An endless void is where you find yourself continually falling, with every atom in your body wanting to split in a thousand directions as you pass through the barriers beyond time and space.
Yet, you feel no pain. You're no longer certain if you've been here for several seconds, or several years, nor do you remember how you even got here.
What you do feel, however, is a new thought creeping into your conscience; one that is not your own.

"Where do you wish to go?" Is the thought that enters your mind.
"The past? The present? The future? Or perhaps the reality that the Dark One rules...?" It continues.

"I want to see that reality." You attempt to say. Though you're certain that you said the words, you cannot hear yourself speak.
"Oh? How interesting. Very well, to there you shall go." The thought rings through your mind once more.
Wisps of light in every shade of grey begin to form in the darkness, flowing past you with great speed as they do so.
The wisps increase in number until they appear as one solid mass of swirling, unknown energy around you, forcing you to shield your eyes from the intense light.
A sound that grows into a deafening roar fills your mind, soon followed by the immense feeling of gravity pulling against your body.
Soon enough, these sensations come to an abrupt halt as darkness envelops your vision once more.
...
You hear the sound of waves crashing against a beach, along with the smell of the ocean filling your nose.

Opening your eyes, you find yourself staring up at a clear night sky. Many stars shine brightly overhead, as does the full moon.
Examining the moon more carefully, you find it to have the unusual appearance of what looks to be a unicorns head on its surface.
Turning your attention to your surroundings, you notice that you appear to be laying down in a small crater of sorts.
The crinkling and crackling of glass can be heard as you turn over to stand up. Looking closer, the crater appears to be made of what looks like melted glass.
Feeling confused, you stand up to try and figure out what has happened to you, with the sound of glass crunching under your boots as you do so.
Looking around, the sight of a moonlit beach is what greets you.
In one direction, the beach continues onward until it curves out of sight.
In the other direction, you can see a long distance down the beach, where you can barely make out what appear to be a few small lights in the distance.
The beach itself transitions into grassy slopes, which in turn transition into forest.
Turning your attention back out to the ocean, you find that it appears to stretch out as far as the eye can see, with no obvious islands that you happen to notice.

The first thing you decide to do is step out of the fragile glass crater and onto the soft beach sand.
Following that, you walk up to where the grass begins, in order to have a more solid walking surface. Then, you begin walking towards the distant lights.
Thanks to the exceptionally bright full moon, you can see very well despite it being the middle of the night.
Additionally, the air is somewhat warm, which is something you're thankful for, seeing as how you're dressed lightly with only a simple T-shirt and work pants.
While walking down the beach, the troubling reality that you have no idea where you are begins to set in.
Even more troubling is the fact that you can't remember what you were doing prior to waking up here.
The earliest memories that you're able to recall are from what you think were two or three days ago, which were just more of the usual... Get up, drive to work, grind the nine-to-five and repeat.
You continue to ponder your memories as you walk along the beach, until you notice something that makes you stop.
Coming from the direction of the lights, you notice another set of lights appearing from around a small curve in the beach up ahead.
At first, you feel relieved, thinking that people have come to find you. The more you stare and begin to make out the silhouettes, however, the more a sense of fear begins to fill you as you realize that whatever is coming can't possibly be human.

You turn around and start walking back towards the crater, unsure of what you should do.
Looking over your shoulder briefly, you increase your pace to a jog in an effort to buy you more time to think.
You reason to yourself that whoever, or rather whatever is coming, was likely attracted by whatever sight or sound produced the crater that you woke up in.
But are they friendly? Or will they be hostile? Such thoughts cycle through your mind.
Upon returning to the crater, you stop and consider your options.
In the end, you decide to walk the relatively short distance to the forest's edge, where you hide behind a tree and some shrubbery to wait and observe whatever approaches.
While you wait and watch the flickering lights draw closer, you hear the screech of some sort of night bird or animal in the distance. Likely disturbed by the lights, you think to yourself.
You feel your heart rate begin to increase as you watch what you now recognize as a group with torches drawing closer.
Again you hear the screech of that animal, now slightly louder than before.
Several minutes later, the group draws close enough for you to determine that there are five individuals.
You notice that they all appear to be wearing something, walk on four legs, and almost look like... Horses?
Though they appear similar to one, you know that they're most definitely not. Besides the fact that they're clearly intelligent enough to use torches, they are much smaller than a normal horse as you know one.
The question also crosses your mind as to how an equine could even hold a torch. As the group draws ever closer, though, you notice the torches appear to be hovering in the air.
Magic? The very thought sends a chill down your spine as you suddenly feel even more insecure and out of place.
Your thoughts are interrupted when you suddenly hear a masculine sounding voice call out: "Look! Up ahead!"
Suddenly, the group of five break out into what you recognize as a horse's trot as they close in on the crater.
Peeking out from around a tree, you watch and listen intently as the five gather around the crater.
At this distance, you can recognize that all five are wearing some sort of dark armor.
"What happened here? Is this what we heard?" You faintly hear the same masculine voice say.
"Look! The sand here was melted into glass, as if a meteor fell, but..." You hear a feminine voice trail off.
"That's true, but there's no sign of any meteorite fragments, just this glass. What do you think, Shine?" A different feminine voice speaks up.
"I don't know, but it's defi-" The masculine voice begins to respond, before being cut off by the loud screech of the creature that you heard before.
...Except this time, it sounded off from somewhere in the pitch black tree canopy near your location, causing you to jump in surprise.
You watch in horror as the five all turn their attention to your general direction, prompting you to look through the gaps of the shrubbery instead of around the tree.
"Skree! Skreee!" You hear the loud creature call out again. You try and look up in order to see what it is, but you can only see the inky blackness above you.
Adrenaline courses through your body as you turn to observe the five again, only to find that they are now walking straight in your direction!
You know that you have to make a decision, and make one quick!

