>Things were going well in Canterlot as usual
>Today, however, was even better!
>The city wasn't crowded in the slightest!
>Most of the Nobles and richest ponies were all missing from the streets of the vast capital
>Not that a whole lot of ponies really cared. The less snobs the better if you asked them
>As great as it was to be outside and walking around today, the inhabitants of the city's slums thought otherwise
>Never had the air surrounding them been more oppressive, and filled with Canterlot's 'finest'
>Anyone who's anyone came down to see the newest blackmarket auction, and even some who couldn't afford to buy who just wanted to see
>Apparently a creature of unknown origin had been found earlier that month, and was taken in to be sold as a one-of-a-kind pet
>Looking at it you wouldn't think much of it, really
>Short, small eyes, bipedal, wore tattered clothing, and the thing was filthy!
>For all most ponies cared for the first minute after revealing it, it was just a shaved monkey
>That was, until it spoke
"Help me" it had whimpered
>And oh, how the crowd exploded with enthusiasm!
>It could mimic intelligent speech! That alone could warrant some serious bits anywhere!
>Then it was revealed it was the only one of it's kind in this world
>The Nobles clamored for the highest bid, all the while the talking monkey sat in its cage with wide eyes, tears threatening to spill
>The bids quickly rose past 3 million bits and were still increasing at an alarming rate. Soon it would even break 4 million!
>The stallion who had found him sat still with a pleased smile dancing upon his features
>Little did anyone know, the Royal Guard had taken notice of the shortage of ponies around the city and were investigating, suspecting another illegal auction
>They were closing in. It was just a matter of time.
 
>You are Anonymous
>You don't know what you did to deserve this
>Your mom had tucked you in after your totally awesome 10th birthday party
>Then you woke up here, in a dingy old building
>You had a lot of thoughts on what had happened, most of them bad
>What if your parents abandoned you?
>What if you sleepwalk and left home?
>What if you died?
>After wandering around you found what looked like a colored horse
>You thought he would help you find your parents
>You were wrong. Dead wrong.
>You don't know how long he kept you locked up. Could have been days, weeks, months even
>You were starved, beaten, and insulted
>The beatings happened when you spoke, mostly
>Whenever you said something he didn't like his hoof would meet your bruised body again and again
>When you had finally learned not to speak out he spent the time insulting you instead
>You spent a lot of time crying, wondering why this was happening to you. Whenever you cried, he didn't feed you anything
>Through it all, you managed to survive. You were terrified when he threw a blanket over the cage that housed you, even more so when you heard the voices of a lot of people
>At the time, you had thought someone was there to save you. Once again, you were wrong.
>The sheet lifted off to reveal hundreds of horses packed into a building, and even flowing out of the sides of it
>All talk ceased when you were taken from the safety of the blanket, but it quickly gave way to roars of what sounded like anger from all of them
>You tried to get their attention. Maybe they could help you!
"H-help me..please.." was all you managed to choke out
>You regret making that decision
>Now all you hear are numbers being yelled and all you see are.. signs.. being lifted into the air
>Your mind seems to click through all of this
>You were being sold
>You will likely never see your parents again
>You break down and sob softly, pulling your legs to your chest and lowering your head, trying to block out all the noise
>You sat there, huddled into yourself for what felt like 20 minutes
>You hear muffled yells crying out even more numbers
>Your sobs only intensify
>Your mind briefly registers a door slamming open, followed by panicked screaming and the stomping of hooves on the ground
>You look up expecting the worst but are shocked to see them running around and out the doors
>Some are even flying, which you hadn't even known they could do
>You spot more horses clad in golden armour and wielding spears
>You don't get to see much else as the blanket is thrown back over you and the cage is roughly lifted into the air
>You realize you're moving. Fast, you might add
>This is it. You'd been sold.
