We fight for our freedom

Today is going to be a good day.

I woke up feeling warm and fuzzy and I found out why, sleeping with a giant horse that acts like warm pillow and blankets can do wonders for ones morale along with the fact that I was not killed in my sleep so that is a bonus.

By the time Nightmare Moon and I woke up, I found myself to be on top of her with my face in the crook of her neck and her hooves holding onto me in a hug-like fashion, her wings still acting like a blanket for me. Looking down at Moon's sleeping face I couldn't help but snicker quietly, she had her tongue hanging out of her mouth and she was drooling on a pillow she was resting her head on. Turning my head a bit more I saw something that was very funny, she has the worst case of bedhead. At first when I saw that bedhead I thought it was a trick of the light from the torches and fireplace but when I looked at it a second time I saw that it wasn't moving as fluidly as it usually did and for that matter it seemed...messy.

How does one with a mane made entirely of astral gases and stars look like a complete and utter mess?

The answer to that question might never be answered but I can safely say that Moon at this very moment looks very cute in a childish kind of way, tongue hanging out, snoring like chainsaw, mane is a complete mess and her wings are twitching ever so slightly. Whatever this girl is dreaming of it must be something good or bad for her, either way I have to get up, my bladder feels like its gonna explode.

As the feeling of a soon-to-be-imminent lose of bladder control started to rear its ugly head I began to panic, this is something that I had to go through on a daily basis when I was acting as a sniper or recon scout for the Militia and having to hold it in for hours on end just waiting for one man to show up to get his head blown off. It is not a pretty sight, especially when the bathroom that I sometimes use is atrocious, it might as well have a sign hanging over it that says 'Worst bathroom in the Universe' and have it bronzed directly over the door so everyone can see it.

'I hope she wakes up soon on her own...the fear of waking up a mare that is easily three times my weight and size that is also able to skewer me with that javelin attached to her forehead is almost as big of a fear of pissing myself...'

Without even thinking I started to feel around with my free arms for any means to escape this warm and fuzzy albeit living prison, I felt around and grabbed some pillows, the empty pie tin that still had some crumbs and apple remnants, my book, and as I started to feel the urge to piss rising I started to get desperate.

Grabbing around even more I still felt more pillows and pony fur, its surprising how that Nightmare Moon doesn't have a single trace of fat on her, as far I can tell seeing how I am currently trapped by her hooves and wings while on top of her. It was during my mad blind grabbing did my right hand grab onto something that I thought that wasn't on me or in the room at the time.

I can't see anything from where I am but I do know that my right hand is grabbing onto something soft and warm and somewhat squishy. Thinking on what it could possibly be I gave it a squeeze and found that it is soft, warm and a bit squishy and thought it was just some belly fat on her but then I remembered how lithe and physically fit she is and crossed that off the mental list. Next thing that came to my mind was that I was probably squeezing a part of her hind leg but I killed that one cause if it was her hind leg then I would be feeling some taut muscles and fur, not squishy and soft.

By the time I gave this strange thing another squeeze I felt Moon shuffle beneath me and that was when I heard a muffled squeak and when I looked up I saw that I was nose to nose with the black alicorn, her nose pressing into mine and the skin under her coat is beet red. When I looked into her dagger-slitted eyes I saw that she was staring back into mine but it was more in a seductive style and that was when I realized exactly what I was grabbing.

Slowly moving a finger across the squishy surface and that was when I felt a small nub of flesh brush against my finger and that created a stifled mewl that cascaded across my face, turning it just as red as her own and my brain finally caught up with what I was groping.

'Oh god...that is not a piece of fur I was grabbing...'

"And what exactly did you find hmm?" Moon said with a bit of a flirting tone, her eyes half-lidded and smile seductive.

'That...would be your breast...I am grabbing your breast aren't I?' I thought out loud and with that being said and done I felt four pairs of hooves move underneath my body and for a moment I felt that I was flying before I collided back first with the dark marble brick wall.

Having my body kicked into the wall was painful but it wasn't as bad as the few times I was inside a large building when the Titan I was riding exploded with me on top of it and the force was strong enough to nearly splatter me all over the ceiling but instead it left me imprinted, almost leaving a very firm body mold of myself. Pulling myself slowly from the wall I gently rub my head as I tried to figure out what exactly ran my ass over, but when I look at Nightmare Moon who is now laying down upright and staring at me still with her half-lidded stare.

