Chapters Prologue: The Cape of Our Hero
Given the strange things that can occur during a person's life, I feel terrible questioning what the universe has in store for me. You can wake up in a lot of different places, and know no person around you, wondering where you are. If such a thing can be allowed to happen, I feel I should not question why things happen the way they do. I see myself in a roller coaster... except I'm blindfolded and unable to comprehend why the coaster is even there in the first place. Reasoning for the grand scheme of life is beyond me, and I really don't care enough to try to guess the reason behind it. On this note, I must tell you of my predicament... The type of situation only the obscene could conjure up within their own minds. I woke up in a land of ponies. Yes ponies. I'm not creative enough to make up a story like this, nor would I want to make up a story like this. I woke up in the center of a town of colorful Ponies. A few of them stared, a few of them gave strange looks, and a few of them muttered to themselves... but no one came up to me. It was a strange feeling being a foreign object. Not that I really cared, It's just not typical for me not to fit in.
Now I must tell you how I got here...
The sun pierced my eyes and skin like a fiery knife. I was instantly jolted to wake up by the summer heat. Instantly I knew this was not Georgia. What greeted my groggy eyes was nothing of what I had expected. Ponies were walking around in pastel colors with tattoos on their butts... something you don't normally see. I like to think that because of my overall time spent on the internet and at walmart I had seen it all, but no. Ponies of all shapes and colors just walking around like nothing was out of the ordinary.
Just integrate. Belong then ask for directions.
Despite my best effort, I was such an alien. I just hope I can speak horse...
I made my way over to what looked to be a public shop shaped like a gingerbread house, hoping there would be someone inside that I could communicate with. The bell on the door rang. *Ding*
"Hi welcome to Sugarcube Corner! How can I help you today?" A pony with blue fur and icing for a maine asked.
"Umm... Hey I wanted to ask a few questions." I responded sending my mind into shock about this horse.
"Sure ask away dearie."
I gathered my courage and said "Is there a local government official I could talk to?"
"There sure is! Go down the road a ways that way, then you will see her building, It says 'Ponyville Town Hall' on the sign." She replied with a smile.
Ok so I will see this mayor for myself... "Thank you very much." I responded as I walked out the door.
"No problem! Come back to see us again soon!" *Ding!*
I walked out the door with a blind confidence and a somewhat drunken courage. My feet were weak, but they obeyed my commands. I was about to fall over from the gravity of the situation, but that would imply I cared too much... but I really don't want to acknowledge that I care much about anything at all. Who cares. I need to figure out the situation, So it is time to follow the directions of the pony thing in the shop.
My thoughts wrestled as I walked the half mile to the town hall. I have to put on my best behavior just in case some of their leaders aren't as nice and friendly as that pony was. In any case, I will probably have to conform to their system if I can't be sent home... assimilation will be a bitch though. Trying to adapt to a world of ponies? Do they even eat the same food I eat?
As I walked down the main cobblestone road, I saw a sign that displayed 'Ponyville Town Hall' and another 'Mayor: Mayor Mare' that shown the current mayor.
"A mayor that is named Mayor? and the questions accumulate." I muttered to myself as I opened the door to a somewhat empty town hall. A pony behind a desk smiled and stood up.
"Hello what can I do for you today?"
"Hi... could I request an audience with the Mayor? It's urgent." I asked trying my best not to bum rush the mayor.
"Uhh..." She stumbled looking at a schedule. "Yes, please come with me." The secretary stood up and motioned me to follow her into a large office.
"What is it now Cythia?" A mare with grey hair and glasses asked from behind a desk while looking down at a newspaper.
"Somepony wants to speak with you Mayor, insisting it is urgent." She replied calmly.
"Ok, bring 'em in then."
"Hi." I let out trying to indicate my presence. Instantly the pony's mannerism changed to show formality. She thew her back legs off of the desk and put the newspaper down. She fixed herself in a smile and adjusted her glasses.
"Hello! EErm..." She paused, looking at me. "...how may I help you today?" I guess she hadn't seen a human before. she instantly froze and awkwardly stared at me.
"Yeah I'm not from around here. What is this place?"
"You are in Ponyville! The greatest town in all of Equestria." She replied in awe of her town of residence and rule.
"What is Equestria? Is this someplace on Earth?"
"No we are on the planet Eqquis. Is this Earth place where you are from?" She asks, slightly tilting her head in a questioning manner.
"Interesting... and yeah I'm from Earth." I say, answering her question. "Is there like anyone I can talk to to maybe like show me where I am, and how this world works?"
"Yes I'm sure there is, but I have to notify the princesses that there is an alei-err... I mean newcomer to our society." I knew she was about to call me an alien, but she obviously cut herself off not to offend me. I wouldn't have mind if she had called me an alien... aliens rule! am I right?
"The princesses? So there's like a monarchy here?"
"In a ways, yes and no." The mayor replied as she wrote on a slip of paper, violently scribbling away with a quill and ink.
"Can you eat fruits sir?" She asked as she stopped in front of me.
"Yes, I'll take one of these apples." I said taking one of the apples in the bowl. I was relieved that they had something I could actually eat available in this land of Equestria. I was too busy worrying to notice that I had become slightly hungry and needed to eat something to hold me over for a while.
"Great! They are locally grown at the Apple family's farm on the outskirts of town. I hope you enjoy!" Cythia said with delight as she left the room.
"Ok what is your name?" The mayor asked as I bit into the apple.
"Travis, mayor."
"What species are you Travis?"
"Human." She finished writing on the paper and reached over to the corner of her desk, where a medium sized glass jar was sitting. She opened it up and dropped the paper inside. It instantly dissolved in a cloud of purple smoke.
"What did that just do?" I asked out of extreme intrigue in this apparently magical jar.
"The princesses know you are here now." She replied calmly as she picked up her newspaper.
"Don't have E-mail yet?" I joked. She looked up at me confused. "Maybe I'll-"
"-Tell you eventually..." I finished as I realized what just happened.
"Sir Travis." A rather loud voice said as I sat, bewildered, in their throne room.
"Yes?" I replied as I stood up and faced them. I wasn't ready to see two ponies slightly bigger than me sitting on thrones that resembled the sun and moon. One of them was bigger than the other. the bigger one was white with a gold crown, and tri-colored hair. The other one was a dark blue, with hair that literally had stars in them. Yes STARS. I was blown away and frightened at the same time.
"We have teleported you here for the purpose of discussing the reasoning for your venture here to Equestria." The princess with the stars in her hair stated.
"Well... I don't really know how or why I am present in this land." I responded trying to be as formal as possible.
"What country has sent you?" The white one asked.
"I'm from the United States, and no I do not know why I am here or how I got here."
"Where is this United States located?" The white one questioned as she put her hoof up to her chin.
"A planet named Earth."
"Interesting. Do you intend to bring harm to Equestria or my ponies?" She asks while staring me down intensely.
"No, I'm more confused than anything." I respond in the most sincere way I could.
"Alright I don't see you as a threat." I sighed a breath of relief within myself. "I actually would like to invite you to live here so we can get to know you better Mr. Travis. If that's alright with you of course." The ruler smiled, trying to show her friendliness.
"Yes, if it would be acceptable to you. Currently all I have to my name is the clothes that I'm wearing." I laughed a little bit while trying to get over the shock of their generous offer.
"I am Princess Celestia, and that is my lovely sister Princess Luna."
"Nice to meet you both." I said, bowing to show respect.
"We will get acquainted much better when we have more time later on. I'm sorry that you are stuck here, but I hope you will find your room suitable and to your liking."
"Thank you very much Princesses, I understand. I'm eager for our next encounter." as I finished my sentence of gratitude, a guard approached me and motioned me to follow him. He leads me out of the throne room and down a main hall towards the room I was going to stay in. Red velvet carpets were placed over the mixed color marble floors. The walls were just as tall as the throne room's with the same level of detail. These ponies have a metric dog ton of cash! Maybe this is all just a dream?
"Now that you have met the Princesses, it's time I introduced myself. I am Shining Armor, the captain of the Royal Guard and the head of security here in the Castle. It is nice to meet you Travis." He looked back at me smiled as we walked to my room. "Food is three times a day at the dinning hall, located not far from the throne room. The waiters will prepare anything you tell them to, so if you have any food allergies... make sure to tell them."
"Thanks Mr. Armor."
"No problem. Also remember that we will do anything to keep the princesses safe, so any threats or hostile action will not be tolerated." He snapped as his tone shifted to a heavy severity. These ponies are sure protective of their leaders. "Now with that being said, we welcome you here as our guest and friend! We look forward to getting to know you and creating great friendships that will last a lifetime." He stopped and opened a door to reveal my new room.
I thanked the Captain and took my leave into my new home. The room was a decent size with a bed that could fit about three people my size. There were purple satin sheets on the bed, with matching window curtains. Expensive red carpet covered the floors, with intricate dark red patterns complementing the feel of the room. A dark marble fireplace sat opposite to the bed, providing the room with warmth and character. The walls were a dark stained wood, apparently the latest fashion of the upper class.
"The sun looks like it will set soon... I wonder when dinner will be." I muttered to myself as I looked out my window, noticing the late afternoon sky. "I'm pretty tired as it is. Maybe I can sneak a small nap?" After saying that I laid down and fell asleep.
"Mr. Travis! Time for you to eat dinner! Please wake up!" A soft female voice demanded as I lifted my head from the pillow.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Your servant, appointed to do whatever you or the Princesses say." She chimed as she gave me my shirt and shoes.
