Let The Game Beginby SociallyAwkwardPegasusChaptersThat's a lot of CombinationsHacks, I Call Hacks!The Mare In BlueThat's a lot of Combinations“And exactly how many combinations are we looking at here?” the nervous voice of Celestia questioned. There, sitting in front of the alabaster alicorn was a large safe with a number dial numbered to eighty. After a few quick calculations on his clipboard, the stallion from opposite the princess let out a soft sigh. “There are just over five-hundred thousand combinations your majesty,” the stallion reluctantly replied. Celestia felt her heart drop at those words. For the past three years, the kingdom of Equestria had been at war with two neighboring countries. It was an alliance the princess never would have thought possible. The Zebra tribes to the South and Griffons to the West had formed a secret pact with one another. Their goal was simple, to reclaim their homelands from long ago that the ponies had stolen from them during their unification. Until recently, Celestia had managed to keep the peace between the two kingdoms, though years of resentment and an ever growing population forced the two countries to act. “Are you sure there is no way we can pry the safe open with magic? Or perhaps a locksmith?” Celestia optimistically asked. The stallion shook his head before examining the safe once again. “This isn’t just an ordinary safe princess. It is a safe meant to guard private documents. If we use any type of magic to try and force it open, the contents inside will be destroyed. The same goes for if we do not open the safe within forty-eight hours. The timer will expire and the documents inside will be destroyed.” “So what do you suppose we do then? Surely there is a way to get it open?” Celestia all but pleaded. “There is, but the chances of that happening are very slim. We would have to ‘brute force’ the safe open, which would require us to put in every possible combination into the safe in hopes of getting it right. I’m not going to lie though, the chances of us getting the correct combination are only about three percent.” Celestia nodded her head before clenching her fist tightly. She was so close, so close to information regarding the spies amongst her ranks. She knew that some ponies were paid off to gather information about her plans and strategies, though she didn’t know who. And finally, when one of them slips up, they kill themselves before they have any chance to gather information, except for what contents they hid in the safe in their last minutes of life. It was a truly frustrating feeling to finally have luck on your side only for it to spit in your face while giving you the middle wing. “Very well. Please bring the safe to my private study and set it next to the other one. I wish to study it more in hopes of finding a possible flaw. That will be all.” With a courteous bow, the pony set off with the safe to Celestia’s private study. Once the stallion was gone, Celestia showed a side of herself she never showed. In a fit of anger, the mare slammed her fore-hoof against the stonewall, effectively taking a chunk out of the rock. It wasn’t very often the princess lowered herself to such an act, but with all of the stress piling up on her, it felt good to take her anger out on something. “Princess, I am sorry to disturb you, but Princess Twilight is here to see you,” a guard politely said. Looking towards her subordinate, the princess nodded her head before gathering herself. “Thank you for informing me. You are dismissed.” With another quick bow, the guard scampered off back to his post. “Well, at least Twilight should help brighten my mood. I wonder if she has progressed with any of her research,” Celestia thought before making her way towards the throne room. “And remember to bow once you see her, alright?” the distinct voice of Twilight could be heard saying. “Yeah yeah, I know Sparkles.” Before Twilight could respond, the throne room doors opened and in walked the princess herself. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight beamed, running over to her mentor and nuzzling lovingly under her chin. Celestia returned the display of affection in earnest, feeling a sense of joy seeing her former student. “I see you are doing well, though if I might ask who have you brought with you today?” Twilight was quick to break her hug before motioning towards the other individual in the room. “Princess Celestia, this is Devin. He is the one that has been staying with me for the past few weeks,” Twilight responded, before nudging the human in the side with a wing. “Princess Celestia I presume. I have heard a lot about you from Twilight,” the human replied with a short bow. His appearance was something the princess was not expecting. Twilight had written to her over the last few weeks about a friend helping with her research, though she didn’t expect him to be so… different. “Sir Devin, it is a pleasure to meet you as well. And I hope Twilight has been treating you well?” The human could only respond with a shrug of his shoulders. “Meh, could be better. I didn’t exactly ask to come to your world, but miss Sparkle Butt over here was insistent on trying out her new spell. As you can see, this is the result,” he replied. Twilight’s cheeks soon turned a bright red as she looked up towards the human with a mixture of embarrassment and guilt. “And I told you I was sorry!” she all but blurted out. This earned the mare a ruffled mane from the human’s hand along with a giggle from her mentor. “Yes you did, though i’m still upset about it. Although I guess I can’t be too mad. You did promise me a pile of gold and gems for my troubles.” “Oh, did she now?” Celestia commented before ruffling Twilight’s mane with a wing. “I do apologize for this sir Devin. Twilight can be a bit reckless when she does her research.” This earned a chuckle from both Celestia and the human. “I can attest to that, and it’s fine really. I know she didn’t mean too and her heart was in the right place. From what I hear, you were the one that tasked her with researching new spells in order to help with the war?” Princess Celestia lowered her head with a nod. “Indeed I did, which is why I feel partially responsible for your predicament. If there is anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, all you have to do is ask. I assume Twilight is working on a way to send you home?” “Yeah she is, though it has taken a seat on the back burner until she finishes her more ‘pressing’ research. Though I don’t mind really. Yeah, it will suck not seeing my family for a while, and I will probably lose my job. But once I go home with a small fortune, I think everything will sort itself out. Speaking of which miss Sparkle Butt, when do I start getting my stipend from you?” Another dark blush quickly accented the cheeks of the young alicorn. “I-I told you that I was working on it,” she half shouted, half mumbled. With a bright flash of light, a large brown sack was soon floating in front of the human. “I am sure this will cover your expenses for the next month or so. If not, please don’t hesitate to let me know,” Celestia graciously offered before dropping the bag into the human’s hands. The weight of the bag was enough to cause the human to stumble forward with wide eyes. “My god, how much money is in here?” Devin asked in disbelief before pawing through the bag. He noticed a mixture of gold coins, along with what he assumed were a few platinum pieces. “It’s not much, just something to help you get by for the month. Like I said, if you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask.” “Wow, uhh, thank you princess.” “You are most welcome. Now, I must apologize but I am fairly busy today. I assume you and Twilight are going to be staying a few days?” By now, the young alicorn had recovered from her previous bout of embarrassment before nodding her head with a smile. “Yes we are Princess. Devin mentioned that he wanted to explore the city and get away from Ponyville for a few days.” “Splendid. I look forward getting to know you a little more before your departure. And please do take care of yourselves.” With those final words, Celestia gave Twilight one last nuzzle before venturing off to her private study. With one of the alicorn princesses gone, Devin turned his attention to the other. “So Sparkles, wanna show me where I will be staying and then hit the city? I could really go for some lunch right about now.” Beating her to