//------------------------------// // 4 - Getting Acquainted // Story: Hazel Eyes in the Moonlight // by Oddling //------------------------------// Jim sat at a fine dining table, large enough to comfortably seat at least twenty people. His hand gently caressed his belly, the bulge threatening to sunder the waistline of his trousers. He had a content grin on his face with his eyes closed. “Alright… for herbivorous ponies, those chefs can make a mean steak,” said Jim. Luna placed a hoof over her muzzle to stifle a giggle. “I did say they were well versed in their craft. I take it you approve?” “Very much so,” Jim replied with a pleasant sigh. “I think the only thing that would make this even better would be a nice warm rock in the sun to bask on.” Luna let her giggle slip out. “Not to cast the stone, per say, but we do have a lounging area in the garden. It is quite a lovely location this time of day. Would you like to relax there?” she asked warmly. Jim snickered at her pun and provided her with a toothy grin. “I take it you’ve never found a nice boulder by the side of a stream to lay on? You should try it some time; it’s a real treat after a good swim or a big meal in the afternoon.” Luna returned the grin. “And I think you’ve yet to experience the wonders of a cloud bed. Now that is something that can never be beat,” she returned playfully. Jim simply lifted a curious brow, his hazel eyes twinkling with mischief. “Oh? You can sleep on clouds? That’s an interesting image… kind of makes me wonder how other activities would be experienced on such a thing,” he said as his grin grew a pinch wider. Luna’s expression slid into a sultry smirk. “Are you suggesting what I think you are, dear Jim?” Jim’s face melted into a suave and husky look, expertly equipped with a passionate lidded gaze and a slight little smirk of confidence. “That depends… but if we are thinking the same thing, then it begs just one important question.” “And that would be?” Luna asked as she leaned a little closer to Jim’s face. “How would we avoid getting the pillows stuck on your horn?” Luna opened her mouth to reply with a witty response, but slight confusion halted her. “Wait… what are we referring to now?” she asked with a tilt of her head. “Pillow fights,” Jim replied with a mirthful grin. Luna groaned and rolled her eyes. “And the mood has been ruined,” she sighed, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Jim snickered again and winked at her. “Sorry, although I’m not opposed to the other idea. Of course, I think it would be a little too exotic for my personal preferences.” Luna giggled into her hoof. “That’s surprising to hear spoken from a being of Earth.” Jim shrugged. “Humans are either real stiff about such a taboo subject or are not openly honest about what they’d like to do with an attractive member of another race. I’m only human in my appearance, currently. My views on the subject differ greatly… though my standards for potential partners are held fairly high,” he said nonchalantly. Luna’s inquisitive expression locked onto Jim’s eyes. “And doest thou find us to be an attractive mare?” she asked. Jim chuckled gently, knowing full well where his answer could lead him. Should his reply be unsatisfactory, he’d be offending a member of royalty. Still, he felt honesty should be his policy this time around, and he opted to give her his truest opinion. “You are very beautiful, Princess Luna. Your deep blue coat color, and complimenting starry magical mane, is very alluring to me. I even find that moon mark on your backside cute, in a way. Sadly, I don’t see our current relationship as anything more than professional; I wouldn’t even allow myself to be intimate with you were you to order it of me. We’ve only just met, after all.” Luna eyed Jim calmly for a long time. The truth was not as bad as she had expected, but it still hurt a little to be refused. The lunar princess had to admit that Jim’s features were well within the realm of what she looked for in a partner, even down to his playful yet strong personality. But as he had said, Jim was right about their current standing; they had only known each other for less than half a day. Eventually she relented and gave Jim a small smile. “We thank you for your honesty. Maybe time will change things… for better or worse,” she said. Jim smiled as well, but a look of curiosity quickly overlapped his expression. “I hope I’m not being rude, but I have to ask. Why does your manner of speaking shift back and forth? Sometimes you say ‘I’, and other times you say ‘We’. A moment ago you were speaking like they used to do in the past on Earth, as well.” Luna chuckled mirthfully and shook her head. “Ah, that. Well… in all honesty, I’m still getting used to the current dialects of today’s Equestria. I was sealed away in the moon for a thousand