//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 (Days 6-12) 
// Story: 1000 Years 
// by Paraturtle 
//------------------------------//

	I’ve wondered why we ponies think they must know everything about everything. Why do we want to know everything about government, friends, God, just to name a few. Sometimes they sit down wondering to themselves, ‘Why does God do that?’ or, ‘Why did he veto that?’ and even sometimes ‘Does she like me?’

I’m going to bring up a scenario that I’d like you to sit on. Imagine you knew everything in the world, no, the universe! You had knowledge beyond the stars, and had experienced everything there is to offer! So if you already know you're going to grow up to be a famous cook, then why do anything else? If you knew who you were to marry, why date? If you knew who was to win an election, why vote? If you knew you were to die on November the fourteenth of the year 2016, would you tell anyone?

Now I’m talking of knowledge that nopony will ever have, so why do you think I brought it up? Some things are best misunderstood, whether for the better, or for the worse. From one pony to another, I enjoy not knowing whether my sweet Natalie will be my wife. It makes me want to be more then I am. And the wonders of God are far too spacious to even begin having answers for, and yet people want them. Since I don’t know who will win this years election, I better know all the facts of both sides, right? If I don’t, I might make a mistake.

If we keep wanting answers, we might miss the big picture. Maybe we should stop looking for answers, and start looking for questions. Questions that don’t have answers with words, but answers with actions, actions that cause us ponies to change who we are.

Questions that changed who she was.



Day 6/365,250
…

Day 7/365,250
..

Day 8/365,250
.

Day 9/365,250

Luna’s eyelids slowly opened, her vision fuzzy. Her body was so tired it had not registered as awake for a couple minutes. She was in her room. No light was shining in through the windows, but it was open. It was still nighttime, and Luna liked it that way. ‘Are We back home?’

“Nope, still here.” Reggie’s voice came in from the hallway. Luna shut her eyes again and let out a long, depressed sigh. She wasn’t home, and she was still on The Moon.

Luna started to move her legs to get out of bed, but they wouldn’t move properly. She opened her eyes to find her right front leg in a sling and her two back legs with splints attached. There was a wrap around her wings, which had sores all over them. Her left front leg was free to move, but that could only do so much. She panicked as she thought of her current condition. 

Luna wobbled and whined as if she was still in a dream, even though she knew that was not true. She moaned as a molten hot nail went through her right flank. Her eyes peered over to where the pain was. Lifting the blanket, she found a bandage covering up an unknown wound on her cutie mark.

“I’d stay put if I were you, Princess. You’re in no condition to be doing anything.” Reggie had walked into the room. He wasn’t carrying hot cakes this time, but bandages lay across his back as he strode in. “On second thought, you may need to lay on your left. That bandage needs to be replaced.”

“We’ll try.” Luna was part of the one percent of ponies who enjoyed sleeping on her back, front hooves holding the covers, and back legs open. The covers always had to be tucked in as well, but at the moment, they were all over the place. She put her left front hoof out to give herself leverage. It helped as she carefully allowed her body to land on her left side. After what seemed like a long and endless discomfort, Luna closed her eyes and rested on her side. The blankets had been pulled up and cold air was brushing icy bristles against her back. Chills went through her.

“Oh, let me get that.”  Reggie stepped over to close the window. “You do know with no sun it’s going to be blistering cold out there. That coat over there isn’t going to do you any good when the whole country is frozen over." He walked over to the right side of the bed. With his mouth, he grabbed the bandages on his back and laid them across the bed. His magic lifted the blanket off her coat. Luna hoisted her head up to see how bad it was. 

The wound was covering the whole right side of her flank. At the center was a large black spot with a grimy green ring around it. “That’s not good” He lightly touched his hoof against it.

“Ahh!” Luna kicked her back leg, only sending more pain through her body as the broken bones chafed against each other. “It doesn’t feel good either!”

“Sorry. It seems I’ll need to rewrap the wound, putting a pad on it might have made it worse.”

