Chapter 8: Luna’s Talent
Twilight couldn’t help but glance back and forth between Keon and Pinkie, as they traversed the hallways towards their destination. She simply could not puzzle out why the pair hadn’t stopped giggling since they had left Keon’s room.
As far a she was concerned, nothing that was going on was even remotely funny. She wondered if it were an inside joke between the two, but if it were that funny, why hadn’t they shared it with her?
“Are you two sure you’re alright?” Twilight asked, determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. “I mean, why does every little thing set you off into a fit of laughter?”
Pinkie decided to answer. “I don’t know, Twilight,” she said. “Keon let me puff on this little, bitty, smoldering thing, and now everything just seems funnier than usual,” Pinkie droned.
Twilight quirked her eyebrow in obvious confusion. “Puff, you mean like a pipe?”
“No, like a joint,” Keon said with the same stupid grin he’d been sporting since they left his room. “Right now Pinkie is probably high as a kite, and I’m feeling pretty damn good myself.”
“High?” Twilight repeated the word. “I don’t understand, are you using that as some type of slang term?”
“Catch on fast, don't 'cha?” Keon quipped, prompting an irritated glare in response from Twilight. “Hey, relax, I’m just fucking with you.”
Twilight sighed and shook her head at Keon. “I know I have very limited knowledge of the human race, but you seem to speak quite vulgarly. Well, at least in comparison to the way that those humans spoke in the film you showed us.”
“That movie is PG-13,” Keon said with a large grin. “I’m rated R, besides, how do you know I’m speaking with a potty mouth? I don’t think either of the princesses realized it, until I brought it up, anyway.”
Twilight had a hesitant expression as she explained. “Well, essentially it’s the context in which you use the words, which make it easy to spot. When you use the word shit, you never use it to describe actual…well, defecating, thank goodness. Or when you said…fucking with me, even here that’s a foul phrasing for mating. Obviously we’re not performing any such acts,” she said with a nervous laugh. “This can be said for the word bastard and ass as well. So, either you do not know what these words actually mean, or you’re using them as vulgar slang.”
Keon just stared at Twilight, for once losing the grin on his face. “Uh…yeah, you’re blowing my high.”
Twilight didn’t know how to respond to that, so turned her attention back to Pinkie. “Is something wrong, Pinkie?” she asked, as she watched her pink friend work her mouth, like she was trying to dislodge something stuck in her teeth.
“It’s my mouth, it’s so dry,” Pinkie said. “And I’m really, really, really hungry!”
“Don’t worry, you’ve just got some cottonmouth and a case of the munchies,” Keon said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Just a small downside of hitting the herb.”
“The herb?” Twilight said, realization of what the pair had done finally dawning on her. “You two have been abusing the medicinal properties of potentially harmful plants!” Twilight accused with a frown now plastered on her face.
“You really are sharp,” Keon said, his tone indifferent to whether Twilight disapproved of his actions or not. “I’m guessing you’re pissed right now.”
“Well, I’m not angry; however, I can’t say I like the prospect of you two ingesting chemically rich plants to achieve a state of euphoria either. The idea just doesn’t seem, well, right, but I could be wrong,” Twilight said, “moreover, whatever you’ve taken seems pretty harmless, if dilated pupils and laughing are the only apparent effects.”
“I think I’m starting to like you,” Keon said, letting his grin return in full force. “I was thinking a brainiac like you would be a complete stick in the mud, but you’re okay by me.”
“Uh…thanks, I guess.” Twilight said with a bashful grin.
“Hey, hey, do you like me too!?” Pinkie suddenly cut in, sounding far more bubbly then she had been. “I mean, we’re friends now, right?”
“Why the hell not, you’re the first Equestrian to toke with me. That makes you my friend by default,” Keon said while ruffling Pinkies puffy mane.
Pinkie was grinning from ear to ear. “Woo-who!” she shouted as she tried to perform a cartwheel, but failed miserably at the stunt.
Keon howled in laughter, and Pinkie joined in, although now nursing a bump on her head.
“You two sure get along nicely,” Twilight commented offhandedly.
Keon shrugged. “Well, I’ve only met a few of you ponies so far. Celestia, Luna, and the guards that caught me in my escape attempt, so it’s not like I have a ton of options. Me and the guards didn’t exactly hit it off. I like Luna though, she’s really cool, damn chill for a princess and all. And Celestia…is nice enough, but she still runs the show around here, so how buddy, buddy could we actually be?”
“But you do realize the princesses have joint rule over Equestria? So why do you feel more…comfortable with Princess Luna?” Twilight asked curiously.
“I don’t know,” Keon said as he scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Luna just seems more... approachable to me, I guess.”
“That’s very curious,” Twilight remarked, as they veered around another corner. “Most ponies are quite intimidated by Princess Luna.”
“I guess the fear of Nightmare Moon would have something to do with that,” Keon stated matter-of-factly.
Twilight’s eyes widened slightly. “You know the story of Nightmare Moon?”
“Yeah, Luna told me about it herself,” Keon answered. “Even though the whole thing sounded like something a cartoon villain would cook up.”
“I’m surprised Princess Luna would tell you that story from first hoof.” Twilight said, knowing that Luna wanted to put her past sins behind her.
“Why are you so surprised?” Keon asked his purple escort. “I mean, I’m not the most sensitive guy around, but even I could tell she really wanted to talk to someone about it.”
“And she chose you of all ponies to confide in, how very strange,”Twilight commented, before stammering out an apology. “I meant no offense by it, it’s just curious.”
Keon placed his thumb under his chin, in a thoughtful expression. “It’s not really my place to say, and I could be pulling this out of my ass, but maybe she’s just lonely,” Keon reasoned. “I mean, if she was imprisoned in the moon for a thousand years or whatever, and she came back to find that everyone was scared shitless by her, that would suck. Talking to some guy who didn’t grow up with Nightmare Moon bedtime stories would probably be pretty ideal in that scenario.”
