>The fact that your arrival in San Jacinto is anticipated by the adversary takes off a certain amount of pressure.
>In theory, you can just rent a vehicle and drive there now, but there is no particular reason to arrive early.
>You still make good time, but now you travel by day and sleep at night.  Needless to say, Celestia is a morning pony by nature.
>While Celestia sets magic perimeter alarms, you still swap off guard duty every few hours, but nothing unusual happens.
>Oregon passes in a beautiful blur, and after crossing into California, you decide the authorities probably aren't looking for you very hard.
>You're just another missing person, and an abandoned crashed car and a mysterious house fire aren't enough for a BOLO.
>The evening after crossing the border, you decide it's time to max out the plastic.
>First, you pay back Bob.
>Then, you buy up all kinds of luxury camping equipment, from self heating meals to a better blanket to a small chemical stove.
>Finally, you stop at a local Italian restaurant and get takeout.  Polenta pasticciata, tricolor salad, tiramisu, a half-dozen miniature cheesecakes of different flavors, and a magnum of cabernet sauvignon.
>Do ponies drink wine?  Probably, if they're princesses, you guess.
>You know she eats prodigious amounts of cake.
>She is pleased when you return with the food.
>"It looks. . ."
"Fit for a Princess?"
>"Exactly what I was going to say."
"Do ponies drink wine?"
>"Well, I do."
"Oh, no.  I forgot a corkscrew."
>Celestia pops the cork with her magic and places it top up in a shallow part of the stream, enough to cool down a bit while you get ready to eat.
>You heat the polenta on a small chemical stove, while eating the salad.
"I'm not really sure about the wine, I asked the waiter for a recommendation.  I do know California has a good reputation for cabernet sauvignon, though."
>Hungry from a day of travel, Celestia makes short work of the salad.
 
>You move on to the polenta, although you can tell Celestia is already eyeing the cakes greedily.
>You find it endearing that she can be so regal one moment and like a child with a cookie jar the next.
>The wine having chilled sufficiently, you decide to give it a try, realizing you forgot to get any glasses, not that they would have been terribly practical.
"I suppose you have some magic for this, too?"
>You actually like just watching her do it.
>First, she creates a large shimmering decanter that looks much like glass, but glows internally.
>Then, two glasses made of a similar substance.
>Then, she pours the bottle into the decanter and from it, into the two virtual goblets.
>She looks like she has done this before.
>The water had called it a nice table wine.  You think that means it's okay if you drink it by the goblet full, so you go ahead and do just that, then pour another for both of you.
>Apparently, you can lift up the magical decanter.
>As delicious as the main course was, you know she's been waiting for dessert, and you start with tiramisu, those wonderful little espresso-soaked ladyfingers.
>Interestingly, she hasn't had tiramisu before, which probably means it doesn't exist in Equestria.
>She says the cheesecake is like "Manehattan style cheesecake," similar to New York cheesecake in that it is baked, sometimes twice.
>It is also edible by a princess in mere seconds, if she doesn't mind her muzzle looking like she stuck it in a cake bomb.
>Already about full, you still manage to get as much as you need, finishing with more wine.
>Finally, tired from the day, you turn in, sleeping as peacefully as you can.
>Celestia renders your campsite inconspicuous and you cuddle together even though the night isn't cold.
>Your discussion pre-sleep is mostly half-coherent comparisons of similar regions in your worlds.
>For instance, you learn there is actually a place called "Cowlifornia" in Equestria.
>Was someone kidding when they invented these names?
 