"Now my human friend, maybe next time you should ask me on a few dates before trying to become so bold as to cope a feel, hmm?" Moon said as she stretched a bit on her mountain of pillows, that urge to take a piss was gone now and for good reason, my willpower and the beating I just went through took away that need.

Dusting myself off I promptly left the chamber before going up the stairs and out of the hidden tunnel before going straight to the bathroom and when I finally got there I found that urge to pee again and that toilet I have to use would have been disgusting to use but with my jump-jets burning away whatever could have been in there it is nice and clean.

After taking care of business and brushed my teeth and took a shower in the somehow-still-working bathtub with a shower nozzle attached to the ceiling, I donned my stealth armor and went back to Nightmare Moon and when I came back I saw that she was laying on her side and that she was reading my book that I was given the previous day.

"Hmm it seems that after all these years I was gone that these ponies have changed our language just a little amount but it is sad that happened while I was gone...I wonder what else has changed." I watched as she yawned a bit before ruffling her wings as a few feathers flew loose into the air.

Walking over to her I moved a pillow or two before sitting down and looked over her shoulder and just watched her go through the book that she is holding in her hooves.

"Well I haven't really explored the surrounding area yet but I can guess that it has, being gone for a prolonged amount of time can change the landscape to the point of it being unrecognizable." I said as I looked over my armor, checking it for damage that it might have sustained when I was flung into the wall and with a satisfied smile I went back to sitting by Moon as she kept on reading.

"I guess...but still though they could have at least kept Cloudsdale in its original place instead of moving it between Canterlot and that hamlet that lies on the Everfree's edge." Moon said in an almost forlorn tone, her head lowered as she places it upon a leg as she keeps the book close at hand.

I had to look at her for a while, wondering what Cloudsdale is and where it was previously located, hinting at its name I can guess it is in the sky and as to where it could possibly be, probably anywhere cause of how clouds tend to move with the breeze.

"You have no idea what I am talking about, do you." Moon said as she closed the book and stares right at me, her face expressionless as she just looks blankly at me.

"Not a clue." I said and its true, I don't know what it is or where it is, for all I know it could be on the other side of the planet by now.

"My friend, Cloudsdale is one of two Pegasi only cities in all of Equestria, their city is literally resting on a foundation of clouds, the weather factory produces the different types of weather that you can possibly see and they are also the only ones capable of producing a rainbow at any time." Nightmare Moon said as she stood up and somewhat stands proudly, almost as if she used to live there in the past.

"Make rainbows? Are you series?" I had this look of disbelief, I mean seriously, a weather factory? I am not buy that fib for even a minute.

"Yes I am, why? How does your kind create the mystifying colors that combines into such a beautiful sight, when it isn't trying to kill you." Moon said as she laid back down, I guess the talk of rainbows is something she doesn't like cause I mean come on, she got her ass wrecked by a flamboyant rainbow, twice.

And speak of her ass, not that I was looking or nothing but it does look nice...I bet if I smack it would barely jiggle and be more akin to slapping clay. It might be nice for a second but from what just happened a few moments ago her hooves would really hurt, especially if she aims at my head or my crotch, either of the two would spell a game over for me.

"Moon, my people don't make rainbows or even the weather for that matter, we just let the planet do its business and give us the weather and just roll with it when it turns sour. Hell even our rainbows are random, they just appear during the rains when the sun is out and about." I said with a hint of truth, my people can somewhat manipulate the weather but it is tedious and very expensive.

"Really...wait, planet? Your not from here?"

"Oh boy, what gave that away, was it the armor I am wearing? Or the way that I managed to find this place while nobody else bothered to come way the fuck out here, or maybe it was the fact that you have never seen something like me before?" I said with a bit of snarky tone, almost mocking Moon for failing to realize that she was talking to an alien the entire time.

In response to my snarkiness I was assaulted by a pillow, the soft material making contact with my face with a soft 'thwump' and when I removed the pillow from my face I see Nightmare Moon just laying there, looking innocent and looking in the other direction from me.

"Really...a pillow fight? What are you, a child?" I scolded Moon lightly but as I did so I took another pillow to the face and just stared at her flatly as she started to whistle innocently.

"Are we really going to be doing this now?" I said as I removed the second pillow from my face.

"If you think you can handle it little human."

'Shots fired.'

"Then prepare yourself the pillow fight of your life!" and with that shout I grabbed the pillow off the floor and leapt into the air, right arm cocked back with pillow in hand, my face contorted into a wild roar.

