Corvo awoke to the view of the purple canopy of the bed. It took him a moment to realize that he had actually woken up. It had been so long since he had gone to sleep that it might actually take some time getting used to doing it again. The same would probably true for any other things he hadn't done in years.

Taking the covers off, he sat up and moved his legs off of the bed. He started to look around the room for a clock. Finding one, Corvo noticed that it was nine o'clock. 'This is probably the latest I've ever slept,' he thought. He had always gotten up at least at seven to do rounds around Dunwall Tower. Being in the Void so long had thrown him off and everything from yesterday had exhausted him. Getting up from the bed he walked over to the other door in the room. He noticed that as he walked he could hear a clopping sound. 'I suppose it makes sense, since I have hooves now,' he reasoned.

Opening the door he saw that it was a bathroom. Right in front of him was a mirror, with a sink directly under it. Looking around the room he saw that there seemed to be something he could only guess was a toilet, but didn't have the chamber pots he was used to. It was a tall white bowl that was connected to the floor with a strange block attached to the back. Looking into it he saw it was filled with water. Noticing the silver lever on the block, he pressed it down. He jumped as there was a loud noise and the water began to drain out the bottom. 'That makes things easier and infinitely less gross for the maids, if there are any.'

Turning around he was surprised to see curtains hanging up. Walking over, he opened them and saw that it was a bathtub. He noticed however that it was in the floor as well, instead of just being on it. He saw the faucet along with three faucet handles. Taking a closer look at them he saw that the one on the left had an H on it, the right had a C, and the middle had several straight lines on it. Looking up he saw something strange sticking out of the wall. Reaching down, he turned the side handles first and as he expected water started coming out of the faucet. He then turned the middle handle and was shocked to find out the water started to come out of the thing he saw coming out of the top of the wall. He saw that on the side was soap and several bottles of some odd liquid.

Figuring that it was used for the same purpose as a bath, Corvo took his clothes off. After he had undressed he looked at the mirror to look at what his body looked like. It was pretty much the same, except that it was covered in fur. As he turned to get under the water, he noticed that there was an image on what he would guess is now his flank. It was a blood red shield with the Outsiders mark on it and had a sword and gun crossing behind it. After studying it for a minute, he stepped under the water. Grabbing the soap he quickly washed his body and fur of any dirt from the previous day. Picking up one of the bottles, he saw that it was called shampoo and was used for washing the mane and tail. Squeezing some of it out of the bottle, he proceeded to scrub them. He was surprised to find out that it smelled like citrus. After washing the shampoo out of his mane and tail, he turned the water off. Grabbing one of the towels on the rack, he dried himself off. Retrieving his clothes he walked back into the bedroom. He then started to get dressed.

Just as he put his pants back on, his door opened. He was surprised to see a green unicorn with a blonde mane and tail enter. Her eyes were closed so he couldn't see what color they were. She had a tape measure draped around her neck and the mark on her flank was a needle and thread wrapped around a spool. As she walked into the room, she began to speak to him.

"Alright sir, the Princess asked me to make some clothes for you. I will need your measurements before I can begin, so if... you... will please," She seemed to lose her voice as she opened her eyes, which were a dark blue, and got a good look at her client. "Oh my. The Princess told me you looked rather odd, but she seems to have understated how odd. No offense, sir."

"It's fine, ma'am. I understand that I'm not exactly normal here. My name is Corvo, by the way," he introduced himself. He put his boots back on, then he walked over to the mare.

"That is a rather unusual name, but I suppose you are an unusual fellow. Well, it's nice to meet you Corvo," she said, walking up to him. "I'm Fine Point. If you would hold out your arms, I will begin measuring you so that I can start on your clothes." As he held his arms out, the measuring tape was surrounded in light blue aura and she started to measure Corvo. As she jotted down the measurements, she asked, "Is there any type of style you'd like your clothes in?"

"If you can, I would really like a couple in the style of the clothes I'm wearing. I should probably get some casual clothes as well, if you don't mind. It would also be great if they weren't too restricting," he requested.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Though, I'll have to make the casual clothes first because I'm going to need to borrow the clothes your wearing to get the design down," she told him.

"I understand. When you finish them, I'll wash these and see that you receive them. Where should I take them?"

"Oh, you don't need to go that far. I'll pick it up when I bring your other clothes by. I'll let you know when they are done and I'll bring them here."

"Alright, if you're sure. Thank you," Corvo said.

"It's no problem," she said. "Alright I have your measurements. I'll get started on your clothes right away."

