Cerise turned, noticing that Adrastos was just now catching up to her. She raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him. "You don't usually have a problem keeping up. Decided to do a little taunting of your own, maybe bring her down a few pegs?"

"I didn't understand why you were enjoying it, so I tried it for myself." he lied, falling in step beside his Commander.

"Oh really?" Cerise smirked, pleasantly surprised at the usually neutral Inquisitor.

"I still don't understand it."

Cerise laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, somehow that's not really surprising."

They walked in silence for a while, occasionally stopping when Cerise needed to talk to one of her many subordinates, a number which seemed to grow daily. She was rising quickly through the ranks of the Order, turning into a very important, powerful, and dangerous unicorn.

Adrastos thought back to when he first met his Commander. Back then, she was timid and scared, separated from her family in the middle of a large crowd. He spent nearly an hour with her, helping her find her lost relatives. They remained friends after that day, playing together, getting in and out of trouble, even attending the same school for a while. He often found himself protecting Cerise from the bullies who teased her for being a blank flank. Ironically, in doing so, he earned his mark: a large round shield.

It was several years later when Cerise was invited to the Canterlot Academy of Magic that things started to change. Adrastos was happy for her at first, but the longer she attended, the more serious and distant she became. In just a few short years, the little filly he once knew had vanished, replaced by a harsh and hardened version of her former self. He didn't like it at all.

"Hey Addy, you still with me? Focus!"

Adrastos hadn't been paying attention for some time, lost deep in his own thoughts. He looked down to find an indignant Cerise glaring at him.

"Knock off the daydreaming, big guy. You need to be at your best. We have to go explain to the Council what happened last night, and they're not happy about the human getting away."

The towering stallion huffed. "They haven't read the report?"

"Of course, probably six or seven times, but they're like little foals. If somepony doesn't go in there and tell them a story, they get cranky. So, that's exactly what you'll be doing. Try not to be nervous."

"I'm not." he replied in his usual deadpan fashion.

Cerise poked a hoof into his shoulder, which took a lot of effort, given the size difference between the two. "Don't forget that when you're standing in front of the very heart of the Order. They have a reputation for being intimidating."

Adrastos nodded. He really wasn't nervous, but he chose to let Cerise believe he had taken her advice. It was preferable to being lectured all the way to the council chambers.

They continued wordlessly on through the stone halls, watching in amusement as dozens of Novum and Veterani galloped from place to place in a frenzy. Yesterday, the rumors of a human in Equestria had them spooked. Today, with the confirmation of that rumor, they were in a panic. Every scroll, every sheet of parchment, and every order being handed down had suddenly become critical. This was a time of crisis the likes of which none of them had ever expected to see.

Of course, that was just their perception. In reality, very little had changed. Security was a little tighter, with more ponies posted at key points throughout the Sanctuary, proudly bearing their braided symbols of Aurum Capite, but everything else was proceeding as usual. As Cerise and Adrastos passed by the barracks, they were flagged down by the same gray mare that had spoken to the Grand Inquisitor just minutes before. They turned quickly and bowed to her, holding the pose until she had returned the gesture.

The mare sighed in mock exasperation. "You know you don't need to do that for me. Tenebris doesn't really stress the whole bowing thing."

"Aurum and Magicae do." Cerise said curtly. She despised this pony, Sophie, believing that she behaved far too casually for someone of her rank. Still, Cerise refused to jeopardize her future within the Order by disrespecting a superior.

"Fair enough, I suppose it's just habit for you two. Doesn't really matter."

Cerise had to restrain herself; she would have loved to let loose a barrage of insults after hearing Sophie dismiss the conventions of the Order in such a nonchalant way. "Of course it matters, you little foal! It's a show of respect, whether or not you actually deserve it."

The mare locked eyes with Cerise briefly, just long enough to make her uncomfortable. The look she wore was unsettling, like she could actually hear what Cerise was thinking, and was contemplating how she should punish her for it. Suddenly, she cocked her head to the side, a pleasant smile stretched across her face. "The Grand Inquisitor thinks that the human will be coming here soon."

Cerise completely lost her usual composure, not prepared at all for that kind of news. "W-what?! How soon?!"

Sophie raised a hoof to her chin. "Well, I didn't think to ask, actually. He just said that when the human learns what Celestia is going to ask him to do, he'll come to us instead. It sounds like we won't have to do much."

The initial shock had already worn off and Cerise was all business once again, looking for an opportunity to curry favor with the higher ranks. "What are my orders?"

Sophie seemed confused for a moment, furrowing her brow. "Umm... I don't think you have any. I was just letting you know because I thought you'd be excited. We get to see a real live human!" She practically bounced as she said the last word. It seemed that she didn't care at all about capturing Taylor, she just wanted to see him up close. To her, it was fun.

Cerise seethed with contempt for this mare; it took all her willpower to remain silent while Sophie bounded away, sporting her trademark goofy grin on her face. If the human was really going to give himself up, Cerise would be ready to bring him in. With any luck, that would earn her the promotion she needed to ensure she would never have to bow to that gray-coated imbecile again.

