I turned around to Celestia. "Just for the record, this was in self defence."

When she gave me a confused look, I turned back to the approaching mare.

"Now we're going t-" I cut her off by slamming my fist into her face. The force of the impact sent her flying backwards and flopping onto the ground like a fish. Leaving her on the ground, I looked back at the group to see their stunned expressions.

...

"What!?"

"Sir, that wasn't necessary. We could have easily dealt with it ourselves," one of the guards stated. Whilst I had to agree that the guards were more than capable enough to deal with the crazed mare, I believe that I resolved the problem far quicker than they could have.

"Well, it doesn't matter now." I looked back over my shoulder to the unconscious mare.

"Scott, I can understand that you may be a bit on edge, given your situation, but that doesn't give you a free licence to start assaulting my subjects." Celestia's tone was very stern.

"Like I said, it was in self defence," I commented. "Besides, I'm not the kind of guy who goes around looking to punch people, or apparently in this case ponies, up the bracket."

Celestia face eased a little, though now had a confused look on her face. Probably because she didn't fully understand what punching someone 'up the bracket' meant.

"So you like to play rough, huh?" came a voice behind me.

I spun around to see that the mare had regained consciousness. Getting on her hooves, she stared at me with half-lidded eyes and one hell of a creepy smile.

'Round two,' I muttered.

Raising my fists and bending my knees, I brought myself into a defensive position, watching her every move. She responded by lowering herself to the ground, ready to pounce.

Fortunately for the both of us, Celestia stepped in.

"Miss Heartstrings, Scott here has only just being discharged from the hospital. I certainly hope that you don't want to be the cause of him returning there, do you?" Celestia stated, smiling all the while.

The mare looked between Celestia and me before bringing her gaze towards the ground with an expression of disappointment and guilt.

"No," she sighed, drawing circles on the ground with one of her fore hooves.

"Now apologise," Celestia commanded, then turning her head to face me. "Both of you!"

"Sorry," both Lyra and I responded.

I was still paranoid that Lyra was going to try something, so walked my way back to the rest of the group. Safety in numbers and all that.

'Note to self: don't come to Ponyville without a pole/cricket bat/frying pan,' I thought.

"I'll see you around, Scott," Lyra chimed as she walked off, swaying her rear as she did.

I paid her no further thought. Frankly, I was happy to see her leave and for good reason.

"Princesses, we really should be getting to Canterlot," the leader of the guards reminded.

Nodding her head, Celestia motioned for me to follow her. I did so until we reached a rather fancy carriage. It was made of gold, and precious gems were encrusted in intricate designs everywhere. Well, it is called 'the royal carriage' for a reason. The group and myself were ushered into a carriage and set off. Now this wasn't a normal carriage, oh no. This was a magical flying carriage! I kid you not.

Setting off, I looked out of the window and saw the picturesque landscape. Large pastures of long green grass surrounded by gentle hills flanked the town. It all seemed so idyllic. On the outskirts of the town was the biggest orchard I had ever seen. It seemed to stretch far past the horizon. 'There must be one hell of a work force to manage an area of land that big,' I thought.

My eyes were drawn to the forest. It had a look to it that would have gotten it marked ‘Here be Dragons’ on a Middle Ages era map. Definitely not planning an excursion there anytime soon. Turning my attention back to the inside of the carriage, the four princesses were all smiling at me. I couldn't help but be friendly and smile back. The guards, however, made no attempt to make eye contact, keeping their neutral gazes directed to the front. They reminded me of the guards at Buckingham Palace; you could do whatever you like and their faces wouldn't move.

After a short while, we arrived at our destination as the carriage came to a stop. Canterlot, the city with the most nonsensical placement ever. Of all time. It was hanging on the edge of a fucking giant mountain! When designing this place, the architects must have escaped from the local insane asylum, or were as high as fuck!

Stepping out, I saw that we had landed outside what must have been the royal castle, considering that it looked the most fancy and posh. The marble walls and golden architecture glimmered in the sunshine, making it difficult to look at directly. In my opinion, this put Buckingham Palace to shame; the castle in and of itself looked regal.

I would have stared longer, but Cadence nudged me to indicate that we were moving. Following the group inside, I saw that whoever built this place knew what they were doing, though they might have been a bit window crazy.

Celestia relieved the guards of their duties as we continued walking down the halls until we went inside a study. A large wooden desk was positioned at one side of the room with large stacks of paper placed neatly on top. The room also had a window that allowed the sun's rays to enter the small room. Sitting myself down on one of the many cushions, I made myself comfortable. It was short lived.