"I appreciate it. Also you don't have to make very many, at least not yet."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I asked the Princess to see if there was a way to make me look like a normal pony. So, if she finds a way to do that, I won't need that many."

"I see. Well I'll make a few outfits for this build and start some plans for if the Princess finds a way to do that. I won't be able to actually start anything until I get your measurements for that figure, though."

"That's more than enough. May I ask something, Miss Point?"

"Please, my name is Fine Point and yes you can."

Corvo, looking at the mare in confusion, asked, "Is Fine not your first name?"

"Is that your question?" she asked with a slight smirk. "Anyway, no my name is Fine Point. I don't have a last name and not all ponies do. By the way, you can call me Fine, Point, or Fine Point, I just meant you don't need to call me miss."

"Well Fine Point, I was wondering, you didn't seem very surprised when you saw me. I know the Princess told you I look strange, but you seemed to take it in stride."

"Well, while your appearance did shock me, you look similar to another race that lives on Equis," she told him.

"It wouldn't happen to be a minotaur would it?" he asked.

She blinked, "Yes. How did you know?"

"Princess Celestia said that I looked like a hornless minotaur."

"Ah, well she's telling the truth. I've seen minotaurs and you do kind of look like them." Fine Point's eyes widened, as she seemed to remember something, "Oh, the Princess told me to not teach you anything about our world."

"Why?" Corvo asked.

"Because she told me how Twilight is very serious about learning and that it might carry over to teaching," she explained.

"Well like I said, the Princess compared me to them, so I'm sure that if she is like that and I tell her that the Princess told me about it, it will be fine."

"That's a good idea."

Before they could say anything else, the bedroom door opened. An earth pony guard entered and addressed Corvo. "Sir, the Princess wishes to see you in the throne room."

He felt his ear twitch at the guards voice. "Well Fine Point, I suppose we'll talk some other time," he said, walking to the door.

"Alright, I'll talk you later," she said, leaving the room.

Exiting the room himself, Corvo followed the guard through the castle. "So do you know why the Princess is wanting to see me?" he asked.

"No, she didn't say why. Just that she wanted you in the throne room."

Corvo felt his ear twitch again at the guards voice, "You sound familiar. Is that you Crescent?"

The guard looked up in shock, "Yes, it is. How did you know?" he asked. "There's an enchantment on our armor that either whitens or grays our fur."

"That's interesting. As for how I knew, it's because being the Lord Protector to the Empress I was not only a personal guard, but I was also an adviser of sorts. I would help the Empress with anything she needed help with. Being surrounded by nobles, I learned several tricks. One of them being able to recognize someone by their voice," he explained. As they continued to walk, they came across a familiar lavender unicorn. "Good morning, Twilight."

"Oh, good morning Corvo. It's nice to see that you get up earlier than most ponies," she said.

"Early? I normally get up at seven," he told her.

"You get up at seven too?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes, I do. I was just exhausted last night, which I'm sure you can understand."

"Of course. Being thrown from your world to ours and having your body changed, must have been an experience," she sympathized.

"Excuse me Miss Sparkle, but the Princess asked for Corvo to meet her in the throne room," Crescent cut in.

Twilight's eyes widened, "Then what are you doing standing here? Go!" She began to push Corvo in the direction the Princess was. She then turned around and started to head the other way. As she trotted away she called over her shoulder, "Oh, and when the Princess is finished, come to the library so we can start on your lessons about Equis."

"Alright, I'll be sure to head there when we're done," Corvo shouted back.

They soon reached the double doors of the throne room. Crescent opened the door and leaned inside, "I brought Corvo, Your Highness."

Corvo heard Celestia's voice through the door. "Thank you, Crescent. Send him in please."

The guard opened the door and stepped to the side. Corvo stepped through the doors and walked toward the Princess.

"Hello, Princess. May I ask what you wanted to see me about?"

"Good morning to you Corvo. I have a couple things to tell you. First, I thought it would be a good idea for you to meet the captains of the Royal Guard and the Wonderbolts. They should be here soon," she said. "The other thing is that there is in fact a spell that can change you to look like a pony."

"That's great, but is it permanent?" he asked. "While I don't want to cause a panic, I have been bipedal my whole life and it will likely take some time to get used to walking on four legs."

"Not exactly, it stays in effect until I cast a spell to revert you back to your now normal form. However, while it will take at least a week to do, I plan on enchanting a bracelet so that you can control when you change from pony to anthro," she told him.

"Anthro?" Corvo asked.

