Author's Notes:

Finally, a new chapter, and a big one! Enjoy!

A sunny day with a light breeze, just a few fuzzy white clouds in the sky; birds happily chirping their midday songs; ponies walking around and chatting pleasantly – the day couldn't have been better. Elu and his parents were resting on a bench, enjoying their ice-cream. The colt awkwardly held his ice-cream cup with hooves, trying not to drop it. It felt strange to hold the cup that way, for he still remembered the feel of his hands and fingers. In fact, he could still feel them in a certain way. It was all his imagination, of course, but he was familiar with what people who lose a limb might experience – phantom feelings. He didn't have any fingers anymore, of course, but he swore they were there somewhere, hidden inside his hooves. He could almost make them wiggle, and maybe they would sprout from his hooves if he did it hard enough.

However, he had many other things to think about while lapping on the delicious ice-cream. Curiously, like a child, he moved one of his legs in and out of shadow. The rays of the sun warmed up his fur, and then it gradually cooled in the shade of the trees. The shadows moved ever so slightly as the wind rustled the leaves; the sun blinked from above the green foliage.

It was a stark contrast to when he was on the Earth last. It was the end of January — the cold white snow of a typical Siberian winter covered the streets of his town, and the trees were devoid of leaves. During the day, the only noise from the outside was that of human life. Perhaps it would've been even quieter if he lived further from the busy part of the town. Despite all this, at nights, it was perfectly silent, almost eerily so.

The greenery was long gone, and the town exposed its monotony, grayness, and lifelessness — each house was the same as the other, all of them arranged in an orderly fashion, built during the times when people's comfort wasn't even one of the primary concerns. Four floors in height, two apartments on each floor, and four halls in each house to a total of twenty-four apartments per house. It varied, but not by much: some houses had five floors, had four apartments per floor, or just three or even two halls, and any combination of them. And yet, it was all painfully similar no matter how colorful the walls were painted, outside or inside. The mish-mash of different balconies didn't help it either.

Inner yards were empty, old Soviet-era playgrounds rusting and rotting away; sometimes, they were painted, but the old paint wasn't removed at all, resulting in a colorful, and yet ugly, mess. Decent playgrounds were few and far inbetween, and they were occupied rarer and rarer day by day. There were a few escapes from this dullness and decay — either internet and computer games, or drugs. Early drinking, teens smoking, drug usage, Elu had seen it with his own eyes. Sometimes, on the way to school, he noticed used syringes lying on the ground near apartment complexes. Drunken voices singing and yelling during summer nights weren't uncommon either.

Behind his school, teens would usually assemble after classes to either play games or smoke. Later during the evening, they might go to someone's apartment or house and get drunk. Drugs aplenty were waiting for them: chewing tobacco made from who knows what, and rumored to having been made from chicken droppings; powdered tobacco from plenty of kiosks and similar shady shops around; marijuana from dealers; and sometimes even harder and more harmful drugs. Elu shivered when he remembered the stories he had heard about them.

He often wondered how he managed to stay out of this, how he managed to avoid the most of those things. He tried cigarettes once, but the taste was horrid, and so he dropped it after just one small inhale. Life hasn't given him much joy most of the time, but he resisted the temptation to use drugs to get away from the gray world he found himself in.

In truth, the thoughts about what he saw and heard terrified him deep inside. That was his childhood? True, it had its bright and cheerful moments, but they were clouded by the overwhelming amount of terrible things he learned to ignore for the most part.

The colt sighed quietly, knowing well that the memories of his youth would never leave him. Growing up, he didn't know what life could be, how different it could be, and so accepted the surroundings as they were. But when he was finally able to see other parts of the world through the Internet, he saw just how wrong everything around him was. Countless amounts of taxpayers' money wasted and hidden away to line the politicians' pickets; bored and yet very aggressive gangs of teens looking for trouble; widespread nepotism and corruption; all of it went unnoticed day by day.

And yet, pitying himself was not the answer. He had done enough of it in his previous life, and it was now gone behind eternity. He wouldn't return, that was the most important thing.

