The Bright Equestrian Moon

Chapters

Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve (Updated)
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter One
Chapter Six
Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Two

I groggily begin to regain consciousness and I open my eyes. I am in a very fancy looking bedroom lit by sunlight shining through some windows. It seems I’m in a four-poster bed and it has one of those shade things along the top. I don’t know what it’s called, I’m not some furniture expert… Anyway, when and how did I get here? Wait, was it that pony princess? Luna I think her name was… I turn over to see a white unicorn in the corner of the room on a chair. It is smaller than the princess and is wearing golden armour. I would have to assume that this would be a guard.

It notices that I am awake and rises from the chair. I watch it cautiously as it moves to the door and knocks on it, before speaking to somebody on the other side. From the voice, I can guess that it is a male. “The visitor is awake, let the princesses know.” He then turns and watches me dutifully.

I look around the ornately designed room, until my gaze falls back upon the guard stallion. “Where am I?”

“You’re in a guest room of Canterlot Castle.” The guard replies.

I nod. “I see… And Canterlot Castle is in Equestria?”

He gives me a look as if I had just asked whether the sky is up or down. “Yes, that is correct.”

I decide to be quiet and try to think of what a less obvious question would be. I wonder, do they see me as a threat? “I’m guessing that you’re a guard, so I have to ask, am I under your watch for any specific reason?”

“I am indeed a guard. And yes, you are under surveillance as you’re an unknown creature. We do not know your attitude, behaviour or whether you are dangerous or not.”

I nod again. “I understand, the princess is only doing what is best for both her kingdom and I. Besides, I can’t complain, I’m in quite a nice bedroom rather than some sort of dungeon.”

The guard nods back, but doesn’t talk. I suppose he’s reached his limit for conversation. Either way, I don’t normally talk very much anyway. I talk about what is needed to be talked about and that’s it. I’m hopeless with small talk.

I idly look around the room one more time, trying to pass the time by paying more attention to my surroundings. The windows are of an arched design, with curtains parted to each side. The curtains are blue, reminding me of the colour of the princess from last night. The floor is tiled with a checker pattern and is spotlessly clean. I look up at the door, which is wooden and apparently has a polish to it, as well as a golden handle. That is when I hear footste- no, hoofsteps approaching. It sounds like more than what I heard last night, maybe there are two ponies or more behind the door.

The door opens and Luna walks into the room, followed by a taller pony, another princess. She is of an alabaster colour, and has the same build as Luna with wings and a long horn. Her flowing mane looks like an aurora. Her tiara, collar, and boots are gold and bright. Her collar has a sun depicted on the front. All in all, Luna and this second princess make a grand and somewhat intimidating sight to behold.

I suppose my face lets on to my sense of feeling a little afraid. The larger princess slows her approach and stops at a slight distance, before talking. “Please don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you.” Her motherly voice confirms that she is indeed a mare.

I first look at Luna who gives me a smile, then I look to the other princess who is wearing a similar smile. “All right. This probably sounds like a dumb question, but who are you?”

She softly shakes her head. “It is not a dumb question, you have clearly been through a confusing and frightening experience. I am Princess Celestia, princess of the day and diarch of Equestria.”

So, she rules the day. Perhaps Luna and this Celestia take turns ruling between day and night. I give her a nervous smile. “I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Travis Blackbourne, a human from Australia.”

Celestia appears to think for a moment. “Australia… I cannot say that I have ever heard of this land.”

I am blank for a moment. So maybe this Equestria is in another world… I’m not on Earth anymore. “It is a land on a planet called Earth.”

She gives me a reassuring smile. “Earth is a word that I am familiar with, but not as a planet. It is what we associate with the soil. However, I believe that another princess, Twilight Sparkle, may have a better idea about your species and land than me. From what I have heard of her adventures through a portal, her descriptions of the creatures on the other side of it roughly match your appearance.”

I give Celestia a more genuine smile. “This Twilight Sparkle knows what humans are?”

Celestia lets out a light laugh. “I believe that it’s highly likely, but it would be best to check with her to be completely sure.”

I nod enthusiastically. I might actually have a way back, I mean, this Twilight has a portal. “That’s better than nothing, when can I see her?”

Celestia walks closer and sits down by the side of the bed. “I have sent her a letter already, but it would seem that she is away from home for the time being. I’m sure that she’ll come as soon as she is able to. However, before she does, I would like to interview you.”

I look about awkwardly. “Interview me?”

She nods. “Yes, to determine how well you could fit in here, and to ensure that you are not a threat to Equestria.”

I look around a little more and then back at Celestia. “I… I understand. I suppose the interview starts now?”

Celestia giggles. “Yes, although there is no need to be nervous, you look quite friendly from what I’ve seen so far. This is more or less just to be completely sure. After all, you are the first human ever seen in Equestria. Would you like some water?”

I smile softly and nod. “Yeah, water would be nice, thank you. Also, will Luna be a part of the interview? Just curious, since she is kind of just standing there…” I look towards Luna who is near the door.

Celestia looks back at the guard. “Could you please fetch Travis here a glass of water?”

The guard salutes. “Of course, Princess.” He then leaves the room.

Celestia then turns her gaze to Luna. “Would you like to take part in this interview, dear sister?”

Luna appears to think for a bit, before coming over and sitting down nearby. “We would like to see this interview, but we won’t ask questions. We simply wish to witness firsthoof how this interview proceeds.” She then looks my way. “Is that acceptable, Travis?”

I chuckle a bit. “Sure, although I would like to know why you speak differently… If you don’t mind, of course.”

This causes her to blush softly. I have no idea how it is visible through her coat. “We… I am still adjusting to modern society and speech. I thought I should address you with the royal ‘we’ due to you being a new visitor here… We- I now see that it is no longer necessary to do so, as shown by my sister.”

I wonder what she means by adjusting to modern society? That question could probably wait. I’ll have plenty of time to ask after this interview. After all, I have no idea how long I’ll be stuck here for. “Uh, thank you for the explanation, Princess.” I then turn to Celestia. “I guess I’m ready for the interview now.”

Celestia smiles. “Wonderful. I already know your name, species, and location of origin. What was life like in the land of Australia?”

I return the smile, albeit somewhat sadly. “To be honest, life could have been better there. The weather was much too warm for my liking in summer. I didn’t really have many friends, save one. I was always an outsider there. My one friend was named Jack, and he’s pretty much why I’m here now. I never completely believed in magic, although he did.

“He always studied the occult and was fascinated by the concept of eldritch wisdom and knowledge. I suppose I was kind of interested too, and took part in any rituals he discovered. None of the rituals ever did anything, they were all just stories, not real. Not until last night, when I was sent here…”

Celestia nods as she listens to my story, paying close attention. “What do you think of magic now?”

I let out a sigh. “I don’t know. On Earth, magic is considered fictional, it is something that may be believed in, but not fact. Although, I don’t seem to have any other options than to believe in it now. It seems really crazy, but here I am. If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is. Luna gave me a hint last night that magic is recognised as fact here, is that correct?”

Celestia gives me a nod in confirmation. “Yes, magic is indeed recognised as quite real here. It is a part of everyday life for unicorns, as well as alicorns like my sister Luna and I. Something that does concern me however is the magic you have used to get here.” She leans a little closer to me. “Rituals are more often than not used for dark magic in Equestria. Is your friend Jack a practitioner of dark magic?”

I shake my head. “I don’t believe he is, Celestia, at least, not knowingly. From what I remember Jack teaching me, rituals can be performed for light, grey, and dark magic. He also told me that he always avoids dark magic.

“I trust him completely, since I’ve known him since high school. Based on my limited knowledge of magic on Earth, the ritual was most likely grey magic.” I can barely believe that I’m explaining all of this as if it truly exists. Then again, who am I to disbelieve what I can clearly see what has happened?

Celestia relaxes and brings her head back to her natural resting position. “I trust you, Travis, you are not showing the signs of a liar. It is safe to assume that magic on your home planet Earth is different from magic in Equestria. You do not seem to pose any magical threat.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, I only have a basic understanding of Earth magic, not enough to do anything with it. Not to mention that I don’t even know if it works in Equestria or not.”

She nods. “I see. I’m quite satisfied with the magic part of the interview. Let’s change the subject. Is there a form of government in Australia? If so, what is it like?”

I roll my eyes a bit, before remembering that it may be impolite. “Sorry for the eye rolling, it was more about the government than the question. Australia is a democratic land, with the leader being a prime minister who is elected every four years by voting for their political party. I’m no expert on politics though, I find it boring, and frankly, politicians on Earth are generally scumbags.”

Celestia holds back some laughter. “I understand your distaste for politicians, I feel the same way about many nobles here in Canterlot, although not all are bad.”

There is a knock at the door as the guard from before is back. There is a glass of water levitating near his head and his horn is glowing. “Here is a glass of water for the visitor, Princess.”

Celestia’s horn glows and the glass floats over towards me. The glass is surrounded by the same glow as her horn. “Thank you, you’re dismissed.”

The guard salutes and leaves the room again. My face must be revealing my shock at the floating glass as Celestia notices. “It’s all right, the glass is being held by my telekinesis. This is what I meant earlier when I told you that magic is a part of everyday life.”

After being still, I slowly nod and take the glass with my hand. “I… Guess I understand. Thank you for the water.” I take a sip. It’s refreshingly cool and has to be the purest water I’ve ever tasted… It actually has no taste, like how water is described to be. “This water is amazing, so clean. The water where I’m from actually has a distinct taste. Don’t get me wrong, the water back home was clean, but I could taste the cleaning chemicals in it.”

Celestia gives me a look of curiosity. “Humans put chemicals in water before they drink it?”

I lightly chuckle. “Yeah, they do it because it is recycled from sewage at sewer plants and filtered out. It then goes through a bunch of different processes including putting in chemicals to clean the water and kill off any harmful bacteria or diseases.”

She nods. “We have a similar method in Equestria, although we use evaporation and magic instead of chemicals. Our water is treated in the cloud city of Cloudsdale.”

Equestria so far is sounding like a rather interesting place. It is run by talking ponies, magic is common, and now I hear of a cloud city. Anyway, we should probably get back to the interview. The sooner we finish, perhaps the sooner I can explore Equestria. “Interesting… Should we get back to the interview, Princess?”

Celestia smiles. “Of course, Travis, only two more questions left. First, are you herbivorous, carnivorous, or omnivorous?”

I look away nervously, thinking of how to best word my answer. I would hate to scare the local populace, or seem like a threat to the princesses. “I am omnivorous… I require both plant matter and meat to remain healthy. Don’t worry though, I don’t plan on eating anything sapient.”

She looks deep in thought for a moment. “Very well… Is fish acceptable?”

I nod unenthusiastically. “Yes, I don’t usually eat fish, but I suppose it’ll have to do for my requirement of meat. Are that many animals sapient here?”

Celestia gives me a nod. “Yes, there are many different sapient species in and around Equestria. Perhaps someday you could search the Everfree Forest for wild animals, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It is rather dangerous and has many different threats to one’s safety.”

I look down. “I understand, I can make do with fish, don’t worry about it. So, what’s the last question of the interview?” I bring my gaze back up.

She looks into my eyes solemnly. “What are your plans now that you are stuck in Equestria?”

I think for some time. “I am not really sure. Now that I’m here, perhaps I could learn about the culture here. I could also learn how to live here peacefully in your kingdom. So far from the little I’ve heard and seen, this is better than living in Australia. To be honest, I think I might actually try to settle down in Equestria if you don't find a way to get me back. I don’t feel like I’m missing much from back home.”

Celestia appears to be happy with my answer, giving me a lovely smile. “I’ll do what I can to help you fit in. If there is no way found back to Earth soon enough, I’ll also see to setting up the necessary forms to allow you to become a citizen of Equestria.”

I smile back. As strange as everything has been, I seriously don’t miss my life back on Earth. Trying to find a job and eke out some sort of living without any friends. I couldn't get along with anybody, I was excluded. It just didn’t feel like home to me. Maybe now I can actually live my life happily, if returning is impossible. Maybe I can have a place that truly feels like home. “That sounds amazing, thank you, Celestia… So, what now?”

She looks at Luna, then back at me. “I think that you’re welcome to Equestria, and therefore can go on a tour around the castle. On our way here, Luna had offered to show you around.”

Luna nods and finally speaks up. “Yes, since we… I mean I found you, I thought it fair to be responsible for your first few days in Equestria.”

I look to Luna. “That sounds nice, I’m not opposed to it… Although, unless it’s about something that matters, I’m not really talkative.”

She giggles softly. “I would not mind. That just means I will be able to explain more about the places we visit.”

Celestia stands up. “Sounds like everything is decided. I’ll leave you to it. It was nice meeting you, Travis, it always is to meet a new sapient species.”

I watch as she stands. “Yeah, it was nice meeting you too, Celestia.”

She then leaves the room to go do whatever she would be doing at this time. I wonder if she reshaped her schedule around that interview.

“So,” Luna starts as Celestia leaves. “Should we go have some breakfast made for us?”

I smile and nod. “I like the sound of that, I am pretty hungry after all.” I then get up out of bed and onto my feet. Luna rises too and I notice that when standing she is just a bit shorter than me.

“Just this way, Travis.” Luna tells me as she leads me out of the bedroom and down a corridor.

Chapter Three

I am sitting down at a long table with Luna in a dining hall as we wait for our breakfast. I had ordered pancakes with lemon juice and sugar, whilst Luna had ordered a fruit salad. Just like the bedroom I came from, the floor is tiled in a checker pattern and spotlessly clean. The ceiling is very high up, adding to the grandeur of the dining hall. Along one wall there is a row of tall windows, each with fancy curtains. There are also banners set up between the windows and evenly spaced on the opposite wall.

I wait quietly, not really sure of what to talk about. After all, small talk is not my forte. I fidget with my fingers a little, feeling out of place in such a magnificent castle. The silence gradually begins to feel somewhat awkward.

Luna must take note of it and she breaks the awkward silence. “Have you never been in a castle before?”

I look up at her and shake my head. “No, at least, not a real castle… Why ask?”

She tries to give me a comforting smile. “You seem to be giving off an impression of being lost.”

I can’t help but give her a deadpan look. “Really? You don’t say…” I shake my head. “I just appeared in an unfamiliar garden and talked to a pony princess last night. This morning I wake up in a bedroom and learn that there are many other ponies. These ponies are also magical and have an entire civilisation, along with a cloud city.

“I am far from being anywhere recognisable… If you suddenly appeared on Earth, I’m sure you would feel the same way.” I notice that Luna seems a little taken aback at my attitude. “Sorry if I sound rude, I’m still coming to terms with things and meant no offense towards you.”

Luna nods and recomposes herself. “I understand, thinking on it I realise that it was a rather apparent observation that did not need to be pointed out.”

I nod quietly, unsure of what to say or talk about now. I fidget with my fingers a little more and close my eyes. Another awkward silence fills the hall. As much as I hope to possibly start a new life here, I still have to deal with my social awkwardness and shyness.

Luna attempts to get through the silence once more as she asks another question. “What did you do back home as a living?”

I open my eyes to look back at Luna. “Not much to be honest. I was about to start university, and I was looking for a part time job to make some money. Other than that, I was just being lazy around the house and sometimes hanging out with Jack.”

“Did you enjoy your time around Jack?”

I softly smile. “I suppose so, I mean, he was my only friend back home. Learning things about magic and supernatural stuff from him was quite interesting. It also gave me something to do other than mope about.”

She smiles as well. “Would you like to return to Earth to reunite with Jack?”

Hmmm, that is a conflicting question. I have to think about this one. I would love to be able to hang out with Jack more… But I also don’t want to really be back on Earth… “I… Am unsure.”

Luna gives me a confused look. “Why?”

“Well, as much as I want to be able to enjoy Jack’s company again -” I look down “- I also don’t want to live on Earth anymore. As I said during my interview, I was an outsider on Earth. I never really fit in, and I never really felt at home there.”

“I know the feeling…”

I bring my gaze up to see Luna who has a distant look on her face. “Is it to do with what you mentioned before the interview?”

She slowly nods, not speaking her answer. I guess it’s something that weighs heavily on her. Should I try help her, or leave it be? I suppose I could at least ask.

“Would you like to talk about it, Luna?”

She is quiet and still for some time, before speaking. “Tia always said that talking helps… So, yes, I would like to talk about it.”

I give her my best attempt at a comforting smile. This is somewhat outside of my comfort zone. I’m not good at this stuff when it’s face to face. If I want to start a new life though, I should probably put in some effort to becoming better at interacting with others. “I’m listening, start when you want to.”

Luna clears her throat nervously. “Just over a thousand years ago, I was upset and jealous. The ponies of Equestria loved Celestia greatly, enjoying and praising her day. They seemed to ignore my beautiful night however, sleeping through it. My sister would receive many visitors during day court… I received none.

“I felt alone and unloved” – Luna’s eyes begin to water – “I allowed the nightmare forces to corrupt me. They promised me power and recognition throughout all Equestria. I became Nightmare Moon, a terrible mare who threatened to bring eternal night to Equestria. As Nightmare Moon, I tried to kill Celestia, my dear sister…” She can no longer hold back her tears as she cries openly.

I get up from my seat and push through my discomfort of closeness as I give her a hug. It is somewhat awkward due to both her shape and me not being used to giving hugs.

Luna sniffles and hugs me back as she continues her story. “In the end, Celestia was forced to use the elements of harmony. She banished me to the moon for a thousand years. Once those thousand years were over, I returned to Equestria as Nightmare Moon. I tried again to bring eternal night, but I was stopped by the elements of harmony.

“They were used by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. This time the nightmare forces were purged from me and I was myself once more.” Luna lets me go as she is finished crying. “However, during those thousand years that I was locked away, Equestria had changed very much. I now almost feel as if I’m in a world that is no longer Equestria.

“I am still learning to fit in this new Equestria and connect with the local populace. Also, my nights remain rather lonely and ignored, Nightmare Night being one of the few exceptions.”

I move back to the seat I was in previously and sit down. I wonder what this Nightmare Night is, it sounds like some form of event. “Nightmare Night?”

Luna nods, smiling a little. “It is a reminder of my time as Nightmare Moon, but nowadays it is quite fun. Ponies dress up in costumes and collect sweets during the night. My first Nightmare Night was in the town of Ponyville and began poorly, but Twilight helped me turn it around.

“I even became accepted by the ponies of Ponyville as a friendly princess and not some terrifying monster.”

“That sounds like a celebration back on Earth that we called Halloween. People dress up, mainly children, and go door to door to get treats.”

Luna smiles more. “It is interesting to hear that you have a celebration similar to Nightmare Night.”

I nod. “Yeah, I wonder what other events may have a parallel version… Anyway, I’m glad that you’ve started to reconnect to your subjects.”

“Thank you for listening to my story, Travis. I feel a little better now.”

I smile as well. It feels kind of good to have helped her. I suppose I didn’t make any major mistakes in my attempt to help. I’m about to speak, when I hear the doors to the hall open. A grey unicorn with a brown mane and tail enters, pushing a trolley carrying our breakfast.

The unicorn sounds like a mare as she places Luna’s bowl of cut fruit in front of her. “A fruit salad for Princess Luna -” she then walks to me and places my meal down in front of me “- and pancakes with a lemon to juice and sugar to sprinkle for a certain Travis.” She finishes by placing down serviettes and cutlery on the table.

Luna and I thank the waiter? Servant? Before she leaves the hall with the trolley. I grab a spoon and use it to sprinkle sugar over my pancakes, trying to keep it even across. Then I grab the lemon and cut it in half with a knife, squeezing the juice onto the pancakes. I finally get to eating my pancakes with a fork. “Mmm -” I smile as I finish my mouthful of pancake “- I’ve never had such delicious pancakes.”

Luna looks up at me after eating a piece of apple. “The cooks here are some of the best in Equestria.” She gets back to eating her fruit salad.

I keep eating my brilliant pancakes in silence, just enjoying my meal. I cannot doubt that claim for even a moment. It probably comes with working at a royal castle, you’d be expected to be a master of cooking. Luna is also quiet as she eats her breakfast too. I watch her for a moment as she uses her telekinesis to lift the fruit pieces to her mouth. It’ll probably take some time before I get used to telekinesis being a common thing.

Luna finishes her breakfast before me and politely wipes her mouth clean with a serviette. I gradually finish my pancakes and lick my lips. Then I grab a serviette and dry my mouth, self-conscious of my own cleanliness and politeness in front of Luna.

The doors open again and the unicorn mare comes back with an empty trolley. How the hell did she time it so perfectly? Luck and coincidence? Maybe she was watching somehow… Whatever. She gives Luna and I a smile. “Were these meals to your satisfaction?”

Luna answers first, returning the smile. “Yes, thank you, I do enjoy a great fruit salad.”

I smile as well as the servant turns to me. “Yeah, those were the best pancakes I’ve ever had.”

The servant nods happily. “May I take the dishes back?”

Luna and I both nod, and the servant levitates the bowl, plate and cutlery to the trolley. She then leaves us alone in the dining hall once more.

Luna stands up from her seat and looks at me. “Ready for me to give you a tour of Canterlot Castle?”

I look back at her. “Uh, sure, sounds good.” – I stand up too – “Lead the way.”

“Of course.” Luna leads me out of the dining hall and into the corridor we came through to get here. There are arched windows paced along the whole length of the corridor and the usual checker pattern, tiled floor. I also notice that there is a red carpet spanning the whole corridor. As beautiful as the castle is, it’s pretty much the same, clean design throughout.

Luna takes me outside through a door into a familiar setting. It’s the garden where I first arrived in last night. “This is the castle garden. I’m sure that you will recognise it, after all, it is where I found you in the night.”

I nod and look around. “Yeah, although I wasn’t able to see it in full detail. I was far too exhausted and confused to truly enjoy its beauty.”

“Indeed, it is beautiful. I love to walk through the garden during the night.” She smiles at me sweetly.

I smile back. “I could imagine. Perhaps I’ll walk with you tonight, as no doubt it looks different during the night.” I hope that I’m going well with my attempt as socialising with Luna.

You’re meant to make plans and set up hang out days with friends, right? One of the reasons I wasn’t very good at socialising was that I would always make plans to play a game, or hang out with Jack. Socialising seemed like such a bother at the time that only got in the way of things. Then again, I don’t really have any sort of commitments in this place.

Luna takes me back inside. “That would be lovely, Travis. I don’t usually have company on my walks.” She then shows me the way to a rather impressive library. It consists of a main corridor branching off to different wings. Looking through the doors to each wing, I notice that the shelves are insanely big. “Here is the castle library.”

My eyes are open wide in wonder. The ceilings are also very high up, and each room is extremely expansive. “This place is massive, there must be tens of thousands of books at least!”

Luna giggles softly. “The library catalogue is rather extensive. I take it that you like to read?”

I continue to look around the grand library. “Yeah, although it really depends. There are times when I read intensely, and other times when I don’t read much at all. Overall though, I do appreciate books and this library is mind blowingly big.”

“You would probably get along with Twilight. This was her favourite part of the castle and she spent so much time here. She certainly has a major interest in books.”

I can understand why this would be Twilight’s favourite part of this place. It would still be very impressive even to somebody who barely reads. “I see… I look forward to meeting her then.”

“Shall we move on?” Luna gestures towards the door.

“Yeah, I wonder what else this castle has.”

She nods and leads me back to the main section of the castle, taking me to a very open room with an intersection in the middle. It has wide stairs that split at the back of the room, connecting the ground floor to either side of the first floor. On the opposite side of the stairs must be the entrance to the castle. The red carpet I noticed in the corridor seems to highlight the intersection of the room, connecting the entrance, stairs and archways on either side.

The whole place looks so royal; I can still hardly believe that I’m actually here. I suppose Luna picks up on my feelings of disbelief and amazement. “I take it that you are impressed with what you have seen so far of the castle?” Luna asks me.

I give her a wide smile. “Most definitely, I mean, yesterday I never thought that much would happen. Not only did I end up in another world, but at a castle. A castle which houses the two rulers of the new land I’ve found myself in.

“This is like all of a sudden being in Buckingham Palace in England, another land on Earth. Which is the estate of the Queen of the United Kingdom. As I’ve mentioned before, back home, I was essentially a commoner without a job.”

Luna smiles. “I am glad that you like the castle. I myself am not so amazed with it, not to say that it is not grand. It is better than the castle I used to live in before I was banished to the moon, but I am accustomed to living this way.” Her smile falters. “Rather distant from my subjects, in more ways than one.”

“Would you prefer to live in a town or village with the common people, uh, ponies?”

Luna is quiet for a little bit of time. “I am not quite sure. Perhaps I would like to try living in a town for some time to see what it is like.”

I nod a bit. “I think I understand. Do you find it lonely living in a castle like this?”

She nods back, seeming somewhat down. “Yes, it is quite lonely here. There are guards, but they aren’t very good conversationalists, and are stuck with duties. The servants are also always busy doing one thing or another. The only company I have here is my dear sister, Celestia, but even she is often busy with royal duties.”

I look around awkwardly for a moment. Should I volunteer myself to keep her company? I’m not used to that kind of thing, but I do need a friend here. Now that I’m in another world, I don’t have Jack to hang out with anymore. I turn back to Luna, here goes nothing. “I don’t have any duties or jobs here… Would you like me to keep you company?”

Luna perks up at the suggestion, smiling hopefully. “Yes, that sounds great… You would truly keep me company?”

That is a good question, do I really want to hang out with her more? Her smile and brightened mood makes me feel good. There’s no way I could say no and disappoint her, besides, what have I got to lose? “Yeah, I really will, Luna.”

She gives me a brief hug with her forelegs, it feels nice, although still as odd as the first time. “Thank you, Travis. It really brightens my day to know that I will now have company not bogged down in duties and jobs.”

I awkwardly hug her back. I’m not really used to hugs. Her alicorn shape makes it a little harder to know the best way to hug her and it’s different from before now that she’s standing. I let go and my hand brushes against her back and a wing as I pull away. This causes her to blush and step away for a moment, her wings seemingly twitching. “Oh no, sorry, did I do something wrong?”

Luna slowly calms herself. “Y-Yes, but I know it was not on purpose.” She looks away nervously, still taming her blushing. “Ponies with wings are sensitive around their wings and flight muscles.”

I look away as well slightly, keeping her in the edge of my vision. “Oh, was it that bad?”

She gets herself back together and turns back to me, only a slight blush remaining. “It is considered a rather intimate action.”

Oh man, I can’t believe that. I accidentally hit on her in a physical manner. As if the hug wasn’t already awkward enough. “Oh… I’m really sorry then.”

She giggles lightly, possibly to try to rebuild her confidence. “Do not worry, for you did not know. Just keep it in mind from now on.”

I nod quietly. I mean, what do I say now? I’m so embarrassed that I made such a mistake. I nervously look down and twiddle my thumbs a bit. A long silence begins to build up.

Luna softly clears her throat to break the silence. “Shall we continue the tour?”

“Uh, y-yeah, sure.” I look back up and let Luna lead the way. She shows me around the rest of the castle, but I don’t pay much attention. I’m far too distracted by how awkward I made things.

Chapter Four

The rest of the day becomes a bit of a blur. We have lunch after the tour, I have some disappointingly vegetarian sandwich, Luna has a different type of salad. The rest of the day passes without event or meaningful conversation. That’s until the time comes for night.

Luna takes me outside. “Remember about how I am the princess of the night?”

I nod, of course I remember. “Yeah, does that mean you have to go perform royal duties at night? Like, taking turns with Celestia?”

Luna smiles. “That is one way of putting it, but it isn’t the full explanation. Let me show you.” She looks up to the sky, spreading her wings. Her horn lights up brightly and she begins to levitate. What happens next is amazing. The moon slowly rises as the sun sets, the night sky coming into clear view. This is crazy, she seems to actually be bringing the night.

I watch in awe, my mouth hanging open. Magic might be common here, but this is on a whole different level. She’s either moving the moon and possibly the stars, or she’s rotating the planet. Either way, it must require an insane amount of magic power to perform something like that.

Luna gradually levitates back down to the ground, folding her wings as she touches down, her horn also dimming. “This is why I am known as the Princess of the Night. I raise the moon so that Equestria has night. Celestia as the Princess of the Day, raises the sun in the morning to bring day.”

I give Luna a wide smile. “I barely have any words to describe it, Luna. I can say amazing or awesome, but they don’t truly describe how brilliant it is.” I shake my head in wonder and laugh a bit. “I never thought something like that would be possible, the idea never even crossed my mind.”

She looks like she is pretty happy with my response. “I’m pleased that you think so, Travis. Nopony has complimented my power for a long time, and many prefer Celestia bringing day.”

I look up at the night sky. I’ve always loved the night, the light soft and sweet, and the moon and stars beautiful. “Well, I myself prefer night over day. The moon and stars are so beautiful, whilst the sun mainly blinds and overheats me. It is somewhat different here in Equestria, but in Australia, I would curse the sun pretty often.”

Luna smiles even more. “Do you really feel that way about the night?” This must mean a lot to her.

I look back down at her. “Of course, I do, the pale light is much sweeter than the rays of sunlight, and I don’t have to squint to protect my eyes. Not to mention that in the day the sky is just a plain old blue, whereas during the night, there is a variety of stars to see.”

Luna hugs me, for the third time today. Maybe hugs are just really common here. Or perhaps due to my lack of socialising I just don’t think hugs are meant to be common. Either way, I hug her back, careful not to accidentally brush up against anything intimate this time.

I slowly let go of her. “Uh, Luna, what was that for?”

She lets go of me as well. “It was as thanks, for enjoying night. It means a lot to me to hear that somepony- somebody actually prefers my night over my sister’s day.”

“Um, you’re welcome, I guess?” I look around and rub the back of my neck. “I didn’t know that it was such a big deal.”

“It is to me.” Luna smiles, blushing a little. “Would you like to walk through the garden with me now?”

I nod slowly, lost in thought. She’s blushing… I wonder if… No, never mind. I’m sure that it’s just out of happiness, I mean she said that it means a lot to her… If it does, perhaps she’s looking at me in a different light? No, that can’t be, it’s gotta just be out of happiness… Right?

“Travis?” Luna breaks my train of thought and brings me back to reality.

I don’t normally get so lost in thought around other people. I better try not to do it again; it is pretty embarrassing. “Oh, sorry, I spaced out. Anyway, a walk now sounds good.”

Luna gives me a soft smile. “Very good.” She then begins walking through the garden, still smiling.

Well, at least she seems to be happy, I mean, a happy princess of her calibre is better than a sad one. The other thoughts can wait. I walk with her and we pass the fountain that I saw when I first arrived here. The water in it is reflecting the moon and night sky nearly perfectly. This whole thing is so funny, it’s still strange being here. I can’t help but laugh.

Luna looks my way. “What is so funny?”

I look back at her and slowly stop laughing. “Oh, I’m just thinking about me being in Equestria. I’m still coming to terms with it. I don’t know why, but it seems really funny to me that this has actually happened.”

“I see… Would I be right in assuming that your laughter implies that you are actually rather happy with being here?”

I think she’s right with that, I don’t have to care about the past anymore, or about how things used to be. I nod and smile. “Yeah, I think I am. I don’t seem to have any major worries here, nor do I have any major responsibilities.” I laugh a bit more. “Now I’m sounding really lazy. I suppose when I’m comfortable I can try to get some sort of job or something here.”

Luna is silent for a moment. “What if I don’t want you to get a job?”

I laugh yet again. “Are you encouraging me to be lazy? I would never have expected any sort of royalty to tell me that.”

“It’s not that… It’s that you told me that you would keep me company. If you got a job, then you will become busy too and I’ll be largely lonely once more…” Luna looks a little down, literally and figuratively.

Hmmm, she has a point, but how can I live without a job. What about an income? Something that I didn’t have in my previous life and seriously needed. “I understand that, Luna, but how could I make a living here without a job? Won’t I need a source of income for food, rent and that kind of stuff?”

She turns her gaze back up at me. “What if I hired you to keep me company, Travis?”

That would certainly provide me with a means of living… But it wouldn’t feel right. Being paid just to be friends, wouldn’t that cheapen the friendship? “I don’t know, that seems wrong. You shouldn’t pay me to be a friend and somebody to hang out with. I would feel dirty if I accepted such money.” Also, it’d make me feel like a ‘hired escort’ and I’m not really comfortable with that.

Luna looks down again. “Oh, very well…” A moment later she perks back up somewhat. “What if I don’t pay you, but I provide you with a permanent room and living essentials?”

That could work, although is having company really that important to her? “I think I can accept that, but I have to ask, is having somebody to be around you that vital?”

She slowly nods. “Yes. I need somebody to be there for me that I can talk to when I need to. Being the Princess of the Night is often sad and lonely… I don’t want to fall back into darkness like I did a thousand years ago… It is important not only for me, but for the wellbeing of Equestria.”

Well, who am I to deny her such a request of me? She does make it sound very important. “All right, I’ll accept your offer. I can see now that it really does mean a lot to you and I can’t just say no. Just know that I’m not the greatest at being very social, and I’m sure that by now you’ve seen how awkward I can be around others.”

Luna laughs softly and smiles. “I feel elated that you’ve accepted. Also, I don’t mind your awkwardness, after all it is rather funny, no offence intended.”

I laugh a little as well and blush. “Uh, none taken, I guess. I’ll take it as a form of compliment. Should we continue our walk?”

She nods and continues on her way through the garden. “Of course. We had better hurry too, if we are to make it to night court on time.”

I follow her and look around the garden as we walk. “So, what is court like?”

Luna rolls her eyes a little. “That depends on whether it is day court or night court. Day court usually has nobles asking various things of Celestia, and of course also various ponies asking for her to support their communities. She often pays more attention to those in need rather than the usually greedy nobles, as she should.

“Night court should in theory be the same as day court, but held during the night. In reality, it is most often just my night guards and I sitting in an empty throne room. Nopony bothers to go to court at night, other than the occasional thestral.”

Thestral? Sounds familiar, I’m guessing Jack may have mentioned them one time as some mythical creature. “Oh, okay… What is a thestral?”

Luna looks over at me as we reach a bend in the garden, turning around it. “They are somewhat of a minority tribe of pony. Most would know of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi when they think of the pony tribes. Thestrals are similar to pegasi, except they have membranous wings and fangs like bats, and slit pupils in their eyes like felines.

“They are a mainly nocturnal tribe that largely reside within the town of Hollow Shades. My night guard are also comprised of thestrals, so you’ll see them when we arrive at night court.”

I smile and nod. I have to say, I love hearing about things in Equestria. It’s such a fascinating place. It seems like almost all of the mythical creatures in human folklore actually live here. “Very interesting, I can’t wait to see them. On a side note, are you also mainly nocturnal as the Princess of the Night?”

She shakes her head. “No, night court isn’t open for the entire night, but is it open rather late. Due to that, I rise later than my sister, Celestia. I am most definitely not a morning pony.”

I chuckle a bit. “I used to get up pretty early when I used to go to school, all the way from primary to high school. However, I did also go to bed earlier when I went to school. After finishing school though, I gradually got up later each day as I was also staying up later each night.”

We are now looping around and on our way back to the entrance of the garden as Luna continues the conversation. “What was school like for you?”

School. Why did I even mention it? I let out a sigh. “School was mainly boring, as well as stressful. Most of the people there were mean jerks who would bully me. I never got along with anybody there except for Jack. Jack and I were the outsiders, so we became friends.

“I really don’t miss it one bit. It didn’t seem to do all that much for me anyway. A lot of the subjects were pretty pointless and irrelevant for actual life. The only good thing to come from it was my friendship with Jack.”

Luna looks away. “Oh, that doesn’t sound very nice, except for your friendship with Jack. I hope my question didn’t bother you, Travis.”

I smile slightly. “It’s fine, Luna. It was bound to come up some time, besides, it’s in the past now.”

She looks back and returns the smile as we arrive at the door to the castle. “Very well, thank you for walking with me and for the talking. Are you ready to see night court?”

I nod. “Yeah, as usual, lead the way.”

Luna takes me inside and to the throne room which is well lit, but not as bright as is during the day. I see what must be the night guards posted at the double doors. They both have a grey coat, have yellow golden eyes with slit pupils, and what seems to be dark purple or blue bat wings. The night guard are wearing pale purple armour as well, with dark purple highlights to match their wings. There are also another two night guards standing on either side of the throne at the back of the room.

I walk with Luna and stop at the foot of the throne as she goes to the top and sits down. The throne is set up on the top of a few platforms arranged in a step like manner. It looks like it is made of pure gold with the back made of a red material that appears as if it would belong on a couch. There is also a red carpet trailing from the door to the seat of the throne. I stand beside the night guard to the left of the throne, on Luna’s right.

Apart from Luna, the guards and I, the throne room is empty and silent. Luna then speaks. “Night court is now open, visitors are welcome.”

A night guard standing by the door salutes and leaves the room. Then there is silence once more. I guess he’s meant to bring in visitors. Another night guard walks into the throne room and brings some scrolls to Luna. “Here are the petitions not resolved during day court, Princess.”

She nods and levitates the scrolls from the guard to herself, unrolling and reading them one at a time. “Thank you, you may return to your post.”

The guard salutes and then leaves. Just Luna, a few guards and I the only ones in the throne room again. Luna is silent as she reads the scrolls, I wonder what they’re about. Are they all important? Or are there some whiny noble petitions?

Luna looks over to the guard standing beside me. “I require ink and a quill.”

The guard salutes, there seems to be a lot of that with these guards. He then leaves the throne room, making it even emptier than before. I look around the near empty room, before turning my attention to Luna. “Is it rude of me to ask what those petitions are about?”

She smiles and looks down at me from the large throne. “Not rude at all, in fact, it’s quite welcome. The guards aren’t exactly here to make conversation.”

I nod, it makes sense. “So then, what petitions are they?”

Luna quickly skims through the scrolls again. “There are a few selfish nobles asking for money that have no need for it. However, there are also some petitions from towns in need of things such as food, repair services and one for security.”

I nod again. “That’s fair enough. What do you do with the petitions from the towns making legitimate requests?”

Luna looks at the doors to the throne room. “I will write replies to each of the towns to let them know that something will be done. Then I will order the logistics branch to organise the services and supplies to be sent to the towns in need.”

I look at the doors as well. “That sounds pretty important.”

The doors open as the guard from before walks in with a pot of ink and a quill protruding from it. “The ink and quill as requested, Princess.”

“Thank you.” She levitates the ink and quill up to the top of the throne, beginning to write her answers on each of the scrolls. The guard salutes and then returns to his position beside me. The room is silent except for the sound of the quill on paper for a few minutes. Luna puts the quill and ink pot down, rolling up all of the scrolls. She then levitates the scrolls down to the foot of the throne. “Take these to the post room and come back with a blank scroll.”

The guard salutes and places the scrolls in a bag, before heading out again. I look around and sit down. This is pretty boring to watch. A few minutes pass in silence before the guard comes back with a blank scroll, routinely saluting yet again.

Luna thanks him again and writes on the scroll, rolling it up once she finishes, sending it to the bottom of the throne. “Bring this to the logistics office.” I probably don’t even need to say it, but the guard salutes again, leaving with the scroll.

I look up at Luna. “So… Is this royal night court business concluded?”

She shakes her head. “No, we must wait here until ten in case anypony comes to night court personally.”

Well, it seems things could get even more boring if we wait here and there are no visitors. “Do you do anything to pass the time in between visits or until night court ends?”

Luna gets up and walks down the throne, turning to the side of the hall and making her way to the windows. “I sometimes overlook Canterlot from here. There is not much else to do otherwise.”

I stand to follow her and look out over the city. There are lamps lighting the streets and some buildings have light pouring out from their windows. The architecture throughout looks very clean and gives off a fancy atmosphere. I’m guessing that it would be very expensive to live here. I then look at Luna. “Why don’t you bring in a book or some form of entertainment before you start each session of night court?”

Luna turns back to face me. “I always thought that it may seem improper. Do you really think I should bring something to pass the time from now on?”

I smile and laugh a little. “Of course, Luna. No offence, but it’s pretty silly that you haven’t done so already.”

She laughs a bit too. “Very well, I’ll be sure to come prepared with entertainment next time.”

“That’s good to hear, but what do we do for now? Wait?”

Luna shakes her head. “We do have time to play a game.”

I raise an eyebrow. The mention of games is pretty appealing to me, but I’m guessing she doesn’t mean a video game. “What game would that be?”

She smiles. “Do you know about chess?”

As I thought, not a video game, but at least it’s something that I’m familiar with. “Yeah, I used to play it at school with Jack sometimes during breaks. Are you good?”

“I’d like to believe so.” Luna walks back towards the base of the throne and looks at the last remaining guard at the throne. “Could you bring us a table and a chess set?”

“Of course, Princess, right away.” Just like the other guard he salutes and leaves the room.

I walk over to Luna. “So, just in case chess is different between our worlds, can you tell me what the pieces are?”

She nods. “Yes, that is a wise question. Each side has eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two wizards, a prince, and a princess. Is it the same on Earth?”

I shake my head. It’s largely similar, but I suppose it makes sense that they would have a princess instead of a king due to their apparent matriarchal society. That would leave the prince to replace the queen. Also, the lack of bishops could indicate a difference in or lack of religion in Equestria. “Not completely, there are some differences. Instead of wizards, a prince, and a princess we have bishops, a queen, and a king.”

Luna nods again. “I would suppose that the different names are due to pony and human societies being different from each other.”

She pretty much hit the nail on the head with that statement. “That’s along the lines of what I was thinking.”

The throne room doors open and two guards walk in carrying a table and chess set between each other. They set the table down in front of the bottom of the throne, one of them speaking. “Here are the table and chess set as asked, princess.”

The other guard then speaks. “And the scroll has been delivered to the logistics office.”

Luna thanks them and they both salute, going to stand at either side of the throne dutifully. I sit on the floor at one end of the table, facing the throne. The table is low enough to accommodate for sitting on the floor and the chess board is already set up. My side has white pieces, whilst the other side matches Luna’s coat. Luna sits down at the opposite side of the table.

We quickly verify the moves of the pieces and play. The rest of the night passes quickly as we enjoy it. Luna is indeed very good at this; she ends up beating me several times. After a few more matches in Luna’s favour, we decide to finish as ten approaches. The guards pack up the chess and the table. It seems that nobody came to night court in person.

Luna appears to be happy, although a little tired. She then leads the way out from the throne room. “Would you like to have dinner now?”

I nod enthusiastically, I’m so damn hungry. “Definitely, it’s been so long since lunch. May I suggest that perhaps we have our dinners before night court from now on?”

She giggles a bit. “That can easily be sorted. Are you not used to dinner at ten?”

I shake my head and chuckle a bit as well. “No, I usually have dinner sometime between six and eight.”

Luna smiles and takes us to the dining hall, requesting for waiters. Before long, the waiters turn up. They’re both unicorn mares. Huh, I must be getting better at telling between male and female ponies. They are carrying note pads and pencils with telekinesis. One of them addresses Luna first. “What would you like to order, Princess?”

She thinks for a moment, before replying. “I would like to have a roasted parsnip soup, with a glass of water.”

The waitress in front of her nods and writes down Luna’s order on her notepad. The second waitress standing nearby then addresses me. “And what would you have?”

I smile. “I think that a lasagne would be great, and a glass of water as well.”

She nervously smiles back and records my order too. Both of the waitresses look between us, the first one checking if that’s all. Luna and I nod in confirmation. They then leave the dining hall so that we are left alone. I look towards Luna. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

Luna looks back at me. “I am unsure. You could perhaps just try to settle in here at the castle, make yourself at home. We may also talk with Twilight Sparkle if she is finished with what may be keeping her busy.”

That sounds like a pretty relaxing day, although I wonder what could be done for fun to pass the time. If Twilight comes, then talking to her could at least be something to do. I nod. “All right, do you have any duties apart from petitions, night court, and raising the moon?”

She shakes her head. “No, that is all I have to do on a regular day. On the occasion of a diplomatic visit, I must be present there, but it isn’t common. I must be the princess with the least time consuming duties, and therefore less things to occupy myself with.”

That doesn’t sound very healthy, she clearly needs things to do, not just a companion. I should know, I mean, that’s what my life was like back on Earth. “Look, I think that you need to go out and do more things. Maybe tomorrow I’ll try to think of fun things that we could do together. For example, we could go to the library and you could teach me about the history of Equestria.”

Luna smiles. “That sounds delightful, Travis. I’m glad to have found you in the garden last night. I’ve always needed a friend that wasn’t bogged down in duties or work.”

I return the smile. “You’re welcome, Luna. I’m pretty sure that I always needed to get a break from Earth. I don’t think I was ever meant to permanently live there.”

