Watching Luna conduct her night court was very informative. Listening to the pleas, requests and questions of the ponies who come to visit her during their nocturnal lifestyle.
Something confused me though. I was told by Twilight and Celestia that the day and night courts are very serious tasks and must be dealt with promptly. So, when ponies came into the throne room to talk to Luna and saw me sitting next to her, they didn't react in the way I had assumed. I originally thought there would be an exclamation of some sort, lines like 'Should he be sitting there?' and 'Why is there a human in the night court?'. But they never came. They bowed to Luna and then to me!
Someone bowing to me...it didn't feel right. Besides I'm not royalty so why should they bow to me? I waited until the room was empty until asking Luna about it. Had to wait till 2AM though...
"Luna?"
"Hmm?" she responded with a turn of her head.
"Why are these ponies bowing to me? I'm not royalty."
"I'd tell you if I knew. It confused me as well." Luna faced back towards the door again. "Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked in a sarcastic tone.
"I know you said I'd be bored." I stood up and put my hand on the base of her neck. "And I am. But that doesn't matter because I'm with you. There's no way you could be boring. No way at all."
I saw a blush appear on her cheeks. 'Ha! I'm so smooth."
Luna snorted with laughter. "You call that smooth?"
"What the..." Then I remember what she could do. I playfully pushed her in the shoulder. "I should really remember you can do that."
We both shared a chuckle before we noticed a rather timid looking pony standing before us. I nodded to the visitor and sat back down in my chair. Damn was it comfy.
"Good evening subject. What matters do you bring before me?"
4AM. I was starting to feel the fatigue now. Luna looked none the wiser - looked like she's running on Red Bull. I yawned loudly which alerted her to my state.
"My love, please rest. You are in no state to remain here." she offered in a motherly tone.
I slowly craned my neck towards her and met her gaze. "I may be tired and bed may be the best for me. However, no matter how much you tell me, I am staying with you. Only a few more hours then we can both sleep to our heart's content."
Luna tutted and broke her gaze from me, shaking her head with a giggle. "Are all humans this stubborn?"
"When we want to be." I replied with a smirk.
My eyes were starting to droop. I could feel my consciousness slipping away. It was getting harder and harder to stay awake. What I really needed to happen right now was--
"Good morning you two."
'Oh, thank Celestia. Seriously!' The elder sister strolled into the throne room, locking eyes with her younger sister.
"How was night court?"
"Slow. Some strange requests as well. Remind me to ask you what a..."
Their voices dimmed as my eyes closed shut. I was teetering on the edge. I needed to sleep...NOW.
"OWEN!"
"Huzza...hmm?" I sleepily responded, opening my eyes again to see both Luna and Celestia smiling at me. "Did I fall asleep?"
"No, but you were close. Come now, we shall retire to my chambers. Good day to you sister." Luna got down from the throne and stood next to me. "Up you get."
Groaning ever so, I used the arms of the chair as support. Standing up straight, I began to walk out of the room with Luna. Ascending the stairs, I felt my legs starting to buckle. Slowly making it to the bedroom door, Luna opened it with her magic to reveal the object of my desires.
"Bed..."
Luna giggled and her horn glowed blue. Before I knew it, I was no longer on the ground - Luna was levitating me towards the bed. Another glow of her magic opened the covers up before she placed me on the soft...so soft...mattress before climbing in herself. She then pulled the covers over us and snuggled close to me. Another glow of magic dimmed the flame-lit lights on her walls.
"Comfortable?" she asked.
Staring into her beautiful eyes, I answered in the only way I could. I leant forward and placed a small kiss on her lips. "Extremely."
I put my arms around her body and held her close to mine. She responded the same way, also using her wings to envelop me. I rested my head on top of hers, which was nuzzled into my chest. I stroked her back with my hands - I had to make sure she was comfortable before I dozed off. Turns out she was as after only a minute, she was snoring. And I don't mean quiet snoring. I meant proper snorting snoring.
"Cute...kind of." I mumbled before shuffling my body and resting my head on the pillow. It was luxuriously comfortable and I sank right into it.