In the end, you decide to simply reveal yourself and hope that these creatures are friendly enough.
As the group draws near, you step out from your hiding position, causing the five to come to an immediate stop. At this distance, you can now clearly see that these creatures are equine-like.
"H-Hey there..." You stutter, betraying your own fearfulness.
"W-What the hay is that?!" One mare cries out in surprise.
"It speaks!" Another says
"Did you do this? Are... Are you the thing we saw?! D-D-Don't try anything funny! I won't think twice if y-" A younger sounding stallion begins to say before being cut off.
"Enough!!" Commands a stallion that is slightly larger than the others, the one you recognize as the first voice you heard.
You can clearly see that this one has a horn on his head, one that is glowing with a light blue colored aura.
This very same magical aura envelops a lit torch that floats next to him, seemingly confirming your suspicion of magic.
The others fall silent as the unicorn stallion cautiously approaches you, before coming to a stop several feet away from you.
"You don't seem dangerous... Yet. Who are you? What are you? And what are you doing here?" The stallion asks you.

"I... My name's Anonymous. I'm a human, and... I don't know what I'm doing here. Don't even know where I am, really. I just woke up in that thing." You answer as you point toward the crater.
"What?! You just.. woke up in that impact site? Impossible! How are not burnt to a crisp?" The stallion questions you.
"I don't know! Really! I can't remember what happened that caused me to end up here... It's like there's a blank spot in my memory." You respond.
The stallion remains silent for several seconds as he thinks about what you said, before letting out a loud snort through his nostrils.
"This is very troubling... Even if you're telling the truth, there's no way for us to determine if you pose a threat to Equestria or not." The stallion begins.
You watch as a length of rope covered in the same colored glow of the stallions magic begin to float towards you, causing you to take a step back.
"Easy now. We aren't going to hurt you, but you need to be placed under arrest until the Princess can see you. You can explain yourself more later." The stallion continues.
"Hold those hands out together, please." He requests as the rope draws closer to you.

"Okay..." You say as you submit yourself to the group.
Holding your hands out as requested, you watch in fascination as one end of the rope coils around your hands like some sort of serpent, before tying itself into a firm knot, locking your hands together.
The stallion begins taking up the slack of the rope until it almost begins to pull on you. "Come on now, let's go." He says as he gives the rope a gentle tug.
You comply as you begin walking back towards the beach, with the other four keeping you surrounded from a healthy distance as they follow along.
Once back at the sandy beach, you begin being led towards the direction that these strange equines came from.
An awkward silence falls over you while the other four equines study you, clearly curious, while you do your best to do the same.
Despite the contrast between the bright torches and the dark night making it difficult for you to see, you are able to determine that there are two other unicorns here, as there are two other torches being carried by magic.
Following slightly behind you are the two others who you can tell don't have horns.
One of them you can definitely tell looks feminine, but with the other you're not quite sure. You can make out that the other one has what you think are wings.
You continue to study each other as you walk until you are interrupted by a smaller, sixth equine suddenly landing close to you from the air, startling you in the process.
"Nice work finding him." You hear the mare behind you say.
"Thanks!" The new one responds in an almost squeaky voice, one that is clearly female.
Looking closer, you notice that this one has webbed wings, reminding you of a bat.
"You're really funny looking, Mister Anonymous! Kinda like a really scrawny Minotaur! Hehehe!" She says to you with a giggle.
"Where are you from? Why is your name so funny? Why are you so funny? Are... Are you a mister, or a miss? Are y-" She continues before being interrupted.
"That's enough, Weaver. We'll have plenty of time to ask questions when we get back home, where we can also write anything important down at the same time." The lead stallion guiding you along says.
"Aww, okay..." She says as silence returns to the group.
"Mister is correct." You decide to answer a couple minutes later, prompting the mare to look at you with a smile.
"My name's Meadow Weaver, I'm a Bat Pony! Nice to meet you, Mister Anonymous!" She cheerfully says.
"Nice to meet you too... Is that what you all are? Ponies?" You ask.
"Huh? You didn't even know that...?" Meadow Weaver questions.
"There will be plenty of time to answer questions of your own once we arrive at our destination, Anonymous. Please be patient." The lead stallion says.