>As usual, Celestia wakes up before you predawn, and you wake to the smell of coffee.
>Leftovers, including cheesecake and polenta, make a quick breakfast.
>The dawn is dim and the sky is dark, with muffled, distant thunder and a drizzle of cold rain.
>Celestia seems unhappy.  Even here, where it is not her duty, she feels obligated to attend to the sun, and is displeased that she cannot see it rise.
>While Celestia's anti-weather cantrip holds and keeps off the rain, and maintains warmth, the black clouds fill you with foreboding about today.
>Still, there is nothing overtly wrong, and the leftovers and coffee fill you up and warm you.  
>Celestia nuzzles your face, then gestures with her horn toward the trail.
>It is time to hit the road again.
>You quickly strike the campsite, repackage the remaining leftovers, and bag the trash for disposal.
>After disposing of it at the first chance, you walk beside Celestia, who does not seem in much of a hurry.
"What's up?  You seem kind of, I don't know, pensive."
>She seems to sniff the air, and flicks her tail as if at a fly.
>"Something's wrong.  Usually, I can tell when something bad is going to happen, but even here, I don't have a good feeling."
>You nod in agreement.
>The day passes at a slow pace, without any riding.  Going faster would just expose you to more wind and drizzle, and you are in no hurry.
>It is almost as if you are waiting for something, as you walk quietly without words spoken.
>As late afternoon fades into evening, the chill deepens, and the rain intensifies, now soaking into your coat.
>Still on edge, you pitch a camp, and Celestia again conceals your location and, comfortingly, puts up her anti-weather shield.
>You heat up the last of the leftovers and are finishing them off when a snapping of twigs suddenly alerts you.
>As you start suddenly, the sound stops, as if whoever made it is now standing still.
"Who's there?"
>"It's me.  Randall."
>Randall steps into sight, his hands in view.
 
>Randall looks somewhat more ragged than he did the last and only time you saw him, with a large bruise on his forehead, extending back into the hairline.
"Stay back and explain your business."
>"I have to have the device back.  Everything depends on it."
>Celestia remains silent, but watches closely.
"First, explain what happened to you.  Someone obviously got to you."
>"Okay.  Nishimura's goons got me.  They tortured me.  There's been a change of plans."
"Slow down and be clear.  What do you mean?"
>"I told them about my work.  Nishimura is moving up the timetable and only I can do what needs to be done to the device."
>You look over at Celestia and raise an inquiring eyebrow.  
>Her expression tells you what you need to know.  She is not believing this either.
>"Where is it?  I need it.  Now."
"I don't think that is happening any time soon.  If it goes, it goes with us."
>"But you don't understand!  Everything is doomed if the portal is opened now!"
"That may be the case, but we don't trust you."
>Celestia nods.
"Also, if you were captured, then how are you here now?  How did you escape?"
>Randall looks impatient, and stops to think.
>"Nishimura had to sleep, and I guess he isn't good at tying knots.  Anyway, I slipped out of them and ran."
"And it took you that long to remember that?"
>"I got hit on the head.  I'm not thinking straight."
"You're definitely not thinking straight if you think we're letting that device out of our sight for even a minute."
>"I swear I'm telling the truth."
"No.  You're lying.  Nothing you're saying makes the least bit of sense."
>"Look, just give me that back, and I'll be on my way.  You wouldn't even have it if not for me."
>Celestia seems to have reached a decision.
>"It should be very clear to you by now that the answer is no.  We will hurry to the location, but you are not welcome to travel with us."
>Randall's expression is suddenly one of rage.
>"Do you think you can order me around, you ridiculous horse?"
 
>Celestia says "You are not the man, Randall, who I spoke to before.  He was a trembling coward, yet you speak without fear."
>Randall, or his doppelganger, laughs.
>"Do you take me for an idiot?" asks Celestia.
>"I don't take you for anything, but I suppose there's no need for this ruse any more."
>Randall's face fades, and behind the illusion is what appears at first to be an elderly Japanese man in a tweed jacket.
>However, there is a hard, feral look in his expression, and a green glint in his eyes.
>Nishimura says "You have something that belongs to me."
>You stand between Nishimura and Celestia, hand at your holster.
"Stand back, Nishimura."
>"You think I'm that fool?  The fool who thought he could contain me?  Call off your dog, Celestia."
>Celestia speaks calmly, but her voice is shatteringly loud, as you have never heard it before:
>"You may not be Nishimura, but you are a fool if you believe what you are doing will have any result but disaster."
>Nishimura steps toward you, ignoring your gun.
"I said stand back, Nishimura."
>"You realize she's just using you, don't you?  Eventually, she will have no use for you any more, and then what will become of you?"
>You raise the gun and aim directly at Nishimura.  
"Shut your trap and stand back."
>He keeps walking toward you, but more slowly.
>"Let's dispense with formalities, shall we, Celestia?  You know very well who I am, and when we last met.  Now give me back my device."
>Celestia glares at Nishimura.  "We will never give you the device."
>Nishimura sneers.  "I guess I'll have to take it then."  Then he gestures, and you realize too late that you have been ambushed.
>No sooner does he say it, before you can whirl around to face your assailant, a blow to your head sends stars shooting through your field of vision.
>You hear Celestia struggling in the background, shouting:  "You fool!  You don't know what you're doing."
>Then another blow to your head sends you reeling into unconsciousness.
 