Luna gives me a more serious look. “And what do you think of Equestria?”

What do I think? It is better than Earth so far. “I think that it’s a clean slate to me. I don’t know much about Equestria, and apart from a few, the inhabitants don’t know about me at all. So far from what I’ve seen and heard, it’s better than Earth. I would like to give it a proper chance.”

Luna relaxes, seemingly all right with my answer. “I hope that you feel more comfortable and at home here in Equestria than you were on Earth.”

I give her a friendly smile. “Thanks, I hope so too. Besides, things are looking pretty good here at the moment.” I then lean back in my chair and let out a sigh of tiredness, closing my eyes. As nice as things have been so far, they’ve also been pretty crazy, I feel so exhausted. We both sit in silence, neither of us speaking. Maybe Luna is allowing me to enjoy a peaceful moment of quiet as I relax in the chair.

I don’t know how much time passes, but the double doors to the hall open. The two waitresses from earlier walk in, each pushing a trolley with plates and cutlery on them. The plates have those large dome lids on top of them until the moment they are placed on the table in front of us.

I barely notice the waitresses announcing our meals as I watch the lids lifted from the plates. The lasagne in front of me is really big, and it smells amazing. It’s a vegetarian one of course, but I’m so hungry that I don’t feel like I could complain. I thank the waitress in an absent minded manner, before grabbing the fork and knife, and digging into it.

The lasagne is unbelievably good, all of the vegetables creating an amazing fusion of flavour. Even better is that the cheese in it only further enhances the beautiful palate. I am brought back to reality as I hear giggling across from me. I look up to see the waitresses gone, but Luna is enjoying my reaction to my meal. This causes me to blush a little. “What? It’s good.”

She giggles a little more and then calms herself. “It’s fine, I just found your reaction to the lasagne rather entertaining.” Luna then continues eating her soup.

I blush a bit more. “Um, all right…” I take a sip from my water and get back to finishing off my delicious lasagne, although in a more reserved way. That was pretty embarrassing, after all, she is royalty, I ought to be politer.

We then eat our dinners in silence until we finish. Luna speaking up first. “Do you remember where you slept last night?”

That is an important question… This castle is so big; do I remember where I slept last night? I don’t think so, I’m just so tired. I shake my head. “No, I think I’ve forgotten. Do I need to sleep in the same room as before?”

Luna responds after some thought. “Not exactly, but you will need to stay in a guest room. There is one near my chambers, is that acceptable?”

I yawn and nod, standing from the chair. “Fine by me.”

She smiles and gets up as well. “Follow me.” Luna then takes me down a few halls and to a door beside a set of double doors. “This can be your room from now on, if you wish.” She opens the single door, revealing a bedroom similar in style to the one I stayed in last night, but a little bigger.

I step into the room and look around, noticing that there also seems to be an ensuite bathroom towards the corner of the room. I turn back around to face Luna. “This is a great bedroom. I’d love to have it as my permanent dwelling place.”

Luna nods happily. “If you need anything, the double doors out here lead to my chambers.”

I smile. “All right, thanks. Good night, Luna.”

She gives me a hug. “You are welcome. Good night, Travis.”

I hug her back, being careful again, before we let go and Luna heads to her room. I close the door and walk to the bed, undressing myself down to my underwear and leaving my clothes on a set of drawers. Finally, I climb into bed and pull the covers over myself. I’ve never been in such a comfortable bed before. It isn’t long until I drift off to sleep.

Chapter Five

I slowly wake up in a very comfortable bed and I remember where I am. Damn, beds in this castle are amazing. It’s my second time on one and it still feels so relaxing and perfect. I wonder if the royal ponies and nobles have even better beds. Would it even be possible to have better beds? This has to be the pinnacle of comfy bed technology.

I get out of bed, still only in underwear and I stretch, before checking the ensuite bathroom. It has a tiled floor, as well as a fairly big bath and big shower cubicle. I’m surprised that it isn’t smaller in size to fit the usual pony size which I’ve learnt is pretty small compared to Celestia and Luna. There are also bottles of shampoo on a rack in the shower cubicle, and white towels hung up on another rack outside of the cubicle. On the other side of the room is a sink with taps, as well as soaps, toothpaste and a toothbrush to the side of it, and a mirror on the wall behind it. Finally, in the corner of the room is a toilet; I am both surprised and relieved to see that it is the correct size for a being of my stature.

I decide to have a shower, making do with using just shampoo for my whole body. They probably only need shampoo here in Equestria due to everyone as far as I know being some form of equine. I get the water at my preferred temperature that is hot -but not too hot- and I enjoy my time in the shower.

After deeming myself clean, I turn the taps off and step out from the shower. I grab a towel from the nearby rack and dry myself off, before dressing myself. Now I realise that I only have one set of clothes and plan to live here long term. Perhaps I could see if there are any ponies who could somehow make clothes for me. Also, how will I clean my clothes when I only have one set? Will I have to be naked while they are cleaned?

I decide to put it out from my mind and brush my teeth. I then notice that my pocket still contains my phone from two nights ago. Does it still work? I pull it out and press the home button. The screen comes on and displays a time on it, 9:00 am. In the top left corner, it tells me that there is no service, that’s no surprise. In the top right corner, the battery display shows that there is only fifteen percent battery life remaining, of course. I may as well forget about it; I highly doubt that they have the technology here to charge it.

I then get an idea, it may seem dumb, but perhaps I could take some photos before the battery dies on me. That way, in the situation that I do end up back on Earth, I will have a form of proof that I was here. I walk out from my room and notice a unicorn guard patrolling the corridor. When he turns his head away, I snap a picture of him and check the shot on my phone. Awesome, I still got his horn in the photo when he looked away. Then I put my phone back into my pocket and wander the halls for a bit. Occasionally I pull my phone out to take more pictures on the way.

After my casual wandering, I end up back near the door to my room. I feel kind of awkward, not used to being around this place without Luna. After trying to think of what to do, I knock on the double doors to Luna’s room. The door opens, but instead of Luna, a night guard is behind the door. I notice that rather than a bedroom, there is a dimly lit spiral stair case going up. The guard then acknowledges me. “Who are you and what is your business with Princess Luna?”

I feel a little intimidated, despite his small size compared to me. I’ve always felt intimidated around authorities and such, even though I’m a law abiding and innocent person. I’m always nervous to make sure I follow all of the rules of wherever I am. Other than being somewhat of an outcast, I’m a goody two shoes and stickler for rules. “Um, my name is Travis Blackbourne, and I was just wondering if the princess is awake yet. She told me last night that I could see her if I needed anything.”

The guard nods. “Wait here.” He closes the door and I hear him walking up the staircase. I look around the corridor as I wait for him to return. A day guard walks by as he’s doing his patrols, he’s a unicorn. The sunlight coming through the windows seems to be brightening. I casually try to check my phone to pass the time, even though I know that there won’t be any messages or emails for me due to the lack of service. Damn, there’s only ten percent battery life left so I put it away.

The door opens again, revealing the night guard from earlier. “You have permission to enter Princess Luna’s chambers.” He then steps aside. “Just walk up the stairs.”

“Thank you, uh, sir.” I nod to him and begin to walk up the staircase. The way up has no windows and is dimly lit by candles on the walls. I finally arrive at a tall, narrow set of double doors and I knock.

I hear Luna behind the door. “You may enter.”

I push open one of the doors and step inside, closing the door behind me. Her room looks so different from the rest of the castle. The walls are a light blue with some sort of design painted along the bottom portion of it resembling waves. Luna’s bed is built in the likeness of a crescent moon resting on a white cloud. It has a lamp hanging from the top tip and a starry canopy attached along the underside of the top half. On the opposite side of the room from me there is an ensuite bathroom with black drapes parted to either side of its entrance.

The windows in her room are tall and arched, with burgundy curtains shutting out the sunlight. Her room’s floor is carpeted with a pale burgundy and somewhat navy blue spiral design. A white, round rug is by the side of her bed with four slippers on it. The strangest thing however about her room are the lamps that are set up which look like black, alien trees jutting from the floor, the light bulbs being the fruit of the trees.

Luna is sitting up in her bed, appearing to be quite tired and dishevelled. “Good morning, Travis… Is there something you need?”

“Um, good morning, Luna.” I look around nervously; did I even actually need anything? No, I just felt awkward around the castle without her, I still feel out of place here. Maybe that could count as something? “Both no and yes. I don’t need any material objects, or explanations of anything, but… I feel kind of out of place here and nervous. I just wanted your company to feel more comfortable in the castle… I’m sorry if this is a waste of your time and if I disturbed your sleep…”

Luna gives me a soft smile and pulls over a chair with her magic. “It is all right, Travis. I understand that you do you not yet feel at home here. It is most likely a rather large change in setting from what you are used to. You may sit here if you wish.”

I smile back and sit down in the chair that Luna pulled to the side of the bed. “Thanks.” I glance around the room and back at Luna. “I feel a little childish doing this. Adult humans don’t normally go to their host’s bedroom in the morning to be comforted.”

Luna giggles a little. “I do not mind; it is a welcome change from my usual mornings.”

“So… Did I disturb your sleep?” I sure as hell hope that I didn’t, I would feel so bad.

She slowly shakes her head. “No, I was awake. I was simply trying to relax in bed for a little longer. If I had been asleep, then my guard would have denied you entry.”

Well, at least I didn’t cause her to wake up. “Oh, okay, how was your sleep?”

Luna smiles. “My sleep was lovely, I even aided a young filly with her nightmares.”

I raise an eyebrow. What on earth does she mean by that? “Oh? In your sleep?”

She nods. “Yes, I have the ability to dream walk, which means that I am able to enter the dreams of others while I sleep.”

That’s so cool. It’s like she’s taken lucid dreaming to the next level. “That’s awesome, is it like lucid dreaming?”

“Indeed, in order to dream walk I must be lucid first.” Luna then gives me a look of intrigue. “You know of lucid dreaming?”

I nod enthusiastically, lucid dreaming is so interesting to me. “Yeah, I’ve wanted to be able to do it for a long time now, and nearly succeeded once or twice, but that’s about it.”

Luna’s expression brightens up at my mention of wanting to lucid dream. “I could teach you how to become lucid within a dream if you would like me to. I do not often come across anypony who is interested in lucid dreaming and the dreamscape.”

I give her an excited smile. “I would love to learn the art of lucid dreaming from you. It’s such a fascinating topic.”

She returns the smile. “I will visit your dreams tonight if there are no young fillies or colts who need my help with nightmares.”

That would be pretty epic. Everything I learn about Luna just makes her sound cooler and cooler. “That sounds awesome, Luna, I’ll be looking forward to it. So, is helping the young ones with nightmares another one of your duties as Princess of the Night?”

Luna nods. “That is correct, I watch over their dreams and talk to them about why they may be having nightmares. They are normally brought by worries and issues about the real world, and so I help the fillies and colts to resolve them.”

“You sound like an amazing princess to me. You raise the moon and bring night. You are very just and benevolent towards your subjects. You can also enter the dreams of others to help them.”

She blushes lightly. “Thank you, Travis. You are very kind to compliment me so. I am not used to receiving such praise.”

I can’t believe that she is never complimented on any of this. “You’re welcome, Luna, I’m simply telling you the truth. You do deserve these compliments after all…” I slowly quiet myself as I notice her blushing more. Oh crap, I finally realise that I’m probably laying it on too thick. I mean, she’s just a new friend, perhaps a new best friend, but that’s it. I wouldn’t want her to think otherwise. I look away from her shyly, otherwise I’m going to make things awkward again.

“Travis?” Luna tries to get my attention. Should I look back? Of course, I should, I just need to think more before I talk from now on.

I slowly turn my gaze back to her. “Yes?”

She looks into my eyes. “Is something wrong?”

I shake my head and blush softly. She can’t know what I’m thinking about, things will get weird if I tell her. “N-No, not at all…”

Luna doesn’t look convinced. “That’s not true. You look and sound nervous about something.”

Damn it, I’m a terrible liar, but I need to try. “Look, it’s nothing, please.”

She lets out a sigh. “And I am asking you to please tell me the truth. You have nothing to fear from me. I do not appreciate it when others hide things from me.”

She’s so persistent, why couldn’t she just let it be? I look down nervously and quietly, blushing a little more. And why is this so hard for me? Can’t I just tell her about how I thought I was laying it on too thick? I don’t understand. Sure, things will be a little awkward, but I’ve dealt with that before. I’ve only just met her, and she’s only a friend, I’m sure of it.

I feel a cool pressure tilting me to look up and notice a pale blue glow around my face. “Travis, please trust me…” Luna is looking a little upset.

Come on, is it so important to her that it’s upsetting? I suppose my trust really means that much. “F-Fine, I’ll tell you, but it’ll make things really weird and awkward. You still want to know?”

She nods. “I really do not mind awkwardness; I just want you to trust me.”

I nod and blush. “O-Okay. I was just thinking that I was probably laying it on too thick with the compliments… I meant them completely, but I don’t want you to think I’m trying to impress or hit on you… I decided to be quiet in order to stop being so heavy with the praise.”

Luna blushes as well. “Is that all?”

I nod. “Y-Yeah…”

She laughs a little. “I really did not mind it, Travis. Do not worry, I will not take your compliments out of context. Thank you for trusting me.”

I suppose it’s good to have that out of the way now. I’m glad to hear that she hasn’t taken my compliments too far. “Uh, thanks for being understanding, and you’re welcome for me trusting you. I would hate for you to think that I distrust you.”

She gives me a comforting smile. “It is quite all right. Perhaps I should get out of bed and we can have some breakfast.”

I smile back and move the chair a bit to get out of the way. “That sounds good.”

Luna gets up out of bed, stepping into her slippers. “Just allow me to tidy my appearance first.” She then heads over to her ensuite bathroom and closes the drapes behind her.

I look around her room again as I wait, properly admiring it. Nowhere else in the castle even vaguely resembles the design of this room. I get up and look at one of the lamps. I’ve never seen any lamps like this before, they sure are strange, almost lovecraftian to me. I then walk over to a window and part the curtains to look out. The view is amazing, reminding me that Luna’s room is at the top of a very tall tower, one of the tallest of the castle too from what I can see from the window. I hear Luna’s hoofsteps and I close the curtains, turning back to see her walking from her bathroom.

Luna now appears neat and fresh, no sign of her previous dishevelled appearance. “I am now in a presentable state to be seen by the castle servants and possible visitors. Shall we go have breakfast now?”

I nod happily. “Yeah, that would be great.”

She smiles and steps out of her slippers and into her metal shoes, leading the way back down her tower. The night guard stands straight and salutes her as we pass him by. We then make our way to the dining hall, a unicorn stallion waiter entering not long after us to collect our orders. Luna asks for the same fruit salad she had yesterday morning and a water. I ask for toast with strawberry jam and a hot chocolate. Another silence begins just like yesterday morning.

Luna then breaks it, sooner than last time. “Last night you told me that you would like to go to the library with me today to learn of Equestrian history, correct?”

“That’s right, I did. I haven’t changed my mind about learning the history of Equestria from you either.” I look at her appreciatively. “Equestria seems like a very interesting place to me, I would love to hear all about how it came to be the way it is now.”

Luna gladly responds. “That sounds delightful, we can go to the library after breakfast.”

“Thanks, I’m sure that it’ll be really fascinating to me.”

“You are rather welcome.”

I give her a nod and look around. I tend to do that a lot when I’m trying to pass the time. I then remember my phone and check it, six percent battery left.

“What pray tell, is that device?” Luna asks curiously as she notices me checking my phone.

I chuckle a bit. “Do you have telephones in Equestria?”

She nods in affirmation. “We do indeed have telephones here, but they are not common in the castle.”

I smile. “Well then, this serves the same purpose and is called a smart phone -” I show her the screen. “- it has a screen that is both a touch and display screen.” I swipe it around a bit to demonstrate, before selecting the camera app. “It also has a built in camera so that I can take photos with it.” I look up at Luna.

She looks amazed by my phone. “What a wondrous piece of technology!”

I chuckle a little more. “Yeah, it is pretty cool. May I take a photo of you?”

Luna smiles and nods, sitting straight in a noble pose. “Yes please, I would like to see this ‘smart’ telephone do a camera’s work.”

I smile as well and take a portrait shot, making sure to keep my hand as steady as possible. This is awesome, I now have a photo of an alicorn princess. “There we go.” I then show her the screen so that she can see the picture I took.

She giggles in excitement. “That is remarkable!”

I plan on at least one more photo before the battery dies. “Yeah, it is, although it runs on a battery of electrical energy and it is almost out of power. Can I take one more photo before it runs out, but with both of us in it?”

Luna nods. “Of course, but how can you capture both of us in the photo?”

“I’ll show you.” I get up from my seat and stand beside Luna, leaning close to her and lifting my phone up. I’m not one for selfies, but I can sure as hell make an exception so that I have proof of this whole thing. I press the flip icon so that the phone uses the camera facing us, the display showing us. Luna smiles widely at the sight of the screen and I smile too, taking the picture. Checking it, I decide that it’s a good photo. “Thanks, Luna.”

“You are welcome, Travis. That is a marvellous device you have. Am I correct in assuming that human technology is more advanced than Equestrian technology?”

I lock my phone after checking the battery, which is now at three percent and I put it back in my pocket. “Pretty much. I don’t know what technologies you have in Equestria, but based on what I’ve seen in the castle, you’d be correct in that assumption.”

Luna giggles as I return to my seat. “I should also thank you for showing me such a wonderful thing.”

I chuckle a little at her giggling. “You’re welcome, besides, I really wanted to get some photos before the battery died. Just in case I end up back on Earth, so then I have proof that I was actually here with you.”

She calms down after a bit. “I understand. Will the photos still be on the smart telephone after it runs out of power?”

I nod. “Yeah, if I get back to Earth, then I can recharge the battery to get it working again. The photos will still be there when it’s recharged.”

Luna gives me a curious look. “How does one recharge the battery?”

“Well, on Earth there are cords that have been made specifically for smart phones that connect them to the power grid. The cords then transfer electrical energy from the grid to the phones. Do you know what power grids are?”

She slowly nods. “Yes, they are systems that are connected to and provide power to the houses and buildings of Equestria. However, instead of electrical energy, they run on magical energy.”

I nod back. “Right, so basically that’s how I charge the battery of the phone. Considering smart phones don’t exist in Equestria, there won’t be any cords here that could be used to charge my phone.”

“Very well.”

The double doors to the dining hall open and the waiter from before brings in our breakfasts. He starts by setting up our cutlery and places down Luna’s salad and water first. “Is this to your liking, Princess?”

She gives him a polite smile and nod. “Yes, thank you.”

The waiter then puts my toast, strawberry jam, and hot chocolate down in front of me. “And what do you think… Travis was it?”

I give him a smile as well. “Yes, Travis is my name, and I think that this breakfast looks great.”

He nods and steps back from the table. “Enjoy your breakfasts.” The waiter then leaves us.

Luna and I eat our breakfasts in peace. Just as expected, the hot chocolate and toast were the best I’ve ever had. I must admit that I could definitely get used to this quality of food in this castle. When we finish, the waiter comes back to collect our plates and cutlery. After he leaves, Luna speaks up. “Would you like to accompany me to the library?”

I look over to Luna and stand up, smiling. “I would love to, Luna.”

She stands too. “I am glad to hear that.” She then takes me out to the corridor. It then occurs to me that I really need to learn how to get around here by myself.

Chapter Seven

By some miracle I manage to find the garden that I walked through with Luna last night. It’s bright outside, but thankfully not oppressively so, I guess that’s the way Celestia manages the sun. I make my way over to a large tree near the fountain and sit down in the shade provided by its foliage. I watch and listen to the fountain from my shady spot. Some time to just relax would be great, not to mention needed due to my frustration with Discord.

I close my eyes and sit back against the trunk of the tree. I listen to the constant trickle of the fountain, to the leaves in a soft breeze, and the sounds of various birds and small animals. I try my best to calm down and meditate in the peaceful garden. Slowly my mood softens and my tension gradually fades, until I find myself feeling like I’m about to cry. What over? Being in a foreign land that I know nothing about? Maybe, but I really like it here so far. Perhaps I’m just tired? It’s a possibility due to my late night last night.

Most likely though, it’s about Discord. I haven’t had to deal with dickheads like him since high school. I was so sick of dealing with shit from people like him back home. I’ve never been good with being laughed at and taken advantage of. Also, I had never felt so fearful in my life as when he threatened me, even if it was just some sick joke. Feeling vulnerable at school was one thing, but being afraid for my life is another. Damn, now I’m crying. Why did I bother thinking about this in the first place?

I hear hoofsteps approaching, so I do my best to wipe my eyes and dry my face. I don’t want to be seen like this. I don’t want to look vulnerable. I suppose that’s something I’ve lost; the ability to keep a strong facade when I’m out and about. The hoofsteps sound closer now and I’m still nowhere near presentable, so I simply cross my arms and hide my face behind them. The hoofsteps stop in front of me and then I hear what must be whoever it is lay down in front of me.

“Travis?” It’s Celestia by the tone of her voice. I can’t bring myself to look up at her. “Did something happen?”

I sniffle a bit and remain still, just wanting to be ignored. Crying in front of others really isn’t my thing, it just makes me feel worse. I don’t want to talk to her like this. Maybe she’ll leave and give me some space.

“You can talk to me if you need to.” I guess she probably won’t leave. “There is no need to be ashamed of crying, it’s perfectly natural.” I feel her hoof gently rub my shoulder. “Now, did something happen, Travis?”

I very slowly look up at her and nod, trying to wipe my eyes some more. There’s probably no use in ignoring her, she could probably be here for a long time if she happens to have concluded day court. Something about her gives off a sense of being determined to stay until she hears my problem.

She makes a handkerchief appear and softly dries my eyes as she uses it with her magic. “What happened?”

I try to speak, but only manage to stutter one name. The name of my frustration, anger, and bringer of my sense of vulnerability. “D-Discord…”

Celestia shakes her head in what could possibly be disappointment and rubs my shoulder again. “What did Discord do?”

I do my best to tell her, although I struggle. It’s so hard due to the combination of my social awkwardness and looking so weak. I look down in nervousness. “H-He said it w-was a j-joke, but… But…”

Celestia tenderly places her hoof under my chin to lift my head back up. “But?”

I tremble softly. “He th-threatened me when I t-tried to stand up for L-Luna…” I then cry a bit more.

This causes Celestia to frown for a moment and then she gently dabs at my face with the handkerchief. “That was very wrong of Discord. I’ll give him a stern talking to. I’m sorry that you had to experience that.”

I nod a bit. “I f-felt so afraid… For m-my life… I’ve never felt l-like that b-before…”

Celestia then gives me a warm hug. “I’ll make sure that this never happens again. You shouldn’t have ever had to go through that.”

I hug her back, calming down now. I seem to be getting pretty liberal with giving hugs lately, but I suppose that I have a good enough excuse for it now. “Thanks.”

She smiles softly and releases me from her embrace. “You’re welcome, Travis. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?”

I let go as well and lean back against the tree. “I don’t know, just anything other than Discord. For starters, why did you come out here in the first place? And why were you so determined to talk to me?”

“I regularly walk around the garden on my breaks from day court or other royal duties.” Celestia magically folds the handkerchief and sets it down on my lap. “As for me trying to talk to you, you looked like you needed somepony to talk to.”

“But I wanted to have some space when I dealt with my thoughts, and time to recompose myself. I was hardly presentable when you came by. Was it really that simple to you though? Just because you thought I needed somebody to talk to?”

Celestia takes her time before responding. “I wanted to help you regardless, but you reminded me of Luna before she became Nightmare Moon. She tried to deal with her issues by herself, and I decided to leave her be. Instead I should have spoken to her. The point here is that I’ve learnt that I must try talking to somepony who needs to talk, even if they don’t realise it themselves.”

I slowly nod and think over her wise words. “I see, that makes sense, and it sounds pretty wise. I suppose wisdom comes with ruling a kingdom for over a thousand years?”

My question elicits a faint giggle from Celestia. “Not necessarily. One could rule or live for eternity and not become any wiser. One must also have an open mind and an interest in learning new things.”

I laugh a bit as well. “That’s true, although you’ll keep sounding wise to me. I might have to take notes of what you say and put them in a book of quotes.”

Celestia laughs a little louder, before coming back to the discussion of the day. “So, you were spending more time with Luna today?”

I nod and smile. “Yeah, we seem to get along pretty well, and that’s a lot coming from me. I’m not exactly a very social person.”

Celestia smiles back. “That’s good to hear, Travis. Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to spend more time Luna? After all, you said that you aren’t very social, and yesterday was only spent with her to learn your way around the castle.”

“Well, I still feel pretty lost around the castle without her. Also, Luna and I came to an agreement that I’d be her equerry from now on.”

Celestia raises an eyebrow at that. “Really?”

“Yeah, that seems to be the case. Is this unusual for her?”

Celestia smiles a bit more. “It sure is, as she usually spends her days alone, but it’s reassuring to hear that she’s had a change of heart. Luna’s needed some company for a long time now, and I’m not always around to be with her on a reliable basis.” Celestia’s expression then becomes serious and she looks into my eyes. “Do you understand the significance of your company to her?”

I nod and look back into her eyes. “Yeah, she told me about her past as Nightmare Moon and that having a friend to spend time with will help prevent her from becoming Nightmare Moon again. She said that the wellbeing of Equestria could possibly rely upon my friendship with her.”

Celestia’s gaze softens and her smile returns. “It really makes me happy to hear that, and before you mentioned that you stood up for Luna? Sorry to bring this subject up again, it just means so much to me that you would have done that.”

I nervously smile back. “It’s fine, and yeah, I stood up to Discord when I saw Luna becoming agitated by Discord’s behaviour towards her.” I seem to stare into nothing as I remember how she was there when I was so terrified to begin with. “When Discord first showed up, I was afraid because it was before I knew that he had been reformed. Luna was so quick to be by my side to comfort me, and to tell Discord off for scaring me like that.”

Celestia’s smile seems to turn slightly amused. “I see… You two must have become pretty close friends already.”

I scratch the back of my head. “Yeah, I guess she’d be considered my best friend in Equestria. Although it’s not more than that, not that I really need to say it. Discord seemed to think Luna and I were… Uh… Together… That’s not the case though.” I look away shyly. It’s immature, but talking about that type of stuff just makes me so embarrassed, even though I’m never romantically involved with anyone.

Celestia appears to stifle a giggle. “He’s known for taking things too far, or out of context. However, I could understand why he could think that, due to Luna’s change of heart on having an equerry. It really is unlike her. It’s possible that some part of her likes you in that way.”

I look away more and laugh nervously. “I don’t know though, isn’t that a bit drastic? We just met like, two nights ago. Also, she’s a pony princess, and I’m a human.”

Celestia doesn’t hold back anymore and giggles out loud. “You’re blushing, Travis. And yes, it’s drastic, but not out of the question. She has never had a romantic interest before. You may or may not know though, that getting your first potential first crush could lead to the desire of a relationship. If she’s never felt this way before, she may not notice just how drastic it is to you.”

I cover my face in embarrassment as I try to cover my blush and I reply from behind my hands. “But we’re both different species. It couldn’t possibly be right… right?”

Celestia laughs a little more, before toning it down. “We don’t judge between species here in Equestria. You are both living, feeling, thinking beings. If something were to happen between you two, that’d be your choice. Perhaps the more traditional and conservative ponies and equestrian citizens would find issue with it. However, the law and I don’t see anything wrong with it at all.”

I groan and shake my head. This is just too embarrassing… And too ridiculous at that. “Please stop, I don’t want to be thinking about that…”

Celestia is smirking when I look back up at her. “All right, I’m sorry if it disturbed you, and hope that I didn’t embarrass you too much. I just thought that I should let you know how I see the situation. You may want to keep it in mind.”

I try to recompose myself and hope that my blush is dissipating. “Okay… Uh, thanks… I guess… At least this embarrassing conversation has improved my mood somehow.”

Celestia’s smirk becomes a warm smile. “You’re welcome. Is there anything else you need to discuss?”

“I don’t think –” I then remember my situation with only having one set of clothes. “– actually, I need more clothes. Humans wear clothes regularly, every day in fact. It’s generally unacceptable to go out nude in public. I only have what I’m wearing now, so I’ll need more clothes to wear when I’m getting dirty clothes cleaned.”

“Hmmm –” Celestia gently taps her chin. “– there’s a very skilled tailor that lives in Ponyville that could make some clothing for you. Whilst she has only made dresses and suits for ponies, I’m sure that she’d be up to the challenge of tailoring the clothing of a species largely unknown to Equestria.”

I smile and relax, knowing that I might not have to spend a day nude, or too much time wearing dirty clothes. “That’s awesome, who is she and when can she come by?”

“Her name is Rarity and she’s one of Twilight’s friends. She should be able to come at the same time as Twilight if I send a letter soon enough. Would that be all right?”

I nod. “Yeah, that sounds good, thanks. I must admit though, it feels weird to have a princess trying to organise and set things up for me.”

Celestia laughs good naturedly. “It’s not every day that a sapient being arrives in Equestria from another planet, universe, or plane of existence. Think nothing of it, you’re my guest here, and a host should always see to the needs of their guest.”

I smile and nod my thanks. “That’s going in the quote book.” I then laugh as well.

Celestia blushes lightly in discomfiture and laughs with me. “Oh shush, you’ll make me feel my age.”

I then stupidly inquire. “Which is?” This earns me a bit of a swat from one of Celestia’s wings, not hard, but enough to put me in my place.

“Don’t you know to never ask a mare about her age?” Celestia appears to be somewhat flustered, but also slightly bemused.

I laugh a little and shake my head. “Sorry, I should know. I had a momentary lapse in judgement.”

Celestia giggles to regain her poise, giving me another playful swat from her wing. “Don’t you forget it.”

“I won’t.” I smile a bit. “You know, for princesses, you and Luna are pretty chilled and aren’t uptight at all.”

“Thank you, there’s no reason to be uptight or too formal when we aren’t performing royal duties. And to be honest, sometimes Luna and I just want to get away from being treated as royalty. I wouldn’t be surprised if your casual behaviour is a contributing reason to Luna potentially getting a crush on you.”

Oh no, not back to this subject again. I shake my head. “All right, all right, I’m sure that I’ve heard enough about the whole Luna thing by now.” That reminds me, I should probably go back to the library. “It’s been nice talking to you, Celestia, although I think I had better return to the library.”

Celestia seems to look fairly amused with my response. “Of course, Travis, it was lovely chatting with you too. I won’t keep you waiting.” She then gets up and walks deeper into the garden.

I shake my head some more and then get up as well, heading back inside. I can’t believe that Celestia was talking about Luna and I for some strange reason getting together, or at least Luna having a crush. It’s such a strange idea. She was so embarrassing.

I manage to make my way back to the library and see Luna reading through a book. I walk over to her and sit down on a chair beside her. “I’m feeling better now.”

She looks at me and softly smiles. “I am relieved to hear so. If you ever need to talk about it, I will be here for you.”

I blush a bit as I think of what Celestia told me. “Yeah, thanks… I’ll keep that in mind.”

It seems that Luna takes notice of my blushing and hesitant tone. “Why the blushing and tentative voice?”

I rub the back of my neck and look around nervously, blushing more. “Uh, it’s nothing… Just something that I spoke to Celestia about…”

She gives me a look of curiosity. “And what did you speak to my dear sister about?”

I shake my head and keep my gaze away from Luna. “Just something embarrassing, that’s all… I didn’t even really discuss it with her… She just told me something and I told her that I didn’t want to talk about it…”

I feel Luna’s cool magic around me as she gently turns my head to face her. “What was this thing? You cannot say this much and not tell me what it is about.”

I blush intensely as I have no choice but to tell her. “It’s silly really… But I told Celestia about what happened with Discord, and then about how I’m your equerry. That’s when she said that… Um… You might, uh… Have a crush on me…”

Luna blushes heavily too and releases me from her magical grip. “I see… I will have to have a talk with her sometime…”

I let out a sigh of relief at her mild reaction, but now that she knows about what Celestia told me I may as well ask. “Um… So, is she correct in her guess?” Did I really just ask that? I rub my face as I keep blushing. Dumb me. Why would I ask that?

She is quiet, before opening her mouth, and closing it, no words coming out for some time. “We… We need to… I need to talk to Celestia.” Luna then rushes out from the library.

Well shit, judging from that reaction, it’s highly likely that Celestia was right. This is ridiculous. Luna’s a pony. I’m a human. She’s a princess. I’m just some nobody. Her crush must be a phase or something, most crushes are. There’s just no way something like that could work.

I don’t want to think about this anymore, so I look down at the book that Luna was reading. I skim through the pages and notice that it is about historical events between Luna’s banishment and return. There is some cool stuff about how after Luna was banished a military group known as the Earth, Unicorn, Pegasus Guard - or E.U.P. Guard for short - was created to protect Celestia and keep the peace.

Apparently after that, a select few pegasi from the pegasus division of the E.U.P. Guard were chosen to form a group to perform at a celebration. It marked the first celestial year of peace. They were then named the Wonderbolts by the general of the Pegasus division of the E.U.P. Guard called General Firefly.

I continue to read through the book, before putting it down for a break. I go to get some lunch at the dining hall, then I go back to the library. I spend the rest of the day reading about Equestrian history. I manage to read about Discord, as well as some place called the Crystal Empire and an evil king called Sombra. It is getting dark when I finally read about more current history such as the second defeats of Discord and Sombra, as well as Discord’s reformation. I finally finish reading about the most recent event of the very quick rise and fall of a magic stealing centaur named Tirek.

I look around to see just how dark it is outside and I decide that I should get myself some dinner. Heading towards the dining hall, my thoughts return to the matter of Luna. I haven’t seen her since she ran off to talk to Celestia. It was probably a terrible idea to ask her whether Celestia was right about her or not. Oh well, it’s already happened and there’s nothing I can do to reverse it. Then again she does have night court, so it occurs to me that she’s probably there at the moment.

Arriving at the dining hall, I make an order for fish and chips with a drink of hard cider. Luckily it seems that the kitchen must have been supplied with fish due to what I assume was Celestia’s order. Also, I strangely had to specify that they should use potato rather than hay for chips. I never thought that chips could even be made from hay.

As I’m waiting for my dinner, the dining hall double doors open, revealing Luna. She makes her way to the table and orders a vegetarian pasta. I then decide to break the silence. “Um, sorry about earlier today… I probably shouldn’t have asked that question…”

Luna waves her hoof. “No, it was within your right to ask such a question after such a talk with Celestia.”

I nod slowly. “So, did you get to talk to Celestia today?” I hope that this isn’t another bad question.

Now it’s Luna’s turn to nod as she replies. “I did indeed get to speak with her. We had a rather lengthy discussion on the matter.”

That’s good to hear, at least she was able to have a talk about it. “Are you feeling better now after talking?”

Luna nods softly again. “Yes, I am. However, I must apologise for leaving you alone so suddenly.”

I give her a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, I can totally understand why you would have rushed off. I did kind of put you on the spot there.” I’m not going to bother asking for her answer to the question that caused this. I probably don’t want to hear it anyway; it’ll make things awkward if she answers yes.

Luna blushes a bit and looks down at the table. “I do however, have my answer to that question that I ran from earlier today.” Oh no, she’s gonna tell me anyway. I brace myself to hear what she has to say. “My answer is yes, Travis; I do indeed seem to have formed a crush on you.”

Yeah, I really didn’t want to hear that. I close my eyes and can’t help but let out a sigh. Things are going to be so weird now. So much for just being casual friends. Even if I told her that I’m really not interested in her that way, the knowledge is still there that she thinks of me that way.

“You are not pleased with my answer?” I hear her tone become weak, her voice also seems to tremble slightly.

I open my eyes and look back at Luna, her expression becoming upset. I might not have an attraction or romantic interest in her, but I don’t want to see her upset. “Luna… We’ve known each other only for two days. We’re both different species. And while I’m sure that it’s not a problem in Equestria, it’s not acceptable on Earth. I’m happy to be a close friend, heck, your best friend, but I don’t think that I could correlate with your crush on me.”

Luna looks into my eyes. “Do you truly feel that way? Celestia believes that some part of you cares more deeply for me than what a friend normally would.”

Oh man, is she serious? Now apparently Celestia thinks I could harbour feelings for Luna? Is that what Celestia’s amused look was about when she finished our conversation before? I sigh again. “Look, perhaps I do care a lot about you, but as a close friend. You’re the first pony I came into contact with when I arrived in Equestria. You’re also the pony that I spent my first day with here. And you were there for me when Discord scared me.” I blush a bit at that thought.

Luna’s mood appears to improve as I speak. “Does that mean there is a possibility that you may change your mind on remaining just friends?”

I put my hands over my face and groan. “I don’t know… The idea is still extremely weird to me due to the species difference. Did Celestia say anything about this being way too rushed, and perhaps drastic? As I said, we’ve only known each other for about two days.”

Luna seems to look a bit let down again. Trying to balance this discussion so that she doesn’t get the wrong idea, or get upset is seeming impossible. “She said that it is natural for crushes to develop rather quickly. She also told me that quite a few couples in Equestria form from either the first meeting, or first few days.”

You’ve got to be kidding me, if she’s telling the truth - which she most likely is- then the ponies here must have almost fairy-tale-like relationships. “Back on Earth, getting into a relationship with somebody so soon after meeting them is very rare. It is generally seen as rushed and not serious; possibly done out of desperation for a relationship than true love. Occasionally it works out, but not often.”

Luna then gives me a hopeful look. “Would you like to see if it will work?”

I shake my head firmly. “No. As much as I would like a relationship in general, with anybody really, this is too soon, and strange. How about we do it the other way around? We try to just be friends for now and if this crush isn’t a passing phase you could try talking to me about it again later.”

Luna nods slowly, seemingly disappointed, but luckily not too upset. “I suppose I can accept that. It is a reasonable answer. I do not know why I feel this way and understand that it must be very abrupt to you.”

I smile, relieved that we’ve finally come to some level of understanding. “Thanks, I appreciate that you’re willing to at least try to put your crush aside for now. I’m happy to have you as a close or best friend at the moment. So, how was night court?”

Luna’s expression deflates a little. “It was largely uneventful and boring. I read through and responded to petitions that were unresolved in day court. It would have been better with you there. What about you? Did you read any of the books after I left you alone?”

I nod happily. “Yep, I read about all the various threats that Equestria faced after your banishment and return. It was so interesting and exciting. I think that I’m fairly up to date now. The last thing I read about was the magic stealing centaur called Tirek.”

“I see, so if you have read about the key points of Equestrian history today, what do you plan to do tomorrow?” Luna softly smiles as she asks.

“Hmmm, I’m not sure, I just hope that Twilight will be able to visit tomorrow. Which reminds me that some tailor named Rarity is going to come with her. That way, I can have some more clothes made for myself.” I chuckle a bit. “It would suck to have to wear dirty clothes for too long. Also, I don’t think I could bring myself to spend a day nude whilst my clothes are being washed. It’s a human thing.”

Luna brings a hoof to her chin. “Very well. Shall I think of something for us to do tomorrow?”

I smile and nod. “Yeah, that sounds great. I’m sure that you could do a better job than me with finding something to do, since you know this castle better than me.”

“Would it be acceptable for me to visit your dreams tonight to tell you of any plans that I may make for tomorrow? I remember you saying that you are interested in lucid dreaming and the dreamscape.”

That would be so epic, I smile wide at the idea of it. “That sounds awesome!”

Luna smiles too. “I am glad to hear that.” The doors to the dining hall then open.

A unicorn stallion walks in, pushing a trolley that is carrying a tray with a dome lid, cutlery, and a glass of what must be hard cider. He places the tray, cutlery and cider on the table in front of me. Then he lifts the lid to reveal a well cooked fish, and chips to accompany it. It smells great. “Fish and potato chips with a glass of hard cider. Is this to your liking, sir?”

I nod hungrily, my mouth watering at the sight and smell of my dinner. “It is, thanks.”

He then turns to Luna. “Your pasta will arrive shortly, Your Majesty.” The waiter then leaves the hall.

I look up at Luna. “Should I wait for you to get your pasta before I start eating? I vaguely remember something about it being polite to wait for everyone at the table to have their meals before starting.”

She waves her hoof at me. “You can start now if you would like, I will not mind. However, you may also wait if you are more comfortable with that.”

I think for a moment and decide to place the lid back on the tray, simply taking a sip from my glass of hard cider. It’s pretty good. Sweet, but not too sweet, just the way I like it. It then occurs to me when I look at my covered tray that the cooks of vegetarian morals managed to prepare fish for me. “Hmmm, I was wondering, how do the cooks here know how to cook fish? I would expect them to only be able to make vegetarian dishes.”

“Oh, that is fairly easy to explain. Our chefs are trained to prepare both vegetarian and meat meals for any potential carnivore or omnivore visitors. This is especially important when it comes to diplomatic visits from other sapient species outside of Equestria. However, the meat is generally restricted to fish.”

“Fair enough, that makes sense.” It isn’t long before Luna’s pasta is brought in and presented by the same waiter.

The waiter looks at Luna. “Is this pasta acceptable, Princess?”

She gives him a polite smile. “Yes, thank you.” The waiter then leaves once again, and we both eat our dinners peacefully in silence. The fish is amazing, even though I normally think of fish as average tasting. I’ve really missed eating meat.

After dinner, we head off to our respective rooms and stop in between them. I smile at Luna and give her an awkward hug, hoping she doesn’t take it the wrong way. “Good night, Luna.”

She hugs me back with both her forelegs and wings. “Good night, Travis, we shall meet in your dreams tonight.”

I nod a bit. “Yeah, see you there.” We then let go of each other and go to our rooms.

When I enter my room, I turn on the light. It seems that it was cleaned while I was out. I then turn on the bedside lamp, flick off the room light, then remove my shoes, pants, and shirt, before getting into bed. It still feels just as comfy as yesterday. I idly check my phone, and yep, as expected the battery is now dead. It probably died a while ago. I put it down on the bedside table. I finally switch the lamp off and close my eyes, allowing myself to be taken by sleep.

Author's Note

So, Chapter Seven is finally out. I'm just leaving an author's note on this chapter (It most likely won't become common) since I'd like you to ask you, my readers a question. Do you think that the pacing and time is going by too slow? Should I skip by more time in my chapters? Or is it fine the way it is?

Also, now that I've written an author's note, I should thank you for reading through so far. Thanks! :twilightsmile:

Chapter Eight

Everything is hazy, and strange, but I don’t really question it. I’m with Luna at the castle in the garden, I turn my head and then I’m back on Earth where I did that ritual with Jack. Jack seems to be hanging out with me. I’m about to speak, but he lifts his hand and shakes his head, he looks disgusted. Then he speaks with his eyes closed. “I thought you were better… You disgust me.”

What? Why? I’m so confused. “What do you mean, Jack? Why?”

Jack opens his eyes and looks condescendingly at me. “You know why… That horse… Humans should be with humans…”

I shake my head. “I don’t get it… Her and I are just friends…”

He turns away and begins to leave. “Tell yourself that as much as you want… Friends don’t do what you two did…”

I’m about to protest, but he’s gone now. What the hell? I don’t remember doing anything other than chatting with and hugging Luna. I turn and see my parents next. My dad is a bit taller than me and his appearance is a lot like mine, or technically vice versa. My mum is a bit shorter than me, has blue eyes and dark brown hair. My parents look just as disgusted as Jack, but with more disappointment than him. “What’s wrong?”

My dad speaks first. “I’m sure you know what you’ve done. You should be ashamed.”

Then my mum speaks. “I thought you were such a good boy, Travis… When did you change?”

Before I can reply my dad continues. “I never knew that you behaved so vilely. We’re both very upset, but look at your poor mother, you’ve betrayed her trust.”

I shake my head and shout. “I did nothing wrong! If this is about Luna, we’re just friends! We didn’t do anything, I swear!”

My dad only shouts back at me. “Don’t lie to me! You know what disgusting thing you did with that horse!”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing, this is horrible. “B-b-but, what did I do with her?! We talked and hugged, that’s it!”

My dad raises his hand like Jack did, before hugging my mum and looking away from me. “You had -” He pauses as he struggles to say the next word. “- sex with it. With a horse…” He shakes his head. “You’re no son of mine. Get out of my sight.”

I feel a lump in my throat and try to blink away the tears, before running outside. This can’t be happening. I’m back in the Canterlot Castle garden, but this time I’m alone. I sit back against the tree, close my eyes and begin to cry like I did yesterday. I don’t understand… It doesn’t make sense…

There is a flash and immediately after it, I feel wings and forehooves wrap me in a tight hug. I then hear Luna. “Do not worry, Travis, I am here. It is just a dream.”

