The events of the recent past were still buzzing around in my head. I could barely stop the thousands of thoughts that were dancing around about Luna.
"What am I supposed to do? I'm not even sure if I could fall in love with her. We're both so different! She's an immortal being from another dimension, and another species at that! But what if I do have feelings for her? Don't be ridiculous! But there is the chance it could work out. If I don't love her, how can I set her down gently... and without Celestia blasting me to oblivion?"
I clasped my head in desperation. "Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!"
I slumped onto my couch in defeat. I now noticed the several cookie crumbs and soda cans that were laying on the coffee table.
"Heh. I wonder what her favorite soda is." I pondered to myself.
I groaned and buried my face in a pillow now that I realized I had gotten back to thinking about her. It was all just so frustrating! How could somepony like Luna fall for me?
"That's it!" I blurted as I sat upright with renewed hope. "Celestia must be mistaken. We're good friends at best. I mean, why would somepony as powerful, important, and beau- er, why would she fall for some loser like me?"
"You did save Equestria twice." A voice in my head told me.
"W-well, yeah. But-"
"And she even said you were the first person to really care that much about her."
"She was sealed away for a thousand years. Plus she must not have been thinking about all the things Celestia has done for her."
"You're right. She wasn't thinking about Celestia. But that doesn't change that she thought of you."
I was loosing an argument with myself. How the hell was that happening? I was finally fed up with all these thoughts and just wanted to clear my mind. I grabbed my jacket, iPhone, and the Solar Sword and Lunar Shield. If training couldn't get my mind off of Luna, I was probably going to wind up bashing my head against a wall.
--------
The trees in the inner ring of the Everfree Forest had become my own personal training ground as of late. Several slices in bark and bashes against trunks were more than evident of that. The Solar Sword and Lunar Shield were mysterious weapons indeed. They both had the basic properties of utilizing light and shadow energy respectively, but there were so many abilities they had that were just out of reach. I was determined to learn what new powers I could find through experimentation.
I took a deep breath and held out my shield and positioned my sword hilt up behind it. It was more of a cheesy pose while I meditated, but something started to happen with the weapons. The Lunar Shield held the hilt of the Solar Sword close to it with a sphere of shadow energy, while the blade began charging with light.
"Alright! Now, let it be something good!" I triumphantly cheered.
Well, something happened, but it sure wasn't good. The blade released the light energy straight downward, propelling me high into the air.
"Holy crap!!!" I shouted in surprise.
The fun didn't stop there. The sword just kept right on expelling light energy as it just kept utilizing all the light of the day. I began flailing around in the air as the rocket propelled shield started flying in random directions.
"STOP! I COMMAND IT!" I shouted at my weapons.
Of course the little buggers weren't going to respond to that. I was officially starting to get desperate.
"STUPIFY! EXPELLIARMUS! INDIGNATION! THE POWER OF CELESTIA COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF- HOLY SHIT!" I shouted as the weapons changed course straight for Ponyville.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA THROW UP AND THEN I'M GONNA DIE!!!" I began screaming in fear.
Hey, not screaming like a little girl is for people who aren't barreling at terminal velocity towards a populated town by two out of control magic weapons. I shut my eyes in terror as the ground came ever so closer into view.
*Pomf*
I landed with a soft thud as I impacted. Slowly I opened my eyes to find that I was sitting on a cloud, my weapons having ceased their flight.
"Ha ha! Take that Murphy's law! Wait, I don't have a cloud walking spell on. How am I-?"
The cloud uncoiled and sent me barreling high into the air. My screaming resumed as I flailed helplessly in the sky. Of course Murphy had to screw me over again because I didn't have my trusty Sky Cloth on me. The ground neared again, but fortunately there appeared to be a pile of hay under me.
"Oh please let that Assassin's Creed stuff work!" I begged as I positioned my back to land first.
The hay was depressed where I impacted, but it absorbed the impact all the same. I crawled out of the pile and began kissing the ground.
"IIII LIIIIIIIVE!" I shouted in maniacal relief.
"You mind toning it down, moron?" A familiar voice asked.
A rainbow maned mare glided down from above and landed in front of me. She had on a smug grin that said something along the lines of "Yeah, I'm awesome. Thank you very much."
"So that cloud was you?" I asked Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, clouds can work on non-pegasi if they're compressed enough, but they always uncoil like that, so it's only temporary." She explained.
I lunged forward and hugged her leg. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you! I thought I was a goner that time!"
Rainbow Dash chuckled. "The screaming kind of clued me in on that one. What, that Giga Drill Break wasn't enough for you? And what was with that helpless act?"
