After a quick checkup to make sure that the manticores didn’t do any lasting damage, Twilight and I hurried out of the hospital, despite the nurse’s protests. Well, Twilight hurried; I just limped along after her, wincing as I put pressure on my leg. Luckily, the hospital gave Twilight some pain medication for me, which I quickly liberated from her clutches as soon as the nurse’s back was turned. I immediately downed several of the pills, trying to get my shoulder and leg to stop throbbing.

Sunny was waiting patiently for us outside the hospital, having bumped into Rainbow during the latter’s flight to freedom and warning of the situation. Apparently, Twilight had ran ahead of her and she had arrived at the hospital at the same time as the others were making a break for it. After being informed that I was alive and conscious, Sunny had decided to wait outside when Twilight stormed in.

Soon, the three of us were rushing through town, heading for the library. Both Sunny and I were being pulled along by a hysterical Twilight. While I limped down the road, I couldn’t help but think about how screwed up the day had been so far. First, I was studying humans, then I was escorting fillies through a forest and running from manticores. After that it was the hospital, getting yelled at, and cuddled, by Twilight. Now I’m headed to the library to meet with Princess Celestia, I thought, rolling the day’s events through my head. Anything else major going to happen today?

“This is bad, this is bad, this is bad,” Twilight muttered, causing both me and Sunny to glance over at her. She was half trotting, half flying towards the library. It kinda reminded me of a baby bird trying to fly.

Tearing her gaze from Twilight, Sunny glanced up at me, a bemused expression on her face. I just returned it with a small shrug, unsure of what to say at that particular moment. Many ponies were staring at us as we rushed by, some muttering something that sounded like “It’s the doll incident all over again”.

“I’m confused,” Sunny said, trying to keep pace with Twilight, but staying near me at the same time. “Why is this bad? Wasn’t she all for telling the princess before? We can even get you home now.” Rolling my eyes, I just shrugged and continued along, trying to ignore the twinge of unease that washed over me when Sunny mentioned me going home.

“No!” Twilight was immediately between us, her mane disheveled and a crazed look in her eyes. I jumped back, yelping slightly as I stumbled. Twilight didn’t seem to notice, or she didn’t really care. I think she has finally lost it…

“You don’t understand! I’ve been keeping Max a secret from her for months now! Oh, she’s going to be so disappointed with me!” Dancing on her hooves, Twilight eyes flicked back and forth between Sunny and me. “Ooooh, I’m so screwed! She’s gonna yell. She’s gonna be upset. She’s gonna send me back to magic kindergarten!” Her eyes widened at that, and I think she stopped breathing for several seconds. Her eye twitched once, before her mouth opened in a silent scream and shot off again, sprinting towards the library. Sunny watched her go for several seconds before turning back to me.

“It’s nice to know that she cares more about you than her relationship with the princess,” she snarked, rolling her eyes before following after the frantic mare at a more reasonable pace. As I watched the two mares, I shook my head and sighed heavily. I’m surrounded by nothing but insanity today. When did life become so chaotic? Glancing up at the sky and the stars that were starting to come out, I said a silent prayer. To what, I wasn’t sure, but I said one nonetheless. If there is anyone out there watching out for me, please let me live through this. I blinked several times, scrunching my face up as I decided to be more specific. Not meeting the princess, but Twilight Sparkle’s insanity. Despite the stupid things I’ve done, I don’t really want to die anytime soon. Running a hand through my long hair, I lowered my head and limped after the two mares, feeling slightly better as the pain medication began to kick in.

The library soon came into view and Twilight immediately picked up her pace, making a beeline for the front door. Reaching it way before either me or Sunny, she held it open and danced in place as she waited for us to catch up, making it look like she had to pee really bad. I snickered at the sight, my medication making it seem far funnier than it probably was.

When both of us were close enough, Twilight’s horn lit up and we were pulled unceremoniously into the library. As Sunny and I tried to regain our balance, Twilight shot between us, slamming the door shut behind her. She then began rushing to and fro, trying to clean up the library as much as possible, all the while chanting to herself, “Bad, bad, bad, bad.” Sunny and I just stood there, watching her work with dazed expressions on our faces.

“She does realize that the princess is coming to see you, right?” Sunny asked, not taking her eyes off of Twilight as books flew onto the shelves. “I don’t think she needs to be too concerned about the state of the library.” I didn’t reply, choosing instead to just follow my owner’s movements back and forth, my hand slowly moving up to cover my mouth. I’ve seen Twilight freak out before, but this time took the cake by a good country mile.

As Twilight finished with the books and moved on to the other items cluttering up the room, she turned to look at me, a crazed look in her eye. As she spoke, her voice was panicky, yet cheerful, causing me to shiver slightly.

“We have very little time before the princess arrives, and you do NOT know the proper etiquette for meeting with her! Normally we would cover everything over several days, maybe even weeks if need be, but we don’t have that kind of time so we’ll just have to keep it quick and simple!

“Now remember: be polite, use her title, and answer her questions truthfully!” Not even waiting for my reply, she zipped over to a pile of blankets, which instantly flew into the air and down the basement stairs. As the blankets took to the sky a purple dragon scale fell out of them, and as I stared at it, I realized that we had forgotten something.