I open my eyes and slowly look up at her, trying to wipe away the tears. Then I hug Luna and bury my face in her dark blue coat. “It is? How much did you see?”

Luna rubs my back with a hoof comfortingly. “Yes, this is indeed just a dream, and I saw enough to understand your worries about the matter we talked of last night.”

I let go of her and wipe my eyes a bit more. “I see… You help young ponies with nightmares. What do you make of what happened in my dream?”

She looks away for a moment. “There is not much to say about it, it explained itself. You are worried over what those close to you on Earth would think of you if you were to enter a relationship with me.”

Hmmm, I guess that’s my subconscious thinking over things while I sleep. “That makes sense, I suppose. Yeah, I’m a little scared of what might happen if I do change my mind on the whole just being friends thing. You aren’t upset about that are you?”

Luna looks back at me. “Perhaps a little, but I understand why you would be worried. However, Jack and your parents are not like that are they? I would think it safe to assume that your subconscious made them behave more extreme than they normally would.”

I softly nod. “Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I was so confused. They would never act that way; they aren’t that harsh or hostile. It just sucks that I had to experience such a dream, or nightmare would be more appropriate to call it by.”

Luna gently rubs my back. “I am sorry that you had this nightmare. If I had not further discussed my crush with you last night, you most likely would have dreamt of something else.”

Now she’s blaming herself? I shake my head. “It’s all right, Luna, I’m the one who asked about it earlier in the day. Besides, this overall matter isn’t all you. I won’t deny what Celestia said about some part of me caring deeply for you.

“If it wasn’t so sudden, and if I wasn’t so worried about the species difference, I might have agreed to being in a romantic relationship with you. Maybe sometime later I’ll change my mind, but at the moment I’m still a bit worried and overwhelmed… Anyway, if no part of me was interested, I wouldn’t have cared much about your answer, and thus not had the nightmare.”

Luna appears to be somewhat relieved by my response to her apology. “Thank you, it comforts me that this dream was not entirely my fault.” She then hugs me a little tighter. “And I will hold onto the hope that soon, you will change your mind about what our relationship should be.”

I blush softly and gently hug her back. “Right… So… On to other matters, I’m now lucid dreaming since you told me, right? I feel fairly conscious of this all being a dream now.”

She finally lets go of me and nods. “That is correct, your dream to be precise. So, you should now have power over it. Think of something to make it happen.”

I let go as well and smile, closing my eyes for a moment. What would I like? Wings. Yeah, wings would be awesome. I open my eyes and look back, spreading my new wings. They are large and the feathers match the colour of my hair. I smile wider and laugh. “Oh, that’s so awesome!”

Luna smiles as well and spreads her wings. “Shall we fly?”

I nod excitedly and grin. “Damn right we’re gonna fly!” I test my wings and immediately shoot up high and do a few loops, before soaring towards a snowy forest. Luna follows close behind and I look back at her, shouting through the rushing air. “I can make anything happen here, yeah?!”

“Indeed! As long as you can imagine it, you can make it happen!” She is smiling, seemingly enjoying my reaction to my new found dream power.

I swoop down and fly into the forest, imagining a pack of wolves running by my side in the snow, and sure enough, there they are. They all have different coat colours, ranging from black to white, to brown. I’ve always loved wolves. I bring my wings in tight and plant my hands and feet on the snow, running on all fours with them. Luna is flying and watching from just above. My hands and feet become paws and I run a little more with the wolves, before slowing down and stopping by a river.

Luna lands beside me, and she appears taller to me than usual. I suppose that’s what happens when you gain the stature and form of a wolf. I look back and notice my wings are still there. I then find that I’m still able to speak as well. “I hope you aren’t frightened by wolves. I just absolutely love them, in fact, I have a bit of a connection with them you could say.”

She softly shakes her head. “No, I am not frightened by wolves, especially this kind.”

I tilt my head; I wonder what that means. Perhaps simply just another specific branch of wolf? “What do you mean by this kind?”

Luna lays down to be at my height. “In the Everfree forest live magical creatures known as timberwolves. They take the form of giant wolves, but they are made from branches and wood of the Everfree. It is still not understood exactly how they function other than being magically animated in some manner.”

“Hmmm, sounds interesting. Judging by the fact that you treat them differently than this kind of wolf, would I be right in assuming that they are more hostile than normal wolves?”

She reaches over to me and strokes the back of my head with a hoof. Damn, that feels pretty good as a wolf. “Yes, it is not known why, but they do have a tendency of attacking ponies unprovoked.”

I step away from Luna for a bit and shake my head. That petting was feeling too good. I then change back into my usual human form, although I keep the wings. “I see… Anyway, how much longer do we have here before one of us wakes up?”

Luna closes her eyes for a moment. “It is currently very early morning.” She then opens her eyes. “We can wake up whenever you choose. Due to my magical power over dreams, I can hold this dream together for as long as you would like.”

I think for a moment, that’s pretty awesome. How long would I like this dream to continue for? Perhaps enough to get a decent amount of sleep in the real world. “Well then, let’s keep dreaming, I’d like to get a good night’s sleep.” I pet a nearby wolf and then offer Luna my hand.

She smiles and blushes, placing her hoof in my palm and I help her up. “Thank you, how gentlecoltly of you.”

I rub the back of my neck. “Uh, yeah, you’re welcome… Wanna fly some more?”

Luna smiles and nods gently. “I would love to. Just lead the way.”

I smile back and then take off into the sky, Luna easily keeping pace. The wolves howl as we leave and I howl back, then I do spirals and loops through the air. Luna performs her own aerial stunts and tricks, and I stop to watch her for a moment. It is almost like she is performing a beautiful dance in the sky. I can’t help but re-join her in achieving various manoeuvres.

We make our way to a mountain during our flight and I hug Luna just as we both finish our own loops. She is quick to hug me back. “Thanks for showing me how to control my dreams, Luna. It’s been amazing.”

She hugs me a little tighter. “You are very welcome, Travis. I have found it very enjoyable to share your dream.”

I let go of Luna and fall back towards the mountain, performing a spiral to right myself and land on the top of it. She shortly joins me on the mountaintop. I then look around. “So, you may have taught me how to control my dream once I become conscious of being in one. I was thinking that perhaps sometime you could teach me how to actually become lucid by my own ability in a dream?”

Luna wraps a wing around me and pulls me close. “It would be my pleasure to teach you so.”

I blush and smile, allowing her to keep her wing around me. I look down the mountain to see a giant blue lake surrounded by pine trees. “I’ve never felt so free in my life. I also feel so much lighter, as if a heavy weight of worries has left me.” And that’s so true. It’s been seriously remarkable to have the power to just do whatever I want without worries. I could be myself completely.

“I understand the feeling. It is why I learnt to control dreams. The dreamscape is the one place where you can relax and simply be however you wish to be.” Luna goes quiet for a little bit and scoots over to be even closer to me as she looks at the scenery. “Your dreams are beautiful, and they reveal to me your sweet personality.”

I blush more. I think she’s kind of hitting on me, but who am I to deny her? She’s given me the opportunity to be free, and to be myself within my dreams. My worries have dissipated after the brilliant time I’ve had here. Maybe I was wrong about just being friends. I don’t know though. I’m sure it’s too soon and rushed… But she’s amazing. I nervously lean against her. “Hmmm…”

Luna turns her gaze to me and blushes softly. “Are you thinking about something?”

“Yeah…” Should I tell her what about? I don’t know. We’re a different species… But I can’t deny that she’s… Beautiful? Majestic?... That flight really showed how much that part of me cares for her. What would my parents think though if I manage to get back to Earth? It probably wouldn’t matter, I mean, I do want to stay in Equestria anyway… But I still feel that my parents’ approval would mean a lot to me…

Luna seems to speak, but I don’t hear her, I’m still deep in thought. Even if I don’t get my parents’ approval, I would still do what I feel I should do… What do I feel I should do? I feel a fluttering in my chest when I think of Luna now… Is this a crush? Is it love? It’s too soon, but when I think about it, time is relative…

Luna softly shakes me. “Travis, what is it?” I slowly come back to the present. I never thought that I could also space out in dreams. Well, it’s duly noted now.

I look around, averting my gaze from Luna’s eyes. “I… I… Don’t know…”

I feel her hoof gently press against my cheek, turning my head to look directly at her. The fluttering in my chest grows stronger as I look into her lovely eyes. “Please, what are you thinking? You appeared to be distant.”

I blush intensely and gulp nervously, trying my best to speak. “I… I think… I might change my mind… Soon… Really soon…” I take a few deep breaths. Her beautiful eyes are making me melt. “I might, uh… Have a crush on you too… It was this dream… And the flying… You let me be myself…” I go quiet and take a few more deep breaths, shaking a little and looking down at my hands, fiddling with them.

Luna is silent for some time, then I feel her hoof on my chin redirect my gaze back towards her face again. She seems to be tearing up a bit. “You truly feel that way?”

I shut my eyes and think. I might be stuck in Equestria for a long time, and I have been hoping to get a relationship for a while now. Screw what other people might think. Screw those damn worries of mine. She let me be who I feel I am and sees the real me as sweet. I should at least give her a shot, perhaps I was in a rush to dismiss this whole thing rather than accept it. I open my eyes and nod slightly. “Yes. I truly feel that way.”

Before I know it, she leans toward me and plants her lips on mine. This might just be a dream, but this is the real Luna. It feels marvellous. I place my hand on her cheek and lean into the kiss, closing my eyes again. I’ve never felt anything better. We hold the kiss for some time, before pulling away and looking at each other. “I am overjoyed that you feel it to be true, Travis.”

I gently stroke her starry mane as I look into her eyes. “That felt better than anything I’ve ever experienced, Luna. I never knew how much I needed that.” I lean back in for a second kiss. This time I slip my tongue out to meet her lips, which she then parts, allowing my tongue to explore her mouth. Her tongue caresses mine and pushes it back into my mouth so that she takes her turn tasting my mouth. We then break the kiss and pant for a bit.

I wrap my arms around Luna and hold her close to me. She returns the embrace just as closely. I feel so much more strongly about Luna now that I’ve given in to that part of me. We spend quite a bit of time just in silence, being close, and then I speak up. “So… Would you refer to me as your equerry or your romantic partner around others?”

Luna breathes softly, before answering with a question. “What would you like to be referred to as?”

I chuckle a little. “Between us, most definitely your romantic partner. Around others though, I’m happy with either. You’re the one who is royalty here and has a reputation to uphold, so you should decide how others perceive us.”

“Perhaps we should tell Celestia about our relationship first, then we may decide whether to let other ponies know or not.”

I kiss Luna’s cheek. “That sounds like a good idea, I can go with that. In fact, I look forward to the discussion.”

She tenderly returns the kiss. “Indeed, as do I.”

I smile and gently brush her cheek with a hand. “Is there a way for us to slip out of being lucid to let the dream pass quickly? I really want to join you in the physical world as soon as possible, whilst also getting a good amount of sleep.”

She smiles back and slowly nods. “Of course, I can activate such a dream state if you wish.”

“That would be awesome, Luna. Good night, I’ll look forward to seeing you in the real world.” I then give her a parting peck on the lips.

“Very well, good night, Travis. I too look forward to physically getting together.” She gives me a parting kiss in kind, then her horn glows brightly. There is a flash and she is gone, followed by the dream becoming a blur of my subconscious once more.

Chapter Nine

I wake up in my comfortable bed feeling well rested. I think back and remember the lucid part of my dream, smiling and blushing. I can’t believe that Luna and I are actually a couple now. Part me of thinks that I should be worried about potential consequences, but I’m not worried at all. I only feel happy and satisfied.

Excited to see Luna, I get up out of bed and quickly get dressed and brush my teeth. I then head out from my room and to the entrance of Luna’s tower. I knock on the door and wait. The night guard from yesterday morning is there again to open the door. “Is the Princess expecting you?”

Hmmm, I’m not sure about that… Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t… “Possibly, but I’m not sure. If you check with her though, I’m sure that she’ll give me permission to enter.”

“Very well.” The guard closes the door for a moment and I wait. A short moment later the door opens again and he steps aside. “The Princess has declared that you are welcome here at any time…” He looks me up and down for a moment, eyeing me suspiciously. “I don’t know what happened, but you’ve gotten on her good side. Her really good side. This is unusual, would you care to explain it?”

I blush and look around a bit. “Uh, we had a bit of a discussion in the dreamscape. She helped out with a nightmare. If you want specific details it would be best for you to ask Princess Luna herself.”

“I see… I most certainly will. Either way, you’re free to enter whenever.” He gestures for me to come into the tower.

“Thanks.” I give him a nod and walk in, climbing the spiral staircase to Luna’s bedroom. I politely knock and then invite myself in, closing the door behind me. “Good morning, Luna.”

I feel Luna’s cool magic envelope me and I’m levitated over to her bed. Being carried by telekinesis is a strange sensation to say the least. “Good morning, Travis.” She wraps her wings and forelegs around me in a tender embrace, smiling sweetly. “How was your sleep after I left your dream?”

I smile too and wrap my arms around her in return, snuggling closely. I immensely enjoy her warmth and soft coat. “It was peaceful and I woke up refreshed. How about your sleep?”

“It was lovely.” Luna kisses my forehead and then softly nuzzles me. “Thank you for coming to visit so early, it is brilliant to wake up to.”

“You’re more than welcome, there’s nothing else I’d rather do.” I kiss her cheek and nuzzle her back. It’s crazy how attached to her I’m already feeling. I wonder if I should probably tone it down a bit. I mean, we only just became a couple very early this morning during sleep. Oh well, I’m sure she’ll tell me if my affection is ever unwanted, although I doubt that’ll happen anytime soon.

Luna hugs me a little tighter. “It truly makes my heart soar to hear that.”

“I’m glad that it does.” I gently rub her back. “So, what are our plans for the day? We didn’t really discuss it much in the dream other than planning to talk to Celestia.”

Luna giggles softly and blushes. “It seems that I have forgotten to give it any thought. I was too busy thinking of you. However, now that you are here, I have gotten the idea of moving your belongings to my chambers. I invite you to share my chambers so that they are no longer mine, but ours.”

I blush a little too and chuckle with her. “I’d love to move my things here, although I don’t really have much since I came to Equestria. I have what I’m wearing, and then my phone and wallet that I left on my bedside table. Anyway…” I unwrap an arm from around Luna and gently take one of her forehooves in my hand, looking into her enchanting eyes. “… I’ll be honoured to share these chambers with you, Luna.” That was cheesy… Probably over the top…

She blushes more noticeably at my gesture. I guess she didn’t find it so cheesy. “It means so much to me that you accept my invitation.” Shortly after, Luna leans in closely and kisses my lips firmly. The feeling of her lips on mine blows my mind. Kissing in the dream was amazing, but this is on a completely different level. I instinctively close my eyes and cup her perfectly shaped muzzle, leaning into the kiss myself.

I feel Luna’s equine tongue press against my lips and I eagerly allow it entrance. The sensation is so overwhelming that I can’t help but let out a slight moan into her mouth. Our tongues lovingly dance until we have to break the kiss for breath. I look into Luna’s eyes, both of us are panting to regain our breath and blushing. “There are no words… To truly describe… How amazing… That kiss was…”

“I must agree…” Luna gently pulls my head to her chest, nuzzling and kissing the top of my head.

I slowly shut my eyes again and take peace in being so close. We spend a rather lengthy amount of time in satisfied silence and comfort. I eventually put an end to the silence, speaking quietly. “When should we get out of bed?”

Luna gently strokes my hair. “Whenever we please. We will be notified if we must rise for any occasion that may come up so that we do not miss anything.”

I open my eyes and look up into her eyes, tenderly caressing her side. “You won’t mind if your guard sees us in bed together?”

Luna softly smiles. “Not one bit. Any guard that may come to notify us is sworn to secrecy of anything that occurs in royal sleeping chambers, unless it is an emergency.”

I chuckle a bit. “That reminds me, the guard at your tower door was wondering how I got on your really good side, as he put it.”

Luna giggles a little too. “I suppose he deserves to know about us, he too is sworn to secrecy after all.”

By some funny timing or coincidence, there is a knock at the door. “Requesting permission to enter, Princess.” Sure enough, it’s the night guard from before judging by the voice.

Luna looks down at me for confirmation and I nod. She then gives me a smile and answers. “Permission granted.” The door opens and the guard walks in, staring in what must be disbelief. Luna giggles at his reaction. “Is there something you came here to tell me?”

He shakes his head and then quickly nods as he tries to refocus. “Y-Yes, Princess.” The guard clears his throat before continuing. “Princess Celestia has received a letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle that she will be visiting today to speak with this human, Travis Blackbourne. Rarity, the element of generosity is also accompanying her to tailor clothes for said Travis Blackbourne.”

“Thank you for notifying us, is there anything else?” Luna is smirking at the guard’s expression.

He looks around a bit and then nods. “Yes, although it’s not a matter of informing you of anything… Rather, I’d like to know something. What’s going on between you and this human?”

Luna looks down at me and hugs me a little tighter, then looks back at the guard “Travis and I have entered a relationship of the romantic sort. And before you may assume that he is after wealth or power, I can assure you that is not the case. I am the one who initiated it, as Travis is very sweet and sincere.”

I blush at the compliment and gently brush her mane. “Thank you, Luna. You’re also very sweet and sincere, as well as beautiful and caring.”

The guard blushes softly from witnessing our tender moment, shaking his head to recompose himself again. “I see… Will there be any kind of announcement, or is it to be kept secret for the time being?”

Luna thinks to herself for a moment. “It is to be kept private at the moment. We must first talk to Celestia about this and introduce Travis simply as a new resident to the kingdom. Once that has been done, we may consider announcing it to the ponies of Equestria.”

The guard nods dutifully. “Understood, Princess.” He then looks around awkwardly. “I believe that is all. I’ll leave you two be now.” He gives Luna a salute and quickly leaves the room.

I laugh once Luna and I are left alone again. “I’m not sure if he was confused, embarrassed, or jealous. Maybe all three. It was pretty funny.”

Luna joins me in laughing. “Indeed, it was rather entertaining to see his reaction.” When we calm back down, she gently nuzzles me. “Perhaps we should rise and prepare ourselves for the day?”

I affectionately nuzzle her back. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I can’t wait to talk to Celestia, as well as meet Twilight and Rarity.” I then slowly get out of Luna’s – no, our bed, and offer Luna my hand.

Luna blushes and places her hoof in my hand, allowing me to help her out of bed. “Thank you, Travis dear.” Her calling me dear leads me to blush as well. "Wait a moment, while I brush my teeth." Luna leaves the room for a short moment, then comes back to put on her shimmering shoes and dark neck piece. She then looks at her tiara and lowers her head. “Would… Would you do me the honour of placing my tiara atop my head?... It means a lot for a princess to allow another to touch their tiara…”

Holy crap… I could imagine that the princesses never allow any other ponies or beings to touch their tiaras. They must always put it on themselves. If that’s the case, this is insanely symbolic. I’d have to assume that she’s very serious about us as a couple. So serious so soon. I bring myself back to reality and nod enthusiastically. “Your honour? It’d be my honour to do so…” With great tenderness and care I take her tiara, then place it on her head, making sure to put it where it’s most stable.

Luna brings her head back up and briefly kisses my lips. “Thank you so much, Travis.”

I fondly brush her cheek. “You’re welcome, Luna…” I look around a bit, before settling back to look at Luna. “Considering that you’ve just let me put your tiara on you, would I be right in assuming that you’re already completely set on having me as your partner?”

She nods in confirmation. “I am… I have never felt this way in my life before.”

I look into her eyes seriously. “I’m going to double check here. It’s still very quick, almost rushed. Are you one hundred percent sure about this, Luna?”

Luna returns the serious look, placing her hoof on my chest. “Yes. I have lived for over a thousand years. I have never found any pony or any being that makes me feel the way that you make me feel. What of yourself, Travis? Are you having doubts?”

I shake my head and then hug her tightly. “No, I am not having doubts, I just had to check because this is very rushed compared to relationships on Earth. If you are completely sure, then so am I.” I mean it, but I hope that the both of us aren’t being too intense. I remember some saying about how the brightest flame burns out the fastest. Also, that a good relationship is like an ember that is not as bright, but burns far longer. I guess it’s just a human or Earth thing, I hope.

Luna wraps her wings and forelegs around me when I finish. “I will hold that to you. It means so much to me that you are just as certain as I am.”

I kindly rub her back and then let go. “I just want you to know one thing though. I hope that from now on we will take things a bit more slowly and calmly.”

Luna softly nods. “I understand. I am satisfied with our current status as of now and will slow down further advancing of our relationship.”

I smile and let out a slight breath of relief. “Thanks, I’m relieved to be able to chill a bit with this. It isn’t wise to be too intense with this stuff.”

Luna giggles a bit and tilts her head. “Chill? What is cold about being more patient?”

I laugh too and shake my head softly. “Chill has a second meaning on Earth, it sometimes means to relax.”

“Oh, I see. Someday you will have to teach me about your planet Earth.” Luna turns towards the door. “As for now, shall we go down to the dining hall for breakfast?”

I smile and nod. “Sure, I am getting pretty hungry.” I go to the door and hold it open for Luna. “Let’s go.”

“Thank you, Travis.” Luna walks through and then I close the door as we leave. We then make our way to the dining hall and get some breakfast. Both of us have raisin toast, although Luna has tea and I have a hot chocolate.

Breakfast is largely uneventful apart from the sweet looks Luna and I give each other. We then head to the throne room afterwards so that we can talk to Celestia. Luna opens the doors and is the first to enter the grand room, I follow and then quickly pick up pace to walk beside her. There are two guards by the door and another two by the throne. On the throne itself is Celestia who seems to have been reading through some papers, although now she is looking at us.

Celestia smiles at us and puts the papers down. “Good morning, Luna. Good morning, Travis. I hope that you both had a good night of sleep.” She gets up from the throne and comes down to meet us. “Would I be correct in hazarding a guess that you both have something to talk to me about?”

Luna and I look at each other and then back at Celestia, almost as if we were synchronised. Celestia smirks a little at the display. Luna decides to speak first. “Good morning, dear sister.”

I smile back at Celestia. She probably already knows what’s going on. “Good morning, Celestia.”

Luna then answers Celestia’s question. “Yes, you are correct in guessing that we do indeed have something to discuss with you.”

Celestia smirks more and dismisses her guards so that it is now only us three in the throne room. “Does this ‘something’ by any chance have to do with the matter we discussed yesterday?”

Luna blushes and nods. “Yes.” She wraps her wing around me and I wrap an arm around her in return. “We discussed it with each other last night, and very early this morning we decided to enter a romantic relationship.” I blush too as she tells Celestia and I pull Luna a little closer with my arm, nodding in confirmation.

Celestia smiles wider upon hearing this. “I’m happy for both of you, although I saw this coming earlier. It’s good to hear that you’ve both cleared things up and come to an agreement. Which has resulted in a relationship no less.”

I blush a bit more. “Yeah, you were right yesterday… Although, let’s still not talk about the, uh, more intimate things that happen in a relationship.”

Luna nervously nods in agreement. “Indeed, such matters are best kept private to the couple…”

Celestia laughs at our antics. “Why? That’s half the fun of having relationship talks. At least say if you two have already shared such an intimate moment.”

I blush even more intensely and shake my head, my mouth hanging open. Luna blushes just as much and covers her face with a wing. Celestia really isn’t behaving very much like a princess at the moment. She’s completely caught me off guard with that. I eventually recompose myself and answer, Luna still too busy covering her face to do so. “Um, n-no… We haven’t done it… I can’t even believe that you’re trying to talk to us about it… Can we change the subject?” I shake my head again.

Celestia laughs more and then calms down. “Oh, all right. I just think that your reactions are absolutely hilarious. Although on a more serious note, there’s no reason to be so embarrassed about sex. It’s a completely natural part of life.”

I don’t care what she says. This is very embarrassing. Talking to a princess - other than Luna - about sex just seems so wrong. It’d be unacceptable on Earth. I lift a hand and look away from Celestia. “E-Enough! Please! We get it!”

“Of course. Now, is there something else about you two being a couple that you’d like to discuss?” I look back up at Celestia and see that she is now wearing an entertained smile.

Luna finally speaks up again. “Yes, we were wondering when and how we should announce it to the kingdom. So far we have planned to simply introduce Travis as a resident rather than my romantic partner. However, we were wondering how long after his introduction that we should announce our relationship.”

Celestia taps her chin with a hoof. “Hmmm, that would really depend on how you two feel.” She then steps forward and puts a hoof on Luna’s withers. “Times have changed, Lulu. The ponies of Equestria won’t mind one of their princesses suddenly entering a romantic relationship. Perhaps the nobles will be outraged or disgusted, but their close minded opinions should hold no sway over your love life.”

Luna smiles and nods. “Thank you, Tia.” She then hugs Celestia.

Celestia happily hugs her back. “You’re quite welcome, Lulu.”

When they separate, Luna continues speaking. “That is all we need to discuss about the relationship. I only now need to ask about the planned visit from Twilight Sparkle and Rarity. Do you know when they will arrive?”

Celestia nods. “Yes, Twilight was rather specific to say that she would aim to be here by one o’clock sharp. You’ll be meeting in the dining hall for lunch.”

“Very well, we shall be there.” Luna then looks at me. “Would you like us to find something to do before one?”

I smile and kiss her cheek. “Sure, I’d love to.” I turn to Celestia. “It was nice, uh, chatting with you, Celestia.”

Celestia smiles and gives me a hug, which I return. “It sure was.” She then leans in close to the opposite side of my head from Luna, whispering. “Be sure to treat Luna well and remain loyal to her. The nightmare may return for you if you break her heart, and if not that, then I will surely act on Luna's behalf... She has been through enough emotional turmoil as it is...”

We let go of each other and I smile a little nervously. Celestia is still smiling as if she never said anything ominous; she sure has a way of keeping me on my toes. Of course, I would always treat Luna the best I can and be loyal to her. However, what if I were to make some other mistake and there is a misunderstanding? I better not think about it; things seem to be going well progressing naturally anyway.

Celestia then hugs Luna once more. “Good bye for now, thank you for having this discussion with me.”

Luna reciprocates the hug. “You are welcome, I thank you for listening and telling us your thoughts. Farewell, dear sister.” They both let go, then Luna and I head out from the throne room. I wonder what we’ll do until lunch.

Chapter Ten

The first thing Luna and I decide to do when we leave the throne room is to go grab my phone and wallet to leave my previous bedroom as it was when I first arrived. Once I have my stuff on me, I turn to Luna. “So, any ideas on what we could do to pass the time?”

She smiles and nods, becoming excited. “Yes, it seems that the castle has a small theatre that can be used to view wondrous things called movies. They are like plays that are captured in pictures and audio, then put into motion.”

I chuckle a bit. I guess that movies are fairly to new Luna since they would have probably been invented while she was exiled on the moon. Her excitement and wonder for movies is pretty funny and also a little cute. “I know what movies are, they’re pretty popular on Earth.”

Luna blushes a little. “Oh, of course. Would you like to see one?”

I give her a joyous smile. It’ll be pretty awesome to see what movies are like here in Equestria. “I’d love to, is there much of a selection?”

Luna wraps a wing around me and begins leading me down a few halls. “Most definitely, the catalogue of movies is rather expansive. What movie genres do you like?”

I place a hand on her withers and walk with her. “Mainly action, adventure, fantasy, and sci-fi. Although, being here in Equestria is almost like being in a fantasy movie myself. I wonder if fantasy is just considered adventure here, since most things in fantasy movies actually exist in Equestria.”

Luna gives me a look of curiosity. “Oh? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, generally fantasy as a movie genre is considered purely fictional. It usually has stuff like magic, mythical creatures including dragons, and is often set in medieval times. Most of the things considered fictional in fantasy aren’t fictional in Equestria. In fact, you’d be seen as a being of fantasy; magical alicorn princesses are fictional on Earth. I’m glad you aren’t fictional though.” I stop walking and give Luna a hug.

She hugs me back with her forehooves and wings. “And I am glad that you appeared in Equestria.” Luna then lets go and finishes leading me to the castle theatre. She may have described it as small, but the room and screen still look very big to me. As big as perhaps the rooms and screens that are at proper movie theatres.

I gaze around the spacious room and then at Luna. “This doesn’t seem small to me by any means, it’s actually pretty big. Only actual movie theatres are able to have set ups this big.”

Luna tilts her head a bit. “Truly?”

I nod to reinforce my statement. “Yeah, there are only a few movie theatres that are bigger than this.”

Luna looks around the room for a moment. “The theatres I am used to could accommodate for hundreds of ponies. However, that may be due to me being used to plays and musicals.”

Now that would explain why she thinks this is small. “Ohhh, that makes more sense, those types of theatres are seriously massive though. Movie theatres all around aren’t as big as stage theatres.”

Luna gives me an inquisitive look. “Oh, so it isn’t just this theatre that is this size?”

I smile and take in the sight of the big theatre once more. “If there are movie theatres in the city or other places in Equestria, I’d say that they are most likely either the same size or smaller than this one.”

Luna smiles. “I see…” She then takes me to the best seats in the room. “Now, would you like to have a look at the list of movies available?”

I take a seat and notice that it is able to recline. It’s so comfy, just like every cushioned or padded furniture in the castle. I then refocus and shake my head to Luna’s question. “Nah, you choose something, I’d be clueless when it comes to knowing what Equestrian movies I’d like. Just try to pick some sort of action adventure movie.”

Luna nods. “Very well, I have a movie in mind that you might enjoy. Just wait a moment while I ask for it to be displayed.” She heads over to a room near the back and enters. I guess that’s where the projector operator is. Just after a minute or two she comes back, sitting down on a chair beside me.

A grey unicorn mare with a brown mane and tail walks in with a notepad and quill. “Would you or your guest like any snacks or drinks during the movie, Princess?”

“Yes, I believe that popcorn is rather enjoyable during movies, and perhaps a chilled cola soft drink to go with it.” Luna then looks to me. “Do you wish to have anything, Travis?”

I smile and nod. “Yeah, perhaps some small chocolates or sweet snacks. And I don’t know if you have them in Equestria, but on Earth there are things called choc tops. They’re basically ice creams in cones that have chocolate frozen around the outside of the ice cream, which is the flavour of the person’s choosing. I’d like the ice cream to be mint.”

The unicorn jots down our requests on the notepad. “I’m sure that can be arranged, Sir.” She then looks back at Luna and recites our order. “Is that all, Your Majesty?”

Luna gives the mare a nod. “Yes, it is, thank you.”

The waitress, or servant, or whatever she is leaves with the notepad and quill. I then look at Luna. “So, what movie are we going to be watching?”

She smiles and wraps a wing around me. “It is the first of a movie adaptation series of a set of books. The book series is called Daring Do and it is about an adventurous mare that recovers ancient relics and saves the world. I myself have not yet read the books, but I have heard good things about them, and this movie.”

I smile as well and put an arm around Luna in return, softly snuggling into her side. “Sounds pretty cool.” Just as I reply, the lights go out and the projector turns on to display the movie. As soon as I see who I assume is the protagonist, Daring Do, I can’t help but think of Indiana Jones. Daring Do is pretty much the Equestrian equivalent of him.

After a few minutes, the mare from before comes with our popcorn, drink, snacks, and my choc top. She seems to blush lightly at the closeness between Luna and I. “Here are your orders, Princess and Sir.”

We thank the waiter and get our stuff. I start eating my choc top while it’s still cold and Luna starts with the popcorn. Luna and I share the drink and keep close together as the movie goes on. At one point, we both go to sip the cola at the same time, resulting in an awkward bump which then turns into a soft kiss. We smile and blush softly, before getting back to paying attention to the movie and eating snacks.

By the end of the Daring Do movie, the popcorn and snacks have been finished between Luna and I. Soon after it ends, I get up and stretch a bit, offering Luna my hand. She smiles and places her hoof in my open hand, getting up as well. We share another brief kiss as she gets to her hooves. “What did you think of the movie, Travis?”

Well, I must admit that it was pretty cool, so much like Indiana Jones. “It was awesome, Luna. Interestingly there is a similar movie series back on Earth called Indiana Jones. Instead of a pegasus mare though, it’s a human man, and the antagonists are different too.”

“I am glad that you enjoyed it, and it is indeed interesting that there are yet more parallels between our worlds.” Luna then looks up at a clock at the back of the theatre. “We should soon be on our way to the dining hall for our meeting with Twilight Sparkle and Rarity.”

I look up at the clock too and notice that it’s ten to one. “Yeah, we probably should.” I pick up the rubbish left over from snack packaging and stuff, and put it in a bin.

Luna giggles a little. “It is nice of you to put away the waste, but a servant would have come to clean it.”

I give her a mock look of disapproval and smirk. “That’s just lazy, besides, it doesn’t hurt to make the servant’s job just a little easier.”

Luna shrugs. “I have simply not known any different. Now, let us go to the dining hall.” I nod and we head off to the dining hall, close to each other, but not so close to arouse suspicion. Then again, that waiter at the theatre probably noticed us anyway, hopefully she doesn’t gossip about it.

As we’re walking, I can’t help but ask Luna about the waiter to be sure. “Uh, I was thinking… Is that waiter that was at the theatre sworn to secrecy like the guards?”

Luna absent-mindedly replies as we walk through the castle halls. “No, I do not believe so.”

I stop for a moment. “Oh… Luna, I’m pretty sure that she noticed how close we were with each other… What if she gossips about it?”

This causes Luna to stop as she grasps why I asked the previous question. “I… Do not know what we would do if she does… We could hope that she stays quiet about it, but gossip is rather popular amongst the waiters and servants of the castle…”

Damn, that is not what I wanted to hear. “I see… I guess we’ll just see how it pans out. Although that kind of gossip would probably spread like wild fire. I suppose that might ruin our plans of slowly introducing me to the ponies of Equestria.” I shake my head a bit. “Let’s try to forget about it for now and just get to this meeting.”

Luna nods and we continue on our way. “Indeed, there is no use worrying about it now. We should focus on our lunch with Twilight and Rarity for the time being.” We soon make it to the dining hall with a few minutes to spare.

Sitting down at the long table is a couple of mares. One is a white unicorn with a purple fancy styled mane and tail, and bright blue eyes. The other is a lavender alicorn with a straight cut mane and tail varying between purplish-blue and pinkish strands, and her eyes match her coat. I assume she’s the princess, Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn then I deduct, must be Rarity.

Luna and I take our seats across from them. Luna begins the introductions. “Good afternoon, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity -” She softly gestures towards me. “- meet Travis Blackbourne, the new human.” Luna then gestures towards the alicorn and unicorn respectively. “Travis, meet Twilight Sparkle, princess of friendship and element of magic, and Rarity, fashion designer and element of generosity.”

So, it seems that my deductions were correct. I nervously smile and shake their hooves over the table firmly, but gently. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you two.”

They both smile back; Twilight looking intrigued and excited, whilst Rarity appears more reserved. Twilight is the first between them to speak. “Hi there, it’s great meeting you too! This is so exciting! You’re a sapient being from another world or universe that has come to Equestria by your own means! I can’t wait to get to know you and do all sorts of scientific tests!” Oh man, I don’t know if I like the idea of being the subject of scientific testing.

Before Twilight can continue, Rarity interrupts. “Ahem.” Twilight stops and looks a little sheepish, letting Rarity speak now. “It is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Blackbourne. I apologise for Twilight’s little outburst. She tends to get excited over occasions such as this.” Twilight blushes nervously at the comment. “On another note, I have been told that you require clothing to be made for you. I will be more than happy to make you clothes, after all, it will be rather enjoyable to tailor attires for a never before seen species.”

I acknowledge Rarity’s more reasonable greeting first. “Uh, yeah, thanks. That sounds good, Rarity, I really do need more clothes. I only have what I’m wearing now, and humans – my species – tend to wear new clothes for each day of the week. Oh, I was also hoping for the new clothes to be fairly casual.” I then look towards Twilight. “And, do you actually need to perform tests on me?”

Rarity gives me a confident smile. “You’re rather welcome and I’m sure that I could come up with a suitable variety of outfits for you, despite not usually creating in a casual style.”

Twilight is a little more nervous with her smile. “Oh, sorry, sometimes I really do get carried away with things like this. Anyway, yes, I do need to perform some tests on you. Don’t worry, they won’t hurt. They just need to be done to make sure there aren’t any harmful side effects to Equestrian magic and other Equestrian things on you.”

Hmmm, so far I’ve been alright, and Luna used her magic on me before, I should be pretty good. “Well, I don’t think that there are any side effects, at least, not immediate. The food has been fine, although I must admit that I would prefer more meat… And Luna has carried me with her telekinesis before…” I blush as I think of being lifted towards Luna’s bed.

Twilight thinks over my statement before she replies. “That’s good to hear, although why was Luna carrying you, were you injured?”

I blush more and look over to Luna who is blushing a little as well. “Um, no… I wasn’t injured… Perhaps Luna would prefer to explain since she knows you better…”

Luna gives me a slightly annoyed look for putting her on the spot, but she nods and provides the explanation with a strong blush. “Very well. Travis and I have developed feelings for each other…”

Rarity’s eyes open wide and she lets out a squeal, grinning wide. “Oh my! A romance between a princess and an alien from another world! Oh, do tell us the juicy details!”

Luna and I blush more heavily, before Luna continues explaining. “Early in the morning in the dreamscape, I found Travis having a nightmare about his family. I aided him and allowed him to take control of his dream.” Rarity nodding and paying intense attention as Luna speaks. “We danced through the skies in his dream and settled on a mountain. After a little while, Travis and I agreed to be a couple.”

Rarity grins more and nearly swoons. “How romantic! What happened next?”

Luna blushes with a smile and resumes her account of the morning. “After waking, Travis visited my chambers and I lifted him towards me so that we could cuddle a bit.”

Rarity squeals and covers her mouth. “You two didn’t do what I think you did, did you? Just imagine how scandalous it would be to the nobles…”

Luna and I shake our heads firmly to the question, Luna answering. “No, not at all, banish the thought from your mind. We simply cuddled… And kissed… Nothing more.”

I nod in confirmation. “Yeah, it’s way too soon for what you were thinking… Besides, I probably wouldn’t be so comfortable with that yet… Due to being different species…” I blush nervously.

Rarity calms down and smiles. “Of course, I must admit that I have read a few too many romance novels.” She then looks at Luna. “I’m happy that you’ve found a special someone. When will you tell the ponies of Equestria?”

Luna smiles back. “We were thinking of introducing Travis as a new resident first, and waiting a short time before we announce our relationship.”

I smile too and add to the answer. “Although, we watched a movie before we came to see you. The servant bringing our snacks saw us being pretty romantic with each other. So, it might get out early as gossip.”

Rarity giggles. “I hope for your sake that it stays secret until you make an official announcement, but I will be keeping an eye on the newspapers for any gossip.”

Twilight finally speaks up again as she smiles at Luna. “This is pretty big news, although I’m happy for you as well.” She then looks back at me. “Now back to the conversation at hoof, I will still perform the tests to be completely sure. You can never be too safe. Also, some magic tests may help me figure out where you’re from and how to make a portal that can take you back.”

Oh, a way back home, that’s right. “Oh, of course, that’s why Celestia contacted you in the first place. While I would appreciate being able to go back to tell my family about this, I hope to stay here in Equestria. I mean, I have no intentions of leaving Luna at all.”

Twilight gives me a happy nod. “That’s fine, besides, it’ll be so fascinating to make a portal leading to another world with a civilised species. Even if you choose to stay here, making a portal back to your world could lead to great technological advancements. If not that, at least we could become friends with a whole new species to Equestria.”

I nod slowly. “I see… Go ahead if you want… I don’t think you’re missing out on much though in terms of friends when it comes to Earth. I have a feeling that humans would only corrupt Equestria and dirty it. From what I know, Equestria is a very peaceful and innocent land. Even when there are massive threats, they are dealt with the magic of harmony, friendship and love.

“Humans don’t deal with threats like that. They wage wars. They kill. They imprison. They oppress. Most human technology has roots in being made for militaries so that they could be more effective in war. If you’re still interested though, go ahead, you’re a princess of Equestria.”

Twilight looks a little put off by my description of human technology, but she still seems enthusiastic enough. “I’m sure that we could figure out a way for our two civilisations to be great friends without negatively affecting Equestria. You don’t seem to have a very positive outlook of your own species. Do you mind if I ask why?”

I shake my head, although I’m not all that pleased. “I guess I don’t mind. I’ve just always been different from other humans. I’ve struggled to socialise with them. Almost as if I’m another species. I feel kind of like an outsider to human society, despite being human. To be honest, as a human specimen to you, I’m probably a poor representative. I’m not indicative of the average human, at least in terms of way of thinking.”

Twilight nods quietly for a moment. “That’s alright, Travis, I understand. My personal assistant Spike is a dragon, but he doesn’t behave or think like most other dragons. A couple of years ago he had a choice to live either with dragons or with ponies, and he chose to live with us.”

I nod, then look around the table to focus on Luna. “I have more to say about myself, and I haven’t even clearly told you about this, Luna. I don’t completely see myself as human.” Am I really going to talk about this? I probably should. “Yes, I accept that I physically am a human, but I don’t feel human. I actually feel like I’m a wolf inside.” There we go, it’s out now. “Most humans either call me a freak, childish, or crazy if I tell them. It’s part of the reason that I was such an outsider.” I look down nervously. I hope they don’t think the same.

I feel Luna’s hoof gently rest on top of my hand. “That does not change my love for you, Travis. The ones who belittled you were wrong. Please do try to be yourself, as that is who I love.” She then gives me a comforting nuzzle, which I happily return.

Rarity blushes a little and smiles. “Awww, you two are so sweet together. Anyway, I would have to agree with Princess Luna, those other humans shouldn’t have treated you in such a way.” She then takes out a notepad and quill, jotting down some notes. “Besides, wolves can be majestic creatures, as long as they aren’t of the wooden sort. I’ll try to incorporate a wolfish feel or theme to the clothes I make for you.”

I give Rarity a smile. “Thanks, that sounds awesome, just don’t make it too flashy. Remember that I’d like it to be casual.”

She waves a hoof. “Oh, of course, I will try. Keep in mind however that I will still add my own personal touch to the clothes I make. It doesn’t turn out well if I cater too closely to what someone wants their clothing to appear like.” Rarity then gives Twilight a funny look.

Twilight giggles and nods. “Yeah, our other friends and I were really overbearing that one time with our dresses, and they really turned out badly. Our dresses were much better when we let you design them how you thought they should be.”

I look between Twilight and then Rarity. “Alright, I’ll trust your judgement with my clothes, Rarity. You are the professional in tailoring and fashion after all. Although I can easily say that I’ve never been a fashionable person, since I’ve never had any interest in fashion, no offence.”

Rarity gives me a polite smile. “None taken, fashion doesn’t interest everyone.”

The doors to the dining hall open and a white unicorn stallion waiter with a black mane and tail walks in to take our orders. Twilight orders a sandwich, Rarity a fancy soup, Luna a wrap, and I ask for a burger not made of hay. Water is ordered for everyone.

When the waiter leaves with our orders, Twilight speaks up. “While we wait, would it be all right if I perform a magical scan of you, Travis?”

I nervously nod. “Uh, sure, go ahead.” I wonder what getting a magical scan is like? Will it feel strange, or unnoticeable?

Twilight smiles and gets up from her seat. “Could you please stand up for me?”

I nod again. “Okay,” I then get up off of my chair and stand in front of Twilight. “Ready when you are…”

Twilight’s horn glows, then the glow of her magic surrounds me. At first I don’t feel anything, but shortly after I begin to feel a soft buzz throughout my body. “Hmmm, fascinating.” Twilight mutters as she scans me. The buzz gets progressively stronger until it finally stops.

I shiver a bit and then relax again. I wonder what she meant by ‘fascinating’. “That felt interesting… Anyway, what was fascinating?”

Twilight looks up at me after seeming deep in thought. “Oh, it’s just that you have an interesting magical signature. Also, that wolf part of you that you mentioned isn’t just something in your head. I felt something lupine about you, but it isn’t in your physical anatomy, as if it blends into your magical signature.”

I have a magical signature? Do humans even have magical signatures? And that thing about detecting my wolf side is awesome. “Woah, that’s crazy. I never knew humans had magical signatures, although I guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering how I got here in the first place. And the wolf part of me is connected to my magical signature? Does that mean I could transform or something?”