"First off: I wasn't trying to do that. Second: I couldn't control these things. And third: You best not be dissin' the Giga Drill Break. I did that for Kamina, dammit!" I fired off.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, yeah. That was a totally awesome move that almost got you killed to destroy a giant golem. And you dedicated it to a guy who we don't even know if he exists or not."
I dusted myself off and stood up. "You guys exist. So that must mean that the theory of the multi-verse is true to some degree."
Rainbow tilted her head in confusion. "The whati-verse?"
"Multi-verse. It's believed that there are an infinite number of universes with an infinite number of possibilities. That other outcome to a coin toss? There's a universe for that. You being born as a colt? There's a universe for that. This conversation never happening? There's a universe for that too. There's a universe for just about everything." I explained matter-of-factly.
"That all just sounds really confusing. What if you wound up in a universe that was so similar to home you never knew it was a new universe?" The cyan pegasus asked.
"I... Wow, you just blew my mind right there." I admitted. "Long story short, the fact I've traveled here from my dimension proves that there's at least one other dimension than what we thought."
"Whatever. If you want to keep talking space mumbo-jumbo, go and bother Twilight. I'm off to go do some shopping."
"Oh really? What are you buying?" I asked.
Rainbow's face tensed up as though she had just seen a ghost. "I-I mean... I can't tell you. Just leave the flying to the professionals from now on."
I gave a mock salute to my flying friend. "Sir, yes ma'm!"
"Har har." Rainbow sarcastically chuckled before flying off.
I sheathed my weapons and began walking the streets of town. Flying through the air like that called for one hell of a break.
"Yo! How was your flight, singer boy?" A mare called out to me.
There was only one mare in Ponyville that called me by that nickname, my next door neighbor, Vinyl Scratch.
"Good morning to you too, Vinyl. You know, it feels weird being able to say that to you. You're usually in a rave induced coma at this time." I teased.
The white unicorn just snorted in amusement. "Nah, I was busy going to some fancy restaurant with Octy. The place was a bit posh for me, but the food was totally worth it!"
"Oh, how is Octavia?" I asked.
Vinyl adjusted her glasses slightly. "She's been getting a few gigs at fancy garden parties and stuff. Although, she said something about wanting to see your skills in action."
I raised a brow. "What, she didn't catch a glimpse of me fighting off monsters or training?"
The DJ let out a small chuckle. "Dude, I'm talking about your singing. I told Octy about how you were pretty good at it, and she said she wanted to hear for herself."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know Vinyl. You know I'm not really a star singer or anything. Besides, I get nervous when I have to perform in front of others."
"You need to give yourself some more credit! I thought that was pretty buckin' good last time. Just go ahead and sing the one that goes 'Loviiin is what I got~'."
I sighed a bit, but not really in annoyance. "Fine, but you're performing at my birthday party for this one."
"Hey, no sweat. When is it again?" The DJ asked.
"It's December 7th, so that's in 13 days." I said as I did the math in my head.
"I'll come over early to get the turntables set up." Vinyl explained as we began walking over to her house. "By the way, did I hear Princess Luna in your house last night?"
"Oh, great, Thanks for getting my mind back on that subject, Vinyl."
"Yeah, I invited her to hang out last night. When did you hear her?" I asked the Queen of Wubs.
"I kept hearing somepony shouting 'Yes! Take that!' and 'Do you enjoy being punished?'." Vinyl had a huge grin plastered on her face.
"No. Whatever you're thinking, no." I sternly told her.
Vinyle began laughing so hard she had to pause and grip her sides. "R-relax, man. I'm just messin' with ya!" Once she caught her breath, she had another grin, but this one seemed genuine. "Although, you two might make a cute pair."
"Something out there is just enjoying watching me squirm today."
--------
I had to admit, Vinyl's home was way cleaner than I would have expected it to be. Although I'm sure that was thanks to her roommate, Octavia. Octavia was a rather talented cello player, and she had the class to match. Not a single hair was out of place on her mane, and her bow tie was adjusted perfectly. Octavia sat patiently on the couch while Vinyl made some final adjustments to her turntables.
"So Robert, have you studied singing in the past?" Octavia asked with professional interest.
"Honestly I've never had any formal training. I usually just sing in the shower and stuff." I admitted.
Octavia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, if what Vinyl says is true, then you must have some natural talent."
The DJ pony popped up from behind her turntables. "You're about to find out, Octy. You ready, Robert?"
A confident grin spread across my face. "Give me a smooth beat, Vinyl."
Vinyl flipped a switch on the turntables and a drum beat began to play from the speakers.
