Author's Note

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Also, PLEASE let me know if I make any mistakes, I'll be sure to correct as much as I can.

Chapter 4 - Meeting With The Moon

As Ashton came away from the windows and sat on the chair to start feasting on the bread, cheese and fruit, he had remembered Discord's words as he ate.

He had completely forgotten about Princess Celestia and her sister Luna, it was practically the first season devoted to that little clique, he was only interested in the villains, what their driving points were, why they became so... Mentally fucked as Ashton would eloquently put it and WHAT stopped them in the end.

To be fair, the show didn't give Celestia's beauty any justice. He felt as if the show directors and producers did that on purpose so little girls wouldn't be too jealous, he guesses.

Regardless, he wasn't really worried about all that. Celestia seemed really nice, motherly even... Like a real mother.

["Heh... No, no... Don't think like that. Mom was kind but she was very adamant about her opinions... I bet this whole ordeal already reached to her and she's probably blaming herself and crying on dad's shoulder."]

He felt a few tears drip down his cheek and a knock was heard from the doors which promptly made Ashton wipe his face in a hurry. "Ugh.. C-coming." He said out loud before he finishes wiping and starts building a strong emotional shield.

"Okay... Calm down." Ashton said to himself quietly before getting up from the chair and walking to the door and opening it, assuming it was the princess but it turns out to be one of the maids, who were cutely wearing an actual maid outfit.

... A pretty... Lewd maid outfit.

...

He shook his head and then smiles. "Hehe, hello there! How can I help you?" He said with a bit of a flushed face.

She tilted her head. "The princess requested me to check up on you, and perhaps that you may need anything."

... She isn't scared of the 'monkey'? How odd.

"You're not scared of me?" Ashton said to her real quick before she seemed to shrug.

"You don't look intimidating." The maid replied innocently.

Ashton's face shows signs of displeasure but within a few seconds casts it off and tries to look goofy so he doesn't scare her. "W-well, uh... Is there any ... Carbonated beverages?"

She wonders. "Like... Champagne?"

He then shook his head. "N-no, like a soft drink... Soda, ya know?"

She blinks and then smiles. "Oh yes, we do! Usually it's for the little colts and fillies who are often with their noble parents during day court."

"W-wait, why?" Ashton had to pursue that little tidbit further.

She had remembered this. "It was due to a babysitting incident. The nobles don't trust their children to be with babysitting anymore so they just bring them here where they know they're safe."

Nobles pissed Ashton off even back home, but these nobles at least CARE for their children. And that's plus... five hundred to Equestria?

"Wait, babysitting incident? Why don't you come in and tell me more?" He offered

The maid blinks. "Oh, I should go get your beverage and head home... My children need me for their bed time stories."

That tugged on Ashton's heartstrings. "Heh... Alright, maybe tomorrow then... You stay safe when you get home, okay?"

The maid again blinks, she wasn't used to such normalcy. "Th-thank you sir..." She scurried off in a flush.

"Oh yeah... Still got it." Ashton said as he was about to close the door but then heard a chuckle coming from the door, it was that guard and this time he heard his words up close this time.

"Unlikely..." The guard said with a bit of a chuckle still.

Alright, that does it.

Ashton popped his head out. "Wanna say that to my face, pal?"

The guard stood at attention, he kept a straight poker face and didn't even budge.

Love or hate this guy, he's a pro at what he does.

But Ashton had a very dubious plan up his sleeve in hopes to actually gain something out of this guard.

If he played his cards right, he might make a new friend... OR he'll get him to shut up, either way was perfectly fine with him.

Ashton walked to him and squats down so he was a little bit below the guard and wanted his full attention. "Listen up, bucko... I get what you're doing, and I can't say that not I'm happy you found your new entertainment... Hell, I encourage you to do it."

Now that he saw this, these ponies' horns were up to his neck, they were almost as tall as him. Celestia on the other hand was way taller!

He then got closer to the guard. "However, I saw you busting a gut back there when I mentioned my species' scientific name..."

The guard finally looks at him. "So? What's your point?"

Ashton grins evilly. "If I had continued the conversation and say it on purpose more and more and more... I would have wanted you to be on the floor laughing so I could feign insult and have your job taken to show I mean business."