“That could very well be true; you’d essentially have an unbiased opinion of her,” Twilight agreed with a nod. “Your ability to reason is impressive,” she added.
“That’s just the weed talking,” Keon said with a lazy smirk. “But like I said before, I’m more than likely just pulling this out of my ass. And speaking of asses, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you about yours.”
Twilight looked affronted. “My flank!?”
Keon hadn’t appeared to care if he had offended Twilight or not, and pressed on. “It’s about those markings.”
Twilight blew a sigh of relief, realizing Keon’s intentions weren’t of a perverse nature. “You mean my cutie mark?”
Keon looked at the mark on Twilight’s flank for a moment before shrugging. “Sure…cutie mark, why not? I was just wondering if they were some kind of coming of age type of thing,” he asked. “Every last pony I’ve seen, Celestia, Luna, the guards, you two, you all have them.”
“These markings appear when a pony discovers their special talent,” Twilight answered.
“Just appear, like magic, no guy with a needle and ink?” Keon said with a bewildered expression etched on his face. “This world is just too weird.”
Twilight simply smiled at Keon, before noticing that they had finally reached their destination. “Hey look, we’ve made it,” Twilight said as the trio approached two very large oak doors with a pair of armor-clad guards positioned in front of them.
The two guards eyed Keon, taking notice of his bloodshot eyes and the smug grin on his face. They then looked to Pinkie, whom had the same droopy red eyes, although she looked to be on the verge of breaking out into laughter, as opposed to a small grin.
“Is there something wrong with these two?” one of the guards said to Twilight, in a loud demanding tone.
Twilight could only respond with a nervous grin of her own.
“The pool here has too much chlorine in it,” Keon said to the guard pony. “You should really get a pool colt down there to do something about it.”
The guard pony stared at Keon for a moment before shrugging, pushing open the door and stepping aside. “The princesses await your arrival,” he said.
“Thanks boys,” Keon said as he, Twilight and Pinkie strode past the two guards, both Keon and Pinkie chuckling as they went.
When the trio had disappeared beyond the door, the guard pony turned to his comrade. “We have a pool, how come no pony tells me anything?”
Upon entry, Keon stared around the dinning area with interest. It was a quaint little area, but still lavish in décor. A large chandelier hung from above, providing the room with adequate light, making the fire place seem unnecessary. He figured it was Celestia and Luna’s personal dinning chambers, or only used for private dinners with important visitors.
Celestia and Luna were both there, sitting ceremoniously around a fine polished, low, circular, red oak table. Apart from them, there were three other occupants joining them. One being Spike and two that Keon didn’t recognize.
The first of the two was a light pink colored alicorn. Her mane was at least three different colors, and Keon found himself choking back a laugh at the absurdity of it. He ventured a guess that she was probably the younger sister of Celestia and Luna. She was smaller than the two monarchs, and her mane wasn’t a visual spectacle like theirs.
The next was a white, fairly well built unicorn. A stallion, if his physique was anything to go off of. His mane was mostly a dark blue, but complimented with a few streaks of lighter blues. Lastly, he was actually wearing some type of red uniform.
Seeing that her guest had arrived, Celestia smiled and greeted them politely. “I’m happy to see that you’ve arrived here, without incident I hope.”
“If you don’t count Pinkie landing on her dome, trying to bust a cartwheel, then no incidents,” Keon quipped with a chuckle.
“Brother, Cadance!” Twilight suddenly squealed. “I didn’t expect you two would be here.”
‘Brother?’ Keon thought while shifting his eyes back and forth between the two ponies.
“Well, it wasn’t actually planned.” The one identified as Twilight’s brother spoke. “We were due to arrive for the official welcoming ceremony; however, we decided to come a day early,” he explained as his eyes observed Keon curiously.
“I hope our presence won’t be a bother to you…Mr. Keon?” Cadance added with a nervous smile. “I’m sure you can imagine that this is all very exciting, and we simply could not wait to meet you.”
“If an alien showed up on my planet, I’d be first in line to see it,” Keon said as he plopped himself down on an empty sitting cushion next to Luna. Pinkie had chosen the cushion next to Keon, leaving Twilight to sit in the last cushion between Spike and Cadance.
“Heavens, why are your eyes so bloodshot?” Luna inquired the moment Keon had sat down. “You’re not becoming ill are you?”
“No, he’s just high!” Pinkie said casually, answering Luna’s question. “And Keon says I’m baked!” she concluded, as she burst out laughing, earning confused stares in the process. “It’s funny, because I’m not a pastry.”
“High, baked?” Luna repeated the words.
“You remember that experience enhancer we talked about?” Keon whispered.
Luna’s eyes lit up in realization. “Ah, you’ve partaken in the smoking of the weeds!” Luna all but shouted. “And you were even kind enough to share the experience with one our subjects, how very considerate.”
“Yeah, considerate.” Keon chuckled nervously, before turning his attention back to the two unannounced guest. “So, who are you two anyway?” he asked the pair.
“Where are my manners, proper introductions are in order,” Celestia cut in. “This,” she gestured to the white unicorn, “is Shining Armor, co-ruler of the Crystal Empire, and previous captain of Canterlot’s royal guard.”
“Nice to meet you,” Shining Armor said after his introduction. Keon simply responded with, "What’s up."
Turning her attention to Cadance, Celestia continued. “Cadance is the niece of Luna and I, and shares rule with Shining Armor over the Crystal Empire.”
“A pleasure,” Cadance offered.
Keon nodded. “So, you guys are married then?” he asked, although his mind was more concerned with the spread laid out before them. Not that it was the most appetizing assortment, the meal was just random, and he was damn hungry.