>Your head is pounding as you wake up in a panic in darkness, the last you remember a solid whack on the back of the skull.
>Celestia struggles in her bonds, and you notice a wrought iron ring, antique in appearance, over her horn as well.  Quickly, but gently, you pull it off.  It is cold to the touch.
>As soon as it is removed, the ropes fly from her, knots unraveling in an angry red glow.
>"I'm sorry," she says.  "I let my guard down."
"What are we going to do now?"
>"We have to get to the portal immediately.  If that. . .person does what he wants, it will be too late to undo.  Get on my back.  Now."
>In an instant, Celestia takes flight, leaving saddlebags and gear behind.
>She spirals up into the night.  Instead of staying to uninhabited areas, she is flying directly toward a nearby mountain dotted with radio and television antennas.
>From the air, she extends her magical absorption, and sparks shower from each tower as she drains it.
>After this, she takes off at astounding speed.  You can simply hold on tight, and hope she is protecting you from the blinding wind that batters your face, forcing you to embrace her tightly, face down.
>With no effort at stealth, she appears to be flying straight toward the destination, directly overhead inhabited areas and only deviating to avoid buildings.
>A number of times in the next few minutes, she once again darts toward high tension wires, antennas, and even factories, leaving darkened, sparking, ruined objects in her wake.
>You find yourself finally flying straight through a small town, dark and only visible by the light of the moon.
>Soon past it, Celestia's wild flight continues in a straight line toward an eerie green glow on the horizon.
>Celestia wheels about in a semi-circle, as if in reconnaissance, and you look down as well, as her flight slows.
>Nishimura stands before a glowing, rectangular opening in empty space, Randall bound and gagged beside him.
>Celestia dives straight down, shouting "HALT!"
 
>Be Twilight.  You have been unable to contact Celestia again, but you have the location of the portal under watch.
>What you see is disturbing you.
>One creature, a human you believe, has another tied up and unconscious at the location of the portal, and is apparently intelligent.
>The human has a number of what appear to be scientific devices, some familiar, almost like ones you have seen in Canterlot's museums.
>The one that appears most significant is a cylindrical object with a dangerous appearance, glowing balefully.
>The other human has a cut on its head that looks like it had bled copiously, but the blood on its face was dry.
>The time for the portal opening was, according to prediction, several days away, but someone was there doing something already.
>You call everyone together, even Discord, since unicorn magic simply did not easily penetrate the other side.
>Discord, more subdued than usual, seemed at least to be taking the proceedings seriously when you asked if he had any relevant magic.
>"The Element of Magic is asking me for help?  And what sort of help would that be?"
"There's no magic over on the other side, but there's certainly chaos."
>"Chaos certainly has that over plain old dull, goody two-shoes magic."
>As if out of nowhere, Celestia appears from the sky, landing in the clearing.  She has one of the strange creatures on her back.
>The creature appears to be friendly with her, as it draws a blade from its back and approaches the other human.
>The other human is walking toward a larger machine with the cylindrical device, with a thick black cable in his other hand.
>The machine appears to have a place in which to insert the device.
"What can you do, Discord?"
>"Not much, actually.  But one thing they might call chaos is luck.  Perhaps those two just need a lucky break."
>Discord snaps his fingers.
 
>Be Anon.
>Suddenly, you hear a loud snap.
>This startles Dr. Nishimura, who stumbles, dropping the device on the ground in front of him.
 