years, so I’ve spent the past few years learning the new ways. I simply… slip back into the old ways of speaking sometimes.” “Oh, I see. I apologize if I made things awkward, I was just curious about it. There’s nothing wrong with either way of speaking,” Jim said comfortingly. “It just caught my attention a few times.” Luna smiled warmly at Jim. “You have our thanks, but do not worry, we… I understand. It is simply easier for me to speak the way I’m used to. At present, I’ve found that I seem to talk in a mix of the old and new dialects. I know that it isn’t a big deal, but I do try to catch myself when I slip into using the old tongue. My sister really teases me when I slip up in front of her,” she said with a light giggle. Jim chuckled softly as well and turned his head toward a new presence in the room. Walking to their table was a light blue unicorn stallion with a dark grey, flowing mane. The unicorn held a simple polite smile on his face, but the hair on the back of Jim’s neck started to stand on end once he got a good look at the stallion’s emerald eyes. Were he in his wolf form, Jim knew he would have let out a low growl upon the unicorn’s approach. The light blue stallion came to a stop beside the lunar princess and bowed in respect. “Good afternoon, your grace,” he said. Luna gave a short bow of her head. “You may rise, Arch Mage Mana Spark. It is nice to see you in good health.” “Indeed,” Spark replied with a small smile, “I’m pleased to say I have returned to being as fit as a fiddle, if you don’t mind the expression. That will be the last time I lack the attention to such new and volatile chemicals in my research.” Luna offered a small smile and nodded her head in sympathy. “Yes, that would be good. It was very worrisome when my sister and I learned of your accident. We were sorry that such a thing had happened.” “Think nothing of it, your majesty,” Spark assured her and waved a dismissive hoof. “Accidents happen and it was nopony’s fault but my own in the first place,” he said and turned his attention to Jim for a brief moment. “Pardon my asking, but I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important. The fellow beside you seems to have a rather displeased look about him.” Luna’s gaze drifted to Jim and she instantly felt a slight pang of fear from his predatory look. His hazel eyes were brightly lit, as if a part of his wolf side had surfaced and enhanced the reflective properties of them. Yet his expression looked as calm as could be, which made him more frightening. Nothing should have that kind of calm expression with that sharp a gaze. “Princess Luna was simply treating me to an afternoon snack,” Jim said before Luna could respond. “We were just discussing a possible visit to the garden. You weren’t imposing on anything more, but it does bring up the question as to what business you have to pay her highness a visit. If it’s a private matter then I can leave and wait for her elsewhere.” Spark offered a slightly regretful look toward Jim, one that did not meet his eyes. “I do apologize, but it is a fairly sensitive subject. If you wouldn’t mind, could you wait for her outside?” he asked. Jim’s calm expression shifted into an understanding smile, one that showed just how sharp his canines were. “Of course. Please take your time,” he said and stood from his seat. Jim gave Luna a small bow before turning and leaving the two ponies to talk. Luna, having been too stunned by the unusual look in Jim’s eyes simply watched the human until he disappeared behind the doors they had entered through earlier. Her attention suddenly shifted to Mana Spark as he gently cleared his throat. “Quite the… unusual human. What is his standing? Surely the nobility of Earth know better than to be seen in such unfitting attire when dining with such distinguished members of Equestrian royalty,” he said casually. Luna held in her angry rebuke, taking in a deep breath before addressing the Arch Mage. In all honesty she did not like Mana Spark. The stallion was one of the self-proclaimed purists, a group that set unicorns as the truest of the pony races, next to the Alicorns. Were it not for her sister’s plea to spare them from her ire, Luna probably would have had the entire group apprehended and put through a mild series of lashings until they saw things in a different light. “He is not of nobility, Arch Mage,” Luna said calmly, “but he is an important guest. I suggest you treat him with respect from now on, as if he were of royal standing.” “With all due respect,” Spark replied in that same insufferable casualness, “the royalty of Earth are a joke, at best. They pale in comparison to any other race – even the Minotaur King has better standing. I won’t stoop so low as to give a human my respect unless it is deserving of it.” Luna gave Spark a sharp