//------------------------------// // History // Story: Luna's Week Off // by Wolfsalvo //------------------------------// My hand lethargically ran over and around Luna’s ears while I kept my eyes locked on her closed eyelids. A smile was stretched across her muzzle as she slept draped across the seat and my lap, her forelegs curled beneath her head on top of my lap. Her tiara was resting on my other side while her regalia was lying on the seat across from us, all but forgotten as my Princess slept. The desire to look away simply to see my surroundings was a constant struggle, but I refrained in order to maintain the illusion that all was well with my situation. My heart thumped steadily as I took in deep breaths to keep it calm, all while the sky-carriage we were in occasionally experienced a jostle of turbulence. I knew as long as I kept looking at Luna’s content expression, I would be just fine... I took in yet another deep breath as I stroked her ear from firm base to pliable top, before slowly sliding my fingers down and then to the other ear in a constant rhythm. It was as relaxing for her as it was distracting for me, and I once more let myself daydream as I barely noticed the occasional bump; letting my mind imagine it being a rock in the ground compared to a draft of warm wind meeting a cold draft. Despite past warnings, I let my hand drift down her head until it met the base of her horn, feeling the soft texture of fur and ethereal mane morph into a slightly cool and firm texture beneath my finger tip. The smooth transition from fur to bone was odd, yet it no longer seemed strange. The difference between the entire area around it was different, almost as much as it was for me becoming a Human prince in the land of Equestria. A soft smile stretched across my lips as I played with that idea, and even Luna’s horn. I traced my finger up a curve in her horn as I thought about the similarity with my life. The transition from being a standard writer and small part explorer was like the beginning of Luna’s horn, and the curve was similar to the smooth change in how my life was now being shaped. With each and every little change, I was slowly losing my old way of life, but I was gaining so much more. Reaching the tip of Luna’s horn and rubbing my thumb over it slowly and feeling the dull but noticeable point, I felt my smile fall just a bit, before it widened more than before. Even though I had received prior warning in the week against touching her horn, I didn’t notice any reaction from her body or facial expression as I went from the tip back down to the base. My lips curled into a smirk while I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath of the fresh crisp air, feeling my lungs burn slightly from the perfume Luna had decided to wear today. When I exhaled, it was heavy but content. I opened my eyes and gazed down at Luna’s prone form, but I let my eyes wander towards her mane. Despite having seen it for the past few days by now, I couldn’t stop myself from becoming lost in its starry visage, looking at the small clusters of stars and then the next. Even when it was wet, it still appeared solid, even though it felt similar to separate strands of hair. “...Mark?” Shifting my gaze back towards Luna’s muzzle, I saw her lips curling into a smile as she blearily blinked her eyes, before shifting her gaze upwards curiously. Noticing her gaze, I retracted my hand and cleared my throat, then spoke as if nothing was amiss, “So, how was your nap Luna?” “It was pleasant.” She slowly eased herself up, her forelegs tensing as she arched her back and flared her wings as her body trembled. When she released the tension in her body and her eyes were open, she took a moment to glance over the edge of the chariot before turning back to me. The soft smile on her muzzle warmed my heart as she gave me a teasing smirk, “We will ignore the fact that you were playing with my horn,” she winked alluringly before adding, “For now, we shall be landing shortly.” Despite not really regretting what it may lead to, I still felt my cheeks flare with involuntary heat from being caught; even if it isn’t surprising considering it woke her up. Draping an arm over Luna’s back and scratching her withers, I withheld the urge to look at the upcoming city and instead chose to ask, “So, what are we doing in Stalliongrad? You never quite got around to telling me.” Luna’s wings popped away from her side by a few inches as she spread her forelegs wide and sagged beneath my touch, I happy croon leaving her lips. Her smile was gone, but it was all too easy to tell how much she was enjoying herself. It still amazed me how little of an effort it was to please ponies. Add some fingers, and they became putty; even the well manicured and prim Princess of the night. “Tis a surprise, my love.” Her ears twitched momentarily, before she let out a tiny mewl of pleasure and said, “Y-Yes, to the left...” Her muzzle parted as she let out a deep breath, and as I gave the area to the left of her withers a firmer scratching, her body shuddered as her wings drooped. The entire visage actually reminded me of a moment from a day prior after a bath... “S-so, uh,” I coughed to clear my throat of the sudden tightness, “Fingers, pretty amazing, huh?” Her muzzle quirked into a smirk as she let out a short giggle, her eyes cracking open to peer back at me as she said, “Yes, quite amazing indeed...” Her