“Thou thinkest?” Reggie took the bandages he had prepared by the mouth and quickly stepped out into the hallway. He walked back in with a roll of gauze. It dropped, and they both watched as it rolled beneath her bed. Luna looked up at Reggie, who looked back at her and smiled.

“Oops.” He galloped to the other side to find the roll already there. He used his magic to pick it up and roll it back together. She rested her head against the pillow and rolled her eyes.

“This is going to hurt.” She said it as a statement, already expecting the worst.

“Darling,” He unraveled the gauze. “This is going to be the most painful physical experience in your life.” She shut her eyes as Reggie leaned close to the bandage on her side. His magic was holding the opened roll above her. His teeth were ready to pull the bandage off, but he stood back and said real quick, “By the way, I’ll need to replace this fast, so it’s best you don’t move.”

“Please, just get it over with.” Luna ducked her head into the pillow and bit down. She could feel Reggie’s chin against her flank. Sandpaper vibrated quickly off her cutie mark. “Oh our stars!”  she cried, her voice muffled by the pillow. Warm crimson began to pour from the wound.

“Alright, give me one second.” Reggie hopped over the bed as Luna turned her head to look at him, furious.

“What!? One second!? Thou must be kidding!”  She quickly glanced at her wound before ducking her head back into the pillow. There was a tear in her skin, and the coat around it had been shaved off. The muscle could be viewed pulsing as the pain coursed through it, but blood made it difficult to see as it dripped out each strand. She shook her head in the pillow as whines and moans pushed their way out of her throat. Her wings pressed outward against their wrapping.

Reggie came back in with antibiotics at the ready. Diving over Luna, he turned around and opened a patch up. Cold liquid poured through her, causing her to jolt and scream. Soft powder covered the wound up before Reggie quickly stretched out the bandage across her. He used his magic to lift her and wrap the bandage tight. A heavy breath was squeezed out of her before the intense pain was relieved. Luna kept her head pressed into the pillow. It was soaked by now, and tasted of salt.

“I’m sorry, my love. I knew the wound was bad but I thought it would have healed more in three days. I should have had those medicines with me.” 

Reggie walked over to where Luna could see him and sat down. He laid his head on the bed and looked at her. Luna pulled her head off the pillow, but her mane still covered her wet face. Reggie’s chin had spots of red along it. She wanted to tell him off, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. ‘He probably knows all the words We would have used anyways. He can read Our mind.’

“I know what you want to say to me, and I can assure you I know every word you yelled at me in your head while I fixed you up.” Luna shut her eyes out of embarrassment. “But I won’t hold it against you. Anypony would use words like that if they shared the pain you just felt. At least I would.” Reggie smiled, and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Just because you're royalty...” He bopped her snout with his hoof. “Doesn’t mean you have to act it all the time.”

Reggie stood up and left the room. She wanted him to stay by his side as she rested, but was too tired to call for him. He stepped back in, now with a bag of pills hanging from his mouth. Luna shut her eyes and smiled, glad that he hadn’t just left her.

“Here,” he said through his teeth, swinging the bag. “Take one of these.” He set the bag down on the bedside table. “By the time you're awake, you should be able to at least walk.” His horned glowed as a pill floated out from the bag to Luna. She opened her mouth and swallowed it.

Reggie left the room again. ‘Guess he chose not to stay with me after all.’ Luna shut her eyes and let the pill take effect. Once in her system, her muscles slowly began to relax, starting with her legs, then her wings. Like a slow wave, her muscles from her flank began to relax up to her chest. She opened her eyes slowly, and felt disoriented. Her vision was blurred and pulsating. Her eyes shut and all she could do was listen.

Something crashed in the hallway far off, and Luna heard a loud yipe. Reggie must have bumped into something. She wanted to smile, but couldn’t. Those muscles had been shut down. She kept hearing clanging and clattering until whatever was making the noise approached the door. There were hoofsteps, and then a bang as something landed beside her bed. A quiet ‘sorry’ could be heard.

