The darkness of the night faded away as the morning sun rose above Equestria, its light basking the land in a soft pinkish glow. The city of Canterlot awoke from its nightly rest, the streets began to fill with ponies. Rumors about the attack spread through the city like wildfire, and they were only exaggerated when the ponies saw the increased number of guards. Usually, they were almost unnoticeable, blending into the crowd, but now the golden helmets and armor could be seen around every corner. The guards surveyed the area attentively, inspecting the slightest disturbances. The usually busy streets were hushed and even quiet, uncharacteristically so for the capital of Equestria. Everyone felt an invisible presence of an odd feeling — one of uncertainty mixed with fear.

The Canterlot Castle was closed to visitors that day; armored guards were patrolling the hallways with diligence and readiness. It felt like the castle was under siege, for the guards stood on walls and towers, surveying the surrounding area with great care. The main gate, as well as any other entrances, were closed and well-guarded. Pegasi guards patrolled the sky, making sure no one could fly above the castle no matter their intention. The sky was cleared, not a stray cloud was left untouched.

The two princesses of Equestria were having a rather unpleasant talk inside one of the many rooms of the ancient castle, away from prying eyes and sensitive ears.

"Sister, I'm sorry this happened to you, I truly am," Celestia spoke in an apologetic tone, "If I knew they'd do that..."

"But thou didst not," Luna cut her off in a strained voice, "Thou knewest they prowled the streets, thou knewest their... organization. But thou didst not think 'twas suspicious."

"I thought they were harmless, and I admit I was wrong," the solar alicorn nodded, her ears down, "I should've looked better into it, I really should've... Forgive me, sister..."

"I need not thy forgiveness. The guards on duty do — they could've died, all because..." before she could say anything hurtful she would later regret, Luna took a deep breath to calm herself down, "Because a crazy cult is on the loose. Sister... We have gone through it before, why hast thou lost thy sight?"

"I thought things have changed, but alas... I was very wrong," Celestia hung her head in shame, "I shall make sure it won't happen again. The guards will be doubled–"

"There is no need," Luna shook her head, "All thou needst is an investigator. They shall find the culprits, devise their plans, and find their weak spot."

"But what if they try to attack you again?" Celestia pleaded, "I won't be able to forgive myself if you're hurt, my dear sister. So many years without you... Please, allow at least someone to protect you."

"I am not in need of any protection," Luna shook her head in response, "Any attacker would quickly regret their actions if I retaliate. I didn't do it then, but I shall do it if circumstances repeat themselves."

"But sister–"

"Thou knowest how weak our subjects can be," the lunar alicorn didn't let her sister finish, "Fragile, easily scared, they need but a cut to die. We are alicorns, Tia. We move the sun and the moon, we are among the most powerful known beings in this world. We are not invincible, but the two of us could stand against the entirety of our own guards if ever needed."

"But it's their duty to protect us and Equestria, and they've done it well for many, many years," Celestia tried to argue.

"And one of them almost died for me while I could have fought the attackers off," she replied in a harsh tone, "What wouldst thou have them do, lay their lives down when mine wasn't in danger?" she huffed and looked away for a long moment, "Sister, it doth not matter how many guards surround me when the root of this issue lieth deeper," she looked her sister in the eyes, "'Tis clear to me that the ponies still hate me and my night..."

"But they don't-"

"They do, 'tis obvious!" the lunar alicorn raised her voice again, "Dost not thou see? A thousand years ago, they refused to acknowledge what I did for them! Now, they want to wipe me off this world. Perhaps, I should've remained at the moon, for it is the only place where I belong..."

"Lu-lu, please don't say that... Ponies don't wish you death," Celestia tried to convince her, "They don't hate you. Those that do are extremists, they are very few and they don't represent what most think of you."

"But I can see how ponies react to my presence. They... hide. They look away, whisper among themselves," Luna lowered her voice and sniffed, "They are afraid of me..."

An uneasy silence fell on the two; the air thickened with a heavy and dark feeling. Celestia tried to think of something, anything that would convince her sister that ponies weren't against her, and yet all she found was a burning, stinging shame. Shame that belonged to her.

Celestia put naught an effort towards easying ponies' minds about the return of her sister. She did nothing for them to remember her and accept her. For the longest time, she kept Luna all to herself, all to her memory, wishing for her to return. And yet, nothing was done to prepare the world for her return, and it was all Celestia's fault. Luna was aware of it but didn't want to voice it or talk about it in any way, for she too was not prepared for her return.

Nightmare Moon was Celestia's creation, for she was the one who ignored the signs. She barely gave her sister any attention she so desperately needed, and even now it made her feel pain. This same mistake was repeated, and Celestia had nothing to say for herself, not a thing to justify her inaction. The only thing she could do was remain silent as the shame ate away at her, reminding her of her biggest failure.