"Is everything alright?" he heard his mother ask. Breaking from his dark thoughts, he looked at her and opened his mouth, and yet he couldn't figure out what the proper word would translate his thoughts from English to Equestrian. But suddenly, it clicked — he knew the word; after all, sitting down and trying to learn how immaterial concepts are named was one of the first things he did when he got a dictionary.

"Memories," Elu replied simply. Even if he knew how to explain it all, he was uncertain whether he would reveal any of it. Perhaps, it was better left unknown by his parents. They had enough things to worry about already.

"Memories trouble you?" Ring Keeper asked for clarification. After receiving a nod, she said, "I think what matters more is that you're here now. I don't know what you experienced, but you have a new life. I promise to make you happy, Elu."

He looked away, unable to accept such kindness freely. He wasn't sure his first parents ever told him they want him to be happy. Did they even think that way? Elu didn't want to dwell too much on it.

"Thank you," he simply said, reluctantly offering his mother a hug. Without hesitation, she hugged him tightly and nuzzled him lovingly. And so he melted into the hug, embracing a wide, joyful smile.

And then there were ponies. Perhaps an inner bias clouded his mind, but they were friendly, small smiles present on their pleasant, relaxed faces. For Elu to smile, he had to make a conscious effort, and even then it looked unnatural most of the time. Sometimes, he noticed the worried glances his new parents gave him, for he always adopted a neutral expression that was empty and gray as those of people he met in his old world. Perhaps, it was simply an instinct — to hide one's true emotions lest he be hurt.

However, it might change very soon. Ponies didn't seem like a mess of gray people; when Elu could hear them, they talked of many different things, and he could hear and even feel their emotions. It was true that this new world was more colorful, but it went beyond just the visible. It was a subtle difference from his human hometown, but Elu could see, hear, smell, and feel it with his whole body. It was as if he became much more perceptible to emotions of others, to their body language and expressions. Or maybe they simply showed their feelings better?

The answer didn't matter, however — reality did. And at the moment, he hugged his mother, feeling the warmth of her body on his and her soft breath brushing against his fur. They soon separated, but it wasn't unwanted. All good things were only good in moderation, after all; grow too accustomed to them and they would become dull and uninteresting.

"What do you think about playing with other kids?" Ring Keeper asked Elu, "There's a playground nearby, I'm sure you'd find something interesting to do."

"...Don't know," he replied with uncertainty. He remembered playing with younger kids a few years ago, but now he was closer to twenty than to fifteen. While he needed and wanted physical activity, he didn't know how to talk to kids. They'd think him to be their age and mindset, but he was far from that. On the other hand, he could always do something by himself like he often did during his first childhood.

"I won't push you, don't worry," she assured him with a smile.

In the end, Elu hopped from the bench, and the answer became clear. His parents stood up as well and led him to the playground. The closer they came to it, the louder one could hear the sounds of joyful kids playing their games. They didn't even need anything complicated — jumping and running around was enough. Playing ball, chatting about anything in the world, hide-n-seek, nothing was foreign to them.

Elu's eyes widened when he saw the playground itself. Sprawling, it was a size of a football field if not bigger, and it was a sight to behold. Small hills dotted with tiny houses and slides, rope walkways, trees that even a pony could climb; but most importantly, in the center of the field stood a large castle made of real stone and built according to real castle design. The eyes of the colt sparkled and he couldn't help himself — he took off and ran over to the playground. Going up the closest hill, he looked into the first house. It was small, true, but it had a real fireplace made of rocks, a table, and even two beds, all foal-sized. The wood was of good quality with no cracks or chips, each plank just the perfect size. Everything was clean, and there even was a blackboard — someone made a drawing of Celestia using chalks. A simple drawing with simple shapes, just like a foal would do. Elu looked at the beautiful carving that decorated a small windowsill along with the doorway and the door itself, then took a closer look at the fireplace. It was used some time ago — ash and charred small logs were present. Was it really a functional house a foal could indeed live in? It seemed so unreal and yet so right.

