//------------------------------//
// Some Nights 
// Story: Duality 
// by RaijingtheClockworkPony 
//------------------------------//

	"Sam? Sam, are you okay?"

He could hear the voices but couldn't make sense of them. A much lighter voice grabbed his attention as he tried to put a face to the voice. 

"Sam! Sam, please wake up!"

Sam opened his eyes to see a very concerned Apple Bloom and Applejack standing by his bed, or rather Applejack was by the bed and Apple Bloom was standing on it next to Sam. 

"Apple Bloom... what's the matter?"

Applejack was the one to answer him. "We heard you moanin' and cryin'. We came in and you just sorta sat there doing that for a couple of minutes then you just stopped. Did you have a nightmare or somethin'?"

Sam sat up and rubbed his eyes only to find that his face was wet with tears and plenty of them. He wiped his eyes and looked at Apple Bloom.

"Can you give me a few moments to talk to Applejack?"

Much to Sam’s surprise she didn't argue with him or ask why. All she did was give him a gentle hug and hopped off the bed. When the door closed Sam looked over to Applejack. He swung his legs over the bed and reach for his shirt. Applejack beat him to it and grabbed the shirt first.

"It wasn't a dream was it?"

He took the shirt from her. "No. Luna told you about what happens when I sleep right?"

She gave a quick nod. "Yup. Ah don't really understand how it possible but then again with all the stuff that happens to me and mah friends Ah shouldn't be surprised that something like this can happen."

He finished putting his shirt one and placed his face in his hands. As he sat there for what felt like the longest time to both of them he finally spoke in a strangled voice.

"My father died... and now my mother has to deal with the pain all alone. I should be there for her but instead I'm here. Even if I was back home I would still be half a damn continent away."

He devolved in to pained sobs. Applejack moved closer to him and wrapped her front legs around his neck in the most comforting hug he had ever felt. 

"Ah know how you feel. Losing the ones we love is never easy."

They sat there for a few moments until Sam could regain composure. He broke the embrace and gave Applejack a weak smile. 

"Thank you... I think we should get ready for the day now."

Sam finished getting dressed while Applejack opened the door. Apple Bloom rushed into the room past Applejack and stood close to Sam. Sam gave her a smile and gave Applejack a quick glance. As she was walking out of the room Sam caught sight of Big Macintosh and Granny Smith, both of whom were looking at Applejack. Applejack muttered something to them and motioned for Sam and Apple Bloom to come out to the hall.

"Ah reckon you two should go eat breakfast so you won't be late to school."

Apple Bloom grabbed Sam’s hand and pulled him along. "Come on I don't wanna be late! Cheerliee is waiting for us!"

Sam walked with her but when he reached the stairs he glanced over to see Applejack talking quietly to Big Macintosh and Granny Smith. Sam reached the bottom of the stairs and joined Apple Bloom in the kitchen. Apple Bloom was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal when Sam sat down. She gave him a quick glance then went back to her food. Sam just sat there looking out of the window as the morning bird chirped. He felt a small hoof nudge him in the side after a few moments. He looked over to see Apple Bloom giving him a concerned look that was identical to her sisters.

"You should eat somethin'. It'll make ya feel better."

Sam would have told her that he wasn't hungry but those puppy dog eyes of hers stopped him in his tracks. He let out a defeated sigh and poured himself some cereal. Apple Bloom gave him a quick smile then went back to her own bowl. Sam took a bite and was amazed by how hungry he really was. He ate the rest of the bowl with the same enthusiasm that Pinkie Pie has for eating cupcakes. He barely finished his bowl when Applejack and Big Mac walked into the kitchen. Applejack was carrying Apple Bloom's saddlebag. 

"Now hurry up you two. You don't want Sam to be late for his first day of school here in Ponyville."

Apple Bloom leaped up from her spot and rushed over to grab he bag and then grabbed Sam's hand once more. "Come on Sam! We gotta get there NOW!"

Sam couldn't help but smile when her voice made the same whine it had when she had tried to get Twilight make her cutie mark appear before its time. He rose from his chair but a hoof on his shoulder kept him in the chair. 

"I need to talk to him. He'll catch up in a moment."

Sam didn't know what worried him more. The serious tone the voice carried or who the voice belonged to. He looked behind him to see Big Mac smiling gently to Apple Bloom. She gave them both a small pout but left the room without arguing. Big Mac then looked at Sam with understanding in his features.

"You gonna be alright?"

Sam sighed. "I don't really know. I've dealt with deaths in the family before but this is..."

Big Mac finished for him. "Closer to home. Ah understand. If you need anypony to talk to just ask. We'd be more than willin' to talk."