>Flopping back against the cage in defeat, you are surprised when the cage tilts and falls back to the floor cutting up your back in the process
>Peering out from the the side of the cage the blanket fell off of you see the mean horse being held to the ground by some white ones
>You don't have time to dwell on the thought that they might hurt you as you catch the eyes of one of them
>You immediately shrink back into the safety the cage provides and hope he didn't see you
>Your hopes are short-lived, however, as the blanket is thrown back revealing an almost empty building, save a few horses being restrained by more white horses
>"What the.. hey Gleaming Shield! I think you better take a look at this!"
>Oh no
>You messed up and had gotten yourself spotted. You try to make yourself as small as possible, knees back to your chest, arms wrapped around your legs
>You see what you think is a female horse -if the eyelashes are anything to go by- running up to the cage side
>"What the hay is that? Is this what they were trying to buy?"
>Yeah, definitely a girl
>In a last ditch attempt to avoid more beatings, you plead, "Please don't hurt me"
>The two jump back in surprise, making you shrink smaller
>"I-it can talk?!" The one called Gleaming Shield almost screams
>You let out a shaky sob and try to back up more, which is a difficult task considering you're already pressed up into the side of the cage, so you opt to scoot into the far corner
 
>You are Gleaming Shield and you are so stupid
>You don't know what this thing is, but it's obviously scared and you decided to yell at it!
>Well, not at it per say, but it doesn't know that!
>You need to fix this ASAP
>Finding the entrance to the rusty cage you open the door and slowly step inside, the creatures eyes on you the entire time
>You cautiously start to walk over to it, noting that he(?)'s shaking
>There are also tears streaming down his face
>Examining him further reveals he's covered in bruises and cuts
>You finally manage to get next to him after your agonizingly slow pace and hear him whispering to himself
>"Please please please please please please"
>Each word is punctuated with a fresh tear
>First thing's first, need to let him know you're here to help
"Hey there, are you okay? It's alright, we're not going to hurt you I promise"
>You attempt to get closer but he tightens his grip on himself with his.. hands..? Is he a lower form of Minotaur? No, he doesn't have the legs for it. Just what is this thing?
>Maybe you need to make him feel safe
>Scooting ever so closer you put your muzzle next to his face and gently rub his cheek with it
"Shhhh.. it's alright. We've taken care of all the mean stallions, they can't hurt you anymore."
>You've placed your forelegs on both sides of him while you were talking, and brought your rear legs a little closer, so you're sheltering him with your body
>You keep whispering to him and rubbing his cheek until he finally calms down
>You almost gasp in surprise when his arms shoot out and pull you into a hug, but you refrain, instead bringing your left hoof around his back and gently returning the hug without trying to hurt him further
>You feel hot tears mat your coat on your neck, but it doesn't matter
>Turning around you lead him out of the cage noting that his legs are wobbly and his movement shaky
>How long has he been in there? He needs a doctor right away!
>You call over your 2nd in command officer and brief him on the situation, telling him to get a medical carriage here on the double
>While he runs off to complete his task, you get the creature to sit down to talk to him. You're going to need to know what exactly happened and what he is.
 
>You are Anon
>You just finished explaining to the nice lady everything that happened, from when your mom tucked you in, to when she comforted you
>You cried a bit in between, but that's okay because she didn't seem to mind
>She reminds you of mom
>You feel a tear run down your cheek but you quickly wipe it away, hoping she didn't see it
>You look up to see if she had noticed but find her eyes are on the door
>Dragging your gaze to where she's looking, you notice what looks like a carriage set just beyond the open door
>"That's our cue, Anon. Let's go."
>You look back to see Gleaming Shield already standing and holding her hoof out for you
>Grasping it as gently as you can, you get to your feet before you fall back down to your knees
>Or you would fall down to your knees if you weren't floating in the air right now
>Eyes wide, mouth slightly open, you look to your new friend noticing the thing on her head is lit up
>"It's alright, I've got you." she says with a sincere smile
>Without any more words, she begins to walk to the door with you in tow
>Normally you would be freaking out, but you try not to. She said she wouldn't hurt you, right?