"Yes, when you told me what you were, a memory in my mind stirred. They didn't exist on Equis, but it turns out that some ponies from a millennium ago discovered a certain spell that allowed them to view into another world. Whether it was yours or not, I'm not sure, but apparently ponies used to research them. I don't know where they got the bits to fund the research, though." Then, with a pained expression, said to herself, "Maybe she..." Shaking her head, she continued, "Anyway they named the study anthropology."

'She?' he thought. Seeing the agony that appeared on Celestia's face, he decided to not press upon it, "How much did they find out about us?"

"I haven't finished going through everything, but what I did read, they said that humans looked like hairless, upright apes and that to compensate for their lack of hair, they always wore clothes and shoes." She paused, then said, "Something I found somewhat concerning, and I saw this while looking at your memories too, is that they recorded that humans ate meat."

"Yes we can. We are omnivores, so we can eat all kinds of things, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and meat. Given my new form I can probably eat all of the things you eat too. Hang on a second," he said. He then ran his tongue along his teeth, then sighed, "Of course. Princess it seems that I will still have to eat meat." Remembering who he was talking to, he frantically began to rephrase, "Of course I won't do anything to your citizens... or anything else nor..."

Celestia held up her hoof, stopping him, "It's fine Corvo. After seeing what kind of stallion you are, I know that you won't hurt anyone just because your hungry."

He calmed down at her reassurance. "Thank you for trusting me Princess and I swear that I'll do my best not to even harm anyone. Only if I have no other option," he promised.

"I believe you Corvo. How do you know that you still need to eat meat though?" she questioned.

"Because the Outsider saw fit to leave me with my canine teeth and incisors. Which are used to help humans eat meat. So it would be safe to assume that I have the same diet as before," he explained.

Celestia sighed, "The Outsider again. Does he do anything that actually helps others?"

"Not unless he will find the results to be entertaining." Corvo then remembered something, "You said I'm going to meet the captains of your military?" She nodded. "Will I meet the other princess? Cadance I think Twilight said?"

"She's meeting with the rulers of Saddle Arabia right now. I'll introduce you to each other in about a week."

'Saddle Arabia?' Corvo thought. 'Really?'

At that moment the doors opened and two ponies walked in. Corvo turned his attention to the new ponies. From what he could tell both of them were mares, one looked slightly different than the ponies he had seen so far and the other just threw him off. One mare was a white unicorn with a three-toned cobalt blue mane and tail, with cerulean eyes. She stood somewhat taller than the mare next to her and had dark blue hooves. The armor she had was different than the other guards. It was purple with gold trims, on the front was a starburst on a shield. The other mare was a pegasus that appeared to have blue fur, but with a yellow stomach, throat, ears, mouth, and wings, with lightning bolts wrapped around where a humans wrists and ankles would be. After looking closer he noticed that it was most likely a uniform as the shade of her ears, mouth, and wings were different than the yellow across her throat and stomach. She had a fiery mane and orange eyes, with goggles on her head.

"Ah good, you're both here. Would you introduce yourselves to our guest?" Celestia asked.

The unicorn stepped forward, "Gleaming Shield, Captain of the Royal Guard."

Taking a step forward as well, the pegasus said, "Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts."

Corvo was slightly surprised to see that the captains were mares.

Seeing the shock on his face, Spitfire asked, with a slight smirk, "What, surprised to see that mares are the head of the military?"

"Somewhat." Gleaming Shield seemed to bristle at his admission. He quickly began to explain, "Before you jump to conclusions Captain Shield, it isn't because I don't think mares can do it. In my world women are... uh, I don't think we really have a word for it."

"You mean they were subjugated?" Celestia asked, disgust in her tone.

Corvo looked at the Princess in confusion, "I'm sorry?"

"It's where someone is brought under domination or control," Gleaming explained. "Is that how they were treated?"

"Yes, it was. Most women were maids or servants. There were noble women, but even then the men had more say than they did." Corvo was about to introduce himself, but was interrupted by the Wonderbolt.

"We know who you are Corvo," she said.

He arched a brow at her, "Did the Princess tell you about me?"

The monarch began to fidget somewhat, "Not exactly." She flinched slightly as he turned his attention to her, "I showed them your memories."

Corvo felt panic, worry, and a bit of anger well up in him. Keeping his face straight and his voice steady, asked, "You did?"

"Yes, I did. I hope you aren't too upset."

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, "I really wish you had asked before doing that, but I understand that, as the captains of the military, they needed to know. Please ask before you show anypony else, though."