"Alright, what's your name?" I asked as I put on my garments.
"Elysa Sir." The servant replied as she walked over to the door and opened it, waiting for my arrival.
Elysa had a sky blue coat of fur, and a short-styled dark purple maine. She was a unicorn with deep blue eyes and a task oriented mind. I wonder why I need a servant... it feels a little too much like slavery, but I won't reject their hospitality. The last thing I need is to be kicked out and hated by everyone.
I walked out of my room, following Elysa. We walked the west wing hall to its end at the throne room. She took me down what was apparently the main staircase to the grand entrance of the castle. The entrance to the dinning hall was on our right, with a sign I couldn't read. Elysa took me to the entrance, but stopped short.
"I will leave you every meal, and return when you are finished. Please enjoy your meal Mr. Travis." She promptly stated, bowed, then walked off.
I entered the Dinning Hall, recounting my manors, making sure I had a friendly smile.
"Ahh! Mr. Travis! It is good to see you again!"
"Princess Celestia!" I bowed "It is an honor." I turned to the other Princess and bowed. "Princess Luna! Your hair is quite marvelous this evening." This received a small giggle and blush from the Princess.
"Mr. Travis we appreciate our most gracious complement, and are delighted to host you." Luna replied as her giggle turned to a brightened smile. "Please come sit by us for the duration of the meal."
A dark blue aura appeared around the chair next to Luna, pulling it back for me to sit. I walked the long length of the table down to the pulled out chair and sat down.
"Thank you Princess."
"Just call us Celestia and Luna, Mr. Travis." Celestia requested as she took a sip of her water. "We are your friends."
"Alright Celestia, then you must call me just Travis."
"Ok Travis." She smiled. "What type of food do humans eat?"
"We eat meats, vegetables, fruit, and grain products." I listed out.
"What types of meat?" Ceslestia said in a slightly nervous tone.
"Chicken, Cow, Goat, some types of birds, Lamb... and I think that's it." I looked up at her and smiled, trying to calm her down.
"Do you eat Ponies?"
"No. It is socially unacceptable to eat horses."
Both of the Princesses gasped in unison.
"Mr. Travis I must ask that you use appropriate language!" Celestia snapped as she shook off what I just had said.
Shit...
"I'm sorry Princesses, I have to apologize. I had no idea that was considered derogatory. On earth ponies are very different... and the word is not considered derogatory. I'm sorry."
The Princesses were a caught off guard, but they looked to be a bit more understanding. Celestia looked at Luna and nodded her head.
"It is alright Travis. We understand that your world could be very different from ours, so we will not take offence to any accidents or misunderstandings in speech or action."
"Thank you, and I will extend the same to you Celestia." I turned to Luna and responded "And you too Luna." She smiled back.
"Well it is good to hear that you are a friend of Ponies. Does all of your species look like you?"
"Most are... yes. We have a chemical in our bodies called melanin that determines our skin color, but it is more limited to a very light peach color to a very deep brown. No human is, for instance, blue or green."
"Interesting." Luna commented as she gazed at my face intensely.
"Our hair varies, but it is either black, brown, red, or yellow. Our eyes can be brown, black, green, hazel, or blue. I've noticed ponies with all kinds of hair and body colors today." I commented, trying not to drone on about humans too much.
"That is indeed very interesting." Celestia spoke. "What would you like to drink Travis?"
"Do you have beer?" I asked out of curiosity, looking to see if I could score.
"No. We outlawed it to reduce crime. Beer and all forms of liquor."
That's an L.
"Oh ok. That's fine, how about a lemon water instead." I replied, bummed out about the lack of a drink menu in this universe.
"Ooh! Good choice Travis!" Luna commented as she sipped on her own lemon water.
"And what would you like to go with it?" Celestia asked as the waiter approached.
I'm guessing I can't exactly get wings or a good burger here... there was like no response when I was talking about the meats I eat. Looks like I have to eat something like a salad. Yay. Another L
"Luna, what salads do you recommend?" I ask, turning to face her.
"We recommend the 1,000 island salad." She responds in no time.
"I'll take that."
"Alrighty then! Waiter! Hoof-craft our new friend a 1,000 island salad." The white princess ordered.
"Yes your highness!" The waiter said, then scrambled into the kitchen.
I took a second to take a deep breath to relieve myself of the tension I have put on myself. It sure is a terrible feeling trying not to offend a species that you know nothing about. They seem a little up-tight, especially with the whole drinking thing. Who thinks prohibition is a good idea? I guarantee it is only making crime spread. But who knows. Maybe in a magical land, people don't feel the need to drink. Whatever, I guess I'm not really able to question the two leaders who are providing everything for me.
"What entertainment is prevalent in your human society?" Luna asked, breaking my moment to myself.
"Well there are sports like hockey, soccer, baseball, football, basketball, Boxing, UFC fighting, racing, wrestling... the list goes on and on. There is also music and movies and such."
"You have boxing as a sport? That is very violent and dangerous. We do not allow it in this society." Celestia responded, bewildered.
"Humans are notoriously violent at times. Violent things like boxing, give us a way to take out frustration and anger in a controlled setting. Wars are very common on earth. We can't even go a decade without having some kind of a war or terrorist incident killing tons of us. It is rather sad. Our leaders take advantage of us, and make us kill to preserve their interests. There were only a few wars that were justified enough to constitute humans dying in order to achieve those goals." I ranted, getting consumed of my hate for the terrible leaders of Earth.
"That is incredibly sad... would you be alright to share what they were?"
"There were two world wars that were justified... The second world war was the most justified war my country was ever in. The United States fought two incredibly large world powers who raped and genocided the countries and people they conquered, so we brought an end to their evil."
"Might I ask how many humans died in this war?"
"A little over eighty million." Both of the princesses dawned somber looks, with their ears dropping behind their heads.
"We barely have fifty six thousand ponies in the entirety of Equestria... We are deeply sorry to hear this news." Celestia apologized.
"It was the largest war in our history and the people who fought against evil must be remembered, but as a species we are ok on numbers. We are about 7 billion strong now." Luna's mannerisms quickly turned back to that of bewilderment as she looks shocked by the number of humans there are in the world.
"This world you have traveled from must be larger than Equuis by a considerable amount." The star-studded pony added.
"It probably is, who knows." Just as I said this, the waiters carted out our meal. In what had to be a miniature feast, the servants began setting up all sorts of traditional pony foods on platters of silver and gold. I was impressed to say the least.
"It's time for us to dine, so might we recommend a few staples of our pony kind?" Luna asked, eager to showcase the culinary achievements of her ponies.
"Yes please!" I said as my salad was literally delivered on a golden platter.
"Hoof-tossed 1,000 island salad, made to your liking sir." The waiter commented, like I was at the fanciest restaurant in town.
"We must recommend you try the daisy parfait first, then the hay-shake for dessert."
"Like daisy... the flower?" I asked with confusion, trying to contemplate why they would eat flowers.
"Yes, it's quite delicious..." Luna said, taking a bite of her parfait.
"Well, I don't know if I can... humans cannot digest hay or flowers. I could try a little to get the flavor, but I will hay to spit it out." Luna's eyes sunk down a little bit out of disappointment, but she seemed to be understanding as she kept her smile.
"We will eventually find something we mutually enjoy, and can digest." Luna seemed determined to make me like her favorite foods.
This dinner seemed to be going well enough... Luna was excited, and Celestia seemed to be enjoying herself as well. I've made enough of an impact already to hopefully make them think keeping me in the castle was a good idea. The last thing I want to do is end up in a jail or on the streets in such a strange place like this...
I picked up my fork and began feasting on the salad the royal kitchen prepared for me. The first bite I took was incredible. Nothing I had on earth compared to the flavors they brought out in the dish. It was possibly the greatest thing I had ever had... and I hate salad.
"Princess... this is amazing." I commented in-between bites. "A culinary masterpiece for sure."
This comment really pleased Celestia. "I'm really glad you enjoy it!" She said, feeling overwhelming pride at my enjoyment of her hospitality.
The rest of the meal was filled with small talk and laughter, as we discussed our two worlds and the history behind them. I spent over two hours chatting with them, getting to know the princesses better.
"Hey, thanks for the amazing meal, Princesses... your kindness is extraordinary. I cannot thank you enough."
"Well, breakfast is going to be just as good Travis." Celestia laughed a little bit. "I hope you have a good night of rest."
"We wish you the same." Luna added as I walked out towards my room.
I walked out of the door to the dinning room to be greeted by Elysa.
"Hi Elysa." I greeted the mare at the door waiting for me.
"How was your meal?"
"It was amazing... I've never had anything like it in my life." I said, recounting my previous dinning experience.
"It's special what they can do in there." She said as we began walking to the room. "Tomorrow, we are going to make you some more clothes... then you will have to make some public statements about your race."
"What kind of public statements?" I asked.
"Just tell the newspaper a little about yourself, and explain that your nothing to fear. Ponies can be superstitious sometimes." She added.
"And how superstitious is that?" I jokingly asked.
"We exiled the original potion makers because we thought they were in league with the devil." She laughed as we continued on up the grand staircase.
"I think every civilized world has had that stage of development." This quip brought out even more giggling from the servant pony.
"Well this assignment seems like it might not be such a bust after all." Elysa commented.
"Ouch." I laughed at her sense of sass. "Are you always this sassy?"
"When I need to be." She said, looking back at me smiling.