"Ok Scott, since you are new to Equestria, I'll be giving you a run down for everything you need to know," Twilight announced.

"Sure thing," I replied, not know that I'd just signed my own death warrant.

...

...

...

Two hours. Two hours of brain-leeching boredom. Twilight's idea of a run down was to tell me anything and everything about Equestria and Equus. And I mean everything! The history, the society, the races, the roles, the rules, the regulations, the social etiquette, the different countries and the list went on. And on, and on.

(On the note of countries, this place just takes the piss. Chneigha, Japony, Itaily? What the fuck is up with the pony puns?)

I would have told her to slow down or stop completely, but I couldn't get a word in edgeways. The other princesses, however, were enjoying my mental torture. For every groan, moan or sign of discomfort and boredom, they would giggle with smiles plastered onto their faces. But once Twilight had finally decided to finish, I sighed in relief and let my back fall against the velvety cushions. I could finally have some peace and quiet.

WRONG!

Twilight, in her ongoing quest for knowledge, started questioning me about where I came from, humanity and my own life. I was ready to just give up at that point. But being British, I kept a stiff upper lip and bit the bullet. The worst part was that after I'd finish answering one question, Twilight would be quick on the draw and ask another, with the other princesses joining in, if they got the chance to ask before Twilight did.

In the end, I had told them my profession and a bit about myself and a very brief history of Earth, considering that I never excelled in History at school; I included things like the Eygptians, the Romans, the British Civil War, the American Civil War, the British Empire, the World Wars etc, as well as some of the technological advances and discoveries we had made.

Luna was enthralled by our space programmes, as well as being completely stunned upon hearing that we had made to the moon. Twilight was furiously making notes, particularly on our scientific knowledge.

However, whenever I spoke of conflicts or wars, they became very sad and shocked, with Celestia being the most upset. They were horrified to learn what we, as a species, were capable of doing and what we have done to each other over the years, but I didn't tell them some of the more disturbing facts.

Why did I tell tell them about humanity's evils and mistakes? I don't know really, I just I thought that they deserved to know that humans aren't perfect and can be violent. Thinking about it now, I suppose that I was warning them about other humans. Since I was able to get to Equestria, that meant that others could arrive, and they might not be the most friendly. So you could say that I told them so that they would be more cautious about other humans that arrive, if any.

But one thing that seemed a bit odd to me was why Twilight had told me everything about Equestria. Yes, it was an ideal opportunity to exchange knowledge with another intelligent species but some of the topics and facts she told me about would have be more relevant if I was going to live here. Though I had to admit that Equestria is beautiful and all, but I had no desire to stay here longer than needed. I knew for sure that my family and friends would be wondering where I was and I was ready to return home.

"Well, that was very informative. Thank you Scott," Celestia said.

"My pleasure," I replied. I really had enjoyed our little discussion but I really want to return home to my life on Earth.

"Scott, could you tell me about the Large Haylon Collider again? I think I've missed a few things," Twilight said as she looked up from her note pad.

"Twilight, it's the Large Hadron Collider. I'll tell you about it later, ok?" I asked.

"All right," Twilight sighed in defeat.

"But I have one question and that being, how do I get home to Earth?" I asked, with a hint of worry. For some reason, I was worried about what the answer might be.

My worry increased tenfold when the princesses all worriedly looked at each other before looking back at me.

"I can go home, right?" I asked, mentally pleading that I could.

"I'm sorry that I have to be the one the to tell you but,...*ahem*," Celestia began, clearing her throat.

Although I hadn't heard what she had to say, my heart began to sank. There was no way that she was going to finish her sentence with 'you can go home.' Despite this, a small part of me still held on to the possibility of going home; a little voice in the back of my mind, giving me hope. In this case, that hope was most likely my own denial. I could feel the tell-tale signs that I was on the brink of tears, though none fell.

"Nopony has ever developed a spell for transporting anything or anypony beyond Equestria. Coupled with the fact that we don't know where Earth is in relation to us, even if we did have a spell to send you home, we wouldn't know where to send you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but you're stranded here," Luna finished.

My fears had being confirmed. If I wasn't already sitting down, I think my knees would have buckled. Time seemed to slow down as the same words were repeated over and over again. 'You're stranded here.' My thoughts instantly turned to my family, my friends, anything and anyone I'd ever loved or cared for. My disappearance would be brought to the police, only for them to find no evidence. The more I thought about everything I was leaving behind, the more I began to break down and let my emotions spill out.