~So, did Twilight leave Spike at the hospital intentionally, or do we have to go back and pick him up?~ I asked, turning to glance down at Sunny.

“No, she didn’t,” she said, dodging a flying vase. “He’s with Rarity and her sister right now. She said she would look after him for Twilight while she dealt with you—”

“There,” Twilight cried, interrupting Sunny. “That should do it.” I glanced around the library, my eyebrows raising slightly as I took in the sight before me. I think this is the cleanest I’ve ever seen this place. “Now then, the princess should be here any second now, so make yourself presentable!”

Just as Twilight finished saying that, there was a massive crack and a blinding flash of light filled the library.

Dozens of ponies stared down at me in the pit, laughing cruelly. Just out of view, I heard the sound of humans bashing their fists against the cages that contained them; the noise echoed around the room, audible above the sounds of the crowd. Their shrieks of rage chilled my blood, and I felt my throat tighten.

Darkflare gazed down at me, a dark, twisted smile on his face as he lifted another occupied cage into the air. Positioning it by the side of the pit, he swung the door open and dumped the human down into the jaws of hell. My new opponent stumbled to his feet, glaring at me as he did so. Before I could react, he lunged at me with a feral snarl. I brought my hands up to protect myself, but I wasn’t fast enough. His fist connected with my face and my head snapped back. Instantly my face was ablaze with pain…

My eyes snapped open and I clasped my aching face in my hands. Sunny stood above me, her hoof raised to slap me again. She gazed down at me, concern in her eyes. As I sat up shakily, trying to catch my breath, she slowly backed up.

“You okay, big guy?” she asked tentatively, not taking her eyes off of me. I nodded once, rubbing my cheek tenderly. My heart was pounding in my chest, trying to force its way out of my ribs. Despite the pain medication doing its job, my body still felt like I had just run a couple of miles.

To my right, I could just make out Twilight standing off to the side, staring at me with a mix of fear and concern on her face, as well as confusion. I turned to give her a weak smile, but froze when I saw who was standing beside her.

There, previously standing in my blind spot, was Princess Celestia. She was looking at me with an impassive expression on her face, her mane flowing idly in a non-existent breeze. I swallowed nervously as I stood to face her, my legs shaking slightly. As I approached her tentatively, I saw Twilight’s eye darting back and forth between me and the princess, an uneasy look on her face. We stood there, eye to eye with each other, her magenta eyes staring intently into my brown one. I had forgotten how tall she was. The idea that I should probably bow to her crossed my mind, but my body didn’t want to for some reason.

Eventually she spoke, her voice quiet, “You’ve been through much since last we met—” her eyes flickered quickly over my face, pausing briefly on my right eye “—and it is clear that your mind is not at rest.” She trailed off, continuing to study me for several minutes. During that time, the tension in the room continued to grow with each passing second. I heard Sunny and Twilight shift nervously behind me.

“First things first,” Celestia said suddenly, causing me to flinch slightly. Her gaze was cold as she looked at me, causing a shiver to run down my spine. Power radiated in her gaze, and just like when I first met her, I was scared of what she could do to me if she really wanted to. I was now completely at her mercy; I hoped that I’ve done enough good to be spared her wrath. “Before I begin to seek answers to questions that have been plaguing my mind, do you plan on hurting any of my little ponies? Be warned; I will know if you are lying.”

I blinked in confusion, not expecting that to be the first thing she asked. Out of everything she could have asked me, she asks that? If I wanted to hurt anypony, I’m pretty sure that I would have done it already. I blinked suddenly, my mind slowly processing what I had just thought. I just used ‘anypony’ instead of ‘anyone’. I’m becoming one of them. I groaned inwardly, resisting the urge to facepalm.

I glanced back at Celestia and saw her staring at me expectantly, her eyes narrowed. It took me a second to remember that she had asked me a question; one that I should probably answer soon, lest she took my relative silence the wrong way. Shaking my head slowly, I tried to maintain eye contact with her the entire time. Her eyes narrowed further, horn glowing slightly as she studied my face. Slowly, her expression softened and she offered me a small smile.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice quiet. I wasn’t entirely sure why she was thanking me, but I returned her smile nonetheless. She flinched as I did so, her eyes widening slightly. This time I actually facepalmed when I realized why. Humans don’t smile, dumbass, I thought as I remembered Twilight’s reaction to seeing me smile for the first time. She hasn’t seen a human smile before. It probably didn’t help that she got a good look at my teeth, since ponies and humans have different diets.

The princess quickly got over her initial shock, though. Much faster than Twilight, at least. I guess the teacher is still better than the pupil.

“Now then,” Celestia said, more relaxed than when she first arrived. “As I have heard from my sister, you are far more intelligent than the other humans of Equestria, correct?” I nodded, confirming what she had been told. “Very well then. That actually leads to my second question. Where exactly do you hail from, human?” The way she said ‘human’ wasn’t unkind, but there was a little caution behind it. It was clear that she didn’t really trust me yet.

Before I could answer, however, Twilight beat me to it.

“Do you remember that one time the girls and I disappeared for a week, only to turn up in your court unexpectedly?” she asked, stepping forward to stand next to me. She pressed her flank into my leg slightly, almost protectively. Celestia nodded once, tilting her head as she continued to look at me. I just stood there, rubbing the shoulder that the manticore had stung. The pain medication I had taken at the hospital was beginning to wear off and the pain was slowly coming back, much to my annoyance.