 
>The stumble gives you time to reach the device, kicking it behind you to Celestia like a football and interposing yourself between yourself and her.
"What now, you bastard?"
>Dr. Nishimura laughs, and with a gloved hand, pushes the high voltage cable at you.  You reflexively throw out your hand to defend yourself.
>Celestia cries "No," grabbing the cable away from you and drawing power for it.
>The device hangs in midair as Celestia and Nishimura fight for control of it.
>You watch, lying in shock.  You smell charred flesh and the only mercy is your right arm is completely numb.
>Nerve damage, you think.  Third degree burns.
>Finally, something snaps, and Celestia gains control over the device, hurling it toward the portal where it impacts with a blinding, shatteringly loud crash.
>Overcome by her final effort, she collapses, her head to the ground.
>Light bursts from the portal, and as it hits the dark forms, they dissolve like fog in bright sunlight.
>Dr. Nishimura seems to shrink in the radiance, suddenly no longer standing tall but hunched like the old man he is.
>However, the portal is closing, for good if what the two of you did worked.
>Barely conscious, you crawl over to Celestia, where she lies, her eyes closed, crumpled like a dishrag on the ground.
>Putting your head to her chest, you hear a heartbeat, not the strong, slow heartbeat you have heard before, but a feeble fluttering.
>Celestia has to return home to finish the job.
>With a final herculean effort, crawling, you force Celestia's prone, unconscious body through the rapidly narrowing portal and thrash through yourself.
>Only the top half of you makes it through, though.
>You were pretty sure you were already fatally injured before even this.
>You look over at Celestia and are briefly horrified to see her white coat doused in blood, before you realize it's only your own.
>Can this really be the end?  Your last thought is
"I love you, Celestia."
>Then the blackness comes crashing down.
 
 
>The darkness lasts you know not how long before it lifts, but slowly, you feel awareness returning.
>You feel no pain.
>You feel very little at all, cocooned in a shroud of numbness.
>For these moments, the pain and fear that were your last emotions are a distant and vague memory.
>Consciousness slowly returns, rising up from the darkness like a swimmer breaking the surface of the water.
>You are suddenly aware of bright light on your face, and of the fact that your eyes are closed.
>Red light comes through them, like bright sunlight.
>Trying to take things slowly, you open your eyes, only to be dazzled into near blindness by the glare of the Sun.
>You are in a white room, lying on a soft bed, looking down at white sheets.
>Each wall you can see has windows regularly placed, three on each side, and out the windows, you see clouds, white and puffy like cotton.
>Through the glare, you can see distant white figures, flying like angels.
>Your last moments come back to you.
>There was no way you could have survived the injuries, yet you feel fine, even euphoric.
>This must be heaven.
>Lacking any energy or desire to do anything, you slip back into unconsciousness, but instead of a place of darkness and fear, you find yourself enveloped in peace and bliss.
>You wake again briefly to see the clouds dyed red and pink, from a sunset you can't see.
>Slowly, the last light of dusk fades, and you watch the Moon rise, bigger and brighter than you have ever seen it.
>You watch silently as it rises above the frame of the window and darkness falls, you falling asleep again with it.
>Finally, you find yourself fully awake in the dawn.
>You look to your side and see you are not alone.
>Celestia is in the room with you, standing at the foot of the bed and looking down at you, the Sun lighting her from behind like a halo.
"Celestia!"
>Celestia beams.  "You're awake!"
>You remember the last time you saw her.
"Did I die?"
>Solemnly, Celestia nods yes.
 
"So if I'm dead, is this Heaven?"
>"You died, but you're not dead now."
>Seeing your confusion, Celestia explains.
>"I'm sorry.  Your body was too damaged to save.  If I'd pulled you back, you would have just immediately died again.  So I transformed it into one that could survive."
>Suddenly, you notice that you have been looking down a white muzzle instead of your nose.
>You try to toss the blanket aside to look at yourself, but you feel clumsy, as if your hands are in stiff oven mitts.
>"Hold still and try to stay calm.  I'll do that for you."
>Celestia pulls the blanket down with her magic and levitates a mirror to you.
>You feel as if you should be shocked, but remain calm as the reflection looking back at you is that of a white pony with a golden mane.
>The bed has semicircular indentations on each side to accommodate what look like wings.  Celestia turns the mirror downward.
>As Celestia has a mark in the shape of her Sun on each flank, you notice a mark shaped like a shield.
>"Now relax and just try to stand.  I specially melded your mind and body, so it should come like instinct."
>Celestia gently turns you over and places you on the floor, feet downward.  Just standing is easy.  It feels like standing on two feet, somehow, but just on four.  Four hooves.
>You pull up your right forehoof and hit the floor with it, with a satisfying clop.
>Celestia appears to be about a half a head taller than you, if your perspective is right.
>Suddenly, a small white mare in a nurse's uniform appears beside you.  "Do you think he should be walking, Your Highness?"
>"There's no reason he shouldn't.  He should be in perfect health."
"I feel healthy as a horse.  I mean -- actually, that's exactly what I mean."
>Celestia opens a window that from a standing position you can see extends all the way to the floor.  Outside, you see clouds coming up to the base of the window.  Celestia walks out and onto the cloud surface.
>"Follow me."
"Won't I fall through?"
>"No."
 