Twilight taps her chin. “Hmmmm, if human magic is based on rituals – Celestia told me that you arrived here via a ritual – then your magical signature is not characteristic of humans. Your magical signature matches a species that uses active magic rather than rituals. And yes, your wolf side is connected to your magical signature, but I don’t know what type of magic that would allow you to perform.”

This is so insane. Apparently I have magical power, but I’ve never noticed it before. And my magic is an unknown to the element of magic. “I’ve never noticed having any magical power or ability before now. Is it possible that I received my magic upon arrival in Equestria or Mundus as a whole?”

Twilight smiles and nods. “That’s a possibility, but it wouldn’t explain your wolf side being connected to it. Let me check again.” Her horn glows and I’m encompassed in her magical aura once more, the buzzing returning for a moment. “Yes, there is a slight hint of Mundus magic, but not enough to be your whole magical signature. Most likely the presence of magic in the environment of Mundus has sparked or activated your own magic.”

Well, this is interesting, although I still never noticed any differences when I got here. Also, I’ll have to see if I can find a way to develop it. “Is it possible to have active magic and not notice? Because I didn’t feel any different when I got here, other than feeling lost. Also, how could I develop or train it?”

Twilight thinks for a moment before answering. “It is rare, but occasionally unicorn foals don’t have any magic outbursts until adolescence, unless remedied by a wizard or unicorn doctor. During this time, they have no sense of having any magic, despite actually being magic. It isn’t unthinkable that other species could have individuals with magic that don’t notice.

“As for learning how to put your magic to use, I’m a little unsure as I’ve never come across a magical signature of your kind. Your best bet would be to experiment with various methods until you get results.” She smiles softly at me.

I smile back. “All right, thanks for the explanation. I’ll have to try to find what works for me later on. So, do you have any more tests or scans to perform on me?”

Twilight nods. “Yes, there are tests that are more based on your physical features and internal chemistry, as well as to trace a way back to your world or universe. We’ll do them after lunch.”

“Sure, that sounds good.” I then look over to Rarity. "I’m guessing that you’ll take my measurements after lunch as well?”

She gives me a polite nod. “That is the plan, unless you’d rather that I take your measurements another time?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m fine with that, I mean, it is why you were invited here with Twilight.” I then look around the hall idly, unsure of what to speak of now.

Luna ends up discussing something with Rarity about some new clothes shop that Rarity opened recently in some city called Manehattan. I quietly laugh to myself about how it is a pun based off of Manhattan. After some more small talk between Luna, Twilight and Rarity, a couple of waiters walk in with our lunches and water. One is the waiter stallion from before, another is a waitress mare that I’ve seen around the dining hall previously.

My burger isn’t hay, just as ordered, but it isn’t meat either. I’m not surprised though. It seems to have a vegetarian patty. Despite it not containing meat, I still enjoy it well enough. Although I am seriously beginning to crave the chance to eat red meat. The others seem to be satisfied with their meals. Not many words are spoken between us while we eat.

After lunch, we get back to our conversation from before. Twilight speaks to me first. “So, now that we’ve had something to eat, would you like to come with me to have the tests and scans done?”

I give her a slightly nervous smile. “Yeah, let’s get this stuff out of the way.” Even though she said earlier that they won’t hurt, I’m still nervous as to what they might be.

She gives me a more excitable smile. “Great, just follow me. Celestia had my lab kept clean and neat as I left it when I first moved to Ponyville.”

I let out an anxious chuckle. “Cool, a lab. Where else would one perform tests on another species?” I ask nobody under my breath as I follow Twilight.

Chapter Eleven

I look around the lab as we arrive, Luna and Rarity remain outside and talk more to each other about various events. There are various alchemy and chemistry related beakers and containers on benches along the wall, as well as some more mechanical looking devices. The main thing to note however, is how neat and organised everything is. The chemistry stuff is ordered by function, material, and size. The machines are evenly spaced. Everything is immaculately clean.

Twilight smiles and quickly looks around the room. “Great, it’s almost as clean and ordered as I left it. Apart from a little dust.” She gets a cloth and wipes down some things, which I swear are already clean. I can be a perfectionist sometimes, but this is on another level.

I chuckle a little at her perfectionism. “I never even noticed that dust. I thought it was clean and I sometimes call myself a perfectionist.”

Twilight simply shakes her head a little and lifts a hoof as she explains. “You may not have noticed it, but I did, as I pay closer attention to my scientific equipment. When performing scientific tests, it is important that any scientific equipment used is perfect, or as close to perfect as possible.”

“I see…” I look around the room a bit more. “So, what do you need me to do for the tests?”

Twilight prepares some of the machines as she speaks. “While I’m getting these ready, I need you to undress so that my equipment can get readings from you.”

I blush and look around nervously. “I don’t know, how exposed do I need to be?”

She looks at me as she finishes preparing her machines. “I need to be able to attach diodes to various points on your body, including your chest, arms, head, and legs.”

“Right… Of course…” I blush more and take off my shirt. I hesitate for a little while, before taking off my jeans as well. I leave my underwear on, I doubt I need to be completely nude. Besides, I’m already uncomfortable enough as it is. “Is this good enough?”

Twilight nods. “Yes, that’ll do for now.” She then stands beside a machine with a platform, perhaps it’s for measuring weight. “Just step up onto this.”

I don’t like the sound of her saying ‘for now’, but I guess I’ll deal with that it if the issue arises. I step up onto the platform, some paper listing various things then begins spewing from the machine. After about a minute, the machine stops printing results and makes a beeping sound. Twilight collects the results of whatever the machine detected, then she turns it off. She then guides me to another machine and begins attaching various diodes to me. The last thing she puts on me is like some sort of helmet. Twilight finally turns the scientific instrument on and it begins printing results on paper like the other machine. I try to remain still as the machine does its thing and Twilight reads the results as they pour out. After another minute, the results stop and the machine turns off.

“Thanks for letting me take all these measurements and data.” Twilight smiles as she removes the helmet and diodes from me.

I rub the back of my neck and look at my clothes laying on a table nearby. “Uh, you’re welcome. Can I put my clothes back on?”

Twilight neatly places down the results and reads over them in more detail. “Not just yet, I still need some anatomical reference pictures to further complete my research.”

I blush and look around nervously. “I see… What does that involve?” I really hope this isn’t going where I think it’s going.

She looks up at me after reading through the recorded data. “Since you’re a new species, I need to document as much about you as possible. Taking reference pictures will involve photographing all of your body parts and your body as a whole, which includes photos of your external features, as well as X-ray imaging of your skeletal features.”

I blush more. “Does that mean I have to… Um… Remove my, uh, underwear?”

Twilight simply nods. “Of course, it does, how else could I have a complete set of anatomical reference pictures?”

I shake my head and look around more, blushing very intensely. “I don’t know about that… What you’re asking of me is considered very private and personal to humans…”

She flies up a little to be at eye level with me and places her hoof on my shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with letting another see your natural body, especially in Equestria. I’m sure you’ve noticed that ponies here don’t really wear clothes unless it’s for a special occasion or as a sign of their position. Nudity is common and not a big deal here.”

I keep blushing and struggle to form long sentences. I mean, come on, she wants me to all of a sudden get naked in front of her. It makes sense why she doesn’t think much of it, but I’m not a pony or from Equestria. It’s crazy to me. “Uh… I dunno… It’s, um… It’s kind of… A big deal… To me.”

She continues speaking to me about being nude and I finally cave in. She uses some sort of scientific styled camera, although it still had a vintage vibe about it. The pictures and X-ray images are taken over the period of an hour. I’m extremely relieved when I can finally get dressed.

“Thanks again for letting me take all of the anatomical reference pictures, I really appreciate you pushing your discomfort to the side for this.” Twilight gives me an innocent and soft smile. It’s comforting that at least she was very professional about it and didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives to seeing me naked.

I nervously smile back. “No problems… Just don’t tell anybody about it. I’ll decide whether I’m comfortable with telling anybody or not… Although I’ll probably tell Luna about it.”

She nods and leads me to the exit of the lab. “Of course, what happened in the lab is confidential. When I publish the results in the future, they’ll be anonymous with no mention of your name. I can also replace any reference pictures of your face with drawings altered to look different from you, but still fit humans.”

I feel more relaxed now, although I’m not sure how anonymous it’ll be, since I’m the only human here. “Thanks, that makes me feel a little better.” When I open the door to leave the lab, I notice that there is no sign of Luna or Rarity. I look around a bit and see a white, unicorn guard stallion nearby.

The guard approaches me when he sees me. “I was told that you are to meet Princess Luna and Rarity the tailor in Princess Luna’s chambers for Rarity to take your measurements.”

I smile and nod, as he answers the question I would have asked. “All right, thanks for letting me know.” The guard then leaves, perhaps on patrol or maybe to go off duty. I turn to Twilight. “So, are you coming along?”

She smiles and shakes her head. “No, I’ll be busy analysing and putting together all of the data into a report.” She then flies up to be eye level with me and offers her hoof. “It was nice meeting you, Travis. I hope that things go well between you and Luna. The next time we see each other will probably be when all the testing results are compiled.”

I take her hoof firmly, giving it a gentle shake. “Yeah, it was nice meeting you too, Twilight. And thanks, things seem to be going well so far between Luna and I. I’ll be looking forward to the results of the testing we just did.” I then let go of her hoof.

Twilight lowers herself back to the floor and heads back into the lab, closing the door behind herself. Well, now onto getting measurements for clothes, it shouldn’t be as intrusive as the anatomical photographing. I make my way over to Luna’s chambers, still feeling a little odd about the photos. I knock on the door to her tower and the night guard lets me in without a word. Once I reach the top of the staircase, I let myself in.

Luna and Rarity seem to be drinking some tea at a small table set up in the middle of the room. Luna’s face lights up when she sees me and she quickly rises to come meet me by the door, hugging me with her wings. “How were the tests?”

I happily hug her back and nuzzle her neck. It feels so comforting and warm. “It was mainly all right, although it was a little intrusive near the end. I wasn’t hurt, but I’ll explain it later.”

Luna and I let go of each other as she asks another question. “Very well, where is Twilight Sparkle?”

I give her a soft smile. “She said that she’ll be busy putting all of the data into a report.”

Luna nods slightly to my answer. “Very well,” She then looks towards Rarity, then back at me. “Do you feel that you will be able to have your measurements taken now by Rarity?”

I look between them both. “Yeah, as long as it isn’t too intrusive… You ponies are used to doing most things nude, but that generally isn’t how humans do things…”

Rarity then speaks up. “Oh, you should be fine as you are, darling. I’m sure I could take your measurements without having to remove your clothing.”

I smile and relax after hearing that. “That’s good to hear.” I take off my jacket and place it on the bed, but leave my t-shirt and jeans on. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

Rarity smiles and pulls out a measuring tape. “Oh, of course.” She approaches me and looks me up and down for a moment, before beginning to take my measurements. “Lift your arms, darling… They are called arms, yes?”

I chuckle a little and lift my arms. “Yeah, they’re called arms. I guess you don’t see many in Equestria?”

She wraps the measuring tape around my chest and then takes some other measurements. “Not particularly. Occasionally a minotaur will visit Equestria, and once Equestria was attacked by a centaur.” Rarity seems focused as she takes a few more measurements and writes everything down on a notepad with a quill held by her magic.

I stand still, only moving when guided by Rarity. “I see… Am I the first biped that you’ve decided to design clothes for?”

She finally finishes taking the measurements and puts away the tape. “Yes, you are, and I’m interested in the challenge that a new form will present to my fashion creation skills.” Rarity looks me up and down again, jotting down some more notes on her notepad. “I know you said that you wanted your clothes to be casual, but would you mind if I made a fancy outfit in addition? It could be worn when you decide to be introduced to Equestria, or when Princess Luna announces your relationship.”

Hmmm, that sounds like a pretty good idea… I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to look my best for whenever I’m presented to the kingdom. “All right, that’s a smart idea, as long as I still get some casual clothes.”

Rarity nods and smiles. “Of course, I will still create some more casual outfits for you.” She writes on her notepad some more.

Luna then enters the conversation. “About his fancier outfit… Could you perhaps design it in a way that would suit nobility?” She blushes softly. “I also believe that he would look handsome in a cape, if you could make one to go with the outfit.”

Rarity giggles quietly and takes notes on Luna’s comment, looking me up and down again. “Yes, I believe that something like that would work on him. I’ll be sure to design with nobility in mind, and to make a cape to match.”

I blush a bit and nervously decide to speak my mind. “Uh, sure, I guess. I just hope it doesn’t make me seem like I’m overstepping my bounds. I’m not a noble by any means, just a commoner.”

Luna gives me a warm hug and smiles. “Not when you are in a relationship with me. Should things progress far enough - and I do hope that they do - then you would become royalty.”

I hug Luna back and smile, my mind reeling though. She is already thinking that far ahead? That’s crazy. Ponies being so certain of love and relationships must be a normal thing here? “I guess so… Although that’s quite a way ahead.”

Luna softly nuzzles me. “I suppose it is, so we shall not worry too much about it for the time being. However, a cape would look nice.”

I nuzzle her back and chuckle. “Yeah, a cape would be pretty cool. I’ve never worn one before though.” I then look over to Rarity. “So, do you need me for anything else to design my clothes?”

Rarity politely shakes her head and smiles. “No, I believe that I have all the measurements and information I need, unless you have any extra details you would like me to consider?”

I give her a smile. “No, I’m not too picky about fashion, besides, you’re the expert here. Thanks in advance for doing this for me.”

Rarity puts away her notepad and quill. “Oh, you’re very welcome, I’m glad to be helping the coltfriend of Princess Luna. Also, as I’ve told you before, this’ll be an interesting challenge.” She then looks between Luna and I. “I suppose I’ll be going now to start sketching my ideas for your outfits. I’ll leave you two alone now.” She giggles a bit. “It was nice meeting you, Travis. I’ll see you next when I need you to test the fit of your new clothes.” Rarity then looks at Luna. “And it was lovely chatting with you, Princess Luna.”

I blush slightly and nod, offering my hand to shake her hoof. “Yeah, it was nice meeting you too. I’m looking forward to see what you make for me.”

Luna nods and smiles. “Indeed, thank you for coming to take Travis’s measurements and for talking with me over tea.”

Rarity bows her head slightly to Luna. “It was my pleasure, Princess.” She then lifts her head back up. “I’ll be off now.” She departs from the room with a bag, leaving Luna and I alone together.

I look into Luna’s beautiful, blue eyes. “So, do we have any more plans today apart from night court?”

She looks back into my eyes. “I do not think we do. Is there anything you would like to do before night court?”

I lean forward and briefly kiss her lips. It still feels absolutely amazing and I blush from it. “Nothing in particular, I just want to spend time with you.”

Luna blushes as well as she returns the kiss softly. “I see… I am curious however, about what the tests were like with Twilight Sparkle. Would you mind telling me about how they fared?”

I blush more and look down nervously. “Um, I guess I should tell you, since we are lovers…” I look back up at her. “Most of the tests were pretty normal. They were done using different machines to detect different things and take different readings, I suppose. The last part of the tests was pretty intrusive though…” I look down once again and go quiet. Talking about this part is making me feel so nervous.

Luna gently places her hoof under my chin and lifts my gaze back up to her. She’s looking into my eyes. “What was intrusive about the last part?”

I blush heavily as I prepare to tell her. “Uh, well, Twilight needed anatomical references… And that included me, um, being nude. I know it’s not a big deal to you ponies, but that kind of thing is very private to humans. She ended up taking photos with a camera of all of my body parts… Including the more, um, private ones… For scientific reference.”

Luna slowly nods and blushes from my answer. “I understand… Being nude is natural to ponies, but taking photographs of private parts is considered more intimate. I have no issue with it as long as you agreed to it, since it is for a scientific purpose. How do you feel about it?”

I slowly relax, but remain blushing. I’m glad to hear that she doesn’t mind too much. “I feel a little embarrassed, but I did agree to it so that I could help further Equestria’s scientific and medical knowledge of humans.” I wrap my arms around Luna and hug her closely, enjoying her coat and warmth. “Thanks for being so understanding, Luna.”

Luna tenderly wraps her wings around me and leans her head against my shoulder. “You are welcome, Travis, although there is no need for thanks. What kind of marefriend would I be otherwise?”

I smile and nuzzle her neck. “I don’t know, but I’m glad that you’re so nice and that you found me in the garden. I’m also glad that you decided to show me around on that first day as well. That’s probably what lead to us becoming romantic partners.”

“That is indeed the most likely explanation. However, it simply would not be if not for your lovely personality.” Luna nuzzles me back, before we spend some time quietly keeping close to each other. “Perhaps we could go to the library to read about various magic learning methods to see if we can work on your magic.”

I finally pull away and nod excitedly. The thought of me having magic is just so bloody cool. Maybe Jack’s ritual worked, just not in the way we thought it would. I mean, having my own magic activated and now going to learn about it seems pretty much like a kind of eldritch knowledge to me. “That sounds good, actually, it sounds better than good. It sounds awesome! Let’s go!” I’m absolutely pumped to figure out how to use it and what it’ll be.

Luna gives me an amused smile and kisses my cheek. “Very well, we shall go to the library to study magic until night court.” We then both leave our chambers and head towards the library.

Author's Note

Sorry that this chapter took a while, if you've kept up with my blog updates then you'll know that I haven't been feeling that great. I was also very uncertain for a long time about whether the lab scene would push my story to mature or if it's still teen. I still am uncertain about it. If any moderators tell me to change my story classification to mature, then I'll do so.

Chapter Twelve (Updated)

Luna and I are now in the magic wing at the library, near Star Swirl’s wing. She picks out a few books from the shelves about magic basics; all written for the purpose of teaching young ponies how to control their magic. We then sit down at a desk as Luna sets the books down on it.

I excitedly look at Luna, eager to learn about how to use my own magic. “So, you understand magic in Equestria, which book do we start with?”

She smiles and opens a book titled ‘Magical Lessons for Foals’. “I believe that we should start with this. Most unicorn parents go over this book with their unicorn foals. It is a good a start as any.”

I nod and look through the chapter names until I spot one about using magic. The previous chapters seemed to be about magical outbursts and keeping them in check. “I guess we start with that chapter?” I ask as I point to the chapter name.

Luna looks and nods. “I would suppose so, as you do not seem to be experiencing any form of magical outbursts.” She flips to the correct page with her telekinesis and skims through. “Hmmm, it seems fairly straightforward. Simply follow my instructions, Travis.”

I give her a smile and nod in affirmation. “Of course, I’ll do my best.”

Luna gently nuzzles me. “I am sure you will. Now close your eyes and relax.”

I do as she says and close my eyes, whilst focusing on my breathing to meditate and relax. Seems simple enough so far, I just have to make sure I don’t get too giddy about the idea of using magic. “All right, easy for now.” I then listen for further instruction.

“Very good, now visualise a coloured energy building up inside of you, feel it grow.”

I softly nod and try to imagine magic inside of me. What colour should it be? Is it the colour it will take when I use it like how Luna’s is blue? Think, think, come on… Will anything do? Stuff it, green will do. I try harder to visualise a green kind of energy growing inside, but I don’t feel any different.

“Are you ready for the next step, Travis?”

I shake my head a bit. “No… I don’t think so… I’m imagining the energy, but I can’t feel it. Does the colour matter?”

“Hmmm, yes and no. The colour is integral to your very being, but magic itself does not prefer any one colour over another. Try to look inside of yourself, you will find your colour.”

“All right, I’ll try again…” I clear my mind of green and try to sense my inner self. What is my colour? I like green, but I guess that isn’t it… I allow myself deeper into my meditation and tune out my surroundings. There is nothing. My instincts, what do they say? I don’t know. I let out a slight growl of frustration. Damn it, maybe I’m trying the wrong magic method. I open my eyes. “It’s no good, Luna…”

She gives me a supportive nuzzle and pecks my cheek. “That is fine, after all, this is a pony method, it might not apply to you.” Luna puts away a couple of books. “We will just have to try something else.”

I calm down, nuzzling and kissing her back. “Okay, that’s what I was beginning to think.”

Luna looks over to a nearby shelf and pulls out some other books with her magic. She quickly checks through the newly chosen books, before finding what she was looking for. Luna then focuses on a chapter in one of the books about non-pony magic. “This may yield better results for you. Close your eyes and relax again.”

I close my eyes and meditate just like before, hopefully this next method is more compatible with me. “All right, what should I do differently?”

“Focus on yourself, your whole body. Listen to your breathing, pay attention to how your body feels. Once you are focused, imagine tension throughout your inside and buzzing on your outside. Connect to your inner self to fuel it, do not worry about colours or appearance of any energy.”

Okay, that sounds very similar to the previous method, with only some changes. Oh well, guess it’s worth a shot. As I feel the most relaxed, I then pay attention to how I feel all over. I think of the tension and tense up. I don’t feel any buzzing though. I try to imagine it, but there is nothing. That’s alright, maybe it’ll start if I try to focus on my inner self. I look into myself once again, I try to draw something, anything out. Nothing. I tense up more in frustration, but that doesn’t seem to help at all.

“Do you feel anything this time?”

I open my eyes and shake my head, letting go of the tension. “Nothing, apart from my own tension that I’m physically causing… I have a feeling that none of these books will actually help. I’m a new species, with a new magical signature. It would be extremely unlikely for there to be an answer for me in books about magic in Equestria or Mundus as a whole…”

Luna nods and hugs me. “That would make sense. I simply thought that we should at least try the books first. I am sorry that it did not help.”

I hug Luna closely in return. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. It was an idea that was worth trying. This probably means that I have to find the answer myself. I’m guessing that meditation and self-reflection would still be key.”

She gently strokes my hair with a hoof. “Would you like to meditate some more to think about it now, or would you prefer to come back to this another time?”

I run one of my hands through her magical mane as she strokes my hair. “I think I’ll have a bit of a break, maybe continue it tomorrow. Sometimes having a break allows people to see something they didn’t before.”

Luna smiles and nods softly. “That would indeed be wise. Perhaps we should go to night court?”

I smile back and gently kiss her cheek. “Sure thing, although I was wondering if we have some time to have dinner beforehand?”

Luna puts away the books with her magic and thinks for a moment. “If we were to go to night court now, we would be rather early. I think that we do indeed have enough time for a pre-court dinner. Just give me a moment first.” She gets up from her seat and walks towards a window as she then raises the moon.

“Nice, it’ll be good to have already eaten before we go to night court.” I get up and watch her with an amazed smile. It’s still such an impressive act. We then hug each other when she finishes, before letting go so that we don’t arouse any suspicions as we make our way to the dining hall. A grey coated and brown maned unicorn stallion takes our orders after we arrive at the hall and take our seats. Luna orders some soup, while I order a fettuccine carbonara; both of us ordering water to drink.

Luna looks across from the table at me with a soft smile. “Would you like to play chess again at night court once I am done with the petitions?”

I mirror her smile and nod. “Yeah, I’d love to, even though I can hardly win against you, you’re amazing at it. Although I guess it’s kind of expected of a ruler to be good at strategic games such as chess.”

She giggles and blushes a bit. “Do not worry, I am sure that you will improve as we play more. After all, playing against one greater than yourself is a better way of improving than playing against one who you are greater than.”

That’s something wise enough for that potential quote book that I’ll probably never end up making. I chuckle softly. “That’s both true and wise.” After a bit of silence, I think for a moment, when I suddenly remember that mare back at the theatre. “Oh, should we try to think of a plan in case that mare serving us at the theatre has gossiped about us?”

Luna is quite for a short time, before replying. “That would be a good idea, but I am unsure as to what that plan could possibly be. If it becomes big news and we are asked about it, then we should be honest. However, as for managing any sort of commotion, I do not know what we could do apart from simply accepting whatever reaction our ponies have.”

She makes a good point there… I don’t see what else we could do. “Hmmm, that’s fair enough. I guess we’ll just be honest and hope it all turns out well. Either way, once the news is out and confirmed, we won’t have to hide our affection for each other from others.”

Not long after I finish my sentence, the waiter stallion and a waiter mare walk into the hall with our dinner. They check to see if we’re satisfied, then leave. The carbonara smells great, but it has no bacon, that’s not really a surprise. Luna and I then dig into our meals. Except for the lack of bacon, the carbonara tastes brilliant, just as good as everything else the castle chefs have cooked so far.

I look up at Luna every now and then as I eat, also drinking my water throughout the meal. She seems to be enjoying her soup as much as I’m enjoying my carbonara. The waiters return and take the dishes when we finish. Luna and I then rise as we head over to the throne room. Surprisingly, there is a rather large gathering of ponies waiting at the throne room door. Some of them look like servants, but a fair number appear to be dressed in what looks to be expensive clothing. I hope it doesn’t mean what I think it means…

As we approach, the crowd becomes animated as they send a barrage of questions and various statements to Luna. Most of the better dressed ponies seem angry, plenty of them giving me dirty looks. What little I can gather from the overwhelming mix of voices is that they want to know what the hell is happening with Luna and I. Of course.

Some night guards hold the crowd back as Luna and I walk into the throne room. “Well then, it looks like it won’t be empty court…” I state as we walk to the throne. I then stand off to the side like last time.

Luna takes her place on the throne. “Indeed, it would appear that the waiter from the theatre has gossiped about our romantic behaviour.” She then gives me a kind smile as I stand to the side. “This time you may stand on the step just below the throne, I would like you to be close to me for this.”

“And I would love to be close to you, but it will feel weird standing up there. I’ll feel like I’m overstepping my bounds.” I look around nervously and then walk up the steps to the throne until I am on the last one before the throne.

She leans down to give me a soft and reassuring nuzzle. “Do not worry, you are not overstepping your bounds at all. You are not on the throne itself, but you are my romantic partner, so it is fitting for you to at least be close to me. Even though we are not married or engaged, it is your right to be high on the steps.”

I nervously smile and nuzzle her back affectionately. “All right, it’s still a little nerve wracking though, and kinda’ crazy to think I belong in this position. I would have thought it wouldn’t be my position until it is official…” I then turn to face the door to the throne room as I finish nuzzling Luna. “Anyway, let’s get this over with.”

Luna then speaks the same words I heard her say two nights ago, although with a little trepidation this time. “Night court is now open, visitors are welcome.”

A night guard opens the door to allow one stallion into the room, probably ensuring that we don’t get overwhelmed by a crowd. The stallion seems to be dressed well in a black collar and blue tie, so I assume he’s a noble of some sort. He’s a fairly large unicorn with a white coat, and blonde mane and tail. He looks quite upset. “What is that creature that stands so high on the throne steps, Aunty Luna? It is dressed as a commoner, if a commoner were to wear clothing.” Luna’s nephew? He must be a prince. I already don’t like his attitude, he’s one of those snobbish rich people.

Luna seems to be unimpressed by the way her nephew addressed me. “He is a human, and his name is Travis Blackbourne. He stands high on the throne steps as I have entered a romantic relationship with him.” She then looks at me and gestures to her nephew. “Travis, this is my nephew, Prince Blueblood.”

Before I can speak, Blueblood immediately responds. “Romantic relationship? With him?! Does he even possess any sort of nobility?”

Luna shakes her head. “No, he is no form of noble, but that does not matter. He is my lover, and that is that.”

“But that’s outrageous, Aunty! How could you love a commoner?! I will refuse to be below him!” The prince stamps on the ground angrily.

Luna rises from her throne and spreads her wings in what I assume is a display of authority. “He has a name, use it. And I love him because he is far sweeter than any noble I could ever hope to meet. As for your position, you have no say in who I choose to be my lover. You can learn to accept him, or you can renounce your nobility, that is your choice.”

He shakes his head and stamps more in frustration. “But! But! I refuse to renounce my nobility!”

Luna gives him a stern look. “Then you must accept Travis as my romantic partner, and his position over you in the future when he too becomes a prince.”

I grin as he becomes speechless to the situation. It’s great to see a snob like him put down a peg. “Now, it is nice to make your acquaintance, Blueblood.” I then decide to really get on his nerves, by wrapping an arm around Luna and kissing her cheek, before looking right at Blueblood. “I’m sure you’ll get used to calling me uncle in the future…” That’s a weird thought to have, to be honest. He’s probably older than me, but I’ll be his uncle, if Luna and I go so far as to get married. I guess that happens when you get into a relationship with somebody about a thousand or more years older than you.

Blueblood stamps his hooves a bit more and glares at me. “We’ll see about that… Travis… You dirty, gold digging commoner…” He then turns and stomps out from the throne room.

Luna giggles a little bit and kisses my cheek back. “Not the nicest way to introduce yourself to my nephew, but very entertaining and well deserved. I swear that he is too stuck up for his own good sometimes.”

I nuzzle her before she sits back down on the throne. “Yeah, it was hilarious to see his frustration as we put him back in his place; snobs like him really annoy me. I must admit though that I do feel little bad about how I handled that, but just a little.”

“It is all right, I am sure that you two can make it up to each other some other time, when he is more used to you.” Luna then looks back to the door. “I am ready for the next visitor.”

The guard lets in another pony. This time it’s a pale blue earth pony mare with a pink mane and tail, and pink eyes wearing a hat, despite being indoors at night. She also seems to be carrying a notepad and quill. Something tells me that she’s probably a reporter of some kind, no doubt wanting to get the big scoop on the new relationship between Luna and I. She bows before us. “Good evening, Princess Luna and…” She stops bowing to look at me. “And what might your name be?”

I give her a friendly smile. “Travis.”

She quickly jots something down in her notepad with the quill in her mouth, then finishes her greeting. “And good evening, Travis. My name is Fresh Babble, and I’m a journalist for The Equestrian Herald. I was wondering if either of you would like to answer a few questions?”

Luna and I look at each other, before looking back at Fresh Babble. Luna decides to speak first. “I believe that we can answer some questions, but we will hold some things back for an announcement at a later date.”

Fresh Babble writes down some more notes. “I see… An announcement? Is it about Travis?”

Luna nods. “Yes. There will be an announcement to introduce Travis, a human, to Equestria.”

The journalist keeps writing in her notepad. “But there’s more to the announcement, right? There’s talk amongst the servants and some of the nobles that this human, Travis, is your lover. Is this true?”

Luna and I blush, and Luna continues to answer for both of us. “You will have to wait for the announcement to see if such rumours are true or not. These rumours will be addressed in the announcement.”

Fresh smiles and continues to write what she can. “Interesting… Travis, you seem to be quiet, is there anything you would like to say?”

I look around nervously as I think of what to say. “Not really… Luna seems to be doing a good job with answering your questions… Unless there’s anything you want to ask me in specific?”

She nods to my question. “Of course, everypony would be wondering where you came from. Or will that be explained in the announcement?

I think for a bit. “Hmmm, it’ll probably be explained in the announcement, but it couldn’t hurt to just tell you now. I’m from another world called Earth, and possibly another universe. I used to live in a land called Australia, it’s separated from the rest of the world by an ocean but there is technology that allows people to easily communicate between different lands. I guess I’m straying from the point, but yeah, a world called Earth and a land called Australia.”

Fresh Babble writes some more in her notepad. “All right, and forgive me for asking, but are you any sort of royalty or nobility? Something about the way you speak and dress tells me that you’re just an average person back on Earth.”

I nod nervously. “Yeah, I’m not royalty or anything. Class wise, I’m just an average person.”

“Okay…” She jots down a few more things. “Maybe two more questions for you, Travis. Do you miss being on Earth? And what do you think of Equestria?”

I softly shake my head. “I don’t really miss Earth all that much. I mean, I miss my family, and the one friend that I did have, but nothing else. As for Equestria, I think it’s amazing. Overall it seems like a very peaceful and beautiful land. There’s even magic, and mystical creatures and species. Back on Earth, magic was generally seen as fictional. So, I really like Equestria so far.”

Fresh Babble writes down some more, before finally putting away her quill and notepad. “I’m sure the readers will love to see such a positive outsider’s view on Equestria.” She then bows to Luna. “Thank you for your time, Princess Luna and Travis.”

Luna nods and smiles politely. “You’re welcome, have a good night, Fresh Babble.”

I smile too. “Yeah, no problems, Fresh. I hope the story gets a good reception.”

“Good bye.” She then turns and leaves the throne room, seemingly happy with the interview.

I look up at Luna as I finally relax. “I guess that went pretty well, all things considered. I was a little nervous and worried - I’ve never been interviewed by a journalist before - but it didn’t seem that bad.”

She looks back down at me and kisses my cheek. “You did well, Travis dear. I am proud of you for remaining composed and responding with safe answers.”

I blush softly and return the kiss. “Thanks, I’m guessing you’re more used to being professional for interviews.”

Luna gives me a lovely smile. “Indeed, I am, although I only began receiving such experience after my return from the moon. Journalists did not really exist a thousand years ago, at least, not in the same way they do today.” She then turns to face the door once more, calling to a guard. “How many more visitors are there and what are their reasons for visiting?”

“Just a moment, Princess.” A guard from outside the door responds. There is silence for some time, before the guard calls an answer. “There are eleven noble ponies and they all request to speak about the rumours of you and Travis.”

Luna lets out a soft sigh. “There is no point in receiving them all, simply tell them that there will be an announcement regarding the rumours at a later date.”

“Yes, Princess.” There is some muffled talking behind the door and then there are several sounds of annoyance. A little later the guard steps into the throne room. “They are unhappy, but have accepted your dismissal for the time being and left.”

Luna visibly relaxes upon hearing that. “I am happy to hear that. Now bring the unanswered petitions with paper, ink, and a quill.”

I sit down on my step as we wait for the guard to bring the stuff Luna asked for. It’s a good thing that we had dinner beforehand. The rest of night court then proceeds as usual with Luna reading and dealing with the petitions left over from day court.

After court, Luna and I make our way to our bed chambers, happy that court is finally over. The night guard salutes Luna and nods to me as Luna opens the door to the tower. I nod back to the guard; I should probably learn his name some time since I’ll probably be seeing a lot of him now. We walk up the spiral staircase to our room and enter.

Luna looks at me with a warm smile. “Travis, would you like to remove my tiara and put it on its stand for me?”

I return the smile and nod. “Of course, Luna.” I gently place the tips of my fingers on her tiara and lift it from her head, carefully transferring it to the stand. I then kiss her cheek softly. “There you go.”

Luna tenderly kisses my cheek in turn. “Thank you,” She then removes her boots with telekinesis and lays down in her- no, our bed, leaving the sheets lifted for me. “Will you join me now or later?”

I blush a bit. “I’ll join you in a moment, after I put away my clothes… Uh, where can I put them?”

Luna blushes a little too, and nods to the bedside table. “You may place your clothes on the bedside table for now.”

I smile nervously and nod, walking around to the bedside table. “All right…” I then take off my shirt and jeans, putting them on the small table. I blush a little more as I get into bed and snuggle closely to Luna in just my underwear. I wrap my arms around her in a loving embrace, feeling her coat and warmth on my bare skin. It feels so new, and yet so comforting.

She wraps one of her wings and one of her forelegs over me, pecking my lips with a slight blush. “I am so glad to have found you in the garden when you appeared, Travis.”

I warmly return the kiss and nuzzle her neck. “So am I, Luna. I’m so happy that Jack’s ritual spell went wrong and sent me here. For the first time in years, I’m eager to see what tomorrow brings.”

Luna rests her head just above mine for a moment. “The same could be said for me…” She then moves her head so that she can look into my eyes. “Travis, I love you.”

I look back into Luna’s gorgeous, teal eyes and place a hand on her cheek. “I love you too, Luna.” I then lean in, close my eyes and tilt my head to kiss her lips firmly, yet gently. It still feels just as amazing as the first time we kissed. I feel her equine tongue press against my lips and I allow her entrance to my mouth. “Mmmm…” I softly moan into her mouth and slide my tongue along hers, the sensation overpowering my mind. Her long tongue then briefly wraps around mine, before she pulls it back, encouraging me to slip my tongue into her mouth.

Luna lets out a quiet moan as I trail my tongue along what I can reach in her mouth. Not long after, we break the kiss and pant for breath, both of us feeling much warmer now. “That… Was divine… Travis…” She then rests her head above mine once more and pulls me a little closer.

I hug her a little tighter too and nuzzle into her neck. “Yeah… Luna… It really was…” I keep snuggled close to her in peace, simply enjoying the closeness and affection. I feel the happiest I’ve ever been. When I went along with Jack’s ritual, I never could have predicted this. There’s no way I could have seen myself falling in love with a pony princess when I went to Jack’s house. If Twilight finds a way to make a portal back to Earth, I’ll have to thank Jack for sending me here.

Luna fondly kisses my forehead. “Good night, Travis, I will visit your dreams if I am not called to the nightmare of anypony.”

I smile and kiss her neck. “Good night, Luna, I hope that if you must help anyone, it goes smoothly.” I close my eyes and allow myself to relax more as we are cuddled closely. I feel so comfortable, so satisfied. I notice my tiredness catching up to me, and give in to it.

Author's Note

So, I was writing Chapter Thirteen and decided that the start of it would be better off in this chapter. Sorry for any confusion that this edit/update may cause.

Chapter Thirteen

I am in a snowy forest and I hear some wolves howling in the distance. I immediately set off to find them. There they are, in a clearing of the forest. This is awesome! It’s a small pack of wolves, mainly with grey fur, some have brown fur. I’ve always wanted to come face to face with wolves. I slowly approach them, but then they turn and run off. I try to chase them, but they’re too fast. I go on all fours and try to run like them, to no avail. Soon they’re gone, and I’m left alone. I stop running and look down at my hands and feet. Damn human form. I wish I had the form of a wolf. I let out a sigh and sit down with my back against a tree, all alone.

The moon shines brighter than usual and Luna appears, gliding down to sit beside me and drape her wing over me. “Are you all right, Travis? Did something happen in your dream?”

Dream? Oh! I’m dreaming, of course. That makes so much more sense now. I chuckle a little, happy that I didn’t really miss out on anything. “Yeah, I’m fine, now that I know this is a dream. I just saw some wolves and they ran away, leaving me by myself. I couldn’t keep up with them.” I lean my head against Luna’s shoulder.

Luna kisses my forehead and nuzzles me gently. “I see… Did I miss anything else from your dream? I was not watching this time; I came to you as soon as I entered your dream.”

I nuzzle Luna back, enjoying her affection. “Not in terms of things happening, at least from what I remember. I was just really annoyed with my human form when I couldn’t keep up with the wolves.” I then look around a bit, thinking about lucid dreaming, when I remember that Luna said she would teach me how to be lucid. “Anyway, we forgot to talk about how to become lucid before we went to sleep. I’m only lucid now since you asked about me dreaming. I probably wouldn’t be lucid if you didn’t ask.”

Luna giggles softly. “We did indeed forget.” She lightly kisses my cheek. “Perhaps we will remember to talk about it next time.”

I tenderly return her kiss. “Yeah, hopefully we will.” I then cuddle a little more closely to her. There is some near peaceful silence as we cuddle, but then I remember about the unhappy nobles. It keeps me from properly relaxing. I wonder if they’ll try to do anything to me to stop me from being with Luna. I wonder if they’ll try to drag Luna’s name through the dirt. Could they do much if they decide to work together against us? I break the silence. “Luna… Are you nervous about the nobles?”

Luna gives me a small smile. “Perhaps a little, but I am not too concerned about them. Celestia supports us, and that will be enough to deter the nobles from trying anything too big to end our relationship. The most they will do is complain, and that is nothing new.”

I smile back, feeling a little better about the situation. “Fair enough, that makes sense. And what about that announcement we need to make? Will that be sooner or later?”

Luna nuzzles me again. “I am a little nervous about that too. However, Celestia says that ponies have a different view on romance and relationships nowadays compared to before I was banished and I trust her. As for when we make the announcement, I believe that sooner would be better, considering the rumours travelling around Canterlot.”

I nuzzle her in return. “Yeah, sooner would be better, but I’d like some time to prepare myself. I’m not used to being the centre of attention, even less so when that involves an entire country…”

She looks into my eyes. “Then I would like to ask you - as it is a matter that concerns both of us, not just me - how soon would you like it to be?”

Hmmm, when would I like the announcement to be? I look back into Luna’s eyes. “I’m not sure, I’ve never really given it too much thought in terms of the specifics.” I suppose I’d preferably like to look decent enough, or potentially fit for royalty, but we also can’t take too long. “Maybe when Rarity finishes that outfit, or cape, or something? Otherwise, perhaps in two or three days?”

Luna seems to think about my answer for a moment. “Very well, we shall give the announcement on the third day from now, unless Rarity provides you with something new to wear before then.”

I smile slightly nervously. “Sure, that sounds like a plan…” I then hug Luna in attempt to find a way to quell my nervousness about this whole thing. “Even though I’m with you and have Celestia’s support, I’m still pretty nervous about this. I’ve never been part of any news bigger than within my family, or class when I was at school.”

She gives me a reassuring smile and wraps her wings around me warmly. “I understand, Travis. It must be so daunting to you, but try not to get too worried about it.” Luna then kisses my forehead. “I must ask, do you have stage fright or a fear of speaking in front of crowds?”

I shake my head, before nuzzling and lightly kissing her neck. “No, I get a little nervous, but not at the level of stage fright or anything. I was always able to speak at presentations for school assignments and stuff. It’s just that it’s going to be a much bigger crowd for the announcement, and I’ll be addressing a whole country. I’ve never done that before.”

Luna nuzzles the top of my head and keeps me held close. “I promise that I will always be here for you, and that I can speak for you during the announcement if you find it too difficult. I am used to addressing our subjects and will gladly speak for you at other potential events too, until you are more used to the idea.”

I take comfort in our closeness as Luna further reassures me. “Thank you, Luna, I feel a little better now. I still think I’d like to give speaking during the announcement a shot. I would feel terrible if I don’t at least try.”

She gently rubs my back with a hoof. “Of course, I am sure that you will be fine if you try. You handled yourself well during the interview with the journalist.”

I smile and look up into her beautiful eyes, blushing lightly as I lean up to kiss her lips briefly. “Thank you again… I love you, Luna.”

Luna blushes softly as well and kisses me back fondly. “You are very welcome… I love you too, Travis.”

I gently brush her cheek, then let my hand wander down her neck and to one of her wings. I can’t help but appreciate how neat, impressive and majestic her wings are. “I was wondering… Would you like to fly again with me in the dream?”

Luna gives me a sincere smile and nods. “I would love to, Travis.” She lets go of me and spreads her wings, before shooting into the air gracefully.

I watch her for a moment as I’m enthralled by her elegant flying, then I imagine having wings too and fly up to meet her. I smile and laugh for a bit at the feeling of flying in a dream once more. Once I get used to the feeling, I decide to finally speak. “So, how about you lead the flight this time?”

She wraps her forelegs around me and flies in a loop with me, then starts flying towards a river. “Of course, if that is what you would like.”

I quickly follow her, her tail mainly in my view, except for a moment when I accidentally get a glimpse under it. I blush intensely and speed up my flight to be closer to her side, not wanting to be some creepy perv. I would assume that it’s very inappropriate to look under a pony’s tail like that.

Luna looks over as I approach her side, noticing my blush and potentially dazed expression. “Is something wrong, Travis?”

I blush even more and shake my head. “Not exactly… I just accidentally saw… Something…”

She begins to ask me. “What do you mean, you accidentally saw…” She then blushes and goes quiet as she deducts from the situation what I mean. “I see… Thank you for being honest.”

“Uh… You’re welcome?” Man, this is so awkward… I look away nervously to survey the surroundings of my dream. Now we’re flying alongside the river that we were headed towards before.

Luna banks towards me slightly and gently nudges me. “It is all right, you do not need to feel strange about it… Accidents happen, and it is common for ponies to accidentally see under each other’s tails every now and then… You also chose not to stay behind to keep looking, so you cannot be faulted.”

I blush a little more and look back at her. “Right… I suppose it makes sense, since ponies don’t really wear clothes all that often… It’s still kinda awkward though…” I chuckle a bit in an attempt to get over the awkwardness.

Luna giggles a bit and then goes quiet for a bit, letting us fly together in peace. We follow the river further until it leads to a large lake, with an island in the middle. It looks stunning and has a giant, purple, bioluminescent flower tree, as well as a smaller, yet still very large flower. I didn’t think it up, so I guess Luna can control the dreams of others if she wants to. As we near the island, she speaks up with a blush and giggle. “So… Did you like what you saw?”

I look over to her, blushing yet again. “I… I don’t know… I just know that it was an awkward moment when I saw what I saw…” How could she ask about that so… Casually? “You really don’t mind what happened?”

She shakes her head and giggles a little more. “I suppose not… But I will not ask anything else about it, if it makes you uncomfortable.”