She knew it was Reggie, but had no idea what he was doing. She heard cloth, and springs being pushed in. Springs were jostling, as if someone were sliding across them. Luna felt a blanket being laid across her body. The blanket was then tucked, and it became completely silent. Luna was just about to fall asleep before she heard faint breathing.

‘He stayed.’

Day 10/365,250
..

Day 11/365,250
.

Day 12/365,250

Long, heavy breaths could be heard in front of Luna. She didn’t feel like opening her eyes. 

How long had she been out? Long enough to heal her body, maybe? She slowly began moving each of her limbs. Her front legs were fine; she could move them freely without any pain. She pulled her right leg out of the sash, and reached back to touch her wound. It was scabbing over, but she could still feel as it moved across the muscle. She felt chills spread from the wound across her body, it was tender. She tried moving her back legs. The splints made it hard to stretch her legs very far. They were stiff, and she heard the joints as they popped.

Luna rested her legs. She didn’t want to wake Reggie. She reached for her blanket, which had fallen off the bed, and laid it across herself. She preferred many blankets covering her. The feeling of being pressed down into her mattress was comforting.

Her left side hurt, so she attempted to lie on her back. At first it pained Luna to resituate her body. Her front legs were fine as they held the blanket up to her chin, but she couldn’t let her right leg rest open without it pressing the wound into the mattress. It pained her as she felt the gauze move across what may hadn’t entirely scabbed over. She did get comfortable, though, and tried her hardest not to move her right leg, even when it did itch.

Reggie was still fast asleep. She enjoyed the sound of him breathing: soft and spacious. She looked over at him. Her blood was still underneath his chin. He must have slept next to her since he had renewed the bandage, however long ago that was. Luna raised the blanket quick to see if she had dried blood on her, and there was a lot in her tail. She planned to shower as soon as she got out of bed. She didn’t wish to wake Reggie, though, so she rested her head against the pillow.

Luna didn’t know how to feel about Reggie; Thankful for fixing her up, or angry for letting her fall. ‘Why didn’t Reggie stop Us?’ Alone in her head, she realized there was a much bigger question to tackle. ‘What are We doing on the Moon!?’

“Golly gee, Luna.” Reggie spoke up slowly in a deep, raspy voice. He coughed a bit, and ended it with a snort. His voice was back to normal. “Do you have to think so loudly?” He stretched his legs as far as he could, and opened his eyes to look at Luna. “Well, I see you are all cozy.”

“Except for these splints.” She wiggled her back legs, sending a wave through the blanket.

“Give me a second, I’ll take those off.” Reggie pushed off the blanket and rolled out of bed onto Luna’s. He may have been above the covers, but she still felt rather awkward about it. “I’ll only be in your bed for a little bit, love.”

Reginald pulled the sheet off Luna, and revealed her open, splint-held legs. The meter went way past awkward as his hooves played around her legs. She knew he was just unhinging the splints, but each little touch of his hooves to her legs sent excitement through her veins. Luna knew she couldn’t hide her thoughts, but she couldn’t help but find it great.

“I tend to give mares that sensation; you’re not the only one.” Reggie grinned a grin beyond grins. Luna shut her eyes and let out a heavy breath. No privacy, ever. Her left back leg splint popped right off, and she stretched it out. It felt good to use it, and now all she needed was her right back leg free. Reggie stepped right over her and faced her right side. “How does your flank feel, by the way?”

“Well, mushy and gross.” Luna turned her head to look at the wound and tapped it. It didn’t hurt so much, though it felt rather weird.

“Well that’s better than ‘ouch’.” Reggie began to dismantle the last splint, and the chills began to run through Luna again. She couldn’t help but love them. It was subtle and on accident, but came across as a tease.“Maybe I should stop touching you. You know, in case you do something I will regret.” Reggie quickly finished the job and set the splint down.

