Luna’s

Chapter 1

I don’t know how I ended up here, walking along this seemingly forgotten path. Around me was an endless sea of trees and a thick fog that made it impossible to see more than a dozen hooves ahead. Utter isolation. Birds, owls, even the crickets were silent. The lonely sound of the dirt shifting under my steps was all the company I had on this still night.

How long had I been walking? How long have I been on this path? How long have I been lost? I stopped dead in my tracks as those questions shoved themselves to the forefront of my mind. To my side, only towering pine trees as far as my eyes could see—which wasn't far with the fog so thick. I glanced the other way, finding it the same—more forest. Ahead and behind me only the endless path lie, the road I had traveled since I could recall.

I looked up. The blurred shape of the moon shone down into the fog. It sat directly overhead, something that shouldn’t be able to be seen from where I live. There were no stars either. I placed my hoof to my forehead; the more I examined this world around me, the less sense it made. My gaze slowly drifted downward with the endless road still before me. Where was this path taking me?

I turned my head to my side again, and my eyes went wide. I simply couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I hadn’t moved, nor turned away for long. This simply wasn’t possible, but yet there it stood. My heart raced as I stared at a two-story, red-brick building now next to me. Ordinary four-pane windows lined the front, but the interior was as dark as night itself. The exterior was weather-ravaged and clearly lacked care as though it were abandoned for a time. A double door sat on the right side of this building's face with dull, grey wood chipped and beaten by time. Perhaps it was even more haggard as the rest of the place, and in all honesty, it didn't seem the least bit inviting.

A bright glow flicked on suddenly, almost blinding me. Above the door hung a large neon sign with the word ‘Luna’s’ written in script. Fear swiftly melted away and immediately replaced with an urge to roll my eyes. The apostrophe in the word was a small heart and it was nearly impossible to read with a glance. Whoever owned this place didn’t know the first thing about attracting business.

I turned a gaze back to the endless forest. “Then again, perhaps they don’t need much attraction,” I grumbled to myself as I walked carefully up to the door.

Just before I placed my hoof on the door, it opened by itself. The eerie squeak of the hinges and the wood creaking under its own weight was enough to send a chill up my spine. I peered through the doorway, finding only pitch-black ahead of me.

As I inched closer, I noticed a light to my left that had not been visible through the windows a moment ago. I leaned in further, discovering the warm, orange glow of incandescent lights clashing against an ugly pale green wallpaper. The interior reeked of a library with hints of cigar smoke. There was a wood paneling that went shoulder high on the average mare along the bottom of the wall as well, which didn’t help the aesthetic much. Relics of a bygone era that had best stay buried.

When I took a step inside the pitch-black foyer, the sound of the hinges squealed behind me, again, of their own volition. I glanced back to only darkness for a mere moment, as though daring the door to move again. Though, honestly, it wasn’t worth the effort. I chose, instead, to ignore such a rude door and vocal hinges, venturing further into this strange building that had manifested through the fog.

As I passed through the entryway just beyond the foyer, I came upon a large, rectangular room. For a moment, I nearly stumbled back. Initially, I thought I wandered into some eccentric’s home or maybe a motel, but that wasn’t the case. Along the opposite wall from where I came in were a row of booths. A few tables dotted the remaining floor space with little care to their placement. The furthest wall had a tiny wooden stage open to the dining room. My eyes drifted further to my right, ending at the wall just next to me where a counter with stools seated with their backs to the rest of the establishment. But it was the wall behind the counter that gave it all away. A large assortment of bottles towering on shelves nearly to the ceiling with a mirror framed center. This was a bar.

And standing behind said counter was the most curious pony I had ever laid eyes on. She was tall—taller than any mare I could recall—her fur a deep blue and her mane simply out of this world. I do mean that in the most literal sense of those words. Completely unlike anything I had seen before. A wispy mass of actual night sky tied in a ponytail behind her head, twisting and turning, contained only by her own locks. She rested her head lazily against her hoof, staring at me with a small, strange smile on her face. Tired, but comfortable and she looked at me as though she had just seen an old friend. But, as inviting as she appeared, that was the last feeling I got from this pony. Between the magically appearing building and the oddity of her very appearance, something in my gut me told me to get away from her.