a response, Twilight’s stomach let out a loud groan of hunger, causing the alicorn to chuckle softly. “I think that is a great idea.” Six hours, six long hours Celestia had been bashing her head against the table trying to figure out any weakness in the design of the safe. The sun had set long ago as the mare continued to work on opening the treasure in front of her. “Please, just give me something,” Celestia whimpered out to herself. The alicorn truly felt exhausted, but her determination was more than a match to combat it. “What am I missing? I have to be missing something?” It was only a few seconds after the mare started examining the second safe that the door to her private study opened. “So this is what you meant by busy today?” a familiar voice called out. The sudden noise inside of the room caused the princess to jolt on her cushion, though she returned to a normal posture after realizing who it was. “Oh, it is you sir Devin. Did you need something from me?” Celestia questioned. She was met with a small smile from the human before taking a seat next to the princess. “Nah, i’m good. Just came to check up on you. Twilight said you were running yourself ragged and figured you could use a little pick me up,” he replied before digging around in the paper bag by his side. Celestia’s eyes soon grew wide as the human revealed a large slice of chocolate cake in a to-go container. “H-how did you…” “Twilight was the one who suggested it. She figured you would probably forget to eat or something and insisted we get it for you. She also mentioned that cake seems to be one of your weaknesses,” Devin added with a playful grin. With a tired sigh and giggle, Celestia nodded her head in confirmation. “That mare knows me too well,” Celestia responded before digging her fork into the cake. It was true that she had forgotten to eat, which was becoming more of a common occurrence for the mare. But just the thought of Twilight caring about her was enough to fill the mare with a sense of warmth and comfort. “So Devin, where is Twilight at the moment?” Devin let out a soft chuckle at the mare’s question. “Well, she seemed extremely tired when we got back and said that she was going to read up on a few book from the Canterlot Archives. So I assume she is most likely passed out on her bed with her face buried in a book,” he added. Both the human and princess chuckled at the typical behavior of the bookish alicorn. He may not have known her long, but Devin knew Twilight’s personality better than most. “That does seem like her. So Devin, if you don’t mind, would you tell me a bit about yourself?” Celestia figured that this was as good as time as any to get to know the human, along with the fact that she was also quite interested in his story. “Not much to say about me really. I’m from a planet called Earth and am twenty-four years old. I graduated college a year and a half ago with a mathematics degree and have been working as a number cruncher ever since. My parents are divorced and remarried a few years back, which is fine by me since they both seem to be much happier now. I have an older sister and soon to be brother in law… and that’s pretty much it.” Finishing off her cake, Celestia set down the empty container before properly wiping her muzzle off with a napkin. “I see. And tell me, are you also pursuing a relationship?” the alicorn asked. She was met with a howl of laughter as a response. “Sorry to disappoint you princess, but no. I’m more worried about my bills than a relationship at the moment.” “Aww, that’s too bad to hear. I think you and Twilight would make a cute couple,” the princess teased. Her comment had the desired effect as a blushing human cleared his throat. “Sorry princess, but I don’t think it would work out. For starters, we aren’t even the same species. I know it is different here, but a relationship with a non-human is heavily frowned upon, and even illegal in certain places. Not that I think that anything is wrong with her. She seems like a very good mare and i’m sure she will find a loving stallion someday. So what about you princess? Has anypony caught your eye?” It was now Celestia’s turn to blush as she shook her head with a laugh. “Please, I don’t have time for a relationship. Apart from running this country and everything that’s been happening the last few years, a relationship is the last thing on my mind,” she replied. “I was just asking is all. It seems like we both have different priorities at the moment. But anyways, care to tell me what’s kept you cooped up in here the entire day?” Looking over towards the safes on the ground, Celestia responded with a heavy sigh. “As I am sure Twilight has told you, we are at war with two other countries. Well, earlier today, a spy for one of the countries was caught, though they killed themselves before we had time to question them. Unfortunately, the only information they left behind is locked away inside this safe and we don’t have the combination to open it. To make matters worse, if we try to force it open with magic or by other means, the safe will destroy the documents inside. The same goes for if we do not open the safe in forty-eight hours. So I have been here studying this other safe in hopes of finding a potential weakness to exploit. So far I have come up with nothing,” Celestia lamented. “I see. Well, if you don’t mind, I would love to take a look at it and see if there is anything I can maybe see that you can’t,” Devin offered. At first Celestia seemed a bit hesitant. She didn’t exactly know this human all too well and even though he had been living with twilight the past weeks, she still had her reservations. “If you don’t mind, I don’t want to involve others in this sort of issue. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but…” “It’s that you don’t trust me,” Devin finished. Turning her head away from the human Celestia nodded. “Well, I honestly can’t say I blame you. If what you are saying about spies and all is true. Though I am a little sad I don’t have a chance at the safe. I could probably get it open if given a few hours.” The comment was enough to pique the interest of the alicorn. “He claims he would be able to open it within only a few hours, even though there are over five-hundred thousand combinations. Either he is bluffing or perhaps his knows something I do not.” With a few more seconds of deep thought, the princess changed her mind. After all, she had been making zero progress on the safe for the past six hours, and she really did need her rest. With her decision finally made the mare turned back towards the human. “I have changed my mind. I will allow you work on the safe so long as you do not physically try to pry it open. And to make sure of this, two guards will be watching you the entire time. Are those conditions fair?” Devin cracked a smile before nodding his head. “Yep. I can live with that.” “Very well then.” Proceeding towards the door, Celestia ushered in the two guards standing outside of it inside before giving them instructions of what to do. “Alright sir Devin, I have informed the guards of their task. If you do somehow manage to get the safe open, send one of the guards to my chambers immediately. Do not leave this room and have the other guard standby to guard its contents. Is that understood?” “Yep. Crystal.” “Good. Then I shall see you in the morning, or if luck would favor us, in a few hours,” Celestia said before bidding the human a goodnight. Now alone with the two guards, Devin turned his full attention to the two safes in front of him. Cracking his knuckles and fingers in a series of pops that made both guards cringe, the human set off to work with just two words. “Challenge accepted.” Hacks, I Call Hacks!Despite how extremely exhausted the mare was, Celestia could find little in the way of sleep. The mare had spent the last few hours in bed, drifting off every few minutes or so, but waking up just the same. It had been like this for months now as the worry and stress of her job continued to gnaw at the back of the mare’s mind. “Princess Celestia, are you awake?” a voice called from beyond her bedroom door accompanied with several knocks. The princess could only sigh as she contemplated whether to answer the guard or not. It didn’t seem like a pressing matter, in which case the guard would have most likely barged into her room with a bow. But still, the comfort of her bed begged the princess to dismiss the voice, if only for