gaze lingered on mine for a moment longer, before her eye lids closed with a happy sigh. For now everything was perfect. Well... as perfect as you could expect things to be when flying in an open chariot with no parachute... I only wish I knew what Luna had planned for today’s outing... ... Stalliongrad, a city full of culture and history. Every which way I looked, I found more and more resemblance to what cities looked like from the sixteen hundreds; stone of different makes and styles, old towers that would’ve been used in defense against attacking armies, and in the center of the large square was a massive fountain depicting an old mare or stallion hero. Luna and I walked side by side, drawing as many eyes as bows. Even if they weren’t directed at me parse, it still felt strange to be in the direction of the praise. Luna’s head turned as we walked down the center of the street, and she whispered out, “Drape your arm over my back. It will be better if the ponies see you as the Prince you are...” Glancing over and into her radiant gaze, I swallowed thickly before giving a barely perceivable nod. With my next step I moved closer to Luna’s side, and then I wrapped an arm behind her neck, gently curling my fingers up and lightly scratching the side of her neck. She smiled softly as she turned back to the crowd, her head nodding to seemingly random ponies. It wasn’t long before murmurs began to rise from the crowd in a sea of voices. I could make out the occasional question as we would pass by a few of the louder curious ponies. “Is that human touching the Princess?” “Who is he...?” “Is that the new Prince that Lime Drop was talking about?” There was more questions that were indistinguishable from the general murmur that had risen, and I swore I even heard my name once among the crowd. It was all strange and it left me feeling awkward as I walked beside Luna, who was still smiling and nodding to those in the crowd, who I am assuming were meeting her gaze. Following Luna’s lead, I swallowed my pride and shrugged off the embarrassment I was feeling, and gave as crowd-winning of a smile as I could muster, and raised my hand to shoulder height and gazed at the crowd. Giving small nods to the ponies... and now humans that I saw. It was one thing to have a pony watching me walk with their princess, but this was my kind... my society. The first human I saw had a little filly sitting in his arms to watch the procession. The other was a woman, her eyes hidden behind some sun glasses and a low bonnet, but I could still see the shock and confusion written in her features plain as day. My smile fell a bit, but I resolved to keep wearing one as I lowered my hand. Luna pushed her neck against my side, forcing heat into my cheeks as I felt her lips press against my neck softly. When she pulled away, she whispered once again just as softly, “Don’t stop. The more they see you interacting with both myself and them, the easier they will adapt to your new position.” I turned and looked into her eyes, feeling the desire to offer up an argument, but finding nothing. She smiled brightly towards me, eliciting a similar response from me, before I gave her a nod. Before I could start to raise my hand an continue to improve my public relations, Luna and I both looked forward at an approaching mare, her eyes dancing from Luna, to me, and then back to Luna. She wore spectacles and had a deep blue shirt and bowtie on the collar of her shirt, and her fur color was just a few shades lighter than the cobblestone street, yet her mane was sky blue. She stopped several feet from Luna and I, then gave a quick bow as she said, “Greetings Princess Luna. I am Mayor Hard Light. I am the head of the council here at Stalliongrad.” She stood up and ran her eyes over me again, before she continued, “My apologies, Princess. We weren’t aware that you were going to be visiting our fine city today! We would have thrown a festival if we had known.” A festival for a visit...? I looked over to Luna as she replied, “That’s quite alright Mayor Hard Light! I am just showing Equestria’s most historic city to Canterlot’s newest resident.” Mayor Hard Light looked to me with a smile, before giving me a slight bow and asking, “My apologies for being out of the loop, but who may he be?” This was it... Luna glanced over at me and gave me a smile, before she looked to the Mayor and said, “This is Mark, Equestria’s newest Prince.” Once Hard Light looked back towards me, her eyes widening in shock –she mustn’t have seen Luna’s kiss to my neck- as realization dawned. I gave her a smile and a nod before speaking, “Pleasure to make your acquaintance Mayor Hard Light. It’s a nice city you have here!” Her muzzle closed, and she nodded as she smiled once again. “Nice to meet you, Prince Mark. As for Ole Stalliongrad... it may not have the pristine history of the rest of Equestria, but it has earned its place time and time again over its history.” Her eyes beamed as they gained a somewhat far off look. It lasted for only a moment, before she turned her attention to Luna once again and asked, “What is it you will be doing today Princess, so that the city and I may accommodate you to the best of our ability?” “Mark and I have plans outside the city limits for the start of our stay. Afterwards, we will most likely be visiting the Museum. Can you ensure the armor is exhibited today?” “I...” her eyes lowered and