Not much else was said on our way back to my room. I took the time to explore the intricacies of the castle, and the beauty of the various historic statues and paintings on the walls. There was so much to see here, and I loved every second of exploring this place.
"Is there anything else you require of me?" Elysa said as we stopped at my room.
"No, I think I will be fine." I responded.
"If you need me, there is a button on your nightstand that will call me. Other than that, have a good night Mr. Travis."
"Thank you Elysa, you are so kind."
After I thanked my new servant, I entered my room and closed the door. I made sure to check out all parts of my room, including the attached bathroom. Nothing was really out of the ordinary, other than the toilet. It reminded me of the Japanese squat toilets. The toilet was made of a material similar to ceramic, and set in the floor with one end having a dome thing on it. The shower was quite typical, walk in, with glass and a shower head on the ceiling. The sink was a little low, hanging at about waist level, perfect for the average pony. I'm not complaining though, I rather enjoy these accommodations.
Since my high of insanity wore off, I have been noticing a few things about this world... like the size of the ponies. Most of them are as tall as my chest, with the exception of the princesses. Luna goes up to my neck, and Celestia is pretty much the same height as me. I'm about 6'0 tall, possibly 5'11... but it doesn't really matter. There are also three main ponies I have seen, ones with horns, ones with wings, and plain ones. The only exception I have seen are yet again, the princesses. They have both wings, and larger horns than the rest of the horned ones. Also something I have a hard time comprehending is the fact that they can do magic. I want to know how that works...
After I thought long and hard about this new world, I decided to go to bed. I took off my shirt, folded it, and climbed in bed. Adjusting myself was a bit hard, because I always find it difficult to sleep in new places. I turned off the lamp and closed my eyes, desperately trying to go to sleep. It wasn't working.
I don't want to stay awake all night again. I thought as I tried to make myself go to sleep.
And just as I strained to fall asleep, my whole body instantly gave way to a trance like sleep. My mind couldn't question it as I suddenly and unexplained jolted into the dream world. My eyes shot open, my body started boiling, my feet couldn't stand the pain. Everything was burning.
"I am deeply displeased with you." A deep voice boomed.
My consciousness was jolted, and I knew where I was. Hell.
"Um... What?" I responded to the voice.
"Do you think I am some kind of joke?!" The deep voice boomed again, enraged by my half-assed comment. "We had a deal Travis. I intend to collect."
"Who are you!?" I shout in fear as I see the dark world explode into flames. The ground erected a circle, a flaming pentagram.
"You know my name..." The voice called back as it seemed to grow closer and closer.
The darkness gave way to a group of beings wearing black and red robes, with a very tall cloaked figure behind them. They approached slowly, giving me an ominous feeling. I looked up to see the tall being's face. A cow's skull covered in red, dripping blood. Its forehead had a pentagram carved into it.
"Satan..." I muttered in disbelief, thinking back to the ritual my friends and I did as a joke on Halloween.
"If you cannot deliver, you know what will happen to you Travis." The voice responded as his demons circled around me. "You will know."
My body began sinking into the hellish brimstone as demonic chants and bells rang. I knew screaming and any form of resistance are useless, so I let my body sink down. The bell intensified as my body was almost all engulfed in the demonic sand.
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring* The deep sounding bell rang three times.
I saw myself from the ceiling of my room, sleeping. My arms began to feel light, my legs started slipping. Laughter came from all around the room as I dropped from the ceiling, back into my body. I shot awake, looking frantically around the room, still hearing a chorus of laughter from what I thought to be demons. Cold sweat engulfed my body as the laughter died down, leaving me alone and panicked. My eyes caught something I couldn't really make out. As I looked a little closer I knew exactly who it was.
"Luna...?" I asked, wondering why she was here.
"We are intruding, sorry we woke your slumber." She apologized as she walked towards the door.
"No you're fine, please stay. I wasn't exactly having the best of dreams." I confessed, seeking someone or something to stay with me.
"Ok, if you insist. What happened in your dream?" She asked, concerned about my sudden awakening.
"It was... rather complicated." I lied, not wanting her to know about my close encounter with the Devil.
"Maybe we can listen to you and help?" Luna asked as she walked over to my bed, sitting down.
"Well I made a bad decision a while ago, and it haunts me to this day." I responded vaguely.
"We know a lot about that..." Luna said in a very depressed tone. As she thought about it, she fought to hold back tears.
"Luna? Are you ok?" I asked as she seemed more and more troubled.
"No, We are not. We just thought back to exceedingly dark places in our past." She confessed as a slight tear rolled down her cheek.
I moved slightly closer to her and said "Hey if you would like to talk about it, I will listen."
"We would really like that." I moved a little closer to her, trying to comfort the Princess. "When We were young, Celestia and I were rather at odds because our parents were never around. We were raised by nannies and other ponies, which caused much strife between us. Nothing was the same after our parents died in the great war. We were left to provide, and raise ourselves."
"I'm so sorry to hear that Luna." I said, locking eyes with her.
"We are alright now, but then... we couldn't deal with it. We began rebelling against Celestia... We turned into a monster. Nightmare Moon. " She shivered a little, remembering the painful memories of her past. "Innocent ponies were harmed by me. We were banished to the moon for ten thousand years."
"Ten thousand years is a long time to be away from home."
"Yes... that is why We still speak like this. We speak such like ponies did ten thousand years ago... with eloquence and age." She responded.
"So are you like immortal?" I asked confused at how she could live for ten thousand years... let alone on the moon.
"No, but my sister and I are given the greatest of honors. Celestia raises the sun, We raise the moon and waitch over the stars. We have other duties that we oversee, but those are the most critical. We live extended lives, put simply." She said with a bit of pride.
"Wow that's very interesting... is that why you have the stars in your hair?" I asked, trying to make the pony feel better.
"Yes."
"Well, I really like them. They are beautiful." I remarked. Her face began to slightly blush as I smiled.
"You are most kind Travis. We really appreciate your complement." She smiled. "We must be getting to bed soon... thank you for listening to us." She added as she began to get up from the bed.
"Hey Luna..."
"Yes Travis?" She asked as she stopped, turning around.
"Could you stay here tonight? I'm honestly really scared..." Her face lit up with what looked like surprise. "I don't feel safe and I feel like I know you the best here on this planet."
Luna stood halfway from the bed to the door, contemplating what she should do. She began walking towards me and climbed back on the bed.
"We will, sleep well Travis."
I awoke to a strange sensation on my stomach. It was like a fur coat...
Ahh!!!!! She's on me! I thought, slightly jumping up in shock.
Luna was laying on my chest, fast asleep. I calmed myself down and laid there, with her on my chest for a minute. My brain went to work on how I could slip out without her noticing. After much deliberating, I decided to slowly move to the right of the bed. I began shifting my weight to the right.
"Mhumm..." The Princess groaned, then readjusted herself on me.
Fuck. I don't want to wake her up.
"You ain't goin' no where..Muhumm... Captain Crunch." She grumbled as she slightly brought her head up.
Please don't vaporize me Luna...
Her head flopped back on my chest, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief. This predicament was rather odd, and dangerous... but there seemed to be nothing I could do to stop whatever was happening. So I let it go, laying there for what seemed to be a whole hour.
I took this opportunity to quench my curiosity about her hair. I decided to bring my hand down to her hair, and begin to comb my fingers through it. It felt like real hair... but it looked like an ethereal blob of stars. I was very fascinated with it, studying it for a good five minutes or so.
"Hey Travis..." Luna announced, picking her head up. She blinked, trying to help wake her up. "How did you sleep?"
"I slept good, what about yourself?" I responded, smiling at her.
"I loved it. I slept so well." She smiled back, still groggy. "Can we just lay here for a while?" She asked, much to my bewilderment.
"I guess so." I decided that whatever she wanted to do, is what I would do.
"This is fun." Luna added, her face gradually developing a blush.
"It is rather enjoyable to experience something like this."
"You are telling us... it is so much fun." She trailed as we laid there on the bed.
Does she have feelings for me? This early?
"What were your dreams about?" I asked, trying to break the tension in the room.
"We had dreams about a lovely pony who was nice to us. He really opened our eyes to certain issues, especially of relating to others..." She spoke in an admiring tone. "I'm glad I hadn't left your room last night." She added unnecessarily.
The way Luna was talking was concerning me. I kept getting a vibe that she was quite taken with me... but I didn't want to make any moves for a plethora of reasons. First of which... she's a Princess. I make a wrong move and I'm royally fucked... but then, I make a right move and I'm fucking royalty. But as of now, fucking is not in my vocabulary... nor do I intend on doing it to any of these ponies 'till I have to. Just saying.
"Yeah I'm glad you didn't either. I was terrified last night, and having you there was really soothing." I said to the Princess.
Her face lifted in happiness, with a large smile.
"We graciously accept thy complement! We consider serving those in need as the greatest of all duties we have." Luna said with great pride and happiness.
"So... uh, when's breakfast?" I asked, trying to break up some tension.
"It should be soon."
"Like how soon?"
"Soon enough to end our current state... unfortunately." She concluded as she began to get up off my chest. Luna went to the bathroom and closed the door, leaving me to my thoughts.
How the hell is this all happening? I think the devil is punishing me for what I've done. There's no other way. How can science explain this world? Talking ponies very similar to humans? Goodbye sanity... time to enroll me in the nuthouse! I'm hoping that if I wait, I can get some sort of an explanation with time. There was only one thing I wanted to do with my time here in the universe... go on adventures. Well I got it. Big time.
