Lyra Heartstrings ran up and down in her spacious room in Canterlot’s castle. She had noted most of what Thiemo had said, or at least what was not a blatant lie or needlessly brutal. Ti was only a tenth of the size of Equestria, but the human had repeatedly talked about kingdoms and countries consisting out of various states. He had also mentioned something about ships that sailed through the stars.

The thought that maybe he suffered from a mental disease had crossed her mind, but aside from the various grammar and spelling errors, there was something about the depth of his descriptions from his translations that made her insanity theory seem misplaced. Lyra had used the two months he had been ‘staying’ at the castle very well and had achieved success in translating the language, now known to her as English, on her own. She had even tried to translate a document parallel to Thiemo, but he was obviously significantly faster and better than her. However, she wasn’t about to let him in on that. He had asked her if she was trying to learn English, but she had replied that it was only a few pieces she had overheard. Thiemo simply tended to make way too many remarks in his language while he was near ponies.

Then there was also the changeling in his room. Lyra wasn’t able to make neither heads nor tails of her. Why was she with him and not left to rot in some cell? Maybe she had manipulated the human or something to that nature. But all her requests to separate the two were quickly denied. Even her last one was struck down by Twilight herself. At the mere mention of the changeling, the young princess had immediately waved her off as though it was a trivial matter that she didn’t want to be bothered with it. It was a startling change from just a few weeks ago when she had been on fire to find out more about their race.

Lyra shook her head and trotted over to her desk. Various notes and a large map with the regions around Ti were on it. She had tried to place the countries he had mentioned somewhere on the large islands and the smaller ones around it, but she just couldn’t fit it all in. That only left her with two leading possibilities. The first one was that Thiemo had been lying to her, stringing her along for reasons known only to him. Somehow she doubted that, seeing as how vivid his stories were and by the way he talked about them. No, maybe some parts were made up, but on the whole, most of it must have been true. Which only left her second option: he didn’t talk about Ti because he wasn’t from there.

Her eyes widened as the implications of that theory being true began to dawn upon her. But if he wasn’t a native of Ti, then where had he come from? She rushed over to one of her cupboards and quickly fished a second map out of there. She swiped her hoof across the desk, shovelling all items on it onto the ground, and unfurling the larger world map onto it. She skimmed over the continents, but there were almost none large enough to hide a civilization of the size he had described. That only left one possible location that he could have come from - Echo. It was a continent that consisted of most of the southern parts of the planet. The only problem was that it was an uncharted wilderness.

Every foal had learned about the Echo in school, and the various expeditions that had been attempted and resulted in failure. Only a few ponies had ever returned, recalling wild tales about the endless jungle, the high humidity, as well as flora and fauna unbeknownst to anypony. No, it was almost impossible that Thiemo could ever have lived in such conditions. Hay, he couldn’t even handle the cold in the dungeons. This wasn’t a proper environment for humans either, especially without a protecting coat.

No place on Albion even remotely matched what the human called his home. An idea floated across Lyra’s mind as she perused the map bemusedly, one that seemed so silly and unlikely that somepony would probably ask if it came from a foal. However, it was one that could explain many things about their captive human, one that held many possibilities, both intriguing and terrifying. What if… he wasn’t from this planet?

With a loud bang, the door of Lyra’s chamber flew open and startled Captain Estoc, who had been standing in the hallway. He was about to knock when the wood rocketed past his muzzle by only a few millimeters and slammed into the wall with enough force that one could have sworn it was a minotaur that opened the door. Estoc blinked and sighed in relief. That would have been just what he had needed today.

But as so often happened in his life, he had relaxed too soon, because if a door opens, then somepony would most likely be barging through it. In this case, the captain was only able to glimpse Miss Heartstrings before she roughly galloped into him. They roughly collided head-on, bumping down the hallway in a pile of hooves, and finally came to a halt by loudly crashing into one of the armors that decorated the hallway. For a few moments, they both remained slumped on the floor, staring up at the ceiling dazedly and panting to catch their breath.

