Tales of the Lunar Consort: Volume X

Chapters

Awakening
Breakfast with Dinky
Housecall on the Doctor
A Foal for Fluttershy
Alone with his Thoughts for Company
Passing the time
Coffee in Canterlot
Coffee in Canterlot (For really real)
Chapter X: Celestia's thoughts
Chapter XI: Celestia's Request
Chapter XII: Celestia's Confidences
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XIX
A Rarity at the Boutique

Awakening

Disclaimer: For any and all reference, I do not own Hasbro, The Hub, nor My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Excluding my OCs, all characters (Except the Doctor, The TARDIS, etc.)belong to Hasbro and shall be returned from whence they came in original intact packaging. I do not own Doctor Who, the character of the Doctor, or the TARDIS. They are the property of the BBC. Thank you!

Chapter One: Awakening

2:45 A.M., Soluna Plantation/Inside the dream

"NO! Don't you dare try to lie to me! You are naught but an extension! She is NOT dead! Were she dead, you would not be here! You are but one side of a coin; you cannot exist without her! Don't you dare lie to me,-"

"Professor?"

Awakening. The esteemed Pegasus pony Professor Enoch A.L. Aurobolosai, opened his eyes, feeling for all Equestria like he had been climbing mountains for three days straight. His sleep had not been restful in the slightest, due to the nightmares he had been having. Emitting a groan, he raised himself on his elbows to look at the grey Pegasus mare who had awoken him: Ditzy Doo, also known as Derpy. "Oh! Professor, I'm sorry, I-I should have knocked. I'll go-" She stammered, embarrassed that she had caught her friend in bedstate.

"Oh, it's quite all right, Ditzy- er, Miss Hooves. I wouldn't have gotten much sleep in any case. Come in, if you wish." Enoch said sleepily, swinging upright so his legs hung out over the edge of the bed and battling a mighty yawn. He was dressed in black trousers, the trousers he had worn with the previous day's clothing. He often worked on strange and obscure projects of purpose and nature known only to him late into the morning, and so, as he prepared to head to Dreamland, he simply took off his shoes, his shirt and tie, neatly folding them and laying them on the small table beside the bed.

Spotting Ditzy's embarrassment, "Why, that tray looks to be rather weighty. Let me help you with that!" He reached over and put his hooves under it, supporting it. "I've got it, Professor!" Ditzy exclaimed. "No, no, I have given you quite a shock this morning. And it appears to be set with breakfast for two, yes? Yourself and I? It would be a shame if the floor consumed the breakfast you've made for us, as it was about to. By the by, where is Dinky? Is she still asleep?" Enoch asked. "Yes, she's still out like a light." Ditzy said, smiling at the mention of her daughter's name.

The cyan blue Pegasus pony carefully carried the tray to the table and was somewhat dismayed to find it occupied by papers, schematics, diagrams and a letter emblazoned with the personal seal of Princess Celestia. He set the tray on a chair, moved all his papers off the table and onto the desk, neatly straightening them as he went. He reverently laid the letter from the Princess on top of the stack. He shuffled his wings as he worked, something Ditzy found quite cute.

After a minute of this, Ditzy asked, "Anything I can do, Professor?"

"Nope! Done!" Enoch said brightly, stretching his wings as far as they would go. "Please, Miss Hooves, sit! Enjoy the fruits of your culinary labors. You needn't wait for me." Said he, drawing a bathrobe about his form and pulling a chair out for her. "Say, what is the time?" he asked, looking under the bed for his alarm clock, which had routinely fallen off the bed.

"Ow!" he said, hitting his head. "Ah! Yes. Very good." he said, carefully backing out from under the bed, clock in hoof. " 2:45 A.M.? My word. Regrettable, but understandable, as I must soon depart for Canterlot. Oh, that reminds me. Miss Hooves, are you coming with me to Canterlot this morning? I needs must talk with Princess Celestia about my role in preparations for the Summer Sun Festival. It's being held here in Ponyville this year, you know."

"Yes!"

"Have you packed?" That last question must have made it clear that Ditzy had not packed; in fact she hadn't even made up her mind until Enoch had asked if she was going! "I'll take that as a 'No', yes?" he said kindly, looking at her with his mismatched eyes. "Right. I mean, no, I haven't packed."

"Would you like some assistance? I'll help you and Dinky pack. Ah, is Dinky coming?" Enoch asked, tilting his head. "No, Professor, she's staying with Fluttershy. Anyway, after you eat, the first thing you ought to do is take a shower." Ditzy said with a small smile, pointing her hoof at his mane. Enoch looked sideways at the full-length mirror; his black mane was all mad, strands poking out, looking like a nest of writhing snakes; bed-head bad enough that one could use it as a punching bag and it would come out the same.

He ran a hoof through his tail; it was the same. Alarmed, he sprang out of his chair.

"Sweet Sist- Sweet Celestia! I can't go to Canterlot looking like this!" He bolted out of the bedroom... then came back. "Nor can I in good conscience offend my friend and research assistant who has made a most delightful breakfast for herself and I, now can I?" Enoch said shamefacedly, walking back to the table and planted himself upon the chair.

15 Minutes later, 3;00 A.M.

"Wonderful, Miss Hooves, absolutely fantastic. Once again, you surpass yourself! The hay bacon, the toast and jam, the tea, everything! You ought to think about opening a restaurant! You wouldn't have to worry about your job at Pegasus Mail anymore. I'd give you some of the space here, at Soluna, if you wished to do so." Enoch said, with manner of someone who has eaten just a bit too much and suppressing a hiccup. "Though I still say you that should have woken me earlier and had me assist you. How early did you rise? One o'clock?"

"Yes, around that." Ditzy said, taking another sip of her tea. "I knew you were going to Canterlot this morning, and I knew you had forgotten your potion last night. I wanted you to get as much sleep as possible."

"Thank you, Miss Hooves. What about you?" the blue Pegasus returned. "You often sleep 'til 5:00 in the morning. Then you make sure Dinky gets up in time for school, then you wake me up, if I'm not already. You walk Dinky to school, walk back here, and then you ready yourself to go to the post around 7:00 A.M.; you get off around 3:10 in the afternoon, just in time to get to Cheerilee's school to walk Dinky home. And then you do what chores I haven't gotten to! After you finish, you go to bed around, what, 10 o'clock?" Enoch sighed, taking a breath, as he was turning blue(er). "Miss Hooves, my point is, you work far too hard. You need - nay, you deserve a break. You have for a long time, but you won't take one. Let me help you pack for Canterlot. Then you sleep, 'til it's time to go. I'll take care of everything. I'll wake you." he said, finishing his miniature speech.

"What about Dinky? Her breakfast? Who will walk her to Fluttershy's?" Ditzy began.

"I will take care of Dinky this morning. I shall feed her. I will walk her to Fluttershy's house at 7:00. Oh, yes. I nearly forgot. I have a few errands to run this morning. May I take Dinky with me?"

Breakfast with Dinky

Chapter Two: Breakfast with Dinky

5:00 A.M. The same morning, Soluna Plantation

Dinky collided with the Professor's legs as he stepped out of the bathroom, having just taken a shower to cure his gnarly bed-head.

"Hi, Professor!" Dinky said, bright as Celestia's sun. "Where's Momma?" she asked, looking around the blue Pegasus's legs.

"Good morning to you, Dinky." Enoch said with a smile, crouching so he would be face-level with the filly. "Your mother is asleep. She spent the whole morning preparing for our trip to Canterlot today. She was very tired, so I helped her pack and put her to bed, so she could have some sleep before we left." he explained.

"But then, who's walkin' me to school?" She asked.

"I am, if you don't mind?" Enoch asked.

"Sure! But it's kinda early to go school, Doc."