The clear concern in Big Macs voice was a stark contrast to the threatening tone he had used on him less than a week ago. He gave Big Mac a thankful smile. He glanced over to see Applejack smiling warmly at the pair of them. Sam left the room feeling much better than he had before. He knew that he had friends both in Equestria and Earth that would be there to help him through this. That simple thought gave him strength to face the day ahead of himself.

Sam reached the road to Ponyville and found Apple Bloom standing there waiting for him. She stood near the fence on the side of the road with a frown that Sam thought looked out of place. He gave her a smile but her frown stayed.

"You ready for school Apple Bloom?"

She didn't say anything as she started walking along the road. Sam was shocked that she was so silent; this couldn't be the happy little filly he had become friends with.

"Apple Bloom?"

She stopped and gave him a searching look. The sadness in her eyes nearly broke Sam's heart.

"Who did you lose?"

Sam couldn't believe how 'grown up' Apple Bloom sounded. Her voice was heavy with concern but also the concern of one that has also suffered loss. He paused for a moment and looked up to the sky. Clear and perfect, the opposite of how he felt.

"I lost my father. I knew he was having health issues but this... I just never thought it would happen so soon." 

The both moved to the side of the road and sat in the grass. They turned their collective gazes to the morning sky, and Sam realized something that had been nagging at him since Applejack had hugged him back at the house.

"Apple Bloom?"

"Yeah Sam?"

"How did you lose your parents?"

She sighed and gazed off to the trees back at the orchard. "Ah never really got to meet my parents. My ma died in childbirth. Ah found out about that when I was three. Ah kept asking Applejack and Big Mac to tell me where momma was but they never would. So one day Ah stormed up to Granny Smith and asked her."

She looked down at her hooves. "She told me there was a 'complication'. My ma didn't make it."

Sam watched as she started to break down into a silent fit of crying. He scooted closer to her and brought her into a hug he hoped was comforting. She laid her head onto his chest. She took several deep breaths to calm herself before she spoke again.

"We lost pa' a year later. He went off to help find a new orchard site. He was out near where Appleloosa is now. All Granny would tell us is that there was an accident and pa..."

She started to cry once more. Sam hugged her close telling her that it was okay. He pulled out his watch and checked the time. He looked at the watch without really reading it. It didn't matter if they were late or not. He could let Apple Bloom cry like this. She hugged him more tightly as a fresh wave of tears left her eyes. Sam could only return the hug and hope that he could think of something to make her feel better. 

"If you want we can just ditch school today."

She looked up at him shocked but still with tears in her eyes. "Why would we ditch school?"

"Well I think that since you're crying and I've been crying that maybe we should just skip school and just do something fun."

She started wiping the tears from her eyes. "But what about Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle? We can't have fun without them. They're our friends and we can't leave them behind."

She rose from their small spot in the grass and took a brave stance. "Ah'm okay. Ah can go to school."

She turned to look at Sam who was both concerned but amused by the sudden change in Apple Bloom’s demeanor. She wiped her eyes a final time and grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him to the road.

"Let's go Sam. You can cry later."

Sam joined her in walking along the road. Sam watched as her mood improved with every step they took and soon she was practically jumping circles around him, driving him nuts, and all around having a good time. They reached the schoolhouse and were greeted by Cheerilee. 

"Hello there Apple Bloom and hello Sam! It’s so nice that you were able to make it. Class will start in about twenty minutes but I was wondering if you'd be willing to talk for a few seconds?"

Apple Bloom gave Sam a quick wave then joined the small, but quickly growing, group of ponies that were staring at Sam. Cheerilee lead Sam inside the schoolhouse then closed the door so that the younger ponies wouldn't follow them in.

"So Miss Cheerilee what did you want to talk about?"

She giggled at his formal address. "You can just call me Cheerilee. I was wondering what you had planned for the kids?"

Sam sat there for a second wondering what she meant until he realized that he wasn't just tagging along with Apple Bloom. He was more or less a show and tell.

"Uhh..."

She raised an eyebrow at him in a playfully mocking way. "You have no clue do you?"

Smiling sheepishly he nodded. "No clue, but I guess the best way to handle this is to let them ask questions. That way they can find out what they want to know."

She gave him a look that reminded him of that rage face they made out of a picture of President Obama. 'What was it called? Not bad... impressive?' and shrugged. 

"Well that's better than trying to wing it." She paused for a moment as if having an internal debate. "Is it true that you and Princess Luna are having dinner?"

Sam blinked a few times in surprise. "How did you hear about that?"

She laughed for a second. "You planned it out with Rarity. She has a knack for gossip, particularly the juicy stuff. Couldn't you tell?"

He let out a chuckle and nodded. "I guess I should have seen this coming. So when will class start?"

