that.

"You're right, Celestia. They aren't coming back. But this is something I have to do," I declare in a firm voice. "I won't let someone like that go on living. If I don't do it, then who will?"

Celestia stares at me sadly, heaving a sigh. "It would have been easier to get you to give up on your own," she laments mysteriously. I shoot her a glance.

"What are you talking about?" I say with a hint of dread. On your own? Does that mean she intends to force me to give up? Imprison me? My hand snakes around to the rifle on my back. It's empty, but that doesn't mean I won't use it to defend myself.

"Peace, Seth. I do not intend to harm you," Celestia reassures me, though I don't believe her in the least. "There's something I have to tell you about Sombra."

"Spit it out, then." At my insistence, Celestia nods, taking a breath.

"Sombra is gone. Luna and I destroyed his empire together, dissolving his physical body and crushing his army," she revealed. At her revelation, my blood runs cold. My shoulders slump, and I look down at the ground. So this was all pointless anyway.

"So...there's nothing to take revenge on...?" I ask weakly. Celestia nods, and my spirits are crushed. Now what's the fucking point? From the depths of sorrow, a fresh wave of anger rushes forth.

"FUCK!" I cry out furiously, slamming a fist into the wooden wall, ignoring the pain that results. "This...THIS ISN'T FAIR!"

Celestia watches in silence as I storm around the room on a rampage, grabbing a flower vase and hurling it at the ground, where it shatters. I break and smash everything in my way, my anger dulling my senses. It doesn't matter that this stuff isn't mine. I just need to break something.

Whenever I break something, Celestia's horn glows yellow, and the affected object repairs itself and returns to its previous location. It doesn't matter how many times I break the same object; Celestia repairs it without fail.

She waits patiently until my anger runs its course, resulting me kneeling on the ground with a torn book in my hands. "What...what the fuck am I supposed to do now?" I murmur to myself, tossing the book aside, where Celestia repairs it and places it back on the shelf where it belongs.

"I'm not saying you should forget your loved ones. But Twilight and her friends are good ponies. I don't think you'll believe me at first, but they're not like the humans that you appear to despise," Celestia finally says, perceiving now as being the best time to approach me. I give her a suspicious look.

"What makes you think I hate my own race?" I demand. She's right, but how the fuck would she know how I feel about them? And what makes her so certain they're not like humans? They act practically the same way.

Celestia gives me a knowing smile. "Please, Seth. I can learn a lot simply from one simple conversation. For example, you identified with Luna when she distrusted you, and accused me of being naïve. Something must have happened between you and fellow humans to make you believe that trusting another is a weakness."

"Yes, but..."

"It's also clear that you believe that when one expresses kindness to you, they possess some ulterior motive. That being said, when you are treated with genuine kindness, you don't know how to react," Celestia continues, and my jaw hits the damn ground. How the hell can she sum me up so easily just from one tiny conversation? This...what is this shit? She's like, mind-fucking me.

"So let me ask you: please give Twilight and her friends a chance. They aren't perfect, but they are genuinely good ponies. I believe that you and them could become very good friends," Celestia requests, gazing down at me comfortingly.

I really want to argue, but at this point, I just don't have the will. What would I even say? There's too much shit that I can recall to prove that humans are indeed worthless, but her argument is that ponies aren't like humans. There's been nothing to prove her right, but I can't prove her wrong either. So many things have happened since I got here that I just can't explain.

"I can't promise anything," I say softly, finally meeting Celestia's gaze. "But I'll give it a shot."

Celestia's smile grows much wider at that, and she offers me a hoof. I take it, and she hoists me to my feet without expending much effort.

"That's all anypony can ask for."

---

Well, now here's the character development you all have been screaming for! There's going to be a lot of soul searching Seth throughout this arc, with most of it coming into play either next chapter or the one after the next.

Writer's block hit me at the part with the long conversation between the sisters and him, but I got through thanks to really good music, which I've linked into this chapter.

I'm a bit concerned on if I managed to portray Celestia and Luna correctly. Leave me a review and tell me how I did!