The guard looked pissed but Ashton stopped him, re-calibrating his words before shit gets real.

"BUT! I'm not an asshole like that. I considered that you may have some mouths to feed, so I didn't pursue it, hell I couldn't be mad at someone who has a similar sense of humour to mine." Ashton said to the guard.

The guard looked... perplexed. "Uhm... Thank you?"

"Look, I don't know what your boss told you. Silver Spear I think her name was... But that doesn't mean I can't see things in the opposite light, you understand." He said with a faint smile.

The guard slowly nods. "I... Suppose, sir?"

Ashton smiled. "Very good, I'll let Celestia know you're doing a fine job, soldier." He pats him on the back armour which made the stallion a bit uncomfortable. But the boy didn't care, he was waiting on his beverage.

And as if on cue! She comes back with a tray of a bubbly soda bottle and a glass next to it, lemonade... Eh, better than nothing.

He then noticed... She wasn't holding it... She was... LEVITATING IT!

That horn, that unicorn horn can levitate things?! Telekinesis is SO COOL!

"Here you go, sir. This is one of the beverages... But I can get another if you like." The maid said, she looked pretty tired so Ashton sighed and shook his head.

"It's okay, lemonade is perfect." He smiled and took the tray from her levitation field. "Thank you very much, ma'am... You have a safe travel home, okay? It's pretty rough out there."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you very much... You have a pleasant night, sir."

He chuckles. "Please, call me Ash."

She flushed a bit. "O-okay... Ash." The flush intensified and she started to trot off like a giddy school... err.. Filly.

He chuckled and looked at the guard whom felt conflicted. Good, he should be.

Ashton closes the door behind him and grins. "Finally, something carbonated. Can't really live without the stuff... I should probably watch out though, don't want to be a fat ass all my life." He said to himself as he sets the tray next to the food, unscrews the bottle and pour it into the glass.

He sets the bottle down, screws the top back on and start to enjoy the tasty lemonade beverage by taking a sip. "...Oh damn, that's good!" He said out loud looking at the glass. "... They make food and drink with a lot more care here."

After downing 1/3 of the bottle as sigh of relief was heard from Ashton's mouth and sets the glass down as he saw the bookshelf in the other corner. "Well... Since my 3DS is in the hands of ponies... May as well read a good book."

He gets up and goes walking to the bookshelf that was near the window, getting to the bookshelf he noticed some movement outside in the snow.

It was the maid, she was walking home with a winter coat on.

He smiled as he stared at her from the window, the streets were lit beautifully.

He was about to turn but he noticed something.

Three ponies in black clothing was following her, stalking her it seemed. "Get home safe... Please." He said as he saw that she noticed behind her. "Wh-why is she... RUN!" He said out loud. "They'll--"

And she bolted, to which they started gunning for her. "Shit!" He said out loud before running out to the balcony.

The freezing windy snow pelting his face but at this point he didn't care.

He wasn't entirely that high to the streets, so he quickly vaults over the railing and quickly started to regret it.

It was MUCH higher than he thought.

Before he could accept his fate, he felt the soft landing from his legs.

No pain.. No broken legs... Nothing.

He blinks and looks at his legs for a second before seeing the hooded individuals continue to chase the maid.

"No time for this!" He said before chasing after them with the highest run speed he can muster, he followed the prints of the hooves to give him some kind of indication where they're chasing her to.

He hopes that she can get to the house and won't even need his help.

Without his winter coat and only his full sleeved shirt, his body was taking a bit of a toll from the cold but with the work out he's having, the temperature was tolerable.

He eventually makes his way behind an alley way where the prints stop and noticed that the gang was closing up on the maid, cat calling and whistling, proud of catching their new found prize.

Ashton was going to put a stop to this and walk up behind them.

One of them started to talk. "What's a pretty thing like you doing out in the harsh cold night? Come here, babe... We'll warm ya up."

Smooth, asshole...

"How about you guys fuck off?" Ashton said out loud.

The gang turned around in shock. "Who the bu-- Wh-What the tartarus!?" one of them stumbled upon his eyes landing on Ashton's figure. They growled.

