Waiting is always horrible. Whether it be for something important or just for the day to end, watching the clock hands move over and over provided nothing but boredom and low spirits.
But here, this time it was different. Luna had collapsed onto the throne floor and the three of us rushed over to her. Celestia immediately levitated her sister and carried her out of the room, with Twilight and I close behind. We reached a spiral staircase when guards prevented us from ascending further. Arguing with the guards seemed fruitless as we resigned to waiting for any sign of either Princess.
"Ohh...I wish they'd tell us what happened to the Princess!" Twilight exclaimed, pacing back and forth in front of the guards. "Please...please tell me that's she's alright."
The guards stood motionless and said nothing, not even meeting Twilight's teary gaze. She walked back over to me and sat down to my side, releasing a held sigh. I moved my hand to her shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"Just have patience Twilight. I'm sure Luna is fine. Besides, she's got her big sister looking after her." I said with a smile, trying to lift her spirits. Twilight cranked her head towards mine and wiped a few tears away with her hoof.
"I know, I know. I worry too much sometimes...I just get so protective over the ponies I love..." she croakily said.
"And I'm sure both Celestia and Luna both know that. Just...just give them some time. Luna will be fine - I promise."
Twilight didn't respond. Her smily expression gave me the answer I needed - I cheered her up...slightly. Silence filled the hallway as we both anxiously waited for either Celestia or Luna to descend.
*TICK TICK TICK TICK*
Time flowed slowly for us. Looking at the clock, I saw that we had been waiting for about an hour and a half. Looking to my side, I saw that Twilight had laid her head her front hooves and drifted off to sleep.
'Probably for the best. She needs to relax.'
I looked towards the guards. They were still in the same position that they were in about ninety minutes ago. Looking at the armour that they adourned reminded me of a trip to London a few years back. I visited Buckingham Palace to view the 'Changing of the Guards'. I remember asking myself how could someone stand immobile for hours on end. I admired the Princess' guards at that point, admiring the commitment they have towards the royal sisters.
The guards then moved - looking up towards to stairs and then parting, walking towards and standing near the hallway wall. The faint sound of hooves was heard descending the stairs and before long, Celestia appeared, nodding at the guards who parted for her. She made her way over to me.
"Ah, Owen and Twilight! I have--"
"SHHH!" I held my finger up to my mouth then nodded towards Twilight who was snoring away. Celestia noticed and motioned for me to follow her back into the throne room, which I did. The throne doors shut quietly behind us and Celestia stood near the chair that I was occuping earlier.
"Please sit. I have news for you." she said, with sadness in her voice.
I moved to the chair and sat down in it. Celestia sat on her rear and looked towards me.
"How is Luna? Is she OK?" I asked, worringly.
"Luna is well. She passed out earlier. She is awake now but I have advised her to stay in her bed for the time being."
"Brilliant. I'm happy she's alright." I noticed Celestia's sad expression. "Are you?"
"Owen, how long do humans live for?"
"Um...on average about seventy to eighty years. Why?"
Celestia sighed and looked down to the floor, dejectedly. This worried me...a lot.
"What's wrong? I've got many years to go yet!" I joked.
"It's not that. It's the reason on how you came to this world...and how we can send you back."
"Oh...I see. Well then, how are you going to send me back? Teleport? Portal? Another crash landing?" I joked again.
Celestia raised her head to meet my eye level. Her eyes were teary and ready to burst.
"I'm so sorry Owen...I...I-I can't."
"......you...you can't?"
Celestia shook her head as a definite no. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she held her head down again. The room was silent, save for the heavy breathing from myself and Celestia. I held my head in my hands and sighed heavily, thinkinf of the consequences of not going back home. But something more important needed to be known first.
"Why?" I asked.
Celestia raised her head again and stood up. She walked over to the balcony and sat down in the glow of the moonlight. I got up from my chair and followed suit, sitting next to her.
"Mine and Luna's magic is powerful. More powerful than any other pony we know. As you saw earlier, our magic gives us the power to lower and raise the sun and moon. We cannot move other stars, just the sun and moon. Having done this myself for a thousand years, I got used to doing two jobs at once. But since Luna's return, I've been slowly giving her back the control of the night duties. Starting with simple things such as the night court, standing guard on the towers and such forth. About a year ago, she raised the moon all by herself. I was so proud of her. Since then, we both equally shared the royal duties."
"Every one hundred years, the planets and stars align in such a way, it gives us the power to move the stars themselves. We send them soaring over the sky, causing streaks of light wherever they go. This night was eventually called 'The Night of the Shooting Stars'. The magic that is given to us is extremely complex. Even I do not know how to control it fully. When the night arrives, one of us would be sat right here to direct the stars over Equestria. But the magic is tricky and sometimes, things go wrong. Some years have caused stars to crash into mountains nearby and some have even crashed here. One year, back in the 14th Century, ponies started to wish on these shooting stars and we would be able to hear them. I started nodding and agreeing to some of them as a joke but they actually came true. Ponies became rich overnight, some became muscular and some became different genders!"