a few minutes of extra sleep. “I am awake. You may come in,” the princess reluctantly stated, feeling that the comfort of her bed was not worth what the guard had to say. Stepping into the room, the guard proceeded to bow in front of his princess, before rising to meet her eyes. “Princess, I am sorry to disturb you, but I bring news on the progress of the safe.” The princess’s ears shot upright as the guard mentioned the topic, though rested themselves back against her head. “Did our guest finally give up on trying to open the safe?” the princess questioned, noting how late it had become. The guard shifted his posture to more proactive stance before shaking his head. “No your highness. I came to inform you that he managed to get it open.” The words shook the princess to the core as she stared disbelievingly at her guard. She knew she had not had much sleep, though she could have sworn her guard just gave her good news. “I’m sorry, but could you please repeat that?” Celestia added, the disbelief in her tone clearly evident. “Yes princess. I said that the guest you left me in charge of managed to get the safe open. I don’t really understand how he did it, but after you left he sort of played around on the open safe before chuckling to himself and trying random combinations on the other one. I don’t know if it was a stroke of luck or genius, but the safe is open.” Within an instant the princess flung her covers off the bed with a renewed vigor she hadn’t had in months. “Come Gallant Wing, we have work to do.” The princess gave no time for her guard to respond as the pony was quickly covered in a golden aura. After a few seconds, the two vanished in a brilliant flash of light. “Come on, you gotta tell me! How did you do it?” the voice of an energetic mare questioned. The human could only shake his head at the pleading attempt of the guard to understand how the human accomplished such a feat. “And I already told you, it’s a trade secret,” the human teased, watching as the mare groaned in frustration. “I promise I won’t tell anypony! Just tell me how you did it?” the mare continued to beg. Before the human could respond again a bright flash of light blinded the occupants in the room. “What the fuck?” Devin shouted, shielding his eyes as he almost had the piss scared out of him. Looking around the room, the first thing the princess noticed was not the momentarily blinded human or guard, but the unopened safe sitting next to them. “Did I mishear you Gallant Wing? I thought you said our guest managed to open the safe?” Celestia questioned. The guard nodded his head before motioning towards the human. “We did your highness. Devin just needs to re-enter the combination. We didn’t want to take a chance of somepony reading the documents while I was away,” her guard responded before nudging the human with a hoof. “Devin, the momentary blindness should have passed. Princess Celestia is here now so you need to enter the combination.” The human blinked his eyes several times, a few tears streaming down his face before finally making sense of the room again. “For the love of God, please don’t do that to me. It not only startled me, but that shit can’t be good for my eyes,” Devin stated in a slightly annoyed tone. The mare guard next to Devin had also regained her vision along with a few tears in her eyes. “If you wouldn’t mind princess, the door would be lovely next time,” the blue-coated mare agreed. Despite the overwhelming issue present, Celestia nodded her head with a light giggle. “Your concerns are duly noted. Now, Sir Devin, if you would please,” Celestia asked with a hoof motioning towards the safe. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen Celestia. Not until you agree do something for me first.” “WHAT?” everypony in the room questioned at once. The human held his smile as he stared down Celestia. “You heard me. The safe doesn’t open until you agree to do something for me first.” The fact that this human was demanding something in return for a service he offered wasn’t the most unbelievable thing to princess. It was the fact that he was blatantly doing this to royalty that the mare just couldn’t believe. “You do realize that I could have you thrown in the dungeons for such a brazen statement?” The princess’s lack of sleep coupled with her frustration made her tone more intimidating than she had intended. Despite this, the human didn’t falter. “I did not realize that but i’m sure you wouldn’t do such a thing. Besides, you haven’t even asked me about what I want from you?” It was in this moment that the princess decided if dragging the human down to the dungeons was worth all of the fallout afterwards. With a heavy sigh, the princess planted her rump on the ground before calmly looking back towards the human. “Tell me what you want then, and if it is within my power and reasonable judgement, it shall be done.” “Wonderful. I’m sure you will find this favor rather enjoyable. Tomorrow, I want you to spend the entire day with Twilight out on the town. You know, do stuff that mare’s do like go to the spa, watch a movie, clothes shopping.” Silence filled the room as Devin waited for a response from the princess. During all of her years as princess, she had only come across a few favors such as this. Most of them being from concerned friends and family members when the princess would sometimes lose herself to her work. “And if I agree to do that, will you open the safe then?” “Yep. All you gotta is spend the day with Sparkle Butt. Besides, it will do you two good.” Given her choices on the matter, it was easy to see what choice she was going to pick. “Very well. I give you my word as Princess Celestia, that if you open this safe for me then I will spend the next day with Twilight.” “Good choice princess! And you would be doing me a favor also. I mean, I know she means well and all, but I can only handle so much of that mare before she starts rubbing me the wrong way. Her curiosity and measures to sate it know no bounds,” Devin added with a chuckle. Moving his hand over towards the safe, the human input a combination before pressing down on the latch and opening the door. Celestia’s heart thumped rapidly against her chest as the human handed the mare all of the contents inside of the safe. “Welp, here you go. This is everything. Now if you will excuse me I need to get some sleep. Knowing Twilight, she is going to wake my ass up when the sun rises. Have a good night Celestia and don’t forget about tomorrow. I will let Twilight know later today.” And with that the human was off. “Well, that was a bit unexpected,” Gallant spoke. “Indeed it was Gallant Wing. Though we do not have time to dwell on that. Come, you and Windbreaker will assist me with the task at hoof. I have a feeling I'm not going to be getting very much sleep today.” Author's Note Second chapter complete! Just a little something extra. Hope you all enjoy it and don't forget to like! The Mare In BlueRelief, a welcome feeling the princess had long since forgotten since the start of the war. Despite how long of a grueling day it had been for the Solar Deity of Equestria, it had all been worth it. Over a dozen ponies now resided deep within the dungeons of Canterlot Castle, including several of her close political advisers. To say the least, Celestia couldn’t have felt more exhausted or joy from how her day had turned out. She had managed to capture more spies in a day than years of filtering and screening those close to her, along with the added bonus of new evidence from several of the homes her guards searched. Suffice to say, it was a good day for the princess and she owed it all to Twilight’s little magical mishap. “I should find a proper way to thank him for what he did,” the princess thought to herself before collapsing onto her bed. She had to admit, she did owe a great deal to the human, even if he did try to extort her for the information. Though could she really call what he did extortion? With a soft sigh the mare rolled around on her bed, grasping a large body-length pillow between all four hooves as she did so. “I suppose it doesn’t really count, but still…” Just the thought of trying to be extorted annoyed the princess, though it was for the right reason. With a low groan the princess rolled her way onto her back, wings splayed to the side as she tightened her grip on the pillow. “Regardless, I am bound by my word. He has certainly granted me a slight reprieve in my stress and besides, maybe a day off is exactly what I need right now,” the princess thought before closing her eyes. To her surprise and utter enjoyment, the mare passed out like a rock. She hadn’t slept that well in months, and it showed when Twilight returned the next morning to the still slumbering princess. “Princess Celestia, please wake up,” the soft and angelic voice of Twilight spoke. “Mmm, five more minutes Lulu,” the white alicorn responded. Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile before using a small portion of her magic to nudge the princess awake. “Princess Celestia, please. It’s half past seven and the sun isn’t even up?” In her sleep-deprived state, the notion of forgetting to raise the sun shot the mare out of bed as she gazed about her room. She noticed that it indeed was half past seven though the sun was situated perfectly high overhead. “W-Who raised the sun?” the disoriented mare asked. “That would be us dearest sister. We see that you have finally managed a good night’s rest,” the familiar voice of yet another alicorn responded. Turning her attention towards the source, the princess of Dreams stood before Celestia in all her battle-scorn armor and glory. “Luna, I did not expect to see you back so soon.” The younger sister waved a hoof nonchalantly before walking towards her sister and nuzzling under her chin. “We wish we could have come back on better terms sister. We have managed to repel yet another attack from the border, but do not know how long we will last. They seem to know our every move even before we do. It is not a favorable situation.” Celestia was quick to wrap her hooves and wings around her sister, returning the nuzzle with a quick peck on her forehead. “I apologize Luna, but things had been progressing slowly since your departure. It seemed that our ranks were infested with spies even I had no knowledge of. Though I do have to say that thanks to a certain individual, we no longer have to worry about that too much,” The solar alicorn added. Luna quickly let go of her sister with a questionable expression. “What do you mean by that sister? Have you caught all of the spies from within? And who is this individual you are speaking of?” The mare shook her head, knowing that there were probably another few spies littered throughout her ranks. Granted, it would be much easier to ascertain their true identity now that many of their brothers and sisters were behind bars. “Not all of them Luna, but a vast majority. It seems Twilight’s new friend was able to help do something about them.” Luna quickly took interest in this ‘new’ friend of the alicorn’s. “Is that so? Well, we must pay them a visit to properly thank them for their due diligence in dealing with the problem. Perhaps I shall introduce myself later today,” the mare thought aloud. “Just remember not to scare him Luna. He is a guest of ours and I do not wish for anything to happen to him like the last time we had one of Twilight’s friends as a guest. “Oh, so it’s a ‘he’ this time? Perhaps this individual will prove more interesting than we previously thought,” Luna said before growing a grin. “Luna, I can assure you that you will find this individual nothing but interesting. You two would probably get along very well. He does seem more like your type of stallion,” the older sister teased. Luna could only scoff with a giggle at the attempt to embarrass her. “Please sister, do not jest. We have yet to meet a stallion of a high enough caliber to interest us. Though perhaps miss Sparkle has taken in interest in her ‘friend’.” The way Luna iterated the word was more than enough to get her meaning across. “Princess Luna! Please don’t say stuff like that. I’m too young to be thinking about a relationship right now,” Twilight fervorously refuted. “We merely jest young Twilight. Please take no offense. However, we were about your age when we started looking for a suitor, though that was during a different time. But if you will excuse us, a shower and good night’s sleep are long overdue for this mare. Farewell sister and young Twilight. We shall see you in the morrow.” And with that, a dark flash of blue magic left only two alicorns in the room. Silence soon descended between Twilight and her mentor as Celestia used this time to stretch her wings and hooves before making her way off the bed. “So Twilight, what sort of activities have you planned for us today?” Without missing a beat, the young alicorn smiled brilliantly towards her mentor. “You will see princess. Now come on or we will be late for our first activity!” Princess Luna slowly found her way through one of the many winding corridors of Canterlot Castle. It had taken some time to get used to them all, and even more to memorize where they all led. Though after years of familiarizing herself with the layout, the princess was confident in her ability to find her way to her destination no matter where she started. The same couldn’t be said about others. “Excuse me miss,” a young male voice called out. Turning her attention towards the source, the princess noticed that a strange creature was walking towards her, obviously being the one that called out to her. “Yes?” Luna instantly replied, taken in by the abnormal features of the creature before her. He resembled that of a hairless minotaur with clothing. He stood erect on two feet with a height to match the tips of both her and Celestia's horn. He lacked any bulging muscles common on most minotaurs. His hazel green eyes displayed a wealth of intelligence, while his facial features portrayed an embarrassed expression. “I’m sorry to bother you, but could you point me in the direction to the dining hall? Princess Twilight told me I could go there to get something to eat, though I have seemed to have gotten turned around in this place,” the human stated with a short chuckle. Luna continued to look the human over, wondering why he had yet to display any action of respect towards her royal lineage. “Does he not know who I am? I suppose with the cloak obscuring my wings, I could pass myself off as a tall unicorn guard,” Luna thought before clearing her throat. “Yes we can. If you were to go down this hall and take a left, just follow along the windows to the right until you see a set of large double doors. That should be the dining room, though if I might ask, who and what are you?” The princess made not attempt to hid her curiosity, though if the human was offended by such he didn’t show it. “Oh, sorry about that. My name is Devin and i’m a human,” Devin responded before holding his open hand out. Hesitant at first, Luna soon remembered the action of extending an open hand and shaking it was a way to greet one another in a minotaur’s culture. Lifting a hoof to the outstretched appendage, Luna couldn’t help but shiver as the digits of the human’s hand wrapped gently around her hoof before shaking. “Well, Sir Devin, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and current military director of our armed forces,” the mare boasted, propping herself up on a pedestal. It took a moment, but the human’s eyes soon grew wide as he realized just who he was talking too. “Oh, well damn. This is a surprise. Sparkle Butt told me you were off fighting on the front lines, so I never expected to see you during my trip here,” Devin honestly added. The mare couldn’t help but laugh with an unlady-like snort at the mention of the nickname for Twilight. “Well, we just arrived from our time on the front lines for a few days of rest and relaxation. Also, we do hope you don’t mind us using that nickname when referring to miss Sparkle. We find it rather refreshing change of pace.” “Of course I don’t mind. She also responds to bookworm and nerd if that name ever gets boring for ya.” Luna couldn’t help but let out another giggle before mentally filing away the other two nicknames. It wasn’t that she disliked Twilight or anything, though the princess did love poking fun at her when she could. It’s what friends do after all. “Thank you Sir Devin. I apologize, but I must make this meeting brief. There is still much I must attend to today. Farewell Sir Devin, and may our paths cross again.” With a single wave from the human, Devin continued on his way to the dining hall, while Luna mused to herself along the way back to her room. “He seemed rather nice, if not a bit odd. Perhaps this is who Twilight was referring too as her ‘friend’? Well, we know one thing at least. I’m sure the next few days here are going to be rather interesting.”