"Huh? Where...where am I?"
I'm in mid-air. I'm looking down on what appears to be a road junction near where I used to live.
"I know this place."
It was. I was looking at somewhere back home. A certain busy junction near the town centre. The lamp-posts were on, illuminating the area below from the darkness of the night.
"Am I really here?"
I moved my arms and legs to get a look at them. They looked real to me. I stretched my arm to nearby tree branch and tried to touch it. Nothing. My hand passed straight through it.
"OK, seriously, what the hell."
Before I could determine what was happening, I noticed a man and a woman pushing a pram. Looks like a mother and father. I leant tried to move forward to look closer but I remained stuck.
*SCREECH*
That got my attention. I turned my head to see a small red car skidding round a corner and speeding down the road towards me.
"Jesus mate, slow down. You're gonna kill someone if you..."
I turned my head back to see that the couple with the pram were edging towards the pedestrian crossing.
"No. STOP!"
My screams went unheard as they walked out onto the crossing. I looked back to see the red car pass under me at frightening speed. Following it's path, I saw the scene unfold.
"NO!"
A flash of light blinded me. Another screech was heard followed by a several thumps. I knew what had happened and there was nothing I could do. The light dimmed to reveal the sight before me. The two adults lay strewn in the road...not moving. The pram was still upright, albiet still in the road.
A few tears fell from eyes. I just witnessed death.
"WAAAHHH!"
The baby was crying. Thank god it was alive. How I could be happy at the moment was beyond me. I was distraught over what I had saw but relieved and over-joyed to see that the baby survived.
"ANYONE! HELP THEM!"
I looked around to see a crowd of people surrounding the bodies. The light grew bright again and my eyes began to close. As I started to drift off, I heard the faint sound of sirens in the distance. At least the baby will be seen to...
I bolted upright. Frantically looking around the room, I found myself back in Luna's bedroom. Clutching my chest and feeling my heart beating at a hundred miles a minute, my breaths became slower as I calmed down. Looking down, I saw that Luna was still asleep but had curled herself up on the edge of the bed. Not wanting to wake her, I quietly got out of the bed and exited the room. I don't know how much sleep I had but I can definetely saw I'm wide awake now!
I approached the throne room and the guards nodded to me and opened the door. Celestia was sat upon her throne, reading through a list of scrolls that were piled at her feet.
"Good afternoon Owen. Glad to see you." she says in her always cheerful tone.
I nodded and began my approach to her. I kept my gaze on the floor as I reacher her throne. I just couldn't make eye contact with her, not the way I was feeling.
"Is something wrong?"
I had to look up. I raised my head and met her gaze, shaking my head from side to side slowly. Celestia raised from her throne and stomped her hoof. "Guards. Please vacate the room. I wish to speak to Owen alone."
A chorus of "Yes, your highness" later and the room was empty, bar for me and Celestia. She walked up to me and looked me straight in the eyes. "I know that is a lie. Please tell me what is wrong."
Those eyes, they were piercing my soul. I struggled to maintain my composure as I tried to form a sentence. "It's just...this is stupid...I had a n-nightmare." I said quietly. Admitting it, I leant my head down as my eyes got teary. Just remembering the sight...
"A nightmare? Is that all?"
"Is that all?" I raised my head to show her my emotions. "You don't know what I saw! It was horrible! I--" I covered my mouth with my hand, realising I was shouting at the ruler of Equestria. "I saw people...die."
I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the images that were flashing in my mind. It wasn't long before I felt something touch my forehead. Opening my eyes, I saw that Celestia's horn was lowered to my head. "Will you allow me to see what you saw?" I nodded, remembering she did this before. Her horn glowed and my mind replayed the scenario in my head.
I closed my eyes, wishing the re-enactment would stop. The same as last time, the last thing I heard was the ambulance or police sirens. The nightmare stopped and I opened my eyes again to see Celestia staring at me with a solemn gaze. She stepped forward and embraced me in a hug with her wings.
"I'm sorry Owen. I didn't realise." she quietly whispered into my ear.
