I lifted my head wih a hearty yawn, dim sunlight breached the stained windows in my room, and it just made the room look much homier. Still, I would prefer a nice little cabin out in the woods(or my actual bedroom, not this fancy shit). I'm really hoping that Celestia finds some way for me to return home sooner or later. While Equestria is starting to warm up to me, I still long to just see my house's front door sometime. Whatever, I should leave the 'finding a portal home' bit to the smart people, since I can barely wrap my head around the multiple universe theory.
I quickly noticed that Luna was gone, likely to go perform a few duties before she went to sleep for the day. She did say she was the Princess of the Night, or was it Princess of the Moon? And her duties involving dream hopping just made it seem like Luna would be nocturnal. That or Luna isn't nocturnal and wanted to go get breakfast. I hope she isn't nocturnal, I was hoping that she'd give me a tour of the castle. I'd probably get lost if I didn't.
Well, Celestia can also give me a tour, that sounded like another good option. I did consider Luna my favorite of the two sisters, but Celestia was just… she had a very soothing voice, and was pleasant to be around. The fact that she actually took a moment, a couple days ago, to teach me how to get up was a surprise. It was kind of like a mother teaching her kid how to walk… It was kind of nice. Meanwhile, Luna was more like an older sister to me, an older sibling that helped take care of their younger siblings.
So in other words, Celestia is like a mother, and Luna is like a sister. Although there are a few times where Luna does act a lot like a mom, she said loves children. Like last night where Luna carried me to bed, like Mom would've if I fell asleep on the couch while watching a movie or something like that. Then again, it's been what? Two days since I've started living with these two? I'm my opinions on them will change in a week.
"Ray, are you awake? We have one more pony that we want you to meet, since you both will be living in this castle," it was Celestia.
"Yeah, let me brush my teeth first," I answered before hopping to my feet… before falling flat on my face. I got up with a grunt, this time with a lost less spring in my step, and walked into the bathroom. I quickly did my business and went to grab my toothbrush and… it slipped out of my hoof. It was gonna land in the goddamn toilet. "No!" I shrieked as it was enveloped in an acid green aura… I blinked a couple times as I saw what just happened.
I reached out to grab my toothbrush, and it shakily began to float towards my hoof. I began to giggle like a schoolgirl as I took it in my hoof. I put my focus onto the toothbrush again, and it started to float again in that same green aura away from my hoof. With a glance in the mirror, I could see my horn glowing with an acid green aura, and I couldn't help but be giddy. As much as I missed my hands, this was pretty cool. I grabbed the toothpaste with my… telekinesis? I dunno what to call this.
Anyways, I used whatever the heck I was doing to brush my teeth. Brushing your teeth does take some fine motor skills, or at least a favored hand(I tried brushing my teeth with my left hand, it sucked). So surely if I brush my teeth with my… I guess magic? Then maybe I can gain greater control over it. So far, my grip on the toothbrush was shaky, and grabbing two things at once was pretty difficult. Maybe I shouldn't get too reliant on this stuff actually.
When I go home(or if) I'll actually miss this.
After my morning routine was over, I stepped out of my room, and saw none other than Princess Celestia standing by my doorway. "G'morning, Celly," I said with a wave of my hoof.
"Good morning, Ray. I assume you slept well?" Celestia asked.
"Well, Luna was there to help me sleep. I just found it… kinda comforting. Back at home, my house was pretty small, and my brother and I had to share a room. In other words, I'm not used to sleeping alone. So having Luna in the same room made it easier to sleep, even if she herself didn't go to sleep. I think she was… meditating? Since I don't think she was fully awake while dream hopping, but I dunno. I don't know how that stuff works."
"Dream hopping?"
"Y'know, that thing she can apparently do. Where she invades dreams, makes the dreams nice and pleasant, and she hops on over to the next dream." Celestia nodded. "She stayed in my dream for… what I think was 20 minutes or so, just talking with me. She talked about getting me puzzles, books, and video games which'll be pretty fun; I won't be bored out of my mind while cooped up in my room. I probably drooled on her shoulder, so that's fun."
"Did… she discuss anything else?" She seemed a tiny bit scared for a second. Is there something she isn't telling me? Well, it was probably just something embarrassing. She probably thinks that Luna told me an embarrassing story about her older sister. I mean I wouldn't blame her for assuming. After all, they are sisters. The number 1 rule with siblings is that you annoy them. The second rule is that you embarrass them at every chance you get.