“Owww,” Estoc heard the green unicorn above him moan as she shakily began to stir, slowly getting to her hooves. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Carefully, he stood up again as well.

“Everything all right, Miss Heartstrings. But why are you in such a rush?” Estoc adjusted his armor and picked up his helmet that had slipped off his head during their little melee. Just as it was back in place, a certain somepony pulled at him with her magic.

“Captain! Just the stallion I needed.” Miss Heartstring’s mane was ruffled, though that could have also just been a result of their crash. On her back was a saddlebag filled with various parchments, books, and files from her observations. She pulled at his neck one more time, so that he was now looking into her eyes while she grinned wildly. It was as though something fantastic had just happened. “I made the breakthrough of the millennium! I have to talk to the human immediately.”

At least they had both reached the subject he had come to talk to her about in first place. “I’m sorry, Miss Heartstrings, but the princesses have ordered that no one can talk with the prisoner until they arrive later this afternoon and see him themselves.”

The last time Estoc had seen a face fall so quickly from joy to horror like that was when he had watched a mother pull away her foal from a candy shop. “What? Why? Wait! The princesses return today? I have to tell them about my theory!”

“Then you should make an appointment. The princesses sent a letter with instructions. They are thankful for your services, but they won’t be of need any longer.” Lyra’s mouth just hung open. Maybe he should tell her that she still had leftovers from the breakfast between her teeth. “Of course, we are thankful for everything, and you will be fully compensated for your efforts. But I just came here to tell you that, now that your services will no longer be needed, you have to clear this room within one day.”

“But my theory! My results! That will change everything! I have to report them to the princesses!” She desperately paced the hallways, anguish filling her voice. “Twilight is here, right? She must listen to me!”

Somehow he felt genuine pity for the mare in front of him. He had seen how much time, effort, and work she had poured forth into this project. But he had his orders. “Princess Sparkle excused herself from the project a month ago. Revelations I am not allowed to further discuss shocked her, and she handed everything over to Princess Celestia.” Even Estoc couldn’t believe what had been revealed. How long did Chrysalis replace poor Princess Cadence that it could have come this far? Somehow he could understand the dilemma.

“But… but…” the grown mare could hardly articulate her thoughts, looking for all the world as though she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

“If you need help packing your belongings, the chambermaids are at your service any time. If you still want to report your results, I again recommend that you make an appointment or make a remark in the files.” Estoc tried to reach the desperate unicorn with this little compromise. “If this is all, Miss Heartstrings, I would have to excuse myself. The princesses are arriving soon, and I have to prepare the reception.” He didn’t like leaving the forlorn scientist dejectedly standing there, but the instructions from the princesses were more than clear.

“Fight, that’s the word.” She aimed a sinister look at him as she usually did whenever he tried to assist her.

“I can do this on my own. I will never learn it otherwise.” Despite his objections, she had still insisted on learning English and was making startling progress. While he was only able to ask for the toilet or something to drink after two months of trying to learning her language, she could speak almost fluent English. She would occasionally jumble up the structure or fumble with some words, but she was doing far better than he expected, all things considered. Now she had begun learning how to read. At first, the alphabet was confusing to her, but then she had found out that a lot of the letters in combination made similar sounds to Equis. That had been both a surprise and an aid for her. She sounded like someone who had a sip of water in their mouth while talking, but it was better than nothing. “I just have some problems with this frustrating combination of letters. Who came up with this?”

“The English language is full of that. But yes, it’s not very helpful when it gets pronounced slightly differently often.” Very little had happened in the two months they had been ‘guests’ at the castle. After the sudden revelation that Amy was most likely the niece of Miss OCD, and Thiemo had apparently pulled off an immaculate conception with somepony, things suddenly had become very quiet around them. Only Lyra and Captain Estoc came to them afterwards. Aura had also visited once, but it was just for a few hours. She had told them about how she lived with Applejack on her large apple orchard (what a surprise), and how she had made a lot of new friends. She had also regaled him with stories about how she played in the snow often with her aunt Apple Bloom, Applejack’s younger sister, and together with her friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, made a lot of snowball fights. He had listened to her stories with a bittersweet feeling welling up inside. He was, of course, happy that she was adjusting to her new life without too many problems and that she no longer had to be stealing and always on the run, never settling in one area for too long, and hard rocks for beds. On the other hand… he missed having her at his side. The saying that one never really appreciates what one had before it was gone had often run through his head.