"That's why I wanted to ask you if you would mind coming with me to run a couple errands this morning before I take you to school? If not, I can take you directly over to Fluttershy's house, or you could stay here. Or I could take you to the school now? Though, as you said, it is too early for school." Enoch rambled, unsure of how to act in front of foals.

"Yeah! Are we going to eat before we leave?" Dinky asked, wondering what errands the stallion would be doing.

"...How about Sugarcube Corner? Or I could make you something? What would you like?"

"Yeah, Sugarcube Corner would be great. When will we leave?" Dinky asked, anxious to eat.

"I'll meet you at the front door as soon as you get your schoolthings, my dear." Enoch said with a smile. That did it; Dinky took off like a bottle rocket, careening around the corner of the hallway to her room. He barely had time to slip on his waistcoat/vest before she met the stallion at the front door.

"Ready?" Enoch asked, amused by the filly's seemingly-boundless energy.

"Ready as ever!" She replied, practically bouncing in place.

"Let us depart!"

5:15 A.M. the same morning, Sugarcube Corner Bakery, Ponyville

"A full lemon cake, please, Mrs. Cake. And two pints of milk." Enoch said.

"Sure dear! That will cost you thirteen bits." Said Mrs. Cake cheerily.

"Thirteen bits? Not twenty-five?" Enoch asked.

"No dear. Thirteen bits only! We have an early-bird special today, fifty percent off all orders made before ten o'clock!" said the baker.

"...But thirteen isn't one-half of twenty-five." the Pegasus insisted.

"Thirteen bits please, dear." Mrs. Cake said patiently.

"Yes ma'am." Enoch counted out the money and laid it in Mrs. Cake's hoof. Not five seconds later did Pinkie Pie prance out carrying the ordered items.

"Here you go, mister!" she said brightly.

Enoch accepted the items with a small bow. "Thank you, Miss Pie, Mrs. Cake. Have a nice day!"

"You too, mister!" Pinkie exclaimed.

The Pegasus trotted over to the table where Dinky was waiting for him and deposited the foodstuffs in front of the hungry filly. "Dig in, my dear." he said. She needed no encouragement whatsoever; she had eaten half the cake and drained a pint of milk in six minutes flat. And it was a BIG cake, weighing at least five pounds at barest possible minimum. When she came up for air, Enoch asked, "Are you really going to eat the entire cake?" The filly shook her head. "I seriously doubt it, Professor... It probably weighs as much as I do."

Enoch laughed. "I'll eat my half then. Excellent. One of Miss Pie's lemon cakes are, for lack of a better term, edible perfection." He scooped a piece onto a fork, popped it in his mouth, and an enormous smile illuminated his face the second it touched his tongue. "Hm...mmm... hah..." He spent twenty-five full minutes savoring the absolutely phenomenal flavor of the world-class cake, closing his eyes to better absorb it, feeling the endorphins rage thorugh his brain. When he was finished, about one-eighth of the cake remained.

"Professor? Are you gonna finish that?" Enoch opened his eyes to see Dinky staring at the last piece. Wordlessly, he turned the plate so that the piece faced the filly. She ate it in four big bites. (Just think of the sound a wood chipper makes; it seems suitable.) The stallion spied the remaining pint of milk, and, overcome with a big thirst brought on by the cake, seized it and partially drained it, leaving some for Dinky to quench her own inevitable cake-thirst.

Enoch took a pen out of his pocket, picked up a compliment/suggestion card, and filled it out very quickly, writing naught but compliments.

"Okay Doc, where to next?" Dinky asked, looking up at him. "The Doctor's place, I think. He was making something for me, a component for my latest project."

"What are you working on anyway?" Dinky asked. But the Pegasus only shook his head.

Housecall on the Doctor

Chapter Three: Housecall on the Doctor

6:15 A.M., The same morning, Ponyville Scrapyard (Trotter's Lane)

"Why does your friend live in a junkyard?" Dinky asked, unable to fathom why somepony, anypony would live in such a place.

"He doesn't. Well, not really. He lives in a junkyard... and he ...doesn't... live in a junkyard. It's kind of hard to explain. I could explain it, but I'd need a few hours at least. It is THAT complicated." Enoch said, producing a flashlight from one of his saddlebags. Flicking it on, he panned the beam around, landing on a tall, beat up blue box that read "Police Box" at the top.

"Ah! Here we are." Enoch exclaimed, looking pleased that he had found it. "I'm surprised that we located it as quickly as we did. He likes to move it around, the Doctor."

"It moves?" Dinky asked, not for the first time doubting the sanity of her mother's employer and friend.

"It does much more than move, Dinky." said the aforementioned employer and friend. "Now, let's see if he's up. He should be." Raising a hoof, Enoch knocked on the side of the box, which was actually a pair of doors, Dinky realized. Five seconds passed... ten...fifteen...twenty. "He must not be up. No matter. I have a key!" he said, fishing in his pocket. "Ah! Found it."

"Why do you have a key?" Dinky asked.

"I used to travel with him." Enoch explained.

THUNK. Creeeeak. The doors swung open and he stepped in inside. "Oh. He's changed it."

"Huh?"

"The interior. He's... You wouldn't understand unless you see it. Come see it Dinky!"

"See what? The inside of a... Um... Oh wow."

"Well?" A new voice registered itself with the ponies' eardrums and they spun around to meet a rather handsome brown Earth Pony wearing a blue suit and purple tie (Not a bow tie, even though they ARE cool:) and square-framed glasses.

Enoch was the first to speak: "Doctor! My dear Doctor, what are you doing hiding in the corner?"

A smile crept across the new pony's -the Doctor's- face. "Something clever, Enoch. Do you not see the brainy specs?" And he lifted a hoof, pointed to his face.

The speech center of Dinky's brain finally figured out that not working was no way to behave, and she stumbled into speech: "Wha...um...gwuh? 's...'s bigger on th' inside?"

The Doctor looked up from his work and said, "There it is!"

Eager to resume his errands, Enoch changed the subject; "I take it you're done making the part I asked for, Doctor?"

"Yes, yes. It's done. And for the lives of me, I cannot figure out what you need it for! Now will you tell me?" said the Doctor, getting up off the chair hidden in the corner.

"I'll let you in on it... over lunch at Sugarcube Corner in a week?" Enoch asked, an amused gleam in his eye. "Fine... a week. Take your part, then." The Earth pony grumbled. He stuck out his hoof, holding the gleaming part out to Enoch.

"Thank you, dear fellow." He took the part delicately.

"Where are you headed? I'll drop you off." The Doctor offered.

A Foal for Fluttershy

Chapter 5: A Foal for Fluttershy

7:00 A.M. The same morning, Fluttershy's cottage, Ponyville

Enoch breathed in through his nose, taking in the smell of the morning air. His and Dinky's hooves clopped on the smooth stones making up the walkway to Fluttershy's house. "Lovely summer morning, particularly at this time." Enoch said. "What do you think?"

"It is a very nice morning." Dinky agreed.

"Oh. It seems that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are already here. And Miss Dash and Soarin' too, with their foals. It seems dear Fluttershy has plenty of help with her charges this morning."

He stepped up to the door and rang the bell. Fluttershy's sweet, dulcet voice came from the upper floor: "Apple Bloom, would you get the door, please?"

The door opened and there stood Apple Bloom, not more than sixteen years old. She had a part-time job working with Fluttershy at her babysitting business, as did Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, although Sweetie worked fewer hours, due to her working at Rarity's boutique.

"Howdy, Professor! How ya doin'? Wontcha come in?" she said, beckoning the Pegasus and Dinky inside. "Good morning to you, Miss Bloom. How are you? I have yet another charge for you." Dinky peeped out from behind his legs and looked around. "Oh hi Dinky! Ah didn't see ya there. Ya hungry?" Apple Bloom said, looking down at Dinky with a great big, sparkling white smile. She smiled back, shook her head. "Hi, Apple Bloom." Dinky said quietly.