“Yes, I do remember that particular event. You six scared the living daylights out of Diligent Scrolls; if I recall, she had to take the rest of the month off to recover, poor thing. Her heart isn’t the best it could be for a mare her age. Now, if I remember correctly, you said that you were attempting a long-distance teleportation spell and ended up traveling to another world, but what does that have to do with him?” Celestia asked, cocking a head in my direction. Twilight didn’t say anything, opting instead to wave a hoof at me. Celestia looked back and forth between us with a blank expression before her eyes widened and she took a step back.

“No,” she breathed, looking at me with renewed curiosity. “Surely you aren’t saying that he…”

“Check for yourself,” Twilight said, returning to her position behind me. Celestia’s horn glowed and I was surrounded by a golden aura. My skin tingled for several seconds, feeling like my entire body had fallen asleep, before the glowing stopped and the feeling dissipated. Celestia stood there with an incredulous look on her face as she continued to stare at me, her mouth hanging open slightly.

“You are not from this world,” she said breathlessly. I simply raised my eyebrows, a small smile on my face. She stared at me for several more seconds before continuing, “How did you arrive in Equestria, then?” I had just started looking around for a piece of paper when Twilight chimed in again.

“She can understand hoof-language.” This time it was Twilight’s turn to receive the incredulous look.

“You taught him hoof-language?” Celestia asked, chuckling lightly to herself. “Why am I not surprised?” Twilight blushed at the comment, suddenly interested in the ceiling. Celestia continued to laugh as she turned her attention back to me. “Alright human, let’s hear your tale.”

I told her everything that had happened to me from the first minute I arrived in the desert, to when she found me in Canterlot. The horrid conditions, the awful train ride, the lack of food and water. How Sunny had inadvertently helped me survive, as well as keep most of my sanity intact. Celestia listened intently, not asking any questions as I ‘spoke’. When I finished, she remained quiet for several minutes, staring at the floor in front of her as she thought. Eventually, she raised her head and looked over at me.

“So,” she said slowly, as if she was choosing her words carefully. “When I first met you, you were intelligent?”

~Yes, I was~

“And you knew what I was saying?”

~Yes, I did~ She returned her gaze to the floor, a troubled expression on her face. After several more seconds of silence, Twilight spoke up.

“Are you okay, princess?”

“Yes, my dear Twilight,” Celestia said, looking over at her student. “I’m just trying to get my head around the fact that I sent you an intelligent creature, that isn’t originally from our world, wrapped up like a Hearth's Warming Eve present.” She turned to look at me, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she did so. “Why did you not try to communicate with me at the time?”

~I did~ I signed, an annoyed expression on my face. ~You mistook it for fear~ She crinkled her nose at me, snorting slightly.

“If that was your attempt, it was a fairly poor one at that,” she scoffed.

~Well, there may have been something preventing me from trying very hard~

“And what might that have been?”

~Fear~ I stated simply, my face expressionless. Her eyes widened at that.

“Why would you fear me?” she asked, sounding slightly hurt.

~After spending two weeks aboard that train of terror, I wasn’t exactly the most trusting guy when it came to ponies~ The princess started to say something, but I cut her off (the glare I got from Twilight for doing that was priceless). ~Plus, there was something about you that made me afraid. You simply radiate power, as if it were as natural as breathing or blinking. When you come from a world that has no magic, nor anything with power like that, it’s kind of intimidating. It felt almost like, at any moment, you could rain down fire and brimstone upon me. It felt like all my sins were laid bare before you for you to judge. It was almost like staring into the face of God himself, and being afraid that he finds you lacking. When I first met you, I could only pray that I didn’t do anything to piss you off and make you want to kill me~

She was visibly shocked by that, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sunny and Twilight doing the same thing. I just stood there, arms crossed as I looked at Celestia. Eventually she seemed to reluctantly accept my answer, nodded her head, and looked at me sadly.

“I am truly sorry that I’ve caused you that kind of grief, little one,” she said. “It was never my intention.” I nodded to show her that I did understand, and a smile told her that I didn’t blame her. It wasn’t her fault that she was as powerful as she was.

Beside me, Twilight looked back and forth between the princess and I, her mouth agape slightly.

“You aren’t surprised by any of this?” She asked suddenly, waving a hoof in my direction, one of her eyebrows raised. “How can you be so calm?”

“I knew he was intelligent because of what Luna told and showed me, so I can’t say that I was surprised by that,” Celestia explained, sitting down on the couch, her wings spreading slightly by her sides. “Him being from a different world, while surprising in and of itself, actually explains how he is intelligent, which rid me of most of my original questions. So… I’m actually at a loss for words.”

~What were your original questions?~ I asked, cocking my head to the side.

“I was going to ask you what your purpose in Equestria was, but seeing as you came here against your will, I think I can safely say that you have no real agenda here and don’t really have a plan to act on.” Sensing I was no longer in impending danger from the monarch, I could feel my inner jackass slowly rising to the surface with some help from my pain medication. I tried to push the urge down, but unfortunately today’s events made it so that I was slowly not caring about anything anymore. Plus, I had had a stressful day and needed to have some fun.

