Luna was baking a cake, humming something that was suspiciously similar to the main theme of MLP:FiM. Meanwhile, Elu was sitting quietly, watching the princess and thinking about different things.

He was in Equestria as a pony, his own avatar no less, and Princess Luna was baking him a cake, a cake that would certainly be delicious if not outright godly. If someone told him about such a thing a few weeks ago, he would let out a chuckle and then probably spend some time thinking about the situation, wondering what would happen if it came true. Perhaps, he would add it to one of his stories as a light-hearted small episode about the life of one of his characters, a filler of sorts in serious stories and a part of Slice of Life for stories focused more on the regular lives.

However, it was all true, it was real to him, it was happening to him. He smiled to himself, joyful at his heart seeing it, hearing it, feeling it with his very soul. It was as real as everything he had experienced throughout all of his eighteen years of life as a human. He had never expected such an event to ever happen but he was happy it did. After all, he wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. Certainly not for anything back on Earth, in the world of humans.

However, a particular question disturbed his mind. What did he do to deserve to get something like this? To him, it was a dream come true, an ultimate wish and desire becoming real. And yet, he didn't work for it, he didn't do anything to get it, he simply... died. Many other people did much more than that and didn't receive anything for their suffering and struggle. Elu was sure that much more people would continue to struggle back on Earth just to get what he had as a human.

However, something made it so that his dream came true, at least partially and post-mortem. Who or what did it? A deity? A supernatural force, a concept like karma? Or, on the contrary, a natural process for all souls? Unfortunately, the event he experienced brought many more questions than answers. He didn't see a god, no one talked to him, he simply went from the state of nothing to being born anew with his mind still intact and his memories preserved.

He had read some stories about people being reborn with their memories still in them. For example, there was a boy who helped to find a killer, one he claimed to have murdered him in the previous life. What part of this story was true, if any? He had no idea and he had no means of finding it out, especially now.

Deciding to drop the matter for later deep analysis, Elu turned his attention to the present, to something much simpler — Luna baking a cake. He watched as various things floated in the air, engulfed in the light-blue aura of Luna's magic. His eyes brightened at the display, knowing that he would be able to do something similar very soon. Telekinesis was a very useful ability, especially with his hands gone.

"Elu, I've been thinking..." Luna said, drawing his attention. "I can help you learn about us."

"Oh, that's nice!" he replied with a smile. "How will you do it?"

"It's a simple but taxing spell," she started explaining. "It will make you understand the words around you. Not written words, only speech. I think it will greatly speed up the learning process since the spell essentially turns a part of your mind into a dictionary. Each new word you hear, especially if you see its written version at the same time, will be stored in your mind. You will remember it and know what it means because you have a translation for it."

"That sounds pretty good, Luna!" Elu said, rocking his body back and forth in a show of excitement.

"It certainly is," she nodded, smiling at him. "However, you will have to use new words for others to understand you. As I said, the spell is taxing, so I can't cast it on just anyone you want to talk to. However, I have already thought of it," she turned away from cooking and walked to the former human, and suddenly a necklace appeared between her and Elu. "I will put this on you. As long as you have it on, you'll be able to understand us," she locked the necklace around the neck of the colt. The necklace was rather simple, being a silver chain with a large round blue gem in the center of it, glowing slightly. As it rested on his chest, Elu felt something change in his mind, bringing a tingling sensation between his ears, making them twitch.

"Huh..." he let out, looking at the gem as it pulsated with color for a few seconds, sending light jolts of electricity through his brain. "Oh..."

"An unusual sensation, yes," Luna nodded, her voice now slightly but noticeably changed. It was as if listening to an unprofessional translation of a movie — the original dialogue was severely lowered in volume, and a layer of translation was placed on it. "It will pass soon."

"A-alright," Elu nodded with uncertainty, scratching his head right between the ears, ruffling his yet somewhat short mane.