There were salads in front of each of them, which apparently was the first course no matter where you went. Aside from that, in the middle of the table, there was a large amount of food. The line up consisted of steamed vegetables, soups, sandwiches with flowers for filling, a numerous amount of assorted fruits, a random tray of sunny-side eggs, a couple of wine bottles, a few pitchers filled with juice or water, and an absurd amount of baked goods. Finally, a large bowl of shining gems was sitting on the table.
Keon stared at the gems the longest. Why a bowl filled with rubies, sapphires, aquamarine, emeralds, and opals stood on the table was beyond him.
Shining Armor suddenly roused Keon from his engrossment by answering his question. “The best two years of my life.”
Keon quirked his eyebrow as he looked up from the food. “Two years, huh?” he muttered while looking back and forth between the couple. “You seem kind of young, but what do I know?”
The room became shrouded in awkward silence, for neither Shining nor Cadance could respond to that.
Keon sighed; he hated awkward silences, so he broke it. “So, are we just going to look at each other with our thumbs up our asses, or can we eat?”
“By all means, help yourself,” Luna offered, motioning to the food. Keon grinned, as he got to work on piling things onto an empty plate, followed by Pinkie, whom started loading her plate with a ridiculous amount of sweets. “We know you’re an omnivore, but eggs were the best we could do on such short notice,” Luna added, as she watched Keon picking through things he wanted to eat.
“Truth is, I’m more of a scrambled egg man myself, but I’ll eat anything when I’ve got the munchies,” Keon said while sliding a pair of the eggs onto his plate.
“What’s a thumb?” Spike suddenly asked, recalling Keon’s earlier comment.
Keon turned his head towards the small purple dragon. “Only the greatest appendage you can have on this side of the animal kingdom,” he answered while wiggling his two thumbs for emphasis. “Well, a close second anyway, if you know what I mean. Am I right Armor?” Keon said with a perverted giggle.
The joke wasn’t lost on Armor, for he too let out a restrained chuckle and surprisingly enough Luna did as well, leaving the others to simply stare at one another.
“How crude,” Luna commented with a hoof over her mouth.
“I don’t get it,” Spike said, as he nonchalantly started piling gemstones onto his plate.
“Sorry, Scooter, that joke is for older, and more perverse, minds,” Keon remarked, before giving Spike an odd stare at what he was doing. “Um, so we can just help ourselves to these gems then?” Keon asked, already in the middle of reaching for a particularly large ruby he had been eyeing.
“Oh, so humans eat gems too?” Spike asked curiously.
“That’s strange,” Twilight added in. “You don’t seem to have the proper jaw structure to crush them.”
Keon looked at the two in confusion before asking, “What are you talking about?”
His question was answered when Spike chucked a precious stone into his mouth and bit into it, like a piece of candy. “What the hell are you doing?!” Keon shouted, as he sprung over the table towards Spike and swiftly capturing the small dragon in a heimlich. “Spit it out, you little monster, spit it out!” he said while shaking Spike.
“Whoa, take it easy bro, there’s plenty to go around.” Spike tried to reason.
“Is there a problem Mr. Keon? We have more then enough gems for the both of you, I’m sure,” Celestia chimed in.
Keon stopped shaking Spike and turned to Celestia, with obvious confusion written on his face. “Huh…but he’s eating them.”
“Yes, Spike is a dragon; and gems are a part of his diet.” Celestia explained. “Moreover weren’t you going to do the same?”
Keon laughed nervously, as he hopped down from the table. “Uh, no, I can’t eat stones,” he said as he made his way back to his spot between Pinkie and Luna.
“So, why did you want them then?” Pinkie asked through a mouthful of cake, spraying a few pieces onto Keon’s face.
Brushing away the crumbs from his face in disgust, he answered. “Well, I’m no jeweler, but I’d guess that bowl of gems is worth well over fifty grand, where I’m from.”
“Grand, what’s a grand?” Cadance asked.
Keon rubbed his temples. “What exactly do you use for currency around here?” he returned.
“Bits,” she answered simply.
‘Bits, Jesus Christ more pony puns,’ Keon thought with an amused expression. “Ok, discounting the exchange rate between our dimensions, lets’ say one bit is worth one dollar where I’m from. One grand equals one thousand dollars.”
“So, you’re saying that bowl of gems would equal fifty thousand bits on your world!?” Twilight asked, clearly shocked. “But why?”
“Because precious stones aren't easy to come by,” Keon explained. “They’re a real pain in the ass to find, so we put a high value on them, along with other things.”
“I see, that explains your eagerness to stop Spike from consuming them. I suppose if gemstones are valued so highly in your world, watching them being merely eaten, would be jarring,” Twilight stated, as she wrote down a few notes on a piece of parchment.
“The way you value them make gems sound like they grow on trees around here,” Keon said while stuffing his mouth full of eggs and reaching for a nearby wine bottle.
“It only takes a simple detection spell to find them,” Shining Armor chimed in, as he made to pour himself and Cadance a glass of wine. “They’re not used for much outside of fancy clothing, and, well, food for dragons and diamond dogs.”
“So, when I leave this place, you wouldn’t mind sending me on my way with a large, hefty bag full of them then?” Keon asked as he struggled with the cork on the wine bottle. “Damn bottle,” he grunted.
“Allow me,” Luna offered, as her horn glowed and the cork popped off instantly.
“Thanks,” Keon said dryly, now filling a glass to the brim with the red liquid. “So, how about it, you up for a glass?” he offered to Luna.
“I suppose one glass couldn’t hurt,” Luna responded with a small smile.
Keon nodded as he poured her a generous amount. “What about you, Pinkie?”
“Sure!” she said while holding out a glass between her two front hooves. “I usually prefer cider, but this is okie dokie too.”