Nightmare Moon just stared at me unimpressed and not amused at what I am doing and promptly used what little magic she has at her disposal and fired five pillows at me, all five hitting me in the face and made me spin out before I landed on my face on a cushion in front of her.

"If this was a real battle then it was a rather short and sad one to say the least." Moon said as she places a hoof to the back of my head and pats it a few times.

'Surprise.'

Rolling over I use the momentum of it to smack the black alicorn across the face with the pillow, a quick glance and I saw her recoiling from the hit and what I believed a faint tint of red of embarrassment or was that anger that I saw?

"Very well played Anthony, using the 'dead possum' tactic to get a sneak attack in on me, very cleaver, but it won't work a second time, for now." Moon said with a small hint of pride and a tiny little smile on her muzzle, I don't know why but I think for a moment I felt a little funny but then I realized something. She's old.

'If I even tried to date an alien horse or even for that matter look at them in that peculiar light, would she be considered a cougar? A sabertooth? She said she was on the moon for a thousand years and that she was at least two thousand years old before that so...she is really, really, really old.'

"You seem to be staring off into the distance...why are you looking at the wall as if that is the most interesting thing in the room when you could be looking at your queen of the night in all of her benevolent glory." I had to stop myself from laughing at her for even saying that and she caught on to me snickering and scowled lightly at me.

"Sorry to burst that bubble of yours but if you were benevolent then you wouldn't be in here now would you?" I said while wearing a thinly held grin.

"Don't remind me..." Nightmare said as she eyed the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the room, which it might as well be seeing how it is the only thing that she can do in her current condition.

"I won't, its not like you are the only one that has been imprisoned before. Let me tell you, being a prisoner for the IMC sucks major amounts of ass." I said as my right hand unconsciously moved and rubbed my groin, remembering the unspeakable horrors that was done to them.

"Oh please, I was imprisoned on the moon for a thousands years all alone, how bad can your prison time be?"

"I was stuck on a ship for a month and every single day I was interrogated to reveal the location of a Militia base, and since I never told them a single thing they took a cattle prod and zapped me in the balls. And that shit hurts like hell." truth be told having my balls shocked is the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life, right next to getting kicked in the balls by the same guy zapping me.

Hoping to move along from this particular conversation I grabbed the language book from the floor and handed it to Nightmare, hoping she would get the message and after a minute or two she finally did and then she started to laugh, not sure why.

"Why would you need this? We talking perfectly fine with no problem at all!" Moon said as she threw the book at me with her magic, I catch it before it could be damaged from the impact against the stone walls around us.

"Heh? I tried talking to a bunch of ponies the other day and they all looked at me as if I am retarded or something, I had to use a baby dragon to work as a translator for me." I said as I thought back to the conversation and I could have sworn that out of the corner of my eye that I was being watched by a mint green unicorn.

"You talked to the same six mares that have defeated me haven't you." Moon said with a glare, obviously this isn't good time to be in here with her.

"Uh...yeah, I think I did actually...was it a pink, white, orange, light blue, light yellow and lastly a purple mare with a pet dragon?" I said, trying to be innocent but I know that would be a bold-face lie.

"Yes! Them! You talked to them didn't you!" Nightmare Moon shouted again, standing up and marching right up to me but stops short when she reaches me, effectively putting us eye-to-eye.

"Well of course I talked to them, I didn't have much choice in the matter because to get the bloody book I had to talk to the purple egghead Twilight, to get through town I had to deal with the pink pony and cyan pegasus, and to get to the forest I had to avoid the yellow pegasus who warned me that the forest is dangerous. Our talks were along the lines of being one-sided, sheesh what got your panties in a bunch?" I said defensively, I don't know why she is acting like this but its starting to get on my nerves.

"I am not wearing any panties thank you very much, and they are not in a bunch, they are neatly folded and hidden away...not that I wear them at all." Nightmare Moon said before quickly tapering off, apparently she does wear panties which is odd seeing how ladies underwear would not look sexy on a horse.

"Wait...ponies have underwear? Why? Your all naked to begin with, not like you all can't see the plumbing anyways." I said in confusion, why would ponies and horses even need underwear?

"It's more then a fashion sense Mr. Human, its more along the lines of...what was it back then...an erotic lingerie I think." Nightmare Moon says after pondering for a few moments, apparently even a thousand years ago they had stuff like this which is odd considering that they are still in their medieval stasis.

