I had seen my new friends off that night, with Twilight, of course, staying behind to help as Celestia had noted in our talk. As I observed them take off in the chariot, minus Rainbow, who took off in a streak of color. I reflected on things, friends, were they that? After a moment, I had to nod to myself, as they were. Perhaps the first real friends I had let myself make in a long time.

That night I slept without dreams, at least none that I could remember. I suspect Luna had part in that, and again I found myself torn between being angry someone was messing with something in my head, and thankful for a night of peace. I figured, why look a gift horse—er, pony—in the mouth?

I found myself up with the sun and invited to breakfast with the princesses once more. Walking in, wearing a black pair of jeans and a white t-shirt to match with the warmer weather. At some point in the hall, two guards had joined me in my walk. I'd known both of them despite the magic or whatever on their armor to make them look the same.

Looking over at Celestia. “Princess, may I make a request?”

She gave a nod as she looked up at me over a cup of tea. “Of course, Shane. If it is within reason, I will do what I can for you.”

I smiled and gestured. “Cortland and Golden, they have been following me around since last night. I take it they have been assigned as my guards?”

I watched her lift an eyebrow then nod. “They have, yes, they know you and your secrets. They have been sworn to keep them. They are your friends, too, yes?”

I exhaled and glanced at the door, knowing they were standing just outside. “Perhaps friends is a bit aggressive a word for the moment, but, they sure have done right by me so far. So, I would like to do right by them. I would like to request they go without armor, so they do not stand out so much. It sure would make them more comfortable and would mean out in public most ponies wouldn’t be suspect of a new creature with armed and armored solar guards walking behind him.”

I watched her ponder that, then she nodded her head, turning to the light-grey Solaris guard next to the side door. “Captain Blade, please inform Captain Swords of the First Solar that I wish Sargent Cortland and Private Shield to spend their duty protecting Shane out of armor. They are to integrate and not only guard but escort him as friends.”

I watched as the grey unicorn grunted. “Yes, my princess!” snapped a salute and turned, heading out. I turned to look back at Celestia.

“Thank you. If they are going to be stuck on me, I would at least like to know they can be comfortable,” I nodded once in thanks.

She smiled behind her little mug. “You worry about others before yourself. Is this a trait of all humans?”

I shrugged. “Some, not sure I would say most. We are a selfish species. It is in our very genetics to be aggressive, tribal, and see to our own needs. It is a survival trait.”

I again watched her nod as I took a sip of orange juice, then said, “What time will Luna wake?”

Once more she smiled at me. “After noon, around three, why?”

I had given this great thought, and decided this was for the best. “I have something to show you both, something I can’t show Twilight.”

Just as the words spilled out, said purple alicorn trotted in through the side door. “Good morning, Celestia. Good morning, Shane!”

Celestia tilted her head. “And good morning to you, Twilight Sparkle,” she glanced at me and gave a nod, whispering, “Come to my study at four.”

I noticed Twilight perk an ear. “What is going on at four?”

I hesitated, not sure what to say before Celestia spoke. “Shane has been requested by Luna and myself to discuss about some things best compartmentalized. In turn, you will be quite busy, as I want you to spend the morning talking to him about the item in the vault in as much detail as you can get.”

I blinked both at the bright light and the sudden poof noise as she was gone, then back again before I could open my mouth to ask what was going on. She now had a saddle bag packed with quills and paper hanging off her side. I meant packed, too, as in almost ripping the stitches, flaps unable to close, stuff ready to fall out, packed.

A small chuckle forced its way out at the ear-to-ear grin on the purple mare's muzzle. “Can we finish breakfast first, Twilight?”

Her face fell a bit but she nodded to me. “O-oh, of course, okay."

---

I found myself with Twilight in a private side room of what turned out to be the Royal Canterlot library and archives. At least, that is what the sign above the door had said when we walked here. Cortland and Golden looked so much more at ease now. They were out of their standard armor, but both still wearing a sort of half-cloak that marked them as guards and what unit they were in.