Enoch looked back into the house, staring sraight over Apple Bloom's head. He didn't even have to crane his neck, he could see straight over her; he stood at least a foot over the Earth pony. (But, then again, he towered over most ponies, excluding Big Mac, Princess Celestia, and Snowflake, the white male Pegasus with tiny wings, bulging muscles and that says "YEAH!" all the time.) "Is Fluttershy available, Miss Bloom? I should like to see her for a moment before I leave. If she is available, that is." He asked politely.

"Yep, she's in her bedroom with her foal. Why?" She asked.

"No reason. I simply wondered if she was available and if I could see her. I've not seen her for quite some time, since her seven-months baby shower, actually. And I made something for her foal." The stallion said. Apple Bloom stepped aside, admitting him entrance to the cottage. "Her room's upstairs, second door on the right. Knock before ya go in. Try any funny stuff, an' Ah'll buck ya inta next Tuesday!" Apple Bloom said with a grin. Enoch winked in return and waved good-bye to Dinky. "'Bye!" she said brightly, waved and went to find a friend before it was time for school.

He mounted the staircase and felt the staircase as he went up, rubbed it with his hoof, feeling the texture of it, worn smooth by years of hooves sliding up and down on it. It was older wood, good wood. It would stay strong for many more years, barring an accident. He climbed the rest of the staircase, passed the first door, and knocked gently on the second on the right. Once again, Fluttershy's dulcet tones radiated from behind it. "Who is it?"

"It is I, Enoch! May I enter?" replied the stallion. "Enoch! Oh yes, come in!" He grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open, revealing Fluttershy holding her foal, an Earth filly, by the name of Apple Turnover. Oh, how I've dreamt of such a sight, a new mother and her foal. he thought. Only it was my foal, and the mother was... well, not Fluttershy. Though that time has long since passed. "Good morning, Fluttershy." Enoch said with a smile. "Good morning Enoch! You're up and about rather early today. Did you bring Dinky over today?" She replied, happy to see her friend. "Indeed, I did! And yes, I am up rather early. Ditzy and I were preparing for our trip to Canterlot. She was up much earlier than I and, so she could get some rest, I put her to bed and I told her that I would take care of everything this morning." he summarized.

"In any case, one reason I am here now is bringing Dinky to you and the other is that I have something for your foal. A gift I made. I do hope young Apple Turnover will like it?" the stallion said hopefully. He rummaged in his saddlebag and pulled out a medium-sized sphere. "It could serve as entertainment for Turnover and a nightlight: A portable stellarium! Let me tell you how it works. Wherever you are, the stellarium recieves a real-time image of the night sky and projects it across the ceiling! Now, it's not just stars; it is the entire night sky you see, and the sky behind it. Say, there is a meteor shower outside. You want to see it, but you can't. Well, you can." he said with a smile. "It displays everything in your corner of the sky, even in the daytime. Galaxies, nebulae, everything. Including the Moon."

He paused. "Now, let me tell you how to work it: Just plug it in and hit the switch on its side! Easy! And it's very durable; it should last you at least twenty years." He finished, looking rather pleased with himself. "Would you like to see a demonstration?"

"Yes, please. It sounds very interesting, Enoch."

At that, the stallion crossed the room, knelt, and plugged the stellarium into the wall socket there.

Click. A very low hum came form the stellarium; almost too low to hear, certainly not enough to wake a sleeping foal, or prevent one from sleeping. "Will you turn the light out, please?" Enoch asked. "It doesn't work if the lights are on, unfortunately." he explained.

Click. The room was plunged into near darkness; the only light in the room came from the collection of beautiful, yet dim lights and loose, ethereal shapes that now slowly danced across the ceiling. After a moment, a small, childish babble came from the other side of the room: Apple Turnover had giggled at the sight. "Turnover likes it! She giggled!"

"Does she really?"

"Yes! Enoch, how did you make that?" Fluttershy asked, very much intrigued by it.

"The unicorns are not the only ones who can manipulate magic, my dear. Only they can do it naturally, through their bodies. I can explain it, but- Ah, tell you what. In four weeks, I'm giving a lecture on free-flowing magical energies at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot. If you can make it, I'll explain everything there. That is, if you want to come? If you can come, is more the question; can you?" Enoch asked, trying not to bury Fluttershy under a mountain of questions.

"I'm sorry, Enoch, I won't be able to. I've got Turnover to look after and I couldn't leave Mac here all alone to look after her and do everything he needs to do. I'm sorry." She explained.

"You needn't feel sorry about that, Fluttershy. I'm sorry you won't be able to come." Enoch said. He slipped a hoof into his pocket and pulled out his watch. He opened it, looked down, and promptly closed it again and looked up. "Oh dear. I'm sorry, I have to go. I do wish I could stay longer and talk with you, but I need to return to the house and finish preparations for the trip to Canterlot. We've only five hours until the the train leaves!"

Alone with his Thoughts for Company

Chapter 6: Alone with his Thoughts for Company

7:45 A.M., Main Street, Ponyville, Business Section

The air is getting warmer, Enoch thought as he ambled down Main Street, hooves in his pockets, just enjoying the morning. Soon, summer will fully arrive, and the night sky can be seen clearly. He had a sense of closure about him, that he had paid off his debts, for the most part. The remainder could be satisfied in Canterlot, which, conveniently, was where the debtors were located. He already had a will written out in his own hoof-writing, and, in the event of his death, Soluna and the secrets it contained would be given to the Ponies of Equestria, in accordance with his wishes. The house itself and the adjoining buildings would most likely be turned into a museum or a Ponyville branch of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, in accordance with his wishes, once again, in the event of his death.

The gnarly (but thankfully quiet) wubs coming from Vinyl Scratch's electronica studio were in stark contrast with the elegant notes emanating from Octavia's classical studio across the street. He wished the two would produce another album together. The musicmares were often in friendly competition against each other, but when they put their heads together, they made phenomenal music. The sounds from both studios combined as they were on the street would give most ponies headaches, but Enoch found them strangely enjoyable. True, they gave him a headache too, but he liked the music. He flashed back to around three years ago. He had awarded Octavia a Saddlevarius violin (a prize donated by a very wealthy family in Canterlot) for her superb performance in Canterlot's annual classical music competition, featuring the best up-and-coming musicians from not only Equestria, but the entire world. "A wonderful instrument for a wondeful musician," he had said. She was, according to the judges of the show, Equestria's finest cellist. Most of the townsponies in attendance agreed.

He sat down on a bench in front of Vinyl's shop. He had not lied to Fluttershy when he said he had to leave; he really ought to return to the house and finsh up preparations for the trip, but the morning was so soothing, he simply had an overwhelming desire to relax and simply enjoy the morning for an hour or two. A silly excuse, but true nonetheless. Still, something felt... not quite right. Two things, actually: He had none of Octavia's green tea to drink, and, most importantly, he was alone. He both absolutely hated to be alone, and was afraid of being alone. When he was alone, he had naught but his thoughts for company, and his thoughts were most unpleasant, especially now. Seeing the love that flowed between Ditzy and Dinky, and Fluttershy, Big Mac, and young Apple Turnover only threw into ever-clearer view the fact that he was a very lonely pony. He was truly alone, with nopony else even similar to him, rather like the Doctor, and even though he was the last of the Time Lords, the very last of his species in the entire Universe, the Doctor still had his TARDIS.