“Mr. Keon, if you do not mind me saying so, but you make it sound like there’s a way to return to your world?” Cadance suddenly interrupted. “If you were serious about taking gems back with you, that is,” she added.
Keon grinned. “Turns out your world has something called an EON that can jump dimensions. I figure after this whole meeting with the ambassadors or whatever, I can start looking for one.”
Celestia’s eyes widened. “You intend to capture one on your own?”
“I don’t see why not,” Keon said with a shrug before downing the glass of wine in one go and slamming the glass on the table. “If there’s even a small chance I can get back home, I’m taking it!”
“But…but I thought you liked us,” Pinkie cut in. “You lied, you really don’t like us, do you?” she accused, her eyes actually starting to water.
“Pinkie, I’ll just chop this display of emotion up to you still being high,” Keon said to the normally perky mare. “But me wanting to leave has nothing to do with not liking any of you. I mean, I have a life back home, it isn’t anything special, but I can’t complain either. I have a mom, two sisters and a brother, a good amount of friends, and my college life, waiting for me. To just say screw that all because I’ve landed in candy-land ain’t happening without a damn good reason.”
“In other words you have no incentive to stay.” Luna commented more to herself than to Keon.
“I feel terrible, for not having looked at this from your point of view,” Celestia stated. “I assume we were just too engrossed in our own fascination to see your position and what you’ve lost.”
“That’s probably my fault for taking everything in stride, I guess,” Keon reasoned as he turned his attention back to Pinkie. “You know, you really shouldn’t think about me leaving. Even if I manage to bag one of these EON’s, who knows if I could even use it to get back home?” Keon continued. “Like Twilight said, domestication of these things failed, so what chance do I really have? It’s just a shot in the dark, so feel free to root against me.”
“But that would make me a bad pony,” Pinkie countered, as she choked back a sob. “I don’t want to lose a new friend, but I want my friends to be happy too.”
Keon just silently stared at Pinkie as he thought, ‘I don’t get these ponies at all. She’s known me less then twenty-four hours, so why in the hell would she care about me being happy? I could end up dead in a ditch somewhere, and I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t give a shit.’ Shaking his head of those thoughts he spoke.
“Are all you ponies really this innocent?” Keon asked Celestia, getting a bemused smile from her in return, before turning his attention back to Pinkie. “Listen Pinkie, there’s nothing wrong with thinking of yourself from time to time. I don’t really get why you want me to stay, but, regardless, that doesn’t make you a bad pony,” Keon said, as he used his thumb to wipe some stray tears from Pinkie's cheeks. “Now, don’t cry around me again, watching woman tear up puts me in a somber mood.”
“Ok, no more being a frowny pony from me.” Pinkie said, letting her trademark grin return.
“I guess you are more sensitive than you think,” Twilight said with a smug grin. “Perhaps your display of vulgarity is simply a means to hide that side of you.”
“Who knows?” Keon said with a dismissive shrug.
“There it is again, that aloof attitude of yours,” Twilight pointed out, jotting down a few more notes. “Humans are just so fascinating, but strangely self conscious.”
“Yeah, I’m still here,” Keon said with a bit of irritation.
Twilights ears fell to the sides, as she looked back at Keon apologetically. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get carried away.”
“It’s fine that you’re excited,” Keon reasoned. “Just don’t blatantly treat me like a science project. Even in my field, we still treat the animals we’re studying with respect, as fellow living creatures.”
Twilight nodded her understanding.
“What exactly was your profession on your world, if you don’t mind my asking?” Shining Armor chimed in.
Keon looked around the table at all the expectant faces now staring back at him. Filling up another glass of wine, he took a sip before answering. “Well, I’m actually only a student right now,” he explained. “I was studying for my degree in biology and zoology. From there I was hoping to get a job as a wildlife photographer.”
“So, you have an interest in animals then?” Celestia inquired. “Perhaps I should introduce you to Philomena.”
“Philo-who?” Keon repeated.
“Philomena is my pet phoenix,” Celestia answered. “She’s quite the sight to see.”
“Just how deep does this wacky rabbit hole go anyway?” Keon muttered.
“So, why animals anyway?” Spike cut in as he crushed a large sapphire between his jaws, prompting a slight wince from Keon. “I mean, couldn’t you make a lot more bits by taking photos of models in stuff, like Photo Finish?”
“To be honest, I chose animals because of my buddy Chris,” Keon said with a trace of melancholy in his voice. “Ever since we were just little kids we’ve been best friends. As gay as it sounds, we did everything together, and at one point decided we should work the same job when we grew up. We had it all planned out, we’d go to school together, become roommates until we decided to have families of our own. But we’d still be best bro’s through it all no matter what life threw at us.”
“But our interest did start to grow apart once we got older though, and at least working together started to sound like a pipe dream,” Keon continued. “Chris found he really liked biology and even started helping out down at the animal shelter. As for me, I got into photography and decided that’s what I wanted to do with my life. Luckily for us, there’s need for photographers in that area too.”
“Seems fate was kind to you,” Cadance said with a smile.
“You don’t say,” Keon countered with obvious sarcasm.
“They do say everything happens for a reason,” Luna reasoned, trying to lighten the mood.
“They say that here too, do they?” Keon returned with a forced chuckle. “Our worlds sure have some weird similarities,” he finished with an exaggerated yawn. “Would it be cool if I went back to my room, I’m kind of beat.”
Keon’s sudden change in mood was not missed by any of the occupants of the room. Celestia, Luna, and Twilight reasoned that his friend was a touchier subject than they once thought. They figured that they should tread those waters more carefully.
“Yes, you’re welcome to turn in; you do have a big day tomorrow after all,” Celestia said before turning her attention to Twilight. “Would you mind escorting Mr. Keon back to his chambers?”
