I watch as the landscape passes us by, I hear the sound of my wooden stave bump against my iron boot and turn to see Luna holding it with a curious glance.

"Tell us, Sir Stormsword, what purpose does this serve? Is it a fancy walking stick?" Luna asks me.

I chuckle which seems to have irritated her. "No, it's not a walking stick. It acts as a focus for my magic, I can channel elements through it to the amethyst at the top, this stave can double the effectiveness of my spells... So I kindly ask you not to damage it please, as it's the only one of its kind here now," I tell her. She looks at it wide eyed and gently places it back next to me.

Celestia then speaks up. "From what I gathered from your memories, you wished to be a high ranking battle-mage to catch or eliminate outlaws and criminals?" she asks.

"Yes, I believe you also saw the reason why?" I reply.

She sombrely nodded. "That I did, it is a tragedy I wish nopony to go through," she says. Luna looks like she wants to know but keeps quiet.

For the next few minutes I just watch the land go by, I see a lake with a small cottage nearby with what looks like a small boat next to it.

I eventually fall asleep from the relaxing ride.

---

---

I watch Adrian closely, he looks so calm and peaceful. "Dost thou think we can trust him?" Luna asks me.

"I believe so, he's had a rough past from what I saw of his memories, but a kind and strong personality," I reply to her. What I neglect to mention is that he's been alone for the last few years of his life. No friends, lovers or family. Yet he still pushes on.

I notice he starts frowning with discomfort. "Luna, can you see what he is dreaming about?" I ask my Sister.

"Very well," she replies and places her right hand on Adrian's head.

After a few minutes, Luna gasps and removes her hand, her eyes start to get moist which she quickly rubs away with a handkerchief.

"What's the matter, Luna?" I ask concerned.

She looks at me with a sad expression. "He feels so alone, and the fact of being here just seems to increase that feeling," she tells me. If anypony knows that feeling better then any other, it's Luna.

"Then we'll just have to be as friendly as we possibly can to him, help him fit in at the Castle," I tell her and look back to Adrian who now isn't frowning any more. "I take it you gave him a nicer dream?" I ask her.

She smiles and nodded. "That we did, he now dreams of a future with friends and possibly more," she replies.

I smile and watch the scenery go by in silence.

---

---

"Sir Stormsword? We have arrived at Canterlot," I hear a voice say, bringing me out of my strange dream.

I yawn and stretch my limbs, then look out the window to see a city on the side of a mountain, it's not as big as the Capital of Reymorah, but certainly looks grander. Buildings of white with deep purple roofs dot the whole city, I look to the left and spot a Castle that would put Reymorah's to shame, tall towers of white with roofs of purple and gold reach up over the city.

We land within a tall wall next to the Castle and the doors open up with what look like a couple of maids holding the doors open.

"Welcome back, your Majesties," they say in unison. The left one has light pink fur and blonde hair while the other has green fur and purple hair, I've only just noticed that these ponies have marks on the back of their hands, the pink one has a feather duster while the other has a stack of clothing neatly piled.

The Princesses step out and the maids close the door on me, I burst out laughing at the humour in it, they didn't even notice me. I hear a pair of gasps and the doors open again.

I step out with my stave in hand and smile at the maids, who blush with embarrassment while looking down, I walk over to the Princesses with a smile.

"I apologise for that, they weren't expecting us to bring somepony back with us," Celestia tells me with the faintest hints of a giggle.

"It's alright, I found it amusing," I reply with a grin.

The two maids walk over to us. "We are very sorry about that, Sir," the pink one says to me as they both bow.

"It's fine, no harm done," I tell them and turn back to Celestia. "So what do we do now?" I ask her.

"Thy lack of manners is... somewhat refreshing, if we are to be honest," Luna says.

"I take it everyone treats you like as if they upset you that you would punish them for it?" I ask.

Celestia sighs. "Yes, or to gain some sort of position of power or status," Celestia replies with a sad expression and a slight shake of her head.

I stand in front of her and hold my hand out to her. "Well, rest assured, I'll ask of no such thing from you, as long as I have a roof over my head, three meals a day and a place to practice my swordsmanship and magic, I'll be happy," I tell her.

She smiles at me and shakes my hand. "Speaking of a roof over your head," she says looking towards the castle. "You're welcome to stay in one of the guest rooms if you'd like," she offers me.

Wow, free stay in a castle? Who would refuse such an offer? "I would like that, Celestia, thank you," I reply with a slight bow.

"That's Princess Celestia to you, peasant," a voice to my right says. I look to the source and see a grey man with combed back black hair and a horn, he has a pompous looking scarlet outfit with gold trimmings and puffy frilly pieces on his upper arms and thighs. I couldn't help but snicker at him, it looks ridiculous if not uncomfortable.

He looks at me with disgust before turning back to Celestia. "Princess, there is a matter of import that requires your immediate attention," he says passing a scroll over to her.

She takes the scroll, but I see a slight frown on her face towards the man. She opens the scroll and reads it, another sigh leaves her lips. "They continue to demand that we send them some of our ponies as a delicacy or risk war?" Celestia mutters in a whisper.

What the... someone is actually demanding Celestia to send people to get eaten? Who the hell would demand such a thing?

"Very well, I shall be in my office should I be needed," she says rolling the scroll back up. "Luna, would you please escort our friend here to his room please," Celestia says to her sister which caused the man to sharply breath in with wide eyes, I give him a smirk.

"Of course, sister. Come, Adrian. We shall show thee where thou shalt be staying," she tells me and I follow behind her.