…or so my pain medication told me.

~I wouldn’t say I don’t have a plan~ The princess looked at me in alarm, while Sunny and Twilight shot me a look that screamed “what the hell are you doing, dumbass?” I ignored them, smirking at the princess. Some part of me was screaming not to piss of the powerful, godlike creature before me, but another part just flipped the bird and continued with what I was doing.

“And might I ask what that plan is?” Celestia asked, her body tensing as she made to stand. I could see light beginning to form around her horn as she began to charge a spell.

~Living. Continuing to breathe. I was planning on possibly using the bathroom, a little later on during the night~ I signed with a sage nod. ~Maybe getting something to eat after you left. Perhaps take a shower too~ Twilight stared up at me, a look of pure horror on her face. Sunny looked like she was torn between being shocked and laughing, her face twitching slightly. The princess’s reaction, however, was the best.

She stood there, halfway between sitting and standing, staring at me with a blank expression on her face. The light around her horn ceased, sparking a little as it did so. After a few seconds, she fell back onto the couch, a large smile slowly spreading across her face as she began to laugh. She continued to laugh for several minutes as Twilight watched in confusion. I was mentally patting myself on the back and high-fiving my inner jackass.

~At least she’s taking it better than you did~ I informed Twilight, bumping her side with my knee. She huffed irritably and looked away from me, turning her nose up as she did so. I still caught the small smile on her face, however.

“W-what do you mean?” Celestia asked, trying hard to stifle her laughter. Twilight's head quickly snapped back around as she looked at me pleadingly. Unfortunately, the pain medication had already made up my mind for me, my inner jackass cheering it on in the background.

~When I first tried to show her that I’m intelligent, she freaked out. A lot. She kept pacing around, trying to convince herself that it was a dream. I do believe at some point she threw a piece of paper at my head, along with a glass of water~ Twilight’s blush darkened and she hid her face behind her hooves as Celestia’s laughter grew. Her sides shook and tears slowly began to run down her face. I wasn’t sure if I was actually that funny, or if she just found the circumstances hilarious. Either way, I didn’t care; Celestia was happy, and I wasn’t about to die.

It was several more minutes before she was able to start composing herself again.

“Oh my, I haven’t laughed that hard in ages,” she finally said as she calmed down. Wiping tears from her eyes, she gave me a large, genuine smile. “It’s good to see you have a sense of humor, despite the hardships I’m sure you’ve faced in this world.” Her smile waned slightly as she became more sober.

“I must apologize for your treatment while in Equestria,” she said, giving me a sad smile. “Both at my hooves, and the hooves of my little ponies. I’m sure it’s not fun to be in a world where your own species is nothing more than a bunch of dumb animals, especially when you're treated like one as well.” I shuffled nervously at that. I hadn’t actually sat down with Twilight or Sunny and explained the role reversal of ponies and humans back on my world, and I didn’t think I’d be telling the princess that little bit of information right now either. Luckily, my uneasiness went unnoticed as Celestia continued.

“While I can’t hope to make up for anything done to you,” at that, her eyes darted up to my right eye again, a pained expression flashing across her face, “I hope that you might be able to forgive us one day. I hope you might be able to forgive me.” She looked up at me hopefully, wings twitching nervously at her side. I stood there, rubbing my chin, lost in thought.

Now, I didn’t initially blame the ponies for my troubles. While it’s true that some of them have caused me certain… ‘issues’, that has been vastly outweighed by ponies like Sunny, Twilight, and her friends. Another reason I don’t blame anyone else for my issues (except for Darkflare and his gang) was because it was mainly my own fault. I had kept my secret from the majority of the populace, including Celestia. If anyone was to be blamed for anything, it should be me for my own stupid paranoia. I absentmindedly tapped my finger against my face as I continued my silent musing.

Eventually, I came to a decision. Glancing back up at the princess, I saw that she was watching me with an expectant look on her face.

~I’ll forgive you on one condition~ I signed, a small smirk slowly spreading across my face. Inner Jackass snickered when he realized what I was up to.

“And what condition is that?” she asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.

~Have you had that lout Blueblood neutered yet?~ I asked, my smirk spreading into a full blown, wicked smile. Celestia instantly reeled back, a deep blush spreading across her shocked face.

“I had forgotten about that,” she muttered under her breath, the embarrassment clear on her face. Beside me, Twilight and Sunny were looking between the princess and me with a confused look on their face.

“Princess, what is he talking about?” Twilight asked Celestia as the monarch tried to regain her composure. She gave both Twilight and Sunny an uneasy look before answering.

“Well, during the time that Max was in the palace, before I sent him to live with you—”

~Sent me via dragonfire. Which wasn’t fun, if you must know. It was like being squeezed through a tube of toothpaste~ The princess winced again and shot me another apologetic look as she continued.

“Yes, well, before I sent him to you, we had a run-in with my nephew, Blueblood.” She paused, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. “Let’s just say that he… well, he didn’t have the best manners, and… he may have—”

~He was looking at me the same way that a hormonally imbalanced filly looks at a colt~ Twilight and Sunny’s faces turned red instantly as Celestia hung her head. My drugged mind was loving this, even if the pills were starting to wear off.

“I’m afraid that it wasn’t the best first impression,” Celestia sighed, leaning backwards on the couch.