"No. Well, she did talk about the pony I was going to meet today," I said as we approached the dining hall. "Something about a nephew, and about how he is a piece of shi-," I stopped myself as the door opened. Sitting in the room was the same six ponies from yesterday(I guess you can't enjoy a train ride home on an empty stomach). I was actually kind of excited about talking to these six again. Rarity seemed to be glaring at a pony that was seated near the end of the dinner table, where Celestia usually sits(her chair was even marked as 'Canterlot Castle's Princess Celestia's Chair').
The pony was clearly a stallion, with his much… I guess rougher build? Most of the females here seem to have a more smooth build? Like they seemed a bit curvier, while Shining Armor and Celestia's nephew seemed a bit thicker. Like thicker legs, muscles, their snouts were more angular and were also a bit longer. Of course(excluding Luna and Celestia. They were freakishly tall), stallions tended to be bigger than mares. I had no proof for this beyond two stallions, so I didn't bother asking.
Well, I did try getting a good look at the guards, but they all looked the same. Even the ones that sounded like they were girls.
I took a seat next to Twilight Sparkle, since I didn't really hear her talk a whole lot last night. After whatever the heck she and Celestia talked about, she kinda went silent. In fact, looked a little sad whenever her eyes landed on me. I may not be the brightest guy around, but I can pick up on stuff. I dunno why Twilight's got this sad look on her face, but I figured that I could just sit down and start telling jokes. Or maybe I shouldn't, it was entirely possible that this princess was just kind of tired, it is… whatever the time is in the morning. I really need a watch.
"Good morning, Auntie Celestia. Where is this… adoptive son you were talking about? I was hoping to meet thelucky colt." The stallion asked. So this guy didn't notice me at all… though he did seem to be complaining to a servant about what looked like an omelet when I walked in, so that's understandable. If what Luna said was true, then he was probably about how the omelet wasn't… I dunno, seasoned? Rich people like heavily seasoned food, right? I don't know, I considered frozen Salisbury Steak to be a premium cuisine, so maybe I shouldn't be one to judge what is and isn't fancy.
"Well, Prince Blueblood, he is sitting right beside Princess Twilight," Celestia said. The prince seemed to do a double take of me, before he began to glare at me. "And yes, I know that it, or rather, he, is a Changeling. Do try to get along with him… you two will be seeing each other quite a fair amount." Celestia then started to look like she was anticipating something.
"Aunt Celestia, I need to point out that, not only is that a commoner, but it's a monster. I highly doubt you adopted that thing out of your own volition, or you're not actually Celestia. Because there is no way that she would take a Changeling and have it be a part of the same family tree as I, Prince Blueblood. I mean…" he gestured towards me as an omelet was set in front of me. I honestly didn't care about what was being said; there was food and it smelled really good. I did catch a few bits and pieces of what he was saying though; none of it was pleasant.
I grabbed a fork, the smallest one of three forks I saw next to my plate, and quickly cut a piece for me to bite. I then grabbed the fork with my magic(I really don't know what to call this). I glance over at Twilight and let out a 'psst' to try and get her attention. The purple mare flicked an ear at me, before catching sight of what I was doing. "Say, you already know how to do levitation?" She asked. Twilight's eyes lit up in excitement. "Wow! You picked up on that in two days? Most foals I know can take weeks to learn levitation!"
"What's that…" I paused before realizing what she met. "Oh, this," I said as I moved the fork towards my mouth. I then very carefully took the bite of the omelet off of it, and settled back down on my plate. "So is it like telekinesis, the same as telekinesis, or its own thing?" I asked. I did smile a tiny bit with pride; I'm still a fast learner as it would appear… at least I retained that, even if I learnt how to do this by pure, dumb luck.
"Well, I suppose it is a lot like telekinesis, but it mainly works off of magic instead of your mind. It's pretty useful, if I do say so myself, since you can do so much with just levitation. I'd say… yeah, judging from how shaky your magic is, it looks like you just figured out how to do it, right?" Damn, this lady knew her shit. I pretty much found out this morning because I didn't want to have to replace my toothbrush.