I brought my arms around her body to return the favour, letting a single tear drop down my cheek. Breaking the embrace, Celestia motioned for me to sit, which I did. She sat down beside me and never broke her gaze with me.
"Do you know who they were?" she asks.
I shake my head slowly. "Not a clue. I do know where it was though. It was a street in the city I used to live in."
Celestia raised a hoof and lay it in my hand, which I gripped thoroughly. We stayed like that for a while, just sitting alone, silently.
"I know what it is like to witness death. If you ever want to talk about it, please do not hesitate to ask." Celestia offered, raising from her seated position. I followed suit and placed a hand on her back.
"Thank you."
"You're most welcome. Now, I must return to my duties...unless there was anything else you needed?"
"Actually yeah. Where are the girls and Spike? I would have imagined Twilight wanting to spend heaps of time with you."
Celestia chuckled. "Oh, she tried. They left this morning after I explained what you did last night. They should still be on the train home to Ponyville."
"Ah right. Well, I'm gonna wait until Luna wakes up till I leave. Think it's nice if I say goodbye before I leave."
"Of course. Please feel free to explore the castle or Canterlot."
I turned around to exit the room until another thought occured. "Actually, I need an answer from you." Celestia raised her eyebrow at me. "Oh, nothing intimidating of course but, you told me you knew why the guards were treating me differently."
"Oh, of course! I assure you it is a good thing!" Celestia sat down on her throne. "After you gave your announcement in Ponyville about yourself and Luna, the news spread fast and soon enough, everypony knew about it. To cut a long story short, in the last six weeks, you were given a title. You are Princess Luna's 'Royal Courter' and you have also been made an ambassador."
"An ambassador? What does that mean?" I ask in confusion.
"It is a noble title. It means that you are representing your race in this world. Even though you are the only one." she replied, laughing at the end.
"Ah...fair enough. So...ponies know about me now? I'm not gonna be looked upon and stared at by anyone else?" Celestia shook her head. I clapped my hands together. "Perfect. Then I have an idea."
"Please do share."
"First of all, I ask about your magic abilities. Do you have the power to summon my bag of bits from the library to right here?
Celestia's horn glowed for a brief second and my bag of bits appeared in my hand. I looked up at Celestia who looked very smug.
"Show-off." I said with a snort. "This is for something I need to do this afternoon but before that, I need to see two specific ponies. Do you think you could direct me to them?"
"Of course. Who would you like to see?" I mentioned the names of who I wanted to see. "Ah, I can see why. Very well. Guard!"
An armor-clad pegasus flew into the room and landed next to Celestia. She told the guards to fetch the two ponies and let them in individually. The pegasus flew out of the room.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked.
"Absolutely. It never happened, right? So naturally, they should both be welcoming. Apart from the latter, he may be a bit unnerving. Also, I'm going to need a reason for speaking to the first pony so please just go along with what I say."
Celestia nodded before the doors opened to reveal another armored pony walking up to the throne. "You asked to see me Your Majesty?"
"Correct. But it is not I who wished to speak with you. Owen?"
The guard turned to me. "And what do I owe the pleasure Sir?"
'I don't like that word.' "Thank you for coming. First of all, I must ask you to spread the word of something. Although I am humbled by my title, I do not wish to be referred to as 'Sir'. Mainly because I don't feel I've earned the right to be called that. So please, treat me like one of your friends, not like royalty."
"Of course Si...um, Owen."
"Thank you." I smiled and laughed softly at his correction. "Second of all, I would like to praise you. I have been told by Princess Celestia that you have been working exceptionally hard as of late and I wish to thank you for all of your hard work."
"It was nothing Your Majesty." he replied, bowing to Celestia.
"Oh but it is. It seems that you have been working more hours than everyone else and are committed to your role." I added.
"I work for the Princesses and my family. We need the money at the moment."
"And caring for your family by working to the maximum that you can do is amazing. For that, I wish to reward you." I opened my bag of bits and pulled out ten gold coins which each had 100 imprinted on them. "This is a gift from me to you. Please use it wisely." I placed the coins into his hooves. He looked over the coins in shock before a smile crept onto his face. He walked up to me and put one hoof around my neck in a sort of half-hug.