"Really? Panties are considered erotic lingerie? Wow...the one time that is actually considered to be that is of course on an alien planet where everything is ruled by ponies....well isn't that bloody-freaking-tastic!" I yelled as my mind started to turn the cogs, overclocking on that one tid bit of information, rapidly going over it again and again without budging an inch away from it.

"Are you really overreacting to this new bit of information?" Moon said as she chuckles at my plight, apparently it is indeed too much information for me to handle. Too many unsexy thoughts just came to my head with the exception of two thoughts...

"And let me guess, bra's are also considered sexy lingerie too?" I shouted a bit too loud as Nightmare Moon starts to laugh at my steadily growing flustered appearance.

"Actually yes, they are, but they are mainly worn by whorses in the darker parts of town." the dark mare says as she keeps on laughing, she actually wipes a tear away from her muzzle with a hoof because she was laughing too hard.

"Why couldn't this be the planet of the sexy amazonian woman..." I grumbled out as Moon slowly pittered down from her laughter.

"Because if it was then you would be killed from all of the rutting that you would receive." she says as I realize that she actually knew of such a thing, did she look at other planets before?

"I hate my life....*groan* might as well just keep on trucking, nothing can be done about it now." I thumped my head into my hands as the black alicorn chuckles a few more times before calming down.

"Excellent! Now then shall we move onto more pressing matters?" Nightmare Moon says as she claps her front hooves together in the same manner a human does when he is about to propose something to a group of people.

"Such as, what exactly?" I said as I look at the bookshelf in the cell and look over at the numerous unknown titles before looking away, my head hurting from trying to understanding the words.

"Teaching you talk like those modern ponies that lay beyond these stone walls, if you are going to be my eyes and ears in this new era then you will need to act the part." Nightmare Moon says as she puts on a haughty air around herself, I turned my head to look at her as she slowly arranges her pillows to form a bed.

"When did I agree to be your eyes and ears?" I said as I looked at the smirking at me as she gave me her answer.

"When you touched my teat this morning." oh yea...right...the teat thing....shit.

"That was an accident!" I shouted, I knew it was an accident, its not my fault that I didn't know what I was grabbing, I had to get out of there.

"You touched my royal flesh in an impure manner! You will be my outside source of information or I will rip your phallus off and proceed to beat you to death with it!"

"Fine! Okay sheesh! Don't need to get violent with me, after a thousand years on a floating rock with not outside influence you should at least be happy that someone is able to sleep with you let alone be able to feel you up. Its been what, a thousand years since you've been laid, maybe more?" I said as I tried to defuse the situation, she may be an ex-goddess of the night but I bet she can still rip my dick off with her magic if she tried...I hope she can't cause I still want a family of my own someday in the future.

"Me? Fornicate with a lesser being? Neigh, I have not done such a thing, a Queen does not allow herself to have such comforts unless its with their mate and sadly no stallion is worthy of my attention or of my maidenhood." Nightmare Moon says with pride at first then slowly deteriorates because she realizes that she might never know what it is like to have someone to call your own, someone to love and snuggle in bed with.

"So, your a virgin." I plainly stated before getting my mouth covered with a pillow, my eyes on Nightmare Moon as she looks around, hoping that no one heard that even though we are all alone here.

"Yes, my maidenhood has not been claimed for there is nopony worthy enough to take it from me, and you sir, are not worthy." Nightmare says as she stares at me, I may not be worthy because your are scary, your ass on the other hand is damn fine.

"Ouch my pride, all one part of it. You do know that no one will even touch you because you would either scare the ever living shit out of them call for the royal guard to try to execute you properly instead of throwing you away in a prison cell like the one we are currently in." I said which forces Nightmare Moon to back off and rethink her words carefully.

"I...you...I know...what would you have me do, bend over and let the next stallion I see have his way with me?" Nightmare asks as I ponder that thought for the barest second before shaking my head.

"No, you could start by being nicer to people, stop trying to take over the world, be nicer to people, show your good side to everyone but keep yourself independent, don't be rude, show respect to other people and lastly don't shout at everyone you meet. And also when you think it might be the one for you, listen and follow your heart, you just might find that special someone that is always meant for you." I said as I started off with a list of things that I have always wanted to say to her but never had the courage to do it.

"Is that all it really takes to find your one true love?" Moon says as she looked at me, hoping that I would say yes but love is a fickle thing, its hardly ever correct and when its not there will be tears.