We had spoken briefly about things. All of us had agreed to be a bit casual, too. Sure, they had a job to do, I understood that, but we had all talked enough to understand the idea behind my request. Right now, we were starting hour two of a rather long, and in depth talk. Twilight and I had been at this solid other than a break for tea.

“I still don’t quite understand why items from your world—including you—seem to act like nullstone.”

I watched her tapping her chin as she thought about things, looking down at the pile of notes she had already jotted down. I suppose I should be impressed, she had already worn out two quills and gone through nearly all of a pot of ink.

“That is something I have no answer for, Twilight. I am sure if anyone in this world can figure it out, it will be you.”

She smiled a bit and looked back over at me. “It is just incredible to me still, your kind has reached out to the stars, sent items of technology out to send you back pictures and data about places millions and millions of miles away.”

I took a sip of tea and nodded my head. “It is in our nature, we explore, we have a drive to better understand our world and many others around us.” Pausing, I figured this might be a good moment to drop another bombshell on her. “Twilight, what would you say if I told you we have sent men, and women, into space?”

Her head snapped up from the notes she was writing, and the quill snapped in her magical grip. I gave her a bit of a grin. She was fun to tease a little.
“W-w-what?”

I exhaled some and gave a nod. “We started with small things, planes that I told you a bit about that can fly faster than sound, then rockets that lifted payloads into the air. Soon, we put a man on top of that rocket and sent him into orbit to return a hero.”

I took a sip of tea, watching has she wrote furiously, trying to get every detail.

“One day, a great man, a president we had elected before I was born, so, no, I didn’t know him. However, he'd given a speech. In it, he addressed us as a nation, and as a world. I don’t know most of it, but I know some key lines that drove us to put a man in space.”

I paused and then cleared my throat.

“So, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

I glanced at her as she stared at me, her face kind of hard to read.

“That... is a very deep, strong sentiment. He must have been a well respected man.”

I nodded to her.

“A little bit later, President Kennedy gave another speech, and in it, he told America that we would put a man on the moon. That we would strive and push, to go where no man, no human had ever set foot. Not just for our country, but for all of mankind. We are driven as I said, to explore, it is in our nature.”

She took a sip of her own tea and looked back up at me curiously. “And... did they? Did they make it to the moon?”

Again, I nodded to her. “Seven years later, a man by the name of Neil Armstrong, wearing special equipment to let him survive the cold airlessness of space, walked down a ladder from a lunar lander, and with a whole planet watching him on TV. Spoke, and gave us a simple set of words that carry weight through history.“

I had Twilight's full attention, looking up at me from where she lay writing.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Her eyes widened more, then she looked down at her notes. Writing the words several times. I watched as she did them over and over, five times, each with a different style to them.

“You know,” she whispered. “Luna will want to know every detail, that another species from another place in time and the universe, landed on a moon and said such poetic words. This president, um...” looking at her notes. “President Kennedy, must have been so proud to see his words have such an effect.”

At that, I returned a small frown and shook my head softly. “My kind has the capacity for great things, Twilight, but we also have the capacity to destroy and ruin what we build,” watching her ears fall some.

“A year after he gave his speech, he was shot and killed during a drive, because some didn’t like his policies.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. I felt like shit now, having to reveal to her such an evil, cold side of the human race. I looked away and down at my hands.

“The truth of the matter is, his death pushed us, pushed a country to make the dream real. Our history is filled with such things, Twilight, of great events, followed by death and tragedy and hate. For that, for telling you the truth, and exposing the darkness of my kind, I am sorry.”

She sniffled and her hoof reached out, touching my foot. “No, I—w-we want to know, to understand you as you are learning to understand us."

I muttered. “Still, there are things about my kind I hate, Twilight, so much in fact. So much, I wish, that we could be more like your kind.”