>While you were focusing on the wonders of midair suspension, Gleaming Shield carried you out of the building
>You nearly cry out when the sunlight hits your face, not used to it anymore
>Opening your eyes after a minute or two, you look around and see where you are
>You notice trash littering the streets and water everywhere
>You twist up your face at the smell
>You're hoisted into the carriage right behind Gleaming Shield and placed onto the softest thing you've been on in weeks while she sits across from you
>Looking down you see a velvety smooth couch-type thing and feel your happiness rise
>Laying down, you get a glance at Gleaming Shield's smiling face before you slip away into unconsciousness
 
>You wake up in a white room
>You don't feel as sore anymore, either. Looks like sleep did you good
>You continue your area survey and quickly realize Gleaming Shield's gone.
>Did she leave you? Did you say something wrong? She hates you now, oh no.
>What if she left you i-
>Your thoughts are broken as she walks into the room
>"Oh good, you're awake!" she says with a cheerful expression
>You're overreacting, Anon. She said she would never do something like that.
>"Doctor Stable! Anon is awake!"
>Doctor..Stable?
>Are you in a hospital?
>Before you can think up any more questions, the aforementioned doctor walks into the room, hovering a clipboard in front of him
>"Well, he seems to be okay. Nothing more than bruising and a few cuts. He's ready to be released at any time"
"Released where?" is all you can come up with
>The doctor looks slightly surprised but Gleaming Shield answers without missing a beat
>"That's yet to be decided. From what I understand, you're not even from this world so finding your family or anyone of your species is impossible." She says with a frown
>Then it hit you. You're never going to see your parents again, or your friends. You were already trying to get used to this fact when you were in the cage, but hearing it confirmed brings fresh tears to your eyes
 
>You are Gleaming Shield
>You just had to break the news to Anon that he'll never see his family again. Or his friends.
>You feel like such a villain
>You rush over as soon as you see the tears form in his eyes
"There, there," you comfort him, "We'll think of something. I'm sure the King or Queen would be willing to try and help you."
>You doubt anything can be done, but you don't say that. He doesn't need to hear something like that right now.
>When you feel he's calmed down enough you break off the hug
"Why don't we get you fed and cleaned up, huh? Then we can go and see their Majesties and introduce you. Does that sound good?"
>You try to flash him a confident smile, but you don't think it worked. You fear for him.
>The Queen may be willing to help this poor boy, but the King is a little abrasive and might scare him away.
 
>You are Anon again
>You're both happy and sad
>Happy that you have someone here who cares about you, and you're clean again with food in your stomach
>Sad that you'll never see another human again
>It's an odd combination
>You're about to meet the King and Queen
>You're terrified
>What if they don't like you? Will they throw you back into a cage and try to sell you? Will they-
>You banish the thoughts almost as soon as they come. Kings and Queens are supposed to be nice, they wouldn't do that, would they? Of course not.
>With a little bit of confidence restored, you look to the guards flanking you, both have blue manes and are clad in golden armour, just like the ponies from the building
>Gleaming Shield had taken the time to explain a few things about this place, which was called Equestria, and that it's inhabited primarily by ponies not horses.
>The guards are also wielding spears with their magic. Another thing she taught you about.
>Their stoic visage is intimidating to say the least, even though you come up a little taller than them
>Looking forwards again, you see Gleaming Shield opening the double doors
>This is it. You feel a drop of nervous sweat drip down your forehead
>As the door opens you're greeted with a marvelous sight
>A large room decorated by banners of the Sun and Moon. Various paintings dot the walls and there's large glass windows at regular intervals on both sides of the room, reaching up to 2/3rds of the total height of the wall, with the ceiling arching into a sort of dome in the middle
>At the end of the room sat two thrones, one shorter than the other
>In the taller throne sat a regal looking stallion with a white coat and deep orange mane.
>He's wearing a..coat? Maybe it's a robe. Whatever it is, it's beige with a sun emblazoned on the chest and some other ornamental bits here and there
>Sitting in the shorter throne is an elegant mare with a purple coat, wait no, closer to navy blue.