"Who let their pet out of their cage?" Another one said while Ashton grinned, looking behind them.

They quickly looked and noticed that the mare was gone. "Horseapples." He then looked at Ashton with a grin. "Oh well... Not that it matters, we have a new piece of meat to have fun with."

Ashton felt one of his eyebrows raise from this as he then got ready into a stance. "Come at me, then! I'll knock ya all out I will!" He said in a fake Geordie accent.

One of them grinned as a random beam shot out from a horn which hit Ashton and sent him reeling out of the Alleyway, holding onto his shoulder. "Agh, fuck!"

They charged forward and head butts Ashton in the stomach, again causing him to reel back in pain but that was a big mistake on their part as he held onto the stallion's neck in a reverse choke hold.

"H-hey! L-let me g--" Ashton lifts the stallion up with newfound strength he didn't even knew he had, this caused the two other stallions to freeze on the spot.

Ashton then twirls and threw the stallion to the other two, basically beating a motherfucker with another motherfucker.

They were floored for a few seconds before trying to recover, this gave Ashton some time to think up a plan.

["Okay, think... If I really do have some of Discord's power... Maybe I conjure something up!"] He said in his mind.

The stallion that was thrown got up and winced in pain, the hood of the stallion was off, and it turned out one of them had bat-like features, this made Ashton freeze a bit. "Wait wh--"

Another beam hits Ashton square in the face, this floored him. He was on his back laying completely motionless.

The stallions panted from the skirmish as the thug puts his hood back on. "Is it dead?..." The other one growls but then grins. "Heh... he wasn't so tough after all."

They went close to the boy, staring at him from above. "Damn critter... Almost broke my neck."

Ashton quickly woke up with grin. "Surprise, piss 'ead!" He said as what came next felt natural to him, he spaces his knees to his chest, put his hands on the ground behind him and spreads his legs while applying force into a jump, kicking two of them in the muzzle while landing on his feet, surprising the thug who was identified as a bat pony, the thug jumps back.

The other two thugs went down and out into unconsciousness as Ashton felt blood running down his forehead, though with the cold weather and the adrenaline pumping in his veins he couldn't feel much pain.

"Won't you just stay down already, you freak?!" The leading thug exclaimed before Ashton ran up and punted him in the muzzle, causing the bat pony to fly into the wall.

All of them were down and out.

This left Ashton to pant hard, staring at the groaning thugs. He was coming off of the adrenaline high which was currently burning his lungs and started looking at his own hands and felt a sense of pride from all of that.

"Thou seems to be an interesting warrior." Another regal tone said from behind, causing Ashton to look back with the look of 'You want some too?!' before realizing something. This mare was another alicorn with darkened blue-ish fur and a glittery star mane.

Drop-dead gorgeous... Holy shit...

"It seems our little test was a little bit... Over-zealous..." She said looking at the bat ponies behind him, to whom look defeated but they gave a salute to Luna despite their ashamed demeanour.

Ashton looks at them and was shocked. "H-hey, I thought."

"It seems Tia was correct... Thou do hath some sort of chaotic energy inside of thou, yet here thou are risking thine own life to save somepony." She unfurls a wing to show that the maid was hiding behind with a blush.

"Can you please speak English? It's a little jarring..." Ashton said.

She 'hmph's'. "You are a fascinating one, Mr. Devaro... Or... Shall we call you 'Mr. Miles.'?" She said with a smug looking grin.

He gulps. "Wh-what... How do you...?"

"While you were in that two day nap, we had to look into your memories to see if you were a threat to Equestria... But something is very strange, there was no memory dedicated to how you got here... We assumed you blacked out and that's when you appeared... But nothing explained your Chaotic energy." She starts to trot slowly towards him.

"We assumed you were just an old follower of Discord and wanted to dispose of you at first. But then we remembered that Discord became reformed, so can his students." She continued, finally stopping right in front of him.

"You lied to our sister... AND to Equestria, Ashton Miles... But, you were shown compassion, bravery and selflessness, so we will forgive your transgressions, but let us not catch your lies again, child."

