Chapter 4: Garden Party Shenanigans

Luna coughed lightly, taking my attention off her backside. We had made it to the entrance of the gardens rather quickly, which was a darn shame. I was enjoying my view just as much as Luna was enjoying me enjoying her view. She giggled and pressed my wrinkled t-shirt down.

"Tis a shame that your suit was ruined... Thou looked quite charming in it." She smiled. I smiled as well and put my hand on her cheek, making her stiffen. It. Was. Adorable!

"It's a shame you decided not to wear your dress. Although, the view is nice..." I trailed off, looking over her shoulder. She placed her hoof on my cheek and brought my face back to hers.

"Ha ha. Very clever. Art thou ready? You will have quite the swarming after what happened today." She giggled, then did the last thing I ever expected. She kissed my cheek. "Also... T'was very noble of you to defend thy honor. Just do not think of me as helpless. I am anything but, and I am sharing that bit of thy feelings with you in confidence." She gave me a stern look, to which I simply nodded.

"Of course. I know you're not helpless. If anything, I'm the one who decided to go to war naked." Luna arched a brow. "Sorry, just a little saying I made up just now."

Luna giggled and nodded. "Ah, We just got it. Quite funny. Now, let us go." She smiled, wrapping her right wing around me. I nestled into the embrace as we entered the gardens.

Like Luna said, I was instantly swarmed by ponies, Minotaurs, and a couple of Gryphons. All of them asked me a flurry of questions and I instantly got a feeling of being overwhelmed. I guess Luna picked up on my distress, so she dispersed the crowd.

"Everypony, please! Give the poor human some space! Tis quite needed after his ordeal. Now, I am sure he shall be happy to talk to you in small groups, so long as you don't flurry him with questions."

The crowd grumbled and went about their business, all except one Minotaur; the large one from earlier. He approached me and held out his hand.

"Name's Chief Iron Horns. That was one impressive display today!" He chuckled. I smiled and shook his hand, nearly getting my bones turned to powder.

"Well, I did what I had to do, I guess. I'm not one to back down from a challenge." I smiled. Iron Horns chuckled and nodded.

"Same here! Backing down is for sissies! Say, want to join us in a drink? They're serving a fine selection of the Minotaur's finest hard alcohols. Think you're bull enough to drink it?" He challenged. "Of course, her majesty, Princess Luna is welcome to join in as well, you know, if she can handle the drink."

I flashed Luna a smile, which she returned in kind. "Alright, Chief. You're on." I accepted, walking with Luna over towards the group of Minotaurs around a few barrels of their drinks.

"You know, just one glass is enough to make a Minotaur tipsy. We do not know how thou shalt fair against their drink." Luna said worriedly. I smiled and shrugged.

"I can hold my liquor. Besides, how strong can it be?" I asked as I was handed a mug of a very alcoholy smelling liquid. "Bottoms up!" I cheered, chugging it down. The Minotaurs cheered, then burst out laughing when I nearly hacked up a lung. "Oh, yeah... How strong can it be?"

one and a half mugs... that is all it took to send me spiraling into the so drunk, I'll dry hump a tree mode. The Minotaurs were all laughing hysterically as I fell to the ground, trying to find my damn mug. I looked up to see Luna holding it above me with her magic.

"We think thou hath had too much to drink." She chided, drinking the rest of mine with a satisfied sigh. I huffed and crossed my arms, falling over onto my side in that position.

"I gotta hand it to the human," One of the Minotaurs chuckled. "He can hold it better than any pony I've ever met! Even if he does act like an idiot."

"Hey!" I shouted, getting to my feet shakily. "I will have you know that I am not an idiot... but, a buffoon!" I laughed hysterically and looked over to Luna, who simply rolled her eye's as she took another sip of her drink.

"Hey..." I said to her lightly, trying to catch my drunkenness with the speed of a racing snail. Luna turned to me and smiled.