That's what I was the most distraught about; I could never tell my family and friends that I was alright. I would be presumed dead and they would never get the answers they craved.

My mind began to play out a scene. I saw my family and closest friends gathered around a small memorial, dressed in black. Their expressions for sorrow and despair as they listened to the service. My parents were already crying, with my brother struggling to keep the floodgate closed. The vision zoomed in on the headstone and it read:

In Loving Memory
of
Scott Rhys Hilton
Born 23-9-1984
Died 12-8-2014

You will always
be remembered.
Rest in peace.

I couldn't bear the thought of losing everything. I couldn't. This had to be a nightmare and I'd wake up any moment now. The vision faded until I saw the study again with the princesses looking me with concerned faces. It was only when my eyes started stinging that I realised that I was crying. Slowly, the tears snaked down my cheeks. When the first tear fell from my chin, time returned to its normal speed.

The four princesses encased me in a tender embrace with their wings, as if to shield me from the outside world. I didn't utter a word nor a sound, I was too sad to vocalise my sorrow. I hugged them back, enjoying the feeling of their feathers and fur against my skin. But it did nothing to stop the tears.

"Scott, look at me," Celestia asked.

I tightened my grip, her words falling on deaf ears. I wanted nothing to do with this world so I refused to open my eyes.

"Please look me," she asked again.

Again, I didn't move my head. The pain in my heart was the only thing on my mind. I was an emotionally broken man who had lost everything, stuck in a world that wasn't his own.

"Please, Scott. I need you to look at me," she pleaded.

Relenting, I tilted my head until I faced her. She had the most sincerely compassionate face I'd ever seen. Bringing one of her fore hooves to my face, she carefully wiped away the tears.

"I know that nothing we say or do can fill the emptiness inside you, but as long as you are in Equestria, you can stay in the castle. We'll try our best to find you a way home," she consoled.

"*sniff* Th-Thank you," I responded, "C-Can we stay *sniff* like this for a bit longer?" I was a man in need of company and the princesses were more than happy to oblige.

"Of course."

I remained in their soft embrace for, well to be honest, I don't know how long. Once I had calmed down, they retracted their wings. I could clearly see where my tears had matted bits of Celestia's fur. The door to the study opened to reveal a maid standing just outside.

"Your majesties, dinner is being served soon," she spoke, before looking at me.

"Thank you, my little pony. Could you prepare one of the spare rooms for Scott? she asked.

The maid was pulled out of her staring and then nodded her head.

"You are dismissed," Celestia ordered. With that the maid closed the door again and walked off.

"Come on, you'll feel better after having a meal," Luna stated.

We left the study and walked down the halls once more. On the way to the dining hall, I noted that the castle has a lot of different corridors, making very easy to get lost.

'The sooner I learn my way around here, the better!'

Eventually, we reached the dining hall. Inside was a large reactanglar table with chairs surrounding it. All the cutlery was polished to perfection and the napkins had somehow been folded into swans.

I sat myself down, shortly followed by the princesses. Twilight and Cadence occupied the seats next to me and Celestia and Luna sat opposite. Soon after we sat down, a cream coloured stallion with a brown mane and wearing a chef's hat walked out of one the side doors of the hall.

"Evening your majesties, and to you too sir. What would you like to eat?" he asked, whilst handing or rather hoofing out menus.

'What is this, a restaurant?' I thought, scanning through the menu. As expected, there was no meat and everything had hay in it.

"Do you have a non-vegetarian menu perchance?" I asked.

"Wait one moment please?" he replied before rushing back into what I presumed was the kitchen.

He returned with a creature I had never seen before. It stood on all-fours just like every other creature I had witnessed in Equestria. It had talons like meat hooks as well as a rather sharp beak. Its body was covered partially on feathers with the rest being fur.

From my observations, I concluded that it was a griffon. Though that was all thanks to Twilght's explanation of the several different races that inhabited this world.

"My pony friend tells me that you are carnivore like myself. Is this correct?" he asked.

"Technically, I am an omnivore," I responded.

"I see. Well then in that case, I suggest you have the roast hydra with some seasonal vegetables. Would that be to your liking?" he advised.

"I'll have that then, thank you."

He walked back with the stallion to the kitchen with our orders. I was relieved that I could still eat meat in a world of ponies.

Whilst the other were chatting, I leant on my arm and stared off into space. I was thinking about the situation I was in and what I was going to do. I didn't need to think about accommodation or food but I still wanted to work. I knew that I probably work at a local hospital, with me being a doctor and all. But whilst I was thinking, my thoughts had drifted to a possible solution to me resolving the situation. I could just jump through one of the many windows or off a balcony and end my life. Thankfully for me, my reasonable part of brain reminded me that killing myself wouldn't send me back to Earth nor let my see my loved ones again.