The door opened to the bathroom, bringing the sound of the flushing toilet to my ears. I broke my train of thought and got up to use it myself.
"Hey, you can go to breakfast if you want." I added as I passed her.
"We will stay and wait for you Travis." She said with a smile.
Well ok then.
I closed the door to the bathroom and began cleaning up. Part of my cleaning up involved using the new toilet. The experience wasn't that thrilling, but it got the job done. I undressed, then got in the shower and turned the water on. It felt amazing to have a nice hot shower in the morning to wake up and get ready for the day. Especially in this part of the universe. My shower was interrupted by my need to actually wash myself. I saw what looked like a bottle of shampoo, so I grabbed it and checked to see what it was.
Mane cleansing wash... close enough? I thought as I began to use it on my hair and body. It felt like it was working so I kept using it.
After I had lathered up my body, I washed off the soap and turned off the water. So far the comforts of this world have been better than my previous apartment in New York, which I am glad for. I hated living in the core of the "Big Apple". It reminded me of a mediocre version of Hell. Too many people, too many problems, and too many degenerates. From the ten minutes I've had outside this castle, I would say the majority of this place is tolerable... If I can get passed the way these horses look. Oh wait, I'm sorry ponies.
I grabbed a towel and dried off, thinking about how I could have come here. My clothes were on the floor of the bathroom next to the toilet. I walked over to them and picked them up, smelling them to see if they were ok to wear. To my surprise, they weren't as bad as I thought they would be. I threw them on and walked out of the bathroom.
"Thou looks rather dashing this morning." Luna complemented me.
"Thank you Princess, it takes a lot to keep myself this handsome."
"We can tell. Travis, we require your assistance in escorting us to the morning breakfast." Her face was engulfed in a smile and a set of almost flirty eyes.
"Well I think I could do that for you Luna."
She got up from the bed and walked to the door, with me right behind her. At the door we were greeted by Elysa, who promptly bowed to Luna.
"Good morning Princess!" Elysa said as she recovered from the bow. "I didn't expect you to be here this early."
"Good morning Elysa! We have been here accommodating our newest friend."
"Certainly Princess, and good morning to you too Sir." Elysa responded, making sure to greet me.
"What's for breakfast Elysa?" I asked, trying to figure out if I could eat whatever they are making.
"I heard it was blueberry cakes."
I sighed internally, relieved I could resolve the hunger that now was protruding into my thoughts.
We proceeded down the same path to the dinning hall, like last night. When we got there, Elysa left us, and Luna motioned for me to follow her. The two of us walked into the room and sat down where we were last night. Celestia had been awaiting us.
"Hello Travis, Luna." She said, sipping on a cup of hot tea.
"Good morning Celestia." I responded.
"How did you sleep?" Celestia asked the both of us.
"I slept pretty well. The bed was very comfortable."
"Yeah Travis and I slept incredibly." Luna remarked, instantly putting a tension between Celestia and I.
"Luna you joined our guest last night?" Celestia asked trying to keep her emotions under control.
"Yes, we found he was having nightmares, so we woke him up to see if he was ok. He asked me to stay because he felt scared, so we had a sleepover." Luna replied rather innocently.
"That was very kind of you sister." She said, sounding relieved. Celestia turned her head to me and asked "Travis, how you feel?"
"Honestly a little alienated, but not because of you two." I confessed. "It is hard to cope with being placed somewhere you never knew existed, knowing no one."
"It must be very hard to adjust." Celestia sympathized.
"It was nice to have Luna there last night... it made me feel safe."
I felt a pair of arms hug me after I had made my remarks. Luna pulled me closer to her and had me in a tight hug. I returned it, feeling a sense of appreciation for my new friends.
"Thou's kindness is extraordinary..." Luna added in a rather soft tone.
I shot a quick glance at Celestia, trying to visually see if she approved of what her sister was doing. To my surprise, she looked quite content that we were hugging. In fact, her face dawned a smile that hinted of acceptance.
"In Equestria, we believe that friendships are the cornerstone of society." She remarked as Luna kept me in the hug. "You would not believe how conflicts can be averted when both parties learn how to communicate. That's why we have many programs and institutions that focus on the development of ponies, and all creatures, to help them experience the magic of friendship."
Well... Welcome to crazy town.
Luna let go of me, staring at me with an obvious blush on her face.
"That is very interesting Celestia... how do these institutions work?"
"They are more like..." The princess paused to choose her words. "Schools." We bring in both troubled, and gifted ponies, then we teach them how friendship and magic work."
"Oh, ok. I'm curious how magic works." I ask trying not to pry too much into these friendship schools.
"Well I will try to explain it to you, but maybe another day. It would take too long today. Besides, after breakfast you have to visit with the newspaper... you have a whole day ahead of you."
"I suppose so... I'm looking forward to it for sure. I've been super curious about it."
I heard the royal meal procession as I finished my statements, and decided to finish my questions later. A brown pony trotted over to me with a silver plate, placing it before me, then began trotting back to the kitchen. The meal was less extravagant and flamboyant than last night's dinner, but still impressive none the less. It smelled incredible and looked scrumptious. I picked up my silverware and began to eat.
We spent five minutes in silence eating our breakfast. It wasn't a hostile silence, which I was happy about. I thought for sure that the whole 'Luna wanting to be friends that sleep together not in that way thing would have put Celestia in a bad mood, but she actually seems to think it is a good thing. Then there's Luna. Luna seems to be totally enamored with me for some reason. It is all strange, but hell... I'm on a planet with fucking talking ponies. Plus, Satan is real. And I did a ritual to him as a joke on halloween last year. And he's mad. Yay.
"Travis?" Luna asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes?"
"Would thou.. like to... maybe accompany me tonight for a tour of the castle?" She asked timidly.
"Sure! Sounds wonderful."
"We cannot begin to describe all the activities that awaits! All of them will undoubtedly contain the fun!" She exclaimed, overjoyed to hear my acceptance of her plan.
"The fun?" I asked, confused about her wording.
"It's how my sister describes things that she finds fun." Celestia explained with a giggle.
I laughed a little bit. "You sure do have a way with words Luna."
"We take pride in our mastery of the equestrian language, and its many facets." She responded in a prideful voice. "We are the only pony that speaketh this way in the whole of the kingdom."
"Huh. The more you know." I commented as I ate the last of my muffins.
"Tomorrow you can begin to explore the city. We should wait a day so that word can get out about you. I don't doubt that you will be the talk of the town. Everypony will want to talk to you." Celestia informed.
"I can't wait to see what this world has in store."
"Just know that the ponies that live in Canterlot are high society, so be on your best behavior." She warned, trying to sheild me from possible embarrassment. "I must attend to my duties, I will see both of you later."
"Be sure to enjoy the fun that awaits." Luna sniped at her, forcing a grin on her face.
"You know me Luna... always ready to listen to endless business proposals." With that she walked out of the dinning hall, leaving me alone with Luna.
I leaned back in my chair and sighed a breath of relaxation. Talking with Celestia was harder than talking with Luna. For some reason I feel nervous around her. I am always on my toes, trying to make sure I don't bite the hands that feed me. Or hooves in this case. She is so goal oriented, and I don't doubt that she will cut down anyone or anything that stands in her way. It's almost like I have to put on a new persona to fit her goals. With that being said, I don't dislike her. I'm just scared.
"So what dost thou think of our sister?" Luna asked, breaking the silence.
"I like her. Maybe a bit too formal, but that will probably change with time." I commented, noting the coincidence between what I was previously thinking and her question.
"Indeed... but all relationships are similar in that aspect." She replied. "What does thou think of us?"
"Well, I feel that you are easier to talk to. I notice that you are also a very caring and happy person, which makes me like you more. Not that I dislike Celestia, it just feels more natural to talk to you." I noticed Luna perk up at me talking about her positively.
"We take kindly to these words." A short silence ensued. "What would thou say concerning our appearance? How do we look compared to thou's native females?"
"I'd say you are defiantly very different, in a good way. Having stars in your hair has to be the biggest. It is actually very pretty."
We looked at each other with a mutual smile.
"We can make them change..." She said softly. "Each one is a star found in our night sky."
Looking in each others eyes, I knew instantly how she felt about me. She loved me. The feeling of her admiration had engulfed me, begging me to advance on her.
"How would thou react if We told thou that We could make thou a star?" She asked, inching closer to me in her seat.
"I would be pretty impressed... and flattered." I returned, making sure to keep a soft smile.
"Tonight, We will show thou everything We are capable of..." Luna's words escaped her mouth, full of hidden feelings and emotions.
"I really would like to see what you can do."
My words were cut short by the princess, who was very close to me at this point. She began to take shallower breaths, keeping the distance between us. Luna leaned in and gave me a peck on the forehead.
Yep... She's into me.
"Thou is extraordinarily flattering..." She said moments after the kiss.
I froze up. My insides began gushing with heat. I didn't know what to do. I was just kissed by a pony! Every emotion known to mankind was racing through my head. The whole world was spinning around me. And the worst part? I was blushing.
"Luna that was very... flattering to say the least." I said, trying to respond in some way.
"Sir Travis?" Elysa's voice called out, catching me in what I thought was a compromising position. "Your interview is in fifteen minutes."
"Oh? Is it now?" I called back. "I guess we need to be heading out then." Elysa rushed over to me and urged me to get up.
"Yes. We must make sure that you put a good impression in the media's heads."
"Have a wonderful day Travis!" Luna said as Elysa and I walked out of the room.