"Yes, Nathaniel? What is it?" She asked. I reached into my jeans and found just what I was looking for. I pulled out my Ipod, which everyone looked at curiously.

"Imma go find the DJ... I've been hearing music, but I just can't see who's... Aha! There she is!" I shouted, spotting the white Unicorn at the turn tables. I turned back to Luna and the Minotaurs. "Excuse me..." I mumbled, bumping my way through the crowd.

On my way to the DJ station, I managed to bump right into Pompadore, who seemed delighted to see me. "Oh, well, if it isn't the human! Oh, and if he isn't just a bit drunk." She giggled. "Where are you off too?"

I smiled and showed her my Ipod. "Gonna share some of the songs of my people." I smiled dumbly. Pompadore looked at the device curiously.

"What is that thing?" She asked, poking it with her claw. Instantly, the screen lit up, making her jump. I just laughed at her misfortune.

"It's an Ipod touch. It holds music that you can play back." I informed her. Probably not the best description of an Ipod ever, but I was drunk. I had my excuse.

"Uhuh... Well, good luck. I have to go see Princess Celestia, so if you'll excuse me..." She smiled and ran a talon across the crotch of my jeans, making me stiffen. She giggled and walked away, saying the same old mantra I've been hearing non-stop. "Silly human..."

"Why does everyone call me that..?" I muttered, finally making my why to the DJ. Vinyl Scratch was trying her darnedest to untangle some wires that had jumbled up. She was on her back, her forelegs flailing the wiring up in the air as she cursed loudly. She looked like a pissed off cat with a ball of yarn.

"Need any help there, Vinyl?" I chuckled. The mare instantly looked up at me and halted her flailing.

"Whoa... You're the human dude! And you know my name?" She asked astonished. I smiled and shrugged.

"Well, you are a famous DJ. With that said, I thought it'd be best to share my music with you."

Vinyl's eyes widened under her trademark purple shades. She instantly lept forward, jumping from hoof to hoof. "Ho my gosh! You have music from where you're from?! How different is it from mine? Is it good? Can I listen? Huh, huh, huh?!"

"Wow..." I stammered. "Very Pinkie Pie of you. Anyway, do you have a plug that can fit into here?" I asked, showing her the hole on the top of my ipod. She tapped her chin and began digging through the tangled mess, cussing and muttering under her breath about how she'll destroy whoever invented wiring. She finally came back up with an appropriate cord and smiled.

"Here we go! This should work. So, what song should we listen to first?" She beamed. I smiled and opened up my music library, scanning for something that would be perfect. Sure enough, I found it in the form of the Italobrothers. Stamp on the Ground. Absolutely perfect!

"This! Oh God, this!" I smiled. I grabbed Vinyl's mic and tapped it, getting every party goers attention. "Hello everypony, Gryphon, and Minotaur!" I cheered. "Who's ready to have some fun?!"

I got a few hollers, mostly from the Minotaurs. "Wow, tough crowd. Alright, Vinyl? Let's give them a taste of some good earth music."

She nodded and pressed play on the Ipod. The music began to blare. I let the small opening play out and turned to Vinyl when the beat kicked up. "Come on, let's stamp on the ground."

She smiled and stood next to me as I moved my feet in rhythm to the beat, then she copied, laughing as we picked up the pace. Everyone at the party began to get into the rhythm and surround the stage, bobbing their heads. I decided, in my drunken stupor, it'd be wise to sing. Which I did.

Everypony cheered me on as I sung and danced to the catchy tune. I spotted Luna coming to the front of the crowd, smiling and laughing. I waved her up on stage, but she shook her head. I wasn't taking no for an answer, so I pulled her up on the stage, getting her to yell in defiance.

I turned her towards me and began dancing, she smiled and, knowing I wouldn't let her get away from this, began hopping from her right legs, to her left legs. It was adorable, and she was starting to get into it. Her smile was as large as a crescent moon and her laughs were as hardy as a drunken sailors.