To tell the truth, he dreaded going to Canterlot and conferring with Princess Celestia. She brought up so many bad and happy memories, and just being in the same room with her brought them all raging to the forefront of his mind, forcing him to think through them, keep his train of thought and talk at the same time. His vision blurred and he raised a hoof and drew it across his eyes, taking away tears. He stared at them for a moment, surprised. Suddenly, he stood up, wiped his hoof on his trouser leg, turned around and loooked at Octavia's shop. The lights in the living quarters were on. Perhaps he would go and visit Octavia and talk to her about last night's symphonic movement, "The Planets." Possibly have a cup of tea.

Passing the time

Chapter 7: Passing the time

9:00 A.M., Soluna Plantation, Enoch's bedroom

The cyan Pegasus crossed to the fireplace at the far end of the room and looked at the incomplete painting that hung above it, reflecting on his feelings when he painted it. The canvas depicted the sun and moon in perfect harmony and equilibrium, circling Equestria. He had painted this piece and two others identical to it several years ago. He possessed one, Princess Celestia had another hanging in her office in Canterlot, and the third one was missing. Shaking his head, he walked to his desk, snapped on the lamp, and sat down in the chair. He relased a gusty sigh, then picked up the letter from Princess Celestia, opened it and began to re-read it:

My dear Enoch,

I have kept a most careful watch on the movement of the heavens, as I am sure you have as well. You... have kept track of the stars through the years, have you not? I imagine you would. I should hope you know what year this is. In any case, I have decided where to hold the Summer Sun Celebration this year: Ponyville, in your current hometown. I am sending my faithful student, a lavender unicorn mare by the name of Twilight Sparkle, to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Celebration.

I believe you are familiar with Twilight? If memory serves, you were one of her professors at my school before I stole her away. Her favorite, actually, if I am any judge; whilst under my tutelage, she often referenced your published works, the notes she took in your classes, and your face-to-face conversations with her when she was your student. She's kept you informed of her progress, yes? She told me she did, by way of the dragon she is raising, Spike.

You needn't worry about finding room and board for yourself and your assistant; I will have rooms in the castle ready for you when you arrive, as I usually do; Twilight will be waiting for you at the train station. I will also have space cleared in the vaults underneath the castle for your device.

Twilight departs for Ponyville in three days. Could you possibly provide her and her dragon with room and board while they are in Ponyville?

We have much to talk about, Enoch, just you and I.

Warmest regards,

Celestia

P.S. I have enclosed two round-trip train tickets, and, as per your request in your previous letter, an import permit for your device, so you can bring it into Canterlot without undue hassle. At least, without hassle by the City Guard. The R.E.I.S., the Royal Equestrian Investigative Service, however is something else entirely. Even my control over them is limited, as I made sure when I created it. Be sure that you are the one to affix the import permit to the crate containing the device. Do not trust the train station to perform this task. Keep your most important papers with you in your carry-on. I tell you to take all these precautions for a reason: someone has been doing research on you. A file on you was stolen from the R.E.I.S. a few days ago, a classified file. Do not worry yourself about the stolen file; we quickly found the thief and recovered the file, completely intact. I immediately moved them all myself, and only I know where they are now, a secret I will share with you when we meet.

P.P.S. I don't suppose I can convince you to donate your formula, your arcanum, to the Archives. You have donated copies of almost all of your other scientific works to the Archives, but not that formula.

"No, Celestia, I will NOT donate that formula. The formula being in the hooves of ordinary ponies is simply far too dangerous for me to allow. Imagine what the military alone would do with it!"

He had accomplished everything that he wanted and needed to do this morning, and there was still another hour before he should wake Ditzy. At a bit of a loss for something to do, he pulled open a drawer in the desk, and took out a sheet of paper, a bottle of ink, and a quill, ignoring the ball-point pens. He intended to write a return letter, even though he wasn't going to mail it. He paused for a moment, then loaded the quill and laid down letters:

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am indeed aware of what year it is; I too have kept track of the skies. It has been on my mind ever since last year's Summer Sun Celebration in New Horsleans. How could it not be? On a related note, I believe it will be a good thing for Ponyville to host this year's Celebration and party. For one thing, it will bring much publicity to this lovely little town.

And yes, I am familiar with Miss Twilight Sparkle, she was indeed one of my students before you found her. Did she really say I was her favorite teacher? Perhaps second-favorite, now that she's your student, but the praise is still flattering. She certainly was among my top-favorite students; very few ponies, colts or fillies, ever took to my lessons or understood them as well as she did, even the lessons not about magic. Such an intelligent Unicorn. I was so very proud of her when she told me that you had taken her on as your personal student.

Twilight meeting us at the train station would be most satisfactory, and I would be more than willing to provide her with a place to stay while in Ponyville. She stays at the castle now, yes? On that subject, thank you very much for letting Ditzy and I stay at the castle ourselves, even though you know I maintain a house in Canterlot.

There are many more things that I would like to say in this letter, but I must save them for a face-to-face meeting. We have much to talk about, just you and I.

Respectfully,

Enoch A.L. Aurobolosai

P.S. Under no conditions could I allow my formula to be in the hooves of ordinary ponies. Think of what your military alone could do with it! Equestria's armed forces are already the strongest in the world, save for the Crystal Empire's, when it were still here. In my opinion, it does not need any more power or weapons.

P.P.S. Thank you for enclosing the train tickets.

P.P.P.S. New Horseleans, wow, what a party that was!

Finished with his letter, but still unsatisfied, he lay down his quill. He had decided he would mail it. It would take only a few minutes to send it along the direct link he had to Princess Celestia's inbox. But first, he needed to finish packing his carry-on. He would follow the Princess's advice and pack the most important papers in the carry-on, keeping them with him, as he intended to do in the first place. He also needed to pack the potion he took to ward off the nightmares he had every night.

It was really nothing more than a very powerful sedative that allowed the brain to enter a very deep, but relatively inactive REM sleep. The brain is usually much more active while you are sleeping than when you are awake. The potion merely prohibits the brain from this activity. In short, the main effect of this potion was that, except for when he forgot to take it, he did not dream. Another possible side-effect of taking it regularly is that a pony may...MAY... become dependent upon it. Enoch took it simply because it allowed him to sleep restfully. A kind of curse laid upon him prevented him from gaining restful sleep naturally, so he was really in kind of a bind. If he wanted to sleep restfully, he had to take it. There was no alternative.

Enoch sat up straight in his chair, rolled over to the table beside the bed, opened the drawer in it and rummaged in it for a moment, bringing up a blue, unmarked glass bottle, the same color as his and Rainbow Dash's fur, cyan. He really needed to put it in his carry-on if he wanted to survive his subconscious while in Canterlot...

9:50 A.M., Soluna Plantation, Ditzy Doo's bedroom

*Knock, knock, knock* "Miss Hooves? Are you awake? It is time to rise! May I come in?" A sleepy snort replied, along with what sounded like somepony falling out of bed. "Oof! Huh?" Um, yeah! Sure." Enoch turned the doorknob, careful to avert his eyes to avoid any awkward sightings of a nether-dressed mare. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?"

Coffee in Canterlot

10:45 A.M., Ponyville Train Station, five minutes before departure

"Is it good?" Enoch asked Ditzy, munching on the funnel cake one of the train's stewards had brought her. "I've never had one of them." "Mm." The mare nodded, swallowing her bite. Looking over at her employer, she asked, "What book are you reading?"

Enoch's face lit up. "It's one of my favorite books, "Two Graves," by D. Preston and L. Child. I would love to meet the authors! It's quite clever, using the names of mythical humans. No one knows who they really are." He said excitedly.

"What's it about?"

"Special Agent Alowinnyius Pendergrass of the Equestrian Bureau of Investigation is giving chase to the stallions who foalnapped his wife, Heylen. I'm at the part where he's chasing them to Mareico." he paused. "You can't really understand unless you read the two previous books. I cannot recommend these authors enough, Miss Hooves. I don't often recommend a book to somepony, but these, I must! Would you like to read it?" He asked, closing the book and offering it to her.

