The Tale of The Stone-turner

There was the sound of knocking. No. More knocking. Fuck off. Louder knocking. Let me sleep. Another set of knocks. I popped open one eye and glared at the door, daring it to repeat its offensive behavior. After several tense seconds I let my eye close itself and began to drift back off. This set of knocking sounded more like the door was to be broken down. I yelled, I didn't even bother to use words, I just let a loud sound of displeasure come from my throat.

“Are you certain about this?” A voice came from the other side of the door. “It sounds like some sort of wild beast.”

“As do you some evenings when you are woken early.” I could recognize one voice as that princess from yesterday, despite my morning grogginess. What was her name again, Ceiling tile... no... Celestia? Yea, I think that's it.

“One could put it that way I suppose.” Now who was this other voice? “Might we enter Stone-turner?!” Oh that question was for me. I grumbled something out that could loosely be translated into a confirmation. I then hissed at the light that came in as the door opened and quickly hid my face under a pillow, I was not ready for the day.
I could hear the sound of hooves on tile as they approached the bed.

“Come now it is time for us to discuss your situation.”

“No, I'm still tired.”

“Well I am sorry for that but my sister has nocturnal duties so we must take care of this now so that she may sleep.”

“Don't wanna.” I could hear a sigh despite my pillow shield.

“I believe I know how to rouse him sister.”

“You are welcome to try, Luna” Come on 'Luna', show me what you've got.

“ARISE FROM THY SLUMBER BEAST!” Oh great googly moogly! The sheer force of her voice ripped the pillow and sheets from over me and threw them against the wall, frankly I was surprised my clothes stayed on me.

“Alright, wide awake now! Please don't do that again.” I looked down in fear at the one responsible for the voice that could be heard from space. It was also an alicorn and it was smirking. It was slightly shorter than the first with it's horn and wings of proportional size. But its color scheme, it looked as if someone had just taken a chunk out of the night sky and with a 'This will do' wrapped it around a pony shape. Looking her over I found myself dumbfounded at her mane, it... it had little stars in it. I don't mean it had little plastic stars or glitter sprinkled in it, I mean there were actual tiny twinkling stars all in her mane. They were even in her tail! My mind was baffled at the implications of this, did tiny solar systems and civilizations live in her mane as well? If she washed her hair would all the stars go out? Do they supernova? I slowly sat up in the bed and began to unintentionally tilt my head as I studied her mane.

“Wha.. what is it?” For whatever reason this seemed to unnerve her. “What dost th.. What do you want?”

“Your hair......”

“Thou wishes for mine hair!?”

“No..... How.... Is it doing that.... With all the little stars?” Off to the side Celestia was looking somewhat amused.

“Oh, you wish to know why the sky appears in our mane?” I nodded. Luna seemed pleased with my curiosity and began to explain. “Crafting the sky each night is.. difficult. There are many variables to keep track of, where each star is to go, what the phase the moon is to be in, how long the moon is to take to cross the sky. It gets overwhelming to remember all of these things night after night. So in order to make our task more manageable we weave a spell into our mane when the night is at its longest to record how everything is to be set up for the next night. Of course this spell is limited to only one years worth of time so we must reweave it annually. But it is the magic of this spell that gives our mane and tail the appearance of our night. Does this completely satisfy your question?” I nodded and then turned my gaze towards Celestia but get cut off before I can ask.

“Yes, I use my mane in the same way, but to keep track of when to move the sun closer or farther for the change of seasons and how far to move it. But I believe we are getting off track now, we did originally come to ask questions of you before we made our decision.” I gulped and sat a little straighter.

“OK then, ask away...”

The amount of questions I had to answer was staggering, and more than half of them I didn't even see the purpose for other than curiosities sake. After two hours they seemed satisfied, and I really hoped they were since they now knew everything short of my cup size. Then they had one last question.

“Would you like anything for breakfast?” Blinking once or twice I realized how hungry I actually was.

“Yes please, may I ask what is available to eat?” I had been trying to behave myself for the princesses, what with my fate in their hooves and all. Celestia chuckled slightly.

“I believe it would be easier to tell us what you're in the mood for than for us to list the entire stock of the kitchens.” Good point.

“Well since I don't think you'll have bacon on supply how about-” Luna cut me off.

