As I stand here with Celestia, I suddenly realize just how naked I am. I grab a sheet from the bed and wrap it around my waist.

"What's that for?" Celestia asks.

"To cover my shame." Celestia gives me a confused look before I explain to her why humans don't necessarily enjoy nudity. It’s a bit awkward talking to her about this, especially since the last time I saw her she was just a little girl… which was over three thousand years ago… damn. She’s old.

"That seems a bit strange for something that's usually hidden... but okay."

"Hidden?" I get a quick lecture about pony anatomy and finally come to a realization. "Oh... that explains a lot."

"How so?"

"Human reproductive organs are external... we don't naturally hide... our stuff." I feel really weird talking to Celestia about this. But at the same time, it's good to be talking to her instead of fighting... so I'll take it.

"Hmm... that would explain the need for clothing; to be a little modest. Why don't you check those dressers for clothing?" I turn and see that on either side of the bed are small single dressers. I walk over to one and, sure enough, there are some new clothes. I pull out a pair of blue pants, a black shirt with a white design and some boxers before I turn to Celestia.

"Yes?"

"Well... I can't really get dressed with you in here, now can I?" She thinks about this for a second before she puts one and one together.

"Oh... right. I'll just head downstairs now." After she leaves I start to get dressed. Damn, how many pairs of clothes has Rarity made for me that I've taken for free? I'll have to do something for her sometime, it's the least I can do. When I finish up, I head downstairs where I find everyone in the living room, idly talking to one another.

"So Miles, how'd it go? Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh?" Pinkie Pie says as she bounces in and out of my face.

"Uh... I think I get to stay... right?" I ask as I turn to Celestia.

"Mmm... for now," she says with a small smile.

"Alright! Now we can get this par—" Pinkie begins to say, but is stopped when Rainbow Dash jams her hoof in her mouth. I tense up a bit as she says this but don't lose control like earlier. Celestia and Luna both look to each other and then back to us in confusion.

"I ah... don't like... that thing that rhymes with marty..." I cringe.

"You don't like parties?" Celestia asks, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Yeah... those..."

"Why?" Luna asks.

"I... just don't. If I knew why, I'd tell you, but I can't."

"Well, enough a' this talkative mumbo jumbo. Let’s get a tour a' yer new house already," Applejack says, getting a few cheers from the others. I look around and see that everyone is staring at me... so I guess I'll be leading the tour.

We start out in the living room, checking out the furniture and the recently fixed windows before we head into the kitchen area in the back. The half on the left has a table with some seats where the half on the right has the cooking materials. Stove, refrigerator, sink, everything one would need for a fully operational kitchen. I can see that food has been brought here and was being prepared. The walls have been painted a light green color, with white trim going along the top and white boards taking up a fourth of the bottom. We check the restroom here to find the narrow room has been turned into two rooms. The entry on the right is now a closet, providing a couple of brooms, some cleaning supplies, things of that nature, and the room on the left is the restroom, providing just a toilet and sink. We move to the bottom right room where we find a very long, dark brown table with matching chairs. I guess it's for dining with a large group of people or for special events. A lot of food has been put out on this table, making it seem to be a buffet style.

We walk to the stairs where I see they put a small circular table in between the stairs with a small pot of flowers. We make our way to the upper floor where we start to go through the bedrooms. The top two are mirror images of each other, providing an average bed with light blue sheets against either the left or right wall in between the windows, with a writing dresser on the far walls. On the center walls are large dressers that sit in the middle of the walls. Both of the restrooms here have been made into full restrooms, providing a toilet, sink, and shower. The entire walls on the bottom side of these restrooms have been made into a mirror, while the walls have a yellow finish to them. We move to the master bedroom where Celestia and I had our little talk. The bed is fairly larger than the other ones, thank you! No more frozen feet or sleeping in a ball. The bed sheets here are all red and have white designs going through them. In addition to the small dressers I also have a larger one against the wall to the right. I check the restroom and find all of the accommodations of a restroom, but for something my size. I check the closet and don't find anything to be changed; the same goes for that secret room.

"And that's my home," I say as I walk down the stair to the living room.

"Why did you make it so large?" Rarity asks.

"It's a Terradisian thing. Being underground..."

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" scream the girls from the back. I run out the back door and find them running towards the house.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Wolf!" screams Scootaloo as the three of them run into the house. When I turn to the forest I see a large animal running towards the house. It's dark grey with the front two legs being all white. It seems to have long fluffy hair that bounces with it as it runs towards me. I draw my sword and ready myself for it to attack. When it gets a meter away it stops and drops low, snarling its long white teeth at me and growling deeply. We continue to stare each other down for a while until it licks its nose and begins to sniff the air. I lower my guard and slowly approach it.