I close my eyes for a bit as I try to clear away the returning awkward feeling. “Thanks, maybe we could talk about it sometime later, like a while later. I’m still kind of coming to terms with the fact that I’m in a relationship with a pony who I love.” I open my eyes again and look around the tiny island as we fly over it, noticing that there is also a small bed under the smaller flower, then I look back at Luna.

She looks back into my eyes with a sympathetic expression and nods. “That is fine, I would not want you to feel uncomfortable, Travis.” Luna then looks down at the island and back at me. “Now, would you like to have some fun with our flight?”

I nod excitedly as she changes the topic back to flying. “Yeah, that would be awesome, Luna!”

Luna gives me a playful smile. “Then try to keep up!” She then dives down to the island, before pulling up at the last moment and going into a spiral, followed by a loop. I do my best to follow her movements as closely as possible and catch up to be beside her. She does several more spirals, loops, and other moves, making various combinations of them. I keep trying to copy her exquisite manoeuvres, but even in my dream I fail to properly replicate them.

She is simply amazing, and I have to say as much. “Luna, you’re such an amazing and beautiful flyer; I couldn’t possibly hope to match you!” I just manage to keep up with her in speed, despite not being able to do everything she does.

Luna blushes from the compliment. “Oh, there are far better flyers than I, but thank you for thinking so!” She performs even more impressive combinations and manoeuvres, and I slow down to watch her. I just have to take in the sight of Luna’s gorgeous flying, making sure to enjoy every second of watching, but careful not to look near her tail again.

After quite some watching, I fly up to join her. I don’t match her combinations or moves, but I try to compliment her flying with my own moves. We both smile, and laugh, and blush as we perform an aerial dance unique to us and the moment. Luna performs one more loop and I do the same in the opposite direction, before hugging her as we meet at the end of the loop. I then lovingly kiss her lips. “Thank you for the wonderful flight, and dance I suppose we could call it.”

She affectionately hugs me back with her forelegs and wings, and returns the kiss. “I should thank you for asking to fly in the first place, and for joining me in the sky dance… It was lovely.” We blush together and slowly fall to the island, landing on the bed gently and cuddling each other closely.

I look around the small island, finally bringing it up. “I didn’t think of this island; did you make it? Because it’s very peaceful and beautiful.”

Luna looks around the island as well. “Yes, this is an island that I sleep on in my dreams, when I need rest from working in other dreams.”

I chuckle as she mentions sleeping in a dream and needing rest from other dreams, thinking about the movie Inception. “So, when you sleep in the dream, do you have dreams within the dream?”

She giggles and shakes her head. “No, I do not, but I do have the power to do so. If I am tired of dreams, I most certainly do not want to have another dream while I sleep in a dream.”

I chuckle a little more. “I guess that makes sense…” I then warmly nuzzle her. “Would you like to sleep now in the dream?”

Luna nuzzles me back just as warmly. “I would be happy to sleep now if you would like to. We will wake up after what will feel like a short moment.”

I smile and snuggle as closely as I can to Luna on the bed. “Then let’s go to sleep and see what happens tomorrow, or today, whatever the case may be for time.”

She smiles and snuggles closely as well, hugging me tightly with her wings and forelegs. “Very well…” Luna gives me a light kiss on the lips. “Good night, Travis, I love you.”

I kiss her back and chuckle lightly. “I love you too, Luna… Good night… Again.” I then slowly drift off to sleep in my dream.

Author's Note

So, as you'll notice, my writing is getting a little riskier/raunchier. I just added in the sex tag, but it's still teen for references, I suppose. If it should be mature, just say so. Oh, and now that I've written another author's note, I may as well thank you for reading this chapter and what I've written of my fic so far. :twilightsmile:

Chapter Fourteen

I wake up feeling well rested and snuggled warmly up to Luna. She is still asleep and so I simply adore her sleeping form. She has the most peaceful smile on her face as she sleeps. I gently stroke her mane and smile while she is asleep. I then very carefully inspect and brush one of her wings, trying not to mess up any of the feathers. Not long after, Luna slowly opens her beautiful teal eyes and I look into them. “Good morning, Luna” I give her a short kiss on the lips.

Luna looks back into my eyes and gently kisses me back. “Good morning, Travis.” She wiggles a bit and flexes her wings a little, before wrapping them around me to cuddle again. “Is there anything you would like to do today?”

What would I like to do today? I still don’t know much about things to do in the castle, or out in the city and Equestrian society in general. Then again, I’ll probably be stuck in the castle until the announcement, just in case. I suppose I could do some more reading, or more magic practice. Maybe I’ll have a better time of trying magic now than I did yesterday. “I guess we could try to see if I could make any progress with learning about my magic?”

Luna gives me a supportive smile. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. The more you try, the sooner you will succeed.” She nuzzles me and kisses my forehead.

I smile too, nuzzling her back and kissing her neck. “Yeah, that’s what I was kind of thinking. Wanna get up soon?”

She nods happily. “Indeed, I would; I feel rather well rested after our sleep and shared dream last night.” Luna lets go of me and gets up out of bed, stretching her legs and wings.

I look her up and down, although focusing more on her wings and front to avoid the same awkwardness from the dream. She’s just such a beautiful person, regardless of the fact that she’s a pony and I’m a human. I then get up too and stretch my arms and legs, blushing mildly. “You know, not thinking about less appropriate things, you’re very beautiful, Luna… You just have such a majestic form; wings, mane, and all. I’m sure that anybody could see that about you.”

Luna blushes a little too and pulls me into a hug with her magic. “Thank you, Travis. You too are quite handsome.”

I shake my head, chuckling and blushing more in slight giddiness from her compliment. “Compared to other humans, I’m nothing special. I’d probably be a little below average, maybe average or slightly above if I really clean up and dress fancy.” I look down at myself for a moment. “Also, I’m getting a slightly big belly, despite being pretty skinny everywhere else. It’s not exactly an attractive look.”

Luna giggles and kisses my cheek. “If you say so, but I suppose I do not know any different in terms of human attractiveness. Even so, if we were to make it to Earth and I saw humans you deem more attractive than yourself, I would surely disagree.”

I’ve never really cared about my own appearances too much, but I have felt like I’m not that attractive. I generally don’t think about it until I sometimes see myself in a mirror. Luna’s words definitely make me feel good about myself, despite the fact that I thought I don’t ever ponder my own appearance. I smile and thankfully kiss her cheek, before brushing my cheek against the side of her neck. “Thank you, Luna… I never thought I would care about my looks, but your words just then meant a lot to me…”

Luna gently places a hoof on the back of my head, holding me close to her neck. “And it means so much to me that my words mean so much to you.” She then rests her head on my shoulder and we spend a moment simply holding each other.

I slowly pull away from the hug and look towards the ensuite bathroom. “Should we have a shower or bath now? Or do you think we’ll be fine to just get dressed?”

She looks at herself, me, then the bathroom. “I believe that we should indeed bathe, as we did not yesterday.”

I look back to Luna. “That makes sense… Will we take turns… Or…?”

Luna walks towards the bathroom and guides me with a wing. “We should bathe together, as it is normal activity in Equestria. Ponies often bathe together as a bonding activity between friends and family, and lovers even more so… Unless you are too uncomfortable with the idea…”

I blush intensely and think for a bit. Bathing with Luna? It seems so soon, but I guess it’s different in Equestria. Probably because they don’t really wear clothes unless trying to show off or for special events. I should at least try to adopt some of Equestria’s social standards if I plan on living here for much longer. “Um… Sure, we can bathe together… But we’ll keep to ourselves in terms of our privates… If that’s okay…”

Luna blushes slightly as I say so. “Of course, that is a given… Ponies are not commonly that intimate with bathing; they wash each other’s less intimate areas… I would guess that lovers may wash each other more intimately when they are ready to do so, but I do not truly know… After all, you are my first lover.”

I walk with her into the bathroom to see a very large bath with a ramp leading down into it. It’s about the size of a medium pool. Luna turns some taps with her telekinesis and the bath begins to fill. I look down at myself, then back at Luna. “I guess now you’ll… Er… See all of me…” I blush as I remove my underwear and place them by the side of the bath.

Luna looks me up and down with a slightly more noticeable blush, then walks into the bath as it’s nearly full. “I must admit, I do not mind what you look like below the waist…” She pours some sort of bubble bath or shampoo into the water and lets it mix in. It smells flowery, like roses or something. I can’t really tell though what flower it smells like, since I don’t study flowers or smell them often.

I walk into the bath too with a very heavy blush, the bubbles obscuring Luna’s view below my waist. “Thanks… I guess…” I look around a bit, kind of nervously. “So, do we scrub each other or something? I don’t really know how non-intimate, partnered bathing works…”

Luna giggles and nods. “Yes, we may use sponges, hooves, or in your case, hands.” She then levitates a sponge from a rack and soaks it in the bath, before scrubbing my shoulders with it.

It feels great, and I can’t help but blush from the feeling and idea of this all. “All right… Um, I’ll try… Tell me if I do anything wrong…” I rub my hands in the water and get them all soapy. I then start scrubbing along the sides of Luna’s neck with my hands, trying to run my fingers through her coat.

She gives me a pleased smile and brings the sponge down to soak more water, then back up to rub my chest. “You are already doing fine, Travis.”

I close my eyes for a moment with a smile matching Luna’s. Apart from kissing, this so far is one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever felt. “I’m glad you think so… You’re doing a good job with me, it feels so good…” I open my eyes and wet my hands some more to finish scouring Luna’s neck, finally working my way down to her withers and shoulders.

Luna kisses my cheek briefly as she puts the sponge aside. “Turn around for a moment.”

I softly return the kiss. “All right.” I turn around just as she says.

I then feel her hooves on my back as she decides to hoof scrub my back. It feels as good as the sponge, but something about it seems more comforting, like a closer method of cleaning. “Is this okay, Travis?”

I nod and gently press my back against her hooves as I enjoy the tender action. “Yeah, it feels great… Thank you, Luna.”

Luna scrubs my back a little more, then I feel my hair pull back gently and become wet as she uses her magic to soak my hair with some floating water. “You are very welcome.”

I let out a sigh of relaxation as she thoroughly and tenderly washes my hair. “Ah… I see why ponies bathe together, this is so much better than bathing alone.”

I feel my hair be taken by gravity once more as Luna releases it from her magic. “Indeed, it both feels better and allows for closer bonding between friends, family and lovers. You may turn back around now.”

I turn back to face her and get my hands soapy again to start scrubbing along her back and barrel. Luna lifts her wings a bit so that I can clean her sides. “Yeah, I could see how it’s a good way to bond. It also feels good to clean you, not just to be cleaned by you.”

Luna’s floating mane and tail slowly lower down until they just look like normal hair, apart from them being the colour of the night sky. I never knew Luna could do that with her mane and tail. She sees my slightly surprised face and explains. “I can choose to let my mane and tail down sometimes to make them more convenient to clean.”

I nod a bit and cup my hands in the water to bring it above Luna’s head to wet her mane. “Right, that makes sense, I suppose.” I need to make several trips with my hands between the water and her mane to sufficiently soak it, before I run my fingers through her long mane. Every now and then I bring more water up to Luna’s mane with cupped hands as I clean it. I then firmly rub her scalp with my fingers to make sure I do a good job.

Luna closes her eyes and lets out a contented sigh similar in sound to mine from earlier. “Oh… Your fingers feel far better than anypony’s hooves could…” She tilts her head back a bit to provide me with better access.

I chuckle lightly at her reaction and scrub her scalp a little more, then I rub her behind her ears for a bit. “I’m happy to know that you enjoy the feeling of my fingers so much.” I slowly work my way back down her neck again and stop for a moment as I look at her wings. “Should I work on your wings as well? Or should I leave them to you? I wouldn’t want to mess up your feathers by doing something wrong.”

Luna opens her eyes and looks back at me. “I can clean and preen my wings if you are worried about making a mistake.” She lowers herself deeper into the bath to wet her wings and then lifts them out, shaking them a little. She finishes by using her magic to quickly straighten out her feathers and pull out any old or bad ones, leaving her wings looking completely immaculate.

I smile as I watch Luna clean and preen her majestic wings. “You’ll have to teach me how to preen your wings sometime, maybe in a dream or something so that it won’t matter if I mess up.”

She smiles back with a slight blush. “That sounds like a lovely idea, I will be sure to remember to for next time I visit your dreams.” Luna then turns her flank towards me slightly, but only enough so that I’m still to the side of her. I begin to look a little flustered and she notices, deciding to check on my thoughts. “Would it be too intimate for you if I asked you to scrub my flank?”

I blush as well as I look at her flank and cutie mark as I recall a book calling it by. “I don’t know… Maybe… Is it something that friends and family clean?”

Luna giggles a little bit. “Flanks and cutie marks are a little personal, but they are not as much of an intimate area as you may think. It would be rude for a stranger or light acquaintance to touch another’s flank, but it is quite appropriate if the ponies are friends or family.”

I blush some more and lather my hands with the soapy water. “Then I guess I’ll scrub your flank for you…” I then start rubbing Luna’s flank clean, looking at her cutie mark with curiosity. I’ve read that they represent a pony’s talent, but I don’t know how it’s there. It couldn’t be a tattoo, and it isn’t dyed fur, I guess it’s just magically there.

Luna turns around so that I can clean her other side and I start from her shoulder, working my way back to her flank again. “I am pleased that you decided to bathe with me, Travis. It has been very relaxing and enjoyable.”

I smile and move about to stand in front of Luna when I finish scrubbing her flank. “So am I, it’s definitely been a great experience for me too.” I then look her up and down. “So, should I clean your forelegs now, and you work on my arms?”

Luna smiles back and nods. “That would be great.” She lifts her left foreleg out of the water and gently places it against my chest.

I tenderly place my soapy hands on her shoulder and lovingly rub back along her leg to her hoof. I do this a few times, before grabbing her hoof and focusing on the underside of it. It’s hard around the outer edges, but the middle is surprisingly soft. “I’ve never noticed until now, but the inside of your hoof is so soft. I always thought that hooves were hard all the way through.” I gently massage her hoof - or at least try to - until I feel like I’ve done a good job.

Luna lowers her leg, then lifts her right foreleg to place it on my chest like the last one. “Hooves are completely hard, the soft part you are referring to is called a frog.”

I fondly begin scrubbing her other foreleg, making sure to do as well as I did with the previous one. “I never knew that… But I guess I’ve never really spent much time around equines back on Earth.” I then massage her soft frog for a bit, before kissing her hoof and letting go of it, holding out my right arm for Luna. “I love you, Luna.”

She blushes a bit and gently rubs my arm with her hooves until she makes it to my hand, which I open for her. Luna looks at my palm for a moment, then scrubs it with the tip of a hoof, as well as the back of my hand with her other hoof. I offer Luna my left arm when she finishes with my right, and she works on it just as lovingly as she was with my right. When she finishes rubbing my left hand after I open it, she kisses it just like how I kissed her hoof. “I love you too, Travis.”

I blush as well, cupping her muzzle with my right hand, then tilting my head and kissing her lips. Luna leans into the kiss and slips her equine tongue out to meet my lips, which I open for her. We both softly moan as our tongues meet and dance together. Of course, it still feels extremely amazing. We then explore each other’s mouths for a short time and finally break the kiss to breathe.

Luna looks into my eyes for a little while after the kiss, then she turns to the side and lifts her left hind leg. Needing no explanation, I immediately begin to scour her hind leg, then hoof. I let down her leg when I’ve completely cleaned it, and she turns a little more to lift her right hind leg. I clean her leg and hoof as finely as I did previously, letting go when I’m done. Luna then turns back to face me and look down my body. I understand the look and I try to lift my right leg for her, holding onto the side of the bath to keep my balance. It doesn’t take her long to thoroughly scrub my leg clean. I then lift my other leg, which she makes short work of too.

I give Luna a smile when she finishes. “Is that all in terms of non-intimate cleaning? Or have we forgotten something?”

She smiles too and turns around completely. “I would appreciate it if you clean my tail. Friends and family wash each other’s tails as well.”

I nod and cup my hands to lift the water over her tail and soak it. “Uh, sure…” I run my fingers through Luna’s tail and clean it firmly, but I’m careful not to pull it up or look under it. After a short moment, I look up towards her face. “Does that seem done to you?”

Luna looks back at her tail and nods. “Yes, thank you very much, Travis.”

I smile and look around slightly nervously, blushing. “You’re welcome, Luna… Now should we turn away from each other to clean our more private areas?”

She giggles softly. “If that is what you would be more comfortable with, then yes.”

“Yeah, I feel like we should wait a while longer before we… Um, go any further with each other in the bath…” I turn myself around so that we’re facing away from each other, and I clean the rest of myself. “Tell me when you’re done.”

I hear Luna reply. “Very well.” After some time, she speaks up again. “You may turn around now.”

I turn back around just as she does, blushing lightly. “So, should we go get ourselves dried off?”

Luna nods and walks out from the bath. “That would be the logical conclusion to finish bathing.”

Of course, that was a pretty dumb question with an obvious answer. “Right, dumb question.” I follow her out of the bath and she levitates a towel to me, while getting one for herself, and we dry ourselves. Luna’s mane and tail rise back to their floating state once they’re dry. I put on my underwear as we finish, hoping that I’ll have some new underwear made by Rarity soon… Crap, I forgot to tell Rarity about underwear… I’ll have to tell her next time we meet, otherwise I’ll have to go commando when getting my underwear cleaned.

Luna makes her way to a sink to brush her teeth. I follow her and see an extra tooth brush. I grab it and give Luna a look of uncertainty about whether I should use it or not, and she simply nods. I then brush my teeth beside her. When we’re done brushing our teeth, we make our way out from the bathroom to the bedroom. I get dressed in my jeans, shirt, and runners, while Luna puts on her neck piece and shoes. She then nods to her tiara and lowers her head. “Could you do the honour, Travis?”

“Of course, Luna.” I carefully pick up her tiara and place it on her head just so, then kiss her cheek.

Luna kisses my cheek back, then heads for the door. “Shall we go get some breakfast for ourselves?”

I follow her as she opens the door. “Yeah, that’d be good. I’m feeling pretty hungry.”

“Yes, as am I. Breakfast would be rather delightful about now.” We then leave our chambers as we make our way towards the dining hall.

Author's Note

So, I just noticed something as I finished this chapter, and it's that I've never mentioned brushing teeth in any of the previous chapters. It's a bit of a nit pick, but I went back through the earlier chapters and edited in some oral hygiene. :rainbowlaugh:

Also, thanks for reading! :twilightsmile:

Chapter Fifteen

We both have a quick breakfast; I have waffles and a hot chocolate, and Luna has oats and tea. We then make our way to the library so that I can try to get my magic working in some form. After taking a seat at a desk in the magic wing of the library, Luna sets off to find some books that we didn’t try yesterday. I look around a bit from my seat, taking note of how quiet the library is, apart from the occasional guard on patrol. It also still amazes me just how many books there are here, and how big the library is.

Luna soon returns with some new books that I haven’t tried the methods from yet. “Are you ready to try some more methods for using your magic?”

I give Luna a determined look and nod. “Yeah, let’s do this… I’m not gonna get frustrated like last time. I’ll be patient and work through as many methods as it takes for me to succeed or make progress.”

She smiles and opens the first book. “Very well, let me find the most apt method for you.” Luna looks through the book and finds a whole section on activating dormant magic, skimming through it. “I see…” She looks up at me. “I may have to give your magic a bit of a push with my own magic. You simply have to focus like you did yesterday and visualise your magic power growing.”

“Right, I’ll try.” I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I relax and then think of myself, imagining a glow building up inside my body. Hopefully this’ll work, but I’m ready for it to fail. “Give me that boost.” Even with my eyes closed, I notice my surroundings get brighter, and I feel a little tingly. It must be Luna’s magic. I visualise her light blue magic merging with my inner glow and I start to feel as if I have more energy. Is it working? I open my eyes and rely on instinct, holding my hand out and focusing the energy to my hand. Nothing… I focus harder on my hand, but still, nothing happens. I stop to rest.

Luna stops pumping her magic into me, and then I feel just the same as before. “I suppose our two magics are not compatible…” She gives me a gentle nuzzle. “It is all right, we still have many more methods to try.”

I smile and nod. “Yeah, it doesn’t matter that it didn’t work. Something will eventually.” I nuzzle Luna back. “Now, let’s try another.”

She nods and we go through method after method, not one of them working. We spend the rest of the morning trying more and more, when we finally get to the last book that Luna could find applying to my situation. “If this does not work, we may have to search for more books that are not present in the castle library.”

“Okay… Then I really hope it works, or points us in the right direction…” I’m starting to feel a little defeated and kind of tired by this point. I may not actually be expending any sort of magical energy, but the focus I’ve been putting into it has been exhausting so far.

Luna reads a passage and smiles. “Hmmm, interesting, this one just may be far better than any of the others. Instead of focusing on magic, or energy, you should think of something very important to you. Something that makes you, you. Through this thing, whether it be a hobby, interest, or aspect of yourself, your magic will take form. Similar to when a pony earns their cutie mark.”

I stop and think for a moment. That makes sense, and it does sound promising, since it sounds so different from all of the other approaches. What would that thing be? I should use my instincts to figure it out… Instincts… Oh! Perhaps I have to focus on my wolfishness. “Hmmm, I think I have an idea, and thinking back on it now, it’s so obvious; I don’t know how I didn’t think of it until now. Before I got to Equestria, I used to do something called shifting.

“It’s to do with my belief in having a wolf soul. Basically, shifting was when I would get into the mentality of a wolf, sometimes to the point of experiencing phantom limbs, like a tail. I never saw it as magic though, but more as a meditational type of thing. There were rumours of other people like me who could physically shift, but I highly doubt any of them were true. However, here, with magic, it just might be possible.” I give Luna a big smile.

She smiles back. “It is worth a try… Although should we take any sort of precautions?”

That is a good question… “Probably, especially if it’s stronger than I expect with the added magic. Amongst the other people like me - who I knew over something called the internet, not physically - occasionally just mentally shifting could have risky results. With magic, it’s possible that I may lose control the first few times, until I get used to it and can become lucid in my shifted state.”

Luna nods and thinks for a moment. “There is a magic proofed and reinforced room that Celestia and I occasionally use to practice new magic that could be dangerous to others. It should be safe for you to try your shifting there.”

I smile and nod, standing up from the seat and stretching. Damn, I must have been sitting for ages; stretching feels great. “That sounds perfect, lead the way.”

Luna gets up too. “Just this way.” She then leads me through the library and towards the side of the castle where the bedrooms and personal chambers are. We then take a turn and end up at a large, and very heavy looking set of doors. “Here we are.” Luna uses her magic to unlock the big double doors and open them. Inside is a tall, wide, circular room with runes and sigils carved along the walls, floor and domed ceiling. They glow a faint white as we enter, and some torch sconces on the walls light themselves.

I look at the intricate symbols and lines around the room. “This room looks awesome! I’m guessing that all these carvings provide some sort of defence against magic?”

Luna smiles and nods. “Correct, however, they only protect one way. They keep all magic and destructive power from said magic inside the room. If one were to use magic from outside, the room could be damaged.”

I look around a bit more, before looking back at Luna. “That’s so interesting… I’ll have to spend more time here later just to look at it all. For now, though, I’m really excited to see how my shifting will go.”

She closes and locks the doors with her magic, before watching curiously. “So am I; you may start when ready.”

I nod. “Right… Just… Be careful, all right? I don’t know what will happen or how I’ll behave after shifting.” I look down and notice my clothes. If I do manage to physically change, I’ll probably ruin my clothes. I undress and then lay down on the floor. It’s pleasantly warm. I close my eyes and clear my mind, just like all those other times. This time, however, I focus on being a wolf. I think about having fur, paws, a tail, pointed ears, a muzzle, and sharp teeth to go with it. I need to stop thinking in words, but think in visuals, feelings, scents, and non-verbal sounds…

Warmth…

Pain…

Sweat…

The scent of something living…

There is breathing and panting…

Groaning…

Growling…

Whimpering…

I look up. There is a tall creature before me. Is it prey? Is it pack? I don’t know. I feel… Uncertain. I know this creature, yet I don’t. It smells good, like prey. I’m hungry. Do I eat it? Or do I find another creature to eat?

It approaches me. It too seems uncertain towards me. The scent is female. Is she a mate? Is she a threat? I step back and bare my teeth. My fur stands on end. My tail is raised.

I’m so confused…

She stops moving. I watch her and she stays still. She drops to the floor. I step back and growl. Is she going to attack? She moves back on the ground. Maybe not. I look away from her to see my surroundings. I’m in what looks like a cave. It is marked by strange scratches.

I look back at the female creature. She hasn’t moved. I cautiously approach her. She rolls onto her side and turns her head. She’s exposing her throat. Prey doesn’t do this. She must be pack, or something else. She isn’t a wolf, but she’s close to me. I bare my teeth as I bring my muzzle close to her throat. No reaction. I let my guard down and sniff her. Her scent. It comforts me. It smells familiar.

I turn from her. I pace around the cave. I try to smell it. It’s strange. I can’t smell the cave. It has no scent. I don’t like it. I keep pacing. I find something soft on the ground. It smells of sweat, and of me. Why? What is it? I pace some more. I find a crack in the cave. I give it a sniff. There is a mix of scents. I scratch at it and whine. Where is the way out? I look up. There are no holes. I didn’t fall. How did I get here?

The female makes a sound. I look back at her. She makes the same sound. It isn’t barking, but it isn’t growling. I don’t know what it means. She makes that sound yet again. I don’t know why, it sounds familiar. The sound gives me the urge to approach the female. She looks into my eyes. I sniff her muzzle. She reaches to me with her strange paw. It doesn’t have claws. She rubs the back of my head. It feels good. I lay down. I close my eyes. I need sleep. I fade away, and start to feel pain.

I wake up. I feel really sore and achy all over. I let out a groan. “Ughh, did it work?” I’m laying down beside Luna on the floor, and I’m very clearly in human form. “I can’t remember much, if anything…”

Luna nuzzles me gently. “It did indeed work; you became a large wolf, with fur the colour of your hair, and your eyes were a yellow-golden… Although it looked rather painful… Are you okay, Travis?”

I slowly nod. “I think so, although I don’t feel like I can do much else today… I’m so sore, exhausted, and very hungry… I didn’t cause too much trouble?” It’s so insane that it worked, but I’m far too tired and in too much pain to celebrate.

She shakes her head. “I think you forgot who you were, and who I was, but you did not hurt me. You seemed afraid and confused, which is understandable. I gave you trust by exposing my throat, and that calmed you down.”

I give her a look of worry. “That was very risky of you, Luna, but I understand that it needed to be done. Thank you for trusting me when I didn’t know what I was doing.” I briefly give her a peck on the lips.

Luna kisses me back. “You are quite welcome… Do you think you could walk to the dining hall for lunch? Or shall I carry you?”

“Oh, I don’t want to be a burden…” I try to push myself up from the floor, but all of my muscles scream at me in complete pain. “Ahhh! Fuck!” I lay back down. “Sorry for the bad language…” I nuzzle Luna softly. “I guess I’ll have to be carried after all… Unless you know a spell to make the pain go away?”

She kisses my forehead. “A spell to ease the pain would only cause you harm in the long term. Instead, I could use a spell to heal your muscles, but you must go to sleep for it to take full effect.”

I give her a pained smile. “Sure… So, I’ll be hurting for the rest of the day, but be good as new tomorrow after I sleep?”

Luna nods softly. “That is right, meaning that I will still have to carry you for now. I do not mind having to do so.”

I nod back. “All right, go ahead, cast the spell.”

Her horn glows and her magic envelopes me, feeling relaxing and numbing. As she finishes, my pain slowly returns. “Now, all I ask of you for today is to rest. Can you promise me that you will rest?”

I nod again. “Yeah, I don’t really have much of a choice anyway. Thanks for helping, even if my attitude doesn’t seem like I’m thankful... Also, I still need to get dressed somehow with all this pain..."

Luna stands and smiles. “You are welcome, and I understand; you are in pain after all... And I will dress you.” She levitates me and my clothes, dressing me with me hovering, then she rests me down on her back when she finishes.

I wrap my arms around her lazily and try to relax myself on her back. “Well, let’s go get some lunch, I’m starving.”

Luna giggles softly. “I could imagine you are. You deserve a very big meal after what you just did.” She then walks with me on her back towards the dining hall.

Chapter Sixteen

As we arrive at the dining hall, Luna carefully places me on a chair with her telekinesis, then takes a seat just across from me. I try to get comfortable on the chair with as little moving as possible and grimace. I really should’ve expected this pain… I mean, all of my bones, organs, and muscles were rearranged and changed in my body… Twice… Not to mention that some organs probably disappeared or turned into new ones due to the species difference, then back. I’m probably not dead from it due to whatever magic I seem to have.

A waiter stallion soon comes in to quickly take our orders. Luna asks for a soup, while I ask for fish, but I actually want some red meat. I can’t deny that shifting has most definitely reawakened the more wolfish side to me. I close my eyes for a moment and just imagine sinking my teeth into a nice juicy steak, only just cooked and still red. I then open my eyes again and look back at Luna. “Do you think that sometime I could go to Everfree Forest to catch my own animals to eat?”

Luna looks back at me. “Yes, but perhaps not for a few more days. It would be wise to make the announcement first, and allow the ponies of Equestria to get used to the idea of you living here.” Her tone then becomes a little more serious. “Also, I believe that it would be in everypony’s best interest for you to gain more control of yourself when transformed, before you try hunting.”

I nod slowly. “That’s fair enough… I just feel so hungry for red meat at the moment.”

Luna leans forward from her chair. “Do you… Still have urges left over from the transformation?”

Hmmm, I think that would be a kind of yes… “I guess you could say yes, but I’m completely in control here. After transforming, I feel more in sync with the wolf side of me. Don’t worry about it though, it’s not a big deal. I was like this back when I first mentally shifted on Earth.”

Luna nods and relaxes a bit more. “If you say so, then I trust you… As for your requirement of red meat, I can see if Celestia or I could organise some form of trade with griffons to have it imported. After all, they do eat meat often due to their dietary needs.”

Oh my god, that would be amazing. I give Luna a big smile. “I would absolutely love that, thank you so much… You wouldn’t mind me eating red meat around you?”

She shakes her head. “I would not mind at all. Many years ago, when Celestia and I had first allied ourselves with the griffons - and they still had a flourishing kingdom - they would eat it in our presence. It was a little disconcerting at first, but we got used to it over time. It no longer bothers me or Celie.”

I smile some more, happy that Luna wouldn’t be bothered by it, and intrigued to hear about the alliance. “I’m glad you wouldn’t mind… Although, I’m curious, was the alliance just for friendship? Or was it for a more practical reason?”

Luna smiles too. “Before the alliance, we had negotiated a truce with the griffons after a dispute over air space. The alliance itself was created for a more practical cause. At the time, a dragon had taken the crystal heart from the Crystal Empire, claiming that the crystal ponies had stolen it from him. Celie and I decided that it would be smart to have extra soldiers in addition to our own when we went to confront the dragon.

“So, we forged an alliance with the griffons to help add to our numbers. Luckily it never came to violence, due to Celie intimidating the dragon into surrendering the crystal heart. She was a sight to behold when she did it too, as she had engulfed herself in flames. Worryingly, she did not recall doing so, but it has never happened to her since.”

That sounds pretty impressive and scary. “That sounds awesome, and also a little worrying… But if it hasn’t happened in over a thousand years, maybe whatever Celestia did was a one-off thing.”

Luna gives me a nervous smile and nods. “Indeed… It is possible that it only happened because she wished to avoid violence that could have led to the deaths of many.”

I nod back. “That makes sense… Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“That is rather true.” Luna then becomes quiet and we wait for our lunch.

The smell of cooked meat catches my attention - even though it’s not red meat - and I eagerly watch as our meals are brought to us. The smell and sight of the cooked fish causes my mouth to water suddenly. I quickly thank the waiter and immediately dig in with a knife and fork, noticing some pain in my arms and hands. I wolf down my lunch in no time despite the pain and lick my lips. It hardly feels like I’ve eaten much, even though it was a full-sized meal. I then realise how I ate my lunch and look up at Luna apologetically. “Sorry for eating so… Wildly… I was just so hungry.”

Luna looks up from her soup and smiles softly. “I do not mind; I would like you to be yourself, even if it may be more… Animalistic. After all, you did not have such freedom on Earth to allow yourself more wolfish behaviour, correct?”

I smile and nod. “Yeah, I wasn’t so free back on Earth… People - including my family and friends - would have been weirded out or disturbed if I behaved in a way that was more true to myself. Thanks for giving me that freedom to be myself. Although, I’ll make sure to keep myself more reserved during the announcement, or any sort of official or royal business.”

Luna eats some more of her soup, then looks back up at me. “That would be wise. I am sure that most ponies would be unsettled by wolfish behaviour until they get to know you. As for dealing with nobles and such, keeping a gentlecoltly image will help immensely.”

I nod again. It makes complete sense that ponies would be unsettled by wolfish behaviour. Even though these ponies are very civilised, their ancestors would have been threatened and hunted by predatory species regularly. That’s if they even came about through evolution. In such a magical land, I wouldn’t even be surprised if they were just magically created or something. Maybe it was a bit of both evolution and magic, I’ll have to ask at some point.

Luna finishes her lunch and stands up to move over to me. Just as she’s about to speak, a guard walks into the room and salutes her. “Princess Luna, Rarity wishes to let you know that she is nearly finished with an outfit for Travis and would like him to try its fit.” Well, that was quick, Rarity must work pretty fast, although I don’t know how I’ll do with the state I’m in.

Luna looks back at the guard and nods, before looking at me. “Would you like to try this outfit today with my help? Or would you prefer to wait for tomorrow when you have recovered and can dress yourself?”

I wouldn’t want to keep her waiting, and the sooner I have a completed outfit, the sooner we can get the announcement out of the way. Then again, I don’t know how well I could properly try out the clothes she made while I’m still in so much pain… Maybe Luna could help with some magic as well, to help me deal with it while I try the clothes. “In terms of getting things out of the way quickly, it would be good to try the outfit today. I know you said that using a pain dulling spell could hurt me in the long run… But if it’s just to stand for a short moment while I try the clothes, it couldn’t be too bad, right?”

Luna seems to think for a moment. “That is true, but you must not do anything too taxing on yourself. If you simply stand while trying the outfit, you should be all right. The less strain you place upon yourself while you recover, the better my healing spell will work on you as you sleep.”

I nod in understanding. “Of course, I’ll only do what’s necessary and use as little effort as possible.”

Luna nods back. “Very well, then we will go to test the fit today and I will cast my pain numbing spell on you when we meet Rarity.” She then looks to the guard. “Let Rarity know that we will see her soon.”

“Yes, Princess.” He salutes once more and quickly leaves the room.

Luna looks back to me. “Shall we be on our way?”

I smile and nod. The sooner this is over with, the sooner I can rest. “Yeah, that’d be a good idea.”

Luna’s horn glows and I am surrounded by her magic as she lifts me from my seat and onto her back. “Then we shall be off.” She then slowly strolls out from the dining hall with me on her back at a somewhat slow and graceful pace. I’m guessing that she’s trying to be gentle so that she doesn’t hurt me while I’m on her back. I’ve ridden a horse once while I was on Earth, and it hurt a bit, even though there was a saddle.

I gently nuzzle the back of her neck and try to relax myself on her back, taking comfort in our closeness. “So, after I test the fit of the clothes Rarity made, will you take me to our chambers to rest?”

Luna looks back at me over her shoulder and smiles gently. “Yes, that would be best for you. We can spend some time together in our chambers, but then I will leave to attend night court while you rest.”

I smile back. “That’s fair enough… Maybe on the way to our chambers we could get a book for me to read while you’re at night court?”

Luna looks back to where she’s walking. “We could do that if you want. Do you know what kind of book you would like to read?”

I already have something in mind, from my earlier musings. “I was thinking perhaps a book on the origin of ponies as a species? I know about how Equestria came to be as a nation, but not ponies themselves.”

Luna stops walking for a moment. “The origin of ponies as a species? Even I am unsure about that, although we could try to find a book about the matter. Celestia and I had only come to save ponies from Discord long after ponies had come to be. We appear to be like them, but we come from a land of alicorns, separate from most of ponykind.”

Luna and Celestia are actually from somewhere else? And there’s a whole land of alicorns? The more questions I ask, the more I end up with. “That’s interesting… From the way you speak about it, it almost seems like there won’t be any books on the origin of ponies. I guess we could still try to find one.”

Luna gets back to walking. “Yes, there are probably only books with theories, but I have not read many of the books in the castle library, so I cannot be sure. However, as you say, we can at least try.”

“Yeah, hopefully we find something. I’m so intrigued now.” I look out some windows as Luna walks past them, taking in the sight of the city from the castle.

She keeps her pace even as she walks. “Indeed, it is a fascinating subject.”

I look around some more, focusing more on my surroundings rather than myself, since Luna is doing the walking. The walls and floors are still immaculate as usual, and the halls are mainly quiet apart from the sound of Luna’s steps. I look back out the windows as we pass some more, trying to see as much of the city as I can from where we are. Soon I’ll be able to properly check it out and spend some time there, once the announcement’s been made.

Luna makes her way out from the main part of the castle and towards a tower with a spiralling staircase along the outside of it. “This is where Rarity is staying while she is creating clothes for you.”

I look up to the top of it. That’s one hell of a place to stay as a visitor. “Woah, that’s pretty awesome. I didn’t think you’d offer spare towers as accommodation.”

Luna giggles lightly. “It is just the one, and Celie usually allows Twilight and her friends to stay there. Being separate from the rest of the castle also allows Rarity to work in a more peaceful environment.”

“I could see that. Peaceful places are pretty good for creative people.” I look over the side of the staircase as Luna walks us up it. It’s got an amazing view of the city, being closer to it than the rest of the castle. “It’s also got a nice view.”

Luna looks over the side for a bit with a smile, before paying more attention to where she’s going. “Yes, the view is rather lovely from here.” She soon stops as we reach the top of the staircase, standing in front of the door. “Here we are. Are you ready to try on custom tailored clothes?”

I smile and chuckle slightly nervously and excitedly. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never had clothes tailored just for me ever before. It’s kinda exciting.”

Luna smiles at my giddiness and nods. “I am sure that it would be for you.” She soon knocks on the door.

I hear Rarity’s voice behind the door. “Oh! I’ll be there in just a moment, darling!” I wonder what she has in store for me?

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay... :fluttershysad: But here's the next chapter! :yay:

Chapter Seventeen

Rarity opens the door and gives us both a polite smile with a slight blush as she sees me on Luna’s back. “Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable.”

Luna walks into the large, round room as she carries me. “Thank you for inviting us here, Rarity.” The room looks similar to the guest rooms I stayed in during my first and second nights here, except it’s round, and with a better view of the city. There is also an easel near the door by the side of a desk. Some sheets of paper are set up on the easel that have various sketches of suits and outfits.

Rarity looks at me with concern as I remain on Luna’s back. “Did something happen to you, Travis?”

“Yeah, I managed to get my magic working, but now I’m hurting all over.” I give her a soft, and slightly pained smile.

Rarity’s look of concern turns into one of curiosity. “Oh my, did you overexert yourself when you used your magic? However, I have never known magic use to cause pain; only exhaustion.”

“I’m not really sure, although it might just be something to do with my specific type of magic. According to Luna, I transformed into a wolf. I guess the transformation into a wolf, then back into a human put a physical toll on my body.”

Rarity nods and looks me over. “That sounds… Interesting… I do hope that you’re able to keep that magic in check.”

I nod softly. “Yeah, I’m sure I can. I mean, I have to focus to transform, so I doubt I’ll do it by accident. Anyway, what about the clothes you want me to try on?”

“That is quite reassuring to hear, darling. As for your clothes, I will go get them in a moment. Do you think that you can try the outfit while you’re still recovering?”

“Luna can use some spell to numb the pain so that I can try it, as long as I don’t do anything too active.” I look at Luna and gently nuzzle the back of her neck. Her magic envelopes me and I feel the pain melt away, then I get off her back and onto my feet. I feel normal, as if I never transformed in the first place, but I know that my body isn’t actually healed. “Thanks, Luna, I feel much better now.”

“You are welcome, Travis.” Luna gives me a peck on the cheek which I return.

“You two are so cute together.” Rarity blushes. “I’ll go get the outfit now.” She then goes to a large wardrobe and with a nervous look pulls out some kind of coat, as well as pants and a shirt. They look as if they belong to some sort of military officer from the eighteenth century. The main colour is the same as Luna’s fur like the night sky, while the collar and middle are black with two rows of silver buttons going up it. They have silver embroidery along the borders of the middle and around the buttons, as well as around the collar, cuffs and pockets. The shirt is just a plain white.

The coat and pants look so royal and epic. I’m definitely going to be wearing this outfit for the announcement. I grin and can’t help but giggle giddily, excited to test its fit. “Oh, that looks so freaking awesome! I can’t wait to try it on!”

Rarity relaxes and smiles. “I’m relieved to hear that you like it.” She hovers the coat, pants and shirt over to me. “You may change behind that screen.” She points to a wide and tall screen made with a wooden frame and white cloth.

“Thanks, I’m not gonna waste any time waiting.” I delicately grab the outfit and take it behind the screen. There is a mirror and a coat hanger behind the screen which I place my current clothes on as I undress. I then carefully put on the pants, shirt and coat. It feels like it fits me perfectly already. I’m amazed that Rarity could make it to fit me so well before any adjustments. I then look into the mirror. Holy shit. This has got to be the coolest outfit I’ve ever worn. I walk out from behind the screen to show Rarity and Luna how it looks on me.

Luna smiles and blushes as she sees me. “You look so handsome in that outfit. If any nobles were still not aware of you, they would assume that you come from a noble family.”

I blush as well. “Thanks, although it was Rarity who made this for me.” I turn to Rarity. “Thank you for making this, it feels perfect.”

Rarity waves a hoof. “Oh, it’s nothing, I rather enjoy working with a new form and the challenges that it presents.” She then steps closely and begins inspecting me. “It may feel perfect, but I still have to make the final adjustments.” She levitates a pin cushion over and begins fine-tuning how the materials on the outfit sit on me, before putting pins in to hold the adjustments. Rarity also jots down some notes on a nearby notepad with a quill while she works, then she steps back to look at me again. “There we go, I just need to finalise these adjustments and it’ll be ready. I should have it completed by the end of tonight or tomorrow morning.”

I look back in a mirror again, although I hardly notice any differences from before. I mean, maybe it looks a little better - minus the pins - but I can’t really tell, although it does seem to feel nicer. “Thanks again, Rarity. This seriously looks and feels so amazing to me. If this’ll be ready by tomorrow, perhaps Luna and I can make the announcement to Equestria then.”

Rarity giggles with a bit of excitement. “If you think your outfit is already amazing, then let me show you how it looks when it’s completed with the cape!” She uses her magic to lift a cape matching my outfit out from the wardrobe. The inside is black, while the outside matches Luna’s coat, but there is a subtle twinkle to it as if there are stars in it. There is also silver embroidery like on my coat around the edges of the cape. What really catches my attention though, is a motif on the back of the cape of a full moon with the silhouetted head of a howling wolf on it. Maybe a little cliché in terms of wolf imagery, but I love it.

I give Rarity a big grin and laugh a bit. “And I thought that this outfit couldn’t get much better. You’ve seriously done an awesome job with this!” I turn around so that she can put the cape on me. I feel her fasten the clasp under the collar of my coat and then I feel the fabric of the cape sit on my back. It feels slightly weighty, but pretty comfortable and not heavy. I turn my head to see how it looks in the mirror behind me. Damn. It’s just too awesome. I feel kinda badass with this cape and outfit. “Rarity, this is ridiculously cool. I love it.” I spin around so that Luna can see the cape on my back. “What do you think, Luna?”

She beams at me. “I think it suits you perfectly… And I love that the outfit matches me… It shows our close bond with each other.”

“I’m delighted that you love it.” Rarity looks to Luna. “And that was what I had in mind when designing it. I thought it would be good to display that bond, especially since you two are making that announcement soon.” She then looks back at me. “Perhaps when I finalise the adjustments, I can properly inspect your current clothing while you wear the new ensemble. It’ll allow me to see the casual style of clothing from your world so that I can create more casual outfits for you.”

I look down at the awesome clothes I’m wearing now, then towards the rack where my normal clothes are. After wearing this and feeling so awesome, I’m tempted to give up casual clothes. However, that wouldn’t be very smart, since casual clothes could help if I manage to go to Earth again, or if I go someplace where the fancy outfits could be damaged. Also, there’s something freeing and relaxing about casual clothes. “About that… I would still like some casual clothes for some situations, but I think I’d prefer more of this fancy style over my usual style.”