"Are you done with it?" She asked, leaning forward to take it.

The male Pegasus nodded. "Yes. I've already read it twice over since yesterday morning, when I was at Noteworthy's bookstore." Ditzy's eyes widened. "What." Enoch shrugged his shoulders and gave a wry half-smile. "I'm a fast reader." Genuinely interested now, Ditzy accepted the book.

The moment her hoof touched the book, Enoch delved into his pocket, pulled out a flask, opened it, took a sip, closed it and returned it to his pocket. He laid down in his seat and rolled over to face the back. With her muzzle deep in the book, Ditzy didn't even notice.

3:30 P.M., Canterlot Train Station

A pleasant-sounding female voice came over the train's announcement system:

*Will all Canterlot-bound passengers please disembark. Repeat, will all Canterlot-bound passengers please disembark.*

The male Pegasus groaned faintly as he was woken by the train's forced decceleration. "Ah. A most unpleasant awakening, being jostled awake by the brakes of a locomotive." Enoch said sleepily. Sitting up, he shook his head and looked across the booth at Ditzy, leaning up against the side of the car, sleeping soundly, the book laying on her lap, pages down. She was snoring slightly. Enoch watched her for a moment, curious. Then he stood, quietly stepped over to her side of the booth, laid a hoof upon her shoulder and shook it gently. "Miss Hooves, we are arrived in Canterlot. Wake up."

"Hmm? Wha' izzit Dinks?" She mumbled sleepily, then fell back asleep. Patiently, Enoch shook her awake again.

"Ditzy? Wake up. It is time to get off the train."

"Five more minutes?"

"Now, please. The train is unloading right now."

"Do I hafta?"

"Yes."

"Awww. I' was sucha nice dream..."

"Come. Give me your hoof. Let us depart."

As Enoch and Ditzy stepped off the train, shielding their eyes from the bright sun, Enoch began to look around.

"What are you looking for, Professor?" Ditzy asked. Hoof over his eyes, he said, "Twilight Sparkle. She's supposed to

meet us here." After a moment, "Perhaps she got the time wrong?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a voice cried out, "Professor! Over here!"

Enoch's face brightened and pointed a hoof. "That would be her! See, Miss Hooves, over by the ticket booth?"

Ditzy looked over at where his hoof was pointed and, accompanied by a tall and thin tan-colored Earth stallion, a young lavender Unicorn mare was standing by the ticket booth, waving her forelegs in the air. "How do you know the Twilight Sparkle?!" Ditzy asked excitedly (Ditzy was an immense fan of the Unicorn's submissions to Equestria Daily, The Equestrian Journal of Psychiatry and her scientific lectures).

Smiling, Enoch replied, "When she was a filly, I was one of her teachers at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted

Unicorns. Her physics and magical theory teacher, among other subjects. Ooh, look sharp, she comes to us."

She was indeed approaching at no slow rate, and when she reached the two Pegasi, the Unicorn squeezed Enoch in a

bear hug. "Professor! Welcome back to Canterlot!"

Returning the hug, Enoch said, "Twilight! Twilight Sparkle, how are you, my dear? You look wonderful!" Releasing the embrace, the male Pegasus's attention fell on the tan stallion, who had just come into view over Twilight's shoulder. "Good day to you..." He froze, for he recognized the stallion. "Oh goodness gracious me, you're Alternative Current!"

Before Current and Enoch could acquaint themselves, an arrogant snort sounded from behind them. "Hmph. Two Pegasuses, a Unicorn and an Earth pony. You know, Professor, ponies of different races should not... intermingle. It is a sign of simply awful breeding to even consider that. You know, I had assumed a pony of your intelligence and standing would know that, but seeing where you hail from, this is not much of a surprise." None of the four needed to turn around to recognize the speaker; indeed, few could not.

Nevertheless, Enoch slowly turned around (intentionally irking Blueblood, for who else could it be?), drew

himself to his respectable full height, and made direct eye contact with the almost-tangibly arrogant noblepony, staring

him down. "And I would advise you, Blueblood, to harass neither myself nor my companions, and to keep your

abnormally large snout out of our business, lest something sharp close upon it."

Shocked, Blueblood's face remained flat and expressionless for about two seconds, then it scrunched up in anger and indignation. He swung a hoof at the male Pegasus and he completely lost track of what happened in the next second. All he knew was he somehow ended up sprawling facedown on the Canterlot pavement. Furious, he clambered to his

hooves and wheeled about to face the cyan Pegasus. The aforementioned Pegasus was looking at him with a bored face

on.

Irritation and annoyance dripping from his voice, Enoch asked, "Are we really going to do this again?" Blueblood snorted angrily, but realized that, once again, he was no match for the Professor. He began to turn and saw Ditzy, looking for all Equestria like she was trying to hide. The noblepony watched her for a moment, then: "You! Mare. You look familiar. Have we perhaps met before?" he asked, for once the hubris(mostly) gone from his voice. Ditzy straightened up to her full height, ruffled her wings, and said, "Why, no, Ah caint say we have met before," in a flawless southern drawl. With a look of disgust on his face, Blueblood turned on his heels and stalked away, head held high, muttering something about "an uppity peasant."

Ditzy looked at Enoch to find him staring at her. "What? The voice, right? I picked up the drawl from you."

"But mine isn't that drawn out..."

Ditzy snickered.

Shaking his head, Enoch illuminated a big smile and looked at his student, his assistant, then his scientific idol. "What say you all to cup of coffee or tea?" he said brightly.

Coffee in Canterlot (For really real)

Chapter Nine: Coffee in Canterlot (for really real.)

The stallions hunched over cups of tea and biscotti, much as the mares, both parties chattering away. The boys talked about electricity(Current's specialty) and physics, among many other things. The mares talked about many subjects as well, including how good of a teacher Enoch was.

"So, what all did Enoch teach? How did he even get a job as a teacher at that school? I thought only Unicorns could get in?" Ditzy was saying. Twilight took a sip of her tea, then: "That's right; usually only Unicorns can teach. But, the Professor proved himself when a notice went out saying the School needed a teacher, to replace the one who died." She paused. "The nobles who applied before he did treated him with much scorn and laughed at him for even applying, you can imagine. 'A Pegasus, teaching Unicorns! The very idea,' they said." She(Twilight) laughed. "When the applicants were called into the testing room to show what they had to offer, the Professor was the last in line. Each applicant had exactly one hour to prove their mettle." She paused, taking a sip of her tea. "There were twelve applicants that day. Three took over an hour to make their point, four couldn't fill half of the hour, three had inaccurate information, one other actually met the requirements of the job, and the last one was the Professor. I'm not entirely sure how the Professor won out..."

Meanwhile. at the stallion's table...

"That is precisely why my system ought to be used instead of Direct Voltage's system. My alternating current is considerably safer, as it tends to throw away things caught in it instead of holding them. I can prove it to you. Direct Voltage has been allowed to execute condemned ponies using what he claims to be my system, when it is actually his. Would you like to come to my laboratory here in Canterlot? It's right over on West Mustang Road." Current was offering. Apparently, Current was as much a fan of Enoch's work as the Pegasus stallion was of his. "I would be delighted! Alas, I am only here in Canterlot for perhaps a week at most. I shall certainly set aside a few hours of a day to visit you. And I, in return, would like to offer you room and board if you are going Ponyville. You could see my workshop and my laboratory? Ah, I nearly forgot. Are you still in your room at the Hotel Canterlot?"

"No, unfortunately. I, ah, ran of money to keep it. I sleep at my laboratory now."

"What! This will not do! Mr. Current, I insist you stay with me at my house here in Canterlot. It's situated at 1529 East Mustang Road, and you can even see your laboratory from the porte cochere. Please, say you'll accept?"