Cheerilee looked at the windows of the school house and watched as the group of fillies and colts ducked under the sill to avoid being seen. She smirked and shrugged.

"I supposed we could start class early."

Sam shrugged at Cheerilee to show he didn't mind. She then walked over to the door and let the young ponies in. They all filed in looking at Sam, who had taken a seat on top on Cheerilee's desk, and went to their seats. On the way to their desks Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle waved to him. He gave them a wave and a smile in return. He caught the jealous look that Diamond Tiara was wearing and he tried his best to hide a smirk. When the last of the colts and fillies got to their desks Cheerilee walked up to Sam and cleared her throat. Sam looked over at her and noticed the slight frown on her face. It took him a moment but he realized that was sitting on her desk. He got up instantly and apologized. 

The younger ponies in the room found his embarrassment amusing. Sam couldn't help but chuckle as well. 

******************************

To say that Sam was exhausted when the school let out was an understatement. He knew that there would have been plenty of questions and maybe a few of them being an example of what a human could physically do but he wasn't expecting nearly as much. From the endless questions of how old he was to the constant asking for piggyback rides, he would have to get revenge on Scootaloo for that. Recess was even worse with all of them wanting him to show off and race them all no less than a hundred times. 

Sam did however get a nice time to relax after the school day had ended. Sweetie Belle had offered that Sam could join her and the other two at the Boutique. Sam was eager to accept seeing that he had some time to get ready before the dinner with Luna. They arrived at the Boutique and the three girls ran upstairs to talk and most likely plan their next crusade. Sam walked around the main room looking at the outfits when Rarity entered the room. She watched him for a moment as he looked at a red dress designed for a pegasus. 

"What do you think; did I go to heavy on the Rubies?"

Sam looked up from the dress. "Well I think it looks amazing but I certain that it’s perfect. I was also thinking that I should get this suit cleaned before dinner tonight. Wanna make a good impression after all."

Rarity looked at his suit and frowned at him. The more she looked however the more the frown became a look of terror.

"WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU DO TO MY SUIT!?"

Sam could only smile sheepishly as Rarity fussed over him and over dramatically complaining about how he had dirtied the suit. Sam found himself once more sitting on a stool in nothing but his boxers as Rarity worked her magic, both literally and figuratively. They exchange small talk and Sam told her about his day at the school.

"So then one of them asks if I could carry all of them at once. Well when she said that they all rushed me and started jumping all over me. Five minutes later Cheerilee pulled me out of the giggling pile of fillies and colts."

Rarity looked up from the table she was working at. "They didn't hurt you did they? I know that they wouldn't mean to but if they are anything like Sweetie Belle and her friends... well you know how they are."

Sam nodded. "Yeah I know. They didn't hurt me, but I think they tried to tickle me to death."

Silence fell between them as Rarity started using her magic to clean the suit carefully. Sam could do nothing but twiddle his thumbs as he tried to think of something to talk about. Rarity broke the silence with the last thing he was expecting.

"I talked to Applejack today."

Sam looked at her so face his neck popped. "You did?"

She focused her magic on the jacket of the suit. "Yes, I did."

"Well?"

She turned her gaze to the pants. "Well I talked to her about how I feel about her. We talked for a while as she worked."

Sam leaned forward on the stool. He never really cared about shipping when he was younger but this was different. He was actually there watching a relationship form. 

"And?"

She finished her work on the suit and turned to face Sam. She was smiling so wide Sam was worrying that her face would get stuck that way. 

"We have agreed to a date and shall see where this relationship takes us."

She rushed forward and hugged Sam. What reached Sam's ears next, aside from what he was certain was his ribs cracking, was the single girlish, no Rarity-ish squeal ever. 

"I HAVE A DATE!!! I have never been so excited in my life, but I'm so nervous as well. Is this how you feel about tonight?"

Sam tried his best to breath. "Kinda. Could you loosen the grip a bit? I'm rather fond of my lungs."

She let go then went over to the suit. "Look at me. Hugging a nearly unclothed client when he needs to get ready for a date with a princess. On my honor as a lady I won't rest until you look absolutely perfect for this date!"

Sam, thankful for the ability to breath once more, rubbed the back of his head. "You can feel free to talk about it; I kinda want to hear what you have planned.


******************************

As Sam waited for Luna at the restaurant, L'amende Cheval, He wondered if the last few hours were a form of torture or some of the funniest moments of Rarity only he would ever get to experience, outside of her family and soon to be Applejack. When Rarity started on her idea for a date for herself and Applejack Sam was expecting her to talk time thinking about it but she talked a mile a minute that would put even the chattiest teenage girl to shame. She would only stop to give Sam some advice on how to act and would adjust his tie for the thousandth time in an hour. 