"I... need to unwind," Luna stood up and headed towards the exit.

"I understand," Celestia nodded and found her mouth dry. She wanted to help her sister, and yet all she could do was watch her exit the room and close the door behind her. Silence took reins, and for a long moment, there was nothing. Celestia sighed deeply and closed her eyes.

In the other part of the castle, Andromalius was trying to read a book in his room. The events of the night shook him greatly, making it difficult to concentrate. The words jumped around, their meaning missing his mind completely. After realizing that he made no sense out of the book, he put it down and let out a huff. He stood up and paced around, trying to ease his mind. Unfortunately, the room was too small for him, barely allowing him to stretch. In fact, if he were to stand in the middle of the room, his neck and his tail straight, he would almost be able to reach the walls in front and to the back of him. The furniture in the room made it even more difficult to move around.

"You could use something to alleviate this terrible boredom," Inanna spoke up from his bed. Once again, her astral projection was there with him, "I would love to help you in a certain, interesting way~" she waved her tail and winked at him, "But, unfortunately, we can't do that just yet."

"Do what?" the hell stallion asked, turning to her. She was lying on his bed on her side, her hind legs crossed.

"You know very well what I can offer," she moved her hind legs apart, allowing Andromalius to see just what she wanted to give to him. Unfortunately for her, he looked away and grumbled, his cheeks flushing with red.

"Look, I don't want that," he said, "And if you continue doing that, I will..."

"Spank me?" she asked in a cute and yet seductive voice.

"Just throw you out of my head!" he snapped at her, baring his fangs, "I know you for less than a day, and you've been more willing to get into my pants than to help me!"

"But... you're not wearing pants," she chuckled girlishly.

"That's beside the point," he huffed, furrowing his brows, "So, either you stop it or I will throw you out."

"Very well, I see you're not playing around," Inanna nodded, assuming a less erotic pose and a serious voice, "But you do need to relax. I know that's simple to say but difficult to do, especially in your situation, but... You can't remain stressed forever."

"Reading books doesn't work," Andromalius shook his head, "I don't want to sleep, and I have nothing else to do," after a moment of silence, he quietly muttered to himself, "They don't have internet here..."

"Internet?" Inanna slightly leaned in, her ears perking up with interest, "What's that?"

"Well..." the hell stallion began but had to pause to figure out how to put the words for her to understand. After all, he doubted she knew what a computer was. "See, it's... difficult to explain. Imagine having a... box. Others also have their boxes, and these boxes can be connected to each other so that each box can access the same content. By reaching into that box, you can find information very quickly without having to... to go to the library, for example. You can also talk to people no matter how far away they are. As long as their box is connected to yours, you can talk. And this connection is... invisible. It's not a piece of string or anything like that, but, uh..."

"Something like a radio?" Inanna suggested, making the hell stallion raise a brow.

"You have radios? Huh, that's nice to hear. And yes, that's pretty close," Andromalius nodded, "So, using the internet, you can get access to pretty much everything if you search long enough."

"Everything? The good, the bad..."

"And the ugly. Don't even ask about that," he shuddered as he remembered what he sometimes accidentally stumbled on, "Trust me, I'd sleep better if I didn't know what the internet has deep inside."

"Like what?" the succubus could do nothing but be curious about it even though she had a nagging feeling she would regret it quickly.

"...You don't want to know," Andromalius replied after a small pause. His tone made Inanna lose all the curiosity she had, "Anyway... a lot of things are harmless. Tutorials, books, movies... You know what movies are, right?" he asked, and she nodded, "Alright, so there are plenty of good things aside from those I mentioned."

"Sounds fun," Inanna nodded, deciding to ignore the darker bit, "All books in the world with instant access? My, that's wonderful! Do they have pornography, too?"

"Yeah, plenty," he decided to be direct this time, for he knew how much erotic material there was on the internet. Probably more than there should be, but he decided to omit this part.

"I'd love to visit your world and see all that stuff! And do all males look like you there?" Inanna wondered aloud, making Andromalius blush once again.

"No, they don't. I looked different, too. Like a, uh... how do I explain it..." he tapped his chin in thought, wondering if he would do humans a disservice by calling them big monkeys or apes with fur problems. Until now, he didn't realize how difficult it would be to show humanity without being able to provide an example. After all, his body changed into an equine one, losing all features that made him a human. Fingers, toes, hair and its color, color of the skin, body complexion, small scars, eye color, the shape of his face, all was gone and replaced by the new features he never thought he'd have.

"I think I can see your mental image," the succubus squinted her eyes as if looking at something. After a moment, she looked back at him, cocked her eyebrow, and then continued: "Alright, you looked kinda weird, not gonna lie. But... as long as all the parts are there between the legs and you can give consent... We can communicate."