“Welcome to Luna’s,” the mare said with a soft, friendly voice. I couldn’t help but peer around the empty restaurant again. Once certain she wasn’t talking to anyone else, I nodded.

“I got that from the sign out front,” I muttered to myself. I took a few cautious steps towards the bar, before taking a seat. Every fiber of my being told me to leave this bar, each strand of fur standing on edge, my heart racing. The bartender pulled her hoof off the counter, letting her head dip a bit from the absence of its support. Slowly, she made her way towards me. Bad feelings aside, I stayed. The reason was simple. I didn't seem in danger here and this mare most likely had what I needed. Information. “Do you know where I am?” I asked her after a moment, my tone sharp.

“I just told you, you’re at Luna’s,” she said with a small laugh.

“I meant where is this—” Hoof circling in the air, I glanced around at the dining room again. Part of me hoped she’d offer some direction on what to call this place, but it never came. “—restaurant located?”

She laughed again. It was a creepy laugh, which is an odd way to describe a laugh for certain. Each note sat on the ear like an out of tune piano. “Sorry, but I only answer one non-menu related question a night.” The horn atop her head erupted in a deep blue aura. A thin scarlet-covered booklet appeared from behind the counter, held aloft in the same aura and was placed at my hoof that still rested on the counter. I turned my eyes from her to the worn bound book. In the same script that was on the sign outside read the word "Luna’s" in a gaudy gold text.

I shifted my gaze up from the menu set before me. She still had that smile on her face. “Luna’s. That’s a rather peculiar name for a restaurant.”

“It’s named after the owner.” Her horn lit up again, and this time a glass appeared from under the counter. A pitcher of water found its way up next and she poured some before she slid it over to me.

“Would that be you?” I asked, sliding my hoof under the menu cover to open it.

“I told you, only one non-menu question a night.” She gave a teasing smirk.

Smug and weird. I narrowed my eyes at the mare, whatever dread now dulled with annoyance. “This is a rather silly game,” I said dryly. "A silly game leading to terrible service. You’ll lose customers with that sort of attitude"

She just continued that smile of hers. “If it bothers you that much, feel free to take your business elsewhere.” That laugh of hers again filled the air. Three short, soft, high-pitched snickers following a tune I imagined was only in her head. It almost sounded like she was keeping a secret—poorly keeping one, anyway.

I glanced out the window, the fog and forest still waiting outside for me like a lost puppy. I let out a small chuckle myself—more defeated than from actual amusement. Monopolies were oh-so-fun, after all. “Point taken.” I turned my sights back to the scarlet cover of the menu.

“Something has to entertain me through the night.” I didn’t have to even look to feel her gaze upon me, smothering me like a bucket of cold water. “I beg you, don’t take that away from me.” A long, deep breath from her cut the momentary pause like a knife. “Though something tells me you and I will get along swimmingly.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat as that quiet sense of dread wormed its way up my spine. Whether she was simply sarcastic or if she really was that daft, I did not know, but it only reinforced my paranoia. I wrapped my hooves around the menu and spread held the open pages up as a wall of sorts. “So, what do you recommend?”

“It doesn’t matter what you order, the chef will make whatever she feels like.” She placed her hoof on the menu, pushing it down onto the counter. Her teal, bloodshot eyes staring right into mine. “I would start with the drink menu. I can be a bit more accommodating than the kitchen.”

I find that a little hard to believe, I almost said aloud, but I stopped myself.

“Believe it or not, I’m only here to help,” she said abruptly, causing my eyes to shoot up from the menu. I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off. “It was written all over your face.” She raised her hoof and rested her head against it once more.

