Your Loyal Subject

After about half an hour, Aversion began to stir. He was disoriented and confused.

"...U-ugh..." he strained, trying to sit up. "...wh... what happened...?"

The stallion lost all sense of time while he was unconscious, and was also very lightheaded.

"Avey!" came a female voice. "You're finally up!"

Aversion looked to his right to see Luna, who was sitting in the chair at her desk. He realized where he was laying...

"Wait..." Aversion said. "...w-why am I in your bed!? What happened, Lulu!?"

Luna sighed. "...My nephew, Blueblood, apparently knocked you out and tried to throw you off Canterlot Mountain. I caught him just before he succeeded in doing so."

"What...!?" Aversion uttered.

He tried to process this... the fact that he was nearly killed by a member of the Canterlot Royal Family... the thought made his stomach churn.

"Why would he do that to me!?" Aversion asked.

Luna hung her head down. "Your guess is as good as mine, Avey... but I think he feels that being of royal status automatically makes one better than everypony else. And that is simply not true."

Aversion's eyes quickly widened as he remembered something.

"Wait... where's my suit!?" he said.

Luna levitated something off her desk, which was his folded-up formal apparel.

"Blueblood had torn the entire set to get it off you, but while you were out, I repaired all of it with a Mending Charm." Luna said.

"Oh..." Aversion said, taking the clothing out of Luna's telekinetic hold. "...thanks, Lulu!"

"Now, once you slip into that..." Luna said, heading for the door. "...would you like to come back down for the remainder of the Gala with me?"

"Yeah!" Aversion said, just before his smile faded. "But... what about Prince Blueblood?"

"I've sent him to his room for the rest of the night as punishment for what he did to you. A pair of my guards are stationed at his door, and I personally enchanted his room so that he cannot use any magic that would allow him to escape. You won't have to worry about him anymore." Luna said.

"But... I imagine he's going to be very angry about this... especially with me..." Aversion said.

"Well, I made it very clear to him that, should he do anything else to you... the consequences will be quite severe." Luna said.

Aversion nodded. "Fair enough... now, I'll get re-dressed, and fix up my mane and tail... and I'll be down in a few minutes!"

"Alright!" Luna said. "I'll be waiting for you!"

The Gala was still going on strongly, with DJ-Pon-3 still playing tracks from a wide selection she put together. The density of ponies was a bit lower, due to some of the Canterlot residents having left, not able to stand the music. Others, such as the Mane Six, Starlight Glimmer, and Spike were still present... and they all had to agree that this was probably the best Gala they had been to, period.

"Ah, you're back, Avey!" Luna said, upon seeing her coltfriend coming.

"Yep!" Aversion responded.

"And just in time for the slow dances!" Luna added.

At that moment, Pon-3 put on some more electronic music... but it was more serene and calm compared to the upbeat music she had been playing throughout the night. Aversion extended an upward-facing hoof toward Luna.

"...May I have this dance?" he asked.

"Of course!" Luna said, placing her hoof in his.

With that, the two slowly spun, holding each other's hoof, occasionally alternating between the two on each side. Every now and then, Aversion stood on his hind legs, and sent Luna's foreleg in one direction, inciting her to do a single spin.

Sure, it was a simple dance... but the two enjoyed it nonetheless.

"I really need to get this off my chest, Lulu..." Aversion said. "...this has been the best night of my life!"

Luna blushed, her lips in a pursed grin as her eyes fell.

"Yes, and even after attending hundreds of Galas in the past... I can say with utmost confidence that this one has been the best for me... and it's all because of you, Avey." she said.

The made the earth pony himself go red in the face as micro-tremors surged through his body. He was so tense at that moment, and could do little to control it... but he kept up the dance, doing his best to look as natural as possible.

Eventually, the song ended, and the two finally put all four of their hooves back on the floor. Aversion took several deep breaths in the hope of mitigating his tension.

