The next morning the man was shocked to find Luna in his kitchen preparing a breakfast salad.
“Really? I’m still dreaming?” he asked, unable to actually process what was happening without his morning coffee. He turned on the kettle and began adding coffee granules and sugar to his favourite mug while waiting for the water to boil.
It was only then that he realised that Luna, a pony with no hands, was tossing a salad. He rushed over to her, examining the scene closely. He could not see how she was doing it. All of her hooves remained on the ground, and a soft blue glow enveloped her horn.
“Wha- How are you doing that?”
“Last night we teleported you,” said the Alicorn, levitating the food on to plates and levitating the plates over to the table. The man’s jaw dropped as he watched. He could not see how she did it. Her hooves stayed on the ground, and her horn was enveloped in a soft blue glow, as were the objects being levitated. “Is it really so difficult to believe that we know other kinds of magic? But where are our manners? We do not even know your name so that we can thank you.”
“Gerard,” said the man meekly, hearing the kettle switch off behind him. He turned and poured the water in to his mug, adding milk and stirring. He took a long sip and sighed before turning and approaching the table.
“Well Gerard, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” she said, extending a hoof. “And thank you for allowing me to stay the night,” she said as they shook. It was odd, shaking a pony’s hoof.
“It’s fine, last night I figured you were a hallucination. Right now, that still seems pretty likely. Wait, wasn’t your leg broken last night?” asked Gerard, confused.
“It was, but you would be amazed at what a good night’s sleep could do for you,” said the Alicorn slyly.
“Yeah, that and being an Ali-whatever,”
“Alicorn,” she supplied.
“Yeah, that,” responded Gerard, sipping his coffee.
The princess chuckled, “Well yes, we suppose that helps too.”
Luna’s laughter sent a shiver down Gerard’s spine. A thought occurred to him then.
“How are you speaking English? As far as I can tell you aren’t exactly from around here…”
“Well,” she began, “last night we simply used a translation spell, but while we were teleporting we accessed the language centre of your brain and, for want of a better word, absorbed everything you knew about the English language.”
“I see…” responded Gerard, extremely uneasy at the thought of someone poking around inside his brain. It was something he’d been dealing with for decades, but this only made him more uncomfortable.
“What’s with the ‘we’, by the way?” asked Gerard. “As far as I can see, there’s only one of you.”
“Oh,” said the Alicorn, “you misunderstand, we are using the royal ‘we’, not referring to multiple beings.” She cleared her throat softly and looked away for a moment. Gerard was still too sleepy to notice the hesitation though. “We are unsure… do royalty use the same patterns of speech in this world?”
“Umm, yes… But wait, you’re royalty? Like a queen or something?” Gerard thought of bowing, but it seemed silly.
“Well, actually we are a princess. It is a long story… In our world there are four different sentient equine species. There are the Earth ponies, who till the fields, the Pegasai, who control the skies, the Unicorns, self-important magic users, and finally, the Alicorns. The latter are considered the most powerful. There are bitter divisions between the three former species, with regular war between them. However, several centuries ago, my sister and I managed to unite the warring factions and an uneasy peace was formed. While my sister took responsibility for raising the sun, I was given dominion over the night, hence my Cutie Mark.”
“Your what mark?” Gerard asked, confused.
Luna rose from her chair and showed Gerard her flank. Sure enough, there shone a crescent moon on a black background.
“Our Cutie Mark. It is what tells a pony what they are destined to spend their lives doing. Surely you… humans, as you seem to call yourselves, have something similar?”
Gerard shook his head. “No, we have nothing like that. It’s trial and error really. I’d say most people spend their lives in jobs they hate.”
“That is simply dreadful!” exclaimed Luna, sitting back at her seat and continuing to eat her breakfast. Gerard poked half-heartedly at his, wishing he could have had some bacon instead, maybe a fried egg, some sausage… Gerard stopped that train of thought before it got out of control and returned to his salad. Luna noticed his lack of enthusiasm and became worried.
“Is the meal not to your liking? We are sorry, we are not accustomed to preparing our own food.” A thought occurred to her. “You are not a carnivore, are you?”