"Yeah. I just… want something to move, then my horn glows. The thing I want to move, then moves. Then I mentally tell it where to go from there," I say as I magicked the fork to cut another piece of omelet. I didn't really notice it at first, but this thing's simply divine. It was fluffy, I could taste… some cheese on this? With some salt and what felt like onions. It was surprisingly simple, but it was good.
"I mean look, that Changeling doesn't even know what to use while eating an omelet! The stupid thing doesn't have any table manners." I had finally turned back into whatever Blueblood was talking about. I guess I didn't know there was a difference in forks? Was that a crime now? Well, this guy is a snob, so it probably was.
"Just ignore him dear, that prince is… rather dull in personality and brattish," Rarity whispered. She was seated next to me, which happened to be as far as she could sit from Blueblood. "He used me as a meat shield when cake was thrown his way! The gull of him!" She sounded like she had some history with my new cousin. Well, I barely knew my cousins, so at least I can get to know this one. Or rather, my hoof will get to meet his nose.
"And I doubt the Changeling can even speak! I doubt it can even register as a sentient, living being. I bet it can't even think." My head snapped as Prince Blueblood continued on his tirade. Something in me just snapped, and I suddenly felt the desire to do something incredibly illegal to this prince. Sure, I've lost my humanity, but I could tell what this asshole was saying:
I wasn't a person.
"Oi, prince asshole. How much horse shit do you snort everyday?" I asked. That got the prince to gasp. He was probably pissed about me saying 'asshole' in the face of royalty!
"That is not how you address your prince, Changeling. While it is impressive that you can speak, I am above you and-"
"Blah, blah, blah, shut the hell up. Woohoo, you're a distant nephew of Celestia, congrats! You think you're above just about everybody in this room, don't you?" I took a deep breath. And got up from my seat. "I'm just going to leave before I break your jaw. If you had a father who was good at his job, you wouldn't be able to sit for weeks." I let out an involuntary snort as I began to walk away. Not before I said something else though. "I will say this though: You're a intolerable, worthless, shit stained piece of trash, that's only kept around because you're 'royalty.'" I quickly scarfed down the rest of my omelet and headed for the Door. It was a shame too, it was a good omelet and I couldn't enjoy it.
"Hold it!" I stopped, turned my head, and saw that Prince Blueblood was now walking towards me. He seemed pissed off, probably because I hurt his precious ego. "You do not insult the crown in such a manner and walk away, Changeling. You've just insulted all of Equestria with your foul mouth. First, you don't address either Princess Luna or Princess Celestia by their proper titles, you couldn't even be bothered to show proper dining etiquette, and you dare insult me?" Prince Blueblood was now in my face.
This bastard had a good head or two of height over me, and was actually almost as tall as Luna. That was good, that meant an uppercut would shut him up quicker. "All I'm hearing is a spoiled kid not getting the toy he wanted. If you want me to respect you, then start treating me with respect. I'm a person, just as you are. So start treating me like a person, and I'll give your dues."
"You do not deserve respect, Changeling. I, Prince Blueblood banish you from Canterlot. Go wither in the trash, like the rest of your pitiful-" Prince Blueblood never got to finish his sentence as I sock him in the jaw. The 'prince' went sprawling across the floor after the blow. What a pushover, he was crying after being after on measly hit. Sure, being punched in the jaw isn't fun, but couldn't this bastard take a hit better?
"Oh snap!" Rainbow Dash said. I could even see a smirk grow on Rarity's face. Chances were that she was finding some enjoyment of seeing somebody shut Prince Blueblood up. Just judging from the whole 'meat shield' thing she mentioned, I could probably guess that this guy didn't know how to treat a lady. I glared down at the prince before turning around to leave.
"Hold it, Ray," standing in the doorway was Luna. Where the heck did she come from? "Before you ask, I only saw the tail end of that. The part where you sucker punched my nephew. Now, I do understand how Prince Blueblood can be, but I would like to understand what he did, or said, that drove you into punching him in the jaw like that." She gave me an expectant look; she wanted me to tell my part of the story.
"Prince Blueblood implied that I'm not even a person. The bastard couldn't even be bothered to refer to me by name, and I will admit, that I probably should've ignored it. I just… found it hard to ignore what he said. After… well, y'know, I want to at least still be called a person, pony, whatever the heck the right term is. I shouldn't have responded, but I did, and eventually I just tried to leave. My… nah, I don't want him as a cousin, Blueblood walked up and stuck his face in mine.