"Aww..." Meadow Weaver complains as she looks at you with disappointment clearly in her eyes.
You give her a sympathetic look and a light nod, which seems to cheer the curious mare up a little.
The walk down the beach that follows is largely uneventful until you reach the small curve that the group first appeared from.
As you round the curve, you immediately see what the source of the distant lights that you first saw upon rising from the glass crater were.
A few hundred feet down the beach in front of you is a quaint little town or village perched on top of a small hill above the coastline.
Even from here you can tell that the buildings look old-fashioned and rustic, with warm light coming from the windows of most.
Down by the water are a couple docks where you see a few small ships in the moonlight, along with an odd shack or two that are also lit from the inside.
Eventually as you begin to draw near to the town, the lead stallion changes direction onto a dirt road leading up the grassy slopes towards the hill it rests on.
"We're going to enter the guardhouse nice and easy now, okay? I don't want you to create trouble and cause a big commotion." The lead stallion says to you as he looks over his shoulder.
"Understood." You respond.
As you approach the town, you happen to notice a few ponies that were out in the open galloping towards their homes or other buildings.
You notice figures appearing in the lit windows, and even a few wooden shutters closing.
Looking around you as you begin to pass by various buildings, you feel like you've stepped into a ghost town.
Soon enough, you arrive at a rectangular building that is somewhat larger than the rest, which isn't saying much considering most of them are surprisingly small in your eyes.
"Here we are. Please step inside." The lead stallion says as he opens the door, revealing a well lit interior. He extinguishes his torch and places it in a metal holder by the door before heading inside.
You do as you're told and follow his lead, nearly needing to duck under the doorway.
Stepping into the main room of the supposed guardhouse, you find it to be simply furnished. Though you don't have much time to look, as you're being led elsewhere.
Coming to a stop at a corner on the left side of the building, you find yourself staring at the unmistakable iron bars of a jail cell.
After opening the cell door, the stallion gestures you inside with the motion of a forehoof, which you obey.
Once you're inside and the cell door is locked, you watch as the rope tied around your wrists is magically untied, before being retracted through the bars of the cell door into a neatly wound coil.
"I'm sorry, but this has to be done to ensure the safety of everypony here. Try and make yourself comfortable, I'll be back to speak with you soon." The stallion says before departing out of sight.
Now alone in the jail cell, you ponder what to do next as you begin to faintly hear conversation taking place back in the main room.

With nothing else to do, you turn around and begin to examine the cell you're being held in.
As for the cell itself, it appears to be constructed with a simple stone floor, reminding you of cobblestone, with the walls being formed from roughly shaped stone blocks.
The first thing you immediately notice is a short, barred window, which conveniently is at about head height for you.
The second is what appears to be a simple wooden folding privacy screen, blocking your view of the rest of the cell.
Walking around the wooden screen, you find a simple wooden bench built up against a corner of the cell, and finally what appears to be some sort of squat toilet.
Having seen everything there is to see in your cell, you decide to go and look out the barred window.
Looking out into the moonlit surroundings of the town, you notice that you have a good view of what you assume is a small home, which is almost directly in front of you, and not very far away.
Faint warm light escapes from the curtain covered windows of the home, though beyond that you cannot see anything interesting.
Adjusting your position to look as far to the left as you can, you notice that a small crowd of ponies has gathered in front of the guardhouse, who all appear to be speaking to one of the ponies wearing armor.
Despite the fact that you cannot hear what is being said outside, you can see that they all appear to be worried, with several waving their forehooves around as they speak.
Besides that, the only other things you can see nearby are a few trees and several patches of shrubs.
Your thoughts and observations are interrupted, however, when you hear the raising of voices coming from the main room.