Well... shit.
We sat in silence as the cart pulled us out of the Palace and into the streets of Canterlot. My eyes were glued to the window as we approached the town. Everything was very ornate and rich looking. Ponies were dressed in all sorts of suits and dresses, each with its own uniqueness. Buildings were packed close to one another to conserve space. It was fascinating to look at... and even reminded me of the 'Roaring Twenties' period of American life.
Wait a minute... I started looking closer at the styles of the ponies roaming the streets. All the female's hair were short. The men had mustaches and beards... one even rocked the Lemmy signature. Umbrellas were common though it wasn't raining. Signs warning against the 'dangers' of alcohol... Jesus Christ I'm in an alternate verion of the 1920's!
The realization had me stunned and left me with a million questions.
The cart began slowing down next to a tall building that read "Equestria Daily Newspaper & Associates". I figured this was where I was supposed to take the interview in.
"Alright, here we are. Make sure to be polite." Elysa reminded me as she opened the door and exited the carriage.
As we exited, I saw a white pony come out of the front entrance. It held the door open for us, inviting us inside. As we entered, the sounds of printing presses and ponies rushing around the main floor drowned out any conversation that could have been made. Papers were speeding through the various systems of pressers, which caught my interest. We walked along the floor with the white pony as our guide. He led us up a flight of stairs to the offices of the print.
"Ok you two can have a seat here, and I will get Mr. Darling." He said, pulling out two chairs from a desk with magic.
After a minute had passed, two ponies walked out. The first one was a younger pony in a dress. She had a notepad and pen suspended in air with magic. The second was Mr. Darling. He was rather tall and dapper, with signs of age in his face.
"Ah! Mr. Travis! So good to finally meet you. Ever since I got word a new race was here, I knew I had to see you for myself." He greeted me with a hearty chuckle.
"Mr. Darling it is a pleasure to meet you." I responded as Elysa and I stood up, and shook his hoof. "Allow me to introduce my royal servant Miss Elysa."
"Very good! It is a pleasure." He exclaimed as he shook the mare's hoof.
"How do you do." She said, bowing.
"Please sit down, we have much to discuss." Mr. Darling invited.
We took our seats and the interview began.
"So Mr. Travis, where to start?" The gentleman asked as he took his own seat. "Please tell us how you entered Equestria."
"I didn't know about this wonderful world until yesterday actually... I appeared here very mysteriously, and not of my own choice I might add."
"Interesting... So if you did not live here originally, how do you think you appeared here?" He asked as his secretary scribbled away.
"Umm... I actually haven't a clue as to how I arrived here. My guess is there is some sort of scientific explanation on how I got here. Maybe we could find that out with time?"
"Very good. Where where you before you arrived?"
"A planet named Earth. It is a small set of planets in the Milky Way galaxy."
"Would you elaborate about this planet?" He asked, bringing his hoof up to his chin.
"Well... it is a lot like this world except my race is the only intelligent life form on it. We are very industrious, like this planet, except we have more technology." I commented.
"What types of Technology do you have that we do not?"
"We developed a device called the computer. It has the ability to connect to millions of databases, anywhere you have connection to a system called the internet. The internet has anything you could ever want to know or see on it. There is so much stuff that If I spent my entire life searching it, I would not even scrape the surface of it."
The ponies in the room seemed to gain an excitement form the knowledge I relayed to them.
"Is there anything else that your world has developed that we do not have?" He asked, very interested in how the world worked.
"Yes, I've seen many ponies with wings flying, but no planes. We created machines for flight, so that anyone who wants to fly can do so. And instead of carriages, we use vehicles that drive without anyone pulling them."
"Exiting! It seems you really could solve much of our world's technological problems. Maybe you should share them with the Royal Department of Magic?"
"Maybe I should! After all, your people have been nothing but kind to me." I laughed, thinking of these ponies using cars and planes.
"So do you think your race will appear more here in the future?" He asked.
"Who knows? We might... We are still kind of limited in our exploration of space and worlds. The farthest we have traveles in space is the moon." I paused. "We have a moon orbiting our world a lot like yours... but we don't have Princesses that correspond with them."
"Is there no magic on earth?" He asks concerned.
"Well yes and no. There is magic, but is very taboo and considered evil. There are little to no people who practice it." I say, thinking of my encounters of earth magick.
"Alright I think that is enough for Equestria to process for a while. You will be a big hit Mr. Travis! Ponies crave the future... and you have given them more than enough to marvel over." Mr. Darling said, bringing the interview to an end. "Here, stand with me for a picture."
He stood up and motioned for me to stand next to him. His secretary finished her notes and put down the note pad. She proceeded to stand up and pull out a camera from her bag.
"Miss Abeline, make sure to get my good side!" Mr. Darling laughed as he extended his hoof to me. "Here, shake my hoof for the picture."
I grabbed his hoof and the mare snapped the picture, with a bright flash.
"Well Mr. Travis, it has been wonderful meeting you, but I must retreat to my other duties." He said pulling a card from his jacket out and extending it to me. "If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to call me or visit my office."
"Thank you Mr. Darling, you have been extraordinary... and I will for sure!" I said, accepting his card.
"Splendid! I will make sure to send a copy to you at the palace." He enthused as he opened his office doors for Elysa and I to leave.
We walked back down the steps to the noisy production room. Elysa turned to me and motioned for me to follow her back to the Cart. Well I hope that went well...
Author's Note
Hey if you are enjoying the fic, please watch me and give this story a like! Thanks for reading
The Shotgun Love Chronicles: Volume 1.
"You did well." Elysa commented as the carriage ground to a halt in front of the Castle.
"Thanks." I said looking at the guard approaching our vehicle. "How normal is it for a new species to be introduced into society?"
"Maybe once every thousand years or so." She responded, gathering her things. "Just don't worry about it, I'm sure it's going fine."
I broke a small pause with a sigh. "I'm not worrying, if that's what you're implying."
"Of course you're not." She jabbed with a smirk on her face.
"Remember, I control your duties." I fired back, as the guard opened the door. "Like cleaning my bathroom... with a toothbrush."
"I already do that, your argument is void." The servant deadpanned as we exited, and began up the steps. "Face it, you can't beat me."
"I'd rather not, simply because I can do whatever I want... and I don't want to do that." I commented, trying to throw her off her wits.
"That was the most nothing answer I've ever heard!" She laughed as she shoved me playfully.
"Well, as the owner of the previous comment, I would like to express that I indeed have crafted these last two statements. It was in my intention to test your intuition and wit." I said trying to speak like a politician.
"You should run for mayor... I heard they give it to anyone who can kiss rich flank."
"Well, I am good at kissing... so maybe if this newspaper article works out?" I said, managing a giggle from her. "It's not who you know, it's who you blow." I laughed.
"What?" Elysa said in an innocently confused tone.
"Eh, don't read too much into it." I said, dismissing the mare's concern.
"Anyways, you should freshen up for the Princess before you see her." She requested, reminding me that I somehow needed to get my clothes cleaned. "She's grown quite fond of you after only a day."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Well, you seem to take interest in her, and she really doesn't make friends that easily. Ever since she returned from her banishment, she's been rather bi-polar in nature. Some days she talks to everypony, and other days she just keeps to her room. I'm glad that she thinks of somepony this way." Elysa explained as we entered the Castle, leaving much of the outside world behind us.
"So would you venture to say she has romantic feelings for me?" I asked, concerned about how this 'date' would play out tonight.
"I would say so."
Shit. Not what I wanted to hear.
"Alright that's good to know. Say, Elysa is there a way I can get these clothes washed?" I Asked, trying to not think about a horse romantically.
"Yes, just leave it outside of your room and I will wash them. it will take about ten minutes for me to finish them."
"Thanks!"
***
Later that day...
"The black rose will find its ...home." I mumbled out loud, recounting the final lyrics of one of my favorite songs.
The feeling of homesickness really hit me. I finally realized that home was but a fictional heaven at this point. No music, no humans, and nothing to shrink the feeling of alienation inside of myself. As a child, many people would have wished something like this upon themselves, but at this age... it's an unwanted adventure. Having to start over everything from the ground up in a world where you are literally an alien. It's freaky and bad ass at the same time. But if I knew anything about myself, I'd say the heartache has just begun.
On the bright side, I was wearing clean clothes. Elysa also made sure to get my measurements, so they could make me some threads. That's a good thing for sure. It would suck having to wear a Nirvana t-shirt and red pants for the rest of my life. And the rest of my life is coming way too soon.
I'm scheduled to meet Luna in thirty minutes, giving me just enough time to mentally prepare for what is about to go down. She's probably going to act like a teenager with her first crush, but hey what can I do about it? I actually kind of like her, but seriously... She's a pony. I'm open to a lot of things, but this has to be bestiality right? Anyways, I'm thrust into this life I guess... might as well try to enjoy myself.
I opened the door to my room, walking down the path to the dinning hall. When I got there, I stopped for a second to try and navigate my way to the garden. There was a stone doorway that had a tree carved into it, so I made an educated guess that it was the door I was looking for. I pushed it open to reveal that indeed it was the door I was looking for. There was a grass pathway that led to a large outdoor park with statues and trees everywhere.
I decided to start exploring the grounds, seeing everything I could while I also tried to find Luna. After walking thirty feet, I came across a rather odd looking statue. It was a creature that kind of looked like a noodle with arms and a goatee. The ponies used a different written language so I couldn't understand what the sign in front of it read. Still, I figured that It must have been some legend, because you don't normally immortalize evil right?