~And he won't be getting a second chance~ I signed, growling softly. An awkward silence fell over the room; none of the ponies wanted to look at me. I folded my arms, smirking happily. Eventually, a cough from Twilight snapped everyone out of their stupor.

Clearing her throat, Celestia turned to me and asked, “If it’s not too much trouble, might I ask you what has happened between when I sent you to Twilight and now? I have a feeling that Twilight has kept some of the details from me.” She shot Twilight a look, causing her to laugh nervously and give the princess a sheepish smile. Grabbing my large cushion out of the corner of the room (seriously, this thing was more like a beanbag chair than a cushion. The only reason I still had it was that it was extremely comfortable), I pulled it out into the open and flopped down upon it. Twilight and Sunny followed my example, using a pair of cushions that ponies could use when reading at the library.

After getting comfortable, I began my tale.

I started by telling her of my first day in Ponyville, and meeting Twilight’s friends, even if Twilight didn’t know at the time she was introducing me to them. How the first thing Twilight did was buy a book on how to care for humans. This brought a blush to Twilight’s face, as well as a knowing smile to Celestia’s. At my first encounter with Rarity she grimaced slightly, but it turned back to a smile when I reached the part with Fluttershy and how concerned she was with my health.

Then, I shamefully told her about my first week living with Twilight, and all the crap I put her through. I shot Twilight an apologetic look, but she just smiled at me and shook her head slightly. Celestia listened respectfully, neither smiling nor frowning as she heard of the hell I put Twilight through, although I think she was slightly disappointed by how I handled everything. Thankfully, she did give me the faintest of smiles when I explained how I had annoyed the hell out of Twilight simply by smiling at her. When she heard how I had finally come to my senses and revealed myself to Twilight, she nodded approvingly.

She laughed out loud when I told her about Twilight’s reaction in more detail. Twilight averted her gaze, cheeks red with embarrassment. Next to her, Sunny was snickering into her hoof.

I moved on to tell her about my life in Ponyville. I told her how Twilight had taught me hoof-language, about me telling Twilight about my home (she looked like she wanted me to go into detail about that, but thankfully she didn’t push it), and learning about the new world I found myself in. She laughed at some parts of when Twilight was adjusting to having an intelligent human in her life, especially when she locked herself in the basement as a way to say sorry for doing the same to me accidentally.

When I reached the part where Rainbow and I started having wrestling matches, the princess sat up quickly, giving me a steely look. Twilight came to my rescue, however, and explained that neither Rainbow Dash, nor I, were in any danger at any point, and that most of the time I was the one that got hurt the most. She even told Celestia of the time Rainbow had given me a black eye. The princess relaxed after hearing that, much to my joy. I didn’t need her punishing me because Rainbow liked a good fight.

Her smile grew bigger when I told her about our trip to the beach, and she gave me a surprised look when she heard that I had actually gone swimming.

She gave me what I could only call an appreciative look when she heard about how I had Twilight get me pills to curb my cravings for meat.

The tale continued and Celestia seemed to enjoy hearing about our trip to the spa, but her face grew cold when I told her about the encounter with Golden Ingot. She actually interrupted to thank me when I told her how I had stood up to him for Twilight. “While it’s rare to find ponies like that nowadays, they are still out there,” she admitted.

I told her about us trying to survive the heat wave in Ponyville, to which she gave us a sheepish smile and refused to meet our gaze.

I purposely left out my meeting with the Cakes, as I didn’t want to relive that experience.

I moved on to the time that Twilight took me to Canterlot to have dinner with her family. I left out Twilight’s little issue at the train station, and Twilight shot me a thankful smile. However, when I told her about the conversation Twilight and I had about my age, both her and Sunny were shocked not only to learn how old I was, but also on how long I was going to live. Beside me, Twilight’s eyes glistened as a smile touched her lips.

When I reached the part about seeing the humans digging the pit in the side of the mountain, I stopped and gave the princess a curious look.

~Why exactly are you having them mine in that area anyways?~ I asked her. ~I’m not upset about it; just curious~ I added on, seeing her fearful look in my direction. Twilight perked up, looking at Celestia expectantly. I knew she was curious as well, but didn’t want to bother Celestia by asking. But it doesn’t matter if I ask, apparently. The princess glanced at us, licking her teeth slowly.

Leaning forward, she looked me in the eye and spoke, “Several months ago—the day you and I met, actually—one of my battlemages reported to me that she had sensed something magical beginning to emit energy deep beneath the mountain. She said that the flares had started out faint, but she could sense them growing stronger. She requested the use of humans to mine into the mountain and find what was causing the disturbances. I’m not sure if you are aware, but Equestrian humans are apparently natural diggers. Anyway, I agreed and gave her thirty humans to work with.”

“But there were more than thirty humans down there when we saw it,” Twilight said, scrunching up her face as she looked at Celestia. The princess nodded her head, casting a quick glance at Twilight before looking back at me.