Walking back over, you lean against the bars of the cell door and tilt your head, making an effort to hear as much of the conversation as you can.
"-sn't negotiable! We can't just allow everypony to waltz in here and observe the... the human like it's some sort of exhibition." You hear the voice of the lead stallion from before.
"I know that he doesn't seem dangerous; I agree. But we can't drop our guard. We don't know what sort of magical powers he may posses, or if he's connected to the Illuminators." He continues.
"Do you understand? That's why I need you two to join in helping disperse the crowd outside away from here. It's for their safety. That's an order!" He concludes.
"Yes, Captain!" You hear two voices say in unison, before the sound of a door opening and closing is heard.
A pause of silence fills the air, which is broken by the sound of a heavy sigh.
"What a headache... Quite an eventful day for this sleepy little town, isn't it? Weaver, please come over here. You have an important mission." The lead stallion says, who you just learned is apparently a captain.
You hear the sound of gentle hoofsteps on the wooden floor moving a short distance before stopping. "Ooohh, what is it?" You hear Meadow Weaver say.
"Once I finish writing this letter, I need you to immediately fly south to Sea Saddle Bay and deliver it to their guardhouse; make sure it gets into Captain Trotter's hooves." The Captain says.
"When you do that, tell them that it needs to be magically forwarded immediately, direct to the Princess, emergency priority." He adds
"I know the Princess needs to be involved, but...! What's going to happen to An.. Anoo... Anooner... Mister Human?" Meadow Weaver asks with concern clearly in her voice.
"She will be able to determine better than anypony else if he is a threat to Equestria or not." The Captain answers.
"B-But... Won't he be banished even if he isn't a threat? You know the law." Meadow Weaver questions.
A long, drawn out pause fills the room, making you begin to feel uncomfortable over the things you're hearing.
"I... I don't know, Weaver. I'm well aware of the law, but you know as well as I do that there are exceptions made. If he's the only one of his kind here, he may be allowed to stay." The Captain says.
"Oh... I hope he doesn't get banished... He seems nice." Meadow Weaver says.
"Only time will tell. You understand why this needs to be done though, right? Can I trust you to deliver this message?" The Captain asks.
"Yes, Captain." Meadow Weaver answers.
"Good. Go get your saddlebags ready, then quickly eat and drink as much as you need to." The Captain orders.
"Okay." Meadow Weaver says, followed by the sound of hoofsteps moving away, then the sound of a door opening and closing.
Left alone in silence, your thoughts run wild as the threat of banishment and whatever that entails occupy your mind. You don't know what's going on, but it's not sounding good.
Several minutes later, in an effort to distract yourself, you decide to walk back over to the window.
Peering out from it, the only ponies that you can still see are three guards wearing armor, evidently successful in their efforts to disperse the crowd.
You continue to stare out the window until you hear a conversation once again taking place. By the time you move back to the cell door, however, all you hear is the sound of a door closing.
A few seconds later, the sound of hoofsteps grows louder, prompting you to take a few steps back.
The guard captain steps into sight, looking up at you as he comes to a stop a few feet away from the cell door.
"Well... I assume you heard most of that?" The captain asks you.

"Yeah. Some of it, at least. What's this about a Princess? Or banishment? And what about these... Illuminators? Is that what you called them?" You ask in return.
"You heard correctly. At some point in the near future, a chariot will be arriving to take you to the Princess of Equestria, Nightmare Moon. You will be judged by her." The Captain begins to respond.
"As for the talk of... banishment. That rests entirely on the judgement of the Princess. You see, we have a law here in Equestria, ensuring that the land is only for every tribe of pony. Nopony else." He continues.
"However, as you may have also heard, there are exceptions made to this. There are several ways another race may earn the right to live here, none of which should concern you for now." He explains further.
"Don't be afraid though. Even if you are judged for banishment, you will still be treated fairly. You may choose where you want to be sent to, with enough resources to establish yourself there." The unicorn stallion reassures you.
"Regarding the Illuminators..." The Captain pauses, his snout scrunching up in disgust. "If you know nothing of them, they don't concern you." He bluntly states.
A silence fills the air between you as you think about the things you were just told. While not exactly comforting, you can't think of a way to protest against it in any meaningful way. Or if it would even help you, for that matter.
"I... I see. So, uh... Equestria? That's the name of this land?" You ask in an effort to break the silence.
The Captain's eyes widen in surprise before answering. "Do you really not know anything about where you are? Back on the beach, you seemed to imply that you didn't even know about us ponies." He asks.
"No, I really don't.  That one pony, Meadow Weaver, told me that she was a... Was it Bat Pony?" You ask in response.
"Yes, that's correct." The Captain responds.
"So... How many different types, or tribes, of pony are there? Are you a unicorn by any chance?" You ask, making note of the stallions resemblance to the mythical creature that you know of.
"Now wait just a moment here; How would you know that I'm a unicorn if you knew nothing about us or where we are?" The Captain narrows his eyes as he questions you.