“Oh but we have most marvelous hay bacon in our pantries!”

“Um, that isn't what I actually meant...”

“Then what is it that you meant?”

“Well.... fried pig flesh...”

“THOU ART CARNIVOROUS!?” Celestia decided to speak up at this point.

“Now sister I don't think he can help it if he has to eat meat.” she then turned to me. “But I'm afraid we won't be able to give you a proper breakfast if that is the case.”

“Oh I don't have to eat meat, I can survive off fruits and veggies if I must. But anything with flowers or hay is right out of the question.”

“Very well, we will return in the evening after we've fully taken into consideration all the information you've given us. So please have a good day and enjoy your meal when it arrives” With that both princesses walked out of the door, a blue magic closing and locking it behind them.

“Damn, I should have asked for a side of something to do with my breakfast. Now I'm gonna be bored.” Falling back onto the bed I sighed and waited for my meal to arrive.

Time passed far too slowly, but it always does when you're bored. Eventually, however, a guard did arrive with my breakfast on a trolley, still not one damn clue as to how he got it up the stairs, and took away the evil shin destroyer from the previous night.

After very slowly and methodically eating my meal, a mixture of various fried fruits and veggies which was surprisingly good despite its lack of the best food group, I became bored again, rapidly. The boredom was not something I enjoyed in the least and soon I found myself pacing back and forth and back and forth and so on trying desperately to come up with something I could do to amuse myself. It was then I got an idea.

I ran into the bathroom and began to tear through the medicine cabinet, I thought I saw some next to the horn polish. With an exclamation of success I strolled out of the bathroom my stupid grin nice and wide and a dispenser of dental floss in my hand. Time to start rearranging the furniture.

It was after much time and one confused guard changing out my food trolley that what I assumed to be my evening visit arrived with a knock.

“Come iiiinnn~” I sang the last part a little.

Peeking over a blanket I watched the two princesses trot in, both looked a little amused. That's good, fate deciding usually goes well when the deciders are amused.

“Well, I see you found a way to entertain yourself, although I believe the next time I host such a guest I shall ask the guards to bring them a book.” Luna just grinned at what I had done while Celestia spoke.

I had made a fort. A nice one too if I do say so myself. After moving the dresser and the mirror closer to the bed I had run the dental floss from each one to form a triangle. Then using all the pillows I had at my disposal for flooring I strung up every towel and blanket to make the walls. It had no ceiling and it was very mismatched, but it amused me and that was my goal.

“So then, you've figured out what to do with me?” Celestia nodded.

“We have, but perhaps this will go easier if we are not.. obstructed.” She motioned to my front fort will. I quickly untied that line of dental floss to take it down and returned to sitting cross legged on my pillow floor. “Thank you, now we have decided to give you two options.” Both of the alicorns moved in closer and laid down before me. “Since you are unable to control this petrification you may choose to be banished to a land outside of Equestria, we know of a few where food would be readily available but you would have to ensure your own survival as well as remain in isolation.” I didn't like this option at all, isolation is not something I cope with well if this past few months had taught me anything.

“And my other option?”

“If this petrifying power is truly a subconscious act, we may be able to alter it and tie it into your waking mind.”

“So then I would be able to control whether or not I turned something to stone?” I liked this idea a bit more. Luna then spoke up.

“It is not quite that simple, you would have learn to wield it properly and if this ability is in fact linked to the experience of pain the process of granting you control would be.... Unpleasant, to say the very least.” Let's see, isolation for the rest of my life, or the ability to control gorgon-like powers. On the one hand, I would spend the rest of all my days alone and bored. On the other, Medusa powers. Damn, I thought this decision would be harder.

“I think I'll go with option number two.” Celestia then looked at me firmly.

“Are you absolutely sure you've considered all the ramifications? This is not a decision to be made lightly or in jest, it will affect the rest of your life.” I nodded.

“Exile isn't even an option for me, I would go insane.... Well, even more insane than I may have become in these past months, if I were just left to my own devices with nothing to talk with.”

“Very well then, lay yourself on the bed and we may begin.” I climbed onto the barren mattress, which wasn't so much a mattress as a giant pillow in a frame, and laid straight.

“Alright then! Let's get me some self control!” If I understood then what Luna meant by unpleasant I might not have been so eager... But I would have probably still made the same decision.