“Not at all, Princess,” Twilight said with enthusiasm.
“Actually, if it’s all the same, I’ll do it,” Luna said in a casual tone.
Celestia looked at her younger sister with a raised eyebrow that questioned, ‘what are you playing at?’ “Very well, but don’t forget, it’s about time for you to raise the moon. I’ve already set the sun on its course; it will be fully set in a short while.”
“I know my duties, 'Tia,” Luna replied with a dramatic swish of her mane, as she stood up from her cushion. “Shall we, Mr. Keon?”
Keon merely nodded as he stood up as well, and buried his hands in his pockets. “Thanks for the grub Celestia. Armor, Cadance, nice meeting you. Good night everyone.”
All present said their goodbyes to Keon, as he followed after Luna, but not before Twilight snuck in one final statement. “Don’t forget that Q&A tomorrow.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Keon responded, in a tired tone.
Celestia watched as the two disappeared beyond the door. She couldn’t help but wonder what her sister had planned.
Meanwhile Keon and Luna found themselves walking together in silence. For once, Keon embraced the silence. It gave him time to collect his thoughts, which mostly revolved around how he should go about finding Chris. If he was going to try and get home, he had to be certain that Chris wasn’t stuck in this world as well before he left.
Keon was roused from his musings by Luna’s voice.
“You’re worried about your friend, aren’t you?” She spoke in a tone of understanding.
“It’s that obvious?” Keon said with a bashful grin.
“Clearly, and you needn’t be embarrassed,” Luna answered with a smile. “I assume this Chris is your very special somepony?”
“Come again?” Keon said although he had an idea of what Luna meant.
“Your lover,” she said, making herself clear.
Keon’s eyes widened in horror. “No, no, no, no, no,” he said, shaking his head back in forth with each no. “He’s my friend, hell my brother even, and I’m worried about him, but I don’t swing that way.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend,” Luna said, finding it hard not to laugh at Keon’s frantic response. “Anyway we’re almost there.”
Keon looked around the area with a confused expression. “Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t the way I came before?”
“You’re right,” Luna admitted with a sly grin. “We’re actually heading somewhere else. There’s something I would like to show you.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve had one of those EONs locked up somewhere all along,” Keon said, sounding hopeful.
“I’m afraid not,” Luna returned, nipping that dream in the bud. Keon frowned at Luna’s reply and remained silent as she led him to a pair of silver doors, with a large crescent moon painted on them. “These are my sleeping quarters,” she said as her horn lit up and the doors swung open.
“Isn’t this a little forward for a princess? I mean. we just met,” Keon said with a nervous chuckle, not sure if he had overstepped his bounds with the joke.
Luna narrowed her brow before bellowing, in a magically strengthened voice. “Are you insinuating that one of royal lineage such as I, could be that type of mare!?” Luna’s voice boomed through the quiet hallway.
“Uh…well…no, not really…I mean…shit, don’t kill me,” Keon stammered out while taking a few steps back.
Luna let out a throaty laugh not befitting a princess. “Please relax, it was simply a joke. We’re just going out to the balcony.”
“Oh, yeah, right, balcony, that’s exactly what I thought we were doing,” Keon said, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
“Come,” Luna ordered, as she led a now shaken Keon through her room towards her private balcony.
Keon took in the area when they came to a stop. He admitted that the view was impressive. Off in the distance, he could make out the city of Canterlot, although the angle would prevent any prying eyes from actually being able to see Luna’s balcony. Below them was an impressive, blue rose garden with numerous statues and fountains. Finally, he could see a vast countryside that ended at a very thick looking forest, probably a good forty miles away.
“A marvelous view, is it not?” Luna asked while taking a few steps forward towards the edge of the balcony.
“It’s nice,” Keon answered, not sounding entirely sure of himself. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”
Luna shook her head. “No, I want to show you something far more exquisite,” Luna said, as her eyes began to glow a solid white. “The time for me to raise the moon has arrived,” she muttered, as the sun fell below the horizon, giving way to the darkness.
Keon simply watched Luna in silent fascination, as her horn became shrouded in a translucent indigo aura, and she lowered her head.
“No way.” Keon mouthed the words, as the moon began to rise in unison with Luna, as she tilted her head upwards. ‘And here I was thinking that the whole "raising of the sun and moon" was a bunch of BS,’ Keon thought to himself, as Luna finished her work.
“Now for the fun part.” Luna spoke while staring upwards, towards the dark sky. “The night sky is my canvas, and I shall paint it as I see fit,” she said, as her eyes flashed even brighter, and the few stars that occupied the sky began to shimmer brightly like fireflies. Having seized control of the few stray stars, they began shooting about and dancing around one another, magically leaving even more stars in their wake. Luna’s performance had transformed a relatively void sky into a spectacular painting filled with thousands of glistening orbs.
Keon’s mouth was literally hanging open, as he watched the spectacle before him. It was akin to a meteor shower, only synchronized and with purpose, pure eye candy. He hadn’t really cared for the word beautiful, but that was the only word he could use to describe what he was witnessing.
Satisfied with her work, Luna’s eyes returned to normal, and she let out a breath.
Realizing that the show was over, Keon looked down from the sky and back to Luna, a small smile on his face. Not the one that he’d been using to hide his apprehension behind, but one that was genuinely happy.
“Why?” Keon asked quietly.
“You’ve been putting on a brave front Mr. Keon, it’s commendable,” Luna said, as she walked up towards him. “However, your fear, uncertainty, sadness, it’s all there in your eyes. I just wished to show you that, even if you can never return home, perhaps there are wonders here that may still make you happy.”
Keon stared at Luna, for a moment before smirking. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you ponies.”
Elsewhere
“What did I just see?” Chris asked no one in particular as the lightshow in the sky came to an end.