That's a lot of Combinations“And exactly how many combinations are we looking at here?” the nervous voice of Celestia questioned. There, sitting in front of the alabaster alicorn was a large safe with a number dial numbered to eighty. After a few quick calculations on his clipboard, the stallion from opposite the princess let out a soft sigh. “There are just over five-hundred thousand combinations your majesty,” the stallion reluctantly replied. Celestia felt her heart drop at those words. For the past three years, the kingdom of Equestria had been at war with two neighboring countries. It was an alliance the princess never would have thought possible. The Zebra tribes to the South and Griffons to the West had formed a secret pact with one another. Their goal was simple, to reclaim their homelands from long ago that the ponies had stolen from them during their unification. Until recently, Celestia had managed to keep the peace between the two kingdoms, though years of resentment and an ever growing population forced the two countries to act. “Are you sure there is no way we can pry the safe open with magic? Or perhaps a locksmith?” Celestia optimistically asked. The stallion shook his head before examining the safe once again. “This isn’t just an ordinary safe princess. It is a safe meant to guard private documents. If we use any type of magic to try and force it open, the contents inside will be destroyed. The same goes for if we do not open the safe within forty-eight hours. The timer will expire and the documents inside will be destroyed.” “So what do you suppose we do then? Surely there is a way to get it open?” Celestia all but pleaded. “There is, but the chances of that happening are very slim. We would have to ‘brute force’ the safe open, which would require us to put in every possible combination into the safe in hopes of getting it right. I’m not going to lie though, the chances of us getting the correct combination are only about three percent.” Celestia nodded her head before clenching her fist tightly. She was so close, so close to information regarding the spies amongst her ranks. She knew that some ponies were paid off to gather information about her plans and strategies, though she didn’t know who. And finally, when one of them slips up, they kill themselves before they have any chance to gather information, except for what contents they hid in the safe in their last minutes of life. It was a truly frustrating feeling to finally have luck on your side only for it to spit in your face while giving you the middle wing. “Very well. Please bring the safe to my private study and set it next to the other one. I wish to study it more in hopes of finding a possible flaw. That will be all.” With a courteous bow, the pony set off with the safe to Celestia’s private study. Once the stallion was gone, Celestia showed a side of herself she never showed. In a fit of anger, the mare slammed her fore-hoof against the stonewall, effectively taking a chunk out of the rock. It wasn’t very often the princess lowered herself to such an act, but with all of the stress piling up on her, it felt good to take her anger out on something. “Princess, I am sorry to disturb you, but Princess Twilight is here to see you,” a guard politely said. Looking towards her subordinate, the princess nodded her head before gathering herself. “Thank you for informing me. You are dismissed.” With another quick bow, the guard scampered off back to his post. “Well, at least Twilight should help brighten my mood. I wonder if she has progressed with any of her research,” Celestia thought before making her way towards the throne room. “And remember to bow once you see her, alright?” the distinct voice of Twilight could be heard saying. “Yeah yeah, I know Sparkles.” Before Twilight could respond, the throne room doors opened and in walked the princess herself. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight beamed, running over to her mentor and nuzzling lovingly under her chin. Celestia returned the display of affection in earnest, feeling a sense of joy seeing her former student. “I see you are doing well, though if I might ask who have you brought with you today?” Twilight was quick to break her hug before motioning towards the other individual in the room. “Princess Celestia, this is Devin. He is the one that has been staying with me for the past few weeks,” Twilight responded, before nudging the human in the side with a wing. “Princess Celestia I presume. I have heard a lot about you from Twilight,” the human replied with a short bow. His appearance was something the princess was not expecting. Twilight had written to her over the last few weeks about a friend helping with her research, though she didn’t expect him to be so… different. “Sir Devin, it is a pleasure to meet you as well. And I hope Twilight has been treating you well?” The human could only respond with a shrug of his shoulders. “Meh, could be better. I didn’t exactly ask to come to your world, but miss Sparkle Butt over here was insistent on trying out her new spell. As you can see, this is the result,” he replied. Twilight’s cheeks soon turned a bright red as she looked up towards the human with a mixture of embarrassment and guilt. “And I told you I was sorry!” she all but blurted out. This earned the mare a ruffled mane from the human’s hand along with a giggle from her mentor. “Yes you did, though i’m still upset about it. Although I guess I can’t be too mad. You did promise me a pile of gold and gems for my troubles.” “Oh, did she now?” Celestia commented before ruffling Twilight’s mane with a wing. “I do apologize for this sir Devin. Twilight can be a bit reckless when she does her research.” This earned a chuckle from both Celestia and the human. “I can attest to that, and it’s fine really. I know she didn’t mean too and her heart was in the right place. From what I hear, you were the one that tasked her with researching new spells in order to help with the war?” Princess Celestia lowered her head with a nod. “Indeed I did, which is why I feel partially responsible for your predicament. If there is anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, all you have to do is ask. I assume Twilight is working on a way to send you home?” “Yeah she is, though it has taken a seat on the back burner until she finishes her more ‘pressing’ research. Though I don’t mind really. Yeah, it will suck not seeing my family for a while, and I will probably lose my job. But once I go home with a small fortune, I think everything will sort itself out. Speaking of which miss Sparkle Butt, when do I start getting my stipend from you?” Another dark blush quickly accented the cheeks of the young alicorn. “I-I told you that I was working on it,” she half shouted, half mumbled. With a bright flash of light, a large brown sack was soon floating in front of the human. “I am sure this will cover your expenses for the next month or so. If not, please don’t hesitate to let me know,” Celestia graciously offered before dropping the bag into the human’s hands. The weight of the bag was enough to cause the human to stumble forward with wide eyes. “My god, how much money is in here?” Devin asked in disbelief before pawing through the bag. He noticed a mixture of gold coins, along with what he assumed were a few platinum pieces. “It’s not much, just something to help you get by for the month. Like I said, if you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask.” “Wow, uhh, thank you princess.” “You are most welcome. Now, I must apologize but I am fairly busy today. I assume you and Twilight are going to be staying a few days?” By now, the young alicorn had recovered from her previous bout of embarrassment before nodding her head with a smile. “Yes we are Princess. Devin mentioned that he wanted to explore the city and get away from Ponyville for a few days.” “Splendid. I look forward getting to know you a little more before your departure. And please do take care of yourselves.” With those final words, Celestia gave Twilight one last nuzzle before venturing off to her private study. With one of the alicorn princesses gone, Devin turned his attention to the other. “So Sparkles, wanna show me where I will be staying and then hit the city? I could really go for some lunch right about now.” Beating her to a response, Twilight’s stomach let out a loud groan of