"Well..." Aversion said. "...that was actually quite fun!"

"I agree!" Luna said.

The two happened to notice that Twilight Sparkle had come up to them.

"Hey, Princess!" she said.

"Ah, hello Twilight." Luna said.

Aversion was a bit on the spot. "...Greetings, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight smiled. "You can just call me 'Twilight.' It's alright."

"A-alright..." Aversion said, pressing his lips together.

"And I have to say..." Twilight said. "...I can't help but say how cute it was to see you both dancing together!"

"Oh, why thank you!" Aversion said.

Twilight turned to face Luna. "...Is it alright if I steal him for one dance?"

"Of course, go right ahead!" Luna said.

With that, the next song started up, and Aversion (nervously) offered his hoof to Twilight, who took it. He then took the lead and the two started revolving around each other. In this instance, it definitely seemed like Aversion had more prominent control, since he was slightly taller than Twilight.

Wow... dancing with TWO Princesses...? SCORE, Aversion! The stallion thought.

"So... it seems like you've caught Princess Luna's interest quite well!" Twilight commented.

"Yeah..." Aversion said. "...and I admit, I'm still surprised about it to this day!"

He spun Twilight around a single time, and then the two reversed their direction, resuming the dance.

"So, I just have to wonder, and please don't take this the wrong way... what exactly does Luna find appealing about you?" Twilight asked.

"Well..." Aversion spoke, knowing all too well the reason. "...she sees a lot of herself in me."

"Oh?" Twilight uttered. "How so?"

Aversion sighed. "...She has always felt... rejected... unappreciated... and worthless..."

Twilight's eyes went wide.

"...and I feel exactly the same way. I have always felt like such a useless pony... but she helped me gain a greater understanding of my true worth." Aversion said.

"Oh..." Twilight said. "...really? Well, I think it's really nice of her to care about somepony going through a rough time!"

"Yeah... she really cares about me. I daresay she's borderline overprotective of me!" Aversion said.

Twilight lifted her hoof from Aversion's own and placed it on his shoulder.

"...Then you should consider yourself a very fortunate stallion." she said. "If she has helped turn your life around... then I would go through thick and thin to stay with her always, if I were you."

Aversion nodded. "Yeah... especially, since... s-since..."

Twilight tilted her head. "Since what?"

Aversion let out a sigh. "...since I felt like... I-I've started to... l-love her..."

Twilight went motionless. "...Oh... is that the case?"

"Yes," Aversion said. "Lulu and I declared our love for each other a short time ago... and we've been in a formal relationship ever since... she's officially my first marefriend... just as I am her coltfriend."

"Wow..." Twilight said, before lifting her fallen gaze back up to Aversion with a smile. "...that's so sweet! It's nice to see that Luna has found a way to truly escape her sorrow. And you even gave her a pet name!"

"Yeah," Aversion said. "and she also calls me 'Avey,' which I really like."

The song was just about to finish up, so the two would go on their way shortly.

"Well, just know this, Aversion..." Twilight said. "...it doesn't make a difference to me or any of my friends who Luna wants to be with. You two will have nothing but our support!"

Aversion's lips curled up. "Thank you, Twilight... that's exactly what I needed to hear from somepony. Because I was always afraid... everypony would hate me if they ever found out about Luna choosing me..."

"Hey..." Twilight said, holding up his head with her hoof. "...don't be so down on yourself! Learn to view yourself in a more positive way by looking at all of your good traits, and building on them!"

Eventually, the song ended, and Aversion began to walk off... but not before turning back to Twilight one last time.

"Thanks for the advice, Twilight." Aversion said. "It's something that I really had not gotten in years."

"Of course!" Twilight said.

With that, Twilight went back to rejoin her friends, and Aversion went back to dance with Luna again. The mood of the Gala was winding down after a while, and eventually, ended completely with the cleaners starting to come in.

Luna brought Aversion with her back to her quarters, and through her portal to the Castle of the Two Sisters, where the two decided to spend some time with each other. They were more or less just lounging about, trying to recover from how exhausted they were after the Gala. They were snacking on yet another cake Luna swiped from Celestia's stash.

"Well... this was quite a night, wasn't it?" Aversion said.

"Indeed it was." Luna responded through a mouthful of cake.

Aversion sighed. "...Sure does help me feel better after being relentlessly berated by my boss, and the customers I serve."

"I know..." Luna said. "...and I don't get why everypony feels like they have to put you down, Avey."

"Yeah... it just makes me feel worthless, when nearly everyone says those things about me." Aversion said. "When I was a colt... I was always bullied by a lot of my peers... my stepfather abused me, emotionally and physically... and... there was only... one, who really cared for me..."

Luna sat more upright. "...Your mother, Evasion, correct?"

Aversion's eyes widened. "Yeah, but... how do you know about that?"

" 'Tia dug up the court case of her death, and also documentation of your custody." Luna said.

"Wow... I didn't think anypony would be the least bit concerned with pulling up that case. But, still..." Aversion hung his head down, closing his eyes. "...I still really miss my mother... she was... the nicest mare you could ever imagine..."

"Yes, and I'm really sorry about everything you've had to go through, Avey..." Luna said, standing from the armchair she was sitting in, walking over to sit with her coltfriend on the lounge sofa. "...it's just not fair. But as always... there will always be a reason to keep going."

Aversion smiled weakly as his gaze fell to the floor.

"Lulu..." he said. "...do you think there's an afterlife? Do you think we have souls that transcend from our bodies after we die?"

This was something Luna had not thought about for a long time... but she was well aware of the answer, given the difference between immortal alicorns, and mortal lesser ponies.

"...I am positive that there is. One day, when your time comes to move on... I know you shall see your mother again." Luna said.

Aversion pressed his lips together briefly, swallowing. "I sure hope so..."

"Avey... I just want you to know this..." Luna spoke. "...no matter what, you shall always have me to show you the light, in times of your inner darkness..."

She then pulled him against her barrel.

"…and you will have my love to wash away the hate cast upon you by others." she said.

Then the Princess brought her face down toward the earth pony's, slowly closing her eyes... and planted her lips against his. Aversion was rigid and wide-eyed, unable to move, no matter how hard he tried to make a single muscle respond. However... the kiss eventually worked its way to his mind, taking control of him.

His eyes rolled backward as he closed them, and brought his forelegs around the alicorn as he returned the kiss, ever so passionately. Their lips were locked for several minutes, frequently adjusting suction, before they separated, a tiny strand of saliva connecting their lips before it broke at about an inch, opening their eyes and merely exchanging gazes while regaining their breath.

Aversion's face was now redder than he was sure it had ever been in his life. Slowing her panting down, Luna's lips curled back upward.

"...You truly are a special pony, Avey..." Luna said, hugging him yet again. "...and I consider myself the fortunate one for seeing it in you."

After a few seconds of holding each other... Luna noticed that Aversion began to cry. He was quietly sobbing and sniffling. She loosened her hug slightly and looked down at the teary-eyed stallion.

"What ever is the matter, Avey?" she asked.

"...N-nothing..." Aversion said, a smile filling his face despite the tears. "...I-I've just... n-n-never felt so... happy... in s-so long..."

Luna understood after thinking about it; given all the mistreatment and borderline abuse he has endured... it only makes sense that experiencing genuine love and acceptance would be very emotional for somepony like him.

"It's okay, Avey..." Luna said, wiping a falling tear from his face. "...always know that it's okay to cry, whether you're happy or sad. Like I said, it's not a sign of weakness."

Aversion took a moment to pull himself together, and eventually managed to stop his crying. However, it did help him feel even better.

"...I really can never thank you enough for all of the emotional support you've given me, Lulu..." Aversion said. "...it really helps me a lot more and longer than the advice my one other friend gives me."