“That was Princess Luna’s work,” Rarity answered, as she trotted up towards Chris.
“What do you mean by 'Princess Luna’s work'?” Chris asked, as he stood up from the spot in the grass where he had been sitting.
“Princess Luna is responsible for the night sky. She raises the moon and sets the stars along with their constellations,” Rarity finished, satisfied with her explanation.
“What!” Chris shouted, having been awestruck by the news. “I can’t even begin to explain just how impossible that is, so I won’t even bother.”
“Magic truly is a foreign concept to you, Darling,” Rarity said while looking back up at the sky. “Although, I have to admit that Princess Luna has really outdone herself tonight,” Rarity commented with a thoughtful expression.
“How so?” Chris asked with interest.
“A lightshow like that is usually reserved for special occasions,” Rarity explained. “It seems odd for Princess Luna to treat us to such a splendid performance so unexpectedly and look at the amount of stars.”
“Maybe she’s in a good mood,” Chris reasoned with a shrug.
“Perhaps, albeit she has not done this before, but I suppose there’s a first time for everything,” Rarity reasoned. “Now, why don’t you come back inside? Fluttershy and Applejack were kind enough to prepare dinner for us all.”
Chris couldn’t argue with that offer, considering that he’d had little more than a couple of apples and a pack of poptarts since he’d arrived. “Sounds good to me,” he said, as he made to follow after Rarity, whom led the way back to Fluttershy’s cottage.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were standing just outside of Fluttershy’s cottage, still looking up at the sky.
“Hey, wasn’t that awesome!?” Rainbow Dash shouted as she noticed Chris and Rarity approaching them. “I can’t believe the princess put on a show like that, for no reason at all too!”
“I guess we were lucky Chris wanted some fresh air, otherwise we would have missed it for sure,” Sweetie Belle stated.
“What did yah think of it Chris?” Apple Bloom asked once Chris and Rarity arrived in front of them. “Wasn’t it neat?”
“It was an experience, that’s for sure. I’m still pretty blown away,” Chris answered the little filly. “It’s not everyday you get to see stars dance around like that.”
“I reckon yah don’t see much of that back in your world huh?” Applejack chimed in from an open window. “Yah know, no magic in all.”
“You’d be right about that.” Chris said as he made his way back inside, followed by Rarity, Dash, and the crusaders. “I still can’t wrap my mind around how colossal, luminous spheres of plasma, millions of miles away could be manipulated like that.”
“Uh, are we still talking 'bout stars, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked with a confused expression on her face.
“Well, I guess you really wouldn’t know what stars are physically composed of,” Chris reasoned, as he sat down on the couch in front of the coffee table, which now had an assortment of foods sitting on it.
There were a couple of pies, still steaming, clearly fresh out of the oven. Also a large tray of finger sandwiches, along with a bowl of apples sitting next to them. Finally, two large pitchers sat, one filled with iced tea, and the other with apple cider.
‘Well, their food looks edible enough,’ Chris thought, as he picked up a finger sandwich and shoved it into his mouth. His eyes widened as he instantly spat out the bitter substance wreaking havoc on his taste buds.
“What’s wrong, Chris?” Scootaloo asked, as she watched him spit out the food into a napkin. “Was something wrong with your dandelion sandwich?”
“Dandelion sandwich!?” He repeated the words in shock, while he opened up the two halves of his sandwich and, sure enough, he found it filled with yellow flowers and green stems. Looking at the sandwich in disgust, he sat it down on the table and filled a cup of tea before scarfing it down.
“What’s wrong, Darling?” Rarity inquired. “Were the sandwiches not to your liking?”
“Nothing personal against the chef, but flowers aren’t a part of a well balanced diet for humans,” Chris answered while eyeing the pie with caution. ‘For the love of god, don’t let that baby be filled with greenery too.’
“So, what do you humans eat, huh?” Dash cut in, while biting into a sandwich of her own. “I mean, you don’t look much like a predator, so I just guessed you ate like we do.”
“For the most part I do eat like you guys, but there are things that you can digest that humans can’t,” Chris explained. “Dandelions for starters, along with grasses and other plants that have heavy amounts of cellulose.”
“But why’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked, as she propped her forelegs up on Chris’ knee.
Chris softly poked Sweetie Belle in the stomach, coaxing a giggle in response. “Well, Sweetie, equine’s like yourself have what we call a large cecum in your belly, that’s attached to your large intestines. Your cecum ferments the cellulose to get sugar out of it, which is called a hind gut. We humans simply don’t have that.”
“Wow, how do yah know so much?” Apple Bloom asked excitedly.
Chris chuckled. “This particular thing just happened to be in my area of expertise.”
“You sound like a real egg head, you know that?” Dash said with a snort. “I bet you’d get along great with Twilight.”
“Egg head?” Chris repeated. “I’ve heard better insults from a five year old.”
“What, I’ve got more camel face!” Dash shot back. “I’m just taking it easy on you, since you’re new and all.”
“Dash, such crude behavior is not very becoming of a lady,” Rarity chimed in.
“Oh, yeah? It’s not like I’m trying to impress anypony.” Dash countered.
“Is this comin' from the biggest show off in Ponyville?” Applejack chuckled. “When are yah not trying tah showoff for somepony?”
Fluttershy had taken that moment to poke her head in from the kitchen, interrupting the soon to ensue argument.
“Um…Chris, may I see you in the kitchen, if it’s okay with you, that is,” she asked politely.
Chris nodded as he stood up from the couch and made his way into the kitchen. When he arrived Fluttershy was standing in front of the stove, with a nervous grin on her face.
“So, what’s on your mind, Fluttershy?” Chris asked curiously.
Fluttershy swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking. “I don’t know if you were trying to keep it a secret, but humans are omnivorous correct?”