There was a period of silence where the two of them organized their thoughts. Luna didn’t mean to enjoy his touches so much, Reggie was just magical. She felt bad for thinking what she did. She knew to regulate her mouth, but not her thoughts.

“You won’t be able to do that either, trust me.” Reggie hopped over Luna’s bed into his. He flipped his pillow over to the cold side, pulled the covers up, and turned to look at Luna. “I was thinking of doing some work today, and then I remembered something. I love resting.” He rubbed his head against the pillow. Some of the dried blood stains brushed off his coat.

“Thou should shower before resting” Luna lifted the blanket and laid it over herself.

“I suppose you’re right. You should too, just not while I am, ok?” 

Luna closed her eyes and let out a breath as she said, “Yeah.” She began to like the strap around her wings while in bed. It kept them from opening up and bending uncomfortably. 

“So how long have We been bedridden?”

“Since your fall. It’s been seven days. You managed to hit all the bad stuff in the bad places. You’re lucky I could fix you up.”

“Thou let Us fall.” There was no gap between Reggie’s words and hers. Silence fell upon them like an extra blanket once more. It was bound to be brought up, and Luna wasn't going to wait for Reggie.

“I didn’t let you fall. I let you make your own decision.”

“Which was to fall, therefore, thou let Us fall.” 

“Luna, honey…”

“No, don’t give Us that, Reggie!” Luna turned to look at him, wide eyed. “Thou let Us fall and that’s that! Even after We fell, thou couldst have swooped down and stopped Us!” Reggie stared back at her. His face showed how sorry he was. 

“If I stopped you, Luna, you would still be in disbelief and try to ‘wake up’ from a dream you aren’t having. You might have done something worse than falling as far as you did.”

“Worse!? Hast thou seen Our flank!? It’s half gone!”

“This is my home, love, remember? I know everything about it. I knew that fall wasn’t going to kill you. Granted, I didn’t expect you to hit all the worst things possible.” Another long silence swooped by as they thought.

“I had to allow you to realize that what you are experiencing is real.” She laid her head sideways against the pillow, closing her eyes. “You’re on The Moon, Luna.”

“We’re on the Moon.” Luna said it slowly as she let it sink in.

“My Moon.” They both laid there, looking at each other. It was news Luna wasn’t sure was good or bad. She turned her head upright and stared at the ceiling.

“How are We to bathe? Won’t Our bandage soak up or something?” She wanted to change the subject, and that’s exactly what she did.

“I’m not sure ‘we’ is safe, Luna. But you could go first. I have some work to catch up on. Couldn’t you use magic to keep your wrapping from getting wet?”

“We suppose. What work dost thou have?”

“Take your shower first. We still have a lot of time to talk, you and me.” Reggie pushed the blanket up and trotted out to the hallway. “See you soon, love.”

“Likewise.”

…

…

…

Luna stepped out of the bathroom, refreshed and ready for what the day had in store for her.

Or so she believed. She thought of all the questions she was ready to ask Reggie once he showed up. He probably already knew them, since he could read minds.

The Princess dried her coat and stretched out her wings. She shook her mane; droplets of water were sprayed around. The bathroom was connected to her room. She walked over to her mess of a bed and began to clean it up. Finding some extra pillows in the cupboard, she arranged them at the head of the bed. Reggie had just stepped in the room, still with dried crimson beneath his chin.

“Ist thou going to bathe?” Luna stepped onto the bed and rested against the pillows. There wasn’t much to do but talk and rest.

“Of course I am. Right now, actually.” Reggie picked up a towel on his walk into Luna’s bathroom.“You don’t by chance have any conditioner, do you?”

“Go ahead.” She laid on her back with her legs relaxed. He was in the other room, so she didn’t feel bad being so immodest.

“So I hear you’re going to barrage me with more questions. Am I right?” The faucet could be heard spitting up water.

“Dost thou already know them?”