"A week ago, it was the hundredth year once again. The first shooting star night to be held since Luna's return. Noticing her progress with the royal duties, I gave her the night to control. At first she was unsure but she agreed to it in the end."
Celestia sighed and looked towards me.
"After a thousand years away, Luna had forgotten about how powerful this magic was. At first she was doing well...so well. But the night got late and she was growing dreary. She...she was using the magic whilst half asleep and was agreeing to any wish a pony wished for, just so the night would be over."
Celestia stomped her hoof. Her expression was one of anger.
"I knew I shouldn't have given her the rule of the night! I...I shouldn't have given her it so soon..." she solemnly said.
"I'm sorry Celestia but where do I fit in all of this?" I asked. Celestia sighed again.
"Luna started sending stars all over Equestria. With Luna being tired, the magic acted on it's own, sending stars back in all directions and at many different speeds. We've no idea where most of them ended up...apart from one..."
That's when it all made sense. The star I wished upon, like a child, was sent from Luna! She heard my wish!
"So...the star I wished upon...that was--"
"Correct. That was a star that Luna had sent. That's why she asked you what you wished for...it's also why she fainted. I spoke to her after she regained consciousness. She recognised your voice at the dinner table but couldn't picture where and why. It was only when you explained how you got here that she realised."
"Oh...wow. This is unreal...wait. So why can't you send me back to Earth?"
"The power that was used to pull you to this world in the first place was given to Luna by the lunar alignment. And with the power only coming once every one hundred years, there's nothing we can do to help send you back. That's why I asked how long humans live for..."
I stood up and walked away from the balcony - my head trying to take in all that was explained to me. I walked back over to the chair and sat down on it, putting my hands on my head.
'That's it then. There's no way back...no way back to Earth. I'll never see home again...the sea...the sky...my home...'
Thinking of my predicament, I tried my best not to show any negative emotion. I felt tears begin to form in my eye but I wasn't going to let them leak. I felt a hoof on my head.
"Owen...are you alright?" Celestia asked.
I looked up to her. Her facial expression turned to sadness when she noticed my depressing disposition. Celestia sat down in front of me and reached out her front hooves slowly, taking my hands into them. We looked at each other for a few seconds before she leant forward put her hooves around me, hugging me.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I heard her mumble. I placed my hands around her back and returned the hug. I was extremely upset about the situation but it looked like Celestia needed more cheering up than me.
"Hey, hey. It's alright. I'll be OK." I said quietly into her ear.
We held the hug for a few minutes before Celestia released it. Her tears were gone and she smiled at me.
"You're taking it better than I expected."
"To be honest, I'm...I'm quite upset about the situation. But...you've explained there is nothing more you can do. So...I've accepted it and I'm gonna live with it. Start a new life as the wish was."
"You're a very brave creature Owen. I'm sorry I caused this."
"No. Don't say that. Don't ever say that. This was not yours or Luna's fault. This was magic that was unexplained and complex to you. As you said, things go wrong and this is one of those instances. But you should NEVER blame yourselves for them...ever. OK?"
Celestia nodded and stood up. She wiped her eyes once again. My statement must have hit the right area.
"I've asked a guard to alert Twilight of the situation and of Luna's condition. She will be led to her bedroom afterwards."
"Oh that's good. Thanks for not waking her, she was fretting so much about Luna......speaking of which, can I go and talk to her. See how she is?"
"Hmm...well...she's resting at the moment so it's probably best for you to talk to her tomorrow morning."
"Suppose you're right."
Celestia stomped her hoof twice. A guard immediately walked into the throne room and saluted her.
"Guard...Sharp Blade. Please escort Owen to his room for the night."
"Yes, your highness. Owen, please follow me." the guard asked.
I walked out of the room with the guard and down a long hallway. Many doors were open along the hallway. Peeking into some, I could make out some bedrooms, a bathroom, a gallery and...an indoors garden?
At the end of the corridor, a large red door was opened and the guard saluted me. I felt a bit...well...upper class when I was saluted.
"Good night Sir."
"Good night." I replied before walking in.
"Oh, one more thing Sir. When you want the lights to go off, just say 'Off' and 'On' for on." the guard said before shutting the door.
The room was huge. It was a similar style to the throne room. A large four-poster bed was situated near a large church-like window. Walking over to the window and looking outside, the view was of the castle grounds. Looking around again, I saw another door. Opening it up, it revealed a small bathroom with a toilet, sink, mirror...no shower or bath...damn. I really wanted a long wash.
The clock on the wall read 11PM and I decided to retire for the night. Undressing myself, I slowly got into the large bed.