>Her mane was slightly brighter than her fur and it looked like it even had stars in it. It's at that moment you realize it's moving softly in a non-existent breeze.
>Walking along the carpet you get within 10 feet of them when Gleaming Shield stops, so you stop as well
>Standing at attention she dons a serious face and addresses the King
>"My King, I trust you've read my report. This is Anonymous."
>She makes a gesture for you to move up with her shoulder
>You stop next to her and try to hide in her side, still scared of what they might do to you
>She lets of posture slack and leans back into you before whispering into your ear
>"It's alright, Anon. Go on, they just want to talk to you. I'll be right here, I promise."
>Here goes nothing
>You slowly shuffle forwards, near the base of the platform that held the thrones.
>Looking up you see the Queen's soft expression as she gazes at you
>You also see the King's steely eyes as he watches you with interest
>You utter out a "Hello" before looking back down at the ground
>You might offend them if you look at them too long or something
>A loud voice thunders from above you
>"Greetings."
>You almost jump out of your skin. Instead, you keep your eyes to the ground and let out a small whimper
 
>You are now Lumina, Queen of Equestria
>And your husband just scared the living daylights out of the hyooman
>You turn to him and catch his attention
"Solaris!"
>"Yes dear?" is the confused response
>You swear you married a foal
"What did I say about using the Royal Canterlot Voice in front of him? He's lost, alone, and scared out of his mind. The least you can do is make him feel welcome."
>You punctuate your berating with a swift apology to Anonymous
"I'm so sorry, dear. He means well, I'm sure."
>You steal a quick glance at Solaris letting him know you're disappointed in him
>"Ahem, yes. My apologies, Anonymous"
>You smirk, satisfied with his sincerity
>A weak "It's fine, mister" can be heard below you and you bring your attention back to the hyooman, giggling that he called your husband "mister"
>His head shoots up quickly, however, and he almost yells "Sir! I meant sir!
>Aww, the poor thing must be terrified. You know you would be if you were him, especially if your husband talked like that
>Standing up you begin the descent down to meet him up close
>He's a peculiar sight, truth be told. He's been cleaned up, but his clothes are still in shambles and they stink. His face is flat and he seems to only have hair on the top of his head.
>His eyes are also really small. How does he see with them? Oh, maybe he's partially blind?
>His eyes also convey worry.
>You stand in front of him and move to formally introduce yourself, but the sound of childish laughter fills your ears
>You are Anon. Again.
>You just called the King "mister" and now the Queen is walking towards you
>You really messed up. What if she's going to come and hit you, just like that mean stallion from the building?
>You briefly consider running, but seeing how you're exhausted and can't outrun quadrupeds you shoot that idea down immediately, opting to see what happens
>She gets in front of you and puts her hoof to her chest, then she stops
>You watch her ears ping around a little
>You barely suppress a giggle at the oddity of it
>Then you hear laughter, before it falls back into silence
>The Queen sighs and puts her hoof back down before shouting to no-one in particular "Alright, you two, come on out from your hiding place. It's not nice to spy on others."
>You look to her confused as to who she's talking to but are answered when two small ponies burst out from behind a curtain
>One has a white coat with a cotton candy pink mane, the other has a light blue coat with a baby blue mane
>Your investigation is cut short when the white one speaks up
>"What's that, mom?"
>You unconsciously take a step back from her and look away
>"Celestia! That is no way to speak to a guest! Apologize to Anonymous this instant!"
>You hear the anger in Lumina's voice and take another step back
>And another
>And another
>You feel something soft touch your back and you turn around to see Gleaming Shield looking at you with that soft expression of compassion
>You wrap your arms around her neck and try to hide behind her, burying your face into her withers
>Briefly registering her hoof placed onto your back
>You don't want to be here
>You just want to go back home
>You want to see your mom again
>You want to see your friends and family
>It's too much for you
>You start crying
>You try to keep your sobs down in volume but everyone knows what's happening
>As your tears soak into her coat, Gleaming Shield sits down, and by extension, you go down.