Elu dashed outside and to the nearest slide. It was made of wood as well, polished and lacquered until it was the smoothest it could be. He laughed as he slid down to the bottom, which ended with a roll on the grass. No mud, no poop, no trash, just a thick layer of clean, green grass. The colt got up and continued his exploration, making his way towards the castle. He was itching to get into it and explore it, but he wanted to explore everything. He got into a bigger house, which had two floors. The first one was not unlike the one from the first house, but there was something interesting — a hatch in the floor.

Child-like curiosity consumed the colt and he used his hooves to open it up. Under the hatch, a flight of stairs led underground, lit by torches alight with white flames. Without hesitation, Elu went in, for one of his biggest pleasures of the soul was explorations of what lay underground. The tunnel was clean and dry, the stairs were smooth and made of stone slabs slightly cool to the touch. Surprisingly, no heat came off of the torches, making them seem entirely harmless. Curiosly, Elu waved his hoof over the flame. But then, a voice appeared.

"Remember, foals, fire can be a dangerous thing," it said in an unmistakable female voice. Despite speaking in a foreign language, it was obvious that the voice belonged to none other but Celestia herself. "This one is safe, but be wary around other flames. They can hurt you, sometimes badly. Good luck on your discoveries, my little pony!"

Elu let out a short laugh. This lesson seemed so silly, but perhaps it worked with foals. He was no foal in mind, so he knew all too well what things could harm him and what couldn't. Maybe putting his hoof in this flame wasn't the wisest decision, but the childish side of him prevailed this time.

He continued down the stairs, and they led him into a wide hall lit by the same torches. The path didn't diverge, and the colt had a feeling he knew where it would lead him. He trotted along the hall, looking around with interest, noting just how well the arched hallway was made. Stones of different sizes were connected by mortar, and the sharp edges were polished until they posed no harm. There were a few holes in the ceiling where the fresh air came from along with water drainage canals and holes in the floor. They were too small for any foal to even attempt to go through, fortunately.

Soon, he saw the light at the end. After a flight of stairs, he came into what appeared to be one of the castle's towers.

"Aha, an intruder!" someone exclaimed suddenly, making him jump. He turned around and saw an earth pony colt standing above the exit, a helmet of cardboard on his head and a wooden spear with a soft tip aimed at Elu, "Wait... Didn't see ya before. You game?"

"Game?" Elu asked in confusion.

"Ya know, bandits and knights," the colt explained, "Bandits try to rob the village and fight us, we protect it."

"Didn't know," he shook his head.

"Ah, alrighty, ya new one. Wanna play? Ya can join us, the fair knights!" he saluted, the oversized helmet he wore sliding down and covering his eyes. After adjusting the helmet, he continued, "Oh, and me name's Speartip, knight in the service of, err... The Table!" he tapped his chin in thought, pausing for a moment, "Or was it the Round Table?"

"I'm Elu," the colt introduced himself as well, nervousness in his voice, "Um, I can... join."

"Elu? That an interesting name ya got," Speartip commented, "Anyway, that's good ya wanna join. But ya'r bit too small for a knight," he adjusted his helmet once again, "How old are ya?"

"Um... Forty days?" Elu replied. Truthfully, he didn't count days or weeks. All that mattered to him was being in Equestria in the first place. And besides, he forgot if the country used anything similar to Earth calendar.

"Not even half month and ya can talk that goody?" the colt replied in a slightly surprised tone, "I know who ya can be! A... schoolar!"

"What?"

"Ya know... Magic stuff. Schoolars have water balloons we throw at bandits," Speartip explained.

"But I can't magic," Elu shook his head, "Is like..." Pzt his horn went as he tried to use his inner energy.

"I see ya can, just... ya know, try more," the colt turned around and picked up a small rock from the ground, which he proceeded to place in front of him, "See this small rock? Ya certainly can move that, right? I saw me sistre fly once by lifting herself! And she's like, uh, fifty days. Ya'r not that far away."

Elu nodded, mentally preparing himself. He knew that sooner or later he would learn telekinesis as all other unicorns did. For them, it's not much harder than walking, and he wanted to learn it as soon as possible. He remembered the magical outburst he had not so long ago; after it, he started feeling something he couldn't properly describe with words in any of the languages he knew. It was like having a second stomach but inside his head, but it filled over time. It didn't demand to be released, but it reminded him that he had the energy. It waited inside him, waited to be used. He just needed to figure out how to let out such energy.