"Where I come from, that meant he was sizing me up, threatening me, or challenging me. I don't know which it was, but then he just started going on, and on, and on about how I insulted Equestria because I hurt his feelings. Something about how I don't refer to you, or Celestia as 'princess' and whatnot. He then banished me from Canterlot or whatever. That's when I punched him in the jaw."
"And Blueblood, what do you have to say about this? Don't even bother lying, Apple Jack is a living lie detector. And my sister has had a millennium to pick up on when somebody is lying, and so do I. Be truthful, and I won't punish you so severely."
"You see, this Changeling just barged into the dining hall, and scarfed down his food. I was just telling it how to have proper manners, and it went feral and attacked me! This beast shouldn't even be-"
"Actually, you walked up to him as Ray was trying to leave. If you didn't, and just let Ray leave, you wouldn't have been punched in the face," Twilight pointed out. "Ray knew that he was gonna lose his temper, and planned on leaving before he could. And… yeah, I heard what Prince Blueblood was saying about Ray. A lot of which seemed very offensive. And at some point, I could see where anypony would get mad. Blueblood insulted Ray's intelligence, and in Ray's words 'implied that he wasn't a person.'" Twilight said.
"And Ray only punched Blueblood once. Didn't even use magic or his fangs. Just punched him in the jaw. Ah say it was a bit underhoof, but after what Ray's been through, Ah think he's reaching a limit of what he can take. Also, Blueblood, Ray didn't just barge in. He walked in alongside Princess Celestia, and ah say he was being a little polite. He even tried asking Twilight what levitation was before he and Blueblood started fightin'. And as Twilight said, Ray was trying to remove himself from the situation before it got worse."
Luna nodded, before glaring at Blueblood. "I tell you time, and time, and time again to watch how you treat others, my dear nephew. While I don't approve of Ray lashing out at you, I am very disappointed in how you behaved. And you then have the audacity to try and spin the story in your favor. You have three testimonies going against what yours, two of which are highly trustworthy. You will not be allowed into the Royal Groomer until further notice." Prince Blueblood's eyes widened, but he didn't protest. Luna then glared at me, and I shrunk back, fearing the worst.
"Next time, do not lash out at anypony. I know that this is probably going to be a rare occurrence, and I am proud of you for at least trying to alleviate the situation before it got worse, but please keep the sucker punching to a minimum. Even if the pony you sucker punch deserves it. I will leave you off with a warning. Is there anything you would like to add, Celestia?"
"Nothing that would be of use. I'd say instead of just keeping Prince Blueblood from the groomers, we put him in a soup kitchen for a time, say… three weeks. I'm certain that will teach him better, and if he even slightly mistreats anypony while he is there then his punishment will be extended."
"And I will make sure he follows through with that," a voice came from… nowhere? Suddenly, a weird snake looking thing appeared out of nowhere. His body was a mix of various animals. No limb was the same(I think I see a deer leg and lion leg), and I couldn't even really describe what was before me. "After all, I personally am quite peeved about how my least favorite prince is behaving."
"Thank you Discord, but this is quite sudden of you…" Princess Celestia began before this 'Discord' interrupted her.
"Think nothing of it, my dear Celestia. I think I heard him mutter something rather insulting about Fluttershy before you and your kid showed up. Congratulations by the way," Discord suddenly willed a top hand into existence(it spawned on his head too!) and he bowed to me. "Prince Sting Ray, it is good to finally meet you. Now, I didn't know that Celestia and Luna finally hit it off, or could give birth to a Changeling, but I will say that it's a nice surprise! My main question would be who's the one who gave birth?
"Though I would be naive to assume that. You're of another world, my friend, and I find that rather interesting. You seem to be gleaming in chaotic energy, and I'm looking forward to when you finally discover the cat in the bag," Discord then grabbed Blueblood, who was now massaging his jaw and testing if it was broken, by the tail. "We will have plenty of time to get to know each other in the future, Ray." With that, he and Prince Blueblood were gone in a snap. Literally, Discord snapped his fingers and they were gone. I could hear Blueblood screaming as he disappeared into… whatever.
"What the fuck was that?" I asked.
"That was just Discord, the lord of chaos. Do not fear, he won't cause harm to you. And neither will you get used to him. If you did, then Discord would not be doing his job of causing chaos everywhere in his wake," Luna said before leading me out of the room.