Another thirty feet after the first statue, was another. This one looked rather familiar and menacing. It was a slightly taller, more aggressive, version of Luna. My mind instantly ruled out the possibility of this creature being harmful. Maybe Luna was a war hero? I mean she said that she was banished for something, but I don't think this is it... or even her to be honest.
So I kept walking along the path for another ten minutes, alone with my thoughts. The trail eventually led to an open field, where I got a great view of the beginning sunset.
"I'll just lay here 'till she comes." I reasoned as I sat down, observing the scenery. From this view, you could see for many towns out, maybe about a hundred miles in three ways. It was quite spectacular, that was for sure. Just as I was about to lay down, a familiar voice rang out behind me.
"Travis! Thou has attended to our invitation!" Luna excitedly declared, setting a pick nick basket on the ground near me.
She walked over to me and gave me a long hug.
"It's good to see you Luna! How was your day?" I asked.
"We had a tiresome day, with many duties that accompany a Princess. It is important, but the weight of duty brings me to wishing it all away." She relayed, still hugging me.
"I can only imagine how hard it is to be a Princess." I said, trying to sympathize with the pony.
"We thank thou for words soothing to us."
"So what does the Princess have in store for us tonight?" I asked, trying to deflect the conversation away from her work.
"Ahh! We made for thou a magnificent feast of delicacies, and a spectacle beyond all imagination!" She said, boasting what was in store.
"Very nice! I can't wait!" I enthused.
"First, thou will engage in conversation with us about anything thou would like."
"Well, I want to know more about you Luna." I stated, making the pony look intrigued.
"Alright Travis, we will grant you this request. We are obsessed with stars, the moon, and things that contain the fun. We like to meet new ponies, experience extraordinary events, and listen to music. Now Travis, We request you answer the same question."
"Well, I like music too... I play the guitar, I love sports, and occasionally I lay down and watch the stars. It fascinates me that something so far away is so visible." As I began to talk about the stars, her attention seemed to heighten. "I also absolutely love history. I cannot describe how much I love to go to historical locations and learn what happened there."
"If it is history and stars that thou desires, we are your match." She said while scooting closer to me. "We are very historical here, and have been around for longer than We would like to divulge."
I laughed a little bit. "But Luna, you look so young."
"Thou knows not of what he speaks!" She laughed as she blushed.
"You don't look like a day over twenty."
"We request thou cease thy flattery!" We kept laughing as she started to playfully shove my shoulder with her hoof.
"But dost thou truly desire the end of my flattery?" I asked, making sure to use her style of language.
"Now that thou has cornered us, we must admit it pleases us."
"I knew that you secretly liked it." I said back to her. "So I'm getting quite the appetite now Luna, are you fine to eat now?" I asked, shifting the conversation from flirting to dinner.
"Yes, that is quite alright."
Luna proceeded to use her magic to lay out a blanket, and set the basket on top. Two plates flew out of the container and landed perfectly next to it. Next was the food. All sorts of vegetable and hay dishes made their way onto our plates in an eloquent fashion. On my plate was what looked like a loaf of pan-fried tofu with a side salad. On the other plate was... well I actually don't know. It looked like a patty of hay, also with a side salad.
"Now, We present to you pan-fried soy, with a side of salad." She proudly announced as her magic laid out the silverware and napkins.
"That looks really delicious! It also reminds me of a certain type of food we have on Earth."
"Well, by all means Travis, enjoy our creation!" Luna said, beginning to eat her own food.
I proceeded to pick up my fork and took my first bite of the patty.
Not bad! I normally don't go for tofu, but it's better than having hay I guess.
"This is Amazing Luna!" I commented, going for another bite. "It tastes just like it did at home!" Luna smiled.
We were so hungry we didn't talk throughout the entire meal. I made sure to eat every last bit of food on my plate to try and show my appreciation for the pony's efforts. I could tell she was more concerned about my reaction than eating her own food, which she seemed to neglect. Every bite I took was subject to grueling analysis by her eyes as we sat in the grass, dining.
one last bite... I thought to myself, eating the last bit of food on my plate.
"That was simply incredible." I said, finishing the meal. Luna put her fork down and looked up at me with a smile on her face.
"We are delighted my dear Travis... Thou's show will be soon, we promise." She said, inching closer to me.
Luna picked up our mess and set it aside in the basket for later.
I laid back on the grass and looked to the sky. My thoughts began to drift as I felt my body go numb. Luna moved up next to me, laying her head on my chest. It felt rather nice actually... having this being care for me, lay next to me. I actually liked this, it felt rather calming, especially since my situation here was so terrible. It was refreshing to lay here and relax.
"Would thou mind us asking how thou felt about us?" Luna asked, breaking the silence.
"Well, I think rather highly of you Luna. You have been the nicest person I have ever known... you have gone above and beyond for me. I like you a lot."
"Thank you, but we meant... as a partner?" She responded awkwardly.
"Well, I think you are beautiful compared to most of the other ponies I have seen. I would say that you are the cutest too."
I felt Luna's breathing start to spike on my chest.
"Also you are very caring. Everything I've needed, you have taken care of."
"We must admit something to thou..." Luna squeaked shyly. "We have considered thou as a possible suitor..."
"What do you mean by suitor?" I asked very nervously.
She paused in thought. "A partner to a royal figure."
The theoretical cat had escaped the theoretical bag. We both were blushing very profusely, each of our hearts ripping out of our bodies. My brain had to make a choice... Now.
"That sounds like quite the honor..." I said, palms sweating.
"Indeed... We have just never met anypony that has deserved that title... until We laid our eyes upon thou..." Luna lifted her head and gently glanced into my eyes. "We truly desire thou's companionship... and we wish to hold fast to it, We wish thou would only be like this with us."
"I can't say I haven't thought about you in that way Luna, it's just that back on my world... we don't move this fast."
"Oh, that is understood... We ponies are known for developing romantic feelings a little... fast."
"With that being said, do you want to be in a relationship?" The mare's head and ears perked up in interest.
"Yes, we do... very much so, might we add."
"Then, yes. I will be your suitor."
A thick red blush swept over her blue face. Her eyes widened in astonishment. A smile washed over the entirety of the pony's mouth.
"All the words in the Equestrian language can't describe how much love We contain for you..." Luna whispered as a tear began to fall down her right cheek.
Luna rolled over onto my chest, tightly gripping my body in a hug. Her face flew down on mine, covering my face with rapid pecks. I was almost over-whelmed by the strength of this mare's kisses on my face. It was senseless to resist her anyway, so I managed to free my arms and reciprocate the hug. This only egged on the desperate mare, leaving me defenseless to the onslaught of kisses I was receiving. Her pecks eventually led over to my lips, forcing me to make yet another choice.
I mean I think she's kind of cute... but mouth to mouth with an animal!? I'm pretty open minded, but this is just a little much! My thoughts screamed at me, begging for some control.
Look on the bright side... Keep it up and you can have royalty doing anything you please... Another thought protested, pushing me further.
Fuck it. I guess we're making out.
I let Luna's lips find mine. Her kiss was aggressive and full of pent-up passion, sending me straight back to the ground where I was laying a minute ago. Her aggressiveness was somewhat worrying to me, but I pushed those thoughts aside to deal with the situation at hand.
Luna's aggressive kiss lasted quite some time, keeping me pinned to the grass. When she was finally done, her head slowly retracted from mine, leaving little space in between us.
"We have long desired to shower the perfect stallion in our love."
"That was..." I paused, picking my words very carefully. "...Intensely enthralling Luna." Her face smiled.
"We are glad thou appreciated it."
For a split second my eyes disengaged from hers. Despite what I had told her, that really turned me off. Like holy fuck man! I can't do aggressive stuff if I don't already know and love you! Whatever... I guess we'll see how this develops.
"Now, we promised thou a show... and we shall deliver!" Luna said, turning her attention towards the sky. She pulled her body off of mine and laid down next to me. "Travis, look at that star." She said, pointing at a star with her hoof.
"Yeah, that one right?" I asked, pointing at the star I thought she was looking at.
"That star is known as 'Lunatas Diverticual'. It is a star that was named for us... Now direct your attention to what's next to it." Next to the initial star, another instantly blinked into existence.
"Woah!" I shouted in disbelief. "You really can make stars appear!"
"Yes, We can! We are also very talented at arranging them, if we do say so." She bragged.
It was very interesting to see all the powers the ponies had. It sparks my imagination more than anything. From what I've gathered, humans are industrious, and ponies are magical. Each society dreams of the wonders that the other holds, but can never quite understand or harness the the things of the other. It is just so crazy to see the exact opposite of earth. It's also crazy to have a 'girlfriend' that's a pony.
"Here Travis, let us put on a show for thou..." Luna's words flowed as we sat and admired a stunning show of the cosmos.
A Day Out/ Official Business
I awoke to beams of sunlight shinning through my window. The morning light hit me hard, reminding me of the craziness of last night. I did everything I possibly could do with an animal except fuck it. This realization was one I never really wanted to have... ever. She has a personality and is intelligent, so maybe she's less of an animal? I don't know, but what I do know is, I'm in a relationship with a pony. Not the worst thing ever, especially when the devil is up your ass about a practical joke.
"Time to get up Travis." Elysa said, throwing a pillow at me.
The pillow made impact, sending my head back down to my bed.
"You looked like you could use a bit of encouragement right now."