Immediately feeling regret over your question, you pause as you think about how best to answer the Captain.
"That was just uh... A guess. Where I come from, there was a mythical creature named a unicorn, which sort of looked like you, with the horn and all." You explain.
"A mythical creature...?" The Captain says, his narrowed gaze intensifying upon you.
You nod your head in confirmation as you begin to feel uneasy under the unicorns gaze, unsure of what he may be thinking.
"What can you tell me about this 'unicorn' from wherever it is that you came from?" The Captain asks you.
"I don't really know much about them, sorry." You respond.
"Them? So there are more than one?" He presses further.
"I..." You trail off as you try to think of what to say.
Another drawn out silence falls between the two of you, prompting the Captain to exhale loudly.
"Regardless of if you know anything else or not, I can tell you don't want to speak more about this." The Captain says as he walks away out of sight.
A few seconds later, he returns in front of your cell, this time with a piece of paper, along with a quill and inkwell held within his magic.
"What are you doing?" You ask as you watch the pony dip the quill into the inkwell and scribble away on the paper.
"Taking notes to pass on to whoever picks you up. They may prove to be useful to the Princess." He answers.
"Good notes, I hope." You say in an attempt to lighten the mood, though the Captain doesn't seem to respond.
"Now then..." The Captain begins as he finishes writing. "To answer your previous question, I will tell you about the different tribes of this land." He continues.
You listen with interest, which quickly turns to fascination as the Captain tells stories of the three major tribes, those being of Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorn ponies.
He explains the natural abilities of each race, along with their roles in society.
Finally, he briefly covers some of the lesser tribes living in Equestria, such as the Bats, before settling on one final race to mention: The Alicorn.
The Captain speaks of how the Princess, Nightmare Moon,  is the one and only of her kind, and is far more powerful than any pony could ever dream of being.
In addition, he explains, seemingly with reverence, how there once were two other Alicorns who ruled this land. However, they were misguided and unjust in their ways.
Through a long and terrible battle, Nightmare Moon was able to defeat them, their names now long forgotten, and unite the world under her benevolent night.
"Well? Did you understand all of that?" The Captain asks you in conclusion.
"I think so. That was a lot to take in." You answer him.
"I suppose it was, wasn't it?" The Captain chuckles. "No need to worry. If you forget something, I know you could ask anypony around and they would be able to tell you the very things that I just said." He says.
"Good to know." You say while reflecting on the things you just heard.

With that explanation out of the way, the Captain dips his quill into the inkwell once more, resuming his writing.
In the lull that follows, the only things that you can hear are the sound of your own breathing, and the soft scribbling of quill against parchment.
You use this time to start collecting your thoughts, the reality of your situation now weighing heavily upon you.
Everything up until this point, you could dismiss as a bizarre fever dream, but there's no denying it at this point. You're awake and alert, in a jail, in a world filled with talking ponies that apparently have magic and can fly.
And to top things off, you're apparently going to be brought before the ruler of this land; one of immense power.
The longer you allow yourself to dwell on the subject, the more you feel nervousness begin to well up deep inside of you.
How could this be happening? Why are you here? What's going to happen to you? Such thoughts fill your mind.
Eventually, you manage to tear away from the what-ifs and bring yourself back to reality, when you quickly notice that the sound of scribbling has stopped.
Focusing back on the Captain, you find him to simply be observing you. You make and hold eye contact, where you take in how large and colorful the eyes of these ponies are; the Captains in particular being a sort of golden yellow.
After several seconds of staring into each others eyes, however, you start to feel a bit awkward. You decide to try breaking the silence by asking some of the many questions on your mind.
"Soooo... If you don't mind me asking, how soon will this chariot arrive?" You ask while breaking the eye contact.
You watch as the Captain simply stares back at you for a moment, as if thinking over how he will respond, before answering you.
"The mare who introduced herself to you as Meadow Weaver will soon be taking flight to a nearby city, where a message can be forwarded." He begins.
"From here, that is a journey which I would expect to take somewhere between two to three hours for a flier of her skill, perhaps less if the winds are favorable." The stallion continues.
"After the message is forwarded, a chariot will depart from Canterlot; the capital city of Equestria, where the Princess dwells. That should take approximately eight hours." He concludes.
"I guess I got quite a bit of time to wait then, huh?" You comment.
"Yes, though it's far faster than walking there on hoof. I expect you'll be here for the rest of the day, at least." The Captain says.
"Day?" You repeat in confusion. "Don't you mean night?" You question him.
"No, it's obviously the middle of the day, isn't it?" The Captain says in a matter-of-fact way.
Unsure of if the pony speaking to you is trying to joke with you or not, you step back over to the barred window of the cell, where you check your sanity by peering out from it once more.
And sure enough, it's still the middle of the night out there, with the darkness being gently illuminated by the surrounding houses, along with the full moon shining high above.