"This song is gonna be Sublime (I made a funny!)."
Holding my hand near my face as though I had an invisible microphone, I began to sing the lyrics I had memorized over several times of singing this song in my boredom. "Early in the morning, risin' to the street. Light me up that cigarette and I'll strap shoes on my feet. Got to find the reason, the reason things went wrong. Got to find the reason why my money's all gone. I got a dalmatian, and I can still get high. I can play the guitar like a mother fucking riot."
I waved a hand over to Vinyl as I sang out a small 'Loo doo da doo' in the break of the lyrics. I began waving my free hand to the beat as the singing resumed.
"Well, life is too short, so love the one you got 'Cause you might get run over or you might get shot. Never start no static I just get it off my chest. Never had to battle with no bullet proof vest. Take a small example, take a ti-ti-tip from me. Take all of your money, give it all to charity. Love is what I got, it's within my reach. And the Sublime style's still straight from Long Beach. It all comes back to you you'll finally get what you deserve. Try and test that, you're bound to get served. Love's what I got. Don't start a riot. You'll feel it when the dance gets hot."
My quick hand motions changed to slow smooth ones as the singing calmed. "Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that. Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that. Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that. Lovin', is what I got, I got I got I got. Why I don't cry when my dog runs away. I don't get angry at the bills I have to pay. I don't get angry when my mom smokes pot. Hits the bottle and goes right to the rock. Fuckin' and fightin', it's all the same. Livin' with Louie dog's the only way to stay sane. Let the lovin' let the lovin' come back to me."
It was now Vinyl's show as the singing stopped to make way for a turntable solo. Vinyl spun the records with calculated precision and a sense of enjoyment that you could feel in the beat.
"Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that. Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that. Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that. Lovin', is what I got, I got I got I got."
With the song over, I bowed to Octavia, peeking with one eye to see her reaction. Slowly a grin dazzled her features and she began clapping.
"Oh, that was excellent! Vinyl, you weren't joking when you said he had a good voice."
"Of course not. He might be rough around the edges on some notes, but he's better than the average stallion." Vinyl replied.
"Hey, thanks for having me over. I needed a distraction today." I thanked my hosts.
Octavia gave a polite bow before opening the door for me. "I must thank you again for taking the time to perform for me. I'm happy to say that I will be attending your party along with Vinyl."
Well that was certainly cool. Two more guests to add to the list.
--------
Time really flies when you're having fun, so it's no real surprise that the days blurred by in Ponyville. The 13 days passed so fast that even I was surprised to find it was my birthday. At around 6 in the night, all of my friends came to celebrate my 18th year of existence. Everypony was dancing, laughing, and just having a good time in general. And of course, DJ PON-3 was laying down the beats.
"You really know how to throw a party!" Pinkie Pie complemented in between dancing and sampling from the snack table.
"Well, turning 18 is a bit of a milestone." I replied.
I felt a small twinge of pain in my shin as Twilight accidentally kicked it in the middle of her... I'm afraid to call it dancing as it would make any dancer want to vomit, so I'll refer to it as flailing.
"Oh! I'm so sorry." She apologized.
I rubbed my leg, but offered her a genuine smile. "Hey, it's alright." I assured her.
I went over to the kitchen and decided to take a break from dancing, if only to prevent any further damage to my shins. I sat down next to Spike who had his head perched in his claws, staring across the room at the fashionista, Rarity.
I nudged the dragon to get his attention. "If you just keep staring at her, you're going to miss the whole party." I chuckled.
"I-I wasn't staring! I was... I was admiring the color of paint you have on that wall. Yep, that's a real good shade of red." Spike lied.
"Spike." I sternly said.
The baby dragon sighed in defeat. "I just don't know how to approach her. I mean, what if she doesn't like me the same way?"
I placed a comforting hand on his scaly shoulder. "Hey, you'll never know unless you ask her yourself. Isn't it better to know the answer than to spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been?"
Spike rubbed his arm nervously. "It's just, I'm worried she might reject me because I'm a dragon and she's a pony. I really like her, but I'm not sure if she could see past that."
"Spike, if you really love her, than you have to give it a shot. It doesn't matter if she rejects you, because if you don't approach her, it could be too late." I flashed him a confident grin. "And besides. I'm sure she'd be able to see that deep down, it doesn't matter if you come from a different race, or background. What really matters is how you feel."
Spike contemplated my words for a moment, but raised his head with a confident expression. "Yeah! I need to believe in myself and at least try!"
I patted him on the back. "That's the spirit. Now go get her, tiger!"