“Of course I do, but I’d still rather you asked them.” Luna grabbed a pillow from behind her and hugged it with all four legs. She plopped onto her side, trying to remember the first question she had. It was the most important one, and she couldn’t remember. The faucet stopped running.

She chose to ask about the work he did while he took her bath. “I’ll show you my work soon enough. Hit me with another question, I’m all ears.”

Luna was disappointed; she didn’t like waiting. She went ahead onto her next question. “We’re perplexed as to how this is thine house if it looks exactly like Ours.”

“It may seem weird to you.” A squirting sound from a bottle left the bathroom. “But it is. After my bath, you will know why.” Luna pressed her head against the pillow and pressed her hooves into it as well. Was he going to put all his questions off till later?

“We know it’s quite possible to be thine house, excluding the fact that this is the Moon and all, but it looks exactly as Ours. Why is that?” She stared at the tiled floor, blue and white. “If this is the Moon, how come it looks just like Equestria?”

“Like I said before, it’s like a hotel, just different.”

“All of the land outside is included in thine house then?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Do We own anything?”

“Not for another one thousand years, you don’t.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means you won’t own anything for one thousand years, exactly as I said.”

“No, what do you mean 'one thousand years?'” Luna squeezed the pillow tightly and remembered her first and more pressing question. “And now that We remember, why in the world are We on the Moon?”

“I thought that would be your first question, dear”

“Just answer, please.” Luna sat squeezing her nice, soft pillow. Reggie wasn’t answering. He probably was finishing up and going to answer once he was out. She laid there waiting.

Water droplets were hitting the floor as Reggie stepped out of the tub. Luna watched him walk into her room, towel brushing against him. His coat shined. That conditioner worked wonders.

“If I tell you, Luna, will you go jumping off a cliff again?” Reggie shot her a serious look. He laid the towel down on a rack and walked to Luna’s bedside. She shook her head. “Alright love. I trust you.”

He motioned for Luna to scoot over on the bed. She moved as far back as she could, her tail off the edge as she rested on her right side. Reggie laid next to her. He grabbed a pillow as well and hugged it tightly. She gave hers a quick squeeze again.

“Luna, my sweet, you’ve been banished here.” Luna felt something in her chest press outward. A boulder lodged itself in her stomach and seemed to roll every which way. Shutting her eyes, she crushed the pillow between her legs and whipped her tail against the bedside.

The stone lodged itself in Luna’s throat and she found she misplaced her voice. She resorted to thoughts. ‘Banished? Like punishment?’ She filled much anger and disgust into her thoughts.

“I’m afraid so.” Reggie had a warm voice exit his mouth and brush against her ears. Some of the anger left.

‘Because We wanted to make it nighttime forever.’

“Correct.” She didn’t feel as disgusted now.

‘Celestia had no other choice, did she?’

“She wasn’t the one out of you two who had choices to make.” Luna’s anger kept escaping as she listened to Reggie’s voice. The stone staid still inside her.

‘Well how long are We here for, then.’

“Remember how I said one thousand years?” Luna felt the stone crush inside her, bringing her body with it. She couldn’t move, or think, or anything. The Moon would be her home for one thousand years. She shut her eyes as cold, wet stones pressed out her eyes. The pillow had marks where her hooves began digging in. Her body shivered as she began to grab at her thoughts.

“At least you love The Moon. It gives you warmth when it brings a cold blanket for others. It shines in your life where the sun cannot. So why are you crying, my love? why do you feel broken when the one thing you love has been brought closer to you?”

Luna had not an answer. Her heart said she loved the Moon, but her mind said she was far away from what she loved.

“The heart and mind don’t make much sense, do they sweetie? It’s weird how we set our heart on something, almost like we take a specific part of our heart and set it aside for it. Then once we get that thing, it doesn’t even fill that piece to the brim. The mind sees the heart empty, so it fills it with wonders about how great that thing we wanted is, almost giving it a godlike position.