"Of course, Corvo. I'm really sorry I didn't ask before."

"It's okay. So, they know everything I've done. What do they think about it?"

"About you killing all of those men, the fact that you eat meat, that you were dead and brought back to life, or," Spitfire shivered slightly, "the Heart?"

Corvo stiffened, "Well, mostly the first one, but the others are something I was worried about, as well."

"Relax, we aren't going to do anything to you because of what you did to those assassins. They killed your Empress and who knows how many innocent people. If you had killed civilians or something then we would have needed to do something, but you didn't so you don't have anything to worry about," Gleaming said.

He relaxed, "I'm glad to hear that. So what about the other things?"

"Well we have carnivores here, so it's not anything new, but you're going to have to order meat from the griffons," Spitfire told him.

"You being brought back to life worried me as that sounds like dark magic, but you seem okay," the Guard Captain said.

"Yeah he seems fine to me. There really isn't anything to say about the Heart, except it creeps me the hay out," the pegasus shuddered again.

"She's right. I mean, the Outsider gave it to, right?" Gleaming Shield asked.

"That's right. He gave it to me to find Runes and Bone Charms, as well as tell me something about a person I aim it at," he told them.

"It speaks to you?" the Wonderbolt asked. She turned to the unicorn, "Did you hear anything?"

"No, I didn't," she answered.

"I thought you saw my memories."

"That's actually something I left out," Celestia said. They all turned toward her, "I thought that the other stuff was already a lot to take in, but to see a heart talking to you would be too much." Corvo nodded his head in understanding. "Thinking about it, when I was going through your memories again and listening to the Hearts 'voice', it sounded vaguely familiar," the Princess said. "It kind of sounded like..." Celestia's eyes widened in horror, "No, it's not..." she trailed off, not able to bring herself to say it.

Corvo sighed heavily as his whole body slumped, "Yes, I'm all but certain that it's the Empress' heart."

They all shivered at this. "How do you know? Why would he do that?" Celestia asked, appalled.

"The voice like you said, but also because some of the things the Heart says points to it being her's. Every time the Heart would talk about the Empress it would hesitate, as if trying to remember what happened when it was alive." He paused as he thought about the Outsiders reason, "I have no idea why he did it. Maybe because in life she gave me her heart and after death took her away, he returned it to me."

A chill ran down the mares spines as Corvo said such a haunting sentence rather casually.

"So you and the Empress loved each other?" Spitfire asked.

All he could do was nod sadly, the pain, while having lessened, was still there.

Deciding to change the subject Gleaming asked, "So, you're able to do magic rather different than ours?"

Pulled from his bad memories, he answered, "Yes I can." Remembering something, he said, "Speaking of, I forgot to mention something to you Princess."

Celestia arched a brow, "Did you hide another spell from me?"

"Not exactly." She looked at him curiously. "You see I have abilities that enhance my physical capabilities. Such as Vitality that makes me tougher and helps me heal quicker. I also have Agility that helps me jump higher, able to fall from building without hurting myself very much, as well as faster running, climbing, and swimming," he explained. "There's also Blood Thirsty which builds up my adrenaline, increasing my strength. And lastly there is the new one that the Outsider just gave me. It's called Arcane Bond and it... wait seriously?" he said in surprise.

"What is it Corvo?" the Princess asked.

"The Arcane Bond apparently lets me share my powers with others that don't have the Outsider's mark."

All of their eyes widened. "Really?" Gleaming asked.

He turned toward the Wonderbolt and asked, "Would you like to try Captain?"

She looked at him in shock, "Me?"

"Well the other two can already cast spells," he said.

"True." She mulled it over before grinning and said, "Sure, let's give it a try. And Corvo you can just call me Spitfire."

Walking over to the pegasus he said, "Maybe when we are better acquainted, Captain. Now let's try this out." He knelt down next to the Wonderbolt and held his left hand over her head. Soon his mark began to glow.

Spitfire twitched slightly, "Whoa."

"You OK?" he asked, anxiously.

"Yeah, just surprised that I felt something," she said.

Soon, Corvo's mark dimmed and he pulled back. She looked down at herself, "So how do we know it worked?"

"We'll try out one of the spells to see. I want you focus your magic into your eyes. Imagine seeing anyone, no matter if you were hiding behind something or they were in another room," he instructed.

Spitfire closed her eyes and concentrated on what he told her. When she opened her eyes again they were the same ruby red that Corvo's took. She jumped back in surprise, "What the hay?! Why are you all yellow?"