"Thanks Elysa." I said, head sandwiched between pillows. "I really wanted to sleep some more."
"No-can-do Travis. Luna's waiting to see you." She said, walking over to me. "She hasn't stopped talking about you the entire morning."
"I figured... especially after last night." I said, getting out of bed.
"Yeah, she sparred no details... she's rather euphoric today."
"Maybe I can try to calm her down?" I guessed.
"Not likely. When Luna obsesses over something, It takes an eternity for her to calm down."
"I kind of figured that out." I commented while buttoning up one of my new shirts. I received a whole wardrobe of the latest fashion, modified to my personal measurements last night.
"I can see you have received my gift." She said, handing me a pair of socks. "I felt like black pin-stripe was a good color for you."
I finished buttoning up the white dress shirt. "Yeah I didn't know you were so formal all the time."
"Just this city." Elysa commented abruptly.
My new wardrobe was mostly made up of formal suits, but also had some hints of casual wear in it. I had a t-shirt in every color of the rainbow, and shorts in khaki, black, grey, and my original pair as well. It was a nice gesture for sure.
"I think a red tie would look nice on you today." Elysa said, holding a red tie against my white shirt. "You know how to tie it right?"
"Yeah, I'm not that uncultured." I responded, poking a little fun at myself.
"Hey, they might not have all this stuff in your home."
"Well... I guess you have a new point." She said pausing. "Let's finish getting you dressed."
***
"Travis!!!" Luna shouted in excitement. "Thou looks incredibly dashing today!" She said, running up to me giving me a hug.
The hug was really inviting, and felt less forced than last night. It actually felt really warm and nice.
"How did you sleep?" I asked, trying to start some sort of conversation.
"We did not sleep at all." My eyes gave off a look of disbelief at what she just said.
"Isn't that bad for your health?"
"Not at all." She said, looking up at me with a smile. "We can go many nights without rest, 'tis nothing compared to what We've done in the past."
"Ok, but just make sure to get some sleep every now and then."
"Here, follow us to my room. There we will eat, then discuss matters." She said, motioning for me to follow her.
I was very intrigued to find out what Luna was planning. I'm guessing she just wants to chill, but with this girl... you can never really know. I've come to find out much about her since we met last night. She said we were going on a tour of the castle, but that didn't really happen... we kinda just sat under the stars and watched a meteor shower. It doesn't bother me much that she changed the plans, I actually kind of like it. I feel like maybe we could be spontaneous in the future? But who knows.
We continued down the main hallway, coming to a large door that had the same markings that Luna had on her ass. Not that I really stare at it, cause that would be weird. I'm just saying I've noticed it on her ass. But anyways... I saw it and guessed it was probably her room. She opened the door, and we went inside.
"This room belongs to us. How does thou like it? Does thou approve, Travis?" She asked, looking back at me.
"Yes, it is quite nice. I love the blue accents on the wall."
Her face smiled like a giddy schoolgirl. "We knew you would enjoy the magnificent decor of my dwelling."
"So what did you want to talk about Luna?" I asked.
"Well, we would like to ask thou some questions, Travis." She said, sitting down on a blue couch. "First, we would like to mention that we are glad to accept you into our own... but secondarily, we must ask about the kiss we gave you last night." Her face blushed.
I sat down next to her, looking at her confused. "What about it?"
"We believe, it was un-mare like to do such a thing." Her voice squeaked. "We believe that we should not have done such a thing... we are sorry."
"Hey, it's alright." I said, trying to think of something to calm her down. "I understand why you did it."
"Really?" She said, trying to hide her face with her hooves.
"I think we've all really been in love with someone." I told her, recounting the times I've wanted to kiss a crush in my head. "I was thrown back a little bit by it, but I've determined that you probably don't get many guys, so I just didn't really think anything of it."
"That is true, we have not had a serious suitor before..."
"I imagine it is purely circumstances though, compared to all the other ponies I've seen, you're obviously the most beautiful one." I said, trying to cheer the mare up.
My complement worked as intended, forcing a giggle from her.
"Thou does not even know the whole tale!" She laughed.
"I intend to hear it someday." I laughed along with her.
"Maybe thou will here a princesses tale one day, but as of now, We lack the drive to do so."
"Yeah, I'd say the same thing if I was you... hell, running a kingdom is a lot of paperwork." I made Luna laugh yet again.
"Dost thou make a mockery of the duties that only a princess can fulfill?" She quipped back.
"Guilty as charged." I said, holding my hands out to be shackled.
Luna kept laughing, swiping my hands aside with her hooves. "Our giggling has heightened to a point that it hurts!"
"Then just stop laughing."
"Thou knows that one does not simply stop laughing." She responded. "How about we take a moment to eat?" She said, trying not to laugh.
"That's perfectly fine with me." I said as she gathered some food together.
The food she made looked somewhat similar to a parfait, yet different at the same time. It was a soft white, with a sort of puffiness to it that I had never seen before. I guess I shouldn't keep expecting normal food anymore. Just as I am exited to try new things, I wish that I have some sort of comfort to fall back on. Something to keep me from losing all that I hold dear within. Let's just hope that my memories fade too soon.
"We have taken to cooking recently." Luna commented, tasting her own food.
"That's nice, it is quite a good hobby to have."
"It helps with our boredom." She said with a mile long stare.
"I imagine so. I used to make models of planes and ships to solve mine." I said, thinking back to my obsessions.
"Interesting." She said, breaking her gaze. "How enjoyable was your hobby?"
"I loved it. It was like creating a little version of the real object. The best part was paying attention to the littlest of details, trying to make it look life-like."
"How big were the 'planes' that thou created?" She asked.
"Well, most of them could fill this room in its entirety." Her eyes widened.
"How fascinating! Thou's world must be full of contraptions!" She said with her mouth full.
"Yes, it really was. Every problem you could think of, we have an answer to." I boasted.
"Hmm..." She paused, thinking. "... We were thinking of something, but now have forgotten what we were going to say."
"By the way Luna, the food tastes great." I commented.
"It makes us incredibly overjoyed to hear that somepony enjoys my creations." She said, her face lighting up with happiness. "We would love to cook for thou whenever Travis pleases."
"Don't threaten me with such a tempting offer!" I joked, trying to keep the mood light. "If you did that for me, I'll get fat really quickly." Luna laughed and took another bite of her food.
A smile was present on both of our faces as we finished breakfast. A good mood was important for me right now. I have to face many of these ponies today, asking tons of questions, wanting to know everything about me. The thought of being barraged with ponies kind of sours my mood, but not enough to make me frown. I mean for the first time in a while, I actually have a girlfriend. I'm no Hugh Heffner, but I've had my fair share of girlfriends. I've had about 4 or 5, enough to really say I'm a little bit experienced with the ladies. There was a while after I graduated high school that I didn't have a girlfriend, but that was purely circumstantial.
"Travis, is thou nervous about today?" Luna asked, seeming to read my mind.
"Yeah, a little bit."
"There is nothing to be worried about." She said, calming me slightly. "Go out and act naturally."
"I'll try to... it just seems kind of hard to do in a different place."
"Nonsense! Get out and act from the heart!" The blue mare let out enthusiastically.
"Well now that you put it that way..."
"We do have a charming touch." Luna piped.
"You could say that." I laughed.
****
"Hey you're the new guy the paper was talking about!" A mare behind the counter said to me.
"Yep, that's me."
"What will you have? It's on the house."
"I'll take a creamy cola." I said, smiling at her.
"Alright Mr, I'll have that whipped up in just a second." She said, pulling out a glass.
Today hasn't been that bad. Every single one of these ponies seem to like me, even though I've never met any of them. Mares and stallions have come up to me, welcoming me into this city. The rich, the poor, and everypony in between have all approached me today... it's like I'm an instant celebrity here. It's not a bad feeling though... I've gotten a lot of free things today.
"Here you go Mr. Travis. Anything else? We have the best sandwiches in all of Equestria!"
She handed me the drink, offering me lunch.
"Well, if you must... I'll take a LTT." I said, requesting an interesting-looking sandwich.
"You got it."
I took the first sip of the cola. I instantly realized why everyone had recommended this place. This drink was good. Way better than any soft-drinks back on earth. Just the right amount of sweetness, just the right amount of fizz, and just the right amount of bite. Even with the great tasting cola, I was still only thinking of one thing... no alcohol. The thought couldn't escape my mind.
The soda parlor was rather empty for an afternoon, but I figured they probably did most of their business to kids. Looking around, I noticed something was off. The place looked like a bar that had been altered for a younger audience. There was an actual bar, a mirror behind the bar, and various little things a bar would have. Keg looking drums sat beneath the opposite side of the bar. It looked suspicious for sure.
"Ok, your order is in, it will only be a little bit."
"I have a question." I asked.
"Yes?" She replied.
"Was there a time when alcohol was legal in Equestria?" I asked.
"Yes, it was outlawed two years ago under 'The Better Citizen Act'."
"I see, I was just wondering."
"Might I ask a question?" She said.
"Sure."
"Is it legal where you come from?" She asked with a puzzled face.
"Yes it is. There are very strict regulation laws though. Not to mention heavy taxation on the sale and manufacturing."
"Oh, does it work?"
"Sometimes. If someone wants to make a bad decision, they will make it." I said, trying to keep my answer simple.
"I see." She said, nodding her head. "Well, if you need anything... give me a shout."
Just as she finished speaking, a dark coated stallion entered the establishment. The bell on the door rang. The male was wearing a tan suit and fedora, smoking a cigarette.