"How are you feeling?" Cadence asked, putting a hoof on my leg.

If I had been in a worse mood, I would have snapped out her for asking such a stupid question. But I knew she meant well so I decided against it and answered her.

"I've had better days."

And my day was about to get a whole lot worse. Walking through the main doors, there was a white stallion with a blonde mane that he had definitely spent too much time grooming. He walked with his muzzle high in the air, like he fucking owned the place. An A* example of a self-centred twat.

"Auntie, I need some bits! I'm going out with my friends," he whined. He sounded just like a fucking child and I'd bet you any money that those friends of his were only hanging out with him for bragging rights.

His appearance and the way he held himself really rubbed me the wrong way. I've always hated people who think that the world revolves around them, and that their needs are more important than anyone else's.

Sighing, Celestia magicked a bag of money to Blueblood. If it were me, I would have told him fuck off.

"Blueblood, let me introduce you to Scott," Luna said, gesturing to me with her hoof. I didn't want to any social interactions with him and Luna just pulled me into the conversation.

"Why is there a hairless ape eating at the table?" he asked, whilst I clutched my fists.

I really didn't like this guy and from the princesses expressions, they weren't happy about his petty name calling either. I kept my mouth shut, knowing that insulting him would make the situation worst.

"Now nephew, Scott here is a guest at the castle and will be treated with respect. Do I make myself clear?" Celestia asked, narrowing her eyes at Blueblood.

He ignored her completely as he turned back towards the door. With his back turned, I flipped the bird at him and I couldn't care less if he didn't see.

"Well, I'm off, for I have much better things to do than stand in the same room as a filthy animal!" he exclaimed, walking back towards the door..

As he walked back to the doors, I watched him. I waited until he had left the hall and closed the door before I spoke.

"What crawled up his arse?" I asked. The others, apart from Celestia, couldn't hold in their laughter. Seeing them laughing boosted my spirits a little.

"Whilst Blueblood isn't known for his politeness, I would advise you not insult him when he's within earshot," Celestia spoke.

"Why do you think I spoke my mind once he had left?"

The food arrived not long after that. I have to admit that the hydra was delicious. It was tender and juicy, like a steak. Looking around, I saw that others had ordered salads of different kinds. The rest of the meal went without a problem. And I have to tell you that these ponies know how to make a good sticky toffee pudding.

As I was polishing the plate off, the same maid from before walked into the hall and over to Celestia.

"The room is ready," she said happily.

"Thank you," Celestia answered, "Scott, if you'd follow me." Getting up from my seat, I said my goodbyes to Twilight, Cadence and Luna. Celestia lead me out of the dining hall and down several corridors. I was trying to remember each turn so that I wouldn't get lost I the morning.

We finally stopped outside a set of double doors. Opening the doors, I marveled at what I saw. Inside the room, the same white marble made up the floor and walls. Sitting next to one of the walls was a large double bed with posts at each corner. The bed had a light purple duvet which was accompanied by two soft white pillows. Past the bed was a balcony that overlooked the surround area. You could just about see Ponyville from there. Investigating the room some more, I saw a small fridge, most likely for booze. Finally, I saw another door which led to the biggest bathroom I've ever seen! The bath was more like a small swimming pool!

"I take it that you like it," Celestia giggled, watching me examine the room.

"This is awesome! I can't thank you enough for this! Though I would love to continue socialising, I think I'm going to head to bed. I'm quite tired at the moment," I admitted.

"I understand. Good night, Scott," she nodded.

"And to you," I smiled. Celestia closed the door behind her as she left.

I walked into the bathroom to get a glass of water. Filling a tumbler I found, I pulled out the bottle of pills Nurse Redheart has prescribed me, placing one into my mouth and drank the water. I put the glass down by the sink before picking up the toothbrush and toothpaste to clean my teeth.

After rinsing my mouth, I took my clothes off slowly to reduces the pain in my back and slipped myself into the bed. Oh boy, was it soft. I had a lot to think about. I was in a new world and was likely never to returned home. I would have thought about my situation some more, but the softness of the mattress and duvet lulled me to sleep.

Author's Notes:

And here it is! You've all been waiting for a long time for this chapter and I've finally finished it after many rewrites. Chapter four won't take as long to write so expect to see it soon.
Ta ta for now