“Yes, there are,” she confirmed. “But there is a reason for that. A week after the dig began, packs of wild humans began to slowly show up around the dig site. We initially tried to keep them out by putting up fences around the area, but after a while that proved useless as they would simply climb over or dig under them.” She paused for a moment, chewing on her lip before she continued. “Whatever is down there, it appears to be attracting humans. We have no clue what it is, as of right now, but I decided to give the Major more guards, as well as more humans. The sooner we figure out what’s down there, the sooner we can figure out if it’s a threat, and why the humans are drawn to it.” The room was quiet for several minutes as everyone processed what had been said. Slowly, Twilight turned in my direction, a thoughtful look on her face.

“When we passed by the pit, did you feel drawn to it, or feel any kind of magical pull?”

~No. I saw it out the window, and was confused as to what was going on, but I wasn’t drawn to it~ The room became silent again, as the gears in Twilight’s head continued to turn. Eventually, she sighed and shook her head, “I can’t think of what it could possibly be.”

“Don’t trouble yourself about it too much, Twilight,” Celestia said, a soft smile on her face. “I have ponies looking into it.” She then turned back to me and nodded her head. “I would very much like it if you could continue with your tale, my dear human.”

I continued where I had left off, recounting the trip to Canterlot, as well as meeting Twilight’s family. She got a kick out of my mock fight with Twilight’s brother. There wasn’t much more to tell about the trip, as I hadn’t been allowed in the dining area, and we had left shortly after dinner. When I told her about the events regarding Sunny's appearance when we returned to the library, Celestia's head had snapped around and she practically glared at Sunny, who shrank down and hid behind Twilight. The purple alicorn draped her wing across the pegasus. Celestia’s expression had softened, however, after I explained Sunny’s position and how helpful she had been during her time here.

I paused briefly when I reached that fateful day. All three of them looked at me with concern as I ran my hand through my hair, staring off into the distance. After a while, I sighed heavily and continued with the story. I told her about hanging out with Sunny that morning, although I might have omitted the part concerning Applejack. The atmosphere of the room slowly became more and more somber as I continued with my tale.

I told her about getting hit in the back of the head, and waking up in the middle of the warehouse.

I had to relieve my experience in the pit once more. Even though I left out some of the more gory details—mostly for Twilight and Sunny’s sakes—it still took me a while to retell the whole thing. I kept having to pause every couple of minutes to relax my tense muscles.

I was halfway through the experience when I suffered another flashback. When I had recovered, I found myself lying on the floor with Celestia kneeling beside me, horn glowing as she looked down at me in concern. Twilight had hurried into the kitchen to get me a glass of water, and the princess told me that I didn’t need to continue with my story if I didn’t want to.

I declined her offer to stop; it felt good to get all of this off of my chest again. She allowed me to continue, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

I managed to finish retelling about my time in the pit without further incident. After that, I breezed through my time in the hospital, meeting Luna, and my slow recovery. I skipped over my experiments with the other humans, although I didn’t exactly know why. Something inside me told me that it was probably best to not mention anything right now.

I told her of Spike and the Crusaders finding me, our trip through the Everfree Forest on the way to Zecora’s, and the resulting chaos. She gasped when I reached the part where the manticores showed up and she began to tear up slightly when she heard that I had grabbed the fillies and Spike, and made a mad dash to freedom. The look of gratitude on her face alone caused my face to flush and I found myself becoming extremely interested in the ground. I quickly skimmed over what happened from when I woke up in the hospital again, to when she arrived.

When I finally finished reliving my adventures in Equestria, it was almost around midnight. I leaned back on my cushion, trying to suppress a yawn. The pain medication had long since stopped working, and my shoulder, back and legs ached horribly. Both Twilight and Sunny looked exhausted as well. Celestia just sat there on the couch, mulling over everything she had just heard.

“It would seem,” she finally said, her voice soft and gentle in the silence of the library. “That you have been through much during your time here. And it would also seem that I owe you a debt of gratitude for looking after my subjects.” I started to begin to sign out that she owed me nothing, but she waved her hoof, silencing me.

“You have defended my student against one who had nothing but anger in his heart, despite the risk that could possibly come to you. You show restraint when dealing with my little ponies, despite the fact that they would not show you the same. You put up with Rainbow Dash and her antics, and you’ve shown Ms. Lotus that not all humans are to be feared.

“Also, let’s not forget how happy you have made Twilight.” The mare in question blushed profusely, but Celestia just ignored her, focusing instead on me. “And don’t try to deny it either. I saw how sad she was when she first became a princess. It was not my original intent for her life to become difficult upon becoming an alicorn, but it was an unfortunate side effect. It was that sadness that convinced me to move her back to Ponyville and out of the political hurricane that is Canterlot, but even then it wasn’t enough. I had received several letters from her friends, informing me that they were concerned about her.”

A small squeak left Twilight, and she hung her head, trying to hide behind her mane, much like Fluttershy would.

A smile spread across Celestia’s face as she continued.

“That was the original reason I… bought you and sent you to Ponyville,” she said, pausing slightly at the word ‘bought’, almost like it left a bad taste in her mouth. “I was hoping that you might have been able to make her happier than she was, and I must say that you have exceeded expectations. Her mood has improved dramatically since you’ve arrived in her life, although now I see that it is for a different reason than I originally thought.

