Sigh...no new reviews in the past couple days. Oh well, hopefully a new story image and a new chapter will change that. :) Drama coming soon! :D Stay tuned! Thanks to those who have been viewing and following!

I thought Canterlot would be a pretty fair distance from Ponyville, but the capital of Equestria was actually not that far away. Twilight led Rainbow, Applejack, and me through mountain trails to get there.

"I don't see why we couldn't just call a taxi," Rainbow complained.

"Coming from a Pegasus?" Applejack chuckled.

"Rainbow Dash, you know the Ponyville taxis don't run all the way to Canterlot. Besides, we don't want word of a human to get out too soon," Twilight asserted.

"You told Pinkie Pie." Rainbow waved her hooves. "All of Equestria will probably know by sundown."

"Aw, what's the harm in that?" Applejack drawled. She nuzzled me and smiled. "Don't you worry yerself, Tara. Everythin' will be a-OK. The princesses are real nice ponies and they'll be delighted to meet you."

"Applejack, I'm one of the princesses," Twilight reminded her friend. "And Cadence hasn't left the Crystal Empire for months." She moved a rock out of the path with her magic.

Rainbow Dash landed on the path and walked a little. "What's that got to do with anything?"

Twilight sighed. "Cadence tells me King Sombra has been spotted again."

Twilight had told me about King Sombra already, and her story had ended with him being defeated. This new piece of news alarmed me.

"Sombra's back?" Applejack exclaimed in surprise.

"Yep." Twilight kept walking. "Cadence doesn't want to leave the Empire yet."

"But can't Shining Armor's protection spell do enough?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"They're taking turns. Protecting the whole city is just too much work for one pony all the time." Twilight paused. "Maybe I can convince Cadence to come while Shining's doing the magic."

"Would you?" I pleaded. "She may know something about a seventh element."

"I'll try." Twilight pointed with one hoof. "There it is, girls!"

The city of Canterlot had to be the most beautiful sight I'd seen since my arrival in Equestria. And that's saying a lot.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked further ahead while Twilight and I lagged behind. The little lavender alicorn looked up at me. "You doing alright?"

"Are we really going to meet the princesses?" I asked.

Twilight smiled. "Don't worry! They're amazing ponies. If anyone in Equestria knows of a seventh element, they would."

"But I'm a human in a world full of ponies!"

Twilight chuckled. "That's what I felt like when I came into your world." She looked me over curiously. "Though when I entered your world, I had clothes and hands and fingers and all that stuff you humans have. You haven't gotten any pony features. I wonder why?"

I shrugged. "Maybe we can ask them that too?"

Twilight chuckled. "Sure."

A few minutes later, Twilight decided against walking into Canterlot. Instead she used her teleport magic to land us right inside the gates of Celestia's castle. "We don't want anypony else to see a human here," she pointed out.

I didn't know if I would ever get used to teleport magic. I figured I would have to. Who knew how long I would be here.

Twilight led the way toward a huge room with a vaulted ceiling and four thrones against one wall. The largest throne, in the center, bore an image of a golden sun. A smaller throne to the right featured a silver moon, and two slightly smaller thrones to each side bore a blue crystal heart and lavender sparkles—Twilight's cutie mark, I realized. That must be her princess throne.

Two gorgeous ponies stood in the center of the room. One was white with a beautiful flowing almost rainbow colored mane, and the same golden sun for her cutie mark. She was talking with a slightly smaller pony who had a flowing sparkly blue mane and tail, and a crescent moon on her flank. A third pony, baby pink with the crystal heart on her flank, was just joining them.

I stood there dumbfounded. From what Twilight had told me, I was in the presence of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence—three of the most magically gifted ponies in all of Equestria. Only Twilight's magic could rival theirs.

Dash was actually walking now—I guess even a pony as energetic as her has to be respectful in a palace. Applejack seemed a little nervous. Understandable, of course. She was used to Sweet Apple Acres, not a palace where the slightest swish of a tail could break something.

Twilight, on the other hoof, seemed perfectly at home. I mentally facepalmed when I realized I had thought "the other hoof". This place was already getting to my mind.