glare. “You WILL show Jim some respect. He may look like a human, but there is far more to him than that. In fact, you will be taking part in the ritual tonight that involves him. I suggest you set aside your personal beliefs unless you’d rather have your career end tonight because you ‘lack the attention’ during the process.” Mana Spark eyed the princess with mild amusement. “Was that meant to be a threat, your highness?” he asked. Luna huffed in annoyance. “It’s a warning. He’s killed because of what ails him. Please be sure to keep that in mind,” she said and stood from her seat. Spark’s eyes narrowed slightly and the shadow of a smirk nearly crossed over his features. “Duly noted,” he said and turned away. “I suppose I have some preparations to resume. Until we meet again, your highness…” Luna sneered inwardly at the stallion. She really wanted to have him flogged. She gave Mana Spark a curt nod and left the table to find Jim. Even being in the company of a known killer was preferable to spending even one more second beside that overinflated unicorn. Her search was surprisingly short lived, as the human in question stood just a few paces down the hall from the doors of the dining hall. As she neared him, Luna noticed that Jim had been fixated on something outside, through the window. She walked over to stand near him and looked outside, finding nothing of relative importance. Beyond the window was one of the lesser gardens, the type that served for simple aesthetics to please the eyes of any visitors to the castle. Luna looked back to Jim and came face to face with his firm expression. “That Arch Mage rubs me the wrong way, Princess Luna,” Jim said coldly. “He seems to have a very peculiar view of humans… but there’s more to him that he covers up with that shitty smile of his. Why did you let him talk to you like that?” Luna stared in slight disbelief. “How did you hear what was said? Surely the guards would not have permitted you to eavesdrop by the door…” “They didn’t have to do anything. My hearing is better than you might think, your highness.” A heavy sigh escaped Luna and she turned her gaze out toward the little garden. It dawned on her that Jim must have been doing exactly as she was now, looking to the calm beauty to distract from the situation. “To be honest, I don’t like the Arch Mage. We’d rather send him to the dungeon for being the foul little pest that he is, but our sister made us promise to never act as rash as what was once acceptable for punishing insolent fools. We… I don’t like it, but I must simply bite back my retorts to him and offer him a smile when he acts so pompously.” Jim relaxed a little and a small chuckle slipped from him. “You have my condolences. On the bright side, at least your methods for dealing with him didn’t include breaking his neck. I don’t take kindly to being insulted – especially when I’m compared to those pathetic humans. You were right to warn him that I wasn’t one of them. Be prepared to save him tonight, too… he’s a source of aggression for me, which may tilt me toward attacking him once I start to lose control.” Luna turned her attention back to Jim, a slight glimmer of mischief dancing in her turquoise eyes. “What would we have to do to spare the poor Arch Mage from your wrath?” she asked. A slight look of unease crossed over Jim’s features, but he forced it away with a smile. “The best way to distract me, when I’m that mindless monster, is to use blood… fresh blood. Once I smell it, I’m driven to the source like a starving shark.” Luna contemplated the answer for a moment. “So… if I were to, for instance, cut myself during your transformation, you would seek me out? How great is the danger in such an act?” Jim’s posture slumped a bit, and his forced smile faded as his mind recalled a memory he wished he could forget. “I would do everything in my power to find you, pin you down, and devour you. Whatever is left behind would no longer be recognizable as anything more than a collection of the parts I didn’t like,” he said, his voice melancholy. Luna stepped closer to Jim and placed her hoof gently against his thigh, drawing his downcast gaze up to look at her. “Worry not, Jim. I won’t let you harm anypony… not even me. Trust me…” she said softly. Jim sighed and looked back out into the garden. “I trust you… but I just can’t bring myself to feel completely confident in your abilities to keep me from hurting others. None of you know what I’m capable of.” “Then tell us what you can do. The more knowledge we have of your power, the greater our efforts will be in keeping our promise to you. We will help you. Let us go to the garden. Then you can share your knowledge in peace,” Luna said with a smile and gestured down the hall with her wing. Jim managed a small smile of his own and nodded as he followed her once more.