"Is this some kind of joke? Sorry, but I guess I don't get it...  Tell me, how is it supposed to be the middle of the day without the sun?" You ask while turning back around.
As you do so, you are met with the surprise of seeing the Captain staring back at you, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape.
"Something wr-" You begin to ask before being cut off.
"S-Silence!" The Captain yells, backing up a few steps as he does so. "Look, I don't know who, or what you really are, or where you came from, but you can't be saying things like that!" He continues.
"You're-" He pauses to quickly look around himself, followed by moving over a few steps to peer into the main room of the building, then returning to his previous spot.
After letting out a heavy sigh, the Captain regains his composure as he looks back at you with a wary expression.
"You're going to be trouble, aren't you? I can feel it." He says while resuming his writing with renewed focus, now at a slightly faster pace than before.
In the silence that immediately follows, you feel both confused and are slightly alarmed by the unicorn stallion's strong reaction. What was so bad about you just said? You think to to yourself.
Try as you might, you cannot begin to imagine what could have possibly been offensive about your question.
The puzzlement at hand soon begins to develop into feelings of anxiety that creep into the back of your mind. You're know that you're not in a position to be causing offense, even if it's unintentional.

Knowing this, you decide to try your best to turn the situation around, starting with apologizing for your misstep.
"Hey, I'm- I'm really sorry about that. I don't know anything about what's going on here; It's just that where I'm from, the sun is up during the day, and-" Is all you manage to say.
"Quiet!" The Captain hisses, followed by looking to his left once more before returning his gaze upon you.
"The fact that you're so brazen about speaking.... that word, really makes me start to believe that you're truly not from around here. Either that, or you're a turnip-headed fool." The stallion comments.
"Listen. For your own good, you need to understand how things work around here." The Captain says, inching closer to the bars of the cell door before dropping his voice to a hushed tone.
"I don't know what this..." He begins to explain before pausing once more. 
You notice the stallions ears swiveling around, as if he's listening carefully for something.
"...sun; is." He continues, now returning to his normal voice. "All I know is that it's associated with the activities of the Illuminators, and that everypony is strictly forbidden from speaking of it." The Captain explains.
"And for your information,  when the Princess's moon is in the sky, it is day. When it's lowered below the horizon, it is night. That is the way it's been for as long as anypony knows; even foals understand this." He adds.
Hearing this explanation, you quietly stand in place for a time to try and process what you've just heard. Bizarre as it may be, you know that at least for now, you have to accept what you're hearing as fact.
"Okay then, I won't say that word anymore. Thanks for telling me about that... I could have really gotten myself into trouble, couldn't I?" You say to him.
"You shouldn't be thanking me." The Captain says with a bit of a sigh. "Even if you're telling the truth regarding your ignorance, I still have to include what you just did in my report to the Princess." He says as he resumes writing.
"Having the knowledge and openly speaking of that forbidden word is associating yourself with the Illuminators, which is a dangerous, wanted organization." The stallion continues.
"Just to get the shock out of your system now; when you are brought before the Princess, it isn't out of the question that you may be condemned to execution, if she deems you to be a great enough threat to Equestria." He warns.
"At the very least, you're going to face punishment of some variety. That's the law, and the law is final. It needs to be that way to ensure the peace and harmony of Equestria is protected for future generations." He says.
"Anonymous, was it?" He says, briefly looking up from his paper to look at you. "I'm telling you this because I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, since you seem to mean no harm." He continues.
"But you should start mentally preparing yourself for the worst. My advice? When you are brought before the Princess, do not withhold the truth from her, and do beg for her mercy." The Captain says in conclusion.
And at that moment, your world turns upside down. The icy grip of fear grabs hold of you in an instant; it's as if your insides all ball up into a pit deep in your stomach.
How could this be happening to you?! First you wake up in a strange, unknown land filled with magical, flying, talking horses, and now you might be put to death? Many such wild thoughts run through your mind.
Noticing your blank, wide-eyed expression, the Captain frowns and shakes his head.
"I'm sorry." He says as he scribbles away with the quill held by the force of his magic.

Overwhelmed and unsure of what to even say, you move over to the wooden bench built against the wall and sit down.
Time passes as you sit and wait in silence, losing yourself to your thoughts as you stare out at nothing in particular.
At some point, you look up and notice that the Captain had left, leaving behind his writing implements and paper near the cell door. You considered getting up to see if you could get a look at what's been written, though you decided against it.
For now, you're just trying to do your best to come to terms with the situation at hand.
Not long after, you notice the sound of hoofsteps on the wooden floors growing louder as someone approaches. Focusing your attention on the cell door, you watch as the Captain reappears once more.
You and the Captain opt to stare at each other for a time; the stallion doing so with a neutral expression.
"Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat or drink?" The Captain asks you, breaking the silence.