"Miles, what are you doing?" Fluttershy asks, but I ignore her and continue to slowly approach the wolf. When I get three fourths of the way I crouch down and extend my free hand to it. It takes a few steps forward and lowers its head. It takes a few sniffs of my hand and quickly runs back into the forest. I sit there and watch it run off, I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something alluring about that wolf.

"Why do I get the feeling that things like this always happen to you?" Luna says as she walks up beside me.

"What was that thing?"

"Just a forest wolf looking for its next meal. They occasionally venture too close to our land and try to take our ponies - good thing he ran off."

"Yeah..."

"I never did like those things," Celestia says as she walks up to my other side, "always hunting." I stand and watch as the wolf disappears into the wilderness - I have a feeling this won't be the last I see of him. I turn and walk back into the house to check on the girls. They seem a bit shaken, but other than that they're fine.

"Just had to put it right next to the forest, didn't you?" Storm says sarcastically from the kitchen table.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. Are you girls alright?"

"Y-yea," Applebloom says from under Applejack as she holds onto her leg.

"Alright, if you’re ever back here again, I don't want you three back there without someone watching you, got it?"

"Got it," the three of them say.

"Let's git you three washed up," Applejack says as she and Rarity take them into the other room. I start to head off, but stop when Celestia taps my shoulder. I look back and see everyone is off doing their own thing. Some are talking, others are playing games, Pinkie Pie has started to play some music.

"So... you attack Red-Bellied Snakes on sight, but wolves are in the clear?" Celestia asks as she and Luna take a seat at the table.

"I can't explain it, but... I dunno, he didn't seem like a threat."

"He was growling at you while showing his teeth," Storm says flatly.

"Yeah, but I did have my sword out."

"Are you trying to defend that wild animal?" Twilight says from beside Storm.

"All I'm saying is there is always two sides of a story," I say as I take seat next to Fluttershy and Storm. "Sacrificium enim causa."

"Sacrifice for a cause?" Luna says from behind, getting looks from everyone.

"Yeah... how do you know that?" I ask.

"I don't know... eam iustus venit ad me."

"Quod est alienis."

"Est non!"

"Forte paulo."

"Ego accipere, forte paulo alienis," she says, making us both laugh a little while everyone stares at us in confusion.

"Do you mind telling me how you learned a different language so fluently?" Celestia asks.

"I think it was a gift from Soul Fire..."

"Who’s that?" I ask, getting odd looks from everyone. "What?"

"You really don't know?" Fluttershy asks.

"No." I look around for an answer, but no one gives me one. "Is it the guy you were talking about from inside my memories?" I ask Luna.

"Yes, he was here after you passed out... speaking of which, what happened after I passed out?"

"When did you pass out?" I ask.

"Shortly after you did." We look to everyone else and wait for an answer, but everyone is being very coy right now.

"Well... you see..." Twilight starts.

"We can't say." Celestia says firmly, getting looks from everyone. "Let’s just say that something happened that if we acknowledged it, bad things would happen."

"Uh... Miles... ya may want ta come see this," Applejack says before anyone can respond to what Celestia said. We all get up and walk to the front area, where we see a mass of ponies with cameras have built up. As soon as I'm visible the cameras begin to flash, filling the room with bright white lights. Again, I flare my hands and suck the energy from all of the cameras, ending the flashes.

"Where did all of these bloodsuckers come from?" I ask.

"What do you expect?" Storm says, “you’re here, so are the princesses, there were huge explosions, why wouldn't they come?"

"Miles, one of them returned this," Rarity says as she walks up to me and gives me my phone. When did I... oh, right, I burned my clothes off earlier. I pocket my phone and try to think of a plan to get rid of them. I think I've got something.

"Miles, I don't like that look on your face, what are you planning?" Storm says.

"Something that will probably end with less than desirable results," I say as I head to the front door, only to have Storm and Rainbow Dash jump in the way.

"Whoa, you’re not seriously going to go out there?" Rainbow Dash says.

"Like hell he's going out there!" Storm says.

"Should I throw you at them again?"

"That wasn't cool."

"I know, now it's my turn to deal with them," I say as I walk around them and head out. As soon as I walk out of the door I get bombarded with hundreds of incomprehensible questions. The few I understand range from where my house came from to what's my relationship with all of the mares inside. I raise a hand and wait for them to quiet down, which takes a little longer than it should. I walk out from underneath the awning and take in my surroundings. A mass of ponies are collected in front of me. There are a few in the air behind me, but not many. A couple of pegasi are sitting on the roof and two are on the awning.

"So you have some questions you want me to answer." A small outburst erupts from the crowd, but I wait until they fall silent before I begin again. "I'll answer your questions, but you'll have to catch me first." I squat down and launch myself into the air, passing a couple of the pegasi. I land behind my house and start to run into the forest, using my magic to make great leaps through the dense collection of trees. Hopefully I can wait in here for a while until they get tired and leave.

Next Chapter: Chapter 43 Into The Wilderness Estimated time remaining: 79 Hours, 12 Minutes