Rarity claps her hooves and gives me a big smile. “Oh, I’m overjoyed to hear that you’ve changed your mind on only having one formal outfit! I’ll get to work on more attire fit for a noble, after I am finished with your casual clothes.” She writes down some more notes. “You can go and change now, so that I have the outfit to complete. And you can take the cape with you; it doesn’t need any adjustments.”

I nod and head behind the screen to change out of the fancy outfit and back into my usual clothes. I carefully hand the nearly finished clothing to Rarity, while keeping the cape folded and draped over my arm. “Thanks, yet again. I just can’t stop thanking you for working on something so epic for me.”

Rarity dismissively waves her hoof again. “You’re welcome, it is one of my best works, but I wouldn’t call it epic.”

I turn to Luna. “Well, I’m guessing that you’re going to end the pain numbing spell now, right?”

She nods. “It would be wise to end it sooner rather than later.”

“Okay…” I get up onto Luna’s back and try to rest on her with as little effort as possible. It’s gonna suck to feel all that pain again, but I suppose it’s for the best. “You can end the spell now, I guess.” I feel her cool magic wrap around me and the pain slowly comes back. “Damn, that hurts…”

“I am sorry, but you will be better off this way.” Luna then turns to Rarity. “It was lovely seeing your brilliant work, Rarity. Will we see you tomorrow to pick up the finished product? Or will you have it sent to us by messenger or guard?”

“Whichever would suit you best, Princess Luna. If you need the outfit sooner rather than later, I can have it sent first thing in the morning or tonight before I go to sleep.”

Luna smiles softly. “Tonight would be wonderful if it is not too much trouble, but I would not be unhappy if you send it in the morning.”

Rarity makes a quick note of it. “Then tonight it is. I’ll be looking forward to your announcement with Travis tomorrow.”

“I am sure that it will proceed rather well, and the great outfit that you made will surely contribute to that. Good bye, Rarity, and thank you for your wonderful work.” Luna dips her head slightly.

I chime in too with a pained nod. “Yeah, good bye, Rarity.”

She gives us each a polite smile. “Good bye, Princess Luna and Travis. Now I must work on finishing your ensemble.”

Luna walks out from the room and takes us back down the spiral staircase. “Do you think that you could handle being present at the announcement tomorrow?”

I should be able to. It’ll be pretty daunting, but I could at least try. I mean, the sooner we get this out of the way, the better. “Yeah, as long as your recovery spell works on me by morning, I could give it a try. The new awesome clothes Rarity made should boost my confidence a little as well. I kinda felt stronger when I was trying them on. Besides, we really need to get that announcement out of the way.”

Luna turns her head around to nuzzle me, and I nuzzle her back. “Very well, that is quite reassuring to know.” She focuses back on the path ahead. “Now, would you like to see if we can find a book on the origin of ponies?”

Finally, talking about something I would enjoy. “Definitely; I’m so curious now. Although, if we can’t find any, should we ask Twilight if she knows anything?”

“I would be unsure if Twilight herself has any answers, but she may have books that are not present in the Canterlot Castle library. She used to work at and live above a library. When that was destroyed and she got her castle, she filled it with books like her previous home.”

I look at our surroundings, the castle still very impressive, but slowly becoming a little more normal. It doesn’t really change, but I’ve only been here for a few days. “Well then, that sounds like a promising back up plan.” We soon arrive at the library.

Luna gently sets me down on a chair in the science wing of the library. “I will not be long.” She then goes through the wing to check every shelf, flying to get through more quickly, and using her magic to inspect the books. “Hmmm…” She uses her magic more intensely as she searches harder. It isn’t long before she returns. “I could not find a single book about it… Perhaps history… Wait here.” She then quickly leaves.

Wait here. It’s not like I could do much else in the state I’m in. More time passes, and I notice the sun getting lower. Eventually she comes back. “Did you find anything?”

Luna shakes her head. “Not exactly. There is information on very early pony civilisation, but nothing to do with the origin of ponies as a species. I am sorry. We could check with Twilight tomorrow if it is that important to you.”

“I see… That's okay. The fact that you can’t find any books about it only makes this more intriguing… But if Twilight comes up with nothing either, maybe I’ll just have to let it go. I’m not a scientist, or an archaeologist.”

Luna lifts me onto her back with her magic. “That is understandable, but if Twilight does not know either, she will no doubt take it upon herself to find the answer.”

“She’d definitely be able to do a better job than me at trying to figure it out, even though she’ll be busy already from figuring out how to make a portal to Earth.”

Luna makes her way to our tower. “Indeed, your arrival to Equestria has made her rather busy, but I think she enjoys having a project to constantly work on.”

I nod. “Yeah, working on a portal to another world or universe would be pretty freaking cool.” We soon arrive at our private chambers, Luna placing me carefully on the bed with her magic.

“It certainly would be.” She kisses my forehead. “I must go soon to night court. Searching for a book on the origin of ponies took far longer than I thought it would. Is there anything simpler you would like before I leave?”

I strain to lean up and kiss Luna’s lips briefly. “I would like a copy of the latest newspaper, and for you to put this cape up on a rack or something.” I offer the cape to her.

Luna takes the cape in her magic and carefully hangs it in her wardrobe. “I will ask somepony to bring you a newspaper. Do you need anything else?”

“I don’t know if it’s proper, but being bed ridden, I think I have an excuse. Could you order some dinner to be sent up here? A lasagne or pasta would be fine.”

She gives me a caring smile. “Of course, I can.” She kisses my forehead one more time and gets up. “I have to go now. I will be sure to order a newspaper and dinner for you. I love you, Travis.”

I smile back and nod. “Thank you, and I love you too, Luna.” She then walks out from the room and quietly closes the door behind herself.

Chapter Nineteen

I wake up for the first time in a couple of days without remembering a dream. I suppose nothing significant happened in my dreams and that Luna was busy visiting somebody else’s dream. Luna is snuggled closely to me with a peaceful smile as she sleeps. I gently run my fingers through her mane and kiss her forehead just below her horn. Her eyes flutter open as she slowly wakes. “Good morning, Luna, I’m sorry that I couldn’t stay up for you last night.”

She gently shakes her head and gives me a peck on the lips. “You have no need to be sorry, Travis; I was glad to find you sleeping when I arrived at our chambers. Is your pain gone?”

I sit up in bed, stretching and testing my arms and their range of motion. No pain at all, that spell really worked. “Yeah, I feel great, it seems like that spell worked, thanks.” I tenderly kiss her lips back. “I better test my legs as well…” I get up out of bed, stretching my legs and doing basic warm up type exercises. “That spell did an amazing job; I think I even feel a little better than before I had the pain in the first place.”

Luna gets out of bed and gives me a firm hug with her wings and forelegs. “That is very good to hear. I am relieved that my spell worked so well for you.”

I return the embrace and lovingly nuzzle the side of her neck. “So… We have that announcement to make today, right?... Did Rarity send my finished clothes that I’ll be wearing for the announcement?”

Luna lets go of me and nods, stepping to the wardrobe and opening it to pull out my new outfit along with my cape. “Yes, we do have to make the announcement today, and yes, Rarity did indeed send the finished attire.” She then gently lays the clothes on the bed, before looking back to me. “Last night I also thought to schedule the royal groomers for this morning to make us more presentable for the announcement.”

I raise an eyebrow as she looks back at me. “Royal groomers? What kind of stuff do they do to make us more presentable?” I then gently brush her cheek. “Besides, I already think you look amazingly beautiful.”

Luna blushes lightly with a smile. “Thank you; that may be so, but they well ensure that we look even better for the public.” She then smirks lightly. “For example, they will either trim or shave your growing facial hair for a sharper appearance.”

“Is it really getting that bad?” I feel along my jaw and chin a bit. I suppose I am starting to get a bit of a beard, perhaps she’s right?

Luna giggles and shakes her head. “No, it is not bad, but it could definitely be tamed a little.” She then quickly pecks my cheek.

I give her a swift peck in return. “All right, when are they scheduled for?”

She takes a quick look out of a window, then faces me again. “Any moment now, I believe.” There’s either a clock tower of some sort in view of the window, or she can judge the time by the sun’s position. Just as she predicted, there is a knock at the door. “That must be them now.” Luna turns to the door. “Come in.”

The door opens and two small teams of four unicorns enter. One team is made up of mares, the other is stallions. Luna and I are lead into the large bathroom by the unicorns and we are taken to different sides of the room. The bath is filled with water and a magic screen is put in the middle of the bath to separate us. The stallions look me over for a bit, before one speaks up. “May you undress and step into the bath so that we can begin, Sir?”

I look at the screen, then back at the stallions. “Sure… Although why is there a screen between Luna and me? I thought that bathing isn’t a big deal between different sexes here…” I then undress slightly nervously in front of my team of groomers, put my clothes on a rack, and walk into the bath.

They all begin running the water through my hair and over my body with their magic as one of them answers me. “You are quite correct in terms of normal bathing practice, Sir. However, keeping the mares and stallions separate is a tradition for the royal grooming of important events.”

“I see…” I lift my arms and legs, and change my posture to allow the groomers to clean me. It feels really odd to let a team of people clean me, but I guess I’ll just have to get used to it. They’re pretty thorough as well, almost uncomfortably so.

After they deem me to be clean, one of the stallions makes a gesture out towards a mirror with a reclining chair. “If you will, Sir, please step out so that we may dry you and move on with the grooming.” I nod and walk out of the bath to the mirror. The groomers immediately get to drying me with a mix of towels and magic, as one of them brushes my hair and studies it. “Do you know how you might want your mane styled, Sir?”

I look in the mirror for a bit. Hmmm, I could try a different style from before. My hair is a little longer than when I first arrived, but not by a lot. “Perhaps we could try with having it parted? Or is my hair too short for that?”

The stallion brushing my hair thinks for a moment. “That might work… And what of your facial hair, Sir? It must either be trimmed into shape, or removed.” The other stallions finish drying me and sit me down on the chair by the mirror.

That’s actually a hard choice. I’m usually pretty cleanshaven when I can be bothered, but maybe if I keep my facial hair it’ll work with my new planned hair style. I think I’ll try keeping it. “I’d like you to trim it neatly so that it’s even throughout, and shave off any hair from my neck. If I don’t like the look after you trim it, I’ll get a clean shave instead.”

He nods and levitates over a box of barber equipment. “Of course, I’ll clean up your facial hair first, then I’ll style your mane.” He then reclines the chair and gently holds my hair back to keep it out of the way. He also lathers my neck with some sort of cream.

In the mirror, I see the other stallions taking my clothes off the rack I set them on, and replacing them with my new outfit. I then notice the one managing my hair prepare a straight razor and delicately float it towards my neck. I tense up a little, but trust him to not hurt me. I feel the cold blade on my skin as the groomer shaves the hair from my neck. It isn’t long before he puts the razor away and brings out some scissors. He tidies up my beard and moustache with extreme focus and perfectionism. “What do you think of this, Sir?”

I sit upright to study myself in the mirror. My beard looks so clean, and not too long either. My neck looks the smoothest it’s been in a long time. He’s done a really nice job. “I think it looks really good; you’ve done a great job with it.” I lay back in the chair.

“Yes, it does look good.” He dries my neck with a towelette and makes the chair upright again. “Now I’ll see about styling your mane.” He gets a comb and parts my hair, studying it once more to see how it sits. “Hmmm…” He levitates my hair and snips little bits of it here and there with his scissors, before letting my hair sit again. “Almost...” He plays with my hair a little bit more until he smiles and steps out of the way so that I can see the mirror. “Perfect.”

I don’t know how, but he’s made my hair just how I envisioned the best-case scenario in my head. It’s parted neatly and goes with my new trimmed beard perfectly. I give the stallion a thankful smile. “You’re right, it is perfect. It’s just how I wanted it.”

He nods and gestures towards the rack with my newly made clothes. “You may now step over here to get dressed.” The other stallions are standing by the rack and they each carefully lift some clothing with their magic.

I get up out of the chair and walk to my team of groomers, stepping into my underwear and pants as they dress me. Again, it feels a little odd; I can dress myself after all, but I guess it’s a tradition. The clothes feel like they fit perfectly; they’re so comfy. The groomers study me from all angles and then take me back to the mirror. Holy shit. I look amazing. I laugh at how good I look. I look like royalty, except for not having a crown or jewellery. I’ve never felt so handsome… I think I’m gonna stop gushing about myself; I’d hate to become some narcissist.

“What do you think, Sir? Is there anything we could improve upon?” Another one of the stallions asks me.

I spin slowly once to see my cape flow with the wolf and moon design on the back. “I think it’s the best I could’ve hoped for. I can’t think of any ways to improve it. Thanks.” I then look at my shoes that I still need to put on. Oh. They’re runners. They really wouldn’t suit my new outfit. Hopefully nobody will see my feet when Luna and I give the announcement. “Actually, I do need something else, but it won’t be ready for the announcement. Are there any cobblers who could make me some formal shoes or boots?” They probably don’t, now that I think about it. Horse shoes are very different from human shoes…

One of the groomers reveals a notepad and pencil, supposedly taking notes on what I want. “I’ll see if any cobblers will be up to the task of making shoes for a being of your anatomy.”

I give him a grateful smile. “Thanks, that would be really helpful… And I was wondering, do you know if anyone will see my feet during the announcement?”

He shakes his head. “No, you will be positioned on a balcony with a railing that would obscure the view of your lower body.”

Well, that’s quite a relief. “Good, that means I’ll be able to make do with wearing my runners for now.” I put my socks and shoes on, looking back in the mirror. They seriously clash, but they’ll have to do until I can get formal shoes made. My stomach grumbles a little and I look back at the magic screen between me and the way out of the bathroom. “I’m pretty hungry for breakfast… Is the grooming finished?”

One of the other stallions gives me a nod. “Yes, your grooming is finished, but we are still waiting for Princess Luna to be finished being groomed.”

“I see… I can wait then.” I look back in the mirror and study the various details on my coat and cape to pass the time. Rarity’s work is just so brilliant. I wait a little longer and the magic screen dissolves, revealing Luna and the mares that were grooming her. I can’t pin point any specific changes in her appearance, but she somehow looks more beautiful than before.

She looks towards me, giving me a lovely smile with a light blush. “You look so handsome, Travis; you clean up nicely.” She then walks over to me and kisses my cheek.

I smile back and return the kiss, blushing a little as well and nuzzling her neck after. “And you look very beautiful, Luna. I thought that you couldn’t possibly get any more beautiful than you already were.”

Luna nuzzles me back and then faces the two groups of groomers. “Thank you for your excellent work, you may now leave us.” They all nod their respect to Luna and head out. My stomach grumbles again and Luna giggles. “Would you like to go have breakfast now?”

I nod and laugh a tiny bit. “Yeah, I’m feeling pretty hungry.” We both leave the bathroom and make our way down the stairs of our tower.

The guard thestral is standing by the door and he salutes as we approach. “May I accompany you leading up to and during your announcement for the sake of tradition, Princess?”

We stop as Luna considers his request. “Yes, it may be wise to hold up some semblance of tradition as we are about to announce a disturbance to said tradition.” She looks to me. “Would you accept his company, Travis?”

She doesn’t really need to ask me, I mean, she is the princess. “Yeah, of course, although you really don’t need my permission. He’s your guard after all, so it’s your choice.”

“I know, but I thought it would be polite to ask you, since you are part of the announcement.” Luna pulls me to her side with a wing. “Also, in the future, he will be your guard too.”

I gently put an arm around her. “Okay, thanks for asking then.” I look at the guard. “Considering that we’ll be seeing each other often, I’d like to know, what’s your name?”

“I am Midnight Blockade, but don’t take my name too literally, I can work during the day too.” He gives me a nod and holds out his hoof. “It’s nice to be formally introduced, Sir Travis.”

I lean down and shake his hoof firmly. “Yeah, nice to meet you too, Midnight.” It just occurred to me that he must have extremely long hours. How could somebody work both day and night? They’d need to sleep at some point. “And I’m curious, how do you work for so many hours? You’re the only pony I’ve ever seen guard this tower.”

He looks me in the eyes. “I’m afraid that information’s classified.” Wait, what? Is he part of some kind of experiment or something? He then begins laughing loudly as my face betrays my surprise and confusion. “I’m just joking! I’m not the only guard who works at this tower. By chance you simply haven’t been around when I go off duty, and I’m the guard who is on this post most often.”

I laugh a bit with him. Of course, he doesn’t work all day and night. “Right, I should’ve expected something like that.” It’s so obvious. Being in a land of magical ponies is making me more gullible… I mean, if magic exists, it isn’t a stretch to think that there might be a spell that can keep somebody up for hours on end and stay healthy. I suppose even magic has rules and limits, although I don’t really know what they are.

Luna speaks up. “Shall we make our way to the dining hall now?” It seems I’m not the only one who’s hungry.

I nod. “Yeah, let’s go get some breakfast.” We leave the tower and go to the dining hall, Midnight standing by the door while Luna and I sit. I order toasted banana bread and a hot chocolate, and Luna orders pancakes and coffee. The wait isn’t long before we’re served our breakfasts, which we eat fairly quickly. “So, when are we making the announcement?”

Luna looks out the window from her seat, then back at me. “In about half an hour. I thought it best to schedule the announcement early to get it out of the way sooner.”

I nod again. “I see… What time is it now? And how do you know? Can you judge it by the position of the sun?”

She smiles and nods back. “It is half past ten now, and I can indeed tell the time from the position of the sun.”

I smile back. That’s pretty impressive. “That’s really cool; I’m impressed.”

Luna dismissively waves a hoof. “Oh, it is not so hard when your duty involves moving a celestial body each day for centuries. It simply becomes natural.”

I suppose she’s right. She has years of experience. “So, should we head over to the balcony where we’re making the announcement?”

She taps her chin lightly. “We have more than enough time to reach the balcony, but it would not hurt to arrive early and wait for the allotted time of the announcement.” Luna rises from her chair. “We may go to the balcony now if it would make you more comfortable with the timing.”

I get up too and stand by her right side. “Yeah, I tend to go early to scheduled events to make sure I’m not late.” We nuzzle a bit and then head off to the room where the balcony comes out from. Midnight follows just behind and to Luna’s left. We soon arrive at the room, which is a moderately sized hall with tall columns and stained glass windows. The columns have sconces set on them with flowers. The stained glass windows depict some of Equestria’s history. The balcony is at the end of the room and far bigger than I expected.

We get to the room, but don’t step onto the balcony just yet. Luna looks me over quickly as she cleans off some crumbs from my coat with her magic. “We will wait until eleven o’clock before walking onto the balcony.” She looks out of a window again. “We have twenty five minutes until the scheduled time.”

I nod and look at the balcony from inside the room. “Okay, should we decide what we’ll talk about in the announcement and how we make it?”

She nods as well. “Yes, that would be wise. I will walk onto the balcony first, then I will introduce you and assure them that you are friendly. You can then tell the crowd how you arrived here – briefly, not too detailed –, speak about yourself shortly, and reassure them that you mean no harm.”

The plan is good so far. “Right, then should we address our relationship? I mean, it’s the one thing that they’re the most curious about.”

“Of course, this announcement is meant to inform them of what they are most curious about.” Luna strokes her chin. “After telling them as such, what would they then wish to ask so that we may answer before they do?”

Hmmm, that’s a good idea. We should try to think of questions they might ask after the announcement. “They might want to ask about my intentions with you? And if my relationship with you would affect them in any way?”

“Yes, they would likely wish to ask those questions…” Luna smiles and gently places her hoof on my cheek. “So, after we announce our relationship, you should discuss your basic intentions and assure them that you are not after power. I can let them know that our relationship should not have any major impact on them.”

I smile too and tenderly place my hand on her hoof. “I can’t think of anything else we would need to announce that’d be relevant. So, maybe we could then end it there with some sort of positive farewell?”

“That is a fair plan.” She kisses my lips lightly. “If there are questions that we are missing, then we can answer them in court tonight.”

I fondly return the kiss. “Yeah, we can, although hopefully we won’t need to.” I then hug Luna and rest my head against her neck, closing my eyes. I feel her hug me back with her wings and nuzzle me. “Even though we planned it out, I still feel really nervous, Luna.” I hug her a little tighter.

Luna holds me a little closer with her wings. “I understand, Travis. Do not worry, we will be together from the moment you step onto the balcony. And I am sure that you will do fine.” She kisses my cheek.

I kiss her back. “Thanks… I wanna stay like this until we have to start the announcement.” I keep close to Luna with my eyes still closed, as I enjoy the affection and slowly relax.

After what feels like hardly any time at all, she lets go of me and I open my eyes. “It is time for me to open for the announcement.” That time went so fast.

I nod and nervously smile. “Okay, go ahead.”

Luna steps out onto the balcony with Midnight behind her to the left and there is some cheering, followed by murmuring as she raises a hoof. All of a sudden, she addresses them extremely loudly. “GOOD MORNING, FAIR CITIZENS!” Holy shit. That was seriously loud. I rub my ears a little.

The crowd is silent now as Luna pauses and clears her throat. She then continues, fortunately not as loudly. “I thank you all for gathering here this morning to hear this announcement!” Luna pauses again. “Four days ago, a being from another world arrived in Equestria! A being known as a human! He arrived by accident and had no means of return! My sister, Celestia and I gave him refuge in Canterlot Castle! Since his arrival, he has been only kind and friendly! So, please do not be afraid as I ask you to welcome the lovely Travis Blackbourne!”

I take a deep breath and then walk out onto the balcony, standing at Luna’s right side. Fucking hell… There are hundreds of ponies, maybe thousands, filling a massive plaza on the ground. The sight of such a large crowd focusing on me is breath taking. It is quiet for a moment, and slowly the crowd begins stamping the ground and cheering. I guess they stamp instead of clap.

I wave to the crowd as I try to compose myself. I take another deep breath. “Hello! It’s great to see you all! As Princess Luna said, my name is Travis Blackbourne! I am a human from a land called Australia on a planet called Earth! On Earth, magic is thought to be fictional, but my friend found real magic! He cast a spell, and it had the unintended effect of sending me here, to Equestria!

“I may not seem like it now, but I am normally a quiet person! I usually stay on my own, and out of peoples’ way! Since arriving in Equestria, I have spent my time with Princess Luna! We’re helping each other become more social, and I am thankful for her company!” I briefly look at her and pause, then look back at the crowd. “Now, I realise that I may be very different from you! Some of you might be afraid! I am a new species from another world! However, I will never mean any of you any harm! In fact, I hope that we all get along and that those of you who I may meet become my friends!”

I wait for a response from the crowd, or for Luna to continue the announcement. I hope that I did all right for the first half of the announcement. The crowd responds first, with another round of stamping and cheering. I turn to Luna and whisper. “Maybe you should be the first to talk about our relationship? Also, I’m not sure how to make a good transition. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course, and I do not mind.” She whispers back, before facing the crowd and raising her hoof again. This time the crowd becomes silent without Luna having to speak with magically loud volume. “Some of you may be aware of rumours about Travis and I! Rumours stating that we could be in a romantic relationship! It is true!” The crowd quickly begins murmuring, which becomes louder and louder. Luna raises her hoof again until the crowd quietens. “In the few days we spent together, we became very close! Travis was there for me so that my routine was no longer lonely! I came to care for him, and him for me!”

I nod and speak up. “I wasn’t expecting to find romance when I arrived! I was just happy with friendship! I enjoyed spending my time with Luna just as friends! And then as she said, we came to care greatly for each other! We are two different species from different worlds! I couldn’t explain it, but I began to feel immense love for her! I tried to bottle it up and hold it back, but I couldn’t deny it!” I gently place a hand against Luna’s withers to find comfort. Fuck, that whole part I said was probably unnecessary. And really cheesy. Oh well, I’ve already said it now.

Luna supportively puts a wing around me and picks up where I left off. “And so, we entered a romantic relationship! I understand that it is sudden, and that only a few of you have met him! However, he is a very kind individual who only means well! I hope that you treat him fairly and that you bear no ill will towards him!”

“Thank you, Luna.” I whisper, before addressing the crowd again. “Some of you might think I have some sort of ulterior motive! That I might be seeking power! However, that is further from the truth! If anything, the idea of any power gained is daunting to me! It’s not something that I desire! I arrived here by accident! And I fell in love without meaning to! My only goals are to live here peacefully, be with Luna, love her, and receive her love in kind!”

Luna continues the speech. “Now, some of you may be wondering if this new relationship will affect you! The truth of the matter is, it will have no impact on your daily lives! Life will go on as usual! Maybe in the future we will progress this relationship further and Travis will become a prince! But even then, it will not change how you live your lives! This will only affect those few nobles who may have been interested in courting me!”

I decide to add just a little more. “To any nobles who may have been interested in Luna, I am sorry! I cannot change the way I feel and neither can Luna! I don’t mean any offence to you by being in this relationship and I still hope that we can get along!”

Luna gives me a soft nod of approval and a smile, before looking over the crowd. “Thank you for listening to us, but we must end the announcement here! If you still have any concerns about us, please see us during night court! I wish for you all to have a lovely day, farewell!” She gently pulls me to her side and waves at the crowd with a smile.

I wrap my arm around her to hold her to my side and wave too with a nervous smile. “I’d like to thank you as well for being a great crowd! Equestria has been amazing so far for the short amount of time I’ve been here! Have a good day, good bye!” We then make our way off the balcony and back inside. Shit. I hope I didn’t look like a complete wanker. I notice that I’m shaking. I give Luna a firm hug so that I can calm down. “I felt so tense… How was I, Luna? I feel like I did some unnecessary rambling…”

She hugs me back just as firmly and kisses my forehead. “You were fine, Travis. Perhaps you rambled a little, but it was all right. You did great for your first time.”

“Thanks…” I nuzzle her and then kiss her cheek. “I feel so drained. I was nervous the whole time… Could we do something low effort just to relax? Like watch a movie or something?”

Luna nuzzles me back and smiles. “Of course, we can watch a movie.” She lets go of me and turns to Midnight who was behind us the whole time. “You should return to your post now.”

Midnight salutes her. “Yes, Princess, your speech was great.” He then looks at me. “Good job out there, Sir Travis. It’ll get easier with time, and you’ll get better at it. Farewell.”

I smile and nod. “Thanks, see ya later, Midnight.” He nods back and leaves for our tower. I wrap an arm around Luna and she wraps her wing around me. “Let’s go watch a movie.” We then head off for the castle cinema.

Chapter Twenty

We make it to the cinema and take the best seats, Luna looking at me with a soft smile. “Would you like me to choose which movie we watch again? Or would you prefer to choose one this time?”

Hmmm, I don’t really know any movies here – apart from the Daring Do one –, but I suppose I can look at a list. “I think I’ll try to choose one this time… I just go into that room and speak to a pony there, right?” I point to that back door that leads to the projector room.

Luna looks at the door I point to and nods. “Yes, that is correct. I am sure you will pick something good, even if you do not know Equestrian movies.”

“Okay then, I’ll go have a look to see if I can find a good movie.” I get up and go to the door at the back, knocking on it. I wait for a moment, before I hear some hoofsteps approaching the door.

The door opens to reveal a smallish unicorn stallion with a beige coat and a dark brown mane. He is wearing rectangular glasses that only seem to highlight his green eyes. Considering that there are three main kinds of ponies, there are a hell of a lot of unicorns at the castle. Maybe it’s a Canterlot thing? Anyway, he nervously speaks up. “O-Oh, you’re that human called Travis… Are you here to pick something to watch with Princess Luna?”

“Yeah, I’m the human called Travis, and yeah, I’m here to pick a movie.” I look into the room curiously. “Can I see a list of movies? I don’t really know any movies in Equestria, except for that Daring Do movie…”

“Oh! Of course, Travis sir.” He rushes into the room and after some time brings me a fairly heavy book. “Here’s a catalogue of every movie at the castle cinema sorted by genre and ordered alphabetically.”

“Thanks… This thing is unexpectedly heavy…” I open it to the index and check the genres. Maybe I’ll go with action. I’m just here to relax, not focus too heavily on story. I skim through basic descriptions of movies for a bit until I laugh a bit. There’s something that’s kind of Like Men in Black, and it’s called ‘S.M.I.L.E.’. I guess I’ll pick that one. “I think I’ve made up my mind, I’d like to watch ‘S.M.I.L.E.’.” I give the catalogue back.

The stallion nods. “That’s a pretty fun one; I’ll go put it on now.” He closes the door and I hear his hoofsteps rush away from the door.

I guess that’s that. I go back to my seat beside Luna. “I chose some movie called ‘S.M.I.L.E.’. Have you seen it before?”

She shakes her head gently. “No, I do not believe that I have.”

I give her a smile. “Cool, I guess we’ll both be watching it blind.”

Luna tilts her head in confusion. “What do you mean by watching it blind? We are not wearing blind folds, and we can see perfectly fine.”

I chuckle a little. “No, not literally blind. It means that we’ll be watching it without knowing anything about the movie, except for a basic description.”

She nods and giggles softly. “Oh, I see. So, what is the movie about?”

“From what I read of the description, it seems to be about a secret organisation that captures monsters.”

“That sounds quite interesting and exciting.”

“Yeah, it does -” I lift the arm/hoof rest between our seats and sit against Luna’s side. “- and it also reminds me of another movie back on Earth; like how Daring Do was similar to Indiana Jones. The description of this one is similar to an Earth movie called Men in Black.”

“Very intriguing.” Luna drapes her wing over me to snuggle closer. “We will have to investigate other similarities between our worlds when Twilight is able to find a way to Earth.”

I rest my head against her neck. “Yeah, it’d be interesting to see the results, but for now I’d rather just focus on settling in Equestria.”

“I understand, we can worry about such a thing later. After all, it may still be quite a while before Twilight succeeds.” Luna tenderly nuzzles me in return.

“Yeah…” I relax with Luna on our seats as the movie begins. I’m too drained from the speech to pay much attention to the movie, but see enough to understand that I was right in comparing it to Men in Black. I mainly just focus on peacefully snuggling with Luna, closing my eyes part way through the movie…

“Travis…” Luna gently nudges me, and I open my eyes. The credits are rolling. Damn. I must’ve fallen asleep during the movie. Oh well, at least I got a nap out of it.

“Luna?... I missed most of the movie, didn’t I?” I stretch my arms and legs a little, and turn to her as I wake up.

Luna giggles softly and nods. “You did indeed sleep through most of the movie.” She then lightly strokes my hair with a hoof. “How are you feeling?”

I smile softly and chuckle at myself a bit. “I’m feeling pretty good, especially after that nap. What did you think of the movie?”

“I enjoyed it; it was rather entertaining with a mix of action and humour. I take it that you did not enjoy it as much as I?”

“Oh, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy it. I was just feeling really tired after that speech, and a nap was just what I needed.” I gently brush Luna’s cheek. “So, is there anything you’d like to do now? I’m not feeling so tired anymore.”

She smiles and leans her head into my hand, looking into my eyes with her beautiful teal eyes. “I would like to have something to eat for lunch, how about you?”

“That sounds like a good idea, I am starting to get pretty hungry.” I slowly take my hand from her cheek and stand up to stretch again. I then offer her my hand. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

Luna places her hoof in my hand and rises out of the chair. “Very well.” She puts a wing around me, and I put an arm around her as we soon head out of the cinema towards the dining hall.

I look out a window and see Celestia outside taking a seat at an intricately decorated, white table in the garden, speaking with what looks to be a unicorn waiter. Perhaps she’s about to have lunch as well? I decide to bring it up with Luna. “Hey, Luna, it looks like Celestia might be about to eat her own lunch.” I nod to the window. “Do you think we should join her?”

Luna glances out the window and smiles, before nodding. “Yes, that does sound rather nice. I do not often get a chance to eat with her, as she is usually so busy during the day.”

We make our way out to the garden to meet Celestia who gives us a vibrant smile as she sees us. “It’s lovely to see you, Luna and Travis, would you care to join me for lunch?”

Luna and I nod, with Luna happily speaking first. “Yes, we would love to join you for lunch, dear sister.” We take seats beside each other and opposite to Celestia at the table which I now notice is made from some kind of metal.

I speak next. “We actually saw you out here from inside while we were on our way to the dining hall, so we decided to see if we could have lunch with you.”

“I’m glad you decided to come see me; you arrived just in time before this kind waiter left with the orders.” She looks toward the waiter.

The waiter turns to us with a notepad. It’s a stallion who I haven’t met yet. “What would you like, Princess?”

Luna taps her chin lightly. “I think I would like to have a salad accented with varied flowers, and a glass of red wine please.”

“Of course, Princess.” The waiter takes notes and looks at me. “And what would you have, Sir Travis?”

I’m really craving red meat, but I know they don’t stock any. I’m also not in the mood for fish. I guess I’ll have to pick something vegetarian then… “Hmmm, perhaps a pesto pasta and I’ll also have a glass of red wine, thanks.”

The waiter writes my order down and nods. “Very well.” He then leaves us amongst ourselves.

Celestia looks between Luna and I. “Good work on the announcement, you two, I quite liked it.” She then focuses on me. “And you look very striking in your new clothes, Travis.”

I don’t remember her being there… “You heard it? I didn’t see you there, besides I think I rambled a little too much. And thanks, Rarity did a great job on making them.”

Celestia dismissively waves a hoof. “You’re right that I wasn’t on the balcony with you or in the crowd, but I was at a nearby window to hear it. And perhaps your speech could have been a little more to the point, but you did admirably for your first time.”

I smile. “Thanks again, Celestia, I wasn’t exactly confident with it, which is probably why I wasn’t as succinct as I should have been… Luna did a far better job, and she picked up the slack when I wasn’t sure what to say next.”

“Yes, Luna was quite good, wasn’t she?” Celestia looks to Luna. “You really held the announcement together and advanced between the points when you needed to, Luna.”

Luna nods with a smile. “Thank you, I tried my best to introduce Travis and explain the situation. How has your day been so far?”

“My day’s been lovely so far, thank you for asking, although I’ve already had a few ponies show up to court about the announcement. I think you two have caused quite a stir!” Celestia laughs a bit.

I shouldn’t really be surprised about that, although I kinda feel bad for causing such a commotion. “Is that good or bad?”

“Oh, I find it rather refreshing, so I’d say good. A fair number of the nobles strongly disagree, but it isn’t up to them to decide things for you two. Besides, they have been needing to be put back in their places for a while so that they learn not everything goes their way.”

“That’s good to hear then, I guess; I’d hate to cause you any trouble.”

Celestia dismissively waves her hoof again. “Trust me, it’s no trouble for me to deal with the ponies from court you’ve riled up.” She laughs a little more. “Now, apart from the announcement, how have you both been?”

Luna looks at me, then back to Celestia. “We have been wonderful! We have been able to unlock Travis’s magic and he has successfully used it!”

Celestia looks surprised by this notion. “I thought Travis didn’t have any magic himself.”

I smile and laugh. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, but Twilight performed a magical scan on me which revealed some hint of a kind of magic she’s never seen before. According to Twilight, when I was transported to Equestria, the ambient magic of the land unlocked my own magic which was locked on Earth.”

Celestia looks at me more attentively. “What kind of magic is it and will it have to be monitored?”

I get a little nervous as she seems to become more serious. “Well, it’s a form of transformation or shape shifting magic. You weren’t there when I mentioned this, but I feel like a wolf on the inside, despite physically being human. It’s a very little known and heavily misunderstood thing on Earth called therianthropy. A person who feels that they are an animal other than human on the inside is known as a therian, and I’m a wolf therian.

“So, with my newly acquired or unlocked magic, I’m able to take the form of a wolf with the body mass of a human. It also shows that therianthropy isn’t just something in peoples’ heads, but something real. Without magic, therians are physically no different than humans, but it seems they are different when they have magic. Oh, I’m rambling… Back to the point, I don’t think it’ll need to be monitored too closely. I can only change shape with complete concentration and is unlikely to happen by accident.”

Celestia is quiet for some time, which makes me nervous, before she finally speaks. “I see… You’ll have to show me after I finish my day’s schedule. I hope it isn’t too much trouble for you.”

I shake my head. “Nah, it isn’t too much trouble, although I’ll be in quite a lot of pain after it. Last time I did it, I was in immobilising pain for the rest of the day and needed a spell from Luna to help me recover for today.”

Celestia frowns slightly. “Oh, in that case, don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t want you to be in pain just to satisfy my own curiosity.”

“It’s fine, besides I could use some more practice with it. Maybe it’ll hurt less each time I do it.”

Celestia softly nods. “If you say so, but I would understand if you change your mind.”

I smile slightly. “Thanks, although now I’m already set on trying it again in the afternoon or tonight.” It isn’t long before the waiter arrives with our food. He sets down a sandwich and a glass of sparkling wine for Celestia, the salad and red wine for Luna, and the pasta and a wine matching Luna’s for me. We thank the waiter and start eating our lunch. The pasta is good, but not as good as I last remember it. It’s probably just my cravings for red meat getting stronger. I should probably bring it up with Celestia. “There was something I was wondering you could do for me, Celestia.”

She looks up from her lunch and finishes her mouthful, before speaking. “And what might that be?”

“Well…” I look down and nervously play a little with my pasta. “Ever since I shape shifted into a wolf and then back, my cravings for red meat have become stronger than before… And Luna mentioned something about how you could perhaps try to make some sort of deal with the griffons to import red meat to the castle…” I then look back up to Celestia. “Would that be okay?”

Celestia seems to think for a moment, then nods with a smile. “I believe that I could make such a deal, and yes, it would be okay. It would probably be a good idea anyway to enter diplomatic talks with the griffons, since they’ve recently started accepting the value of friendship.”

I give her a big smile of both relief and anticipation. “Thank you so much! That would be so awesome!”

“However,” It seems that Celestia’s not done speaking… “I am somewhat concerned that using your magic intensifies your cravings. Be sure to keep them in check, for the sake of everyone.”

She does have a point. It’s also possible the repeatedly transforming will make such cravings more and more difficult to suppress each time. I give her a solemn nod. “I understand… I’ll be more careful from now on and make sure to stay on top of it.”

Celestia gives me a cool tempered smile. “That’s good; I couldn’t ask anything more of you.” She then raises her glass with her magic. “Now on a lighter note, I propose a toast to your first speech for the Equestrian Kingdom and to your learning of how to handle royal affairs.”

I raise my glass. “Yeah, here’s to hoping I learn how to deal with this stuff.”

Luna telekinetically raises her glass too. “Indeed, to the speech and your future learning experiences.”

We all clink our glasses with cheers and take a sip of our wines. It’s pretty good, considering that I don’t normally drink red wine. I just felt like having a matching drink with Luna this time. I then get back to eating my pasta and intermittingly sipping my wine. Hopefully having a glass of wine won’t hinder my ability to transform later today. We soon finish our lunch and the waiter comes to collect the dishes and glasses.

Celestia then speaks up. “As much as I would like to stay here longer, I have a busy schedule ahead. It was lovely having lunch with you and talking with you.” She stands up and walks around the table to give us each a hug. “Good bye, Luna and Travis, I’ll see you both at the end of my schedule.”

Luna hugs her back with a smile. “Yes, I am glad we were able to have lunch with you as well, Celie. Farewell, we will indeed see you tonight.”

I return the hug as well. “Yeah, it was good catching up, Celestia. See ya later.” She smiles and goes on her way to whatever royal business she must attend to now, leaving just Luna and I in the garden. “So, is there anything in particular you’d like to do now, Luna, before we see Celestia again? I’m not counting that you chose to have lunch. I’m thinking that you should choose an actual activity for us to do.”

“Very well…” Luna smiles and seems to think to herself for a little while. “What do you think of archery, Travis?”

I give her a big smile. “I think archery is awesome, and sometimes meditative to me; I love it. I never got much of a chance to do it very often on Earth though.”

“Then it is decided; we shall go do archery.” Luna rises from her chair and offers me her hoof, which I gladly take and stand up.

“Awesome, and thanks.” I lightly give her a peck on the lips as I stand. “Lead the way.”

Luna returns the soft peck and starts leading me around the garden. “All right.”

Chapter Twenty-One

We arrive at a spacious patch of grass in the garden and Luna organises for some archery targets to be set up, as well as for a selection of bows to be brought to us. We sit down on a stone bench as we wait for it all to be set up for us, and Luna nuzzles me gently. “Would you consider yourself to be a good archer, Travis?”

I nuzzle her back. “I don’t know… As I said before, I didn’t get to do archery very often on Earth. When I did get the opportunity to practice archery though, I thought I was pretty decent at it. I think I might have a knack for it, but I haven’t done it enough to consider myself good. It’ll probably take me a little bit of time to warm up. How about you, Luna?”

She smiles and looks out to the field as it is nearly finished being set up. “I would like to think that I am quite a skilled archer, but it has been a while since I have had another to compare to. Celie is usually too busy with her royal duties during the day, and I do not spend time with anypony else on a regular day. I tend to do archery on my own.”

I give her a tender peck on the cheek. “I’m sure you’re amazing at it, especially compared to me, since you’ve had far more practice.”

Luna kisses my cheek in kind and gets up from the bench as the targets are all set up. “Thank you, now let us see for ourselves where we both stand in skill with archery.”

“Yeah, and just have fun in general.” I get up with her and approach a table that has a variety of bows, ranging from medieval longbows and short bows to modern day compound bows. It’s so awesome to see the more traditionally styled bows. “Woah, this is such an amazing selection of bows!”

“I make sure to have as many options available as possible in my collection.” Luna then proceeds to pick up a massive bow taller than me with her magic. “This one in particular was made just for me by a brilliant pony from an age long past. Nopony apart from me and Celestia have been able to use it.”

I look it up and down. It seems to be made of some kind of thick, dark wood with inscriptions of some kind along its arms, and the string seems to be thicker than normal bow strings. It looks so badass and incredibly powerful. “Can I have a try?”

Luna giggles and hovers the bow to me with a smirk. “You may try, although I doubt you could use it.”

“I know, I’m just curious.” I grab the bow. Shit… It’s really heavy… I rest the bottom of the lower arm on the ground to steady it. I take an arrow from a bucket and nock it to the string. I pull on the string, but it won’t budge. Damn, what’s the poundage on this thing? I try even harder until my fingers start to hurt, and it still won’t move, so I stop. “This bow must have some serious power… Now I really wanna see you use it.”

“Very well…” Luna nods and takes the bow back with her magic, before pulling the string back only a tiny fraction. She then lets it loose with a loud thwack, the arrow shooting forward insanely quick and passing through the target like it was nothing. There is then a loud sound of cracking as it sticks itself through a tree.

“Should we, uh, go get that arrow back?” I stare at the arrow stuck in the tree. “I wanna see just how deep it went into that tree.”

“Of course.” Luna smiles and we walk to the tree which is actually quite a fair way away. I walk to the back of the tree and see half of the arrow protruding from it. Fucking hell. That bow is a monster, and that seemed to only be a tiny amount of what it’s capable of.

“That is absolutely insane.” I laugh a bit. “Is there a safe way to see its full power?”

Luna pulls the arrow from the tree with her magic, then looks to me with a smirk. “Yes, there is. Let us go back to our starting positions while a target is set up that can stop the arrow safely.” As we walk back to the starting positions, Luna orders for something safe to shoot at. Soon there is a target that is layered with who knows how many shields. Luna levitates one of the shields to me to inspect. “This is what I will be shooting through.”

I just manage to lift it up to examine for myself. It’s so heavy, but not as much as Luna’s bow, and it’s fairly thick as well. I knock on the shield and it seems pretty hard. I also kick it with the sole of my foot to make sure. I’m guessing that it must be made for battle. “It seems pretty sturdy.”

“Yes, it is the highest quality shield available to the Equestrian military.” Luna levitates the shield all the way to the target to add to the already impressive number of shields. The target is set up at the very back of the field. It must be at least five hundred metres away. She then nocks a far bigger and different kind of arrow from last time. It’s almost the size of a spear. The design of it must be to deal with the crazy forces and velocity it’ll face. Next, she draws the string back as far as it can go; the bow giving a slight creak. “You may want to cover your ears.”

I follow her advice and immediately cover my ears. “I’m ready.” I hear a loud crack, even with my ears covered as she lets the arrow fly. The spear-like arrow quickly makes the distance and buries itself into the far away shields. Holy shit. There are no words for how awesome that was. That bow is like a very powerful siege weapon. I lower my hands from my ears and give Luna a big grin. “That’s so epic! I need to see the results up close!”