Luna tilted her head. "Oh, you have another friend? I didn't know that."

"Yeah..." Aversion said. "...he and I are like two peas in a pod... even though were are different species."

"Different species? What, is your friend a dragon? A griffin?" Luna asked.

Aversion shuffled his hooves nervously. "Well, actually... he's... a changeling."

Luna looked totally dumbstruck. She blinked a few times, but made no other movement.

"...A changeling?" she asked. "Avey... are you sure he is not planning to lure you into some kind of trap?"

"Absolutely! I've known him since my childhood! We've been just about the best of friends ever since!" Aversion said.

Luna swung her eyes about, back and forth at the floor, before she eventually returned her gaze to Aversion with a slight smile.

"...Perhaps you could introduce me to your friend?" Luna requested.

Aversion nodded. "I'm sure you'll like him, Lulu. He's a really good changeling."

Scolus was asleep in the hive with all the other changelings, yet he was off to one corner in his own "sleeping bag" composed of a polymeric substance that changelings could secrete, as opposed to being in a huddle like the other changelings. This, however, would make the process of summoning him easier for Luna.

When Luna's magic reached Scolus, his changeling-style bed began to rip open, and once it was wide enough, Scolus himself, still sleeping, levitated out of it as Luna began to summon him. He floated through the large sleep chamber of the hive, and out through an opening. The young changeling then began to fly directly towards Canterlot, and the entire way, he did not wake up.

The changeling drone levitated into the spire of the Castle of the Two Sisters that Luna and Aversion were in, through the balcony.

"Alright..." Aversion said, walking up to the sleeping Scolus and nudging his barrel. "...hey, Scol... wake up, dude!"

"...M-mrgh..." Scolus uttered, his eyelids flickering.

Once he was aware of his environment, his eyes shot open and he was wide awake.

"Wait... wh-what...?" he said, rubbing his eyes. "Aversion... what's going on...? W-where are we...?"

"Well... I believe I will let Lulu here explain everything." Aversion said, motioning toward Luna.

Scolus' gaze shifted to Luna, who smiled warmly at him as she lowered him to the ground, on his hooves. The changeling himself had his jaw hanging agape at the alicorn before him.

"P-Princess Luna...!" he said, immediately bowing. "...L-listen, I promise I'm not a bad changeling...! Please, don't execute me...!"

"Do not worry, Scolus. Avey has told me much about you, and because I trust him... I believe you." Luna said.

Scolus lifted his head to make eye-contact with the Princess.

"R-really...?" he said. "So... what am I doing here?"

"Avey wanted to introduce you to me, because, well..." Luna trailed off. "...you are his best friend, and he is my friend, also."

Aversion nodded. "Yeah... I figured it would be alright for you to get to know her too, Scolus. So she used her long-range magic to levitate you over to here, much like how she did with me during our first encounters."

"So... your idea of introducing me to the Princess involves borderline kidnapping me in my sleep?" Scolus asked, raising a brow with a subtle smirk.

Aversion darted his eyes around as he bit down on the inside of his lips.

"Well... we couldn't think of any other way of getting you over here." Aversion said.

"I mean, hey, if I woke up during the flight over here... I probably would've thought I was being abducted by aliens or something!" Scolus said.

The three of them laughed for a moment, and then Aversion spoke up.

"So... do you believe me now, Scol?" Aversion said.

Scolus glanced at Luna, who still had that pleasant, welcoming demeanor about her.

"...I'd say I can believe you, Av! It's just something I really couldn't take your word for at face value, but... you've got the proof right here, alright!"

"Heheh..." Luna chuckled. "...I must say, Scolus, you sure are lucky to have a friend as kind and caring as my coltfriend here."

"Coltfriend!?" Scolus asked, astonished.

Aversion shuffled his hooves. "...Long story involving our... inner demons."

"WOW!" Scolus said, patting his friend on the back. "Sweet score, Av! You managed to woo over the Princess of the Night!"

Luna walked up to Scolus. "I've only known you for two minutes, and I already feel like you'll be a good friend of mine, with how supportive you are!"

She then lowered her face down over the changeling's... and kissed him on the head.

Scolus chuckled a bit, his face flushed green. "...Heh heh... please stop, Princess; you're making me blush...!"

"Shhh..." Luna said, putting a hoof over Scolus' muzzle.

After a moment, she smiled at the changeling as she lowered his jaw, and levitated a slice of cake into his mouth, closing his jaw afterward. Scolus sat still for a moment, unsure what to make of this. And then he slowly began to chew and swallow it. Luna tilted her head while showing every one of her teeth in her smile at him.

"...So, your way of silencing me... is by putting cake in my face?" Scolus asked.

"Perhaps..." Luna said. "...or maybe I just secretly want to fatten you up!"

Scolus chuckled. "...That'd be something!"

It was just a few moments, but the two were clearly off to a good start, from what Aversion saw. He was hopeful that Scolus could start spending time with them.

"Ah... I'm so tired..." Scolus said. "...I'd like to return home... get my sleep..."

"You may spend the night here if you wish!" Luna said. "There is a neighboring bedroom with a top-of-the-line luxury mattress bed!"

"Really?" Scolus said. "Oh, I... I couldn't, really!"

"Nonsense! I wish to provide our guest with a comfortable place to rest for the night." Luna said.

She then escorted Scolus to the nextdoor bedroom, where the changeling immediately laid down on the bed to get a feel for it.

"Well..." he said, shifting about. "...this is quite nice! At least I won't have to wear out my polymer glands to create a new sleep-sac."

"Of course..." Luna said, turning back toward the door as Scolus climbed under the sheets. "...happy dreams, Scolus."

She blew a kiss at him before shutting the door. Then, she returned to her own bedroom, where Aversion was still waiting.

"Now... I believe it is time we got our own rest, Avey." Luna said, noticing the position of the moon in the sky as a time indication.

"Really?" Aversion said. "But I don't feel like going to bed just yet. Don't you wanna do something to pass the time while the night is young?"

"As much as I would like to spend as much time as I can with you, Avey..." Luna said, her horn beginning to glow. "...we must be rested up for the day ahead. Too little sleep can deprive a pony of good health..."

Aversion began to levitate, and a soft blue glow filled his eyes; Luna was beginning to place him under hypnosis.

"Woah..." Aversion said. "...Lulu... what are... you... doing... ooooohhhhh..."

Luna smiled slightly with her eyes closed as she lowered Aversion's brain activity with her magic, along with sedating his muscular system.

"I want to look out for you, and do what's best for you... and I know that sleep, a very precious thing, is what is best for you."

"...B-but... Lulu..." Aversion said, his consciousness fading. "...I-I don't... wanna go to... s... sleep..."

"Shhh..." Luna shushed, putting a hoof over his maw. "...rest your head... it's time for bed..."

Unable to protest any longer, the sleepy stallion was rendered unconscious by Luna's sleeping spell, and she levitated him into her bed. She climbed under the covers with him, wrapping her forelegs around him as he was drifting off.

Sure, it seemed like cheating to use magic for inducing sleep in an earth pony, but Luna did not see it this way. In all honesty... she couldn't help it. She loved putting Aversion to sleep. (She wondered if it could be considered a sort of fetish...?)

In any case, Luna lowered her head further down, putting her ear to Aversion's barrel, and listening to the slow thumping of his resting heart.

"...You've got a nice, strong heartbeat, Avey." Luna said to her sleeping coltfriend.

It was this sound that Luna herself ended up falling asleep to. It was like a lullaby to her. The beat firm but still calm and peaceful enough to indicate that Aversion was at rest. The two slept through the night, and both had very wonderful visions and spectacles as their minds freely wandered the universe...