Perhaps, he could try something he had already written about in his stories and yet give it a twist. Concentrating, he imagined having a phantom hand. A palm and five fingers, but more flexible than any human hand could be. Without a restriction but reach, it could wrap around anything and hold it securely. No sweat nor oil would appear on it, ensuring a tight grip at all times. No random twitch nor cramp would ever bother it.

Elu imagined reaching out with his hand to the rock. Slowly, he felt its texture, imagined the pressure and the temperature. Smooth but slightly rough, not exceeding nor lower than the surrounding temperature, its weight firmly pressing on his palm. All he needed to do was to close his fist and lift it up.

The spiral of his horn began to glow purple, and yet it was just a tint, barely visible in sunlight. A purple aura wrapped around the rock, and yet it didn't seem Speartip noticed it. But once the rock began to lift up, he smiled.

"Knew ya could do it!" he said encouragingly, "Now, higher!"

Like separating a magnet from another, Elu could feel the rock becoming lighter the further away from the ground it was. Ten centimeters, fifteen, twenty, thirty, fifty, a meter, and now it was light as a small rock should be. The colt spun it around, moved from side to side, tilted. His eyes were bright with the realization — he could use telekinesis!

Frankly, it wasn't how he imagined it. It didn't come with struggle or sweat, but it felt... natural. Perhaps, that is how unicorns learned how to move things with magic. It didn't feel like a huge accomplishment, and maybe it wasn't meant to be. After all, what unicorn can't use telekinesis?

Elu let go of the rock and it dropped to the ground. However, his aura didn't disappear. It hung in the air where he imagined his phantom hand would be. It was a thin cloud of sparkling purple shaped vaguely like a hand. For some reason, Speartip didn't comment on it, choosing to congratulate Elu instead. The young colt waved the hand in front of the bigger one's face but didn't elicit any reaction whatsoever. Taking a mental note of it, he willed the magical mist of his to disappear. The strange feeling inside his head changed — now it was a light buzz.

"Ya can definitely throw water balloons as they're lighter than rocks," Speartip said, jumping from his post and walking up to Elu, "Let's go, I'll introduce ya to others."

Nodding, Elu followed him into the main castle. The inner yard was small and simple, consisting of training grounds and some prop ballistae and trebuchets. They were obviously not functional as the true war machines would, but they were adopted for other projectiles — water balloons. The stone walls that surrounded the inner yard had colts atop them standing guard, all of them dressed in cardboard armor. Some of them even had crossbows that more closely represented slingshots. Instead of bolts, they would let loose water balloons, which each crossbow pony had a sack of hanging at their side. Other weapons were safe for foals to use — sword blades, for example, were made of what looked like foam.

Frankly, Elu didn't expect anything war-themed to be a part of a playground for ponies. It seems no one was afraid of foals hitting each other even if it could result in bruises. And yet, the colt would've expected to see the theme of war more prevalent in griffons, but it looked like ponies weren't afraid of that theme either.

"Hey, everyone!" Speartip attracted the knights' attention, "Elu joins the game and also joins us!"

"The castle's on the lock, where'd you find him?" one of the other colts asked him, "Sure he's not a spy?"

"Haven't seen him before, and he didn't know our game, so he's trusty," Speartip assured, "So, with us now. Gotta take him to the Lady to be knighted."

"But me scholar, no?" Elu asked.

"Everyone is knighted," the colt shrugged, "And maybe ya can swing sword now, too."

Elu's eyes brightened. He hadn't partaken in anything even remotely resembling swordsmanship for some time now, and he wouldn't mind refreshing his skills. While he did do something while dreaming, it was no comparison to reality. And maybe, just maybe, he would join a swordsmanship club and train again.

While thinking, he was led to the biggest tower that consisted of no less than three floors. Elu and Speartip made their way to the entrance where a guard greeted them. Taller than either of the two, he seemed the oldest as well.

"I will announce your arrival to the Lady," he said, his voice rather deep, signifying the puberty he had recently entered.