“But isn’t that only a lie we tell ourselves? We make ourselves want something more then it's worth. We find ourselves filling our hearts with lies to keep us from realizing the truth, the truth that the things we love are different from the things that keep us living.”

The stone pressed out Luna’s voice. “And what are We living for now that We have nothing?” Sobs pressed out with the stone between words.

“Nothing.”

Luna felt stones press into her bones as she heard that word. She wasn’t living for anything. She lived for the Moon, and now she had it. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be it seems.

“At the moment, of course. At some point, Luna, you will find something else to live for, and maybe it will be the thing that fills your heart to the brim. But who knows.” Luna looked up at Reggie, who was resting in front of her. He was itching his snout.

“Thou art so casual.” Just looking at him lightened the mood. Whatever needed to be said had been said. She heard it loud and clear.

“I’m so smart, that I have the right be casual.” He smiled one of those wide smiles. He hopped to his hooves stretched his legs. “Now I told you that I would tell you why my house is virtually like yours, and show you my work too. Out of bed, sleepy head, we have an adventure to begin.”

“We have a thousand years to do things with thee. Can’t We rest a little longer?” She dug her head into the pillow. It was wet. She was tired of crying, and tired of finding out all these crazy things so quickly.

“You have rested for seven days. I think you need to do something active. Get up.” His horn began glowing dark brown as Luna’s pillow was placed back in its position.

“Alright.” She lifted herself up off the bed. Lying on her right side for so long caused her wound to feel sore. “Maybe We shouldn’t adventure too much. Our side still hurts something fierce.”

“Don’t worry, we don’t have far to go.” Luna was still getting out of the bed as Reggie left the room. For being wise, he sure had some rude tendencies. After a long bath, her muscles felt rejuvenated, but they still hadn’t been used for week, so they were still quite wobbly. She slowly walked towards the door, trying to stay upright. Her sore flank didn’t help. It kept sending shocks through her body as she moved her leg. “Hurry up, slowpoke! I have a lot to show you!”

“It’s hard to move when We haven’t walked in so long.” Luna headed on towards the door, but what she found outside it wasn’t the hallway from before. It seemed to be an elevated platform, and as she stepped out on it, she was amazed.

“This, my dear, is the rest of my home!” Outside Luna’s room was a room of massive proportions and awesome geometry. There were no stars in the sky, so there had to be a ceiling, but the light from the torches around her doorframe didn’t even shine so high. She was standing on a balcony looking outward. There were doors everywhere of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some were opened, revealing rooms of comfort and warmth. Some had forests, others with lavish gardens with incomparable beauty. It made no sense, considering behind the doors was nothing but more walkways and more doors.

Walls were placed at random amongst the doors. Each wall was as unique as the doors. They had designs and pictures beyond that of even the greatest artists. The colors and the shapes seemed to move off the painting and fly around the room. They showed pictures of joy and satisfaction, but the backgrounds always showed a tone of sorrow.
There were lanterns set along the ground shining up towards the doors and walls. The ground seemed to be of a grey substance, reflecting the light from the lanterns in all directions.

“Oh Our stars.” Luna was speechless. The room seemed to extend infinitely in every direction. Even behind her door. “Reggie, this place is...”

“Huge! Yes, I know!” Reggie flew up from below. He looked out behind him real quick then back at her. “Now, it may seem like there is a lot to see, and there is, but there really isn’t.”

“If thou only made sense.” Luna smiled at him and stepped over to the edge of the balcony and looked down. “Why so high?”

“Because you’re my most precious guest.” Reggie dove down to the floor.

“Wait, thou meanest to say there are others?” Luna stepped off the ledge and fell. Just before she hit the floor, she spread out her wings to catch herself. Her wound shot through her whole body, and as she landed on the ground, she kneeled. Reggie ran over to her and helped her back up.

“Maybe next time we should use the stairs?”

“We’re not sure that would help either.” Luna shook her head. The pain was sharp at first and then seemed to linger. “So, Reggie, are there others besides Us that have been banished here?”