"Don't worry," the princess assured him, returning to cooking. "By the way, I will still be able to understand you."

The former human nodded once again and returned to waiting patiently. He turned his head to the window and looked outside. Ponies were out in the streets, each heading to their own destination, chatting along the way with each other. Each pony had a slight smile on their faces as they walked, and it didn't go unnoticed by Elu.

He was used to seeing blank expressions, frowns, sometimes drunken grins and other faces he didn't like looking at. Truth be told, he rarely smiled in public as well, knowing that it was way out of ordinary and would attract attention. While some people might be fine with that attention or simply wouldn't care, Elu was always the one to try to stay invisible. Unfortunately for him, it was apparent that he would stand out among ponies due to his habit of not displaying emotions while out in the open among many people. He needed to break this habit but he wasn't sure he would be able to break his unsocial nature.

"I thought you'd be asking more questions, Elu," Luna said, breaking his line of thought. "About this village, country, the world as a whole."

"I, uh, guess, but... I want to discover everything by myself," the former human explained. "I'd like to be prepared for everything but I feel like I need to experience all of this by myself to, uh, properly understand it and adjust to it."

"That is pretty reasonable," the princess nodded in understanding. "However, don't be afraid to ask questions," she paused for a second. "Also, something has been on my mind recently... What do you think about the idea of a playmate?"

"Uh... I don't know," Elu shrugged in uncertainty. "I don't really want to play with kids my age. It would be... too weird for me, I guess."

"Don't worry, I can find someone closer to your age if that's the case," Luna nodded and then paused for a few seconds again. "Say... Do you know anything about Ponyville?"

"Y-yeah," the former human replied nervously. "Why?"

"Perhaps you have heard about a certain colt named Pipsqueak," the princess continued. "While he lives in Trottingham, he frequently visits Ponyville during weekends. Since Ponyville is not too far away from here, perhaps something could be arranged for you two to play together."

"I... don't know," Elu said slowly. "I don't mind but... I don't remember the last time I played with kids lower than my age," he paused for a moment. "I think it was way back when I was fifteen or so."

"If you're uncomfortable, we can think of something else," Luna nodded. "For example..." she tapped her chin in thought. "Many young fillies apply for foalsitting. They're mostly from eleven to thirteen years of age, getting their first job experience, and so I think it would benefit you and them, in this case."

"Still sorta weird," the former human said. "S-sorry if I make it too difficult..."

"No, I completely understand, Elu," the alicorn said. "Your situation is rather... interesting. Perhaps I should give you some time to think. Do you agree to this?"

"Alright, yeah, that's good," Elu nodded. "Also, um..." he blushed slightly. "When will the cake be ready?"

After some time of waiting, the cake was finally ready. It was a chocolate cream-covered cake of a moderate size. Pretty simple and yet delicious, which Elu could confirm. He was muzzle-deep in the cake, eating it straight from the plate. Lacking hands and not having the ability to use magic just yet, he had to do something else to get what he wanted.

Soon, he emerged, his entire face covered in cake. He licked around his lips, getting the tiny pieces of chocolate into his mouth, and then swallowed, a pleasant expression on his face.

"This cake's pretty good!" he told Luna, who was enjoying a small piece of her creation nearby. "I just need to learn how to use forks, knives and such again."

"You'd be surprised by how many ponies eat like you," Luna let out a chuckle. "I assume that your culture makes cutlery a must?"

"Yeah. It's not forbidden to eat food with hands but, well... You'd rather use at least something," Elu nodded.

"Hands, you say?" the alicorn's ears perked up. "So, I suppose that your original species is bipedal, isn't it?"

"Sorta like minotaurs, I guess," the former human shrugged, and then went for the cake again. After a few long seconds of eating, he reemerged. "Luna, this cake is delicious!"

"Thank you, Elu," Luna smiled.

"Yeah, but it seems it's a bit too much for me now..." Elu replied, leaning away, feeling completely full. And then he let out a burp. "Um, sorry..."