“…Yeah, we are.” Chris answered cautiously, not sure how a race of intelligent, strictly herbivorous beings would view the idea of sapient meat eaters.
“I see…” Fluttershy said as she cantered over to a large cooler, and opened it up with her teeth. “These are for you…if you want them, I mean.”
Chris walked over next to Fluttershy and stared down into the cooler. The cooler was filled with water with three medium sized cod swimming back and forth.
“When and why did you catch these?” Chris asked while observing the fish.
“I actually got them from the market,” Fluttershy said. “Believe it or not, but some pegasi actually enjoy fish, so they're pretty easy to get. I usually keep some on hoof for the eagles and hawks that I look after that aren’t feeling well enough to hunt on their own.”
“I guess I don’t feel like a total leper anymore,” Chris said, as he closed the lid of the cooler. “But I don’t want to go through the trouble of cleaning, gutting and frying these fish right now.”
“Oh…you wanted them cooked? I just assumed that you’d well…just eat them,” Fluttershy said, lowering her head in embarrassment.
“Never been much of a sushi man, but I appreciate the gesture, it was real kind of you,” Chris said with a large grin, as he made to turn around but not before Fluttershy spoke up once more.
“Chris,” she said.
“Huh?” he replied quickly.
“Is there a reason the girls seem to be under the impression that you’re a male human?” Fluttershy asked curiously.
“What?” Chris said dumbly. “Don’t I look like a male?”
“I do admit, I thought you were a male at first glance, but when you removed your shirt, I saw your mammary glands.” Fluttershy said, pointing a hoof at his chest.
Chris looked down at his chest before erupting into laughter. “You thought I was a female, because I have nipples, that’s priceless!” he choked out, as he wiped a tear from his eye. “Thanks for that Fluttershy, I haven’t had a good laugh since I got here.”
“Um…you’re welcome, but I hadn’t meant for it to be funny,” Fluttershy said, her cheeks flushing pink. “And I meant no offense, it’s just very strange that you would have them. Unless, somehow, the males of your species performs the nursing of your offspring.”
“It’s nothing like that,” Chris explained. “Females of our kind suckle the young, as with all mammals. But I have heard crazy stories of males with an overabundance of estrogen hormones being able to produce milk. But those are just urban legends.”
“As for why we have them,” Chris continued. “I suppose…well, I don’t know. honestly, I never really gave it much thought. I’m sure there’s probably some scientific explanation for it though.”
“Okay, sorry if I bothered you with my question,” Fluttershy said in a soft tone.
“No need to apologize, truth is, I love talking about stuff like this. Makes me feel like I’m smart, know what I mean?” Chris said with a bashful grin. “But if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back in there, before that pie is gone.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you for so long.” Fluttershy said, as her ears folded down.
“Whoa, no need to get sad over nothing,” Chris reasoned. “You’ve been more than nice to me, taking time to answer some questions is the least I could do. Now, come on, you helped with this spread, so why not enjoy it?”
“Right,” Fluttershy agreed, following Chris back into the living room.
“So, what was that all about anyway?” Dash asked the moment Fluttershy and Chris returned.
“Honestly, Dash, wouldn’t the purpose of Fluttershy requesting Chris’s presence alone be defeated if she were to simply tell you what was discussed?” Rarity challenged.
Dash made to retort, but stopped herself with a huff. “Fine, so it’s none of my business then,” she conceded.
“All the same, I hope there wasn’t any trouble,” Applejack chimed in.
“No problems, just a couple of questions,” Chris said, as he sat back down where he had been sitting.
“Speaking of problems, shouldn’t we discuss our current one?” Rarity suggested, as she levitated a nearby knife towards one of the pies, and began carving it into portions.
Chris found himself completely transfixed, his eyes on the knife that was seemingly cutting into the pie of its own accord. ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is really happening,’ he thought, having witnessed magic being performed for the first time.
Rarity noticed Chris was staring at the knife intently. She couldn’t help but smile at how fascinated he appeared to be with such a simple task. “Ahem,” she coughed to bring his attention back to her.
Chris looked away from the knife and towards Rarity. “Sorry, you were saying?”
“I was saying that it would be prudent if we began discussing how we shall proceed from here,” Rarity answered. “You wish to go to Canterlot to search for your friend. However, you’re afraid of meeting the princesses.”
“I’m not afraid, just cautious,” Chris responded, accepting the generous slice of, thankfully, apple pie being passed to him, curtsey of Rarity.
“I don’t get why you’re so scared anyway,” Dash said, completely dismissing Chris’s claim of not being afraid. “The princess won’t lock you away just because you’re funny looking. Besides, you’ve been hanging with us, so it’ll be cool.”
“And why’s that?” Chris asked skeptically.
“I’m not one to gloat; however, we are quite familiar with Princess Celestia,” Rarity said, with a touch of pride in her tone.
“You know her personally then?” Chris returned.
Rarity nodded. “Yes, and I’d readily wager all of my bits that the princess will be more than kind to you.”
Chris rubbed his temples, clearly thinking hard on the matter. On one hand, waiting for more evidence that Keon was in Canterlot to surface seemed like a safer bet. News of an alien would have to spread at some point. On the other hand, he could be saving himself a great deal of effort, and trouble, by simply handing himself over to their hierarchy. He reasoned that the ponies he’d met so far had been more the hospitable to him, and maybe their higher-ups would be the same.
Fluttershy, whom had been quiet throughout the conversation placed a hoof on Chris’s shoulder, getting a startled jump from him in response.
“No pony is forcing you to make a decision right away,” Futtershy consoled, with a soft smile on her face. “Perhaps you should take some time to think it over.”