>Gingerly, you put a forehoof on the cloud outside the window.  It feels solid, but soft, conforming to its cotton-like appearance.
>You step out onto the cloud, and from here, you can see other buildings, most of them palatial in a neoclassical style, some with rainbow fountains and other unearthly ornamentation.
>Other pegasi fly through the air or walk on the clouds.
"It certainly looks like heaven."
>"It's Cloudsdale."
>You experimentally spread your wings.  Unlike your legs, which felt like somewhat different hands and feet, wings were entirely novel.
"Do these things work?"
>"Of course.  You'll need some training first, but they're
"I hate to seem ungrateful, but what now?"
>"I'm the one who should be grateful.  You saved my life and two worlds, at the expense of your own.  You can do whatever you want."
>She pauses.
>"But I would be absolutely delighted if you would stay on as the captain of my personal security detail."
"I'm not sure how to do that."
>"To protect me?  You have shown you are entirely capable of that.  Whatever your decision, I'm having you knighted."
>You think back to your life on Earth and how when a child you used to dream of being a knight.  Of course, back then, you imagined yourself riding a white horse, not being one.
>"And to be truthful, I really want to have you around.  Just think about it."
"I don't have to think about it."
>Seeing Celestia look disappointed, you continue.
"The answer is yes.  Did you think I could ever say no to you?"  
>Celestia's face brightens with a smile.
"But one question."
>"Yes?"
"Why a pegasus?"
>"I don't know enough about the human body to make one that could live, and had seconds to work.  So I created one from memory."
"So I'm a copy?"
>"Only physically."
"Of a specific pony?"
>"Yes."
"Who?"
>Celestia sighs.
>"A knight who I once knew.  Very well."
>You promise yourself to explore this line of inquiry later.
>For now, though, you have a new world to explore and a new life to live.
 
EPILOGUE
 
>The years pass pleasantly but uneventfully.
>At first, ponies in the Guard resent your arrival.
>Introduced as related to nobility in a neighboring kingdom, you still seem out of place.
>You feel inadequate at first, but the only things that give you real trouble are little things.  Who sits where at formal gatherings, how to ask a unicorn to pass the tea, and so on.
>You never get used to the "Sir" thing and insist it not be used except at formal gatherings.
>Your friendship with Princess Celestia deepens from mutual respect to something more, but you both seem reticent to discuss it, or change what has become so comfortable.
>Celestia's protégé Twilight Sparkle, that is, Princess Twilight Sparkle, who seems equally annoyed by formalities, has helped you a lot with adjusting to this new world.
>She has also researched how you might return to Earth and whether you could ever return to your original form.
>The answers are intertwined.  You would need an intact, living human as a template for generating a human body, and this would require a portal to Earth.
>At first, you are somewhat distressed that opening a portal would basically undo what you gave your life to achieve and, again, endanger both worlds.
>You can wait.
>You rapidly become used to your new career, though, and are better at it than you thought you would be.
>Your reforms to the Royal Guard are, at first, resented.  Career officers and guards are infuriated to be forced to do training exercises as if an actual military.
>However, when one of your units routs a Diamond Dog raiding party at the border, apparently the first victory the Royal Guard has had in over a century, you are suddenly popular.
>Tonight, after the celebration, you again escort Celestia to her chambers as you often do.
"I was thinking."
>"Yes?"
"Why don't we go out and have a night picnic, like we used to?"
>She knows you're asking more than that, because she thinks before answering.
>"I'd be delighted."