She slumped onto the counter, sliding closer to me, far too close for my tastes. My body tensed as she drew closer, her unblinking eyes locked firmly on mine. The familiarity with which she treated me, the creepy laugh, the lazy tone, it was too much for me. Actually, everything about this restaurant was wrong. The painfully dated decor, the atrocious colour pallet, the sickening orange lights, but most of all, this pony. I pushed the menu away and leaned back on my stool for some breathing room. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any bits on me. I can’t afford to pay.”

The mare leaned back as well, tilting her head slightly. “Oh, don’t worry. We can open a tab for you,” she offered. Her eyes slowly blinked as that smile of hers grew wider.

I looked her over, eyebrow raised, but she didn’t flinch. It may have been she was just trying to be friendly but was very poor at it—socially awkward, perhaps. Overeager for any sort of company since this place didn’t seem to get much business. My eyes darted around the room once more before I decided I could get past its sickly nature. “Very well. I suppose I’ll just have a cup of coffee for now.”

“Coffee, hm?” She gave her giggle again. “Is there some reason you want to stay awake?”

“Habit, I suppose.” Memories of ponies all sitting in a circle on flimsy chairs holding foam cups in shaking hooves rushed to mind. I shook my head and took a deep breath. “My work often requires late nights.” I pushed the menu towards her, which she ignored.

She raised both her eyebrows and gave a haphazard shrug. “Too much caffeine is bad for you, but it’s not my body, I suppose.” She giggled again as she slid her foreleg off the counter. Her head dipped lazily again before she caught it. Her horn lit up and she brought a coffee pot up to a machine behind the counter.

“I never did get your name,” I said as I watched her prepare my beverage.

“Now you’re catching on.” She gave a slight nod. “I’m Luna.”

“I had a feeling you would say that,” I muttered to myself. When I noticed her raising an eyebrow, I cleared my throat. “I don’t see the point in playing games with your customers.”

“It’s all in good fun, I assure you.” Her attention turned back to the coffee pot as it started to fill with beautiful trickles of black liquid. Soon, all that was heard in the empty restaurant was the sound of the coffee machine roiling with hot water and the drip of the brew hitting the bottom of the pot. The conversation died between us as we both found ourselves staring impatiently at the machine.

Finally, after minutes, Luna broke the silence. “It doesn’t look like the fog will be lifting anytime soon. If you need, we have rooms available upstairs.” She giggled again.

“On my tab, I’m assuming…” I retorted with a dry tone.

“Of course,” she said with a blink that lasted a little longer than usual.

I turned my attention out the window, resting my head against my hoof. The fog hadn’t thinned in the slightest. But that wasn’t what concerned me the most. I still didn’t know why I was even in these woods or how I came to be lost within them. Even if the fog was gone, I had my doubts I would be able to find a way out. “I don’t suppose there’s a way out of these woods…”

“There’s a way out of any situation. It just depends on the levels to which you’re willing to stoop,” she replied with a tone I was starting to realise was far too common coming from her. She often spoke with a lazy, slow cadence, yet everything she said had this strange optimistic framing to it. To put it more simply, she sounded like a pony too jaded from the world to follow their own well-meaning advice. I couldn't say I had ever met a pony so cryptic before.

“So, I’m stuck here…” Suddenly everything made sense. Luna’s awkward friendliness, insisting on serving me, and wanting to keep me here—she wasn’t daft, she was shrewd. Too shrewd. Her love of games and riddles—she really had no reason to help me out of these woods. On the contrary, she could have me owing her a small fortune by the time I did leave. I narrowed my eyes at her. Her mousetrap had just snapped shut around my neck.

“Stuck until the fog clears,” she replied, setting a mug down in front of me.

Author's Note

Well, this is my attempt at a horror-esque dark comedy. I will say this right now, it won't be scary. I will be keeping these chapters under 2500 words, and hopefully, you will all enjoy the story as much as I have coming up with it.