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... But here's the next chapter!