Luna laughs and puts the bow down. “I am glad that you are so impressed with it. Of course, you can go to inspect the damage.” We make our way over to the target with the shields; Luna trotting and me jogging. Up close, I can see that there are about twenty shields in a row, but the arrow made it through all of them. The tip is poking through the back of the target. I can hardly believe my eyes. That bow probably puts siege weapons to shame.

I shake my head and laugh. “That is just… I don’t even have the words to describe its power… I’m so happy that I got to see what your bow can do.” I tug on the end of the arrow with both hands out of curiosity and find that it is seriously stuck. Far out.

“It is quite something to behold, is it not?” Luna pulls the arrow out using her magic, with a bit of a screeching sound as the arrow grinds against the shields. “Now, shall we use some more modest bows and arrows to simply enjoy ourselves and relax?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” We head back to the selection of bows. Luna chooses a slightly smaller bow that is very much like an old English longbow, which is still about my height. I choose an even smaller, traditional looking reflex bow. We then take our positions to align ourselves with two different sets of targets varying in distance. These targets are at more reasonable distances with the closest at about ten metres, and the furthest at what I guess is maybe two hundred? Luna takes aim and lets her arrow loose to hit a target that must be fifty metres away, as it is at the quarter way point to the furthest target. It lands in the bullseye. She’s good.

I turn my attention to my own targets and nock an arrow. I may as well start with the closest target, since it’s been a while since I’ve last done archery. I draw the string back with some effort and do my best to aim, holding the bow slightly diagonal. The poundage on this bow feels a bit higher than what I’m used to, causing my arms to shake a little. I let my arrow fly and it skims the top of the target. I draw another arrow and try to aim a little lower. This time the arrow sticks into the bottom of the outside ring on the target when I let it go. Not exactly what I want, but it’s progress. I try again and hit the ring half way to the middle, but on the left side. Getting closer. On my next try I hit the circle just outside the bullseye, but to the right. So close. I try again, and miss the bullseye just slightly, this time a bit too high and to the left. My fingertips are starting to sting a little. Come on, I can do this. I have a short few seconds of rest, before I draw my next arrow. I take aim, let out a slow breath, and release my arrow. Yes! It sticks into the bullseye.

“Good shot, Travis!” Luna gives me a smile and steps over to give me a quick peck on the cheek.

“Thanks, Luna.” I kiss her back and then look at her targets. By this point it seems she’s hit a target roughly between half way and the back, so maybe a hundred and fifty metres away. “Although I can hardly compare to you. I’ve only just managed a bullseye after a few tries on the closest target. You were able to hit a bullseye five times as far on your first shot, and you’ve only hit targets further since then.”

Luna tenderly nuzzles me. “Practice makes all the difference, and I have had far more practice than you. You are doing great, considering that you have not practiced often nor for a while.”

I lovingly return the nuzzle. “Yeah, that’s true. I guess I can’t feel too bad about my archery, all things considered. I’ll do my best to catch up to you in skill with using a bow and arrows.”

Luna steps back to her position. “I am sure that you will become an amazing archer if we make this a regular activity.”

I smile and nod. “Thanks for the encouragement, and I’d love to make this a regular thing.” I reposition myself and resume firing arrows at the closest target. My fingertips sting more, and my arms begin to feel a little tired. We go to collect our arrows and then continue. My grouping of hits soon improves for a bit. It seems the wine from earlier isn’t affecting me too much. However, I soon start losing accuracy due to my tired arms and sore fingertips. I decide to put the reflex bow down on the table with the other bows and rest my arms for a bit; sitting down on a bench and watching Luna. She is now hitting the target at the two hundred metre mark and her grouping is almost perfect.

She soon turns to me with a soft smile. “Would you like to have a break for refreshments and snacks?”

“Yeah, that sounds good; I could definitely use a drink and some snacks right about now.”

“Of course.” Luna nods and reclaims our arrows with her magic from afar, placing them in their respective buckets. Then she orders us some drinks and snacks, before coming over to sit down on the bench with me and wrapping her wing around me to hold me close to her side. “This has been quite fun so far, have you been enjoying yourself?”

I put my arm around her and pull her to my side too. “Mhm, I’ve really missed archery and it’s awesome to be able to do it again. Although my fingertips and arms are getting a little sore now.” I kiss her cheek and the nuzzle her tenderly.

Luna kisses and nuzzles me back. “I am glad that you are having fun.” She then inspects my fingertips. “Archery must be very different for you, as you cannot use magic to control the bow.”

“Yeah, it is. I have to use my muscles to draw the string, and letting it go causes it to rapidly rub against my fingertips which stings with repeated use.” I look at my fingers and flex them slightly. “After a while, I’ll get calluses on my fingertips and it won’t sting as much. I also might have to do some muscle exercises so that I have the strength to draw bows with a higher poundage.”

“I see.” Luna kisses my hand and then looks into my eyes. “We should be sure then not to overdo it with archery today. Perhaps we may do a little more archery after our break… But please let me know if you start to hurt too much.”

I nod. “All right, I will.” I then stroke her starry mane and lean in to kiss her lips softly, which she returns. I close my eyes and lean closer to slip my tongue out to meet her lips, then into her mouth as she parts them for me. Her long equine tongue wraps around my shorter human one, then slides along it into my own mouth. We then slowly break the kiss with a little parting peck, both of us smiling. “I love you, Luna.”

“I love you too, Travis.” Luna then presses her forehead to mine, her horn resting against the top of my head. Soon a servant – Shuffle Step to be precise – brings a small table to the bench. Next, she places a tray of snacks and a pitcher of water, with a small plate and a glass for each of us, as well as napkins on the table. There are lamingtons, scones with jam and cream, choc chip cookies, and lemon slice on separate plates on the tray. Shuffle Step gives us a nod and smile, and Luna thanks her as she leaves.

My mouth waters at the selection of snacks available on the table. “This looks good; I’m gonna have to eat at least one of each.” I then place one of each of the snacks onto my plate; barely managing to fit them on it.

“Yes, they do look rather delightful.” Luna levitates a scone and a piece of lemon slice onto her plate and pours us both a glass of water.

“Thanks.” I take my glass and put it by my plate, before starting to eat the delicious snacks. Each of them tastes incredible in their own way. Just like all food I’ve had here so far, they’re the best ones I’ve ever had. I also periodically sip on my glass of water. “They’re all so good.”

Luna finishes a bite of lemon slice with a smile. “They are indeed quite delectable.”

“I’m constantly impressed with the chefs of this castle. They always make the best food I’ve ever tried.” I grab another cookie and rapidly finish it.

Luna nods and gets herself a lamington, eating it nowhere near as quick as me eating the cookie. “I must agree; they are incredibly skilled in their craft.”

I take another lamington as well. I’m absolutely loving these snacks. I begin to feel full after I eat a scone next. “I think I’ll have to wait until after court for dinner tonight. I haven’t eaten so many snacks in a long time… They were just too good.”

Luna giggles to herself. “Very well… Be careful or you might become as addicted to sweets and cakes as Celie.”

I laugh a little as well. “I never knew she was, but then again, I haven’t really ever eaten with Celestia before today.” I finish my water, then wipe my mouth and hands with a napkin. “Well, I’m feeling about ready to get back to archery now. How about you?”

Luna also finishes her water and uses a napkin. “Yes, I have had enough to eat and feel rested well enough for more archery.”

It isn’t long before Shuffle Step returns with a smile to take the table and everything on it. “Did you both enjoy the food?”

I nod and smile back. “Yeah, everything was absolutely delicious, thanks, Shuffle. Compliments to the chef or chefs.”

Luna nods in agreement. “Yes, Travis is quite right; the food was lovely, thank you.”

Shuffle Step blushes slightly. “You’re both welcome… By the way, you two are so cute together. Congratulations on making the announcement.”

Luna blushes too. “Oh, thank you. Your positivity is very welcome and will hopefully help us through court later when we have to deal with the less than pleased nobles.”

I smile and blush a little as well. “Yeah, it’s good to have some more support for us, thanks again. Those nobles will probably be a bit of a hassle.”

Shuffle waves a hoof. “Oh, it’s nothing, you’re very welcome… I should be going now, have a good rest of the day.”

“You too.” Both Luna and I say at the same time. We look at each other and laugh, before waving at Shuffle as she leaves with the table.

“She is a such a friendly mare.” Luna remarks with a smile.

I nod. “Yeah, she’s the only servant I know the name of at the moment.” I get up and hold my hand out to Luna. “Anyway, let’s continue with archery.” She takes my hand with her hoof and I help her up. We then go back to our positions with the bows. I grab the same bow from before, but Luna grabs a different bow instead. It’s an interesting one with straight arms. I focus on the target in front of me and continue from where I left off. Satisfied with my new consistent grouping, I begin aiming for the next target at twenty metres. I miss the first and third shots, but over time start to hit the target more reliably. After a while, my grouping still isn’t quite as good as before and I get sore again.

I place the bow back on the table. I guess I’ll have to keep working on hitting the target twenty metres away next time we do archery. “I think I’m done for today. My arms and fingertips are pretty sore now. Is that okay?”

Luna takes one last shot and hits the bullseye of the target at the far end. “Of course, that is okay, Travis.” She puts her bow down as well and organises for everything to be packed up. “Is there anything you would like to do now? We only have approximately twenty minutes until Celestia will meet with us again if she finishes at her usual time.”

I shrug. “I suppose we could just chill in our chambers while we wait, besides some more rest would probably be a good idea before I have to transform again.”

“A good idea indeed, and we should be easy to find if we are in our chambers.” Luna places her wing at my back. “Let us go now.”

“All right.” I put my arm around her in return as we head back inside.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Luna and I reach the door to our tower and walk in. A night guard I haven’t seen before salutes as we enter. We go up the long staircase, enter our chambers, and then we sit down on the edge of the bed. I get up briefly to put my cape in the wardrobe, then I wrap an arm around Luna and lean against her side as I get back onto the bed. “I guess we’ll just sit, or maybe lay down here until Celestia comes to get us.”

Luna puts a wing around me and nods. “Indeed, although I will have to raise the moon in a moment.” She then nuzzles me and kisses my cheek.

I kiss her back. “Of course, that’s pretty important.” I lay down on my side and gently pull her down with me to cuddle closely, facing each other. “You can get up whenever you need to raise the moon.”

Luna smiles and warps her forelegs around me. “Very well, I can spare a little time to cuddle with you, my love.” She rests her chin over my head as I nuzzle her soft coated neck.

I tenderly kiss her neck. “Your coat is always so soft. I love it.”

“Thank you,” Luna kisses my forehead with a light blush. “I love your smooth mane.”

“Thank you too,” I blush as well and chuckle softly. “Although humans just call it hair instead of mane.” I gently stroke her side and close my eyes.

We lay there for what feels like not very long before Luna shifts a bit. “I must raise the moon now.” I open my eyes and she gives me a peck on the lips. She then rises from the bed and walks over to a window. Her horn glows and she spreads her wings as she raises the moon. She looks just as majestic and regal as the first time I saw her do it.

Soon after Luna finishes, there is knocking at the door. “May I come in?” It sounds like it’s Celestia.

Luna looks at me and I nod, before I get up from the bed. She then turns to the door. “Of course, dear sister, please do come in.”

The door opens and Celestia comes into the room, giving us both a smile. “Good evening, Luna and Travis, how was your afternoon?”

Luna gives Celestia a smile. “It was lovely; we did some archery together to pass the time, which I enjoyed very much.”

I nod and smile with Luna. “Yeah, I had an awesome time too. I love archery, although I never got to do it much back on Earth.”

“I am glad to hear that you both enjoyed yourselves.”

Luna nods happily. “Indeed. How was your afternoon, Celie?”

Celestia shakes her head a little with a slight frown. “Oh, it was rather busy and tiring, but thank you for asking, Lulu; I had to deal with more of the nobles with rather selfish requests, as well as solve a dispute between a couple of cities.” She then smiles again. “However, I’m happy to be spending my night with both of you.”

Luna smiles back. “As am I.”

I then speak up. “So, should we go over to that magic practice room so that you can see me transform?”

Celestia looks to me. “If you feel ready to do so, then we should by all means make our way there; I am quite curious to see your newly awakened magic.”

I nod confidently. “Yeah, I’m ready to get some more practice with transformation.” I get my cape from the wardrobe and put it on, since we’ll probably have to go to court after I show off my magic. “Let’s go.”

Celestia nods in understanding. “Very well.” We all leave the tower; the night guard saluting again as we walk past. It isn’t long before we arrive at the room with all the sigils and inscriptions along the floor, walls, ceiling, and door; causing them all to glow.

I look at Luna as I begin to undress. “Could you please carry my clothes while I transform? I don’t feel comfortable putting my newly tailored clothes on the floor, especially since I’ll be a wolf.”

“Of course, Travis.” Luna takes each article of clothing in her magic as I take it off, and rests them on her back.

It feels a little odd to be nude in front of Celestia, but I try to ignore that feeling as I lay down on my side on the cold floor. I gradually deal with my thoughts and push them aside, once again thinking without words. I focus on visualising myself as a wolf, and I feel myself changing…

Pain… Discomfort… Familiarity… I am in my natural form. I open my eyes and stand up on my four paws. There are two creatures standing nearby. I remember the darker one. She must be part of my pack. I walk to her and sniff her leg, then I look up to her eyes. She puts a hoof between my ears and rubs. It feels good. I wag my tail and nuzzle her hoof.

She makes some sound. The sound feels affecting. The sound is ‘Travis’. Travis… It is an oddly familiar sound. I tilt my head. She points at me with a hoof and makes the sound again. “Travis.” I must be Travis. I nuzzle her hoof and look into her eyes again. She points to herself and makes a different sound. “Luna.” This sound is also familiar. Some part of me feels as if she’s a close pack member. She says it again. “Luna.” She is Luna. She is more than a close pack member. Deep down I feel more. Luna… Luna is my mate.

I wag my tail and lick her chest. Luna leans her head down to nuzzle me. I nuzzle her back and lick her mouth. The taller, lighter coloured creature makes some sounds. Luna soon pulls her head back and looks to other creature and makes other sounds. Too many sounds. I don’t know their meaning. I look at the one that isn’t Luna and I slowly approach, sniffing her. She seems nervous. She smells slightly familiar and has a bit of Luna’s scent on her. Is she another pack member?

Luna makes a sound, and so I look at her. She points at the taller one and makes the sound again. “Celestia.” Cel… Sti… A… It’s a long sound. I look between Luna and the other one, and Luna makes the sound again. “Celestia.” Cel… Estia. Celestia. I think she might be a pack member. I look at Celestia. She holds a hoof out to me and I sniff her again. She must be Luna’s sister. I nuzzle her hoof and she rubs me between the ears like Luna did. I like this feeling and my tail wags again.

I pull away and look at my surroundings. It’s the cave with no entrance. I walk to that crack in the cave wall and sniff at it. There are a variety of scents from outside. I walk around the edges of the cave to find any way out, but find nothing else. “Travis.” Luna calls me. I walk back to her and she rubs me between the ears again. I’m feeling tired now. I lay down and close my eyes. I fade away.

I slowly wake up. I’m in pain, but not as much as last time. I also think I remember a little bit about being a wolf this time. Awesome! If I keep practicing this, then I should have more control and recall more things from transformation. I carefully sit up, looking up at Luna and Celestia. “So, how do you think I went?”

Luna gives me a proud smile. “You went well, Travis. You did not growl at any point, and you behaved in a rather friendly manner.”

Celestia nods and smiles too. “Indeed, I didn’t feel threatened at any point. Also, your magic is quite fascinating.”

I smile back. “That’s good to hear… Oh, I also remembered little bits from when I was transformed, and the pain isn’t as bad as my last transformation, but it’s still pretty bad.”

Luna gently nuzzles me. “That is great news. Would you like your clothes back? And do you need me to dress you again?”

I give her a small nod. “Yeah, I would like my clothes back, and I think I’d like to have a try at dressing myself with post-transformation pain. If it’s too much, then I’ll ask for your help.”

“That sounds fair.” Luna levitates my clothes down to me.

I slowly stand up with my clothes and dress in pain. “Ughhhh… Damn…” It hurts like a mother fucker, but at least it isn’t immobilising. I look up to Celestia. “Sorry for the harsh language.”

Celestia laughs softly and waves her hoof. “It’s all right, I’ve heard far worse in heated diplomatic meetings.”

I laugh as well, but then groan a little in pain. “I could imagine.” I lean against Luna for support.

She nuzzles me with tender care. “Do you need to rest on my back while we move from room to room like last time?”

I nod and kiss her cheek. “Yeah, I think I do.”

Luna kisses me back, before picking me up in her magic and sitting me down on her back. “How is that, Travis?”

I smile and nuzzle her. “It’s awesome, thanks heaps, Luna.”

She nuzzles me in return with a beautiful smile. “You are quite welcome.”

Celestia soon gets our attention. “I think I’ll be off now to have my dinner. Would you like to join me?”

Luna looks over to her. “I would like to, but night court is on very soon; it would not be wise to arrive late, especially considering the announcement earlier today.”

Celestia nods with a light giggle. “Oh, of course, I’m sure it’ll be quite the court session tonight.” She nuzzles Luna. “I’m glad to have been able to spend time with you twice today; it isn’t often when we get opportunities to do so.”

Luna nuzzles her back. “Indeed, and I am also very glad to have spent that time with you; it means a lot that we got those opportunities.”

Celestia then looks at me and carefully hugs me with a wing. “It was also good to see you too, and to see your magic. Thank you for showing me.”

I give her a friendly smile. “Yeah, I like hanging out with you too, and it was no problem to show you my magic… Apart from the pain… Although it would hurt regardless of whether you’re here or not, and it hurt less this time.”

“Well, thank you regardless.” Celestia steps back with a soft smile and slightly bows her head. “I believe I’ll head off now. Have a good night, Luna and Travis.”

Luna smiles and bows her head like Celestia. “Farewell, may you also have a good night, Celestia.”

I match the head bow with a smile of my own. “You too.” She then leaves Luna and I in the magic practicing room.

Luna looks back at me. “Shall we make our way to the throne room for court?”

“Yeah, we may as well…” I let out a slightly pained laugh. “We’ll definitely make quite the entrance though, with me on your back.”

Luna giggles softly. “Indeed, we will.” She walks out from the room and all of the glowing inscriptions dim down, before she closes the door. As we get closer to the throne room, I can hear what sounds like a large crowd echo down the halls. I try to sit up a little bit straighter, pushing through the pain so that I can appear at least a little more dignified before we come into view. Luna stops just before she turns the corner and looks back at me. “Are you ready?”

I nod slightly with the limited range I can use without pain. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Luna nods back. “Very well.” She steps around the corner and into the view of the waiting crowd. The ponies in the crowd gradually turn their heads to see me riding on Luna’s back as she takes us to the door. The more common looking ponies do full bows, whilst the more fancily dressed ponies only nod their heads momentarily, before staring at me with uncertainty; it makes me quite nervous. A pair of night guards split the crowd for us so that we can walk into the throne room, closing the tall doors behind us. As we make it to the throne, Luna carefully levitates me down onto the step just below her seat. When she notices my nervousness, she briefly kisses my lips. “We will be fine; we will just take it one pony at a time. I love you.”

I return the kiss and nod. “Okay… I love you too.” I close my eyes and do my best to settle myself, as Luna takes her place on the throne. “I’m ready.”

Luna nods and looks to the guards by the door. “Night court is now open, visitors are welcome. Ensure they only come one at a time.” One of the guards salutes and leaves the throne room to take in the first visitor. The doors close when he leaves, and I hear a slight commotion, including the shuffling of hooves. I guess they’re organising a line or something. I then steel myself as the door opens.

Author's Note

I had more typed up for this chapter, but then I decided that it should be in the next chapter instead (since I like each chapter to kind of be like one scene or theme), so I've split it.

Chapter Twenty-Three

In walks a large unicorn stallion. His coat is white, he has blue eyes, and his mane and tail are also blue. The next most noticeable thing is his moustache and monocle combo. He’s dressed in a black suit, blue vest, and white button up shirt that has gold or brass buttons, with a purple bow tie. He must be the best dressed stallion I’ve seen so far. He stops before the steps to the throne and bows his head deeply. “Good evening, Princess Luna, I hope your time between the announcement and now has been agreeable.” He has a very gentlemanly, sir-ish voice; posh wouldn’t be the right word, but he speaks correctly. He also sounds like the kind of guy you’d call a gentleman and a scholar.

Luna gives him a smile. “Good evening, Fancy Pants; I believe it has been. I hope your day has also been rather enjoyable.” She gestures to me. “Allow me to formally introduce you to Travis Blackbourne, my romantic partner.” She then gestures to the stallion called Fancy Pants. “Travis, this is Fancy Pants, a rather influential, yet very fair and reasonable member of the Canterlot elite who represents Canterlot in Equestrian affairs. He also helps organise and fund various functions around Canterlot.”

Fancy Pants holds up his hoof up to me, which I firmly shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Travis Blackbourne. Unlike the majority of the Canterlot elite, I am unopposed to Princess Luna choosing you for a romantic partner. You appear to be quite a reasonable fellow, and so I will treat you as such.”

I smile as his friendly introduction puts me at ease. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Fancy Pants. I’m glad you’re on our side with this matter. You also seem like a very sensible and decent stallion, unlike another one or two I know… And you can just call me Travis.”

“Of course, then you may simply call me Fancy.” He gives me a measured smile.

Luna speaks up. “I am pleased to see you visit night court; but I must ask, have you come to discuss the announcement Travis and I made this morning?”

Fancy nods. “Why yes, I have; your announcement has caused quite a stir in the high society of Canterlot. The reason however, why I myself specifically have come here is because I am in a position that heavily influences the opinions of the Canterlot elite. I could portray your newly announced relationship positively, or negatively. Now, you already know that I’ve decided to support you both. I would like to discuss with you what I should do to sway high society to support you as I do.”

Luna coolly considers his words and expression. “That is good to hear… I take it that you already have an idea?”

“I most certainly do have an idea.” Fancy adjusts his monocle. “I was thinking that I could hold a dinner function in celebration of you finding a romantic partner. I could then invite you and Travis to be the guests of honour, and we could hold it in the castle gardens.”

Luna smiles and nods. “That is a wonderful idea, Fancy; I would love to go if you were to host such a celebration.” She then looks to me. “Do you think that you could go along with this idea, Travis?”

Hmmm, it sounds like a party, except with the high-class ponies who really don’t seem to like me. I’m not really one for big parties or anything, but then again… It might be a good idea, since it might lead to them accepting me… If I don’t mess up too much that is… Well, either way, I’ll be with Luna for it, so I should at least try. I look back up at Luna. “I’m not necessarily great with parties, or the Canterlot elite, but I’ll be with you…” I then turn to Fancy. “And there’s a chance it’ll help me be more accepted by the upper class here… So… I’ll go.”

Luna beams and Fancy jovially nods, before he speaks again. “That is most heartening to hear, Travis." He then looks to Luna. "I believe sooner would be better, but not too soon as the other attendants would not be able to prepare for it. I propose that I shall hold it in a week’s time. Is that suitable for you, Princess, or would you prefer it sooner or later?”

She thinks for a short moment. “I believe that would be perfectly suitable, Fancy.”

Fancy lightly bows his head. “Then you may both consider yourselves invited as the guests of honour to the celebration I am holding next week.”

Luna nods in return. “Very well, then consider our invitations officially accepted. Now, is that all you have come here to discuss?”

Fancy shakes his head. “Not quite, Princess. While such a dinner function would help somewhat with convincing high society that this is a positive thing; there is more to it. The nobles are not happy with the facts that Travis is of common birth, and that he is a stranger to our land. We need more than a dinner function to convince them that Travis is a suitable partner.”

Luna’s smile shifts into a frown. “We have nothing to prove to them. The celebration must suffice, as it is my choice and not theirs to decide who is suitable for me.”

“I understand, and while that may be so, it would be far better in the long term to convince them that you’ve made a good decision in choosing Travis to be your partner.”

“And what would you have me do to convince them of that, apart from spreading propaganda that I would rather not?”

Fancy shakes his head again. “I wouldn’t have you do anything, but Travis must be seen doing some form of good for the kingdom. The nobles may then be convinced that he deserves to be by your side, despite the fact that they haven’t done anything to deserve their current positions themselves.”

Wait… Me doing something? What the hell could I possibly do? I hardly know this place, and even less so the whole politics of it all. “Hang on… You want me to do some form of good? That’s not very specific, and even so, I don’t know what I could even possibly do. I’m still new to this world and don’t really understand how everything works… Do you have anything more specific on what kind of good I might be able to do?”

“There are a few options… Although some may be more desirable than others. Before I do list any ideas however, I would like to know what you might be good at or have experience with. Then I will be able to tell you the ideas more suited to you.”

“Let me think a moment…” Hmmm, what am I good at? I know that I can play games pretty well, but I don’t think that’ll be of any use to anybody in this situation. What practical things am I good at? I don’t know if I’d consider myself good with it, but I did get a black belt in karate and the one rank before the tai chi equivalent. That was a while ago though, when I was in high school, so it was only a junior black belt, and I’m pretty rusty now. I also don’t have any sort of actual field experience with it either, so I don’t know how I’d hold up in an actual fight. It might be a useless skill anyway, since Equestria seems to be a very peaceful land.

What about non-combative skills? I suppose I’m good with paying attention to detail and I’m a quick learner. I suppose there’s also my new and developing ability to transform into a wolf, but I’m not sure I have enough control with it yet for it to be useful. Well, I’m really scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas, so I may as well just mention it all. “Okay, I guess I can list my skills, although I don’t know how useful any of them will be. Based off of ability, I don’t know if by the nobles’ standards I deserve to be with Luna.”

Fancy nods and makes a motioning gesture with a hoof. “Very well, just tell me what you can, no matter how useless you may think it to be.”

I nod back. “I have good attention to detail, and I’m a quick learner. I can also play video games pretty well. In terms of more useful skills, I have been trained in two forms of martial arts known as karate and tai chi. I don’t know if you have something similar here, but I earned a junior black belt for karate and the one rank below the tai chi version of it when I was at high school. I don’t have any actual real combat experience though. Recently, I have also gained the magic to transform into a wolf, but I don’t have enough experience with it to actually use it for anything at the moment… That’s all.”

“I see.” Fancy strokes his moustache with his magic for a little while. “We do have martial arts in Equestria, and I understand what you mean when you talk about your ranks. Being a quick learner will also help with some of the ideas. As for your newly found magic, it may be trained with time.”

“So, do you have any ideas on what I might be able to do for the kingdom?”

He slowly nods, but without a smile. “I do, but you and Princess Luna may not like it. You see, I will have to provide you with the more dangerous idea. It seems your more practical skills would lie with combat, and thus, that is what the idea entails.”

Hang on… He wants to put me in combat situations? No way… Besides, isn’t Equestria too peaceful for that to be of any use to the kingdom? Luna is also beginning to look rather concerned now. I shake my head a little. “Wait… I thought that Equestria was really peaceful with almost no need for combat? Aren’t most major threats dealt with peacefully and with the elements of harmony? And didn’t you hear me when I said that I have no actual combat experience? I’ve never been in any real fights before.”

Fancy shakes his head as well. “That isn’t completely true. Yes, it is one of the most, if not the most peaceful land on Mundus, but it is not fully without combat. As for the elements of harmony – compliments on reading up on them by the way –, but they can only neutralise magical threats. They would be useless against wild creatures and non-magical monsters, as well as against bandits or soldiers. And lastly in terms of your lack of real combat experience, we can have you trained and positioned with a military attachment. The attachment will prepare you before you face any real combat, and it will also be ordered to protect you during real situations.”

Fuck off… Me being a soldier… Actually being in life or death combat… Shit just got serious and intense real fast… Fucking hell… He couldn’t possibly be serious, could he?

Luna stands from her throne, flares her wings and gives Fancy a very intense look. “No. How dare you suggest such an idea? I will not have you risk Travis’ life just to satisfy the nobles.” She then leans her head down to nuzzle me comfortingly, while also wrapping a wing around me protectively.

Surprisingly, Fancy doesn’t look the least bit put off by her display. “I understand your concern, Princess, but if you order it, then the attachment will protect Travis to the utmost of their ability. Also, just think of how much it would put the nobles in their places; they would have a harder time making a respectable public opposition to Travis being your partner. And lastly, if you have any respect for Travis, you will let him make his own decision on this.”

Luna slowly pulls her wing away from me and sits back down. “I understand… Will you at least give us time to discuss this before he comes to a decision?”

Fancy respectfully nods. “Of course, Princess, if he so chooses to take the time for it. I am not unreasonable.” He then looks at me. “Travis, would you like time to discuss this with Princess Luna and think this over, or would you prefer to make your decision now?”

This shit is crazy… But then, that wolf part of me doesn’t seem to mind. I’m still too worried to straight up say yes though. “I think taking time to think and talk with Luna would the best for me at the moment.”

“Of course. Do you know how much time you may want?”

I think quickly and nod. “Yeah, would I be able to give you my answer when we see each other at the celebration?”

He nods back. “I don’t see why not. You shall have until the next week to make your decision.”

Luna then speaks up again. “I do have one question about this. Would I be able to travel with Travis and the attachment if he were to go?”

“You’re a princess of this kingdom, so on a technicality, yes.” Fancy gives her a stern look. “However, it would be best for both his training environment, and for public image if you were to not go. Travis must not be coddled for training, and he must be seen by the nobles standing on his own merit.”

“Very well. Is that all?” Luna definitely sounds a lot less pleased than when we first started talking to Fancy.

He nods. “It is… It was a pleasure talking with you and I apologise for bringing your mood down, Princess.” He then gives Luna a deep bow. “It was also good to meet you, Travis, and I shall apologise to you too for leaving you with such a difficult and unpleasant decision. I will see you both next week.”

Luna softly nods. “Indeed. Farewell, Fancy Pants, we shall indeed meet again next week.”

I offer Fancy my hand, and he shakes it firmly. “Yeah, it was nice meeting you too, Fancy. See you later.” He then turns and walks out from the throne room, leaving us alone with the guards once more.

It isn’t long before Luna brings her head down to nuzzle me. “I do not want you to go, Travis… You told me that you would be able to keep me company. You accepted my offer to stay with me and have a place to live in return. You know how lonely I get, Travis.” She kisses my cheek.

I nuzzle her back. “I know I said that and accepted that offer, but I never thought this far ahead. Neither of us did. I don’t think either of us really thought about being in a relationship at the time or having to prove myself for said relationship. Our agreement wasn’t actually realistic; it was just something we both wanted. And yes, I do know how lonely you get, Luna.” I kiss her cheek in kind. “I haven’t accepted Fancy’s idea yet though. It’s why I asked for time… Not to mention the fact that I am worried about myself as well. I’m scared to be a soldier and see real combat… But deep down I’ve always wanted adventure, and the wolf part of me isn’t afraid.”

Luna slowly sits up straight again. “I… Understand… We still have a week to discuss this and think it over.” She then composes herself, looks to the doors, and speaks to a guard. “We are ready for the next visitor, please send them in.” The guard salutes and leaves to get the next guest.

Well, well, it turns out that the next guest is an unpleasantly familiar one. Blueblood. I wonder what demanding bullshit he’s gonna say this time? He really doesn’t look happy, just like last time. “Aunty Luna and… Travis…” He speaks my name with quite a bit of distaste. “I cannot believe that you have made your courting of each other official! This is a scandalous outrage! How could one of common birth possibly have such an honour?! It is an absolute disgrace to the royal line!”

Luna stands and flares her wings for the second time this night, although her voice is far harsher than when she addressed Fancy. “Silence, Blueblood!” He actually flinches, which is a treat to see. Luna then continues in a calmer tone. “This is not scandal. You simply choose to see it that way.” She takes a step closer to him. “Despite being of common birth, Travis has such an honour because he is very kind and considerate. You may have lived in Equestria your whole life, but he stands for the values of Equestria far more than you or many other nobles in Canterlot ever have. You would do well to learn from him.” Luna gives him a condescending stare. “And being above you, I am certain that I can determine what is and is not a disgrace to the royal line. I can clearly say that this is not a disgrace, and Celestia agrees.”

“But! He! I! Fine…” Blueblood tries to glare defiantly at Luna, but soon crumbles and lowers his head. It’s great to see him put in his place. He gathers himself, then speaks up again. “He may stand for Equestrian values, but he must surely do more than that to deserve you. What has he achieved? What has he done for Equestria?”

“Apart from supporting me ever since he arrived? Nothing yet.” Luna looks down at me, then back to Blueblood. “We are however considering options of what he could do for Equestria. Do not worry; he will do something to deserve my courtship in your eyes. As for what that may be; it is still under consideration.”

I let out a sigh as Luna skirts around the issue. “Look, I’m gonna be honest; we are currently considering for me to perform military duties for the kingdom. It isn’t fully decided yet though. Is that what you want to hear, Blueblood?”

Blueblood looks at me and smirks. “You? Performing military duties?” He laughs a little. “You’d never make it through training, let alone a battle. You may be larger than most ponies, but you’re far too timid.”

I look into his eyes. “Sure, I can be shy from time to time, and somewhat socially awkward, but I think you’re underestimating me. Besides, if you think I can’t do it, don’t you have the most to gain out of me trying it?”

Blueblood strokes his chin, with that damn smirk still on his face. “You speak the truth. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll leave the picture by getting killed off on some mission due to your inadequacy.”

Luna stamps her hoof very loudly. “Bite your tongue!” She takes another step towards Blueblood and the room literally darkens, causing him to retreat several steps. “How dare you say such a thing about the one I love?!” Another step and she is already standing over him with a fierce glare. “Apologise… Right. This. Instant.” Scary. It's awesome to have her on my side.

Blueblood is now shaking, and he bows his head. “I am very sorry, Aunty Luna and Sir Travis… I have clearly overstepped my bounds. What I said was very wrong and cruel, and it was uncalled for…”

Luna relaxes, and the darkness recedes to allow the room to lighten up once more. “Very well. I hope that you think about what you have said and about your behaviour. You have behaved in a very spoiled and selfish way for the whole time I have known you. That needs to change if you are to represent the royal line, lest you taint everypony’s view of us… Think of how you might better represent Equestrian values in the future.”

Blueblood nervously nods. “Y-yes, I will…”

After he recomposes himself, I decide to speak up again. “I understand that you don’t like me, but perhaps you could attempt to hold a deal with me that I have in mind?”

Blueblood looks at me. “What kind of deal could you possibly offer me?”

I smile. “If I decide to choose the option of joining the Equestrian military, then you have to stop looking down on those with common birth and be kind and fair. What do you think about that?”

There is a short pause, before he responds. “I could go for such a deal, if you also take part in a real battle.”

Luna puts a hoof on my shoulder. “Travis, please think about this. Do not get caught up in trying to prove yourself to Blueblood. I have already told him to think about his behaviour.”

I gently place my hand on her hoof, tenderly grabbing it. “I know, and I only said that if I do decide to go with the military option; emphasis on if. Besides, I doubt just telling him to fix his attitude will do the job. If it’s done in a deal, then he couldn’t possibly ignore it with his honour intact.”

Blueblood nods solemnly. “So, what say you to my counter offer?”

I let go of Luna's hoof to hold my hand out to him. “It’s a deal; being in a real battle would’ve been part of the plan anyway if I choose to join the Equestrian military.”

“Very well.” His hoof meets my hand to shake on the deal. “I must admit that I respect you for making a deal that will clearly put your life on the line.”

I look into his eyes and let go of his hoof. “That’s good to hear. Although, you better be a far kinder and fairer stallion by the time I uphold my part of the deal.”

He bows his head, before looking back into my eyes. “Of course, that is if you do uphold your end of the deal. Whether you were to return or fall in battle doing so, I will fulfil my part of it.”

I nod. “Well, I’ve got a week to decide whether I want to go through with it or not… Although this sure is quite a bit of incentive to do it.”

Luna kisses the top of my head. “Just remember that this is not a competition. There are always other ways.”

I softly nuzzle her back. “I know…”

Luna then pulls away and looks down at Blueblood. “Now, do you have anything else that we must discuss?”

He shakes his head. “No, I am satisfied with the result of this conversation. If Travis puts his life on the line, then I cannot oppose you courting each other. Farewell, Aunty Luna and Sir Travis.” Blueblood then nods his farewell.

Luna nods her respect. “Farewell indeed, Blueblood, we shall see you next week at a dinner function that Fancy Pants is holding. You will know by then whether Travis is going through with the deal or not.”

I nod after her. “Yeah, good bye for now. See you next week.”

“Very well, next week it shall be.” Blueblood then leaves the throne room seemingly far less upset than when he entered; very different compared to his last court visit.

Luna hugs me with her wings from behind as we are left alone. “I still feel that you are being hasty in making such a deal with him… But I admire you for doing so, as it may be just what he needs to change his attitude. In my opinion, you are already doing good for the kingdom. Just… Be sure to think it through completely over the week, Travis.”

I lean back into her hug, reaching up to lovingly stroke the side of her neck. “Maybe I am being a little reckless, but it’ll be worth it in the end. And of course, I’ll think it through, Luna…”

We let go of each other and Luna continues night court. The rest of it goes by as we address the concerns of the upper-class ponies; letting them know that there are plans for me. We aren’t as specific as we were with Blueblood though. There are also a few other ponies who aren’t upper-class that simply come to congratulate Luna on finding a ‘special somepony’ as they say. Their visits definitely help keep our spirits up during court. By the end of court however, I feel pretty tired and kind of hungry. It’s been such an eventful day…

Chapter Twenty-Four

After court we make our way to the dining hall, with me on Luna’s back, since I’m still in pain from the transformation earlier today. Luna orders some kind of soup and wine, while I order some fish and hard cider; transforming today has really made me want some meat. I can’t wait until there are more meat options from whatever trades that Celestia might make with the griffons. The wait for our meals isn’t very long and so I eagerly eat my fish. It’s good, but I could really use some red meat soon. We don’t really talk during dinner; I think we’re both too tired from the exhausting day.

When we finish eating, we both head up to our bed chambers. Luna gently sits me down on the bed and takes off her royal regalia. I take off my cape and new clothes, and Luna neatly puts them away. I then crawl under the sheets, Luna following me and snuggling closely. I nuzzle her and kiss her cheek. “Oh, it’s been such a tiring day, Luna… It feels so good to finally be in bed.”

Luna nuzzles me back and returns the kiss. “Indeed, it has, Travis… I am so proud of you for making the announcement with me, and for taking a more active part in court… But I am beginning to worry about you… I do not want you to be in the military…”

“I know that… But it might be for the best… But then again, I don’t really know… I mean, it’ll be good for getting the nobles on our side, and for hopefully making Blueblood a better stallion… And some part of me just wants to do it… But I don’t want to leave you alone either… And the more reasonable side of me is telling me that I’m not a soldier, and that I shouldn’t risk my life unless I absolutely need to…”

Luna lets out a sigh. “I really hope that you choose to stay with me in Canterlot… But I will not oppose you if your final decision is to go along with Fancy’s idea… I cannot deny that circumstances have changed substantially since we first talked about you keeping me company… Travis, if you do decide to go, promise me that you will write me letters as often as possible.”

I snuggle a little closer to her. “Of course, Luna. I promise that if I go along with the military option, I will write you letters whenever I can.” I fondly kiss her lips.

“Thank you… I love you, Travis.” Luna lovingly kisses me back.

“I love you too, Luna.” I kiss her again and slide my tongue out to her lips, which she allows into her mouth. I then affectionately caress her side as we make out. Luna is also stroking my side and my back with her hoof and a wing. Nothing is different this time compared to any other times we’ve made out, but I feel myself growing a little aroused, so I break the kiss. Well… I don’t think I want to do that kind of thing at the moment, even if my body might have other plans.

Luna looks into my eyes and softly brushes my cheek with a hoof. “Is something wrong, my love?” I guess she noticed something off from the way I broke the kiss…

“Um… Not necessarily. Nothing is wrong per say…” I blush and can’t quite look her in the eye. “But I’m in kind of an awkward situation…”

“What kind of awk-” Luna cuts herself off as she shifts a bit, incidentally rubbing against the bulge in my underwear. “I see…” She blushes. “There is nothing wrong with being aroused, Travis… We are a couple after all… W-Would you like to… Do… Do something about it?”

I shake my head. “N-No… I don’t, uh, think so… Which is why it’s kind of awkward…” Crap! I better clarify that I don’t mean not at all! “N-Not that I wouldn’t want to do something with you sometime! Just… Not yet…”

Luna comfortingly strokes my hair with a lingering blush. “I understand… Perhaps we could try to focus on something else if you would like to?”

I smile and nod lightly. “That would be a good idea… How about you try to teach me about lucid dreaming, before we go to sleep?”

Luna gives me a warm smile. “I can tell you about the basics, although you probably will not succeed tonight; it takes a while, before your mind is able to do it."

“That’s cool, as long as I get a start on it.”

“Very well… For starters, it is a good practice to pay extra attention to your surroundings, even when you are awake. You must question yourself whether you are dreaming or not and perform reality checks to determine the answer. It should suffice to see if you can feel pain, and attempt to do something impossible.”

“Pain should be pretty simple; just pinch myself or something every now and then, right? And define impossible… A bunch of things that have happened to me recently would be considered impossible on Earth.”

“Yes, pinching yourself works.” Luna then giggles as I ask her to define impossible. “You could attempt to do something without magic. For example, you could see if you can push one of your hands through another one of your hands. Or you could see if you can hover on your own, considering you do not have the ability to do so.”

I nod. “Right, that makes sense… So, what do I do after that?”

“Before you go to sleep, while you are in bed, you should recite in your head that you are going to sleep to have a dream.”

“Okay, anything else?”

She shakes her head with a smile. “No, that should be all for now.”

I nod. “Awesome. Pay attention to my surroundings, perform reality checks, and tell myself I’m going to sleep to have a dream. Got it.”

“Yes, that is it, Travis.” Luna kisses my forehead.

I kiss the underside of her muzzle. I then decide to pinch myself – which does sting a little – and then I try to phase my hand through myself. Obviously, I’m not dreaming now, but it’s a good idea to get into the habit of regular reality checks. “Well, I’m gonna try to sleep now. Good night, Luna.”

She holds me a little closer. “Good night, Travis.”

I close my eyes and relax as we are snuggled closely. I’m going to sleep to have a dream. I’m going to sleep to have a dream. I’m going to sleep to have a dream. I continue to tell myself in my head. I soon give in to my tiredness.

I open my eyes. Where the hell am I? It seems to be sunset, and there are fires and smoke all around. There’s screaming and shouting. Some of it sounds like it’s done out of pain, some of it out of anger, and some of it sounds like orders. I blink and look around again. There are two masses of people charging each other. Some of them are humans, and others are ponies. I’m now in one of the groups, and at the front. How did I get here? Some guy – a human – swings a sword right at me and I raise my arm in defence. I have a shield now? It blocks his attack, and so I make a counter-attack with a sword of my own. I slash his throat and his blood rushes out over me. He clutches at his throat and drops to the floor. What the fuck is going on?!

There are ponies on either side of me and they are also locked in deadly combat with the army in front of us. I am forced to pay attention as a spear nearly stabs me. It was a unicorn stallion who made the attack. Before he can retract the spear, I step into reach and plunge my blade through his chest. The unicorn lets out a cry of pain and drops as I pull out my sword. The ponies beside me step forward with me. Somewhere there is a call from behind. “Raise your shields!” Why? I look up and see a volley of arrows falling towards us. Shit! I crouch down and lift my shield above my head. The ponies beside me weren’t so quick.

I feel something odd and overpowering, which causes me to drop my shield. No. Fuck! I need it. Why did I drop it? I look down and see a spear lodged in my belly; my blood running down its length. Fuck! Fuck! Shit! I feel sick. I look up to see an earth pony holding the spear. I then see a man, and a unicorn approach with swords at the ready. I try to raise my sword to defend myself, but I can’t… They both stab at me with their blades… Time seems to slow as the points get closer to my chest… Then… They stop. There is a bright flash of light and the battle is no more. The spear is no longer in my belly, and I’m perfectly fine. I can’t help but shake uncontrollably and breathe rapidly. I thought I was gonna die…

My vision is then filled with a familiar dark blue, and Luna hugs me tightly with her wings and hooves. “Travis. It is okay… I am here now… It is just a dream…”

Oh… Right… I laugh nervously as I become lucid. “You were right about not being able to become lucid on my own first try…” I bury my face in her fluffy chest and nuzzle her firmly. “Fuck… I thought I was going to die… I’m glad you came to make me lucid…”

Luna rubs my back firmly, and quickly. It kind of feels like she’s nervous too. “I would never leave you with such a nightmare… You are all right… You will be all right…” It almost sounds like she’s reassuring herself as well.