"Thank you so much. It means everything." he said quietly, full of emotion.
"You are most welcome. And please, keep this to yourself. We wouldn't want the other guards getting jealous, eh?"
"Very well. Farewell Your Majesty. Farewell Owen."
"Have a good day...Sharp Blade."
Sharp quickly left the room and shut the door behind him. I could hear him sniffling on the way out. Seemed I hit him right in the emotion-spot.
"Why did you do that?" Celestia asked.
"Because he needed it. His family needed it. Remember when we interrogated him about the attack? He said he did it for his family as they were broke. I just thought he could use a little help."
Celestia's wing stretched and the tip of it rest upon my shoulder. "That was a very noble act. You truly are a good person."
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Please enter." Celestia answered the knocking.
The doors opened to reveal the second requested pony. There he was, white in colour, light brown mane and tail with a large horn protruding from his forehead. "Please to see you Aunty." He turned to see me. "I do not believe we have met."
Celestia stood up. "Prince Blueblood, I introduce you to Owen, the Ambassador for the Human Race and Princess Luna's Royal Courter."
I extend my hand to him and clench my fist. "A pleasure to meet you Prince Blueblood Sir."
Blueblood looked down at my fist and back up to me. He then slowly put his hoof up and gingerly bumped it on mine. "Forgive me but, I was not aware that Aunty Luna's royal courter was not a pony."
"But surely you must have heard about it from your variety of friends and acquaintances." Celestia asked.
"Yes but I was not aware that he was a...a...what do you call yourself again?"
"A human." I reply, coldly.
"That's it. Well then, I welcome you to Canterlot and hope you bring joy to my dear Aunts. Now, I am on a tight schedule and I must depart." With a flick of his mane, he turned 180 and exited the room.
I looked up at Celestia who offered me an apologetic look. "Don't be sorry. You told me he was judgemental and I can see it...a lot."
We shared a laugh. "So, what was your other plan for the bits?" Celestia asked.
I immediately pulled out the bag once again. "I have around three and a half thousand bits here. From the five thousand you gave me, I have spent quite a bit on treating the girls and Spike. I have topped it back up with my payment from work but I've got enough to do what I want to do."
"Which is?"
"I need your help Princess. The Elements of Harmony liaise with you often so you should know about their lives, their hobbies, their likes and whatnot?" She nodded. "Then please help me. I need ideas for Hearth's Warming presents."
I exited the castle and began my trek into the hustle and bustle that is Canterlot. This being the capital, I can only imagine it to being very busy...like central London on a weekend.
Thankfully, this wasn't the case as the streets seemed quiet. It was about four in the afternoon so I guess parents would be picking their kids up from school or shops would be closing.
Picking up the pace, I made my way into the main precinct to do something men fear and women love. That's right - shopping. I hated doing it back home even though it was for myself. Just the idea of browsing shop after shop made me tired. I stuck to internet shopping - that was much easier.
I was armed with a bag full of bits and a scroll of suggestions that Celestia gave me. She already helped me get Twilight's present - a book from her archives about transformation magic. I made a mental note to make Twilight she'd never use those types of spells on myself or our friends.
I unrolled the list and looked at the first name - Luna. Of course she's first on my list, I wanted to get hers first before I forget. My memory's like a sieve.
Walking through the marketplace, I was surprised to see how prim and proper these ponies looked. I mean, I visited Canterlot before but most ponies weren't aware of me then and kept their distance. Now, they didn't even stare at me. Some even greeted me with 'Sir' which I replied back.
I came across my first location - a jewelery store. Entering the shop, the bell above the door jingled and caught the attention of the stallion behind the counter. He turned to face me. Looking at him, he looked like he was in his later years, thanks to the wrinkles on his olive green fur. His wings unfurled at the sight of me but he quickly snapped them back.
"Oh, greetings Sir. Thank you for gracing my store with your presence." he said, offering a bow.