"If you insist, Mr. Aurobolosai."

"Wonderful! I'l take you over straight away, get you a room." Enoch stood and walked over to the mare's table. "Miss Hooves? I'm going to take Mr. Current over to my house over on East Mustang Street. Is that okay? Do you remember the address?" Ditzy nodded, not looking at him, focused on Twilight. "...1529 East Mustang Street." She murmured. "There is a key in a cubbyhole above the "P" on the sign hanging on the door."

"...Okay, then."

The male Pegasus turned back to Current and beckoned him with a hoof. The Earth stallion rose from his chair and followed.

Ditzy took a sip of her newly-refilled cup of tea. "So, exactly how long have you known him? Enoch, I mean." she asked. Twilight took a bite of her biscotti, chewed and swallowed. "He's been a father figure to me ever since I was a filly. He's comforted me when I was hurt, or confused, or frightened. For instance, one time, when I had just come to the School..."

16 years before...

BOOM! CRACK! BAM! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Terrified, Twilight fell out of her bed, little legs desperately trying to run, to get away from the frightening thunder, but there was nowhere to go to. She was in Celestia's School, and, even though she had been there for quite some time, she had never been there during a thunderstorm. Frightened, the filly thought about using magic to soothe the storm, but she knew she didn't have the strength to do it. She couldn't go to her parents; even though they were in Canterlot, Twilight couldn't get out of the School alone, much less in a thunderstorm. Then, remembering Professor A's words, she decided to go where she could.

Outside Professor A's Room, Seventh floor, Canterlot Castle

A frantic knocking woke Enoch from his deep sleep. It wasn't a knocking so much as Mjolnir hitting the door. "Alright, alright, I'm coming! Keep your horseshoes on..." he grumbled. Pajamas rustling, he slid out of bed, shrugged into his bathrobe, and trundled to the door of his chamber to appease the furious knocking. "Who the hoof would be at my door at this time of night?" he groused as he approached it. He reached the door, turned the handle, and opened the door to be greeted by the sight of... nothing. "P-professor?" A tiny voice called out, sounding terribly frightened. Surprised, Enoch looked left, then right, then down, and saw a tiny lavender filly standing on the threshold. "Can I c-come in? P-please?"

"...Twilight? Why are... What are you doing up this late? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Please. Let me in?" Twilight asked, shaking. Seeing her shake, he knelt and scooped her into his forelegs, cradling her. "Of course you can come in." He whispered into the filly's little ear. "But why are you here?" He backed into the room and gently shut the door. He carried the shaking filly into the living room and set her down on the couch, sitting down next to her. She immediately leaned into his side.

"I... I couldn't sleep. The storm scared me, and it woke me up. Please, can I stay here tonight? Please?"

"Ah. Yes, of course you can stay with me tonight. Just let me get you a pillow and a blanket, and I'll fix you up on the couch here." He said, standing. "No!" Twilight yelped, jumping off the couch and clinging to his leg. "Can I sleep with you? I don't wanna be alone... I'm scared..." Sighing, he knelt yet again and picked the filly up, giving her a small smile. "If you wish, little Twilight."

Twilight squee'd. He set her down and made for the bedroom, filly-Twi in tow. The trip took about fifteen seconds. Once in the bedroom, he bent, picked filly-Twi up, set her on the bed, took off his bathrobe and slid under the covers, Twilight settling down under his head, next to his chest. Already nearly asleep, he wrapped a foreleg around the filly and pulled her tight. She, in turn, wrapped her hooves around his foreleg. Her shaking quickly subsided, and soon she too was sound asleep.

Real time, East Mustang Road, Canterlot

"If I might ask, are you and Miss Hooves married?" Current asked, walking beside Enoch.

"No, we aren't. She has a foal, a filly, but I am not the filly's father." Enoch explained. "Both of us get asked that question all the time. It can get tiring."

"... Why do you allow them to stay with you, then? If you and she are not married, it would seem inappropriate."

"Indeed. But, as I said before, we are not married. We simply live together. Nothing more. I am an honorable stallion."

"A civil union?"

"No. She assists me with my projects and experiments, sometimes taking me breakfast or tea, or waking me up, and in return, she and her filly, Dinky, stay at Soluna with me. Besides, I don't think she's interested in a stallion like me." He said, looking up. "Ah, here we are!"

Current looked up at a big, old, Beaux-Hearts style house with the numbers "1529" screwed into the door. "Home in Canterlot. Please, come in." Enoch said. He took a silver key out of his pocket and inserted it into the door locks, turned it.

"Would you like a room on the third floor, Mr. Current?"

Chapter X: Celestia's thoughts

Three days ago (before the events of Chapter 1), Enoch's bedroom, seventh floor, Canterlot Castle

Princess Celestia walked about Enoch's chambers, reminiscing. A mixture of smells hit her nostrils: the smell of cotton, of... leather?..., of cleaning fluids and furniture polish, hoof-grown tobacco, and something else that was distinctly stallion. Her eyes roamed the bookshelves that lined the sitting room, finding the titles of the books that called them their home: Starswirl the Bearded's A Study of Gravitas and Inertium, E. Sock Neighton's Principia Mathematica, The Complete Works of Lord Whinnyson, the autobiography of Alternative Current, and The Time Machine by H.G. Welsh, to name but a few, most of them first or second editions. All in all, it was a collection that, when the worth was all summed up, equaled well over four hundred million bits.

Well, after all he's done for our county and her people, why not? Reading has always been one of his favorite pastimes. And he can certainly afford it. She thought.

Four hundred million bits, not counting the collections at Soluna House and his house at 1529 East Mustang Road.

She next looked behind his desk, at the pictures that resided in frames hanging on the wall behind it. He frequently starred in them: Teaching a physics class at the University. Sitting at a table, partaking in luncheon with the Pendergrass family[1] at the Tiger Lily, down in New Horseleans, by the Southern Sea. Hunched over a bench in his workshop at the East Mustang house. One of the few that didn't have him in it was a photo of Twilight Sparkle, leaning against a wall, posing for the camera. Celestia smiled, thinking back to her own interaction with the lavender mare when she was a filly.

She turned her head to the next photograph on the wall, a picture of him and two young fillies, each of the three playing an instrument. The white filly with a two-toned blue mane and a Cutie Mark of a backwards double quaver was playing a baby grand piano which was connected to a synthesizer, and the grey filly with the Mark of a treble clef was teasing the sound out of a 1/4 Saddlevarius cello, whereas the Pegasus stallion was sawing on a 4/4 (full size) violin, also Saddlevarius made. Enoch and his two adopted daughters, playing their instruments together. If she remembered correctly, both mares were now well-known musicians.

Next, she went into the bedroom and launched herself onto the queen-sized bed, bouncing a few times on landing and disturbing a cloud of his scent, sending it up into the air. She simply lay on her back, breathing it in and exhaling with a snort, staring up at the ceiling.

I wish he'd come back, she thought. I enjoy his company. And there are a few things we need to talk about.

Her eyes strayed to the bookshelf in the bedroom, the one that nopony who entered the place ever saw. Getting off the bed, she trotted over, perused the collection of old, leather-bound[2], hoof-written journals. Pulling one out and looking at the cover, she could barely make out the name on one, written in the Pegasus's semi-elegant scrawl: Natura Neurona.

Growing very uncomfortable with feel of the old leather on her hooves, she quickly put the journal back in it's place and continued to look at the collection. Most of the titles were unique, scientific volumes compiled by Enoch himself, like Natura Neurona.. Some of them, (excluding the scientific volumes, of course) however, were copies of titles that even the Canterlot Archives did not have, and yet others were forbidden tomes, prohibited from the Archives by Celestia herself. For example: several works on blood magic, called Maleficium, one tome on the subject of temporal physics (Why is that here? It seems rather out of place, she thought), and three books concerned with Discordian Alchemy[3].