scanned the air side to side as she thought about the request, before looking back up, “Y-Yes Princess Luna. Our armorer historian is visiting another city today, but we will assemble them the best we can.” Her smile returned as she said confidently, “They will be ready when you arrive.” Following Luna’s lead, I thank the mayor, before turning and keeping at Luna’s side as we left. I didn’t know where our next destination would be, but Luna obviously had a plan... Lifting my foot and stepping over a particularly large root, I plopped back down to the ground and moved to the side to avoid a low hanging branch. I looked up and watched Luna moving brush and branches out of her way effortlessly with her sparkling magic. In a way, it did make me feel jealous and a bit peeved that I was back here actually working a sweat, but she made the trek so effortlessly. Then again, it did have its perks trailing behind her, namely the view I was provided. It made me glad that we were moving uphill, as it made the red in my cheeks seem to come for a whole other reason. Shooting my gaze back down when I stumbled over a loose rock, I felt a smile grace my lips as I heard Luna speak, “Don’t worry my dear human, the trek is hard, but nearly over.” I stepped over the loose exposed stone and looked back up at her, finding her smiling back down towards me. “I can assure you, it is well worth the journey...” As she turned back forward, I couldn’t help but grin as her wings unfurled, showing that indeed the trees were starting to space out. Our hike had taken us was nearing an end, and was closing in on an hour’s trek away from Stalliongrad. I could only fathom what was out here that Luna wished to show me... I stepped up beside where Luna was standing and took in a deep breath as I saw something unexpected, and still somewhat awe inspiring. Back on Earth, you could still find remnants of old castles or forts, stone or wooden, scattered around Europe that held plenty of history behind them. But they were almost always decayed, destroyed, or a complete tourist attraction that took away the appeal. What I was looking down upon, maybe a mile away still and in a large clearing, was a large stone fort that had indeed seen better days. “During Equestria’s younger days, skirmishes were common among those of other species, or even against the predators of the land. This here was the first and original Stalliongrad.” It took me a moment to realize that she had started her way down towards the crumbling fort, but I moved to walk beside her slow pace. “Relations with the gryphon’s had been tense when we were first constructing the fort, and they saw our expansion as a threat to their borders. What was going to be a budding town soon became solely a fort meant for war.” She turned and we began to walk along the perimeter, not quite getting close, but close enough to see fine details such as what looked like small slices against the stone walls. There were several still standing towers, although one of them had the entire top section caved inwards. The walls and many of the battlements however still remained standing and firm, and from what I read up on Equestria’s history, the early days was quite a long time ago. “Why was the fort abandoned instead of restored after the initial engagements?” I asked, looking over the vine covered ruins. “It wasn’t,” I turned and looked towards Luna to find her looking up at the same tower that was missing its upper half, “It became the sword and shield between many of the gryphon’s assaults against the Stalliongrad you saw today. Many minor, but just as many major, battles were fought here to keep our ponies safe. I myself fought beside many to keep these walls standing through many nights.” I blinked once, then twice, before truly looking at Luna. I could see the sorrow in her eyes as her eyes roved over the stone keep, and I could see various sections of her wings flexing. Even her ears twitched a bit, almost as if she was hearing long past distant sounds; the sounds of steel clashing against steel, cries or yells... and the sound of death I could imagine. “As they say on Earth; ‘Don’t dwell to hard on the past’.” I reached forward and scratched behind her ear, forcing it to stop its slight splaying back, “I’m not saying to forget what was done, but sacrifices were obviously made so that what is here today would be possible. And Dare I say, you and your sister did an amazing job.” Her eyes closed and I could feel her lean into my fingers, and I stepped forward to pull her into a hug to hopefully draw her out of her thoughts on the past. Immediately she seemed to warm to the touch, and as I looked down I could see her smiling softly. That wiki is so damn useful... I thought idly to myself as I ran a hand down her mane, feeling her lean into my hold. She spoke up not to long after, “My dear Mark... Thank you for that.” She stretched her neck out and rubbed her cheek beside my own, before she added, “I didn’t bring you up here to dwell on the past, rather to teach you some of the more important history surrounding such an important city in Equestria... But the history behind this fort, and the significance it played in the expansion of Equestrian soil is more important than any trading facts that Hard Light can discuss with you.” “... Will I be quizzed?” I asked, feeling a smirk stretch across my lips. “Only if I feel you weren’t paying attention.”