Mulling over the question in your mind, you begin to clear your mind of the constant barrage of unpleasant thoughts that had filled it, focusing more instead on how you feel at this present moment.
When you do so, you realize that while you're more thirsty than anything, having something to eat now would be nice, especially if you're still going to be locked up here for several hours.
"I'd like both, please." You answer.
"Of course. I'll be right back." The Captain says before turning and walking out of sight. However, only a few seconds pass before he returns.
"Actually... You called yourself a human, right?" He asks you.
"That's right. Why do you ask?" You ask him in return.
"Tell me, what does a human eat? It's better I know than to just assume; don't want to accidentally make you sick and all." He says.
"Oh, uh... Anything's fine, really." You respond.
"Anything, huh? Can I feed you rocks and mud?" The stallion quips. "Be a little more specific, please. We know nothing about you, it's not like there's a book all about you and your kind that I could go read up on." He continues.
"Good point." You agree. "By anything I mean things like meat, fruits and vegetables, grains. You know, basic things like that." You explain.
"...Those do exist here, right?" You inquire.
"Of course those things exist! What kind of question is that?" He says in response.
"But regardless of that, meat? Really? You don't look the type." The Captain comments.
"What's that supposed to mean?" You ask.
"You appear to have no claws, talons or beak, and I'm not seeing any particularly sharp teeth when you open that mouth of yours. It strikes me as very unusual that you would eat meat." He says.
"Although even if you wanted any, there's no meat for you here. Not for a prisoner, at least. Still, I have a good idea of what you can eat now. I'll be back soon." The Captain says before departing once more.
You continue to sit on the wooden bench and wait for the unicorns return, thankful for both the opportunity to eat and drink, and for the slight reprieve from the troubling thoughts of the possibility of an execution.
A few minutes later, the Captain returns, this time with two objects held in the air, surrounded by the light blue glow of his magical powers.
Before you can rise up, you watch with wonder as the two items are levitated through the air, moving between the bars of the cell door before coming to a stop in front of you.
Up close, you recognize one of the two things being a large wooden mug, with the other unmistakably being a muffin of some variety.
"Go on, take them." The Captain says to you.
"R-Right, thanks." You stutter as you snap back to reality and grab hold of the wooden mug and the muffin. As you do so, you feel a sort of tingling sensation against the skin on your hands as the magical aura adjusts to surround them.
"You're welcome." The Captain says, closely followed by releasing his telekinetic hold once he was sure that you had a good grip on things.
Immediately after doing so, the stallion returns to his job of writing things down onto his paper.
Inspecting your newly acquired foodstuff more carefully, you find the large wooden mug to filled with a clear liquid, and after giving it an experimental sip, confirm that it's cool, clean water.
Setting the mug down on the bench, you turn your attention to the muffin. From the outside, you can see that it appears to have some nuts and seeds of some variety mixed into it.
Raising it up to your nose, you give it a sniff, yielding a wonderfully rich, sweet aroma, prompting you to quickly take a bite.
While you're not certain of the exact composition of the muffin, you can tell that there's some sort of fruit mixed into it, in addition to all the nuts and seeds. Regardless, it's easily one of the best muffins you've ever tasted.
"Hey, this is a really good muffin! Thanks for this!" You say to the Captain before taking another drink from your mug.
"So you know what a muffin is, do you?" He says. "No need to be thanking me though; my wife made those earlier today." The stallion continues with a hint of pride.

