The Man and The Moon

The six weeks of recovery was relatively comfortable, surprisingly enough the ponies used the same type of pain medication humans do, all be it a higher dosage. I spent most of my time in the castle with Twilight and her assistant Spike, only leaving to get myself fitted for new clothes. Luna also started to frequent my dreams more often as well as becoming more friendly, she seemed to be the only pony so far to have reservations about trusting, which ironically enough was very welcome to me, probably still getting used to this whole ponies trust everyone thing.

"So Twilight tell me, is there anyone you don't trust?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if I ask who?" Looking at her in my peripherals as I straighten up the suit that she demanded Rarity make for my meeting with Celestia.

"Well, Discord for a while, but we're friends now, then there's Tirek and Chrysalis."

"Why don't you trust those two?"

"One nearly destroyed Equestria after stealing all of the natural magic from everypony and the other disguised herself as my sister in law during her wedding and tried taking over Canterlot." Dawning my dress coat I raise an eyebrow.

"And they're still alive?"

"Tirek is in Tartarus, Chrysalis is Celestia knows where probably building a new army somewhere."

"I see. Chrysalis sounds interesting. I'd like to meet her sometime."

"WHAT?!"

"What?"

"You want to meet the former leader of the Changelings!? Are you crazy!"

"A little, why? She sounds intelligent, perhaps we can have an interesting conversation."

"She's manipulative, cunning, deceitful. She'll use your flaws and fears and turn your closest friends against you not to mention she can impersonate anypony perfectly, she can look into you, find who you care about most, turn into them right in front of you, and make you think you're talking to that pony!"

"Sounds like a challenge."

"I am speaking from personal experience Edward, she'll pull your heartstrings and make you submit!"

"Aw, calm down Twilight, It's not like she'll actually invade again if she's rebuilding from scratch. Chances are I won't even get to meet her."

"It was a year ago that Chrysalis got overthrown, assuming she found a suitable enough place and enough breeders for her brood she could raise I don't know how many, it only takes about a year for changing drones to reach maturity."

"Oooh, then there's a slim chance after all." Twilight visibly shudders as she thinks about the cruel invader if the weeks getting to know her meant anything, she was a very intelligent mare, more so than most humans, for her to fear someone else's wits this heavily... She must've been one hell of a she-devil.

"Anyway, you ready to meet the princess?" With the expert subject change, I look into the mirror and deem it good enough.

"Yeah, maybe I'll get to formally meet Luna as well." With a satisfied nod, Twilight lead the way to the train station with the rest of the gang waiting for us. Pinkie sitting there bouncing at speeds that shouldn't be possible.

"Hey, Eddy! I'm so happy that you're all better now when we get back I'll throw you a 'yay Edward is all better party'! I'll even bring gummy, he's been dying to meet you!"

"Now, hold on pinkie, the big guy might not be in the mood for a party, I mean he looks miserable in that suit!"

"Rainbow, this is my natural face. I always look like this."

"...Oh" With a red tinge plaguing her usual blue coat, the train arrived and she rushed on without a second word.

---><---

The ride was relatively uneventful other than Rainbow disappearing, Pinkie breaking physics, and Rarity fussing over my suit. To my surprise, it only took about an hour to get to Canterlot. It was more or less what I expected from the city that housed two royal sisters, buildings reaching up to the sky as if they were trying to catch it, with no space between the buildings themselves, the streets practically beaming with how polished they were, even the general populace was dressed up and looked as if they own entire countries. As we walked to the castle I observed the crowd, their reactions to me weren't that different than those in ponyville, the only difference being some looking at me like they wanted me as a zoo exhibit as well as wondering why I was dressed as fancily as I was.