"Please raise. I don't like being called Sir - it makes me feel old (!)" He chuckled at my remark, good. "Now my good friend, I wish to purchase an item of jewelery."
"Then you've come to the right place. None finer than Shining Jewels! What are you looking for?"
"Well Shining, you know I am Princess Luna's royal courter correct?" He nodded. "Well, I'm after a necklace with a pendant on the end which opens up."
"Of course. If you care to look over here." He led me to a display in which it's displays shone brightly. "What material are you looking for?"
"Hmm, well I'd like something to match Luna's colour."
"I don't believe I have anything of that variety...hold on." The elder pony exited the room and went behind the counter, sorting through a variety of items. He came back up to me with a necklace in his hoof. "How about this?"
I looked at the necklace. A chain made out of inter-twining links of gold and silver with a pendant at the bottom in the shape of a heart. Cheesy I know, but it will display my love for her. "This is perfect."
"Excellent. Now, would this gem colour match Luna's colour do you think?" He held up a navy blue and purple gem.
"That's it! That's the colour."
"Very good. If you would like, I can encrust the necklace and pendant with this gem."
"That's brilliant! That would be amazing if you could do that."
"Of course Sir. Leave it with me and come back in about an hour. I'll have it ready by then. Would you like to pay now or later?" he asked
"I think now. Then at least I know how much more I have to spend."
"Of course. That will be six hundred bits please."
Ouch. That bit into my bits - huh huh, get it? Ugh. Forking over the money, I realised I had only 2,100 bits left to spend. One present and one gift and I'm down 1,600 bits already.
"Thank you."
"No, thank you. I'll be back later." With that, I exited the store and eagerly set off to my next location.
Next on the list - Applejack.
From what Celestia told me, AJ is a hard working girl who loves nothing more than her family, Great, what can I do with that?
I walked around, looking at shop-fronts, examing their wares. Nothing stuck out to me until I reached a certain shop. It specialised in clothing. In the front window, there lay something that I knew she would love.
Entering the shop, I walked up to the counter. "Good afternoon madam." I greeted the mare behind the counter. She turned to face me.
"Good afternoon to yourself. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes actually. How much is that Stetson in the window?"
Next was Rarity. 2,000 bits left.
Walking out of the shop, I glanced at the advertising board that lay outside. Turns out this shop makes dresses to order. Just like Rarity does.
I walked back into the shop and greeted the mare behind the counter again. "Hello again." The mare laughed and caught her breath.
"Did you forget something?" she asked, giggling.
"No, I came to inquire about dresses. See, my friend is a dress-maker and I was wondering if you sell materials that I could buy as a present for her.
"Of course! What material would you like?"
My mind went blank. What the hell did I know about fabric and material. "You're gonna have to help me out with this. I know nothing about it."
After a long in-depth conversation about fabric and materials, the mare led me to the stock room where rolls upon rolls of material were stacked.
"This one here is a luxury item - the smooth sapphire silk. A roll of ten meters of 250 bits."
"Deal."
Next was Fluttershy. 1,750 bits left.
I knew that she like animals more than anything. From what I saw in her home, she housed hundreds of animals. Celestia suggested something animal related - no, really?
Walking around the shops again, I came across a travel shop that organise holidays. Remembering how downtrodden she looked when she found out she never went to the animal sanctuary in Los Pegasus, I chose then to make it a reality.
I entered the shop and was immediately greeted by a mare. "Good evening Sir. Are you looking to plan a vacation?"
A vacation? Nope. It's holiday, damn it. "Err, yes I am. I was hoping to book a holiday for a friend of mine. Do you do trips to Los Pegasus?"
"Why yes we do!" she replied, right in my face. I do like the customer support but this girl was way too friendly. "When are you looking to book?"
"Well this friend of mine loves animals and I hear there is an amazing animal sanctuary in Los Pegasus. I want to book the holiday for spring time for about three to four days. Is that OK?"
Next was Rainbow Dash. 1,300 bits left. Damn that was expensive. But thinking about it, you got a holiday and hotel accomodation for 450 bits.