"This is where our cultures are similar," Luna booped him on the muzzle. "Do not burp, especially in the presence of royalty," she laughed softly, seeing Elu's flustered expression. "Don't worry, though. Among friends, it is fine to do... as long as your friends don't mind it, of course."

A memory of burp battles appeared in Elu's mind. It was a dumb thing but it was funny for a reason that he didn't know.

Friends... That word made him think about the possible friendships he might form with ponies. Would he even be able to do it? He was obviously different from them. While the difference wasn't necessarily something that put an impassable border between him and the ponies, it was an obstacle to overcome, especially if he wanted to form deep bonds with ponies. Maybe even griffons, changelings, and other sapient creatures seen in and around Equestria. It was certainly something to think about when he had the time.

However, overthinking wouldn't help him much and he knew it. Perhaps, he needed to go with the flow and see what it would bring. After all, he was relatively safe, for now. He had loving parents and a princess at his side. If that didn't help him, nothing would. Unless he suddenly became some sort of an omnipotent being, but that would be stretching things too far. It was an even more impossible scenario than just being in Equestria. He knew that anything could happen at this point but there were limits. Discord might be able to break the said limits, but Elu assumed that he was in stone, either before or after the events of the beginning of the second season. Either way, he wasn't there, so he was out of the picture, at least for now.

"You seem to be deep in thought often, Elu," Luna remarked. "Is something troubling you?"

"...I suppose," Elu nodded slightly. "I just tend to think about things a lot. Um... overthink, that is," he gathered his thoughts. "So, uh, I think about everything, sorta."

"Ah, I see," the princess nodded. "I think you should find something to busy yourself with to make those thoughts stay away until they are needed. Tell me, what do you enjoy doing?"

"There are things but some of them can't be done here," the former human said. "But... I like making music, drawing, writing, just... walking and talking to someone. And, uh... some other things," he said vaguely.

"So, you're an artist?" Luna's ears perked up. "That's very nice to know! May I ask what you made?"

"Well, uh... Just some stories, some music... some drawingssss..." he replied awkwardly, stretching the last word. "Uh... do you know the, um, term 'fanfiction'?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with it," the alicorn shook her head. "Though, I think I understand... Unofficial sequels, side stories?"

"Yeah, that sort of thing," Elu nodded. "I write those. I draw for them, make music for them."

"That's pretty interesting. What genre do you use?" Luna looked at the colt with interest.

"In writing? Sorta everything I like," the former human shrugged. "Music? Hmmm... I guess it's just orchestral, though it's usually dark. As for drawings... Um... No idea what genre they are. Sorta realistic and sorta not?"

"What instruments do you play?"

"None. I'm just a composer," Elu explained. "I can play some simple tunes on the piano, maaaaybe one song on a guitar, but that's it," his eyes brightened suddenly. "Oh! I'd actually love to learn how to play double bass! Or cello, or..." his eyes widened significantly. "Pipe organ..." he squeed. "I really love that!"

"Perhaps something can be arranged for it," Luna smiled. "I would love to hear you play someday, especially if you also compose something."

"I sure hope so as well!" Elu almost jumped in excitement. "Can't wait to have magic! That'd make it so much easier than using my fingers!"

"With enough time and effort, I'm sure you'll learn how to do anything you want to achieve, Elu," the alicorn said encouragingly. "Anyway, there's still some cake left. Will you finish or do I have the rest?"

Author's Notes:

A fairly uneventful chapter, but I hope you liked it either way! I hope that it's not cringe-worthy or unpleasant to read. I find it hard to find the perfect balance between making it good and making it accurate.

At any rate, you'll see what kind of person I am, I suppose. It's somewhat difficult for me to write about it so openly but, well, I will continue if you like it.

I also greatly appreciate the feedback. Don't hesitate to say anything bad about the story as long as it's constructive. I seek to improve the story, after all. If I didn't, I wouldn't publish it.