"You turn everything into sex, don't you?" Andromalius deadpanned, having an urge to slap his forehead and, in turn, slap her.

"Yes, just like the king from a legend that turned anything he touched to gold," Inanna let out a short laugh.

"King Midas?" the hell stallion widened his eyes in surprise.

"Mid Ass? What an... interesting name," the succubus commented, "But no. I don't remember what his name was, but it wasn't... that. Why'd you ask?"

"Because we have a similar legend. It's not from my country, but it's well-known."

"Stories about greed — that's classic," Inanna nodded with a smile and then changed the topic, "Anyway, what about those tutorials you mentioned? What do they teach?"

"A lot of things, from how to cook to how to understand quantum physics," Andromalius explained.

"I have no idea what quantum physics is, but alright. Your internet... an interesting thing. Do you think you can somehow bring it here? I bet everyone would love it," Inanna suggested with interest.

"I mean... I could maybe talk to someone about it, but... I don't know how internet works. I don't know how these boxes I told you about work either. By the way, we call them computers. All I know is that they use a bi... bi... Uh..."

"Doubt you mean bisexual," Inanna remarked with a sly smile.

"No, not that," Andromalius scrunched his muzzle, "It's bi... ugh, I don't remember what it is, but basically, computers use a bunch of ones and zeros to work. Ah right, binary!"

"Seems pretty restrictive to use just two numbers," she noted, "Wouldn't it be better to use more?"

"I honestly have no idea," he shook his head, "I studied a bit about that, but I don't really remember. In any case, it seems that having just two numbers isn't a serious restriction, considering the things I've seen. Imagine... a movie. One can be made with a binary system almost entirely."

"Wow, that's pretty fascinating," Inanna replied with interest, "I'd really love to see something that is purely... binary."

"Digital. That's the right word to describe something made in binary. And yeah, I wish I could show you just what computers can do, it's really impressive when you think about all the things that happen to make it," Andromalius nodded, a dreamy look on his face, "I was studying how to make such things happen, but I wouldn't dream to make what some people do."

"Your world sounds awesome for sure," Inanna commented with a bright look on her face, "You know, I could probably listen to you talk about it more, but I'd really like to experience the real thing. You know, that's better than listening to words. Oh, and how, what do you think about this world?"

"It's interesting, but I've not seen much of it yet," Andromalius replied, "And... it seems as if myths from my world became reality. Unicorns, pegasi, succubi, none of them are known to exist in my world. And magic... magic's really something," he used telekinesis to grab a pillow, "I couldn't grab a pillow without touching it before. It's... amazing," he spun the pillow around and threw it in the air, "And it takes barely any effort now."

Andromalius and Inanna continued to chat into the day about many different small things. The succubus, being who she is, didn't miss a chance to insert some innuendo or a tease, but generally restricted herself in this matter, preferring to follow along with what the hell stallion thought interesting to discuss. It all resulted in a pleasant talk both of them greatly enjoyed, which ended up in getting to know each other better. It would be a long way to establish any meaningful relationship between the two, but the sparks were there – one only needed to fuel them to turn this relationship into a passionate fire of friendship or more.

Feeling more relaxed, Andromalius allowed himself to lie down next to Inanna and relax as their small talk continued through the day. The hell stallion would try to draw some of the things he mentioned, trying to show the succubus what his word was like. He wasn't a great artist, but he did the best he could to picture the town he lived in, the cities he visited, and the things he had seen during his life on Earth. Some of the things weren't foreign to the new world while plenty of them managed to fascinate Inanna just as much as magic and similar things fascinated Andromalius.

"Alright, I think..." Inanna yawned, "I think I need to take a nap. I really liked talking to you, Andro, so I'm looking forward to seeing you again," she smiled at him, "Try to get some shut-eye yourself, too, and don't forget Princess Luna wants to see you in the evening. I have a guess why~" she winked at him.

"No, that's definitely not that," Andromalius protested.

"You doofus, you're so easy to tease!" she laughed, "I know it's magic, and I wish good luck with that! I'll be seeing you soon!"

And so, Inanna faded away from the room, leaving Andromalius all to himself. For a moment, he lay on his bed motionless; then he turned to where Inanna was. That part of the bed looked undisturbed, and he extended his hoof to touch it. Surprisingly, it was warm as if someone was indeed sitting there, chatting with him. He chuckled, a stray thought passing in his head – what if he hit his head and was imagining things?

He disregarded that thought, having a feeling that Inanna was indeed real and was there for him. He doubted he could imagine someone like her in the first place; after all, within this world of magic, Inanna wasn't out of place at all. He let out a soft sigh and sprawled on his bed, closing his eyes. The sun was out in the sky, but it would still be around an hour before noon; so, he might as well get some sleep before his meeting with Princess Luna. He had a feeling learning magic wouldn't be easy.