Corvo grinned, "You did it. That's what Dark Vision does when activated." Glancing at the other end of the room, he said, "Look back towards the door."

Turning around, Spitfire saw more yellow figures, "There are two guards standing there. So what?"

"Spitfire," Gleaming said, "those guards are standing on the other side of the doors."

She turned to the Guard Captain in surprise, "They are?"

Celestia raised a hoof to her chin, "Hm."

"Something wrong Your Highness?" Gleaming asked.

"No, nothing's wrong." She turned toward the mares. "There isn't anything else captains. You may return when you're ready."

The two saluted and began to leave. Before she did, Spitfire turned back to Corvo, "How long does this last?"

He thought about her question, trying to discern the time limit. "I'm not sure. If you don't mind, I would like to know when they disappear, so that I know the time limit for if I use it again."

She nodded, "Sure thing. I'll check every so often and let you know when and if they they disappear."

As the two mares left Corvo addressed the monarch, "Is that all Princess?"

She glanced at him, with a slight smirk, she asked, "That eager to leave?"

"Not at all. It's just that Twilight asked that after we were done that I head to the library, so that I can begin learning about your world. I was just wondering if there was anything else you needed."

Celestia smiled, "No, there isn't anything else at the moment." He turned and started to head toward the doors. "But Corvo." He looked back to the Princess, her expression stern, "I'm know Twilight is going to be very curious about your world. I know I don't have to tell you, but please watch what you reveal to her."

He nodded, "Of course, Princess. No one in this world should know about the terrible things that happened in my world."

"Thank you. Crescent?" she called out. The guard opened the door and leaned in, "Please show Corvo to the tower Twilight stays in."

"Of course, Princess," he saluted, exiting the room.

Leaving the throne room, Corvo followed Crescent Slash to where it was that Twilight stayed.

Twilight laid on the floor, setting up her lesson plan for when her student showed up. A giggle escaped Twilight's lips at the thought of having a student. As she continued planning, a small purple and green reptile walked by, carrying several books for her to show Corvo.

"So who are you teaching again?" the boy asked.

Twilight sighed, "I told you Spike, it's a stallion that showed up in Canterlot."

"But what kind of stallion doesn't know the kinds of things that a foal knows?"

"You'll see when you meet him."

At that moment the door to the room was opened and heard a voice on the other side, "This is it. She should be somewhere in here."

"Thank you Crescent." Twilight recognized Corvo's voice. A tall bipedal being walked through the doorway and approached the two of them.

Before anything could be said, Spike shouted, "What in Equestria is that!?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, "Spike, this is Corvo. The stallion I told you about."

"Are you kidding!? He isn't a pony!"

Corvo seemed rather surprised by the sudden outburst and probably by the fact that Spike wasn't a pony. He quickly recovered, and said, "You're partly correct, Spike was it? Did you not tell him about me?"

"Yes, his name is Spike. Of course I told him, but beings from another world seem to be one of the few things he doesn't believe in."

"So this is who you mentioned yesterday. And what do you mean?"

"I'll explain some other time," she said dismissively. "I have your lesson plan ready." There was an excited gleam in her eyes.

"Alright, so what are we going to start with?"

Spike grabbed one of the books and handed it to the unicorn. "Thank you, Spike." Twilight opened the book as he walked off, "First we are going to start with the inhabitants of Equis. You already know about the different ponies, and you've met Spike so I'll start with him, a dragon. Unfortunately there isn't much on dragons in this library. However, having spent time with Spike has taught me a few things. Such as they like to eat gems." Corvo just stared at the mare. She smirked at his expression, "I know, I was surprised when he first did it too. He's also able to send messages between me and Princess Celestia with his fire." A shadow crossed Twilight's face, "The last thing I know is actually something I only learned recently. Dragons live for a very long time and, as such, Spike is only a baby dragon."

"They live for that long of a time?" Corvo asked.

She nodded, "They can live as long as the Princess has lived and probably longer than that."

He looked at her in confusion, "How old is Princess Celestia?"

"She's been alive for over a thousand years."

"She's what!?"

Both Twilight and Spike jumped at his sudden exclamation. "What? What's wrong?" Spike yelled.

"She's over a millennium old?" Corvo asked.

She nodded, "Yes, is that so surprising?"

"Of course it is! The oldest person I knew was Samuel who was in his sixties." He then muttered to himself, "Well it was actually Granny Rags, but she was a special case."