“No, I’m an omnivore, but I am partial to meat. Really, this salad is delicious. It’s just this is a lot to digest,” said Gerard, chuckling at his pun. Luna tried stifling a small giggle, but failed. “Anyway, enough of my terrible jokes, please continue with your story.”
“Well, to answer your question on magic, it is a common thing in my world. The Earth pony and Pegasai’s magic increases speed and strength, while the Unicorns and Alicorns can make use of telekinesis, teleportation and energy blasts. All species can use symbol magic, providing they have the skill and attention to detail required. It appears magic is not as common in this reality, but I believe it is still present in some form or another. I can sense magical auras similar to my own.”
Gerard was only able to sit there; slack jawed. He had work to do, but as he looked out the window, he noticed the rain pouring down, drenching everything in sight. There was a distant peal of thunder.
“So you’re not even from this dimension?” asked Gerard.
“No, although I do not understand how I ended up in this reality to begin with…”
“It is a lot to get your head around…” Gerard agreed. “How do you plan to get home?” He was unsure when he had started believing the pony sitting opposite him at his kitchen table. She just seemed so sincere. That and she was a clearly sentient equine with the appendages of the two most famous mystical equine creatures in history. His hallucinations were never this complex.
Luna smiled sadly. “I am afraid I cannot, at least not any time soon.” The smile turned shy, yet playful. “Why do you ask? Do you wish to be rid of me?”
Gerard almost spat out his coffee. His eyes widened as he said “No! Of course not!”
“I was merely jesting Gerard, I know you would not be so inhospitable. You have a kind heart.” She finished quietly, looking away as she did.
“Good. I wouldn’t want you to think me rude.”
Just then there was a sharp knock at the window. Gerard looked around and saw a local farmer peering inside, wide-eyed. Luna also noticed this and promptly vanished. Gerard moved to the back door and opened it.
“Hey! Can I help you?” he asked politely, leaning out and looking at the man.
“Umm, yeah… I was wonderin’ if I could borrow some feed for me horses?” the farmer asked, still looking quite shocked.
Gerard answered automatically. “Yeah, sure. You know where it is.”
The farmer nodded and then stopped. “Gerry, just now?”
“Yeah?” he answered, wincing at the nickname.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but did I just see a pony in your kitchen? With wings, and a horn?”
Gerard laughed nervously, sweating slightly. “I think you need to lay off the whiskey, Jim!”
The farmer eyed him suspiciously for a moment before relenting. “Aye, you’re probably right. Well, be seein’ ya!”
“You too Jim, have a good day!” he said as he retreated inside.
A few minutes later, when he was sure the farmer had left, he called out.
“Luna, it’s safe to come back now!”
The Alicorn reappeared in the chair. “Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes, he’s gone now,” replied Gerard. “Although that was way too close. Having an Alicorn around is a little conspicuous.” He thought for a moment before continuing. “I’m not sure how this magic thing works, but surely you could change your appearance, maybe something a little more human? At least get rid of the wings and horns.”
Luna nodded. “Perhaps it would be for the best.”
With that her horn began to glow. It became brighter and brighter, shrouding Luna’s form. Gerard had to raise a hand to cover his eyes. When the glow subsided and he lowered his arm, a woman stood before him. She was beautiful. There was no two ways about it. Her long, black hair flowed down her back like a river. Her eyes twinkled like stars, her irises a deep purple. But there was one problem. She was very undeniably naked. Gerard covered his eyes and spun so he was facing away from her.
“Sorry, sorry! I didn’t see anything, I swear!”
Gerard was glowing the shade of red normally associated with beetroots. Luna, realising her mistake turned a similar shade of red while frantically trying to cover her nude form.
“No, it is us who should be apologising. It is custom for ponies to wear clothing only during special events. We can see that this is not the protocol for humans.”
There was another flash before Luna spoke again.
“Gerard, you may turn around now, we are clothed.”
Gerard turned slowly, willing his cheeks to return to their normal colour. The dress she wore was dark, like the night sky, and was covered in sparkling gems. Her skin was pale and almost seemed to radiate a soft glow. Luna coughed self-consciously. Gerard realised he was staring and looked away.
“Sorry,” he muttered, still amazed by her beauty.
“It is ok,” she blushed.