A lot of the party goers were getting into it, stamping there hooves, claws and paws to the beat. It was so great to see them having fun! I laughed as I took Vinyl's left hoof, spinning her around and catching her. She laughed happily as she landed back on her hooves, picking up her stamping.

I reached out for Luna's hoof, which was ready and waiting. I spun her and grabbed her other foreleg. She was standing on her hind legs, stamping in synch with me as I held her forelegs. She had such a cute smile which nearly melted my heart.

The last part of the song came up and I decided to escalate the dancing. I moved my feet fast and hard, and when the last note played, I did a front flip right off the stage.

Everybody gasped when I landed, surprisingly, on my feet! When I picked my head back up, everyone instantly cheered as loud as they could, demanding an encore. I smiled and got back on stage, placing the song on loop. "You all have fun with that. I need a break." I said through the mic. Everyone was just fine with that, and began to dance amongst themselves.

When I looked back up, I saw Celestia, Cory and the mane six staring up at me, varying degrees of 'wat' written on their faces. Luna trotted up behind me, panting wildly as she hugged me with her wing.

"That was quite marvelous! Why didn't thou tell us you could sing?" Luna asked curiously. I smiled and shrugged.

"It never came up." I turned to the others and smiled sheepishly. "Hey... when did you guys come in?" I asked.

Celestia giggled and smiled. "Well, about the same time the music started..."

Celestia stood towards the back of the party, mingling with some of the noble ponies. She wasn't much for parties, but appearances were everything, despite how boring it was. Just once, she wanted things to be spiced up. She'd probably never get that wish.

"Excuse me, Princess?"

Celestia turned to see Cory standing behind her, a look of concern on his face. She turned to the nobles and asked for some alone time. They nodded and left, leaving Celestia and Cory alone. "Yes, Cory? How may I help you?" She asked.

Cory sighed and looked over towards Nathan, who was bumbling around the crowd. "I wanted to talk to you about my cousin." He finally said.

Celestia smiled. "What about?" She asked, not bothering to guess at what he wanted to say.

Cory took a deep breath. "He... says he might want to stay here when you figure out how to send us back."

Celestia could sense the distress in the young mans voice. He was afraid his cousin would make the choice to stay behind, while he returned to his original life. "Cory, I know how hard that must be for you. But, you have to understand, it is his decision if he wants to stay or not. You cannot force the decision on him."

Cory blinked. "Wait. You're okay with him staying here? But, we're different! Our kind doesn't belong in this world!" He stuttered, trying to get her on his side.

"Cory. Just look at Nathan." She smiled. Cory turned to see him fumbling on the stage with a white unicorn, laughing and having a good time fiddling with his Ipod. "Tell me your cousin doesn't look happy. Have you ever seen that look on his face?"

Cory knew the answer. No; he had never seen his cousin so happy or so full of energy. It was like Nathan was an empty fountain, and this worlds happiness was like water, filling him to the brim. He wanted his cousin to be happy, but...

"I'll miss him if he decides to stay..." Cory muttered. Celestia sighed and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"I know. But, you have to honor and respect whichever decision he decides to make. I can't force him to go home, nor will I. He is more than welcome to spend his days in our land, offering what he knows to us."

Cory smiled. "Yeah, he was talking about being a teacher of human studies at a university or something." Celestia smiled and nodded.

"And do you know how easily he'd get that job, Cory? I don't know what his life was like back home, but here, he feels like he can accomplish anything. Do you really want to take that chance away from him without thinking about how he feels?"

Cory was silent. He knew how selfish it was to want to make him want to go back home. He knew Nathan was a very sad man. He'd lost so much in his life and he was barely trudging through the muck to make it through each day. Here? Nothing was a chore. Not even getting up was a hassle. Here you just wanted to start the day and make it the best you've ever had.