He tried to use the time he had alone with Lyra and Estoc. Not for him, but for Amy. Twilight Sparkle was only with them for one more time and that was just to repeat the spell, with the same results as before. When he was alone with Estoc and Lyra in another room of the castle where they could cast magic and therefore could better help with the translations, he had asked them about the royal family. Prince Shining Armor, a name that made him grin, was the name of Twilight Sparkle’s brother and an apparently oblivious father. The announcement of Amy’s existence alone would cause a scandal, according to Estoc. When he had tried to ask Lyra more about that, he was quickly shut down by Estoc. Apparently she wasn’t in the inner circle of trust or something. Too bad his flustered demeanour when he had silenced Thiemo had given the human some well needed leverage.

From then on, Thiemo had blackmailed him for numerous little favors, including books of his choice, special meals, and candies. His first wish, of course, had been demanding that he and Amaryllis be released, but obviously the captain hadn’t agreed to that. The maids might be very talkative and such news would surely spread quickly inside the castle, but they weren’t stupid. None of them would run to the next newspaper with that information, Estoc had claimed. To Thiemo’s dismay, that was true, even if it was simply because the ponies were afraid that their almighty goddesses would rain down their avenging wrath upon them.

“Uhm… Thiemo?” Amy interrupted his thoughts. “What does that word mean?” She turned the parchment in his directions while he peeked over the gap between their beds. However, before he could give an answer, let alone see the word below her hoof, someone knocked on the door, much to their annoyance.

“Jeez, are we guests or prisoners?” he called airily. “If you want to come in, the two jumping jacks will open the door regardless of what we say.” The pony on the other side of the door took this as an invitation, and the door opened. However, there was not one pony at the door, but six. Six maids, all in uniform and with a wide grin on their faces to be precise. “Okay, I’ve seen pornos that started like this. But they were from Japan, and octopi played a way too large a role.”

“Pornos?” Amy wondered, cocking her head to the side. “You mean like those magazines that were in your backpack?”

Thiemo responded with a similarly confused expression, “You know about the magazines?”

“I did carry them after all.” Thiemo had to admit she was right in this point. She didn’t seem to be bothered by it either. Then again, it was her that had told him to be prepared to be her mother’s sex slave the first time they met. “Well… whatever.” He tried to change to subject in front of their visitors. “So, how can we help you?”

The maids exchanged some short, unsure looks before one of them, a beige pegasus with blonde mane, stepped forward. “Umm… we shall bring you to the baths. Her Highness has invited you for tea, and Captain Estoc gave the order for you to be prepared.” Thiemo saw how the others grinned awkwardly, either because they felt uncomfortable caring about a human or they had no idea how to. “Or do you prefer standing in front of the princesses in these… rags?”

He looked down at himself. Yes, they were rags, but everything he had right now. Thoughtfully, he stroked his hand over his face. His beard had become one thick, gnarly mess. That reminded him how it had already been a month since his hair had begun to hang down in front of his eyes, which had been a constant distraction every time he had been hunched over trying to read. He must look like some old, lonely, mountain sage. “Aside from really needing a bath, I don’t have any other clothes. Besides, since when did Princess Twilight Sparkle decide to invite us for tea?”

“The invitation isn’t from Princess Sparkle… umm… sir.” A red earth pony stepped forward. Just like the other earth pony, she had well-filled saddlebacks on her back. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wish to speak with you and the… umm… lady, as soon as possible after their return.”

Thiemo looked Amaryllis with faint surprise. She returned his look and shrugged, something he had observed that worked completely opposite to how humans did it. The shoulders went up, but the neck of the ponies went backwards, causing the same effect. It was a nice feeling, unraveling the small mysteries of this planet.