hunger, causing the alicorn to chuckle softly. “I think that is a great idea.” Six hours, six long hours Celestia had been bashing her head against the table trying to figure out any weakness in the design of the safe. The sun had set long ago as the mare continued to work on opening the treasure in front of her. “Please, just give me something,” Celestia whimpered out to herself. The alicorn truly felt exhausted, but her determination was more than a match to combat it. “What am I missing? I have to be missing something?” It was only a few seconds after the mare started examining the second safe that the door to her private study opened. “So this is what you meant by busy today?” a familiar voice called out. The sudden noise inside of the room caused the princess to jolt on her cushion, though she returned to a normal posture after realizing who it was. “Oh, it is you sir Devin. Did you need something from me?” Celestia questioned. She was met with a small smile from the human before taking a seat next to the princess. “Nah, i’m good. Just came to check up on you. Twilight said you were running yourself ragged and figured you could use a little pick me up,” he replied before digging around in the paper bag by his side. Celestia’s eyes soon grew wide as the human revealed a large slice of chocolate cake in a to-go container. “H-how did you…” “Twilight was the one who suggested it. She figured you would probably forget to eat or something and insisted we get it for you. She also mentioned that cake seems to be one of your weaknesses,” Devin added with a playful grin. With a tired sigh and giggle, Celestia nodded her head in confirmation. “That mare knows me too well,” Celestia responded before digging her fork into the cake. It was true that she had forgotten to eat, which was becoming more of a common occurrence for the mare. But just the thought of Twilight caring about her was enough to fill the mare with a sense of warmth and comfort. “So Devin, where is Twilight at the moment?” Devin let out a soft chuckle at the mare’s question. “Well, she seemed extremely tired when we got back and said that she was going to read up on a few book from the Canterlot Archives. So I assume she is most likely passed out on her bed with her face buried in a book,” he added. Both the human and princess chuckled at the typical behavior of the bookish alicorn. He may not have known her long, but Devin knew Twilight’s personality better than most. “That does seem like her. So Devin, if you don’t mind, would you tell me a bit about yourself?” Celestia figured that this was as good as time as any to get to know the human, along with the fact that she was also quite interested in his story. “Not much to say about me really. I’m from a planet called Earth and am twenty-four years old. I graduated college a year and a half ago with a mathematics degree and have been working as a number cruncher ever since. My parents are divorced and remarried a few years back, which is fine by me since they both seem to be much happier now. I have an older sister and soon to be brother in law… and that’s pretty much it.” Finishing off her cake, Celestia set down the empty container before properly wiping her muzzle off with a napkin. “I see. And tell me, are you also pursuing a relationship?” the alicorn asked. She was met with a howl of laughter as a response. “Sorry to disappoint you princess, but no. I’m more worried about my bills than a relationship at the moment.” “Aww, that’s too bad to hear. I think you and Twilight would make a cute couple,” the princess teased. Her comment had the desired effect as a blushing human cleared his throat. “Sorry princess, but I don’t think it would work out. For starters, we aren’t even the same species. I know it is different here, but a relationship with a non-human is heavily frowned upon, and even illegal in certain places. Not that I think that anything is wrong with her. She seems like a very good mare and i’m sure she will find a loving stallion someday. So what about you princess? Has anypony caught your eye?” It was now Celestia’s turn to blush as she shook her head with a laugh. “Please, I don’t have time for a relationship. Apart from running this country and everything that’s been happening the last few years, a relationship is the last thing on my mind,” she replied. “I was just asking is all. It seems like we both have different priorities at the moment. But anyways, care to tell me what’s kept you cooped up in here the entire day?” Looking over towards the safes on the ground, Celestia responded with a heavy sigh. “As I am sure Twilight has told you, we are at war with two other countries. Well, earlier today, a spy for one of the countries was caught, though they killed themselves before we had time to question them. Unfortunately, the only information they left behind is locked away inside this safe and we don’t have the combination to open it. To make matters worse, if we try to force it open with magic or by other means, the safe will destroy the documents inside. The same goes for if we do not open the safe in forty-eight hours. So I have been here studying this other safe in hopes of finding a potential weakness to exploit. So far I have come up with nothing,” Celestia lamented. “I see. Well, if you don’t mind, I would love to take a look at it and see if there is anything I can maybe see that you can’t,” Devin offered. At first Celestia seemed a bit hesitant. She didn’t exactly know this human all too well and even though he had been living with twilight the past weeks, she still had her reservations. “If you don’t mind, I don’t want to involve others in this sort of issue. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but…” “It’s that you don’t trust me,” Devin finished. Turning her head away from the human Celestia nodded. “Well, I honestly can’t say I blame you. If what you are saying about spies and all is true. Though I am a little sad I don’t have a chance at the safe. I could probably get it open if given a few hours.” The comment was enough to pique the interest of the alicorn. “He claims he would be able to open it within only a few hours, even though there are over five-hundred thousand combinations. Either he is bluffing or perhaps his knows something I do not.” With a few more seconds of deep thought, the princess changed her mind. After all, she had been making zero progress on the safe for the past six hours, and she really did need her rest. With her decision finally made the mare turned back towards the human. “I have changed my mind. I will allow you work on the safe so long as you do not physically try to pry it open. And to make sure of this, two guards will be watching you the entire time. Are those conditions fair?” Devin cracked a smile before nodding his head. “Yep. I can live with that.” “Very well then.” Proceeding towards the door, Celestia ushered in the two guards standing outside of it inside before giving them instructions of what to do. “Alright sir Devin, I have informed the guards of their task. If you do somehow manage to get the safe open, send one of the guards to my chambers immediately. Do not leave this room and have the other guard standby to guard its contents. Is that understood?” “Yep. Crystal.” “Good. Then I shall see you in the morning, or if luck would favor us, in a few hours,” Celestia said before bidding the human a goodnight. Now alone with the two guards, Devin turned his full attention to the two safes in front of him. Cracking his knuckles and fingers in a series of pops that made both guards cringe, the human set off to work with just two words. “Challenge accepted.”