“And of course, there is the matter of today’s events. In the Everfree, you had the chance to abandon 3 fillies and save yourself, but instead you put yourself in harm’s way in order to get them out of there safely; risking your life to save theirs is an act of bravery that few ponies would’ve shown.” She smiled over at me, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks. Her voice cracked slightly when she spoke again, “It seems that my original fears about you were groundless; you have proven yourself a kind and caring soul, and I am deeply sorry for the horrid events you have found yourself a part of.” She was silent for several moments as she dried her eyes. Once she was done, she glanced up at me again, an inquisitive look on her face.

“There is one thing that has been bugging me since you began your tale, however,” she said, her voice stronger than before. “You said that you were able to talk before you arrived in Equestria, but you haven’t been able to since you arrived?”

“Yes, although we don’t know why,” Twilight said as I nodded my head up and down. “His throat isn’t damaged, and his vocal cords appear fine as he is able to grunt, groan, and growl, but he can’t talk. He has the ability to, but it’s almost like his brain and mouth aren’t connected.” Celestia cocked her head to the side as she looked at me.

“Could it be some kind of spell?” she asked, studying me up and down.

“I’ve checked, several times,” Twilight replied, her wings rustling at her sides. “There is no harmonious, griffon, changeling, zebra, elemental, or ambient magic at work on him.” I grimaced as I nodded in agreement; the whole experience of Twilight’s tests wasn’t a fun one for me.

“Do you mind if I take a look?” Celestia asked me, rising to her hooves and taking several steps towards me. I just shrugged my shoulders and remained upon my cushion. Upon reaching me, Celestia closed her eyes, her horn lighting up with a golden glow. She lowered her head and gently touched the tip of her horn to my forehead. At first I thought that nothing was happening, but then gradually I felt warmth start spreading throughout my body, starting at the point of contact.

“If it is alright with you, I wish for you to try and speak,” she said, her eyes still closed. I didn’t know what good it would do, but tried to anyway. The minute I attempted to form the words however, pain immediately erupted in my throat, the burning sensation causing a coughing fit. What escaped from my mouth sounded like an animalistic shriek of pain. Both Twilight and Sunny flinched, covering their ears with their hooves. The entire time Celestia’s horn remained firmly against my forehead, her eyes closed.

It was several minutes before the glowing stopped and the warmth slowly began to leave my body. Celestia leaned back and opened her eyes. She stared down at me with a slight frown on her face.

“You’re right, Twilight,” she said, taking a step back. “None of those types of magic are present.” Twilight began to smile, the princess having confirmed that she was correct, but the smile faded at Celestia’s next words, “However, there is a massive amount of chaotic magic flowing through his body. More than I would have been expecting.”

“C-chaotic magic?” Twilight stuttered, looking at Celestia in shock. “B-but, I d-didn’t even… m-my machine… t-that can’t be… how can you tell?”

“Even though there is a large amount surrounding him, it’s expertly hidden. I could only sense it when he tried to speak, and only barely. You wouldn’t have been able to sense it unless you knew what you were looking for,” Celestia said, returning to her spot on the couch. “I don’t believe you have much experience with chaos magic, Twilight, so I wouldn't have expected you to have detected it.”

“Well, isn’t this a good thing?” Sunny piped up, speaking for the first time since Celestia had arrived. “Now that you know what’s affecting him, you can fix it, right?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Celestia said, staring hard at me. It was almost like she was dissecting me with her mind. “The only creature versed enough in chaos magic to undo this is currently a stone statue back at Canterlot. Yes, Twilight,” Celestia continued as Twilight opened her mouth to speak, “I had to return Discord to his stony prison. I won’t go into details why.” I glanced at Twilight, confused. Who the hell is Discord, and what does he have to do with me? Since Celestia said that the spell was something only he could take care of, I could hazard a guess that he was the one that brought me here, but beyond that I wasn’t sure.

“So, that means…?” Sunny asked, looking back and forth between the two princesses.

“It means,” Twilight said slowly, “that Max is stuck being mute.”

“At least until he is returned to his own world. Since there is no magic present there, the spell will dissipate immediately,” Celestia said, giving me a quick smile. I only returned it halfheartedly. My heart tightened in my chest, a cold sensation washing through my veins. The voice in the back of my head hissed. Beside me, I felt Twilight tense up slightly. She scooted closer to me, pressing her side against my leg as her wing twitched slightly. Celestia didn’t seem to notice, however.

“But, before we get to that, there is something I must take care of.” Sunny yelped loudly as she was instantly grasped in Celestia’s magic and lifted into the air. Twilight and I moved to help the trapped mare, but we both found ourselves restrained by magical bindings.

“Now, if I remember correctly,” Celestia said, her tone cold as Sunny drifted slowly over to float in front of the princess, “it was you that sold Max to me to begin with, and you are also part of the group of ponies that were recently arrested here in Ponyville.”

“Yes, but she—” Twilight began, but was cut off as Celestia held up a hoof.

“That being said, I should have you detained along with the rest of your cohorts.” Celestia’s magenta eyes glared down at Sunny, power radiating from her in waves. There was no warmth in her gaze. Once again I found myself staring into the face of a god, and my fear returned.

“Now, Twilight has informed me that you have been helping her around the library, as well as taking care of Max and Spike for her. She may think that those small acts of kindness have absolved you of your past sins, but unfortunately I do not.” I saw tears beginning to stream down Sunny’s face as she hung limply in the air, resigned to her fate. I strained against the magic holding me down, trying in vain to reach my friend. Pain flared up in my shoulder again, worse than before. I was pretty sure I was straining some of the stitches on my back as well, but I didn’t care. My friend was in trouble. You can’t do this! I mentally shouted at Celestia, although that too was in vain.