"No..." Cory finally said. "I don't. I want him to be happy, even if it... hurts the rest of us." Celestia smiled and gave him a hug, which he wasn't expecting at all.

"That is a very brave and humble thing to do. And if he decides to stay here, you have nothing to worry about. He'll be so well taken care of. Just know he'll be happy for all his days."

Cory smiled and wiped away a tear that had formed. "Yeah, I know." He sighed. He looked behind Celestia to see six mares. Two he recognized from the farm; Applejack and... Rainbow Dash? The rest were a complete mystery to him. "Princess? We have company." He said.

Celestia broke the hug and turned, noticing the six mares behind her. Some had caring smiles on their faces, while one purple unicorn had a creepy smile adorning hers.

"Oh, wow! H-He's taller than you mentioned, Applejack."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "That's just one of 'em, Twilight. The other is... Say, where is Nathan? Ah'm sure he'll be happy ta see us!" She smiled, looking around.

"Or buck you again, whichever is his priority." Rainbow Dash mused. Cory coughed awkwardly while Celestia blushed and concealed a giggled. Twilight turned to Applejack and gawked.

"You... Wow! What was it like? How different is he from a pony? Is it larger or smaller-"

"Okay! Enough of that conversation! Hi, I'm Cory!" Cory interrupted, clearly not wanting to hear anymore of where Twilight went, or what details about his cousin Applejack was going to reveal.

Applejack chuckled and turned to Twilight. "Ah'll tell ya later. Right now, we have other things to attend to," She turned to Celestia. "like why in the hay did ya arrest them?!" She asked loudly.

Celestia smiled. "I'm very sorry for that, but I needed to assure the populace that, if they were a threat, then they were being dealt with quickly and in a way that made sure we treated the matter seriously."

"Almost too seriously!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Your guards nearly trampled Everypony in the Apple home!"

Celestia sighed. "Again, I am terribly sorry. Now, I take it you got my letter?" She asked. Twilight nodded and looked to Cory.

"So, we have to send them home?" She asked, disappointed. She sported a rather large frown as her ears drooped back.

"Maybe just me." Cory sighed. Twilight perked up. "Nathan might stay here."

"Really?!" Twilight gasped. "Oh my gosh! I'll need to ask him about everything! What his home is like, what people do for-" Twilight was silenced by a rather large shove from Rainbow Dash. She gestured up to Cory, who was looking away with a pained expression. "Oh... I'm sorry, Cory. I-I didn't think-"

"It's okay. I'm glad he'll have friends here. So, how are you going to-"

"Hello everypony, Grypon, and Minator! Who's ready to have some fun?!"

The group turned to see Nathan, stumbling about the stage with a mic in hand. "Oh my god, the sonofabitch is wasted off his ass." Cory chuckled, placing a hand over his face. Applejack giggled, as did Rainbow Dash, while the others just watched the human act like a fool.

He eventually stopped his ramblings enough to play his Ipod. Everyone listened as the heavy beat echoed across the garden, and watched as Nathan and Vinyl began to stamp their feet and hooves in time to the beat.

"Well, Ah didn't know your cousin could dance!" Applejack said, then gasped when he started singing. "Or sing! Wow, that's a voice!"

Cory chuckled. "He's a man of many talents, so- Oh my god, he's getting the other Princess up there!"

Everyone gasped as he pulled Luna on stage, getting her to dance with him. The sight was so foreign to Celestia, Twilight, and her friends, that they couldn't help but gawk, while Cory just laughed to the side.

"Dude..." Rainbow Dash said, collecting her jaw. "That's rad."

"This human knows how to PARTY!" Pinkie cheered, hopping up and down. "I bet me and him can plan such amazing super-ific parties together! Oh! I bet he can help me plan his surprise party!" She shouted excitedly.

"Um... how will it be a surprise then?" Fluttershy asked, hiding behind her mane. "I mean, if you don't mind me saying..." She added.