"I don't know, I only went on one date before I ended up here in this land, so for all I know it could either be true or false, but I do know this, you have to be kind to your significant other." I said as I remembered my first date, it almost ended up in a complete and utter disaster cause her brother showed up and nearly killed me.

"Hmm...I will remember this, thank you for your advice." Nightmare says with a weak, but barely visible smile and a slightly rose hue to her cheeks.

"Your welcome Moony." I said with a grin that earns me a weak glare that slowly begins to to shift into a flat expression.

"Don't call me that." Nightmare said with a flat stare, I know that her magic would have little to no effect on me but it seems like I am pushing it.

"Fine, Nightmare."

"Can we please just get on with your stupid lesson already, your annoying me more then usual." Nightmare Moon says with a great degree of impatience, I guess she just wants me to be out of her hair.

"You mean besides the time I started to mess with your mane?" I said with a cheeky grin that earns a light scowl from the black horse alicorn.

"Yes." the look on Nightmare Moon's face as she pouts at me is adorable as hell, hard to stay mad at her when she does this with me.

"Alrighty then, well, lets get started, don't want to get you all angry at me." with my hands up in a defensive manner I give a quick apology to the fallen lunar goddess, hoping she doesn't kill me in my sleep.

"Now back then in the old days being taught by royalty would mean that you are my pupil and that you are being groomed and prepared for royalty or at the very least, a position as a duke or duchess. Seeing how I have neither the power to do such a thing nor a kingdom to do it with, you are just my student. Do you have any objections to this?" Nightmare Moon said this with as much authority she can muster even though she is smiling ever so slightly, maybe this is her first time ever having a pupil under her wing.

"Nope, at the very least if I do and go to the afterlife, I can say that I was trained by royalty." I said in a slightly sarcastic manner which earns me a tail lightly hitting me upside the head from behind as the dark lunar mare walks behind me.

"Such optimism...I wonder how long that will last." Nightmare Moon muses as she watches me stand up and start to do a few exercises to limber up, I guess she is just seeing how my body functions.

"Don't know, however long I need it I guess." I said as I stretch and relax on a pillow, its lumpy and misshapen but it will have to do for now seeing that Moon has the best pillows.

"You confuse me human...are all of your people like this?" Nightmare Moon says as she lays down on her pile of pillows, her armor laying beside her and I realized that this is the first time I have ever seen her without her battle armor on, excluding her helmet and hoof shoes.

"You have no idea." I said and finally we begin my lessons on speaking the equine language, and unbeknownst to Nightmare Moon, I was teaching her how to be nicer to people, or in her case, nicer to her ponies by practicing on me.

"Now lets begin, this is the letter A, for...is this a foals book?" Nightmare Moon says and as she closes the book and flips it over she see's that it is indeed a beginners book for foals.

I think I just killed myself.

"Okay...we can make this work, just going to take longer then I have previously thought...okay lets try this again." and just like that I have started my lessons to speak like an equestrian, I just hope I don't sound like a yokel or an uptight noble who can't even speak without having his head above everyone else's.

Between learning how to say the letters and to sound it out I also had to learn how to write it and put it into words, it is a very painstaking lesson as Nightmare Moon is a very brutal and unforgiving teacher. Several times she cracked a riding crop that she had somehow acquired across my knuckles and let me tell you, having that happen to me with a metal spoon hurts but this takes the cake.

"No! Wrong! It is never done like that! Start over!" I heard this shout several times and every single time it is said and done I end up with bruised knuckles and aching hands.

It was also during this exchange of words and beatings and lessons that Nightmare Moon would move close to me and lay down, almost curling herself around me, she says its to ensure that she can see what I am doing, I would tease her and say that she is trying to garner my attention which earns an even harder crack across the knuckles.

I know that she likes me, I can see it from the corner of my eye that whenever she gets close to check my work to see if it is correct, I can see her get a bit closer and slightly brush herself against my arm only to pull herself back and earn a rose hue to her cheeks.

These lessons I know for a fact will take days, weeks, maybe even months for me to get down, to understand and to put it into practice without botching it, I just hope that my hands can handle the pain of that riding crop.

Now I wonder how long it will take for Nightmare Moon to finally admit that she has feelings for me because she is acting like a teenage girl that is crushing on some guy but she just can't speak up.

As today's lesson comes to an end I wave goodbye to the fallen alicorn and made my way up the stairs and once I made it up top I heard the trapdoor close behind me and made my way beyond the castle and headed straight for the town of Ponyville, I have a few questions to ask the resident librarian and her number one assistant.