Sam was brought out of remembering the madness that is Rarity in love by a soft voice behind him. 

"Hello Sam. I hope I'm not late."

Sam turned to see Luna standing behind him and he was surprised by how, for lack of a better word in his mind, pretty she looked. She was wearing a deep blue dress that was the same shade as her coat. She lacks the royal regalia that she normally wore and instead opted for shoes that looked remarkably close to what Rainbow Dash wore for the Grand Galloping Gala only in a bright silver and a silver pendent that was in the shape of the crescent moon.

It took Sam a moment to recover. "Uh... no you’re right on time. You look nice. Shall we go in?"

Luna blushed at his compliment. "Thank you. It was Celestia's idea. Otherwise I would have just shown up in my normal attire."

Sam grinned at her. "I would say the same but I think Rarity would've had a heart attack if I did."

They both entered the restaurant and were guided to their table by a rather shocked waiter. After all it's not every day you get a table for both a Princess alicorn and a human. Much to the credit of the young waiter he put them in a private room. Sam pulled out Luna's seat for her then seated himself opposite of her. 'Okay, so far so good.' 

"So tell me Sam, why did you ask me to this dinner? I know in your letter you were rather... blunt but I hope that there is more of a reason then just to say thank you. You did that more than enough at the pond."

"Well... I just thought that this was a better way to say it. So is there anything on this menu you think I might like?"

The conversation was dominated by Sam regaling her with his exploits of the last few days and of what had happened around Ponyville. Then the food arrived and they spoke between bites of food. Sam had a salad that was the single greatest salad of his life. 'Must be something they do to the lettuce.' The conversation then turned from Sam's week to Luna's. 

"Then the dragon ambassador slips a snide comment about the griffons and we had to break up a fight. Dragon blood is corrosive enough but the smell it leaves behind just makes it all the worse."

From the annoyed look on her face Sam could tell that she wasn't exactly thrilled. "So I take it that it set you back quite a bit?"

Luna gave him a sarcastic smile. "Only just a bit. Well I'm finished with my meal, shall be depart?"

Sam nodded. "I guess we could." 

He rose from his seat and helped Luna from hers. She gave him a confused look. "Sam shouldn't you pay first?"

Sam shook his head. "Don't have to. Rarity was kind enough to pay for us. She worked something out with the manager, probably something like a free dress of his wife."

They reached the street and set off in the direction of the park. Luna and Sam walked side by side talking rapidly about one of the few things they both understood well: Law. They were so absorbed by the conversation that they reached the center of the park in what felt like only mere minutes. Same coincided the point Luna was making on weather laws and the accountability of pegasus workers. Both of them turned their gazes skywards. The stars were shining brightly and the moon was even brighter. Sam looked at Luna then back to the sky.

"Beautiful."

Luna shrugged. "Celestia does not do the sky justice like I do but it is passable."

"I wasn't talking about the sky."

Luna looked at him, her cheeks turning crimson, and smiled. "Thank you. You don't need to keep complimenting me like that though."

Sam returned the smile. "I know but I want to. Luna... There is another reason for asking you to dinner."

She playfully tapped him on the arm. "Like what?"

Sam looked back to the sky. "Well... I guess after we talked on that log I saw you in a different light. You weren't a princess to me, or a pony. You were just a beautiful person that I could talk to and share a moment with. Then you kissed me on the cheek..."

Sam looked back to her and saw that she had her hoof to her mouth. Sam was worried that for a moment she was upset with him but then she looked up at him with her cyan eyes. 

"You mean this was a... and Celestia made me dress up like this because..."

Sam couldn't read her expression for a second but then Luna's action answered his question. She leaped up and hugged him bone crushingly tight. 

"WE ACCEPT THINE OFFER OF COURTSHIP!"

For the second time in a day Sam was unable to breath. This rather unpleasant sensation was coupled with the sudden loss of hearing he was no dealing with. He knew that the Royal Canterlot Voice was loud but the show never really showed how loud it was. The closest thing he could compare it to was a 747 lifting off. 

"Luna... air!"

She released him and took a step back. "My apologies I didn't mean to over react like that. I meant to say that I accept you proposal of courtship... however I am worried about something."

She paused for a moment then looked Sam in the eyes. "I have never been in a relationship, let alone with a non-pony. What if I don't know how to do this?"

Sam smiled down at her. "Hey I'm in the same boat. I've never dated a princess, or a pony for that matter. The best way to go about this is just see if it works out. If not then at least we gave it a shot." 

They walked over to a bench and sat together watching the night sky. Luna laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer and a wave of contentment washed over Sam.