"Well that's just the Princess and dragons. Other species can only live up to around two hundred years." He still seemed surprised by her answer. "How long do people live in your world?" Twilight asked. 'Do they really only live a little more than a fourth as long as we do?' She took out her notes and an quill, ready to record what he said.

Corvo hesitated in answering, seeming to have trouble with what to say, "Well, like I said Samuel was the oldest person I knew and he was maybe a little over sixty. I have, however, heard of people living for eighty maybe ninety years."

"That's still rather long," she said, writing down his answer.

"I don't really know if that's true though. I've only heard about it, I've never seen someone that old before," he said. He shook his head, "Anyway the Outsider said that he changed me into a pony, so most likely I'll live as long as you do."

Twilight nodded, "Right, let's move on. Next are griffons. They have the body of a lion and the front claws, head, and wings of an eagle." She took the book in her magic and showed Corvo the picture depicting a griffon.

"So, that's a griffon," he said.

She looked at him in surprise, "You know about griffons?"

"I've only heard of them, I don't know anything else about them."

"OK. Well, they are pretty much omnivores. They can eat what we do, but would honestly rather have meat than grass." A thought then occurred to her, "Is your diet the same as ours?"

Corvo flinched slightly, as if he had been dreading the question, "I'm sure it's been changed slightly to match yours, but I'm still an omnivore."

She arched a brow, "So you eat both veggies and meat?" He nodded stiffly. Twilight rolled her eyes, "It's fine, Corvo, like I said the griffons are practically omnivores. Besides Princess Celestia knows, right?"

"Yes, I've told her about it," he said.

"And she still let you come down here with me?" she asked.

"Obviously, but-"

"Then it's fine. The Princess trusts you, so I know I can trust you, too."

A pained expression crossed his face, "Thank you Twilight, but that's a dangerous mindset to have."

"What do you mean by that!? Are you saying that Princess Celestia can't be trusted?" she demanded angrily.

"Of course not. I'm saying that trusting somepony just because she does can be dangerous. Believe me, I've seen it first hand."

Still somewhat upset, she asked, "What happened?"

He shook his head, "I'd rather not tell you. It's not something I want you, or anypony really, to know." Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but Corvo cut her off, "If you still want to know I'll tell you later." He motioned his head in Spike's direction.

Understanding what he meant, she nodded and went back to the lesson. They continued uninterrupted, Twilight showing him the other species of Equis and going over several laws of Equestria. When they were finished, she looked at the clock and noticed that it was lunchtime.

"How about we take a break and get some lunch, Corvo?" she suggested.

Before he could say anything, a loud growl came from his stomach. He smiled sheepishly, as Twilight smirked at him and Spike busted out laughing.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said, standing. "Are you going to join us Spike?"

"Nah, I have some gems here to eat."

"OK, we'll be back in a little while."

The two left the library and headed for the kitchen to get lunch.

As they walked, Corvo glanced at Twilight and asked, "Twilight, I know we are taking a break, but what are those images on everypony's flank?"

She glanced up at him, "Oh, suppose that's OK. I was going to cover them anyway and we have a ways to go before we reach the kitchen. I guess I can cover it now." She then murmured to herself, "I'm going to have to rearrange the schedule. First off, they are called cutie marks."

'Seriously?' he thought. 'That's what they're called?'

"They appear on a ponies flank when they figure out what their special talent is. For example, my cutie mark shows my talent in magic and Princess Celestia's shows hers in raising and lowering the sun and moon," she explained.

This caught him slightly by surprise, "She raises and lowers the sun and moon?"

"Yes. Why what happens in your world?" she asked.

'I guess she's one of the beings the Outsider was talking about before,' he thought. Glancing over, he saw the gleam in her eyes at learning something about his world. With a slight smile he said, "We are slightly unsure as to what happens, but no one controls the sun and moon. They raise and lower by themselves."

This seemed to shock her a great deal.

Something about what she said about the Princess didn't sit right with Corvo. If her cutie mark is for raising and lowering the sun and moon, then why is her mark only a sun? He decided to keep this to himself and maybe ask the Princess about it later.

"Speaking of cutie marks, do you have one?" she asked. "Since you just appeared here yesterday I'm not sure you would have one."

"Yes, I have a cutie mark. It's a red shield with the Outsiders mark on it. It also has a sword and gun crossing behind it."

"So did you already realize what your special talent was?"

"I don't know about that, but something did happen that made me realize what it was that I wanted to do."

"And that was?" she asked, curiously.