"Right, let's just see how comfy you...ooh...OH! Aahhhh...."
It was incredible. I sunk into the bed, reacting to the comfiness of the mattress and pillows. If this was a normal night, I could have fallen asleep there and then. But tonight wasn't a normal night. My thoughts still replayed the whole conversation with Celestia. Learning that I'm actually stuck in Equestria and not being able to go back to Earth before I die really left an imprint on my brain.
"Off!" I shouted. As the guard said, the candlelights in the room all went dark and I was left in pitch blackness. I turned to the side and tried to sleep.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MIDNIGHT
'Ah, but what about...no. Then how about...no. Maybe...'
I was trying to think of many solutions to my predicament. Everytime a master idea came to me, it was shot down by remembering another fact that Celestia had told me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1AM
'Where am I going to live? I can't stay at Twilight's forever. What about money and a job? What about...'
It was at this point that my mind decided to brainstorm all of my future problems at once. I wish it would just shut the hell up and let me sleep.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2AM
Tossing and turning, i still tried to sleep. Looking at the clock again, it read 2AM.
"Right, that's it. On!"
The candles flickered on and the room illuminated. I got out of bed and stretched me legs, walking over to the bathroom and splashing some water on my face. I got dresses in a t-shirt and shorts and exited the room. The hallway was eerily quiet. I walked towards the throne room but turned left at it to approach the spiraling staircase where Luna was located.
"No guards...weird."
I ascended the stairs quietly. I didn't put any shoes so I could walk around much quieter. I reached the top of the stairs and came across a huge door with a crescent on it. Looking around, there were no other doors so I concluded this must be Luna's room. I walked towards the door and was about 4 feet from it before a spear was shoved in my face.
"Halt! The Princess must not be disturbed." a guard ordered. I knelt down and spoke quietly to him.
"Look, I just want to talk to her. She's really upset about something she's done and I want to reassure her."
"No. The Princess is not to be disturbed. She is sleeping." The guard's eyes quickly looked away from mine.
"I can tell when you're lying. Look, Luna did something a week back to cause me to arrive on this world and she's torn up about it because it was her mistake. Celestia tried to talk to her but said she was distraught. I just want to have the chance to talk to her, to try and calm her down."
"I'm...I'm sorry. I can't allow you to pass."
"Please. Just allow me five minutes with her. I really need to let her know that this wasn't her fault. Please, I'm begging you."
The guard lowered his spear and smiled.
"OK, you can pass. I admire your perserverance. Just a word of warning, Luna can be angry when she is disturbed."
"Thanks. I really appreciate this."
I walk towards the door and raise my fist.
'Surely she can't be angry...right?'
I knock the door three times and immediately regretted it.
"I SAID NOPONY IS TO DISTURB ME! DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!" a bellowing voice sounded from behind the door. I covered my ears with my hands to prevent my ear drums from being burst.
"LUNA! It's me, it's Owen!" I shouted.
Nothing was heard in response. The door glowed with a blue essence and opened slightly. I walked in slowly and the door shut behind me. The room was dark, pitch-black.
"Luna, you in here?" I asked.
The room shone with a blue light as her horn lit up. Candles immediately flickered to life and the room was visible. I noticed Luna sitting down facing the window with her back to me.
"Luna? Are you alright?"
Luna turned to face me...I really wish she didn't. Her appearance caused me to tear up. Her eyes were red and puffy with tear stains down her cheeks. Her mane was dishevelled and messy, no longer flowing. I tried my hardest not to cry at this moment, seeing such an elegant mare in such an awful state. I walked over and knelt in front of her. Luna leant her head down to avoid my gaze.
"I...I-I'm sor--" I raised my finger and placed it over her mouth. I then lifted her chin with my hand so her eyes met mine.
"You don't need to be." I said as calm as possible.
"Yes I do! This is all my fault!"
"I don't blame you. It's not your fault."
"But...b-but it is my--"
"It's...not...your fault"
Luna tried to speak but all that came out were splutters of words and sobs. I placed my arms on her shoulders and she placed her hooves on mine. At the same time, we pulled each other into a hug. Luna broke down and practially sobbed buckets onto my shoulders as my own tears flowed onto hers. I stroked the her mane ever so slightly to try and soothe her. The sobs eventually became quiet whimpers and then slow shallow breathing. I leant back slightly and looked into her eyes.
"I'm so sorry for what I did. Because of me, you're now stuck here..." Luna said quietly.
"It's OK, it's alright. I'm not angry with you at all. What you did was out of your control...no-one could have prevented it."
"I was trying so hard to bring happiness to my subjects. Now look what it's done..."
"And you have. I talked to Celestia and she said that you granted many wishes to ponies all wishing for something good. You did a great job on that night Luna and don't ever deny that." I said with emphasis on 'ever'.
"You're just saying that to make me feel better..."