“Yes, and each sentence is fitting to that person.” Reggie started forward.

“So the Moon is a prison then?” Luna followed after him.

“To some it is, to others its not.”

“How dost thou mean?” 

“Some of the guests here have been found for petty theft and even murder. Now like I said, each sentence is fitting to the guest. Some are here for only two to three years, while others are from forty to fifty years.”

“Or one thousand.”

“Well you’re an Alicorn. You are immune to dying of old age and disease, so one thousand years in your lifetime makes sense.” Reggie twisted and turned throughout each doorway and wall. Luna tried to keep up.

“So anyways, each guest experiences it differently here. This is where the Moon has the most control and I just watch. The Moon is not just a rock floating up in space. It’s a living, intelligent being. It knows everything that happens on it.

“Like I said before, my cutie mark requires I watch over the Moon and make sure everything’s running smoothly, which is why I can understand your thoughts and all you do. The Moon lends me some of her power.

“It’s not that the Moon cannot handle it on her own. Really, it can. My cutie mark just allows me this power. The Moon has a connection to you as well, Luna. Maybe she will show you something.” She wasn’t sure what to say to that.
“It will make more sense once it happens, sweetie.” 

Reggie led her to a door which was wide open. Inside was the garden she had partially seen from before. The trees reached high above the clouds. The sky was purple with the sun shining far behind it. Though Luna didn’t like the sun, she did find it beautiful.

Bushes were cut into shapes of all kinds, some even as ponies. Between them was a long pathway made of cement, headed deep into the trees. As far as she could see, there were pictures and words etched into the cement. The drawings closest to her seemed to be older, and the further out they were, the older they became. Grass beside the pathway blew in the wind.

“How in the world does the Moon do this!?” Luna had no idea how any of this could be possible. It looked, felt, and smelled real, but impossible.

“It’s what the Moon does, she creates. She takes what each person has inside them and creates a room that suits them in every way possible. Whether they are pure or tainted, the Moon creates a room specifically for them. For the next few years they occupy that room and the Moon gives them what they need to change for the better. If they become worse, it’s only the occupant's fault.”

“So who occupies this room?” Luna stepped into the grass. They grabbed at her legs; it was soft to the touch. The sunlight didn’t bother her so much with a purple sky.

“I’m not sure, it’s been so long. It’s not that his sentence is over and he left already. I know that because his world is still here. He must be lost out there. I do hope he comes back and says hi.”

“Maybe his name will be written in the stone.” Luna lowered her head to look down at the cement. The etchings seemed to make no sense. Some of the words were written in a language she had never seen before. The words she could read seemed to be random, like forgotten, misshapen, and forever.

“I’ve checked the words many times over. I just can’t remember. Funny though, the day I forgot who the guest was, the word ‘Forgotten’ appeared on the pavement. Peculiar, isn’t it?” Reggie slid his hoof underneath the word, and tapped it once. “What’s also very weird is the Moon knows where he is, but has chosen not to tell me. I’m not sure why, but I know she has the right intentions. I keep the door open in case our guest shows up.”

“Can a guest leave their room upon their own accord?”

“Only if my side of the door is open. If the door is shut on my side, then the door on the other side is just like any old door.” Reggie stepped out the garden world and shut the door. It seemed as normal as any door being closed. When she opened it, she was shown a foyer with a chandelier hanging from above. The main house colors were red and brown, giving it the warmest feel a home could have. There were couches against the walls beneath balconies that had staircases branch outward to the center of the room.

The front doors shut on their own, keeping her outside, and then quickly reopened to reveal Reggie. “See what I mean?”

“Now We do.” 

Luna exited the world and they continued on past the many doors. “We were just wondering, if this world is a representation of the guest's own being, then why has he been sentenced here so long? Wouldn’t he have had to do something horrid to have such a long sentence as to have thee forget his name?”