"Mr. Dorache! Good to see you again." The waitress behind the bar greeted.
I turned my head to get a good look at the pony, who looked quite out of place. His three piece suit was what caught my eye first. The materials looked very expensive. Every little detail of the outfit was squared away, giving me the impression that this man meant business.
Just as I finished inspecting him, his head shot over towards me. His eyebrows scrunched up and his head leaned towards me. Without breaking eye contact, the pony began fiddling around in his suit jacket. His hand pulled out a copy of the daily paper.
"Wait a minute..." He said, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "You're that Stallion in the paper."
"Yes, that's me." I responded, taking another sip of the cola.
"My name is Al Dorache. I'm the... Owner of this establishment." He said, rushing over to me with his hoof extended.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Dorache, my name is Travis." I said, shaking his hoof.
He climbed up on a stool next to me and pulled out an ashtray out of his pocket.
"Care for a smoke?" He asked, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket.
"Yeah, sure."
I pulled a smoke from his pack and put in my mouth. The man lit a match and held it up for me.
"So you're really from a different planet?" He asked, ashing his cigarette.
"Yeah, that would also be me." I exhaled. "I just found myself here for no apparent reason a few days ago."
"I bet that's hard, especially since we don't have any of your kind here."
"It has been hard, but the worst is yet to come." I said taking another puff.
"What brought you here?" He asked leaning in. "Like here to one of my places?"
"Word around town is that you've got the best drinks... so I just had to try."
"...And?" He asked with excitement.
"It's very good. This cola tastes better than my favorite brand on earth." Mr. Dorache's smile grew to engulf his entire face.
"Wonderful! I knew we had a winning recipe!" He exclaimed. "So what drinks you have where you come from?"
"We've got a lot of sodas and freezes as far as the soft drinks go."
"- you mean to tell me you guys have hard drinks?" He asked, very intrigued.
"Yes."
"Holy Shit. You have no idea how lucky you guys are. Take a look around." He said, pointing around the room.
"Yeah?" I asked, wondering where he was taking our conversation.
"This used to be the most booming bar in all of Equestria. We sold every hard drink imaginable... but we've been forced to 'forget' about liquor." He said with a sigh. "It's bullshit. We used to be packed, with waiting lists... but now it's empty until some rich kid's parents want to fuck."
"I imagine that's tough..." I said while thinking back to Celestia's statements on alcohol.
"Yeah. It's real tough. I know you're all buddy buddy with the Princesses... but you can't tell 'em I said that."
"Of course, I'm all for the freedom of speech."
"You know what... I like you. Travis, I'm going to let you in on a little secret the Princesses don't want you to know about." Mr. Dorache said, leaning in very close to me. "The drinking didn't stop, it just went underground."
"I figured that had happened when I first heard about it..."
"And you would be right." He backed away from me, ashing his cigarette. "Now the gangsters rule the world. Every speakeasy and police officer in Canterlot is paid off and ran by them." He stopped to take another drag. "I get no money from the sales anymore... plus my businesses are heavily regulated since I used to own a bar."
"Who are these gangsters?" I asked.
"The head of the Canterlot operation is just called the Count." I nodded my head, taking another puff of my cig. "The Count is the best known and kept secret at the same time. His goons are everywhere. Everypony knows what happens when ya fuck with the Count. He's got goons on every street corner with guns, ready to react to any kind of situation."
"Where does the Count do his business?" I asked.
"Everywhere in the city, but most all of the 'places' are underground. Ya got to know a pony to get in though."
Mr. Dorache's words intrigued me. How exciting! Speakeasys and gangsters! But, this isn't some action movie... this is real. And since it is real, I could you know get sent to jail or die if I do anything stupid...
"Have you ever been to one?"
"Yeah, there's one on the corner of Gala Street." He responded quickly.
"Why would you so quickly trust me with this answer?"
"Simple, you smoke." He said, outing his cigarette in the ashtray. "Smoking publicly is really looked down on now... and since you took one, I knew I could share something like that with you."
I stared at my cigarette. It had burned almost to the butt. I took it and outed it in the provided ashtray. I knew that my habit of occasionally using tobacco would someday harm me. The last thing I wanted to do was visit some random speakeasy in a town that I just started to explore.
"Ah, I see. Hey Miss! I have to go, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"Why go so quickly?" Dorache asked me.
"I have a tight schedule today. Nice to meet you Mr. Dorache."
******
I held onto my hat tightly as a gust of wind hit the main street of Canterlot. It was a windy day for sure, bringing a cold temperature to the air. I had learned that this city was suspended on the side of a mountain, overlooking most all of the major cities of the country. It was a strange thing for sure, but it was rather fascinating. I had learned a lot from the ponies that approached me today, and one of those things was that Canterlot often had windy days like today. More than anything, it reminded me of Chicago. I've only visited there once, but a lot here reminded me of there.
The castle was in sight, like it most always is in this town. It takes quite a long walk to get somewhere where it isn't right in your face. Kind of like the Disneyland castle, just bigger. All over the outside of it are banners and stained windows with the sun and moon. It is nice to look at, but I imagine the novelty fades with time. Guard ponies are on every entrance and balcony, just walking around and talking to eachother. I've only been allowed to speak to a few of them, but the ones I have spoken to are friendly. Most of them joke around, usually at your expense, then tell you that they are 'just yanking your chain'. I see them as a fraternity of sorts. An odd fraternity, but you get the feeling that they are looking out for you.
As the hours have droned on, most of the ponies in Canterlot tend to go home and not roam the streets much. Whereas in the morning, you can't walk down the sidewalk, in the afternoon it is very open. I like it like this. I really enjoy uninterrupted walks. It puts me in a good mood to exercise and think quietly.
I've been thinking a lot on this walk about what Mr. Dorache had told me in his Parlor. Every pony in this town must know about the speakeasys and local corruption. There is almost no way that such a local gathering place, especially when it has alcohol, goes unnoticed by the locals. I could tell Celestia about it... but if Celestia shuts it down, the opportunity to investigate is gone. Celestia has been extremely generous, but my curiosity is peaked. I feel like if I visit this place, I can find out who is getting paid off, and find out who's in the know. All I can do now is wait and plot my next move. I must get back to the castle and spend time with Luna. She's probably dying that I said I would be back an hour ago.
"Right this way Mr. Travis." The front gate guard told me, bowing.
I entered the grounds, walking into the carriage drop off area. I glanced at the main door guards, and I noticed something weird. They were both bowing.
"Suitor, welcome home." The shift captain said, opening the main door.
"Let me guess... 'just yanking my chain' again?" I asked.
"No sir, Mr. Suitor." He said, still in the full bow.
"Then why are you bowing?"
"You are Princess Luna's suitor, sir." He responded.
"Ah I see, thanks." I said, walking through the door.
Everywhere I walked, all the servants and guards bowed to me. Apparently this suitor thing was legit. Everypony I saw addressed me as 'Suitor' and bowed to me. I had not made it up the main steps yet when I saw Celestia standing at the top of them, wings extended fully.
"Suitor, welcome." She shouted. "Please follow me to the throne room, where we will discuss matters."
I followed the Princess to the throne room. My palms were sweating from nervousness. What was this suitor thing? And why did it make Celestia treat me so formally? When we arrived at our destination, the white ruler teleported to her throne seat with a loud zap. Next to her, sitting in her chair was Luna.
"Mr. Travis, please come address me face to face." Celestia asked with no visible emotion.
I walked over to the foot of the throne's stairs.
"I have come to know that you have entered a suitor's relationship with the Princess of the Night, my sister, Luna. What do you say on the matter?"
"I'm assuming that by suitor, you mean a romantic relationship? If that is the case, I must say that I have grown very fond of her in my time with her."
"Yes, suitor. Do you pledge your devotion as suitor to her and her alone?" She asked me, looking down in my eyes.
"Yes Princess Celestia."
"Let it be known to you, that as suitor of a Princess of Equestria, you will be bound to her until you wish to exit the role of suitor. If you wish to exit the role of suitor, you must appeal to me. If you wish to ask for marriage, you must also ask me."
"Yes, Princess." I said, feeling nothing but nerves getting the best of me.
"Your status as suitor can be terminated at any time by Princess Luna, for any reason at all. Your status as suitor grants you an honorable place in the royal family, and a legally binding status."
I glanced a quick look over to Luna. She was trying her best to keep a smile off her face, but she couldn't stop smirking.
"Now Suitor Travis, we will hear the Princess's voice on your suitorship." Celestia finished her statements then looked at Luna.
"We must say that we approve Travis as our suitor." She commented.
"Then it is settled. The kingdom recognizes Mr. Travis as Princess Luna's suitor." She said with a smile on her face.
"Sister, must we continue this outdated suitorship ceremony?" Luna asked Celestia.
"I quite like it Luna." She said with a little laugh. "Well anyways, I'm happy for you Travis. You've made Luna a very happy mare, and I wish you the best of luck going on."
"Thanks Celestia. I was confused at first, but I picked up to what was going on with the whole suitor thing." I confessed, laughing a little bit myself.
"It is a serious matter, but don't really weigh yourself down with it." She said, scratching her chin with her hoof. "I bet you two have lots to talk about, so I'll let you run off."
"Thanks 'Tia!" Luna said, springing from her seat.
Luna jumped off of her throne and quickly joined my side. Her body rose up and her front legs wrapped around my neck in a hug.
"I guess it is official now..." I said, returning her hug.