Before he could say anything, Corvo noticed that they had reached the kitchen. "I'll tell you on the way back. It's nothing bad, but I wouldn't want you losing your appetite."

Twilight frowned, but followed him into the kitchen. All of the cooks froze as Corvo entered the room. He smiled uncomfortably and waved at the ponies. She rolled her eyes and addressed them, "Everypony can relax. I'm sure that Princess Celestia told you about the unusual guest we are accommodating?" They all nodded at the unicorn, who gestured with her hoof, "Well this is him, Corvo Attano."

They all relaxed slightly and returned to what they were doing. However, several ponies were watching him out of the corner of their eyes. One of the chefs walked up the two. It was a tan unicorn stallion with brown mane and tail. His eyes were green and his cutie mark was a spatula and frying pan. "It's nice to meet you Corvo. My name is Exquisite Dish. It's good to see you again Twilight. Here for some lunch? I'd be happy to make anything you want," he offered.

She nodded, "Yes we are. I would like a daisy and daffodil sandwich and some fruit."

The chef turned his attention to Corvo. He began to fidget uncomfortably, unable to ask for what he wanted.

Noticing this, he said, "You can ask for anything. Princess Celestia told us that you are an omnivore. Would you like..." he shuddered slightly, "steak?"

"You have meat? Spitfire said that I would have to order it from griffons," he said, surprised.

"You met Spitfire?" Exquisite asked.

Corvo nodded, "The Princess wanted to introduce me to the heads of the military." Twilight glanced at him after hearing this.

"Well, normally you will have to, but we keep it stocked for if griffons visit hear and want to have meat," he explained.

"I see." Having noticed the stallions shudder, he said, "I don't want to make anypony feel uncomfortable."

"It's fine. Like I said, I've made it for griffons before. So is that what you want?"

Remembering blood oxen steak, he said, "Sure, and a salad."

They walked to the other end of the room and walked through the doors. On the other side was a cafeteria, where there were several guards having their own lunch. There seemed to be a rather even split of mare and stallion guards.

Looking around, Corvo noticed several guards with darker armor than the others. He also noticed that they had leathery wings rather than feathery ones. "Twilight are they the thestrals that the Princess mentioned?" he inquired.

Glancing in the direction he was looking, she nodded, "Yes they are. As you might guess from what Princess Celestia told you about them, they make up what's called the Night Guard. There are some other ponies in it, but the majority are thestrals." Scanning the cafeteria, she said, "Let's sit away from everypony, so that they don't have to smell the..." her face turned slightly green as she said, "meat."

"I hope you'll be okay, Twilight. I don't want to stop you from eating."

"I'll be fine. I know of a spell that can filter a smell out of the air. So, you met the captains of the Royal Guard and Wonderbolts?" she asked, sitting far away from any other pony.

"Yes, I did. Why?" he asked as a unicorn stallion levitated their food over, placing it front of them.

"Well for one. The Wonderbolts aren't just the air force, they also put on airshows for ponies, so Spitfire is pretty famous. The other thing is that the Captain of the Royal Guard is my sister."

Corvo's stared at Twilight in shock, "Gleaming Shield is your sister?"

"She didn't tell you her full name did she?" she asked. He shook his head. "Her full name is Gleaming Shield Sparkle. Sparkle is our families last name."

"That's good to know." Taking the fork and knife, he cut a piece of the meat. Lifting the fork to his mouth, he ate the piece of steak. He paused, an let out a groan of satisfaction, "That's so delicious. As good if not better than blood oxen."

"Blood oxen?" Twilight inquired, pulling out her notes again.

Corvo noticed the notes and smiled to himself. "They are a large and aggressive mammal from the Isles." He hesitated in continuing, as he was about to tell her what they were used for.

"You can continue Corvo. I've read about the things that the griffons do to their livestock. As long as you don't go into great detail, you can tell me."

"OK. Um, well we would milk them... I don't think I need to explain why. We used part of them to make leather for shoes and some clothing. Lastly we would use them for food," he explained as he started on his salad. 'This is probably the best salad I've had in a long time,' he thought. 'It's been, what a few decades?'

"Thank you for explaining," she said, eating her own meal. "You said the Isles. I thought you were from Dunwall?"

He nodded, "The Isles are four islands that are part of a constitutional monarchy ruled by an Emperor or Empress. The four main islands are Tyvia, Morley, Gristol, and Serkonos. Gristol is the acting head state of the Empire and Dunwall, where I lived, was it's capital." As he talked, he noticed that even as she ate, her quill was moving across the parchment effortlessly.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Twilight not talking at all, but instead reading a book she had apparently brought with her. It confused Corvo a great deal on where it came from since he was sure that she didn't have anything with her.