Both I and Celestia immediately thought 'Wonderbolts' when Rainbow was mentioned. Celestia informed me that there was a Wonderbolts store within Canterlot.
I eventually found it, towards the entrance of the city. Suppose if it's at the entrance, ponies would notice it. I entered the shop to see countless items merchandise from posters to stuffed toys to pictures.
The shop was quite busy - full of young ponies who were trying to get to something. Must be a new toy or something. I approached the counter and greeted the stallion behind it.
"Good evening. What can I do for you today?" the stallion asked.
"I'm looking for something special that I can give as a Hearth's Warming present. It's for a great friend of mine."
"Very well. Do you know what she likes the most?"
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure...wait. How did you know it was a she?" I asked with confusion.
"You told me it was for somepony special. I assumed it was a mare."
I raised my eyebrows at his reasoning. "Fair enough. Yes it is but she's not my partner. She's just a great friend. Biggest Wonderbolts fan I know of."
"I'll probably know her as well. Is she anypony famous?"
"I'd imagine so. She's one of the Elements of Harmony, Rainbow Dash."
"Did you just say Rainbow Dash?" a female voice called from the side of the room. I turned to see the kids had parted to reveal a pegasus pony walking towards me. She sported a blue skin-suit with yellow lightning bolts on it.
"Yeah, that's right."
The pegasus eyed me up and down. "Hey I know you. Rainbow mentioned you when she came on tour with us. You're Princess Luna's royal courter, Owen, right?"
Someone else who recognises me. "That's me, the one and only. And can I ask who you are?" The young ponies around me gasped, along with the pegasus and the store owner. "What?" The all pointed to the walls where the posters were. I scanned them to see said pegasus on nearly every single one.
She held out her hoof. "Spitfire. Captain of the Wonderbolts."
I facepalmed and bumped her hoof with my fist. "I am so sorry. I really didn't know."
"That's alright. It's nice to introduce someone to the Wonderbolts. Have you ever seen our shows?" she asks.
"Not yet. I'll have to at one point." That's when a thought occured to me. "Hey, do you know how much tickets cost? I mean the best tickets avaliable. VIP standard."
The store owner cleared his throat. "Those would cost 200 bits each or 300 for two tickets. Would you like to buy some?"
"Absolutely. I think Rainbow would love these."
Spitfire stepped up to the counter. "Those are for Rainbow?" I nodded, handing 300 bits over and getting two golden tickets in return. "Wait here." Spitfire ran back to her table and russled in her saddlebag. She came back with something golden in her mouth which she dropped into my hands. "Here's two more VIP tickets, courtesy of me."
I was in shock. "I can't take these!" I tried handing them back to her but she wouldn't have it.
"No way. You keep them. Give them to Rainbow, she'll love them." she said with a wink.
I leant down and hugged her tight. "Thanks so much." I released the hug and admired who I was looking at. "Look at me, meeting a celebrity. That's a first."
Next was Pinkie. 1,000 bits to go.
Something to do with baking or sweets. This shouldn't be too difficult. I came across a confectionary store which displayed a very wide array of baked goods and sweets in the window.
I entered the shop, taking in the wide variety of smells that flooded the air. The smell was intoxicating. I observed the many varieties of items in the store before a pegasus mare made her way over to me.
"Good evening Sir. How can I help you?"
"I'm looking for something for my friend. See, she's a baker and I think something here will be brilliant for her. Got any suggestions?"
She asked many questions about what Pinkie likes and what she does in the bakery. Bakes, I don't know. Eventually she came to a conclusion.
"How about this here?" She held up a book. "This cookbook is by Chef Mareco Pierre Blanc and she is a master at baking. World famous recipies are in here."
"Perfect. How much would that be?"
"100 bits."
Lastly, Celestia. Now, what can I get for a Princess who can get anything she wants and when she wants it?
Walking up and down the market place, I struggled to think of a single thing that she would like. Shops around me were closing and I was running out of time.
She needed something that's rare, something unusual, something...
I got it. I didn't know if it would work but it would be an amazing present if it did. Knowing what I had to do, I set that aside for another day. Besides, it's only the 16th, 9 days to go yet.