"Lady?" Elu asked in curiosity.

"A filly that has the honor to lead us," Speartip explained, "She's most beautiful, too. She gives the best knight a..." he blushed, lowering his voice, "A kiss..."

"Want be best knight?" the colt asked with a slight chuckle.

"Everyone does," Speartip replied with a serious expression, "If ya get a kiss, ya get respect."

"Also, tell more of game," Elu asked, wanting to know more about the playground and its interesting game. It felt like something older roleplay lovers would come up with, not kids.

"I said before, bandits against knights," the colt repeated, but decided to elaborate, "Knights are led by the Lady, bandits are led by the Mistress. We fight for stuff. If they get castle, we lose. If we get their camp, we win. If we win, we get respect, admiration, and good wood swords made for us. If we lose, we have to do anything bandits tell us to like, ugh... stupid stuff."

"Like?"

"Dancing with our butts up," Speartip grumbled quietly, "Let's not talk of it."

"Who usually win?" Elu continued.

"Bandits..." the colt frowned, "They're mostly older ponies. They think knights are lame and can't protect the Lady well. But we'll prove they're wrong! Everyone will want to be knight after we win!"

"Why bandits win?"

"I dunno, but we just can't fight them all," he complained, "But maybe ya'll help us, so it'll be good. Ya can throw balloons at them, that gotta teach them!"

"You two may enter," the older pony said once he returned, gesturing for Speartip and Elu to enter the tower.

The first floor consisted of a few beds and stands with weapons and armor, and the stairs leading to the second floor were secured by another guard roughly the same age as the one at the entrance. Once the two ascended, they saw a wooden throne richly decorated with carvings and paint. Speartip bowed, and Elu followed his example. Before he did, however, he managed to get a good look at the filly. She was easily the oldest out of every foal he saw at the castle, and she was indeed beautiful in her own way. A curly deep-blue mane in a royal hairdo, the eyes of complimenting cobalt, even though her fur was of grayish color. She wore a simple and yet elegant dress, a tiara atop her head.

"We hear another wants to join our noblest cause," the Lady spoke in a firm yet gentle tone that reminded Elu of either Celestia or Luna, "We welcome you in our service. May We know your name?"

"Elu," he replied. Even though it was just a game, he felt something about it, and he was deeply immersed in it.

"You shall shed this name, for a knightly name you shall now adopt," she continued, "We name you... Roundel. You shall strike true and strike precisely, and nine shall stay in your path. You are now a Knight of the Castle. You may rise."

Elu rose and looked at the Lady. The name she'd given him seemed familiar, for it was translated by his amulet. However, he didn't remember what it was that his name signified.

Suddenly, hoof steps sounded from below, and a guard soon appeared in the room.

"We're attacked!" he exclaimed, "We need everyone, now!"

"Go, my fair knights, and may victory smile upon you!" the Lady gave them her blessing, and the three colts hurried off. Elu tried his best to keep up, but the others were quicker than him and had longer legs, almost leaving him behind.

A few moments later, they were up on one of the towers. Elu could see a group of colts and fillies standing not too far away from the gate, all of them armed and armored. Unlike the silver-painted armor of the knights, they bore different colors: dirty green, brown, and black. Just like Speartip said, the bandits looked older than the knights as well.

"We'll count to ten!" the biggest of them, presumably the leader, declared, "If you surrender, only half of you will have to do stuff for us! The others will be free to go!"

"We cannot betray Our Fair Lady!" one of the knights replied.

"One! Two! Three!" the bandit began the countdown.

Meanwhile, Elu spied a sack of water balloons lying nearby. He rummaged through it and found a couple of them. If he was as good at throwing as before, he could try something. He lifted himself up to get a better look at the bandits and aimed. Subconscious calculations were met, wind taken into account, and... there the balloon went.

"Five!" the bandit said before the balloon exploded straight on his head, showering him with water all over. For a moment, he stood there silently, turning his head to the tower. Elu grinned, happy that his throwing skills didn't dull. It was a good distance, one he'd rarely throw anything over. Unexpectedly, the bandit waved and said, "Good shot! Soaked my all through for sure!"