>She pries your arms off with her magic, turns to face you, and places your arms back
>So here you are
>On your knees crying in front of Royalty, miles away from home with no way to get back
>You don't care anymore
>You continue to sob into her neck while she rubs your back, whispering in your ear that everything's going to turn out alright
>You don't see Lumina tear up before turning to her daughters
>You don't see her tell Celestia to say she's sorry
>You don't see Celestia walk up to you with a somber face
>You do, however, feel her tiny hoof on your leg
>You ease your grip and look to the source of the pressure, shocked to see the white filly leaning on you
>She has one hoof cradled into her chest and the other supporting her. She also has a small frown adorning her visage, complete with sad eyes
>Before you can back away from her she speaks
>"I'm sorry, Anonymous. It was mean and I shouldn't have said it. Please forgive me."
>She looks genuinely sad that she made you upset
>You try to flash a small smile at her but it fails miserably
"It's okay." your response is barley above a whisper as you put your cheek back into Gleaming Shield's neck
>With a small smile Celestia walks back to her mother
 
>You are Celestia and you can't believe you just made somepony cry! Granted, he's not a pony but still!
>As you walk back to your mom you can't help but ask about him
"Mom, where did he come from? I've never seen anything like him anywhere. Not even my books!"
>You speak in a hushed tone, so you don't upset Anonymous further
>1 minute later and you have the rundown about him
>You look over to where he's at. He's in the same position, holding the commander as she rubs his back. It's such a sad sight, you can't stand it.
"If he doesn't have a place to go, can he stay here with us?"
>Your mom isn't even surprised by your proposition. She wears a soft smile, almost like she expected it
>"Of course he can. He won't be safe on the streets if ponies almost bought him"
>You almost squeal in excitement but settle for a squee instead
>You rush over to Luna, who had long since been by your dad, to tell her the good news
"Lulu! Mom said Anonymous can stay with us here in the castle!"
>You don't catch your dad's shocked expression
"You know what that means?"
>You wait a second for what you said to sink into her head. She's a little slow sometimes
>Your smile intensifies when her eyes go wide and you both huddle up and squeal "New tea party friend!"
 
>You are Anon and you're getting sick of the author's shit with the perspective switching
>You've been listening to Gleaming Shield talk for the past 2 minutes about all sorts of things
>Mainly they centered around finding you a place to live, and by that, you meant someone that would take you in essentially adopting you
>You didn't like the prospect. You're still hoping you're in a really weird dream and you'll wake up at any time; though that hope has been slowly diminishing from day 2 in the cage
>You felt like you were forsaking your family by thinking of living with someone else. It's not fair, you're only 10. Nobody should have to make such a decision at such a young age.
>Your concentration is broken by two shrill squeals of excitement, followed by the thrumming of small hooves on the ground
>You finally break off your embrace with Gleaming Shield only to be tackled by two fillies
>Oh no the beatings are coming
>You instinctively ball yourself up and put your arms over your face, protecting as much as you can as you feel something banging into you
>After a moment you realize the banging doesn't hurt and you uncover your face to see two smiling fillies
>You also realize it wasn't banging, it was jumping. They were jumping on you speaking a mile a minute
>Though it was too fast for your ears you manage to catch "us..castle..ours..tea"
>You are more confused than a pear on an apple tree
"W-what?"
>Lumina interrupts before they can respond
>"Now girls, you still need to ask him. You can't force him to stay."
>They deflate a little and look at you with expectant eyes
>If you weren't confused a second ago, you are now
>Force you to stay?
>In your puzzled mind you manage to form a sentence
"Ask me what?"
>The excitable filly known as Celestia practically jumps in your face, but you don't have time to back up before she starts talking
>"Mommy said that you can stay here and live with us in the castle!"
>What?
>Live with them in the castle? Are they serious? Why would they offer that to someone they just met?
"Live with you..in the castle..?"
>Your face is one of shock and hopefulness. Maybe you can get help back home from the ponies here! After all there's got to be a lot of unicorns here! Plus they seem to genuinely care about you.