"I..." To be honest, I was. "I'm sorry, I don't really know the right words to say. I'm saying what I truly think, from the heart. I've never had to console and comfort someone like this before."
"What do you mean? You've never had to comfort your parents or your siblings?"
Oh, not again.
"You weren't there when I explained were you?...When I spoke to Celestia and Twilight, I told them of my life and how I grew up on Earth. You should know as well, it'll explain why. I must warn you though, I'm trying to cheer you up, this isn't going to help."
I explained my youth to Luna, all of the families I lived with, my schooling and my un-social life. I finished up and had a few tears in my eyes, as did she.
"Oh, Luna. Please don't cry, you'll set me off again." I tried to console her.
"It's...that's so sad. How you're parents abandoned you and the horrible life you've had. Now I understand..."
"Yeah, so that's why I don't really know how to socialize on an emotional scale."
"I suppose both of our lives have been similar."
"How do you mean?" I asked.
Luna explained to me the whole concept of her younger life and how she became Nightmare Moon. How ponies shunned her during the night and how she let her negative emotions build up inside of her.
"With all the rage and depression I felt, I turned into Nightmare Moon, an entity of evil which wanted to make the night last forever. Celestia banished me to the moon and I remained there for one thousand years. When I returned last year, Twilight Sparkle and her friends turned me back to normal with the Elements of Harmony."
I nodded as I continued to listen to her story.
"Since then, I've had trouble re-intergrating myself into society as most ponies still fear me. I've lost the ability to trust the ponies that come into the castle as they drop everything at the sight of me..."
I raised me hand and put it on Luna's shoulder as a sign of comfort.
"I'm sorry you're life has been so eventful and foreboding. It must have been horrible being on the moon for a millenium." Luna nodded in confirmation.
We sat there for a while, silent and looking out of the window at the castle grounds, illuminated by the moonlight.
"You know, we're kind of the same." I conjured.
"We are?" Luna replied with confusion.
"Yeah. We've both been sent away to different places, not by our own doing. We've both struggled through life and suffered the worst of it. We both caused problems to our mentors and carers and we both are now struggling to become more social with anyone." Luna leant her head down.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean bad by it. It's...I sometimes just say things that pop into my head. Sometimes they're a bit...out of place."
"It's OK. I understand what you meant." She faced me with a smile. "Thank you for talking with me. It...it really helped." She leant forward and planted a quick kiss on my lips before shying away and giggling quietly. "Thanks."
My mouth went dry as I tried to find the right words.
"I...uh...you're welcome." I managed to splutter out. Luna leant her head towards my shoulder and nuzzled it. My heart fluttered as she did this - it appears that some emotions were trying to wriggle their way out!
"You know...maybe this was meant to happen."
"Hmm?" Luna replied.
"This whole scenario, maybe it was meant to be. Think about it, you did actually grant my wish."
"A different life?"
"That's right. I wished for a different life to replace the crappy one I had and it chose Equestria to place me in. Now I've met you, a being who has had a similar life to me in some aspects and needs a friend, as I do. I think that lunar magic did this for both of us."
Luna put a hoof to her chin and then nodded before letting out a rather large yawn. Yawns are contagious right? Yep, it made me yawn twice as hard. I stood up and stretched my arms.
"I'm beat. Now that I've talked with you, I could really do with getting some sleep."
"Oh, so I'm boring to talk to am I?" Luna said with a scowl.
"What? NO! I didn't mean--" I was interrupted my Luna placing her hoof on my mouth, smiling whilst doing it.
"I'm joking. I know what you meant. I was struggling to sleep as well and this has helped."
"I'm glad to have helped." I began to walk towards her door. "Anytime you want to see me, I'll be there. Whenever you want." I said with a smirk.
"Owen, wait..." I turned to face Luna, who was already in her bed. The covers had been opened on one side. "Could you...sleep...with me tonight? I need someone close to me..." she asked sheepishly.
'A girl asking you to sleep with her? I really hope she just meant sleep because I don't know about the other type...'
"Umm...won't the guards or Celestia notice that I'm--"
Luna's levitation interrupted my speech as she lifted me onto the bed and placed the covers over me. She then snuggled up to my side and smiled at me.
"Never mind about Celestia or the guards, this is my choice. You'll stay...won't you?" she said, staring at me with those beautiful eyes.
'Am I really falling for her? She's a pony...a beautiful one at that...she's more than that...'
I leant down and kissed her forehead, then curled my left arm around her.
"Of course I'll stay. How could I say no to that face?"
Luna laughed softly then put one of her hooves across my chest. It felt...weird...but right. The slow breathing of Luna notified me that she had quickly fallen into the land of slumber. I thought about how this would go down with Celestia when we emerge tomorrow morning. Worrying about it would only do me no good so I dismissed the thoughts and laid my head down onto the pillow.
"Off."