"What is it with the landings?" I asked as I rubbed my head. I had just exited my portal back in Celestia's room. Upside down.

"Max?" I hear from behind me before I'm tackled and swallowed in an embrace of pink feathers and hooves. "I thought you had left for good!"

"N-no, I just got summoned. May you please let me breathe again?"

Celestia quickly let go of me and, turning me to face her, said, "You were summoned? And what was that portal you came out of?"

She's been crying? I think when I catch sight of her tear-stained face. "How long was I... not here?"

She hugged me again and said, "Nopony could find you for an entire week. I... I thought-"

I interrupt her and return the hug. "No, there's no way I'll just up and leave for no reason. If I had had time I would've told you or at least left a note. I had no idea I'd be summoned then."

She huffed and broke the embrace, "Again with the 'summoning'! What is that anyways?"

"You know Kat? The other being that looked like me? She's from a different Equestria. I don't know the details, but there are more out there among the multi-verse that have been taken from their universes and put into another. These... Displaced can send out tokens to others that can summon them to another universe so they can help with something. That's what happened to me; I was summoned to a different universe to help someone."

"So you helped another of your kind for an entire week?"

"No, it was an hour maybe two at the most that I was there. I think universes have their own separate time-lines that progress at different rates."

"Then please, don't accept the summons. I don't want this to happen again.... I don't want..." She leaned in and gave me a kiss before whispering, "I don't want you to be gone for months or years at a time."

"I don't have a choice. I sent my token and if someone summons me I have to go. I'll try my best to make the time I'm gone less, but I have no choice in when or who summons me."

"Then promise me-- promise me you'll always return. I-I-...." Tears built in her eyes again.

I pulled her close and met her lips. I didn't know I meant so much to her.... I pulled my lips away and said, "There's nothing that will keep me in another universe. Not friends, not family.... You and this universe are what I'll call home now."

Elsewhere

The stallion was led into a room and thrown to the floor, the wounds where his wings had been bleeding and exploding into pain once more. He had been tourtured, that much was evident by the clipped ears and gouged out eyes. Even his fangs had been painfully ripped from his mouth. "C-commander Steel Wall, L-lunar Guard, regiment f-fourty-two." He had been repeating that for what felt like nights, never giving his captors more.

He was the one in charge of Princess Celestia's security, and he would not let Her Majesty's sister be taken by these pegasi. Even if it cost him his life, he would not let his resolve or his will falter. He chuckled darkly, "You think I'll give you what you want, you must be insane."

"we'll ask only one last time: How can that human pull things out from nowhere? How can it make more appear?" A rough voice asked. It belonged to a stallion that was famous... fifteen hundred years ago. Steel Wall had seen the stallion once and knew who he was from the books and stories. Steel Wall was Commander Hurricane's prisoner.

"Comander Steel Wall, Lunar Guard-"

I awoke in a cold sweat, panting and shaking. What was that? That didn't feel like a dream. I could actually feel his pain.... I looked to my right at Celestia, thankful I didn't wake her. I smiled, remembering the spell she cast on herself. I don't want to wake her after how vigorous we went at it, especially with something like this.

A knock on the door made me get up, still a little sore. When I opened the door I saw a thestral standing there, his ears perked and nostrils twitching, a blush forming on his cheeks. "Yes?" I asked.

He cleared his throat and said, "I am Steel Wall, I have been entrusted with Celestia's -- and by extent, your -- safety."

My eyebrows shot up when he said his name. He's the one that's going to be kidnapped! I have to try to stop it. ...But how? I don't know if what I saw is happening or if he's been replaced or even if it's going to happen.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Commander Steel. I'm afraid Celestia's still recovering from earlier," I said as I stepped out into the hall.

Steel Wall's blush increased in intensity and spread to the other two guards standing outside the door. "I-indeed.... I came by to inquire as to if there's anyp-pony in particular you would want to protect the two of you."

Why-.... Didn't think about them smelling what we did. Oh well, this'll be interesting~! I made sure all three of them noticed where my eyes went before saying, "You'll have to ask Celestia when she wakes up, but I wouldn't mind you being one of them."

"Very well then, I shall ask her after her breakfast." He said as he trotted away.

"One last thing," I waited until he stopped and turned his head. "I would hope that any guards be informal around us in the future and that they only do as we ask if they wish to."

Steel blushed a little harder at that and simply nodded before turning back and actually galloping away. I giggled a bit and turned to the others, "I am still a little... rowdy it seems. Would one of you be willing to help me with that?"

"There's a room that's just been made down the hall. Nothing's been said about it being used though," The one to the right of the door said.

I smiled and said, "Then why don't we see if it is being used?"