>What about Gleaming Shield? Would it be right to just up and leave the one who's been helping you so much?
>You look back to her and she seems to be encouraging you, leaning forward with a smile on her face
>You look back to Lumina and see she's looking at you with hope in her eyes
>Why does she want you to live here so badly? Why are you even thinking this hard about it?
"Okay, if you want.." you're trying not to sound too eager
>The two fillies give out a loud "Yay!" and hug your midsection
>You gasp and freeze up, ready for something to hurt, but no pain is experienced, only the soft fur of two ponies is felt through the various holes in your shirt
>You smile, maybe everything was going to turn out alright
>You hear Lumina's voice ring out above the joyous chatter between the two fillies "First thing's first, we'll prepare a room for you. Your job is to go to the tailor and get new clothes made for you." she stops with a smile
"B-but I don't have any money.."
>Your response is a lighthearted chuckle
>"Don't worry about money, Anonymous. We'll handle everything."
>You don't argue
>You and Gleaming Shield are walking around. She's leading you to your new room.
>You had spent the last 3 hours doing nothing as the tailor made you new clothes
>It was a boring and awkward process, but you weren't complaining. With the way the ponies here were treating you, you don't think you'll complain ever again
>You're donning a new outfit, slightly reminiscent of your torn up clothes
>Gleaming Shield is carrying the rest of your clothes in her magic
>You'd tried to carry them yourself but she insisted
>You didn't press, really. You just wanted to get to sleep, the day having taken its toll on you
>You finally notice the increased number of guards here when they start saluting the mare next to you. You don't have long to question why there's so many, either
>She turns almost abruptly so you're both standing in front of two solid wooden doors. You can hear voices on the other side
>You turn to her, a questioning look on your face, but she simply nods and gestures you forwards
>Taking the door handle, you begin to twist
>As soon as you do the voices stop. Should you be worried?
>Opening the door all the way reveals the King and Queen themselves along with Celestia and Luna, as you found her name to be, staring at you with anticipation
"Uh, hi.." is all you can muster, which gets a giggle from all the ponies in the room
>Celestia is the first to speak up
>"Well, what do you think? It's even right next to our rooms so we can play all the time!"
>Luna's smile has been slowly getting bigger while Celestia was talking, and at the same time they both start jumping in place shouting "And we can have Tea Parties!"
>You're not looking forward to that last bit, but you smile all the same
>Looking around the room, you see there's quite a bit of stuff in it
>Directly to your right there's a really big bed with the front if it up against the wall between the hallway and the room
>Next to that there's two nightstands on either side of it, plus a dresser on the side closest to the door
>South of the bed there's a large glass double door that leads out to a balcony overlooking the city
>To your left there's one of those desk things that adults use set into the far corner of the room with a comfy looking chair pushed into it
>There's a door fairly close to the desk that leads into a tiled room you can only assume is the bathroom
>You smile
>They did all this for you, even though they know little to nothing about you
>You feel a surge of unknown emotion and you feel tears threaten to spill over
>You're confused, because you're not sad. Quite the opposite, really.
>You rush over to Lumina and wrap your arms around her leg, mumbling how grateful you are. You also thank Solaris for allowing you to live here
>Before you know it, the sun begins to descend behind the distant mountains and they begin to take their leave
>"Well, Anonymous, I believe it's time we left you to sleep. I believe we'll have time to talk at a later date," her father says, shuffling everyone out "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Sir."
>You almost failed to notice Gleaming Shield standing near the doorway until she saluted the King on his way out
>She walked over to you and pulled you into yet another hug
>"I'm happy for you, Anon." You could feel her smile "You'll love it here, I'm sure. I'll try to stop by whenever I can, but I'm a very busy mare."
>You nod into her showing you understand
>"Goodnight, Anon. Sleep well."
"Goodnight.. and thanks.. for everything."
>She acknowledges you with a smirk then heads out the door, closing it behind her
>You're too tired to think much past how to walk, so you head to your new bed and crawl under the covers. Sleep comes in a matter of seconds.