"Really? Your wife is a great baker." You compliment.
"I'll be sure to tell her." The Captain says, a smile creeping onto his face.
"Please do. What's all in this, anyway?" You ask as you take another bite.
While chewing on the current mouthful of deliciousness, you watch as the Captain briefly pauses his writing, as if to think, before responding.
"Truth be told, I'm not sure. Haven't had a chance to try one yet; she baked those fresh early this morning before my shift. Something for lunch time, which you happened to interrupt." He says.
"Sorry about that." You apologize as another thought crosses your mind. "Wait, was that supposed to be your lunch? Was this your only muffin?" You ask.
"Not at all, she packed me two. Although, even if I only had one, I suppose I still would have given it to you." He responds.
"But... Why? This is such a nice thing to give to someone you've got locked behind bars." You say, feeling somewhat taken aback.
The stallion appears amused with your statement, letting out a brief chuckle before taking a moment to rub his head with one of his forehooves.
"I agree, but it was the most practical thing to do, given the situation." The Captain begins.
"Everypony in the town is on edge from your arrival, and most were in the middle of preparing their own meals. It would have been a hassle to go out and try to procure something for you to eat." He continues.
"I knew I had those muffins in my saddlebags here at the guardhouse. It was the simple choice to make." He concludes.
"Even so, that was very generous of you. I really appreciate it, thank you." You say to the Captain, to which he simply grunts in response.
Taking advantage of the lull that follows, you focus your full attention back on the muffin. Soon enough, you are washing down the last bite with a swig of water from your mug, leaving you with a sense of satisfaction.
"You got a special somepony, wherever you're from?" The Captain suddenly asks you.
"A what now?" You say in response, unsure of what's being asked.
"A special somepony." The stallion repeats.
"I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, sorry." You admit.
You watch as the Captain looks up at you with an eyebrow raised.
"Do you have a wife of your own, or somepony you care a lot about?" He clarifies.
You stare at the unicorn while pondering the unexpected question.
"Why do you ask?" You eventually inquire.
"When it comes to certain judgements received from the Princess, there is sometimes provision granted to write a letter to a loved one or family." The stallion explains, his expression turning somewhat sad.
"Oh. No, I'm not married. To be honest with you, I don't think it would matter even if I was; there's no way this is the same world that I know." You answer.
"I see. Normally I would question your sanity, but... Considering your appearance with that fireball, your cluelessness, and your willingness to speak of... you know what; I can almost believe it." The Captain says.
You hum in acknowledgment as you begin to ponder the thought of truly being in a world completely alien to you, when a particular subject launches itself to the forefront: Your family.
Immediately, a bolt of adrenaline shoots through your body as you begin to fully realize the implications of you being here, and not back where you belong.
You wonder how long it will be until someone notices that you're missing. What would even happen? How could anyone possibly find you?
Back home, you may have lived on your own now for several years, but you've always made an effort to stay in touch, especially with your mother, father and sister, who you care deeply for.
The thought of all the stress that you know your disappearance would bring them pains you. You don't want that to happen!
Once more, you can't help but be transfixed by the dominant questions in your mind: What happened? Why are you here? How are you here?
You want to believe that this is all a dream, and that you'll wake back up at any moment. But deep down, you know that isn't the truth; this is all too real and too long for a dream.
In desperation you comb through your memories, hoping that you can piece something together...
You can easily remember the key events from several days ago, but the closer you try to think to the present, the cloudier things become.
Vague thoughts of walking through a store of some sort, eating somewhere, and brushing your teeth back in your apartment are all that you're able to recall.
Try as you might, you cannot remember more than that, quickly leading to feelings of frustration to build up deep within. You wonder if-
"By the way, if it makes you feel any better..." The Captain begins, bringing you back to reality. "...while execution is a very real punishment, in truth, it's a very rare one." He continues.
"As a matter of fact, I think it's been at least three or four years since the last one occurred, if my memory serves me correctly." The stallion adds.

It takes only a moment of processing what the pony tells you before feeling a measure of anger well up inside your mind.
"What? Of course that makes me feel better! Why didn't you just say that from the beginning?" You question the Captain, with annoyance clearly in your voice.
"Because." The unicorn begins, pausing for emphasis. "It isn't exactly an everyday occurrence to stumble upon a creature nopony has ever seen before, who supposedly emerged from a molten crater unscathed." He explains.
"We have no way of knowing who or what you may really be, and if you happen to be immensely powerful and are a real danger to Equestria or not. Only the Princess herself can make that kind of distinction." He continues.
"Execution is rightfully reserved for the evil ones out there who want to destroy our land... That being said, the longer you stay here, the more I doubt that you pose any great threat." The Captain says in conclusion.
"I mean, of course I'm no threat to anyone! But... What makes you say that?" You ask.
"Well, let's think about it logically; you could have escaped at any time if you had the power and desire to do so. This is just a sleepy little coastal town, we're not equipped to handle much more than a simple ruffian causing trouble." He says.
"Despite that, you gave yourself over to us willingly, showed no resistance, didn't try to make a move when threatened with the possibility of an execution, and you've been relatively pleasant to deal with overall." He explains.
"All of those actions speak well of you. If you were to ask me? You're gonna be just fine, maybe you'll even be offered the opportunity to earn honorary citizenship. Of course, that isn't my decision to make." The Captain concludes.
Pondering the stallions words, you feel the desire to argue the point, but deep down you know that what he's saying is reasonable.
After all, you're just a man; one that you know could only be considered average at best.
In the back of your mind, you can't help but wonder what would happen if one of these ponies, or any other kind of alien for that matter, crash landed in your hometown.
You assume that the treatment wouldn't be very different, or perhaps even worse, more likely than not.
In the end, feeling a measure of weight lifted off of your shoulders from the more encouraging outlook on life, you choose to calm down and remain quiet.
As the minutes pass by though, your curiosity begins to emerge...
"What was the last execution for?" You eventually ask.
"Hmm..." The Captain muses, bringing a forehoof to his chin in thought.
"I think it involved a rogue griffon near the northeastern border. Something to do with the attempted poisoning of an important water supply, if I recall." He answers.
Griffon? You're familiar with what a griffon is, but only in fiction. Do they really exist here? Just how many mythological creatures are running around in this bizarre world? Such thoughts run through your mind.
You want to ask questions regarding these griffons, but after the reaction you received from letting your prior knowledge of unicorns slip, you hesitate to do so.

What do you do next?
1: Ask about griffons
2: Ask about something else
3: Wait
4: Other