After we reached the castle, the guards to my surprise didn't glance in my direction, probably knew I'd be coming, passing by I can't help but take in the interior of the castle, the marble floors glistened in the light from the stained glass, depicting what I believe to be feets of great accomplishment but one caught my eye in particular. It was heavily purple with depictions of the six ponies accompanying me shooting what I can only assume to be magic rays at... Luna? It looked slightly different but I was sure it was her, what happened and what did they do to Luna that deserved a stained glass reference of it? Or maybe that was Chrysalis, before I could finish my thought process, however, we enter the main chamber, instantly I spot who I assume to be Celestia, sitting on her throne, her multi-colored mane flowing as if pushed by a non-existent breeze, her pure white coat matching the marble interior of the castle, her gaze fell on me as we made our way to the foot of the staircase leading to her throne, it was unthreatening but not without suspicion, I could tell that much. Kneeling at the base of the staircase I spied two guards. Only two? I thought as Twilight made her introduction.
"Princess Celestia, It's a pleasure to see you again."
"Twilight my dear, it's been too long. Am I right to assume this is Edward?" Turning her gaze back to me, standing as she trotted down the stairs to meet us.
"That's correct." She almost looked surprised to hear my voice, all be it a brief moment before returning to her neutral demeanor.
"I've heard quite a bit about you from my sister. Your conversations with her, your forward honesty, how you saved Twilight the strain of using magic with a chipped horn. I felt like I just had to meet you."
"I'm honored." Something about her tone was bothering. Like she was testing me or thinking of a subtle way to get a specific point across, either way, every red flag was shooting up, the fact that everyone else was silent and stationary didn't help.
"May I ask a question, dear Edward?"
"Certainly."
"Why is it you speak so lowly towards your own kind but risk life and limb for ours?"
"Because, your majesty, if I'm to be frank, from my brief experience here I see more potential in your subjects than my entire species put together. They've been nothing but kind to me and I see no reason to not aid them if need be."
"And what has your species done to have you make that judgment?" Her brow furrowing, finding it hard to believe that there's someone who is this displeased with their own kind.
"A lot of things, if I'm to be honest. Now, with anyplace that's being lived in there's good and there's bad. The only thing is, on a whole. We've done almost nothing but bad things, and if it's all the same to you, princess, I'd rather avoid specifics."
"Very well. If you don't wish to talk about it, I won't force you." She circles around studying my appearance and stature while she hums to herself, sounding almost like a lullaby but with a somber tone, from what I've seen, her disposition was completely different from that of her sister, everything about her screamed ruler. It felt like an eternity before she returned to my front hey eyes locking onto mine. "You may stand." Her eyes never leaving mine as I rise but as I rose I noticed the others kept their bow, they reminded me of statues it was almost eerie. "I do believe I spotted something of interest, however." Taking a seat on one of the steps "Turn and reveal your back to me." My heart caught in my throat, instantly I knew what she spotted, I was sure the collar of my suit hid it, turning I do as she requests revealing various markings on my back near my brand that displays just under the base of my neck. The majority being rectangles with heavy borders and lettering on the insides with one being a heavy circle with a hooded skull in the center. "May I ask, what those are? They resemble something like the cutie marks we ponies get."
"They're tattoos, Princess."
"Tattoos?"
"Permanent markings using ink. They're symbols."
"For?"
"One if for my occupation, the rest, are labeled as trophies."
"And what, pray tell would those trophies represent? and what are those words inside of them?"
"... They're names, Princess." I could feel her gaze growing colder, opening her mouth to say something but before she can speak a deep hum of laughter can be heard before a voice rings throughout the room.
"Why dear Tia, you just met the boy and you're already having him undress hm?"
"Discord, what business do you have here?" His chuckling continues as he appears out of thin air right in front of me, his serpent-like body adorned by miss-matched body parts, claws, paw, a hoof and dragon's foot with the head of a pony and a batwing as well as a pegasus wing, a red tail floats past my head before finding its home on his body.
"Can't I stop and say hello to an old friend?" He forms fingers from the end of his tail and snaps them, bringing my suit back to where it was without me moving a muscle. "Besides, I felt like seeing dear Lulu's human in the flesh."
"How do you know what his species is called?"
"Oh, Tia, how could I not? I'm the spirit of chaos, don't you think I'd take notice something like a strange being falling above the Everfree in a flash of light?" He pats my head as he struts to my side and turns me to face the princes before pinching my face. "He's quite precious, isn't he? And here you are grilling the poor boy about his past. He's only been here a couple months, and in that time he stood up for your precious student and elements."
"Your point?" Dawning Celestia's face and mimicking her voice perfectly, this amalgamation of different animals simply states.
"If you don't wish to then I will not force you." He returns to his 'normal' face as he walls off the three of us from the other six. "Your words Tia. Your sister seems to trust him."
"My sister is young and she is naive from her time on the moon." While their argument rages on I'm left feeling dumbfounded, Who was this Discord? And why was he speaking on my behalf? How did he know so much without being there?
"But Tia, one can't lie to dear Luna in her realm of dreams. You know this as much as I. Only, you can't enter the realm yourself to observe, can you?"
"I cannot."
"I thought not, however, Tia may I give you some advice?"
"What is it?"
"Oh, but telling you outright would just be boring my dear. So I shall leave you with a riddle." Leaning in close to her ear he whispers. "Await night, and as the fire fades and stars emerge, the blade and shield of night shall show face while the buzz of countless wings ring true as minds clash during the time of sun and moon." His laugh rings loud as he evaporates into nothing and leaves the seven of us is a moment of confusion.