“However,” Celestia said, her icy tone cracking slightly as she tilted her head back. “There is one thing that stands out to me, more than any deed you have performed. That one thing is something that helped me make up my mind on what needs to be done.” Her eyes flicked in my direction as I tugged against my bonds again. “Despite all that you have done, despite everything you and your group has put him through, Max still sees you as a friend, and even now he is trying with all his might to help you.” Sunny cast a confused glance in my direction, her cheeks soaked with tears.

I relaxed slightly in confusion, but didn’t give up on my struggling. What are you up to, Celestia?

“With that in mind,” Celestia continued, her voice instantly becoming warm and motherly again, “I think I will allow him to be the judge here. If he is willing to forgive you and put aside the past so quickly, then so be it.” The magic surrounding Sunny dissipated and she dropped to the floor, a stunned look on her face. The bonds around Twilight and I also disappeared and we were on our feet in an instant.

Celestia leaned down and smiled warmly at Sunny, nuzzling the top of her head gently, “Sunny Breeze, you are hereby forgiven for your previous crimes, and are now a free mare again.” Before any of us could register what had just happened, Celestia smile turned into a smirk. “There is one catch, however.”

“And w-what might that be, your majesty?” Sunny stuttered, not bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes. The fear that had been on her face earlier was now replaced with uncertainty.

“You will be working with me and my personal guards to track down the remaining members of your old organization,” Celestia said, the smirk still on her face. “You will be paid for your efforts, of course, but think of it as a way to prove to me that you are sincere and to continue to atone for your past deeds.” All three of us just stared at her in stunned silence.

Eventually, Sunny regained the use of her voice, “H-help you?”

“Indeed,” Celestia said, nodding her head. “You know their hiding spots, as well as what cities would be the best to find them in. Plus, think of all the humans that you’ll be saving by helping us.” Sunny’s gaze fell to the floor, and she shuffled her hooves nervously as she thought. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and nodded at the princess.

“I… I’ll do it,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. She swallowed, then repeated with a stronger voice. “I’ll do it.” Celestia’s face lit up at this, her smile practically shining like the sun.

“Excellent!” she said as she stood up, wings flaring slightly. “In that case, I think that I have intruded on Twilight and Max’s hospitality for far too long. It is late, and I’m pretty sure that they are both exhausted.” She walked calmly to the door, her magic slowly encasing the door and swinging it open. Turning to look at Sunny, she motioned with her head, “If you would follow me, Ms. Breeze, we’ll get out of their manes.” Sunny took several steps forward before she faltered and glanced back at me and Twilight. Slowly, she turned and walked up to us, tears forming in her eyes again.

She first looked to Twilight, pulling the mare into a hug which Twilight returned immediately.

“Thank you,” Sunny whispered. “For everything you’ve done for me. I can never thank you enough.”

“This isn’t goodbye,” said Twilight, tears forming in her own eyes. “I’ll see you later, I’m sure of it.” They broke apart and Sunny turned her attention to me. I knelt down and she flung her hooves over my shoulder. I ignored the pain that flared up due to my injury. Instead, I returned the hug.

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve gone through,” she whimpered as I felt her hooves tighten around my neck. “Thank you for being able to forgive me. It means more than you can possibly know.” When the hug ended, I stood up, giving Sunny a sad smile.

“G-good luck getting back home again,” she said, returning the smile. My breath caught in my throat as she said that, but I managed to act normally. Why does it bother me so much whenever someone says that?

~Thanks for keeping me company on the train, and for everything else~ Sunny returned my smile half-heartedly before walking back over to stand beside the princess, who was watching everything with a soft smile on her face.

“Come, my little pony,” she said softly as she opened the door wider. “It’s time to go.” Sunny cast one last glance back at us before walking out the door and into the night. Celestia followed after her. Before she closed the door, she called back to us, “Oh, I almost forgot. The spell to get you home, Max, requires both my sister and I to perform it. If you could come to Canterlot tomorrow, we’d be more than happy to send you back to your home.” With that, the library door closed, leaving Twilight and I standing there by ourselves.

Slowly, my owner turned to look at me with a melancholic expression on her face.

“W-well, it looks like you’re finally going to be able to go home,” she said, her voice cheerful and false. “That’s good, r-right?” I nodded my head, just staring at the closed door that Celestia and Sunny just left through. My mind was abuzz with emotions and thoughts, so much so that I could barely focus on one before another took its place. One thought, however, kept coming back over and over again, echoing around in my head. I’m heading home.

I blinked at the door, before glancing down at Twilight who was looking at her hooves. Do I even get a say in the matter? I thought, a small frown slowly spreading across my face.

“Well, we better head off to bed,” Twilight said, the forced smile still on her face. “We’ve both had a busy day, and we’ll need to be well-rested for tomorrow.” Without waiting for my reply she turned and quickly made her way up the stairs. I watched her go, my frown deepening.

Sighing heavily, I hung my head and followed her upstairs. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight; the little voice screaming in the back of my head confirmed it.