"Come on, the Council is waiting." Cerise spat.

The three ponies stared at the sky as the pegasus chariot approached. Twilight and Lyra had become used to seeing such things, but Taylor was fascinated. He had flown several times before when he was in the ROTC and was familiar with the science of flight, but these pegasi seemed to defy all he had learned. Between their weight, small wing surface, and poor aerodynamics, they shouldn't be capable of flight.

"Then again, I got magically teleported to a world populated by talking pastel ponies, so I guess this is the day we just laugh at science."

He turned to Twilight and Lyra. "So, what's the procedure here? I mean, I'm meeting the ruler of Equestria, is there something special I'm supposed to do? Bow? Address her as 'your highness'? Beg to not be sent to the moon?"

"Wouldn't even brush your teeth and you're worried about that?" Twilight muttered, staring at the ground. She glanced up to find both Lyra and Taylor looking at her, waiting for a response. "Oh, um, I wouldn't worry, she's very nice. Just be polite."

"Great. I like a challenge." Taylor was extremely uncomfortable about going to Canterlot in the first place. Meeting royalty was just added stress.

The team of pegasi from Canterlot landed gracefully next to them. Six impressively muscular stallions, dressed in polished golden armor bearing depictions of the sun pulled a large chariot behind them, even larger than the one typically used by Celestia.

"I suppose this is the one she used when her ass got huge after eating all that cake."

Taylor thought better of saying it, just to keep Twilight and Lyra from asking too many questions. It would also be better for his life expectancy, as any one of these pegasi could easily pound him into the dirt if angered.

Taylor, Lyra, and Twilight stepped on the chariot. It shifted a bit under their weight, but held strong. It was made of ornately engraved metal, similar to the armor worn by the pegasi. Taylor assumed it was some sort of bronze, but there was no way a half dozen pegasi could have pulled something this size, no matter how powerful their wings were. Especially not with three passengers.

The chariot lurched forward as the team began to pull it. They struggled momentarily, then began picking up speed. Once they had achieved a full gallop, they all flapped their wings in unison, leaping upward as they did so, which lifted them easily. A second gust from their powerful wings lifted the chariot, and they were away. Taylor shook his head in disbelief.

"Are you alright? I figured you might be scared of flying." Twilight commented, noticing his expression.

"Not really. I've flown before, but never in anything this scientifically impossible."

"You never told me about that." Lyra said, sounding almost offended.

Taylor grinned, giving the unicorn a playful bump with his foreleg. "What, you expected to learn everything about me in less than three hours? There's a lot more you need to ask before I go back home, I think."

Lyra smiled, though she wasn't convinced that she'd get that chance. Celestia, being an incredibly powerful alicorn with thousands of years of knowledge at her disposal, would likely know how to send Taylor home. The more she thought about it, the more she was certain they would be parting ways shortly after they got to Canterlot. Once more, her thirst for answers would have to be sated by meager bits of information pieced together from what few books she could find on humans.

Taylor placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I don't have anywhere to be back home. I can spend a little longer here."

"Thanks, but I already feel guilty enough. Everything that's happened-"

"Has been fun," Taylor interrupted. "I don't mind staying for another day or two. Even with a whole flamboyant cult out to get me, I've enjoyed myself."

Lyra raised a brow at him. "Just what kind of life are you going back to that what you've gone through here has been enjoyable?"

"It sounds bad when you say it like that," Taylor chuckled. "It's just that this world is new and different. Where I'm from, the mystery has been taken out of nearly everything. It's the unfortunate side effect of humans really liking adventure. Eventually we start to run out of it."

It made a lot of sense. Lyra had occasionally felt the same way about Ponyville. There had been several times when she tried saving up to travel around Equestria, but she never got very far.

"Hey, we're almost there." Twilight said, pointing over the side of the chariot. They were still a few minutes away, but Canterlot already dominated the view, especially the castle, which towered over the rest of the city. It was breathtaking, but there was little time to enjoy it. As long as they were in the city, the risk of encountering the Inquisition in far greater numbers than before was uncomfortably high.

The pegasi and chariot began to descend, slowly drifting downward toward a large open courtyard. There were already a dozen heavily armored guards waiting for them, with more posted around and on top of the walls. It would seem that Celestia, expecting the Inquisition to make a move, had prepared for the worst. As soon as the wheels of the chariot touched the ground, its passengers were surrounded and quickly ushered toward the castle.

From high on a wall overlooking the entire courtyard, a lone pony stood, clad in the same armor as the other guards, though it was a poor fit. Unlike the others, who were busy scanning the area for any signs of an attack, her eyes were focused solely on Taylor, watching until he had entered the safety of Canterlot Castle. She brushed a few indigo strands away from her face, then walked over to the unconscious guard she had "borrowed" the armor from. With deft hooves, she quickly returned it to its proper owner, ensuring that everything was exactly as it had been before she arrived.

Seconds later, she was gone without a trace.

[Author's Note: If you're confused by the terminology used in the early parts of this chapter, consult this blog post.]