Once they were finished, they returned the dishes to the kitchen.

Corvo walked over to their chef of the day. "The food was delicious. Thank you Exquisite."

The stallion grinned, "It was nothing. I'm glad you liked it."

The two then left the kitchen and started to head back to the library.

"So are you going to explain what you were talking about earlier?" she asked.

"About that event that might have led to my cutie mark?"

"That and about not trusting the ponies Princess Celestia trusts," Twilight said, her eyes narrowing. "And if you won't tell me I'll ask her about it."

'I highly doubt she'd tell you.' He sighed in defeat, "Fine I'll tell you. But know that it isn't a happy tale."

"As I've said, I have read the history of other nations. Some of which were rather gruesome," she told him.

Taking a deep breath he began to explain, "There were two people that were high up in the government. The Lord Regent and High Overseer were trusted advisers to the Empress. She trusted them a great deal, but they eventually betrayed her. They planned a coup against her and were unfortunately successful. That's why I said it was dangerous to trust somepony just because the Princess trusts them. They could have some secret agenda that even she doesn't know about."

"*sigh* I suppose I see what you mean, but I think that Princess Celestia would know who to trust or not," she said.

"I'm just saying to be careful Twilight."

"So about that other thing," she inquired.

"Right. Well when I was sixteen I was walking through the streets of Serkonos." Noticing Twilight's inquisitive expression, he explained, "It's where I was born. Anyway, I soon came across several men trying to take advantage of a woman. Not even thinking twice, I unsheathed the sword I had bought and protected the woman. I had managed to injure them and chase them away from her. Once they were gone, the woman ran up to me and thanked me endlessly for saving her from those men. It was then that I realized that I wanted to protect the innocent from those that would do them harm. So, when it came around, I entered and won the Blade Verbena, an annual sword duel festival. It earned me an early officer ranking in the Grand Serkonan Guard. For two years I protected civilians from the evils of the world."

"For only two years? What happened?"

"As a diplomatic gesture, I was sent to serve the of Emperor Euhorn Kaldwin for a top secret matter, after impressing the Duke of Serkonos. Later, Jessamine chose me as her Lord Protector."

"That's very impressive. It sounds like a similar to the position Gleaming Shield has. What did your parents think?"

Corvo flinched, "They... passed when I was very young. Before I even entered the Blade Verbena."

"Oh... I'm sorry, Corvo," Twilight said, guiltily.

He smiled slightly. Since meeting her, he had felt that Twilight was rather distant and somewhat cold. He was glad to know that she wasn't completely closed off to her emotions. Looking down at the mare and seeing the apologetic look on her face, he said, "It's OK Twilight. You didn't know and it was a long time ago. I've come to terms with it."

"Alright, if you're sure," she said uncertainly.

The two soon returned the library, where they continued Corvo's lessons about Equis. He would occasionally tell Twilight a little about his world or about himself when she asked. He made sure to steer clear of anything he thought was to gruesome for Twilight and especially Spike to hear. They continued until it was late into the night.

"*yawn* I think that's enough for today Twilight, it's pretty late." He glanced around the library and noticed that Spike was asleep in the back.

She let out a yawn as well, "Right. I'll see you tomorrow." He started to head out the door, when she spoke up, "Um... Corvo?" He turned to face her and noticed the small smile on her muzzle, "Thank you for telling me the things you did. I feel like I really got to know you better."

He smiled back, "It wasn't a problem Twilight. Good night."

"Good night," she said as she picked Spike up in her magic.

Leaving the library, he started to head back to his room. Along the way he ran into the Princess. "Good evening Princess Celestia."

"Good evening, Corvo. How were the lessons with Twilight?" she asked.

"Very informative. It's incredible the different kinds of species that are sapient here. I've never heard of a lot of them, but I've only known humans were sapient," he said.

"Yes, I noticed. I'm actually somewhat surprised that you are able to treat us like you would a human and not like animals."

"Well, that's because even if you look like an animal I know from my world, I know that you are more than that. You are able to feel, speak, and so much more than an animal can do. So, it isn't really that hard to do."

"I'm glad to hear that. Well, I won't keep you any longer. You should go get some sleep," she advised.

"I'll go do that. I'll see you tomorrow Princess."

"Good night Corvo."

Parting ways, he soon reached his room to get some rest for the days to come.