The interior of the Castle is breath taking; finely polished marble walls and floor, tapestries adorn the walls with beautiful patterns and stain glass windows with what look to be snippets of this lands history. We head up some stairs to a long curved hallway with large doorways along it.

We stop at a door with the number five. "This shall be thy room while thou live here," Luna tells me.

I open the door and look inside, my jaw drops at the splendour of it, a large circular bed lies in the middle of the room with a drawable curtain around it, to the right is a door and a dresser, to the left is a desk with paper and writing utensils on it, a comfortable looking chair is in front of the desk and landscape paintings decorate the walls. I notice doors to a balcony behind the bed, I close my mouth and look to the giggling Princess.

"It's amazing!" I tell her.

"Just do not make a mess whilst thou live here. If thou need directions, just ask a guard or maid and they shall guide thee," she informs me. I notice a guard not too far away standing at attention just down the hallway.

"Thank you, both you and your sister. I wasn't sure what I would've done if you didn't come to... where was it again? Ponyville?" I say and ask.

She nodded with a smile. "Yes, Ponyville. We are just glad thou art nothing like the last human to come here," she replies.

I frown in thought for a few seconds. "Who was this other human?" I ask her.

She sighs and gestures into the room, we both enter and she takes a seat on a couch I didn't notice just to the right of the door, I sit on the edge of the bed.

"His name was Grogar, a powerful necromancer who raised an army of the dead. We suffered heavy losses when he invaded our kingdom one-thousand, two-hundred years ago, but with the aid of the Elements of Harmony, we managed to seal him within stone and locked him away in the deepest pits of Tartarus," she tells me.

I frown for a few seconds then my eyes widen at a realisation. "Wait... you said you sealed him away over a thousand years ago? Then that means you and Celestia are..." I say but she interrupts.

"Yes, we are over a thousand years old," she tells me.

I shake my head after staring for a few seconds. "Well, you look great for your age," I say without thinking.

She barely blushes under her dark blue fur. "We, thank thee for the compliment," she says and stands up. "We... we must head back to aid our sister, if thou need anything, just ask a maid or guard," she tells me and quickly heads for the door.

After she left, I remove my pack and place it next to the dresser, I walk over to the balcony and step outside. The sun is high above my head and it looks just about noon as I gaze across the city; winged ponies fly across the skies towards their destinations, some carrying items or pulling carriages.

I look down and spot what looks like a training ground, an obstacle course, practice dummies, and sparing rings are set up with a large, long building to the side of it all.

I watch as the guards train below me, some of the horned ones are shooting bolts of different coloured magic at targets, I wonder what other spells can they cast, from what I'm seeing, my magic is much more effective for combat.

I kind of want to go down there and join them, if only to see what else they can do.

I leave my pack in the room but keep my sword and stave with me, I leave the room and ask the guard just down the hall to guide me down to the Training Grounds.

He simply nodded and told me to follow, the trip was silent as he didn't speak a word, even after I asked for his name. Once we arrived, he just pointed to the grounds and left.

I walk over to the large building and enter, the inside looks similar to the Ponyville Barracks, just bigger. "What do we have here?" a snobbish sounding voice asks.

I turn to see an ice blue furred man with silver hair that has a light blue streak going through it and a horn, he's wearing guard armour and has one of those gems on a handle like the one I saw in Ponyville on his right hip.

"That's some rather... antique looking armour you have there," he says in an insulting tone.

I frown at him. "It was my father's," I reply calmly.

"Yes, well, why is a strange looking creature like you here? This is the guards Training Grounds, not some tourist spot," he says contemptuously.

"Thought I'd ask whoever is in charge here if I could use the facilities to practice my skills," I reply.

"And what skills would a commoner like you have? Do you even know how to use that sword?" he asks with a smug smile, so judging from his attitude, he's either wealthy, racist, or a Noble.

I draw my sword and channel two fire elements through it and point the blade at him, his eyes widen as the blade has a fiery aura around it. "Want to find out?" I reply.

"Stand down, both of you," a voice orders firmly from behind me.

I cancel the fire elements and the flames fade away, I turn to see a white furred man with two toned blue hair and a horn in what looks like a fancy military uniform.

"Who are you?.. And what are you?" he asks me.

"Adrian Stormsword, Sir. I'm a human," I reply and sheath my sword.

"Alright, and why are you here?" he asks again.

"I wanted to ask for permission to use the facilities here," I reply.

"Oh? You a member of the guard or planning to join?" he asks with a raised brow.

"Neither, I just arrived around thirty minutes ago with the Princesses, I'm staying in the Castle until I find something to do... I thought I could practice my magic and swordsmanship here until then," I tell him.

He hums in thought. "What kind of magic do you specialise in?" he asks with curiosity.

The other man interrupts before I could reply. "Sir, you can't be thinking of letting this commoner who isn't even a guard be here?" he asks, clearly not liking the idea of me even being here.

"That's up for me to decide, you're dismissed until your shift later, Frostbite," the blue haired man replies.

Frostbite snorts and walks out. "Sorry about that, most Nobles think they can order poorer ponies around, I'm Shining Armour, Captain of the Royal Guard by the way," he says holding a hand out.

I shake his hand, already liking the guy. "Nice to meet you, as for speciality, I use a different kind of magic than yours, would you like a demonstration?" I ask him.

He smiles. "Different kind of magic huh? Sure, let's see what you got."

We step out and head to the target range.

Next Chapter: Chapter 6: Sparring Estimated time remaining: 20 Hours, 31 Minutes