Hacks, I Call Hacks!Despite how extremely exhausted the mare was, Celestia could find little in the way of sleep. The mare had spent the last few hours in bed, drifting off every few minutes or so, but waking up just the same. It had been like this for months now as the worry and stress of her job continued to gnaw at the back of the mare’s mind. “Princess Celestia, are you awake?” a voice called from beyond her bedroom door accompanied with several knocks. The princess could only sigh as she contemplated whether to answer the guard or not. It didn’t seem like a pressing matter, in which case the guard would have most likely barged into her room with a bow. But still, the comfort of her bed begged the princess to dismiss the voice, if only for a few minutes of extra sleep. “I am awake. You may come in,” the princess reluctantly stated, feeling that the comfort of her bed was not worth what the guard had to say. Stepping into the room, the guard proceeded to bow in front of his princess, before rising to meet her eyes. “Princess, I am sorry to disturb you, but I bring news on the progress of the safe.” The princess’s ears shot upright as the guard mentioned the topic, though rested themselves back against her head. “Did our guest finally give up on trying to open the safe?” the princess questioned, noting how late it had become. The guard shifted his posture to more proactive stance before shaking his head. “No your highness. I came to inform you that he managed to get it open.” The words shook the princess to the core as she stared disbelievingly at her guard. She knew she had not had much sleep, though she could have sworn her guard just gave her good news. “I’m sorry, but could you please repeat that?” Celestia added, the disbelief in her tone clearly evident. “Yes princess. I said that the guest you left me in charge of managed to get the safe open. I don’t really understand how he did it, but after you left he sort of played around on the open safe before chuckling to himself and trying random combinations on the other one. I don’t know if it was a stroke of luck or genius, but the safe is open.” Within an instant the princess flung her covers off the bed with a renewed vigor she hadn’t had in months. “Come Gallant Wing, we have work to do.” The princess gave no time for her guard to respond as the pony was quickly covered in a golden aura. After a few seconds, the two vanished in a brilliant flash of light. “Come on, you gotta tell me! How did you do it?” the voice of an energetic mare questioned. The human could only shake his head at the pleading attempt of the guard to understand how the human accomplished such a feat. “And I already told you, it’s a trade secret,” the human teased, watching as the mare groaned in frustration. “I promise I won’t tell anypony! Just tell me how you did it?” the mare continued to beg. Before the human could respond again a bright flash of light blinded the occupants in the room. “What the fuck?” Devin shouted, shielding his eyes as he almost had the piss scared out of him. Looking around the room, the first thing the princess noticed was not the momentarily blinded human or guard, but the unopened safe sitting next to them. “Did I mishear you Gallant Wing? I thought you said our guest managed to open the safe?” Celestia questioned. The guard nodded his head before motioning towards the human. “We did your highness. Devin just needs to re-enter the combination. We didn’t want to take a chance of somepony reading the documents while I was away,” her guard responded before nudging the human with a hoof. “Devin, the momentary blindness should have passed. Princess Celestia is here now so you need to enter the combination.” The human blinked his eyes several times, a few tears streaming down his face before finally making sense of the room again. “For the love of God, please don’t do that to me. It not only startled me, but that shit can’t be good for my eyes,” Devin stated in a slightly annoyed tone. The mare guard next to Devin had also regained her vision along with a few tears in her eyes. “If you wouldn’t mind princess, the door would be lovely next time,” the blue-coated mare agreed. Despite the overwhelming issue present, Celestia nodded her head with a light giggle. “Your concerns are duly noted. Now, Sir Devin, if you would please,” Celestia asked with a hoof motioning towards the safe. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen Celestia. Not until you agree do something for me first.” “WHAT?” everypony in the room questioned at once. The human held his smile as he stared down Celestia. “You heard me. The safe doesn’t open until you agree to do something for me first.” The fact that this human was demanding something in return for a service he offered wasn’t the most unbelievable thing to princess. It was the fact that he was blatantly doing this to royalty that the mare just couldn’t believe. “You do realize that I could have you thrown in the dungeons for such a brazen statement?” The princess’s lack of sleep coupled with her frustration made her tone more intimidating than she had intended. Despite this, the human didn’t falter. “I did not realize that but i’m sure you wouldn’t do such a thing. Besides, you haven’t even asked me about what I want from you?” It was in this moment that the princess decided if dragging the human down to the dungeons was worth all of the fallout afterwards. With a heavy sigh, the princess planted her rump on the ground before calmly looking back towards the human. “Tell me what you want then, and if it is within my power and reasonable judgement, it shall be done.” “Wonderful. I’m sure you will find this favor rather enjoyable. Tomorrow, I want you to spend the entire day with Twilight out on the town. You know, do stuff that mare’s do like go to the spa, watch a movie, clothes shopping.” Silence filled the room as Devin waited for a response from the princess. During all of her years as princess, she had only come across a few favors such as this. Most of them being from concerned friends and family members when the princess would sometimes lose herself to her work. “And if I agree to do that, will you open the safe then?” “Yep. All you gotta is spend the day with Sparkle Butt. Besides, it will do you two good.” Given her choices on the matter, it was easy to see what choice she was going to pick. “Very well. I give you my word as Princess Celestia, that if you open this safe for me then I will spend the next day with Twilight.” “Good choice princess! And you would be doing me a favor also. I mean, I know she means well and all, but I can only handle so much of that mare before she starts rubbing me the wrong way. Her curiosity and measures to sate it know no bounds,” Devin added with a chuckle. Moving his hand over towards the safe, the human input a combination before pressing down on the latch and opening the door. Celestia’s heart thumped rapidly against her chest as the human handed the mare all of the contents inside of the safe. “Welp, here you go. This is everything. Now if you will excuse me I need to get some sleep. Knowing Twilight, she is going to wake my ass up when the sun rises. Have a good night Celestia and don’t forget about tomorrow. I will let Twilight know later today.” And with that the human was off. “Well, that was a bit unexpected,” Gallant spoke. “Indeed it was Gallant Wing. Though we do not have time to dwell on that. Come, you and Windbreaker will assist me with the task at hoof. I have a feeling I'm not going to be getting very much sleep today.” Author's Note Second chapter complete! Just a little something extra. Hope you all enjoy it and don't forget to like!
The Mare In BlueRelief, a welcome feeling the princess had long since forgotten since the start of the war. Despite how long of a grueling day it had been for the Solar Deity of Equestria, it had all been worth it. Over a dozen ponies now resided deep within the dungeons of Canterlot Castle, including several of her close political advisers. To say the least, Celestia couldn’t have felt more exhausted or joy from how her day had turned out. She had managed to capture more spies in a day than years of filtering and screening those close to her, along with the added bonus of new evidence from several of the homes her guards searched. Suffice to say, it was a good day for the princess and she owed it all to Twilight’s little magical mishap. “I should find a proper way to thank him for what he did,” the princess thought to herself before collapsing onto her bed. She had to admit, she did owe a great deal to the human, even if he did try to extort her for the information. Though could she really call what he did extortion? With a soft sigh the mare rolled around on her bed, grasping a large body-length pillow between all four hooves as she did so. “I suppose it doesn’t really count, but still…” Just the thought of trying to be extorted annoyed the princess, though it was for the right reason. With a low groan the princess rolled her way onto her back, wings splayed to the side as she tightened her grip on the pillow. “Regardless, I am bound by my word. He has certainly granted me a slight reprieve in my stress and besides, maybe a day off is exactly what I need right now,” the princess thought before closing her eyes. To her surprise and utter enjoyment, the mare passed out like a rock. She hadn’t slept that well in months, and it showed when Twilight returned the next morning to the still slumbering princess. “Princess Celestia, please wake up,” the soft and angelic voice of Twilight spoke. “Mmm, five more minutes Lulu,” the white alicorn responded. Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile before using a small portion of her magic to nudge the princess awake. “Princess Celestia, please. It’s half past seven and the sun isn’t even up?” In her sleep-deprived state, the notion of forgetting to raise the sun shot the mare out of bed as she gazed about her room. She noticed that it indeed was half past seven though the sun was situated perfectly high overhead. “W-Who raised the sun?” the disoriented mare asked. “That would be us dearest sister. We see that you have finally managed a good night’s rest,” the familiar voice of yet another alicorn responded. Turning her attention towards the source, the princess of Dreams stood before Celestia in all her battle-scorn armor and glory. “Luna, I did not expect to see you back so soon.” The younger sister waved a hoof nonchalantly before walking towards her sister and nuzzling under her chin. “We wish we could have come back on better terms sister. We have managed to repel yet another attack from the border, but do not know how long we will last. They seem to know our every move even before we do. It is not a favorable situation.” Celestia was quick to wrap her hooves and wings around her sister, returning the nuzzle with a quick peck on her forehead. “I apologize Luna, but things had been progressing slowly since your departure. It seemed that our ranks were infested with spies even I had no knowledge of. Though I do have to say that thanks to a certain individual, we no longer have to worry about that too much,” The solar alicorn added. Luna quickly let go of her sister with a questionable expression. “What do you mean by that sister? Have you caught all of the spies from within? And who is this individual you are speaking of?” The mare shook her head, knowing that there were probably another few spies littered throughout her ranks. Granted, it would be much easier to ascertain their true identity now that many of their brothers and sisters were behind bars. “Not all of them Luna, but a vast majority. It seems Twilight’s new friend was able to help do something about them.” Luna quickly took interest in this ‘new’ friend of the alicorn’s. “Is that so? Well, we must pay them a visit to properly thank them for their due diligence in dealing with the problem. Perhaps I shall introduce myself later today,” the mare thought aloud. “Just remember not to scare him Luna. He is a guest of ours and I do not wish for anything to happen to him like the last time we had one of Twilight’s friends as a guest. “Oh, so it’s a ‘he’ this time? Perhaps this individual will prove more interesting than we previously thought,” Luna said before growing a grin. “Luna, I can assure you that you will find this individual nothing but interesting. You two would probably get along very well. He does seem more like your type of stallion,” the older sister teased. Luna could only scoff with a giggle at the attempt to embarrass her. “Please sister, do not jest. We have yet to meet a stallion of a high enough caliber to interest us. Though perhaps miss Sparkle has taken in interest in her ‘friend’.” The way Luna iterated the word was more than enough to get her meaning across. “Princess Luna! Please don’t say stuff like that. I’m too young to be thinking about a relationship right now,” Twilight fervorously refuted. “We merely jest young Twilight. Please take no offense. However, we were about your age when we started looking for a suitor, though that was during a different time. But if you will excuse us, a shower and good night’s sleep are long overdue for this mare. Farewell sister and young Twilight. We shall see you in the morrow.” And with that, a dark flash of blue magic left only two alicorns in the room. Silence soon descended between Twilight and her mentor as Celestia used this time to stretch her wings and hooves before making her way off the bed. “So Twilight, what sort of activities have you planned for us today?” Without missing a beat, the young alicorn smiled brilliantly towards her mentor. “You will see princess. Now come on or we will be late for our first activity!” Princess Luna slowly found her way through one of the many winding corridors of Canterlot Castle. It had taken some time to get used to them all, and even more to memorize where they all led. Though after years of familiarizing herself with the layout, the princess was confident in her ability to find her way to her destination no matter where she started. The same couldn’t be said about others. “Excuse me miss,” a young male voice called out. Turning her attention towards the source, the princess noticed that a strange creature was walking towards her, obviously being the one that called out to her. “Yes?” Luna instantly replied, taken in by the abnormal features of the creature before her. He resembled that of a hairless minotaur with clothing. He stood erect on two feet with a height to match the tips of both her and Celestia's horn. He lacked any bulging muscles common on most minotaurs. His hazel green eyes displayed a wealth of intelligence, while his facial features portrayed an embarrassed expression. “I’m sorry to bother you, but could you point me in the direction to the dining hall? Princess Twilight told me I could go there to get something to eat, though I have seemed to have gotten turned around in this place,” the human stated with a short chuckle. Luna continued to look the human over, wondering why he had yet to display any action of respect towards her royal lineage. “Does he not know who I am? I suppose with the cloak obscuring my wings, I could pass myself off as a tall unicorn guard,” Luna thought before clearing her throat. “Yes we can. If you were to go down this hall and take a left, just follow along the windows to the right until you see a set of large double doors. That should be the dining room, though if I might ask, who and what are you?” The princess made not attempt to hid her curiosity, though if the human was offended by such he didn’t show it. “Oh, sorry about that. My name is Devin and i’m a human,” Devin responded before holding his open hand out. Hesitant at first, Luna soon remembered the action of extending an open hand and shaking it was a way to greet one another in a minotaur’s culture. Lifting a hoof to the outstretched appendage, Luna couldn’t help but shiver as the digits of the human’s hand wrapped gently around her hoof before shaking. “Well, Sir Devin, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and current military director of our armed forces,” the mare boasted, propping herself up on a pedestal. It took a moment, but the human’s eyes soon grew wide as he realized just who he was talking too. “Oh, well damn. This is a surprise. Sparkle Butt told me you were off fighting on the front lines, so I never expected to see you during my trip here,” Devin honestly added. The mare couldn’t help but laugh with an unlady-like snort at the mention of the nickname for Twilight. “Well, we just arrived from our time on the front lines for a few days of rest and relaxation. Also, we do hope you don’t mind us using that nickname when referring to miss Sparkle. We find it rather refreshing change of pace.” “Of course I don’t mind. She also responds to bookworm and nerd if that name ever gets boring for ya.” Luna couldn’t help but let out another giggle before mentally filing away the other two nicknames. It wasn’t that she disliked Twilight or anything, though the princess did love poking fun at her when she could. It’s what friends do after all. “Thank you Sir Devin. I apologize, but I must make this meeting brief. There is still much I must attend to today. Farewell Sir Devin, and may our paths cross again.” With a single wave from the human, Devin continued on his way to the dining hall, while Luna mused to herself along the way back to her room. “He seemed rather nice, if not a bit odd. Perhaps this is who Twilight was referring too as her ‘friend’? Well, we know one thing at least. I’m sure the next few days here are going to be rather interesting.”