She backed away from the shelf, a bit disturbed and wondering why he'd have all these forbidden tomes. She shook her head, dispelling those thoughts. She knew him personally, as a very good friend, and she knew his personality. Eccentric, yes, but not malicious. Which is what he'd be if he was following the teachings of those tomes. She figured it was just some of the esoteric part of his personal collection. Yes. That's it.

Feeling warm, she left the bedroom and went down the hall into the lavatory, bent over the sink and splashed some cold water onto her face with her hooves. She raised her head and looked in the mirror, water dripping off her snout. Am I ready for the Celebration? she asked herself doubtfully. Ready or not, it's coming.

Remembering the bar in the sitting room, she exited the lavatory and came into the afore-mentioned sitting room., crossed to the bar. Selecting a bottle of Neighermeister, she levitated a few ice cubes out of the small freezer, dropped them in a glass, and poured a finger and a half of the amber liquid after them. She swirled the glass, thinking back to earlier times. What happened? What went wrong?

Chapter XI: Celestia's Request

The same time, Soluna Plantation Library

A small warning bell went off in Enoch's head, implying that somepony was intruding into his private quarters at the Castle. Probably Celestia, he thought, leaning back in the chair. I assume she's discovered the contents of the shelf in the bedroom.He chuckled. I wonder if she's jumped on the bed yet.

Back at 1529 East Mustang, sitting room, an hour after the coffeehouse scene/Real-time

A knock sounded on the door. "Come in, Twilight." The male Pegasus answered. In she came. If she was surprised he knew it was her knocking on the door, she didn't show it. "Hello again, Professor. Hi, Vinyl." She said, waving to the other Unicorn. Vinyl waved back as she left, closing the door behind her.

"Hello, dear Twilight. I have asked you numerous times to call me "Enoch". I'm not your teacher anymore. Though, it's fine, of course, whichever you prefer. Please, sit down?" He asked. The Unicorn complied, sinking into the depths of the comfortable chair.

"You've never been to Ponyville, before, have you?" Enoch asked, pouring himself a small drink and replacing the bottle, between the bottles of Canterlot Red and Number Thirteen[1]. "No, I've - Is that Neighermiester?" She asked, looking at the drink. Enoch looked down at the glass in his hoof. "Yes, it is. Why? Would you like a glass?" he asked, somewhat unwilling to deny his favorite student a request. She nodded, and the Pegasus turned back to the bar, fetched another glass and filled it halfway with the Germane drink. He made sure to fill it with the non-alcoholic version of the drink. "Thank you, Professor." She said as the stallion handed - excuse me - hoofed it to her.

"I'm sorry for not offering you a glass immediately, Twi. I still remember the little purple filly in my classroom, taking reams of notes with four quills, studying with Octavia and Vinyl." He smiled at the memory. "Ah, I'm getting old. I'm starting to get maudlin. Still..." he trail off, reminiscing. "I'm surprised at you, Twilight. I never took you for a drinker."

She took a mouthful of the amber liquid. "Only socially. And Princess Celestia occasionally offered me a drink when I had accomplished something big."

Across from her, the Pegasus chuckled. "What? What is it?" She asked.

"This will surprise you, Twilight, I'm sure of it. Princess Celestia is rather a booze-horse!"

Twilight looked absolutely flabbergasted. "What!"

"Mm-hm! I've gotten rather drunk with her a few times! Several times I've tucked her into her bed because she had passed out in a chair after a particularly trying day."

"No!"

"Believe it, my faithful student. For it is true; I do enjoy my alcohol." A gorgeous voice rang out from the entrance to the library; Princess Celestia, Regent of the Sun stood in the doorway. The Unicorn and the Pegasus stood in unison. Enoch immediately knelt before her, but Twilight stepped forward into Celestia's warm embrace. Releasing her student, the Alicorn turned her head to the Pegasus. "Rise, my friend. You know you, of all ponies, need not bow to me."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Celestia sighed. It was a bit like an angel weeping. "I have asked you repeatedly over the years to call me Celestia. Just Celestia." She admonished.

"Yes, you have, Ma'am."

"But you won't do it."[2]

"No, Ma'am."

"I... Are you busy, Enoch?" She asked, appearing unaccountably nervous, shifting her weight from hoof to hoof.

"I was talking... to..." The Pegasus began, but trailed off as he noticed the Solar Regent's feeling.

Uncomfortably, Enoch turned to Twilight: "Um. Twilight? I'm sorry, but, can you come back tomorrow?"

He scarcely needed to ask; the Unicorn was already up. She too had seen the look on Celestia's face. It was not just of nervousness; it combined that, fear, despair, and other, unidentifiable emotions. It was one she had seen only a few times during her education. It was never good.

"Same time tomorrow, then, Professor. See you." She said. waving a hoof as she passed over the threshold of the room and closed the door.

Waiting until her personal student's hooffalls receded form earshot, Celestia crossed to the bar, dug around in the cabinet and pulled out an unexpected bottle: The rarely-used, legendary bottle of Number 14. Oh dear. Enoch thought.

Her face unreadable, she grabbed the bottle in her magic, grabbed Enoch's hoof and pulled him out of the room, up the stairs and into the bedroom at the back of the hall.

Chapter XII: Celestia's Confidences

She pulled him inside and shut the door, locked it magically. Next, she lifted the bottle with her hoof, grasped the withered cork with her teeth, yanked it out, and tilted her head back, sending a mouthful of the contents burning down her throat.[1]"Oh... Yummy. You, uh, you sure know how to... brew a drink, don'tcha?" She said, tilting her back again to take another swig. She grinned down at the shorter Pegasus in between her arms. "Why do you stay alive? Why do you come when I call you? I know you don't wanna. I know you're afraid of me."

She made ready to send another dose of the liquor back, but thought better of it and offered Enoch the bottle. It wasn't exactly an offer to drink with her so much as a command. "Ya know, ya could stay away if you wanted to. " She said, slurring slightly. "Lissten... Can I, um... Can I tell you somethin'? Nonono, don't talk. Even though, I like your, uh, your... voice, whaddayacallit? Somethin' with "ax" innit, yeah? Yeah, that."

"My accent?" The only-somewhat surprised Pegasus said, forgetting the Alicorn's "no-talking" rule. Her horn illuminated and a golden glow appeared around Enoch's snout, effectively muzzling him. "No! Stop talkin'. My turn ta talk now." She raised her hoof to take another drink, forgetting the bottle had mysteriously disappeared. She didn't even notice. Her hoof completed it's pointless journey to her mouth, holding up a non-existent bottle so it's contents could drain out of it. "Mmm. Good stuff, colt. Now, for dessert." Using her magic, she bodily lifted Enoch into the air, so she was snout-to-snout with him and kissed him, full and hard, pressing her snout against his and pinning her prey to the wall.

When she finished, she licked her lips and laid him on the bed, then flopped on the bed beside him, and promptly fell off, all the while holding him immobile. "Mmm. You taste goooood." she slurred, getting up and smiling hugely. The golden glow restricting his movements faded, then re-concentrated on his belt buckle and the buttons on his waistcoat and shirt. "What else is there to taste, I wonder?" She said. She began to undo everything, then she froze, seemingly having an attack of sobriety. She let the glow fade completely.

"Ohhh..." She uttered, starting to sway on her hooves. In a flash, Enoch was under one of her forehooves- "Supporting me. You're supporting me, like you always have done." She said, slur vanished. She was still clearly drunk, but her speech capabilities seemed fine. "Why do you do that?" She asked.

"Do what, 'Tia?" Enoch asked.