Spike left his seat and went across the room to Rarity. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I assume Spike asked her to dance with him since they both hit the dance floor that had been cleared out in my living room.
I smiled at the little guy. I was certain that he would be just fine. I realized that perhaps I should have listened to my own advice in a way. Luna and I were different, but she was willing to give it a chance, so why not I?
*Knock Knock Knock*
That was certainly strange. Everypony was already at the party. The mane 6, Octavia and Vinyl, Spike. That was everypony. So who could have possibly been at the door? I got up from my seat, calling Ragna over from the counter. Seeing as he was comfortably on my shoulder, I went over to the door and opened it to see who was there.
"C-Celestia and Luna?!" I blurted in surprise.
The two alicorn sisters were outside with welcoming grins and two presents levitating beside them. It seems I was slightly louder than I had anticipated considering that the record scratched and the music halted. Everypony in the room bowed to their rulers.
I stepped aside and allowed the sisters to enter. Celestia closed her exposed eye and gave everyone a motherly smile. "You can all relax. There's no need for such formalities. After all, this is a time for celebration."
"H-how did you-? I never-." I tried to ask.
"I believe you mentioned your birthday to me back at the unveiling of the statue. I was sure to make room in my schedule for the event. I wouldn't dare miss the birthday of a good friend." Celestia explained.
Dumbstruck as I was, the flattery won over. "Wow. That's really flattering, you two."
Seeing as there was no decree and that the princesses were here to have fun, the other ponies relaxed and continued their partying. Soon enough it came time to open presents after Pinkie Pie's 'Super Delux Double Decker Chocolate Cake'. Oh man was that cake good... Each present was truly something memorable. Twilight gave me a guide to Equestrian constellations as well as a new telescope, Pinkie Pie provided a desert cookbook, Applejack gave me my very own stetson (which, might I add, stetsons are cool), Vinyl gave me a copy of her latest DJ record, Octavia actually gave me two free tickets to her next show in Canterlot, Fluttershy gave me a journal on Equestrian wildlife and a bird caller, Rainbow Dash got me a cloud mattress (if you need an idea of how soft it was, imagine a bed so soft you could literally feel yourself falling asleep even in the middle of the day), and Spike gave me a golden bracelet with a blue gem he dug up himself.
I finally went over to the two boxes that Rarity had provided. I opened the first one to find an amazing new outfit. It was a long blue coat with a red sword symbol on the back, a black vest, and black khaki pants. opened the second box to find boots of the same blue as the coat, but with black steel heels and toes. There were also black fingerless gloves with silver steel backs.
"Whoa! Rarity, what's all this for?" I asked as I admired the attire.
Rarity flashed a smile my way. "Well, I figured you might want a new outfit for your heroics; one that sets you apart from the crowd. So, I put myself to the test on this beauty! I went for a design that combined functionality, style, and comfort."
I gathered up the outfit and stood up. "If you'll all excuse me, I have to try this on now."
With everypony's approval, I went into my room and locked the door as I put the new outfit on. Everything about it was perfect. The color, the fit, even the way the boots were sized. Normally I would wear long socks with boots on earth since they tend to discomfort me, but these boots felt almost like slipping on a second layer of silk socks.
I stepped outside and showed off Rarity's latest creation. Everypony began audibly admiring how it looked on me.
"That is soooo cool!!!" Rainbow complemented.
"It's really nice." Fluttershy added.
"Well Rarity, It's officially a hit." I told her.
"Truly it is my finest creation yet, and that bracelet from Spikey-Wikey just completes it." She said, throwing a glance to Spike.
Spike rubbed the back of his neck and giggled nervously. Luna stepped forward bearing her own present.
"I... hope you enjoy it. I made it myself." She said with a smile and a blush.
I took the small box and opened it, and I could feel my eyes bulge as I saw it's contents. It was a single object: a crescent moon pendant. But there was something special about it. It had a white glow even though there was no light reflecting directly off its surface.
"It's beautiful...! How did you make this, Luna?" I asked in my admiration.
"I made it from pure stardust. It will always shine with the brilliance of a star in the night sky."
I took the chain and placed the pendant around my neck. It perfectly completed the ensemble.
"I love it! Thank you, Luna." I thanked her.
Luna smiled and blushed once more. "It was my pleasure." She modestly replied.
Celestia stepped forward and held out her present in a magic aura. Without hesitation, I took the box and unwrapped it. I lifted the lid of the box to find there was only a single piece of parchment inside with one word written on it.
"Kneel." I read aloud.
I was certainly a little confused, but I complied with the instruction. as I lowered myself to the floor on one knee, