The Tortoise and The Mare

Chapter 1:

Princess Luna soared through the night sky, scanning the ground beneath her as her job was to do. The elegant alicorn of the night did as she was supposed to do; raise the moon into the night time sky to bring a dim light for nocturnal creatures, provide surveillance over Equestria for a set amount of hours to make sure no crime occurred, then return home to the manor in Canterlot to awaken her sister, Princess Celestia, who would raise the sun and begin a new day.

After the exchange of greeting and the rising of the sun, Luna retreated into her section of the castle where she, as she did every morning, climbed into her bed and settled into a deep slumber...

...except this particular morning, it seemed as though sleep escaped her. Luna sat up and looked around her room. The black curtains adorned over the windows provided protection from the glare of Celestia’s sun. The shelves, filled with a variety of books and scrolls, lined the walls around her, giving any visitor the knowledge that she was well educated. And, of course, the certain area in her room piled with various video games and plugged-in systems provided dim lights and faded “beeps” and “boops” every few minutes with the frequent gun shot.

Games... Not today... Luna pondered as she surveyed her room.

She lied back down and closed her eyes tight to take another try at slumber, only to fail once again. She slowly opened her eyes, staring at the spot where her hoof laid.

Lonely... She mused with a sigh.

Celestia’s sun crept up into the sky, gifting all of the ponies in Equestria with its elegant rays. Or, at least it gifted most of the ponies.

The floating house on the outskirts of Cloudsdale remained still, albeit the occasional swaying caused by the wing generated by pass-by pegasi. Inside was a cyan pegasus with a multi-chromatic mane snoring in bed and an inert shell that rested on the nightstand beside the mare.

RainbowDash tossed around as the sun beamed through the windows directly into her face. After minutes of fighting with the cursed light, she admitted defeat. With a grunt, Rainbow forced herself out of bed and stretch, allowing her wings to beat a few time to prepare themselves for what the day had prepared.

She trotted over to the shell and playfully banged on it a few times.

“Tank! Wake up!”

The tortoise’s limbs slowly emerged from the shell, and, like RainbowDash had done not too long ago, began working a few stretches of their own. After what seemed like half an hour of slow twisting movements and flexing tortoise muscles, Tank’s head made its way out of his shell.

“Fiiiianlly!” RainbowDash exclaimed with a giggle. Tank turned his head toward her and gave her a smile (or what seemed to be a smile. It’s rather difficult to read a tortoise’s facial expression). RainbowDash opened the drawer of the nightstand and searched through it, eventually pulling out a small helmet, goggles, and an odd mechanism with velcro straps and a propeller. She placed the helmet on Tank’s head and the goggles onto his face, then wrapped the flying device around his shell, adjusting it every so often so it wasn't at an angle. Afterward, RainbowDash opened a window and gave Tank a quick glance, inviting him to follow her.

RainbowDash flew at a slower than usual speed which, to any over pony, was still too fast for the average pegasus to handle. Tank, with the help of the rotary device strapped to his shell, flew nearby, matching his owner’s high speeds.

It feels nice, the tortoise thought. Incredible, even. To be a mere tortoise (commonly mistaken for a turtle. I mean, come on guys. Come on.) soaring through the air at such speeds with such... He mentally flattered himself ...grace.

The tortoise’s gleeful flight came to an end when he and RainbowDash landed on a hill just outside of Sweet Apple Acres. As the propellor of Tank’s flying contraption slowed to a halt, RainbowDash extended her neck toward Tank to remove his gear and undo the velcro straps. The device fell off his shell, hitting the earth with a silent “thump”. RainbowDash began.

“Hey, Tank. Gotta go uh... Help Aj out with a few stuff at the farm. You can go wander ‘round ‘til I’m done, k? Go find a nice head of lettuce to nibble on or something.” She patted the tortoise’s head gently. Tank nodded in return, knowing good and well that the “help” she was providing to AppleJack had nothing to do with the farm. He, however, remained silent about the subject, mainly due to the fact that he was indeed a tortoise and lacked the ability to speak aloud.

Tank turned around and proceeded to take a stroll near the farm.

Well, it’s not flying, but it sure is peaceful, he mused as he observed his surroundings. He noticed the woodland creatures scurrying around, birds perched in the trees providing nature’s chorus, and the occasional pair of ponies trotting and chatting in the distance. The scenery around him was extravagant, filling his mind with peaceful thoughts that, well, happy tortoises usually thought about. He paused for a moment to take it all in, humming softly to the sweet smell of apples now flowing through his nostrils, then continued with his walking.

30 minutes and he still hasn’t walked 5 feet yet... Rainbow Dash thought as she trotted closer to the Sweet Apple family barn.

The same word repeated in her mind: Lonely. While doing her job as the Overseer of the Night, Luna rarely saw a pony who she could converse with. Even when she did, the pony was reminded if the "Nightmare Moon" incident, causing them to cower in fear of being "gobbled up".

Which is exactly why we should visit Ponyville! Luna thought as she started her flight from the castle. They had accepted her before, even after the misunderstandings that occurred the last Nightmare Night. Oh that had been a... 'wild' experience, she continued. For the remainder of the flight, she glided, lost in thought.

The trip to Ponyville was short. She landed in the market place, ponies of all kinds greeting her with either formal bows or casual smiles and waves.

She nodded to those who bowed and kindly returned the gestures to those of the latter.

Such a wonderful town Ponyville is. Luna thought as she continued her canter out of the marketplace. Maybe we should pay Twilight Sparkle a visit. After all, she is the reason I am so liked in Ponyville. Luna bounced happily and let out a quiet squeal at the thought, leaving ponies around her slightly confused. She disregarded them and started toward the library.

As she approached Twilight's house a sudden familiar roar erupted from Luna stomach. It seems we are hungry. A visit to the pink pony would be nice. A cupcake sounds absolutely delightful right now. Then again, apples sound just as good. Luna quickly turned around and made her way to Sweet Apple Acres, trying to be as discrete as possible about her growling stomach.

Perfect! I could get a nice basket of the farmer pony's delectable apples, return to Twilight Sparkle, and partake in hour long conversations over apples and tea! Th- her thoughts were cut short by an image in the distance. A blush had formed on Luna's muzzle as the creature slowly made it's way toward her. It's almost like one of those picture shows Sister once showed me. She remembered a scene from a romantic film where a stallion emerged from a lake. The frames had slowed down, giving the viewers time to take in the features of the gorgeous stallion.

Her blush deepened when she replaced the stallion with the object of her attention. "Oh dear...," she sighed in a slightly pleasureful tone.

Luna approached the creature without knowing. When she finally reached him, she decided to make conversation. She opened her mouth, preparing the usual introduction to those who may not know her (though everypony in Equestria was well aware of her position). "Hello! I am-" she was rudely interrupted by a forceful explosion of grumbles emerging from her stomach. Her face glowed a bright, noticeable red.

I cannot believe that just happened...