"Oh! You called me 'Tia!" She squealed happily.

"Hmm. You're right. I did. Why do I do what?" He returned, keeping her on the subject. [2]

"...S-support me. Not- not physically, but, in everything else. Why?" She pleaded, giving him confused eyes.

"I'm supposed to, Tia. I'm your friend. Aren't I your friend?" he answered.

She stopped swaying for a moment, then the big Pegasus was scooped into a into a bigger hug from the massive Alicorn, squeezing him tight. Several vertebrae cracked, and a strangled gasp escaped the blue pony. "My friend! Are you really?! My... friend. Friend."

"Hrrkk!" Enoch managed. The Alicorn's arms were crushing him. "'Tia..." He squeaked. "I can't breathe."

She released him then, and he slid down her front like so much water down a waterfall, and she quickly followed, crouching. "Can we talk? That's why I found you, cause I needed to talk to you and I didn't wanna wait and-" The Pegasus shushed her with a hoof to the lips. "No, no. None of that. Come. Lay down. You can talk to me whenever you need, about whatever you want." he said, getting up and leading her over to the bed. He hopped on the mattress, bouncing, and patted the spread beside him with his hoof. "Come."

Celestia sat on the bed and leaned against him. "What do you want to talk about, 'Tia?" He asked, using the nickname she had tried to get him to use for so long in an attempt to cheer her up. It didnt work.

"It... It's nothing. My problems, they're so silly..." she said, trying to suppress them again, as usual.

"It's not healthy to bottle your feelings up inside, Celestia. Please. You can tell me anything. Anything." Enoch said, covering their bodies with his left wing, extending it to it's full eight-and-a-half foot span.

She snorted at his statement and snuggled up close to him, a task made only too difficult and awkward because of the difference in their sizes. "You're one to talk, bottling up. In all the years I've known you, how many times have you come to me for assistance that I could have easily provided? How many times have you ever opened up? Once. Just once, no more. And that was when Luna was here!"

When Celestia said Luna's name, she felt Enoch shake, and his wing fluttered, then withdrew. Concerned, she turned to him. Every muscle in his body was tensed up, and his eyes were wide as dinner plates, one of the few times she had ever seen him legitimately shocked or stunned.

His mouth worked for a few moments, totally silent, then: "I...I haven't really... needed to..."

"Liar." Celestia said, poking him in the chest with a hoof accusingly. She was right, of course, but he wouldn't say it.

He took a deep breath. "What is it, 'Tia? What did you want to talk about? What's wrong?"

She snorted. "Everything. Everything political, the nobles, our peace talks with the Gryphons, my own personal problems, the Summer Sun Celebration, these damned suitors, they're all just the tip of the haystack. For example, most of the demands of the Gryphons are completely unreasonable! For instance, in the third section of the treaty, they demand a tithe of ten stallions and and fifteen mares be given a month! Ten stallions! Even if we had enough stallions, I would not ever do that! Ten stallions a month for breeding and as fodder for their Coliseum games. Why did you leave the political field? You were so useful to me. You'd probably have this settled in twelve hours..."

She began to rattle off a long list of things that troubled her about the Gryphons and their demands, and Enoch settled down for a long night. Celestia was leaning on him heavily, so she lay on her side, facing her friend, who was on his back, listening to her. They talked long into the morning, until she fell asleep on him.

Chapter XIII

6:45 A.M., 1529 East Mustang Road, Canterlot

Celestia's last act of her night had been to raise the Sun; she immediately fell asleep on her friend as she sent the star on it's path. Even so, Enoch lay there, partially crushed under the weight of the Princess as he waited for her to slip into the usual deep sleep. She always did when she drank even the slightest bit of alcohol.

He didn't have to wait long; the Solar Alicorn fell into deep, deep sleep in about ten minutes. Carefully, Enoch manouvered himself off the bed. Pressing a hoof down on the mattress to simulate his weight, he swung his rear hooves off the bed and lifted the forehoof off the bed, moving slowly so Celestia wouldn't wake. Free of the mattress, he straightened his his tie, refastened the buttons on his waistcoat and re-did his belt buckle(Celestia had gotten it almost entirely undone; for a drunk mare, her hooves and magic were quite steady). Kicking his shoes off, he quietly padded across the room to the closet and pulled another blanket down, taking ti to the bed and draping it over the prone Alicorn.

Picking up his shoes from his side, he trotted out of the room and closed the door silently. Letting his hooves fall on the floor softly, he walked down the hall and back to the sitting room. He dropped his shoes by the doorway, settled back in his chair by the fireplace, steepled his hooves and released a sigh. He remained there for perhaps a minute before realizing his hooves were shaking. He looked at them for a moment, mild surprise registering in his face, then jumped out of the chair and grabbed his violin and its bow from their stand by the fireplace. Frantically, he tuned the strings, plucking them until the right vibrations came from the instrument, then began to play. The first notes of Beethoofen's Fifth Symphony began to pour out of the instrument, before a breeze began to blow through his mane.

VWWWORP. VWWWORP. VWWWORP. DOON. The TARDIS materialized inside the sitting room. Wow. He actually piloted her into the room? Successfully? Enoch thought. Before he could think anymore thoughts, the doors opened, revealing a raggedy Doctor.

"Enoch! I found the way back!" He shouted, stumbling over his hooves.

From his chair, Enoch only cast a confused look. "Back? Back where, my dear Doctor?" he asked.

"To Earth!" The Doctor's grin was wide enough to split his face.

Enoch's ears fell. "Earth? Oh. And you want me to go with you, I suppose?"

"What? Yes! Don't you want to go back?"

The blue stallion shook his head. "No. I don't."

The Doctor cast a confused look, an eyebrow rising.

"True enough, I was born on Earth. I remember it well." Enoch said, setting the violin back on the stand and replacing the bow. "But now, Equestria is my home, where I've made my life. Besides, my family is long dead. I have no reason to go back." He paused. "We're old stallions, Doctor. Both of us." Enoch said sadly, putting a hoof on the Doctor's shoulder. "And we had some wonderful times, didn't we? Some crazy times, some mad times, and even some scary times too. The Rani. Omega. The Master. Brr." He shuddered at the memories.

"And I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. But just as everything has a beginning, everything also has an end. And it seems our companionship has come to an end. As must everything."

"But you don't have to go! I hate endings... Maybe I can keep the rift open so I can come back through..." The Doctor said, muttering to himself.

"No! Don't you dare." he blue stallion said sharply. "You've no idea what that could do. Besides, you're going back for Rose, no? For your love?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Then our companionship must end for your love to continue. Everything ends sometime. You know it as well as I. And my place is here."

With that, Enoch stepped forward and pulled the Doctor into an deep embrace. Not a bro-hug, but the farewell hug of two very old friends. He also pulled his TARDIS key out of his pocket and dropped it into the Doctor's. "Go..." he said, motioning that the TARDIS.

Slowly, the Doctor walked back into the machine and shut the doors. The TARDIS began her dematerialization, then faded from view.

"...Goodbye, my dear friend..." Enoch murmured. He spared a look at the violin, then pulled the blue bottle out of his pocket. He sat down in his chair, picked up his pipe from the table nest to it, pulled out a pouch, packed the bowl of the pipe with tobacco and bluegrass, and lit it, puffing on it, inhaling and savoring the flavor of the smoke as he reviewed the events of the day.

"First I fend off Blueblood at the station, then Celestia mentions Luna, then the Doctor has to leave... Ugh. I think I'll go to bed now. I don't wanna see anyone... anypony... else today. They might leave too..." He shook his head and burned the rest of the weed, dumping the ash in a small glass tray on the table. He slid the bottle back in his pocket and exited the sitting room, ascending the stairs in at the end of the hallway and turning left, into a guest room.

Chapter XIV