The ponies finished watching the one man spectacle as Nathan front flipped off the stage, getting a massive applause from the attendees.

"Okay, enough standing around!" Twilight hollered, quickly trotting off through the crowd. "I want to talk to this human if it's the last thing I do!"

"And so, here we are." Celestia finished, leaving out the conversation his cousin had with her, of course. I chuckled lightly and turned to Twilight and her friends.

"Well. When you guys are ready to start learning how to send us back home, then let us know." I smiled. Twilight nodded vigorously and turned to her teacher.

"Right. Princess, should we get started now?" She asked. Celestia giggled and shook her head.

"No, Twilight. Right now, you and your friends deserve to have a good time. Go on and party; mingle a little, make some friends." She turned her attention to her little sister and the humans. "Are you three okay to continued the party?"

Cory shrugged. "I'm fine, but, I don't know about this guy." He sneered, jabbing a finger in my direction.

"Hey, I'm eighty-four percent sure I can still party." I countered. "Say, where's that Gryphon lady... I wonder how well she'll handle a Minators alcohol."

Luna looked around as well and, to her surprise, none of the Gryphons were here. "Huh... They all seem to have left. Quite odd..."

I turned to Celestia. "Pompadore said she was going to talk to you when I ran into her in the crowd. Did she tell you where she was going?" I asked.

Celestia shook her head. "No. She never came to see me. Why would her and her associates just leave like that?" She pondered aloud.

I smiled and shrugged. "Eh, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Now, how about we all-"

And there it was. I didn't realize at the time what happened, but everyone around me began to scream and panic. I didn't know what for. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Celestia called her Solar Guards and pointed up to the roofs. Cory ran to my right, and Luna to my left, while the others stood around close, trying to call out to me. Why would they do that? And why did everything seem so echo-y? Then again, I did feel a little bit more woozy and light headed. That's when I decided to look down.

There, sticking out of my chest, was the hilt of a gold encrusted knife. Blood seeped from the wound, soaking my chest and the earth beneath me. The party goers were screaming frantically, trying to figure out what had happened. "W-Wha..." Was all that I could utter.

Luna lowered me to the ground and put a hoof to my lips, smiling sweetly. "Shh. Do not talk. Save your strength." She turned back to the guards circling the group. "Where are the doctors?!" She shouted. She turned back to me and kept her smile, though it was very, very strained. "You're going to be alright. I promise..." She whispered.

I nodded and tried to look back down at the wound, but Luna put her hoof on my chin, lifting me up to her face level. "Listen to me, Nathan... There is something I have wanted to say to thee. I did not realize my feelings on the matter until recently... I like you, a lot. More than you can hope to know. So, for me, you have to stay strong. Can you do that? Just for me?"

I nodded, bringing my hand to her cheek, making her smile. Then I pulled her in, not caring anymore about what we were feeling. If I was going to die, then I was going to die happily. Luna didn't struggle in the kiss. If anything, she was eagerly accepting it. I barely heard medical personnel telling everyone around me to move. They even tried to pull Luna away.

I pushed the emt's hoof away and pulled Luna closer, my tears mixing with hers. Eventually we were pulled apart, and I could see how upset she really was. Her cheeks were coated in a mixture of our tears and her eyes were bloodshot. Everyone was in the same predicament, watching as I was hauled away out of the castle and into an awaiting chariot. The air ride jostled and rocked me as the pony emt's pumped me full of morphine. The medicine, plus the rocking of the carriage was soothing to my tired body.

That's when I decided I was in need of a good, long nap.

Author's Note

Since you all were good little fillies and gentlecolts, I'll leave you with another chapter. What happens when Gryphons decide they don't want you to live? You get a throwing knife in yo fucking chest! Yeah, that's where I wanted to go with this, and you won't know what happens for another week! :O I'm sorry, but that's the way it's gotta be. Come back next week to find out if he lives or dies!
(I'm 17 chapters in, I think you can figure it out. lol)