---

It had been quiet after that, Twilight simply reflected on all she had learned and I, well, I watched her. A pony, a living, breathing creature, laying there reading notes, learning of my kind, a kind that, for us, for mankind, she was just a imaginary digitally-drawn cartoon. I found myself again reflecting on that, on the absurdity of the fact I was here, it wasn’t a dream. So many questions, and not a single answer to be had.

After I had gone back to my room and picked up my backpack, I stuffed an object I wanted to show the princesses in it. An object I knew I could not show Twilight, she would never let it go and never stop trying to learn from it.

Golden walked along with me, as Cortland had gone to grab for them an early dinner. I thanked her and let her know I would be with the princesses likely quite a bit of time, and I would have somepony walk me back to my room. Wishing each other a good night, I turned and knocked on the door to the study, a golden glow enveloped the door and it swing in showing me the room.

It was a small room, a desk, a pile of pillows to get comfortable on, many bookshelves, and one wall dominated by what looked to be a map of Equestria. Both princesses waited, they had thought to have a tray of snacks, vegetables by the look, and of course, the obligatory tea pot and cups.

I walked in as the door closed and bowed my head some. “Princess L—”

A hoof lifted, Luna smiled a bit. “No, we are in private. Call us Luna and Celestia. Here, we are friends, no court to hear our words.”

I gave a bit of a smile back and looked to the sun princess, who nodded with her sister's words. “Please, Shane, sit, tell us what you wanted this meeting for.”

Walking over and sitting down, getting comfortable by crossing my legs under me. I looked over at the alicorns then reached into my bag after unzipping it. Drawing out the slate of glass, metal, and plastic.

“This... is a tablet. A kind of computer, and in it, stored, is more knowledge than your whole library holds. That is why Twilight can never see this.”

I watched as both grew wide eyed. Letting them soak that information in. I switched it on, then turned the screen so they could see. Swiping my finger over the screen to unlock it, I tapped the video player app. A quick glance at the battery level told me I would need to plug in my extended charger soon. Although, I was all right for at least an hour.

They watched with rapt attention as the screen went black, then it lit up with a picture of Twilight and Spike in a balloon, and the music kicked in. “My little pony, my little pony,” in Twilight's voice.

I had chosen to show them the first two episodes, and for the next forty-four minutes they said not a word. They watched on with eyes wide, faces filled with so many emotions. At the end where Luna clung to her sister, I looked at them to see they were doing the same now as they had in the show, clinging to each other just as tightly. I gently turned it off and set it on my bag, taking time to plug in the charger battery so it wouldn't run down too far. Looking back up at them to see them looking at me, a million questions on their faces.

Celestia spoke first, sniffling and nuzzling her sister once more. “When you told me of this... show, I did not quite understand. That is clearly not us, and yet the characters are almost perfect. The events are nearly word for word. It was trimmed down, for the events you showed there, happened over almost a week of time.”

Luna sniffled and nodded. “Y-you were right to show us this without Twilight present. She would never let that object out of her hooves if she were to find out about it.”

Celestia gave a soft nod. “And yet, we will have to tell her eventually about it. This is far too monumental a object to keep hidden away from everypony.”

I nodded understandingly. “I figured it would be best if you two knew about it. The question is, can anypony manipulate it?”

I watched a dark glow from around Luna’s horn and then try to form around the tablet. It failed, sputtering out and fading away again.

“No, if my sister and I can not touch it, I doubt others could. It is like everything from your universe, almost as if it was made of nullstone.”

Celestia tapped her chin. “I have had a thought about that, I wish to run it past Twilight. I think it might also give us a lead on an idea to get you home, Shane.”

I looked over at her and nodded my head. “In the meantime, I will keep it hidden from others as I have been doing.”

Celestia nodded and then smiled genuinely. “I would like you to come show my sister and I things you feel are appropriate, say, this time once a day? We could have our evening meal around it, and talk.”

Luna clapped her hooves together. In that small moment I could pretty much confirm that she was the younger of the two, still a bit youthful in her actions. “Yes, this is what it shall be.”

I shrugged. “It would be a honor.”