Applejack yawned, as she stood from her haunches. “Yeah, ain’t like we’re going anywhere tonight, except bed,” she stated, now looking down at the three crusaders, who were sleeping peacefully. “Best Ah get this one back home.”
“Heavens, where did the time go?” Rarity asked, taking a look at a nearby clock. “I suppose we should all be turning in soon,” she said before turning her attention back to Chris. “Um, Darling, where is it you intend to stay for tonight?”
Chris shrugged. “That little club house I stayed in was warm enough.”
“Club house?” Rarity looked appalled. “Darling, that simply will not do, I’ll sooner offer you my boutique before it comes to that.”
“Didn’t he want to stay out of sight though?” Dash cut in. “Or did you forget that you’re right in the middle of Ponyville?” Dash added with a raised brow.
“Oh, that slipped my mind, how silly of me,” Rarity said with an embarrassed giggle.
“I’d offer my couch, but Chris doesn’t look like he can fly.” Dash finished with a shrug.
“I reckon you can stay at mah place then,” Applejack offered. “Granny Smith won’t think anything of it, and Mac might look at yah funny, but that big lug won’t bother you any.”
“…Actually, you could stay here, if you want to that is,” Fluttershy boldly offered.
Rarity, Dash, and Applejack stared at Fluttershy for a moment, each mildly surprised that she would assert herself in such a way.
“One couch is as good as any other,” Chris replied with a neutral expression.
Rainbow Dash scratched the top of her head in confusion. “You sure about this, Fluttershy?”
“I think I’m capable of looking after our guest,” Fluttershy reasoned.
“Fine,” Dash said with a dismissive shrug. “Come on Scootaloo, I’ll walk you home,” she said as she roused Scootaloo from her sleeping.
“Huh…wha…what happened?” Scootaloo asked in confusion.
Dash shook her head. “You’re going home, that’s what happened. Now come on, Squirt.”
“Good night everypony,” Scootaloo tiredly mumbled as Dash coaxed her out of the door.
“See everypony tomorrow, and Chris, I better not hear you gave Fluttershy any trouble, or you’ll have me to deal with, got that?” Dash added, as she shut the door behind herself.
“Loud and clear,” Chris mumbled.
“Think I’ll head out mah self,” Applejack said as she made to maneuver Apple Bloom onto her back. “Well, after ah help clean up anyway,” she said, after taking notice of the mess their dinner had caused.
“Oh, horse apples,” Rarity spat. “That Dash always manages to scamper away when there is a mess to be cleaned.”
Chris spoke up. “You girls don’t have to worry about it. I’ll take care of the mess myself, it’s at least I can do for well…everything really.”
“Don’t be silly, we couldn’t possibly ask a guest…” Rarity tried but was cut off.
“No, I insist. You girls have been too kind, at least let me feel like I’m doing something in return, even if it’s just cleaning some dirty dishes,” Chris argued, furthering his point by lifting up Apple Bloom and placing her on Applejack’s back. “Now go get some rest already.”
“Well, if yer gonna argue like that, then who am Ah to tell yah any different?” Applejack reasoned.
“I suppose if you intend to insist so strongly, I shall not refuse your offer,” Rarity conceded. “Ahem, Sweetie Belle, it’s time for us to leave,” she said, as she made her way over to Sweetie Belle’s sleeping form and prodded her with her hoof.
Sweetie Belle groggily stood up. “Morning already?” she asked while tiredly staring around the room.
“Come, Sweetie Belle, it’s time for us to go,” Rarity said. “Have a pleasant night you two, we’ll see you all tomorrow,” she concluded, as she walked out the door, followed by Sweetie Belle.
“See y'all in the mornin',” Applejack said as she followed after Rarity.
“Good bye girls,” Fluttershy bid farewell while shutting the door after her friends. Letting out a soft sigh, Fluttershy immediately got to work on tidying up her home, much to Chris’s chagrin.
“You know, you don’t have to help, I can do it myself,” Chris tried to reason to his host, while collecting plates and stray utensils.
“It’s very nice of you to do this, but this is my home after all, it just wouldn’t be right to have you do all the work,” Fluttershy protested.
Chris shook his head. “You stitched me up and you’re letting me crash here aren’t you? I owe you this much,” he said as he took the wash cloth from Fluttershy. “Please, it’ll ease my conscience.”
“Um…well, if it’s really that important to you,” Fluttershy said with an unsure grin. “Then I’ll just go upstairs and get Angel tucked in for tonight. Oh…and I’ll bring you a pillow and blanket.”
“Thanks,” Chris responded, as he got back to work on cleaning the room.
Fluttershy watched him for a moment while deep in thought before finally leaving the living room to complete her own task.
Chris had finished all the work within forty minutes. During that time Fluttershy had come down to deliver him a pillow and blanket and wished him pleasant dreams, then retired to her own room for the night. Finally having time to himself, he relaxed on the couch while he contemplated his plan of action.
He decided that for better or for worse, a meeting with the princess simply had to happen. Hiding away at an innocent little pony’s house wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Besides that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Keon was in Canterlot, and if he was he’d surely be making an ass of himself.
Chris grimaced at the thought of Keon hanging out with the nation’s leaders. He had no delusions about the fact that Keon was the least reserved person he knew. He’d smoke with the president if he could, definitely not the type you’d want to represent humanity. Depending on just how stupid Keon decided to act, he could very well end up locked up, or worse.
Chris shook his head. ‘No, these ponies are far to kind to do anything violent,’ he reasoned with himself, recalling how helpful the seven mares that he met had been to him. Hell, one of them was letting him sleep on her damn couch, and she’d only known him for a handful of hours.
Pulling the blanket over himself, Chris reached out to a nearby lamp and shut it off. The day had been long and taxing, but strangely pleasant, despite his position. Closing his eyes, his last thoughts were of what tomorrow would have in store for him.