Ashton felt a little bit betrayed. "Then... You must be Princess Luna... Why didn't Celestia tell me about that sooner? I wouldn't have to tell such lies."

Luna chuckles. "The way you say it make it sound like it's her fault."

He shook his head. "N-no, that's not what I meant... I take full responsibility for my lies... But I don't want to go back home! I hated it there, my parents are decent people but they're stubborn and..." He sighs. "I feel like I'm more at home here."

["Why is that, I wonder. I never felt like I belonged... ANYWHERE."] He said in his mind.

Luna just smiled. "Come, let's get inside and make some hot cocoa... Or whatever it is your species like to drink when you're cold."

Ashton nodded. "R-right..."

A good 10 minutes later, Ashton and Luna were in the latter's private quarters sitting by the fireplace. She levitates him some hot cocoa to which he accepts, he was bandaged up and was healing nicely.

"Our ponies were trained well... But you over-took them with quite a bit of discomfort... You're sloppy in your technique but you have the spirit." She said with a smile.

"Uh.. Gee thanks, I didn't expect to have some kind of evaluation." He said with a chuckle.

She smiled and giggled at the point he made. "Well, we don't normally do that for other species... But you hold promise. Despite the chaotic energy, you're using it for the selflessness of your heart... And to be honest, it's quite refreshing to see that."

He blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Oooh, y'knooooow~!" He quickly looked down though. "So... Be honest with me, why am I NOT in a cell still? I thought it would be mandatory at this point."

She sighs. "Yes, we did think that... But Sister's words keep coming back and I'm very glad that I was wrong." She curls a wing over his shoulder.

Whoa... Sexy times?

No... Just consensual hugging.

Whatever it is, her feathery wing is soft and well groomed...

Trust him, if you were in his shoes, you too would feel tired.

"Your species continue to interest us... When possessions were seized, my eyes were laid on this peculiar box that was in one of your bags.

He blinks and looks at her. "Box?"

She nods. "It was rectangular but it can be folded, two black screens on such a little device."

["My 3DS!"] He exclaimed in his mind.

She grins a bit. "We may not look it, but we enjoy gaming... Though, we have never seen a hoofheld so advanced before."

["Not expecting that one! A royal princess who can game? Hell yes!"] He said in his mind.

He tilts his head. "Oh, well yes! I have a lot of 3ds cartridges in that bag too."

She nods. "You have come from a wealthy family to afford such things... Your memories said that your father was a writer and your mother was an attorney."

He blinks. "O-oh, yeah... My father writes science fiction novels and he also does action-y stuff from time to time... And my mom... I never seen her work so I can't tell what exactly it details... I just assume from the Ace Attorney™ games."

She smiles. "Ace Attorney? That spiked haired hooman?"

"Human." He corrected. "If you want, I can let you borrow my 3DS once I'm allowed my possessions once again."

Luna smiled. "...I would like that..." She stared at him somewhat dreamily.

Ashton gulps. ["I know that look anywhere, does she dig me?..."] His face starts to flush as he wondered in his mind.

Luna just shook her head and nervously clears her throat. "Ah, in any case... Perhaps it's best for you to head back and rest. Big day for you tomorrow."

He nods. "R-right... Thank you." He take a good long drink from the hot cocoa, somehow able to withstand the scalding hot drink.

Luna was a little shocked. "D-did that not hurt?"

He looks at her questionably. "What didn't?"

Now she was impressed, examining him there were no burns on his lips or anything... But.

"Y-you have a bit of froth on your... L-lips..." Her flush grew.

Ashton blinks and wipes his lips. "Oh... Thank you." He sets the cup down and bows at Luna. "Thank you for your hospitality. I hope we'll see each other again real soon." He smiled and took the escorted guard back to his room.

He wanted to be out of there as quick as possible.

Now Luna was all alone to her devices.

["Impossible... every time our eyes meet, we find ourselves lost to that gaze... Our heart flutters to him."] Luna's thoughts in her head were getting a little bit heated, she did not expect this coming. Was it because he too was misunderstood? Was it because he was sorely attractive? Or was it because he could prove her instincts were reliable once again?

Either way, it put her mind in a rut.

... Things have gotten way more interesting.

{End of Chapter 4}