The knights cheered, and then the battle ensued. The bandits went to break down the gate, which was made of reinforced cardboard-like material — easy to punch through with enough force. Meanwhile, Elu took a few more balloons and threw them at the attackers. Hitting a moving target was more difficult, so most of the time he merely splashed at their hooves.

"They're inside!" one of the knights hollered, drawing their blade. Unfortunately for Elu, he didn't have many water balloons, so he quickly exhausted the existing supply.

"Here, Roundel, use this," Speartip threw a sword to Elu, "Let's show 'em!"

Elu nodded, and the two descended the tower to the inner yard. The battle was on, the knights were standing their ground, trying to fight the bandits off. Some other colts tried to assist by throwing water balloons, but hit their own most of the time. Those that were hit either by a balloon or by a weapon into unarmored spots had to stand aside and watch the skirmish without the ability to support their side.

Elu looked at his sword and tried to figure out what it was. Seemingly it would be best described as an arming sword, although he didn't know whether the European Medieval terms could even be applied to an Equestrian weapon. Fortunately, the sword had a reasonable guard to use to parry, and the blade wasn't comically short either. So, Elu charged into battle.

The first foe overswung and missed, giving ample opportunity for the colt to strike. Still remembering his training, he opted for a short precise stab in the exposed side, thus eliciting an 'ow' from his opponent. Without a pause, a second one attacked Elu, this time more experienced. However, foals were no trained soldiers, so all Elu had to do was to feint — to fool the enemy into defending strikes from one direction while he swiftly changed it to strike from unexpected angles. Elu was no trained swordsmanship, but foals were no trained swordsmen either. At the very least, he had around half a month of training with both longsword and sabre, and even partook in a few tournaments. Never won any of them, but wasn't at the bottom of the list either.

"Ah, you hit me with that balloon!" the same bandit approached him, now without armor, "I challenge you!"

Elu nodded, assuming a stance. He had no idea about the proper hoof work he would need to do to be efficient, but even now his training kicked in — hooves not too close and yet not too wide apart, bent at the knees. He wasn't sure he'd win this duel — the opponent looked gigantic compared to him, and his weapon was longer as well. However, Elu couldn't refuse such a challenge. He saluted as he usually did before a duel, and it began.

At first, the bandit went in almost recklessly, but Elu managed to block the blows and not get hit. However, he couldn't counterattack because of his lack of reach. If he wanted to get the bandit, he would need to get closer. Thus, the duel was on even ground: Elu had an upper hand in skill while the bandit leader had advantage in reach and speed. None could hit the other, but Elu grew tired quickly, his small form not yet ready for exhausting activities. It would've ended as a defeat for him if not for the other knight that came to help. He struck the bandit leader from the side, forcing him to retreat.

The battle was over. Some bandits were grumbling as they gathered their things and left in defeat, others congratulated the knights on the victory. Elu huffed, sweat rolling down his body in rivers, and he let the sword fall on the ground. Thankfully, there was a bench nearby, and he made his way to it to lie down for a moment.

"Ya did really good, Roundel!" Speartip sat nearby, "They hit me, but ya fought like a lion! Na, a dragon! Ya'r like... Royal Guards!"

"Thanks..." Elu replied tiredly as he wiped the sweat off his face, "What now?"

"Gonna prepare and head out for counterattack!" the colt replied joyfully, "We'll win this time for sure! Also, wanna eat? I have some nut sticks."

Elu nodded, and soon he received two sticks of chocolate with different nuts in them. It just so happened that he absolutely loved chocolate with nuts, so it didn't take him long to devour them whole.

This day looked great, much better than he could imagine. He didn't feel fear, anxiety, he didn't feel uncomfortable. Playing with kids proved to be great fun and not at all like he previously imagined it to be. They weren't lazily digging in the sandbox, no — they played their own big game that could and did attract an adult.

However, he would need to rest before continuing, so he closed his eyes for a while. The sun warmed his body, and this wooden bench proved to be a comfortable bed despite its simplicity. Soon, Elu was asleep, breathing lightly as his body and mind rested. After all, he was still a kid, and kids often needed sleep.