I try my best to comfort her as well, petting the sides of her neck and holding her close. “Yeah, it was just a nightmare. There’s nothing to worry about. Of course, I’ll be all right.”

Luna takes a deep breath and pulls away to look into my eyes. “That may have just been a nightmare, but it might not be in the future… If you choose to join the military…” She closes her eyes and takes a few more deep breaths. “It is obvious that is why you had such a nightmare…”

I look back into her eyes and sigh. “I know… Joining the military and going to a real battle is dangerous… I might… I might die… But I doubt I’ll be in the front line if the attachment is ordered to protect me for your sake. I’ll probably be in the back somewhere. Maybe I’ll shoot some arrows in a volley or something.”

Luna shakes her head. “You have not seen or experienced a real battle. It may start with a plan… But it becomes chaos… And being at the back is not always the safest place. It is possible for the enemy to flank you and attack from the sides or from behind… There is no safe place in a battle.”

I nod and brush her cheek. “I know… I’m just trying to comfort you… You seem just as worried as me, if not more so… But still, the attachment will train and prepare me, and more importantly protect me. I know that no place is safe in a battle, but I’ll be safer than the others there.”

Luna sighs. “I feel like you have already made up your mind on it. You never needed that week to decide, did you?”

I look down. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll need the whole week, and I’m definitely leaning towards going, but I’m not certain. I guess I thought that the week would allow me to be more certain…” I look back up at her. “And I also wanted to take the week for you.”

Luna nods with a sad smile. “Thank you for taking the week for me… But I want to know, after this nightmare, are you more certain or less certain of your decision?”

I laugh a bit. “The nightmare sure made me more scared, but it was just a nightmare. After talking to you though, and thinking some more, I feel more certain.” I gently run a hand through her flowing mane. “Before I came to Equestria, I was considering joining the military in Australia, but I decided against it. Not necessarily because I was against the idea, but because I didn’t feel like I could fight for my country… Or any country on Earth for that matter… I might be really new here, but Equestria seems like it would be worth fighting for. Not to mention that I wouldn’t just be fighting for Equestria, but also for you.” I plant a soft kiss on her lips.

Luna returns the kiss. “I am honoured that you would fight for me… But I don’t want you to put yourself in danger for me…” She shakes her head, but then looks into my eyes. “However, if you feel that is what you must do, then I will not stop you…”

I nod. “Thanks… And now that I think about it, couldn’t you visit my dreams whenever our sleep schedules align, and you aren’t busy helping anybody else with their dreams? We could see each other during our sleep instead of me writing letters, although I’ll still write them if you want, since I did promise.”

“Yes, I could…” Luna giggles. “I do not know why I did not think of that myself, but I would still like you to write letters in addition to dream visits. If you write letters, I will have something physical to keep while you are away.”

I smile and give her a quick peck on the lips. “Of course, I will still write you letters.”

Luna smiles too and pecks me back. “Thank you, Travis my love… I will hold you to that.”

“You’re more than welcome, Luna sweetie… I wouldn’t expect anything less.” I idly stroke her ethereal mane. “So, would you like to do anything now in my dream?”

“Not that I can think of. Perhaps we should simply sleep? We did have an exhausting day after all.”

I chuckle. “Sounds good to me.” I focus and make us appear at the side of a bed, in the dream setting that Luna showed me before. The one with the big bioluminescent flower tree and the island with peaceful water surrounding it. We crawl into bed for the second time this night and snuggle closely. “Good night, Luna… Again.” I chuckle a little more and kiss her nose.

Luna giggles with me. “Yes, good night again, Travis.” She kisses my nose back and closes her eyes. I soon follow suit and close my eyes as well, drifting away into a dreamless sleep.

Author's Note

Would you look at that? Another chapter not even a whole 24 hours later! Writing this while bludging in class sure does lead to a lot more writing being done.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I wake up in Luna’s warm and close embrace. It feels like she’s holding me particularly tight this morning, although she’s still asleep. I keep close to her and try not to shift around too much so that I don’t wake her. I get the sense that she wants me to stay as a way to protect me. I mean, it’s obvious that she doesn’t want me to get hurt and that she’s worried, but there’s also been a sense of protectiveness from her. I really appreciate it, but I wish I could do something to protect her… Even though she’s clearly on a whole other level in terms of power compared to most other ponies. She probably doesn’t need protecting; the least of all by me… But it feels instinctive that I should at least try.

After some time, Luna wakes up and looks into my eyes. “Good morning, Travis dear.” She then gives me a peck on the lips.

I look back into her eyes and peck her back, tenderly stroking her mane. “Good morning, Luna sweetie.”

Luna gently rubs my chest with a hoof. “Do you have any ideas of what you might want to do today?”

I place my free hand on her hoof. “Well, I really liked archery yesterday… Would you mind if we did some more today?”

Luna smiles. “I would not mind at all. I would love to do some more archery with you today. However, archery will not take the whole day… Do you know if there is anything else you might like to do before or after archery?”

I smile back. “Awesome… And since the more I think about things, the more certain I become of joining the military… Perhaps we could have some friendly training and sparring with whatever ponies use in battle?”

Luna’s smile fades slightly. “I suppose that would be best for you… If you truly are set on joining the military.”

I nod. “I’m not one hundred percent sure, but fairly close… Maybe ninety or ninety-five percent sure that I’ll be going. It might be silly of me – since you’re so powerful and clearly able to protect yourself – but I also wish I could have the ability to protect you. Joining and serving in the Equestrian military will help me with that.”

Luna kisses my cheek. “I do not want you to risk your life for me, but I understand why you feel that way. It would be wrong of me to reject such an honest and true instinct. I just hope that you understand I have the same protective instinct over you.”

I return the kiss. “Yeah, I know and understand. It was easy for me to see that you were trying to protect me during court last night.”

“That is good, as long as you understand.” Luna stretches a little. “Shall we get out of bed and have a bath?”

“Sure, that sounds like a good idea.” I stretch a bit as well.

“Very well.” Luna gets out of bed and I soon follow her out. We go into the bathroom and run a bath, then we help clean each other; apart from our privates, like last time we bathed together. When we finish, Luna puts on her regalia, while I put on my still new clothes. It’ll be good to have some more clothes like this so that I can still be wearing nice clothes while these ones get washed. I don’t really feel like wearing my old clothes, especially since I will end up at court tonight anyway. Oh, I also still need proper shoes that go with my new outfit.

There is a knock at the door. “Princess Luna and Sir Travis,” It’s Midnight Blockade judging by the voice. “there is a cobbler here at the request of Travis, asking for permission to enter so that he may be fitted for new shoes.” I swear that Equestria has a strangely cosmic and impeccable sense of timing.

“Yeah, I did ask for a cobbler yesterday when I was getting groomed for the announcement. Let him in.”

“Yes, Sir.”

After a short wait, the doors to our chamber open and a light brown earth pony stallion walks in, bowing to Luna. “Good morning, Princess Luna and Sir Travis.” He has a semi-short and neat, light tan mane and tail, and hazel eyes. His voice sounds kinda deep, but not completely deep. He also seems to be wearing a couple of saddle bags and has a cutie mark of some tool; probably to do with making shoes.

I give him a friendly smile. “Good morning… What’s your name?”

He rises from his bow to look up at me. “My name is Tough Boot, Sir. I’m here because you asked for a cobbler. So, what kind of shoes or boots might you be looking to have made for you?”

“Well, I need some sort of dress shoes to go with this outfit…” I guess I also need something for when I join the military. I doubt they’ll have any boots a human could wear. “And I might also need some boots more suited for battle, but please keep it on the down low if possible. Only a few ponies know that I might see battle, and I’d rather keep it that way until announced.”

Tough looks me up and down, before nodding. “Dress shoes should be simple enough to make… And I might be able to do something about boots for battle, but you would be better off talking to the royal armourer. I can of course keep my lips sealed about you possibly going to battle.”

Luna speaks up. “I can take you to see the armourer after breakfast, if you would like. It would be wise to do so, so that you can be fitted for a proper set of armour.”

I look to her. “Okay, that’s a good idea, thanks, Luna.”

Luna gives me a kind smile. “You are welcome, Travis.”

I then look back at Tough. “I guess you don’t have to worry about the protective boots then.”

“That would be best.” He brings out a collapsible stool and some measuring tape from his saddlebags. “Put a hoof up on this stool.”

I nod and step onto the stool with one foot. “Just curious; have you ever made shoes for a foot like mine?”

Tough begins measuring my foot and shakes his head. “Not exactly like yours, but I have worked on non-pony shoes before.” He then takes out a notepad and quill from one of his bags and writes some notes. He’s pretty quick at taking all of the measurements. “You can take your ‘foot’ off of the stool now.”

“Right.” I bring my foot back down to the floor.

Tough puts the stool and tape away, while keeping his quill and notepad ready. “So, do you have any preferences for the material?”

“Well… On Earth, dress shoes are made of leather… I don’t expect you to have or use any, but perhaps you have some sort of alternative?”

He nods and dismissively waves a hoof. “Oh, it’s no bother to use leather. I believe that I got some from a griffon friend a while back.”

I give him a smile. “That would be perfect then.”

“Consider it done.” Tough writes a little in his notepad. “Is there anything else within my skill-set that you might like to have made for you?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so, I just need that one pair of shoes from you. How long do you think it’ll take?”

Tough puts his notepad and quill away, then strokes his chin. “If I were to start right away, I can have them ready in two days.”

“That sounds good.” I hold my hand out for a handshake. “Thanks for working on this, Tough, I hope you have a good day.”

Tough shakes my hand. “You’re welcome, Sir Travis, and I hope you do too.” He then bows to Luna. “And may you also have a good day, Princess Luna.”

Luna nods to him. “Indeed, farewell, good cobbler Tough.” He leaves with a quick, but not rushed pace. She then turns to me and gives me a peck on the cheek. “Shall we go have some breakfast?”

I smile and kiss her back. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” We head down our tower and to the dining hall. We both have pancakes for breakfast, while Luna has coffee and I have a hot chocolate. The food here is amazing as usual.

After the servants collect the dishes, we get up and Luna breaks the silence. “So, shall we go to see the armourer now?”

I walk over to her and wrap an arm around her withers. “Sure, it’ll be pretty cool to have some armour.”

Luna wraps a wing around my shoulders. “More importantly, it will give you protection if you go through with joining the military.” She leads me down some corridors to a part of the castle I haven’t seen yet, and we soon arrive at what seems to be a smithy, or armoury, or whatever it’s called. There’s a massive variety of weapons and pony fitting armour on racks along the walls. In the corner is a large, heavy set earth pony stallion sharpening a sword on a grindstone. He has a dark grey coat, with a rugged, silvery mane, tail, and thick beard. His eyes are the colour of molten metal and his cutie mark is a hammer and sword.

Luna speaks up over the sound of the grinding. “Steel Temper, is your brother here?”

The stallion pulls the sword away from the grindstone. “Aye, Princess, he’s in the back workin’ on some new ideas o’ his.” He points to a set of doors. His voice is a very deep baritone and almost sounds Scottish, but not quite.

“Very good, thank you.” Luna then leads me to those doors and she knocks on them. The stallion continues grinding the sword. “Excuse me, I would like to talk about making a request for a unique set of armour. May I come in?”

“Aye, please do, Princess.” This new stallion’s voice is similar to the last, although just a little bit higher pitched. Luna opens the door and we walk in. This stallion looks very much like his brother, except for the fact that his hair is slightly paler, he’s not quite as big, and his cutie mark is a hammer and a shield. Currently he seems to be drawing some designs onto a large piece of paper, but he soon stops to bow to Luna. “Good morning, Princess. Ye’re interested in ordering a unique set o’ armour ye say?”

Luna nods. “Good morning, Steel Fit, and yes, I would like you to make some battle-ready armour for Travis here.” She gives me a light nuzzle.

Steel Fit looks me over. “Hmmm, unique’s sure the right word, and for yer special someone no less. I wouldn’t’ve thought ye’d let ‘im go to battle.”

Luna shakes her head. “I would greatly prefer him to stay away from battle, but something needs to be done about certain matters, and he is quite set on going with the Equestrian military.” She looks at me with concern, then looks at Fit. “So, can you make something for him?”

He nods and replaces the paper on his bench with a clean sheet. “Aye. O’ course, I can. I wouldn’t be the royal armourer otherwise.” Fit looks at me. “So, Travis, have ye ever worn armour before?”

I make an uncertain gesture with my hand. I went to LARP a few times and some guy lent me some of his armour once or twice. “Kind of, but not really. I’ve worn some thin metal breast plate, bracers, and greaves, but I don’t know if they were actually battle-ready or not. It was for a pretend game, and I only wore them on occasion, since I was borrowing from somebody else.”

“I see…” Fit writes down some notes on the corner of the blank page. “Do ye think ye can wear full plate armour, or would ye prefer somethin’ light, or maybe somethin’ in between?”

“I’m not sure… If it isn’t too much trouble, maybe you can make it so that I can easily customise the set to be full or partial? If not, then maybe you could make a full plate set, as well as a more middle ground kind of set?”

Fit taps his quill against the bench for a bit. “Hmmm, it’d be best if I make two separate sets. Removing pieces from a full plate set would provide ye with more vulnerabilities than if ye were to just wear a properly made middle weight set.”

“Right, that makes sense; I’m happy with that.” I’m gonna get two sets of armour; that’s actually really cool.

Fit jots down some more notes, before looking at Luna. “Since this is for yer special someone, I’m assumin’ ye want me to spare no expense on makin’ it all top grade?”

She nods. “Most definitely. I expect the armour to be of the highest quality; on par with Celestia’s and my own armour. I want Travis to have the best protection possible.”

“Aye… Thought that’d be the case.” Fit continues to write notes onto the paper. “And how soon do ye need them finished?”

“They need to be completed as soon as possible; the middle weight set sooner than the full plate set. However, if they must be delayed, then so be it; corners cannot be cut in the process of making Travis’ armour.”

“O’ course, o’ course.” Fit writes ‘ASAP’ with quite a bit of emphasis on the page. He then pulls out some measuring tape and looks at me. “Lift ye arms for me.”

I nod and lift my arms. “So, you’ve worked with beings before who have arms?”

Fit starts taking all different kinds of measurements, just as much as Rarity made, if not more. “Aye. I once made a ceremonial armour for a minotaur as a diplomatic gift… Now show me yer hands.”

“Sure.” I lower my hands to be closer to his level and spread my fingers out.

He uses a very little tape to measure my hands, as well as the individual fingers on both hands. I would’ve thought he only needed to measure one hand, but I guess he’s trying to be as precise as possible. He then mutters to himself. “Hmmm, five digits; the minotaur only had four.” After finishing with my hands, he speaks up more clearly. “Can ye kneel down for me so I can measure yer head?” I kneel for him and he takes the measurements of my head. “That’s almost all I need for now.”

I stand back up straight. “For now?”

Fit gives me a nod. “Aye, almost. If ye give me any ideas for decoration or theme, then I can draw a variety of designs now. However, I’ll be needing ye back here tonight to choose which ye like best.”

“Well, I’d like to keep my theme consistent between formal clothes and functional armour.” I turn around and show him my cape. “So, try to base it around wolves and the moon.”

Fit writes down a little more, before putting the quill down. “Consider it done.”

“Cool, thanks heaps for working on this, Fit.” I hold my hand towards him. “So, see you tonight… Any specific time?”

Fit shakes my hand. “Yer welcome, and anytime tonight’s fine, although the later the better. I tend to work late, ‘specially when it’s designin’ armour for a unique form like yer own.”

“I guess we’ll come after night court then.” I look at Luna. “What do you think, Luna?”

She gives me a smile. “That suits me just fine.” Luna then looks at Fit. “We shall come by to see your designs after night court; so, expect us to arrive after ten.”

Fit nods with a smile. “That’s a good time; I’ll have come up with a bunch o’ designs by then.”

“Thank you for taking this order, Steel Fit; it is of utmost importance to have armour ready for Travis before he sees battle.”

Fit gives her a deep bow. “Yer more than welcome, Princess; it’s an honour to work on an order for ye.”

Luna looks out a window for a moment – probably gauging the time based on the sun –, then back to him. “I believe we shall be off now; we will see you tonight. Farewell.”

I smile and follow up. “Yeah, see you tonight, Fit. Bye for now.”

Fit nods. “Aye, see ye both tonight; may ye both have a good day. Good bye.” He then immediately sits at his bench to begin sketching ideas for my armour.

We leave him to do his work, and Luna gives me a gentle nuzzle. “Would you like to go out to do some archery now?”

I nuzzle her back. “Yeah, I’d love to.” We then make our way towards the gardens.

Chapter One

I’m in my friend’s house as he is setting up some sort of summoning circle or something in his spare room. His name is Jack and tends to have an interest in the occult and eldritch. We’ve been friends since high school, since I was the only person happy to have him as a friend. I suppose a similar thing could be said about myself, I’m not good at socialising with many people other than Jack.

He is wearing a black t-shirt and dark blue jeans. He looks up at me with an excited smile, his brown eyes hard to see in the candlelit room. “Ready to try out this ritual, Travis?”

That’s my name, although I suppose I don’t really need to say that. I give him a nervous smile, unsure of whether this will actually do anything or will be another false ritual that does nothing. “I suppose so, although after all the different rituals we’ve tried, I don’t know if this one will be the real deal or not.”

Jack chuckles. “Yeah, I know what you mean, but I have a good feeling about it this time.” He looks down into an open book that he has in his hand. It is a grimoire I believe, if he’s taught me anything about this kind of stuff. “Apparently one of us needs to sit inside the circle, whilst the other reads the incantations.”

I look around the dimly lit room as I think. What if this actually does something? What will happen? Nah, I’ll be fine, I trust Jack. “Since I’m no good with reading that strange language, I guess I’m the one to be in the circle?”

He nods. “Of course, who knows what can go wrong if anything is pronounced wrong?”

I look around once more and check my phone, it is approaching 3 am, the witching hour. There don’t seem to be any messages for me, but that’s expected. I then slowly walk into the circle and sit down with my legs crossed. “Before you start… Do you even know what this thing does?”

Jack nods again, although somewhat uncertainly. “Yes… It is to infuse your mind with eldritch knowledge… Then with that knowledge you can do the same for me tomorrow…”

I stare at Jack for a moment. “Isn’t that dangerous? If I know anything from reading H.P. Lovecraft, it’s that eldritch knowledge could drive me insane…”

He shakes his head this time, his black hair getting in the way of his eyes for a moment. “No, that’s just fiction, not real magick. Besides, it’s possible nothing will happen at all.”

“All right… Fine… Go ahead.” I close my eyes and begin to shake a little. Even if that is fiction, something terrible could happen if this ritual works… I then hear Jack beginning with the chanting. I couldn’t say what language it was, or how ancient it may or may not be. So far, nothing… Until I feel a slight buzz… No way… I open my eyes to see the circle glowing a bit… The chanting intensifies to the point where it becomes frightening… Something that couldn’t possibly come from a human mouth… Jack’s eyes are shut and he isn’t even looking into the grimoire… Not only that, but he’s levitating a tiny bit from the ground… I have second thoughts, but it’s too late… There is a bright flash and all of a sudden, I’m not in Jack’s house anymore…

I feel exhausted… I try to look around, but I’m too dizzy... What happened? Where am I? I close my eyes until I feel my head stop spinning. I open my eyes and attempt to get my bearings. I’m in a garden somewhere, and it seems to be night. I notice a fountain and crawl towards it. It takes so much energy. The fountain seems to have clear, reflective water inside. I see my reflection due to the bright moonlight. My dark brown hair looks unkempt, and my blue eyes tired. Turning around, I prop my back against the fountain edge. I check my clothes, my white t-shirt seems fine, although my black jeans are scuffed with grass. Looking up, there appears to be some sort of mansion or castle in front of me.

I’m so confused… Did that ritual teleport me somewhere? I thought it was meant to grant me eldritch knowledge… How far away from Jack’s house? Am I even still in Australia anymore? And what about Earth? No… That’s too far. This whole thing is impossible. I must have become unconscious… Am I dreaming? I pinch myself. Damn! That actually hurt… This whole thing is ridiculous. I mean, come on. Could Jack have been right about this actually being real? He was wrong though about what that ritual does… Unless he pronounced something incorrectly? I need to stop thinking about all of this. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself. Maybe things will go back to normal in a moment. Perhaps I’ll get sent back.

There is a sound of rushing footsteps. Something is off though. They sound like hooves as they make a clip clop on what must be stone. I can’t believe it as I see a horse with a magical flowing mane. Its coat seems to nearly match the colour of the night sky. The horse has a horn though, and wings. It also seems to be wearing a tiara or crown of some sort, as well as some kind of collar with a crescent moon on it. This horned, winged horse also appears to be wearing what I can only describe as metal shoes that cover the hooves.

I try to be still as the dark blue horse is towering above me. I don’t know what to expect or do, I haven’t really been around many horses in my life prior to this. Whatever I do, I don’t want to provoke it.

To my absolute surprise, it speaks, and has a firm feminine voice. “Art thou all right?”

My jaw drops and I shake my head, rubbing my face. What the fuck? It’s speaking… This seriously can’t be real… Maybe I’m not dreaming, but tripping out… Can a ritual even cause a trip though?

What I assume is a she continues to talk. “Doth thou understand us? Can thou speak?”

I blink a few times and somehow find my voice. “Y-Yeah… I understand… B-But, how can you talk? Is this real life?”

She gives me a strange look. “We learnt as a young filly to speak and read. Why should we not be able to speak?” The mare giggles lightly. “And yes, this is real life.”

This is just so crazy… That’s it, I must be insane… The eldritch knowledge turned me bat-shit crazy… I’m sure of it… Oh well… I suppose I’ll try to keep going… “Wh-Where am I? And who are you?”

The mare raises an eyebrow. “Thou art in the Canterlot Castle garden. And how could thou not know us? We art Princess Luna, the princess of the night. What of thou?”

I try to take in this new information. “Well, I’ve n-never heard of Canterlot Castle, Princess. My name is Travis… I don’t know exactly how I got here… Just that there was some sort of ritual that went wrong… You think I’m crazy right? Rituals shouldn’t be real.”

Luna shakes her head. “Travis… An intriguing name, but it is clear that thou art not a pony. We do not believe that you are crazy, rituals do exist… Although they are only performed in dark magic… Art thou a dark wizard?”

This time I shake my head. So, this princess is a pony, not a horse. “No, I’m not… My friend performed the ritual… But he’s not a dark wizard… At least, I don’t think he is. Just a guy who studies the occult…” I sigh and take another few deep breaths. “Look… This is a lot for me to take in… Where I come from, ponies don’t speak, nor are they civilised… No offense.”

Luna puts a hoof on my shoulder and looks into my eyes. Her eyes are a bright blue. “None taken… We understand that thou must be very confused. It would seem that thou art from another world… As a Princess of Equestria, we have a duty to ensure the safety of the land, its inhabitants, and visitors.”

I nod. It would appear that this Princess Luna isn’t unreasonable. Also, I know now the name of this world or country… Then I remember that I’m very tired. That’s when it hits me, my eyelids getting heavy. I won’t be awake for much longer.

“Travis? Stay awake Tr…” I hear her say, before blacking out.

Chapter Six

When we get to the library, I take my time to truly appreciate its size and scope, since last time I saw it was during a tour. Each subject seems to have its own wing in the library, as well as a wing devoted to some unicorn stallion called Star Swirl the Bearded. I’ll have to inquire about that sometime later, he must be important to have his own wing.

After properly scouting out the library, I sit down with Luna at a desk in what must be the history wing. There is a small pile of books that Luna had selected sitting on the desk. Every book on the desk has an intricately designed hard cover. I look up at Luna from the books. “So, are these the books about the basic history of Equestria?”

Luna smiles and nods in affirmation. “They are indeed, although we only need to read a few chapters from each. Unless you would prefer to read them all from start to finish.”

They are pretty thick books; I don’t think I’d want to read all of it straight away. Maybe sometime later I could take more time with them, but I should probably just stick with the important chapters for now. “No, just the essential chapters would be better for now.”

“Of course, it would take us a rather long time to read the entirety of them.” Luna lifts a book over from the pile with her magic. “This is the book that we should begin with.”

I smile at Luna. This is going to be so interesting. I’m actually going to be learning the history of a whole new world. “Are we going to read them in the order of each one going back, or in the order of when the history took place?”

Luna giggles softly and opens the book. “In the order of when it took place, of course. Do humans learn history backwards?”

I chuckle a bit too. “It depends what type of history it is, and however we feel like learning it.”

“Would you rather learn it going backwards?”

I shake my head. “Nah, going from the start is more my style.”

Luna smiles. “Very well, I shall continue as planned.” She flicks between the pages telekinetically until she finds the chapter she’s looking for. “For now, I will teach you the history of the Equestrian Kingdom. If you wish to learn the history of other lands in our world, I could teach you another time.”

Hmmm, she didn't say other lands in Equestria, but other lands in 'our world'… Does this mean that Equestria is just a country on a planet? “Isn’t Equestria the name of this world?”

Luna shakes her head. “No, Equestria is the name of our fair nation. This world goes by many names depending on whether you are talking to an Equestrian, dragon, griffon or so on. Ponies and most Equestrian citizens call the world Equus, however for example, griffons call it Grypem. When the world is discussed between the different cultures, it has been agreed upon to neutrally refer to it as Mundus.”

I nod… Wait, did she just say griffons and dragons? “Ah, I see, that is pretty interesting to know. It also makes sense though that it’s called different things. It’s the same on Earth, due to different languages and cultures. Also, did I hear you correctly? Did you just say that there are griffons and dragons?”

Luna nods back with a soft smile. “You did in fact hear me correctly. There are indeed griffons and dragons both in Equestria and other lands. The griffons used to have a sprawling kingdom, but I have been told that their kingdom has suffered a terrible degradation during the time I was gone.

“As for dragons, not much is known about them. They are sapient, yet do not seem to have any form of kingdom, but due to our lack of knowledge it isn’t out of the question. Once in a generation they migrate as a group, however most of their late life is spent in solitude hoarding gems and treasures.”

I nod even more, absolutely loving all of this new information. I mean, dragons, do I need to say anything else? This place is so crazy; I have to find what other mythological beings live here. “What other sapient races are there with full civilisations?”

Luna giggles softly. “I can list a few more, but I will only go into very little detail about them, lest we not have time to learn any Equestrian history.”

I pay her eager attention and nod, wanting to know what else there is. “I’m all ears, this is so awesome to me.”

“Hmmm, there are minotaurs, diamond dogs, centaurs, yaks, changelings and more. Minotaurs have a large and powerful stature. Diamond dogs burrow and live underground, and are usually focused on acquiring gems. Centaurs are not very well known, but Equestria had to face a power hungry centaur recently. Yaks are rather militaristic and live past the Frozen North.

And finally, changelings, who are similar in build to ponies, but are like insects. They have the power to transform into the appearance of others and feed off of love. The changeling hive is a declared enemy to Equestria after they had attempted to perform a hostile takeover of Canterlot during a royal wedding.”

Wow, Equestria sounds like a rather eventful place to live. Changelings and power hungry centaurs are dangers that are faced here, not to mention Luna’s past as Nightmare Moon. “Will I learn about the changeling attack and that centaur by the end of learning the history of Equestria?”

Luna gives me a gentle smile. “If you so wish to learn of those events. After all, they are in the past now, and therefore history.” She then magically lifts the book up that she had opened before. “Shall I begin teaching you now?”

I sit upright in a form of attention and focus. “Yes please, I’m really eager to get started.”

Luna giggles again and smirks a little. “Forgive my laughter, you simply seem to be very much like Twilight Sparkle when it comes to having an interest in history and learning.”

Twilight sounds like a pony that I could get along with fairly easily. I wonder if she’ll come by the castle today to discuss the whole portal thing? “She sounds like somebody I’d really like to meet, hopefully she’ll be able to see me today or sometime soon.”

“Indeed, Twilight’s visit is also rather important due to her experience with beings of similar stature to you, and to discuss the possibilities of a portal… To send you home…” Luna looks down at the table slightly distantly.

I almost mirror her. I’m not really all that keen on going back to Earth, but I understand why it would be considered the right thing to do. “You know, even if a portal is made that could take me back, I’m not sure if I would actually go. If it was capable of a return trip, then perhaps I’d go to let my family know about me being fine, but then I’d come back here. You have no need to worry about me leaving, Luna.”

She looks back up at me with an expression I am unsure of. Is it care? Relief? Need? No, that’s too far, it’s probably a bit of care and relief. “Truly?”

I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile, although I must admit that her constant uncertainty about things I say is getting annoying. “Yes, truly. Besides, I thought I’ve already told you that I never really felt at home on Earth anyway. So, are we gonna start with getting through the history of Equestria now?”

Luna appears to bring her attention back to the present. “Oh, of course, Travis.” She the regains her composure and skims through the pages of the chapter, before going back to the page she originally opened the book to. “Roughly the start of the Equestrian kingdom comes from when ponies were divided into three tribes. The earth ponies who would tend to the land and farm for food, the pegasi who would keep the weather in favourable conditions, and the unicorns who magically raised the sun and moon.

“The tribes relied upon one another for their different abilities. The pegasi demanded food from the earth ponies for managing the weather, and the unicorns demanded payment from the other two tribes for their control of the sun and moon. Over time, a blizzard came to their land and the earth ponies were unable to grow food. A meeting was called between the three tribes about the food shortage, but they were unable to cooperate, the meeting only ending in an argument.”

I chuckle and then stroke the small bit of stubble on my chin. “It sounds like ponies aren’t all that different from humans after all. That’s the usual situation on Earth between different countries and governments.”

Luna looks up from the book. “Your governments still argue with each other on Earth?”

I nod. “Yeah, there hasn’t really ever been a time when all governments on Earth have been unified. They are always in a constant state of arguing, mainly for selfish reasons, although there a few people within them that I suppose are trying to help.”

“How have things fared with such disharmony between your governments?”

I shake my head. “Not well, there is almost always a war being fought for one reason or another. Whether it be over beliefs and religion, or morals, or the simple desire of land and material commodities. Not only are there always people in constant fear of their own lives and wellbeing, but the Earth itself has sustained a considerable amount of damage from human activities.”

Luna raises an eyebrow. “And the governments do not see the suffering that their wars and arguments are causing?”

I shrug. “Beats me. Either they are blind to the needs and wellbeing of others and the Earth, or they do see the consequences, but don’t care about them. It’s pretty despicable, and the main reason that I can’t stand politicians, or hell, even the human race as a whole.”

“That is rather disheartening to hear, however, it aligns in a similar fashion to the beginning of Equestrian history.” Luna casts her gaze back to the book. “For the leaders and advisors of each tribe had each decided to find a new land to call home. They all found land, but they had all arrived at the same place. Commander Hurricane of the pegasi named it Pegasopolis, Princess Platinum of the unicorns called it Unicornia, and Chancellor Puddinghead of the earth ponies named it Earth.”

I laugh at the fact that Equestria could have been called Earth. “If the earth ponies had their way, it’s weird to think that Equestria would instead be known as Earth. It definitely would have made things more confusing for me.”

Luna laughs as well. “Indeed, it would have, the thought had not occurred to me until you pointed it out.” She then focused back to the book. “They argued over who should rightfully claim the land, until they had realised that the blizzard had followed them to this new, fertile land. The leaders and advisors of the three tribes then took shelter in a cave from the blizzard, where they continued to argue.

“It was then discovered by the unicorn advisor, Clover the Clever, that the blizzard was brought by windigos.”

I tilt my head, what are windigos? They sound like a pun based off of the native American monster known as the wendigo, which is a man who has turned into a monster by eating human flesh. I highly doubt that they are the same though, since wendigos don’t have power over weather. “Windigos?”

Luna nods and explains. “Windigos are magical beings that feed off of hate to cause freezing weather.”

I nod back in understanding. “Right, very different from the monsters that humans call wendigos. Which are people transformed into monsters by practicing cannibalism. Continue.”

Luna gives me look of disgust. “You have such monsters on Earth? And humans partake in cannibalism?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think wendigos are real, they’re just a myth, but then again, that’s what I thought of magic. As for cannibalism, yes, it occasionally happens, although it’s generally illegal in most countries. I myself am not a cannibal, rest assured. Could you continue with the historic tale?”

Luna relaxes and continues telling the story. “Very well. The advisors Private Pansy from the pegasi, Smart Cookie from the earth ponies, and Clover the Clever, agreed that they did not hate each other at all. Clover then created a flame of friendship, which was powered by the friendship between the advisors, to ward off the windigos.

“After this, the three tribes unified and claimed the new land as Equestria.” Luna closes the book and slowly levitates it down to the desk.

I smile and pick up the book, turning it over to study the cover, before putting it back down. “Very interesting, but is that all we’ll be reading from the first book?”

“For the time being, yes. You may choose to read more if you so choose, but as I have already said, it would take too long to read the entirety of Equestrian history in a day.”

That makes sense, but I’ll definitely have to read more of this sometime, and same would probably go for the others. “That’s understandable, what’s the next historic event that you’ll teach me about?”

Luna lifts up a second book with her telekinesis and opens it. “The reign of the spirit of disharmony known as Discord, and how Celestia and I sealed him in stone to become the rulers of Equestria.”

My eyes light up at that. I would love to hear of how Luna and Celestia came to power. “That would be amazing to hear about.”

Luna smiles and, is it just me, or did she just scoot over a little closer to me? “I will gladly tell you about the time my sister and I worked together to bring harmony to Equestria. I do not need this book to tell you, although you can read it later if you would like to.” She levitates the book down to sit on the desk in front of me.

I look down at the book to see an illustration of some creature that looks like a hybrid between a bunch of different animals. It has an equine head, with a large fang and two varied horns, a serpent’s tail, an eagle’s talon, a lion’s paw, a goat’s hoof, and a dragon’s foot. It also has a membranous wing and an avian wing. I then look back up at Luna. “Is that Discord?”

She nods and is about to speak when another voice interrupts, it sounds like a male. “How astute of you. Yes, I’m Discord.”

I look down to see the illustration moving and looking back up at me. I shake my head. Did that drawing just respond to me? It laughs at me and then there is a bright flash of light. When my eyes recover from the assault of light, I notice that this Discord is no longer just an illustration, but a living being floating above the desk.

This is bad, isn’t this guy evil? Evil and dangerous enough that he had to be turned to stone? I get up and take several steps away from the desk, looking at Luna desperately. “Luna, do something! I thought you said that you and Celestia turned him to stone!”

She gets up from her seat, soothingly wrapping a wing around me. I can’t help but hug her back, afraid that anything terrible could happen at any moment. Luna then glares at Discord. “Discord! Now is not a good time!”

He laughs again and floats down to lay on the desk. “Oh, did I scare the poor human new to Equestria?”

Luna looks at me with a soft expression, and I try to relax. She doesn’t seem worried about the situation, but I can’t bring myself to speak. “It is all right, Travis. I have not told you yet, but recently Discord was reformed so that he no longer wreaks havoc upon Equestria.” She then glares back at him. “No doubt he decided to show himself before I had the chance to tell you of his reformation.”

Discord is wearing a sly smile. “It’s all in good fun, your dear Travis’s reaction was priceless.”

Luna blushes and glares even harder at him. “It is not like that! He is a friend and my equerry!”

I blush as well and come out from my shock. So now he’s a good guy that was just playing a prank on me? I then look at Luna. “What’s an equerry?”. Discord chuckles at my question.

Luna relaxes and looks back at me. “It is the personal attendant of a royal pony.”

Discord just laughs more and leans close to Luna, nudging her with an elbow. “I never knew you were the type to have an equerry, I thought you liked working alone.”

Luna’s expression darkens to anger and I gently stroke her side, before speaking up to Discord. “You sure sound like a dickhead for somebody who’s supposedly been reformed to be good.”

He then leans down to me and looks into my eyes. I notice that his are yellow with red pupils. “Who said that I had to stay reformed?” He speaks in a worryingly sinister tone and smiles wide, showing off his jutting fang more pronouncedly.

I shut right up and cower away from him, beginning to shake. I’ve never felt such fear before. Damn it, why did I have to speak up like that? I never do that. I always stay quiet to avoid conflict. This causes him burst out in a fit of laughter and pat my back. “Only joking! For a moment, I thought you had really gained some courage!”

This time I’m the one glaring at him. He’s seriously getting on my nerves now. “That’s it, I may not have all that much courage, but I’m not all that scared of you now. You’re just talk. All bark, no bite. Just an irritating bully trying to make yourself feel better about yourself by pestering others. Now if you’re done, get lost.”

Discord recoils and winces. “Ouch, so harsh, but I suppose I deserved that. Would you like to start again?” He clicks his claws and reappears back on the book at the drawing. He smiles up at me and bows. “Hello, yes, I’m Discord and boringly reformed.” He then pops out of the book again to float above the desk. “Are we good now?”

I sigh and shake my head. “Maybe later, I’m really not in the mood to talk to you anymore.” He’s annoying, I don’t think I’ll like him very much. What a terrible first impression he’s made on me.

“Oh, fine, be like that. And here I’d thought that you’d appreciate a good joke and break from the monotony of Canterlot Castle.” He reaches up and makes a zipper appear in thin air, unzipping what must be the very fabric of reality and stepping through it. There is another flash of light, and there is no sign of Discord ever having been here. The illustration is back on the book, and is just that, a drawing and nothing more.

I shake my head and close my eyes, sighing again. I was in such a good mood earlier, and now Discord’s ruined it. Then I feel Luna hug me. “I am so sorry about that, Travis. Discord is rather unpredictable, but it is simply his nature to be so.”

I open my eyes and hug her back. “It’s fine, I’ll get over it sometime, it’s just that I tend to be stubborn about my feelings towards others after first impressions. He clearly didn’t make a good impression, and I’ll probably hold that against him for quite some time.” I let go of Luna. “Can I have some time to myself so that I can relax?”

She nods and lets go of me too. “Very well…” She looks down a bit. “Just do not let anything boil up inside for too long, I am here to talk if you so need to. I know from experience.”

“Yeah, I’ll try.” I then turn away and wander out from the library to where I hope the garden is.

Chapter Eighteen

It isn’t long before a newspaper is brought up for me. The headline is about me living in the castle, with the number of the page where the interview with Luna and I is written. I find the interview and skim over it. It seems that the reporter has put a fairly positive light on me living here. I’ll have to thank her sometime for writing it so nicely, if we ever meet again. Her written interview will probably help with my reception to the Equestrian kingdom when Luna and I make that announcement tomorrow.

I skim through the rest of the paper, not really much else of interest in it. Mainly gossip on nobles and rich ponies that I don’t know about. I am a little curious though with a short article about a show that the Wonderbolts are doing soon. Maybe after the announcement I can go and watch it with Luna.

There is a knock at the door and the usual thestral guard shows himself. “Travis, a servant has come with what she says is your dinner, may she come in?” Woah, it’s kinda weird having the guard ask me permission for somebody to enter. I’ll have to get used to this.

I smile and nod softly. “Yes, she can come in. Luna ordered dinner for me.” The guard nods back and leaves. I try to sit up a bit more straight in bed to have my dinner; it hurts, but I manage to do it.

It isn’t long before the servant mare comes in levitating a tray with my dinner on it. I recognise her, she’s one of the first servants I saw. She’s the one with grey coat and brown mane, along with eyes to match her mane. I wonder if I’ll ever learn or remember the names of all the servants. She gently sits the tray down on my lap and lifts the lid to reveal a bowl of fettucine pasta with pesto sauce. “Is this to your liking, Sir Travis?”

I nod eagerly, the scent making my mouth water. I swallow before I speak. “Yeah, it looks and smells great, thanks…” I then look up at the servant. “By the way, what’s your name?”

She looks at me with a nervous smile. “Oh, you don’t need to concern yourself with me, but my name is Shuffle Step if you want to know.”

I smile back. “That’s a nice name. I was just curious, since I want to see if I can learn and remember the names of the ponies serving me.”

Shuffle Step gives me a friendly nod. “Oh, thank you. I hope you enjoy your dinner, Sir.” She then heads off to leave me alone in my new shared chambers.

I grab the fork sitting by the bowl on the tray and start eating. My hand and arm hurt a little as I eat, but the pasta tastes good enough to keep my mind off the pain. Soon I become thirsty and realise that there were no drinks brought with my dinner. Oh well, I should have asked when Shuffle Step first brought the pasta. I put the tray on the bedside table when I finish and pick up the newspaper again, deciding to try the crosswords and puzzles. Oh, of course… I don’t have anything to write with…

Luckily, Shuffle Step comes back to take the tray. “Was the pasta satisfactory, Sir Travis?”

I smile and politely nod. “Yeah, it was… I was wondering if you could bring me a glass of water and something to write with?”

She nods back. “Oh, of course, I’ll only be a moment.”

“Thanks, Shuffle Step.” I look back at the newspaper to see what I can figure out before I get something to write with. In the corner of my vision, I notice Shuffle Step hurry out of the room with the tray. Focusing more on the crossword, it becomes obvious to me that it’s gonna be hard, since I don’t know much about Equestria. I read through the hints and hardly any of them ring a bell. Hmmm, a city known for its water treatment… That sounds familiar, didn’t Celestia tell me about some floating cloud city? What’s its name?... Cloudsvale or something?

Soon Shuffle Step arrives with a glass of water, a quill, and an ink pot, placing them on the bedside table. “Is this everything you need, Sir Travis?”

I put the newspaper on my lap and take a sip of water. “Yeah, thanks again, Shuffle Step.” I give her a smile, before looking back at the newspaper and dipping the tip of the quill into the ink. It feels kinda weird to use a quill though. I mean, I’ve really only ever tried using a quill once many years ago. It was when I went on a school excursion to some educational park about the gold rush.

I glance back up at Shuffle Step as she smiles back. “You’re welcome, sir.” She then leaves again, so that I can focus on the crossword.

Some ink drips off the quill as I hover it over the newspaper; blotching some of it. Whoops, I guess I put too much ink on the quill… I let it drip back into the ink pot for a bit, before I try writing again. I fill out a row of boxes with the word ‘Cloudsvale’ and it seems to fit. Maybe I got it right? I read another hint for a column going through the previous word. A group of expert flyers derived from the E.U.P. That’d be Wonderbolts… I fill it in, only to notice it clash with ‘Cloudsvale’. Oh, of course, it must be Cloudsdale. I read through more of the hints, but only come up blank. I should have asked for an encyclopedia or something.

I spend most of my time trying to figure out the crossword, but only end up getting a couple more words. My writing is also pretty messy, with some letters being splotchy from too much ink. I then look at a word search for a bit and it seems to be more of a children’s thing, but it’s better than nothing. If only I knew more about Equestria and its trivia… Anyway, I get to completing the word search and then put the quill and ink pot on the bedside table. I check through the comic section, but none of the short comics really interest me, so I put the newspaper down. This is getting pretty boring...

I drink the last of my water and look around the room idly for a few minutes, hoping for Luna to walk in soon. She’s probably still got a bunch of time left to stay at night court. I suppose I should just try to sleep; I do need to recover from my pains after all. I would like to wait for Luna to say good night, and to teach me how to make myself lucid in dreams, but I probably need sleep for that healing spell. I would take a guess that the more sleep I get, the more effective the spell will be. So, sooner would be better than later.

Now then, to turn off the lights… Right, I can’t get up from the bed… Maybe the guard could do it for me? I hope he can hear me while he’s at the bottom of the stairs. “Hello?! I can’t move, since I’m injured. Could somebody please turn off the lights?!”

After a short wait, I hear hoofsteps coming up the stairs, the door opens and the guard walks in. “Did you call for something, Sir Travis?”

I give him a slightly embarrassed smile; needing his help to do such a simple thing. “Yeah, I was wondering if you could please turn off the lights? I would do it myself, but I can’t leave the bed because I’m injured.”

“Of course, Sir.” The guard nods and turns off the light. “Anything else?”

I shake my head. “Nah, that’s all. Thanks.” I then hear the guard leave and close the door behind himself while my eyes are still adjusting to the darkness. I now finally relax into the bed and try to pull the covers over myself without causing my muscles too much pain. My tiredness catches up to me now that I've stopped focusing on the newspaper. It doesn’t take long for me to give in to my exhaustion.

Author's Note

I apologise for the long break, for the fact that I said the chapter was soon a while ago, and for this chapter being so short after how long it was in writing for. I was planning on finishing the chapter then, but things came up and life sidetracked me for a bit.