“So we’re going to meet these myth-enshrouded goddesses in whose house we’re staying in? Why not? Where’s the bath?” Besides, he could look for an escape path after taking the bath.

“Well, sir and madam… you have to put these rings on first.” Out of one of the saddlebags emerged two small rings that flew over to Thiemo and Amaryllis until they hovered in the air in front of them. Carefully, Thiemo grabbed them out of the air and inspected them. Both had similar runes to the large magic blocker on the ceiling of their room, making them serve a similar purpose.

“Magic blocker,” he simply said and placed, without asking for permission, the larger of the two onto Amy’s horn. Thanks to its bend, it only went until halfway through. His marefriend followed his hand and tried to catch a glimpse at her horn, momentarily going cross-eyed. Meanwhile, Thiemo placed the other ring onto his right thumb, since it was too large for every other finger. They were most likely designed for horns, and this must have been the smallest size they had.

“We have to inform you that, if you try to take off or damage these rings, it will be seen as an act of violence. They are also very costly and have to be returned once we return to this room.” Obviously. Letting prisoners study the methods used to keep them imprisoned wouldn’t have been the brightest idea. The ponies were not stupid, just too trustworthy sometimes, expecting that their prisoners would act with honor. “If you would follow us now, please?” Thiemo nodded and went to stand by Amy.

With the group of servants as guides and followed by the two guards that normally stood in front of their door, they began trudging through the corridors of the castle. Thiemo noticed that it was significantly colder now than last week, meaning that winter was at its peak soon. At least he hoped so. “How’s the weather?” Thiemo earned a lot of confused looks from the ponies around him until they realized that he was serious.

“Cloudy?” one of the guards asked the other, unsure how to answer the question. “A lot of snow?” His colleague only shrugged.

“It’s a long winter this year. Cloudsdale planned Winter Wrap Up in a few months. Right now, there are a lot of storms hitting the city.” Finally, a useful reply came from the beige pegasus in front of him. They went up a small circular staircase which looked like it was only for the castle’s personnel. After arriving at the top, they turned left and finally came to a halt in front of a large wooden double door. “Please enter and use the facilities. We will be with you in a moment.” With that, the door was opened, and Amy entered first.

Thiemo followed, the sight of the room instantly leaving him flabbergasted. “Wow…” The room was gigantic. The entire bath was tiled with orange marble in a nature design. Three large pools surrounded the symbol of a large golden sun. Small ramps were between the pools, allowing one to easily swap between them. What really caught his eye was how they were filled. The water for the first one came from the ceiling; the water for the second one came out of little golden waterspouts looking like a mix between dolphin and pony. They were placed all around the pool, a steady stream of water flowing out of them.

The water in the last pool was low and came out of the ceiling, just like the first one. This water in this one came in form of fine drops, imitating a shower. The entire right wall of the room was covered with mirrors. The wall at the opposite site of the door was not a wall, but one single large window, which would have granted them a nice view over the town if the weather had played along. Next to entrance were large shelves with various shampoos and other things for maintaining coats and hairs. Finally, there was a door to their left, leading elsewhere. “Wow,” Thiemo repeated his admiration.

“Agreed. That’s something different to the lake in the hive.” Thiemo turned towards the various care products.

“You had a lake down there?” He pulled the cork out of one glass bottle and sniffed at its contents, only to wrinkle his nose and immediately shove it back.

“Multiple lakes to be exact, but they were all filled by a spring. You can’t drink the same water you’re bathing in.” Liquids were the only thing changelings really needed, aside from emotions. But they could last long without supplies.

Another bottle caught his attention. A kiwi was on it, and something that could have been a mango. He briefly sniffed at it and had to admit that it was much more pleasant than the previous one. Picky was the last thing he wanted to be right now - it was the first kind of soap he had in months - but now he had the choice. “Yes, it would be hygienic to separate these two. Your opinion?” He held the bottle in front of Amy’s nose, and she nodded after taking a whiff. When they both turned towards the pool, Thiemo noticed something. “Err… I don’t suppose there is a changing room with some swimming trunks?”