I made my way back to Shining Jewel's shop as it was just about to close. I entered the shop to see the elder stallion locking his cabinets for the night.
"Oh, there you are. I was beginning to think you weren't coming back."
I held up the variety of bags I was holding. "I got a bit busy. So, is it complete?"
The stallion held up a velvet box. I contemplated opening it but restrained myself. "No, I know you did a great job. Thanks so much." I opened my bit bag and pulled out a golden coin. "Here, a bit more for your troubles. Once again, thank you."
"Good day to you Sir!"
I exited the shop and the stallion locked it behind me. Just in time. I got everything I needed, minus Celestia's present, and all I needed to do now was to wrap them up. 900 bits remained in my bit bag. Not bad considering what I bought and what I was given.
I began my trek back to the castle.
"OWEN!"
I looked up to see Luna circling above me. She lowered herself to the ground and embraced me in a hug. "Hey you. How did you sleep?"
"Very well. I've only just awoken. Did you?"
"Same here. I woke up hours ago so I went shopping for Hearth's Warming."
Luna eyed the bags longingly. "Ooh. What did you get me?" she said, leaning towards the bags.
"Uh, uh! If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise would it?" I said, yanking the bags away.
Luna groaned and playfully nudged me in the shoulder. "I came out to tell you something. What was it...OH! The last train to Ponyville leaves in ten minutes!
"Oh bugger. Can we get there in--"
*FLASH*
"--time?"
I realised I had changed position as I was now on the train platform. I looked at Luna who looked proud. "Thank you very much."
"You're welcome dear." she replied, kissing me on the cheek.
As we waited for the train to arrive, I noticed the decor of the station. Beautiful plants hung everywhere, all over the white marble which the station was made out of. Looking towards a particular flowery part of the station, I saw a unicorn with a flash camera.
"Hey, follow me a second." I asked Luna. We walked over to the unicorn who bowed in our presence. "Hi there. I was wondering if you could take a picture of me and the Princess against these flowers here."
"O-of course Sir."
Luna and I walked over to the flower-adorned wall and stood next to each other. I put my arms around her shoulders and she draped a wing over me. We both faced the camera and it flashed. The camera produced a photo shortly after which the unicorn levitated to me.
"Thanks so much."
"What do you want that for?" Luna asked.
"I bought a picture frame a while back and I now I have something to fill it with." We both looked at the photo which was perfect. A perfect picture. "It's lovely."
"It is...OH! Look!"
We looked at the platform to see that the train had arrived. I picked up my bags and walked towards to the train. Luna walked over to the guard.
"Please find it that my courter here has the best seating avaliable." she instructed.
"Yes your highness."
Luna strode up to me and embraced me once again. "I'll see you on Hearth's Warming Eve yes?"
"Wouldn't miss it." I answered with a kiss. I broke the embrace and boarded the train. The train door shut and locked and the train quickly set in motion. I watched Luna wave goodbye as the train pulled out of the station and into the countryside.
Sitting back on the seat, I observed the picture. "Brilliant. Now, how do I shrink it?"
The train pulled into Ponyville station at around midnight. I disembarked the train and saw that I was the only one left on the train at that point. Leaving the station with my bags, I made my way to the library.
Entering, I saw Twilight who was still awake at this hour.
"Hey Twilight."
"Owen, you're home. Did you enjoy your night with Luna?"
"Of course. Bit sleepy but I enjoyed it nonetheless."
I walked upstairs and set my bags on the bed. I quickly hid all of the presents in the only place I could - in my locked set of drawers. Except for the fabric which I stuck under the bed.
I pulled out the picture and thought that I should ask about it now. I went back downstairs and approached Twilight.
"Hey Twilight?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you know a shrinking spell?"
"Why? she responded, not looking in my direction. I pulled out the photo and showed it to her. "That's a lovely picture. Why do you want to shrink it?"
"That, my dear Twilight, is for me to know and for you to find out in ohh...9 days."
Twilight thought about it, then her eyes lit up with anticipation. "For Luna?"
"For Luna."