“The guest changes, so the world does too. He was one of the lucky few who changed for the better.”

“And those who change for the worse, what do their worlds look like?” Reggie stopped and turned to look at Luna.

“Luna, I’m not going to tell you, and I’m asking with all of my heart that you never enter one of those rooms.” Luna took that to mind. “In fact, do not enter any rooms unless I’m with you. Please, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes Reggie, don’t worry.” Reggie gave her a smile and turned around.

They walked past some of the painted walls. The colors reached out towards Luna’s coat. Stories could be read off the wall as if a page from a book had been taped to it. There was an earth pony adventuring across a world that seemed so much more advanced than Equestria was currently. Tall buildings made of steel stood high into the sky with lights and signs shining off the wet ground. It was pouring in the picture, with what seemed to be umbrellas hovering over each pony. There weren’t even handles to them, or head placements, they just seemed to float there. Carts could be seen flying through the sky, reflecting images off their exteriors.

The pony's back was to the viewer, but her cream coat shined in the rain, as well as her orange mane and matching tail. She didn’t have an umbrella-type thing floating above her. Light shined off her coat and reflected off the many surfaces. She stood looking up towards the sky. There was nothing up there, except for the clouds pressing rain upon the city.

“A gorgeous mural, if We do say so Ourselves. Didst thou make it?”

“That’s correct. When someone finishes their sentence, I ask The Moon to resurrect a stone tablet for me to paint on. It’s just for memories sake.”

“It’s gorgeous.” Luna reached forward and pressed her hoof against the wall. Water dripped along her hoof and down her leg. “Who was she?” 

“Ginger Snap. Nice name for a ginger pony, eh? She was very materialistic, and loved the rain, which is why the world seems so advanced, and the rain never stopped. I miss her, she’s back on Equestria now. She finished her sentence and has been doing well. She turned out to be one of the lucky ones too. She had an open mind and soft heart.”

“I’d love to explore that world, it looks so interesting. And meeting her would be quite interesting.”

“By the time you’re back on Equestria, my love, she will have died.” That threw Luna into a very uncomfortable mood. “And her world is gone forever. Each world is as unique as the guest, so no repeats.”

“We guess that makes sense. Ist thou going to do one for Us when we leave?”

“After a thousand years. Until then, you and I have to create some memories for me to paint about. How’s your flank doing?”

“Stings. Do you think we could go back?” 

“Of course, my dear. Allow me.” Reggie’s horn began glowing as a brown and dark red aura appeared around Luna and him. In an instant, they were in Luna’s room. Teleporting always made Luna slightly woozy. She walked over to her bedside table and rested against it.

“We might just read a book for the rest of the day.” Luna walked over to the bookshelf and scanned what there was to read. It was all the same books she had back at home in Equestria. There was a question she had forgotten to ask that had just popped into her head.

“Yes Luna, this entire world you are in, this Equestria, is only a projection of who you really are. That sun with Earth in front of it is also part of it. That technically isn’t your old home.” Reggie had answered her question before she asked it.

Luna paused her search for a novel. “So it’s fake?”

“Is this room fake?” She looked around the room.

“Well, no, We guess its not.”

“It’s all as real as you want it to be, love. Now I’ll leave you and your books alone. I have other guests to attend to, my sweet.” Reggie disappeared without a trace. Luna turned back to the bookcase and wondered what book she should read again. 

None of them were new, so she decided to travel around to a library and collect all the books. She was going to be here for one thousand years, and one way to pass that time quickly was to escape into books.

She walked over to her now-closed door, and when she opened it, only a hallway was there. It was slightly disappointing. There could have been an entire world dedicated to books, but now she had to wait for Reggie to come back, which could take ages.

Luna’s mouth felt dry, so she walked into her bathroom to grab a cup of water. She looked into her mirror with cup in hoof. After it was filled, she looked into her own eyes and stood there for a while. Holding the cup up to herself, she said a little something and took her sip.

“Here’s to forever.”