“A what?” For some reason, he hadn’t expected anything else. They looked at each other for a few seconds until Amy understood, and a grin appeared on her lips. “Is the human that is so… open all the time afraid there is something in the waters that might bite him?” Nope, can’t say he was rubbing off on others.

“When in Rome, you have to do like the Romans, eh?” Before Amy could add anything, he threw his rags into her face and let his body sink into the first of the three pools. Immediately, his body went stiff.

“Blech… these smell,” he heard a changeling complain behind him. “What’s wrong? Did something really bite you?”

“Cold,” he shivered.

Twilight Sparkle stood together with Captain Estoc and some of his soldiers at the landing bay of Castle Canterlot. Anxiety was evident on the face of the young princess. “I hope the storm is not too strong. If my mother had announced her return sooner, I would have contacted Cloudsdale and—”

“Don’t worry, Princess. Her escort is well-trained in flying chariots through any kind of weather, even through tornados and thunderstorms. The princesses are safe.” Twilight nodded and wondered how she could have doubted the Royal Guard. She herself had trusted them with her protection multiple times. “And even if not, they are immortal.”

“Captain!” Twilight shouted, indignant about Estoc’s bad joke. “That’s no reason to neglect their security. What would the public think about that?”

“Easy, Princess. It’s just an old joke that’s been passed through the Royal Guard for centuries. Allegedly, it goes back to an order Princess Celestia gave the very first captain. If I remember correctly, it went something like ‘Captain, I do not wish that anyone gives their life for mine. I am the warmth of the sun, here to protect my ponies, not vice versa.’” Twilight blinked. “Something like that at least. I’m pretty sure back then they spoke old Equis.”

“Isn’t the Royal Guard there to protect the princesses?” She thought she knew everything about the guards, especially since her brother used to be one of them.

“For most of the ponies we are, Princess, and of course it is part of our duty. But our real duty is to protect Equestria, not just the princesses. Princess Luna has made it very clear after her return that she knows how to defend herself, despite the smaller stature compared to her sister.” Twilight remembered how Luna was the first years after her return. Proud, stubborn, and keen on showing everyone that she wasn’t dependant on her sister, even though Celestia loved her a lot. She opened up over the years and started accepting the help that ponies had offered her. Still, she could still prove to be stubborn from time to time. As the former Bearer of the Element of Honesty, it seemed as though stubbornness was a trait every Bearer of the Element shared, but that was something Twilight hadn’t thought much about so far.

Suddenly, Estoc pointed at a dot in the sky, interrupting her musings. “That must be them!” Immediately, Twilight was nervous again and skimmed over the soldiers. “You! Tilt your spear five degrees towards your head. Your right forehoof more to the left. Not that far!” she started giving orders while Estoc had to laugh. Her first stint as a ruling princess was coming to an end, and she wanted to return it back to the other princesses as perfect as possible.

When she was satisfied with the position of the guards, she turned around the large open entrance of the bay and saw the chariot in its full glory - pulled by a dozen pegasi in golden armor, made out of the finest wood, ornamented by gold, and painted in the royal colors of Equestria. As soon as the hooves of the first pegasus made contact with the ground, he stretched out his legs and started the deceleration process. The chariot slithered a few meters over the ground until it was slow enough to be pulled across the rest of the bay.

Estoc rushed towards the large door, and with a glow of his horn, the grey stallion opened it. Princess Celestia in all her glory stepped out of it. Her lucent, multicolored mane flowed softly, golden jewellery was around her neck, and her white coat ruffled slightly in the wind. “Twilight!” she shouted happily and immediately trotted over to greet her. “How is my dear daughter?”

Author's Notes:

Important things first:
Happy Birthday JBL!

And what does this guy? He makes a chapter ready for you guys. So very special thanks to you JBL!
Also thanks to Gron for translating this chapter.

Editor’s note: This is where I whore myself out. Why? Because I don’t get paid for this! Anyway, we just added a new chapter to Gron’s story (and mine) Contact so feel free to check it out!