Light of the moon

Twilight managed to get to Sweet Apple Acres just before sundown. Applejack was still outside, finishing taking care of the farm animals before heading into bed.

“Applejack! We need to talk really quickly!" Twilight shouted to her. “We have a new visitor arriving tomorrow, and I want you to make some food as a welcome gift!”

Applejack sighed. Of course, the one day she had off, Twilight decided to bring a guest over. Ah well. Maybe this guest was different than the others and would not cause mayhem, destruction, mischief, or a swarm of walking trees to descend on Ponyville. Then again, with Twilight’s choice in guests… “Sure. Mind tellin’ me more about this new guest, or am ah gonna make up everything on mah own?” Applejack laughed.

Twilight took a deep breath, and then unleashed a torrent of words faster than Applejack expected. “Ok, well, Princess Luna has a student, and he is coming here tomorrow and he is a Pegasus named Moon Light and he likes astronomy and he hasn’t seen a unicorn or magic in a long time and he is shy and he is getting paid fifty bits a day for housing and he—“

Applejack cut her off with a hoof straight to the mouth. “Alright, so, this pony is shy. And you want to immediately greet him with a welcomin’ feast? Are you out of your mind, sugarcube? That’s just gonna make him embarrassed! What’s with you, girl? You need to calm down. Now, are you gonna take a deep breath and slow down, or am ah just goin’ to have to keep mah hoof here?”

Twilight nodded and backed up until she could speak again. “Yeah, I didn’t exactly plan this out. I was only told about five minutes ago. I didn’t even know Princess Luna HAD a student! I just want everything to be perfect, because if they aren’t, he may report back to Luna, who will talk to Celestia, and then I—“

Again, a hoof stopped her talking. “Ok sugar cube, ah get it. Now, let’s plan this out properly! And, for the love of Celestia, let’s not let Pinkie Pie know. She will probably drive this stallion bonkers!”

“No! Don’t say her name! Whenever you say her name, she—“

“Did someone say my name?” Pinkie Pie popped out of a tree nearby. To any other pony, it would be strange and a little terrifying, but it was just Pinkie. Twilight sighed.

“Before I finish explaining here, anypony else want to cut me off? Anypony? Come on, perfect chance right here! No? Very well then. Here are the basics. New stallion coming to down, he is very shy, so I don’t want a party going off when he lands. Maybe after he warms up to us, but please don’t startle him. Deal?”

Applejack nodded, and Pinkie Pie just blinked as she attempted to comprehend what Twilight had just said. “Wait… No party? How will he know he is welcome here? What if it is just a teensy weensy party?”

Twilight sighed. “Fine, but if things go bad, you don’t get to have another party for an entire week!”

Pinkie Pie groaned, and looked at Twilight with pleading eyes. “Can I at least invite my friends?”

“Yes, fine, but I don’t want this party to get too big, so let them know to come in secret!”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!”

As Pinkie Pie walked away, Applejack looked at Twilight. “Why do ah get the feeling this isn’t gonna go well?”

Moon awoke bright and early. After his training session with Luna, he did not have any more dreams. The training went fairly well, and he managed to only create three eldritch horrors! The things were about the size, shape, and consistency of a bouncy ball, and ended up being used as such, regardless of their threats and screams of rage. Luna and Moon laughed quite a bit, and Moon genuinely enjoyed spending time with his new teacher. But today, everything changed.

He had to go into town to buy some nicer clothes, especially ones that would hide his lack of a cutie mark, and he had enough money to buy whatever he wanted! Who knew that being the personal student of one of the Princesses could be so… Actually, now that he thought about it, it was kind of stupid to think otherwise.

Looking at his ratty cloak, he decided to leave that behind. New life means new cloths, and the cloak would always remind him of the taunting he had received.  Time to hit the streets! But first… He had to stop by the kitchens to see someone.

The sergeant looked up from his potatoes. Once he saw Moon enter, he quickly ducked down to try to hide, but was unsuccessful. Moon walked over to him, and then did something that shocked everyone in the kitchen. Picking up a potato peeler, he began helping the sergeant with his work.

“Look, I understand why you did what you did. I don’t fault you for that. While I was infuriated with you back in Barn’s Ville, I have calmed down considerably. I will not offer you my forgiveness, because you do not need it. This was a mistake anypony could have made, and I think the Princesses were wrong to give this duty to you for interpreting orders in a different way. If it had caused a more profound reaction, then things would be different, but as it is, you have done enough. Go take a break.”

As Moon finished speaking, he heard the sound of light laughter as he thought he saw a flash of multicoloured hair go by the door. He didn’t care. He was busy peeling potatoes.

After the potatoes had been fully peeled, Moon went out into the town to see what he could buy with his money. First, however, he needed some new clothes. This was going to be fun!

Three minutes later, Moon regretted going outside. As he left the castle, a little filly said in a soft, childlike voice, “How come that big pony don’t have a cutie mark, mommy?” Everyone stared. Moon immediately ran down an alley to try to dodge the prying eyes of the Canterlot elite. Turning corner after corner in a dead sprint, he quickly became lost in the city. While he could fly up and find out where to go, everyone would see his flank and mock him, which was exactly what he wanted to avoid. Turning a final corner, he slammed straight into what felt like a brick wall. Shaking his head, he looked up at an Earth Pony with a billy club cutie mark.

“Well, well, well, boys. Look at what we got here! Some nobody who decided to come into our turf without payin’ the toll! Hey kid. You know how this goes. Either you give us everything on you, or we beat you to a pulp and take it anyways. You don’t seem to got many friends here, and I do!”

As Moon looked around, he noticed several ponies coming out of the shadows with various blunt objects in their mouths and hooves. This was not going to end well. His only option was to run, but with everyone on edge like they were, he wouldn’t get four meters before getting beaten down. He had to think fast.

“Ah, my dear gentlemen, I can see your point! I do not wish any trouble, so I truly have no option but to pay up, do I?” Moon reached toward his bag of bits. Just before he untied them, he immediately took off, using his wings to accelerate faster than these ponies could dive after him. He didn’t know where he was, all he knew was that he had to run, or he would get hurt badly. Taking corners as quickly as possible, he hoped to lose the thugs in the labyrinth of Lower Canterlot. Left. Left. Left. Straight across the street. Right. Left. Left.

As Moon rounded the last turn, he slammed headfirst into what felt like a metal wall. This hurt MUCH more than running into the thug. Looking up, he saw a Royal Guardsman with sergeant bars on his armour. It was the potato peeler guy!

“Huh. Looks like you got yourself a bit lost. Time to go. Come on, you are late.” With little more than that, Moon was picked up and carried out into the street, where a carriage had just pulled up.

Coming across the road, the thugs saw him and began yelling out… Until the carriage’s passenger got out. Long, flowing, multicoloured hair blew around in the wind as Celestia glared at the thugs until they ran away.  “Moon, within an hour of leaving the castle, you wind up getting lost and then almost mugged? Oh, my. Looks like Twilight may have her work cut out for you. Speaking of cut… I thought you were going out to get new clothes. You seem decidedly… undressed.” Celestia laughed. “No matter. I’m sure something we have will fit, until you get new clothes at your new home. Come on in. Its time to go to Ponyville.”