The Bright Equestrian Moon

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.