"So… what now? Don't you sleep during the day?" I asked.
"Sometimes I do, but I mainly get by on power naps. After I had missed the Changeling Invasion of Canterlot, I have decided that being nocturnal is rather… disadvantageous when there are threats present. So I've worked down the exact amount of time I need for a nap, and how many naps I should take throughout the day. One four hour nap at sunrise, and one four hour nap at sundown is enough to sustain me."
"That doesn't sound healthy."
Luna giggled "It did take some time to adjust to, I will admit. But the results are showing nonetheless. I can take you for a walk through the Castle's inner gardens, and perhaps even teach you to use those wings of yours," she offered.
"Y'know what, I'm down. If I end up being stuck here forever, then I wanna learn how to use my body," I admitted. Luna frowned for a split second at the mention of me being stuck here forever, but I waved the thought away. She was probably just thinking of how she could teach me to fly…. "On second thought, can you just show me around the castle? I'm gonna be stuck here for a couple days, weeks, months while I wait for you guys to find a way home for me. Or I find a way home myself, I dunno."
Again, Luna frowned for a moment.
"I can go home, right?" I asked.
"You… can. It will simply take 30 moons, or roughly two or three years. We will need that mirror you came through, and then you can go home. The portal remains open for a three day period, so there will be plenty of time for us to make it when the moment arises," Luna said.
"Wait… so if it opens up for three days, when in that three day period did I come?"
(Luna's POV)
I took in a deep breath as I realized that I had said too much. On one hand, I could lie to Ray and tell him that he came in on the third day, and that the portal closed at midnight last night, or I could give him the truth. I did make a promise to Tia, that I wouldn't tell Ray, but my sister's stupid decision to keep this secret costed Ray three years of his life. Three years of his life. I'm not aware of how time moves in the other dimension, but Ray is still missing a substantial amount of time in his world.
Well, I have already said a little too much.
"I came in on the last day, didn't I?" Ray asked, looking conpletely… done. I didn't open my mouth before Ray walked over to a wall and slammed his head ino it. "Ofcourse, of fucking course! Why the hell wouldn't the universe just screw me over like that? I could've came here on the firdt day, and leave after the whole fisaco of being in a dungeon for a day!" Ray almost slammed his head into the wall again, but I stopped him witth my magic.
"Oh dear, did something happen?" My sister came strolling down the hallway, with the Element Bearers in tow. She was probably going to escort them down to the train station, and she walked in on this.
"Oh ywah, don't mind me. I just realized that I'm fucking stuck here for three years. And me, being the lucky sack of shit that I am, I came through a portal during a three day period on the last damned day. I'm gonna miss all of highschool, if I even manage to get home during the next tree day time frame, then I'll probably have to waste away in school for tree fuckin' years. Woohoo! Lucky me!" Ray began to pace in a circle while emitting steam.
The Beaers all collectively took a couple steps back as they watched the Changeling grumble many profanities. His head was hung low to the ground. I slowly made my way over to my sister, and whispered four words: "Should we tell him?" I asked.
"I… think we have to at this point. Even if Ray would despise us until he's dead," my sister said. "Ray." On a dime, Ray stopped, and looked up at the two of us. The poor child was crying. "We… have something to tell you," my sister continued. "You did not appear on the last day the portal was open. If… anything, I believe you appeared on the first day," Celestia said.
"You… didn't fucking think to tell me that bit?" Ray asked. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, before they shot open again. It seemed like Changelings' eyes changed color when they were angry. Now, Ray's eyes were acid green instead of the calm, blue eyes that I had grown accustomed to seeing. "Celestia, Luna, how long were you two planning on not telling me?" Ray asked. "I spent a full fucking day in that dungeon for all I know, another day doing fucking nothing and sitting in a train, and during that whole god damn time I coulda gone home? And neither of you brought that up?
"Ray, do not blame Luna, it was my-"
"Don't even fucking say anything, Celestia. I…" Ray turned around and started walking down the hall. "Fuck you both, I'm gonna grab my backpack, and I'm just gonna hop on some train. Nobody will stop me, since I'm a freak and they'll be too scared to do anything. And hey, if they do try something, that's even better!" Ray then stopped and glared at me and my sister with the most hate I've seen in a pony's eyes.
Without another word, Ray started to make his way to the Lunar Wing.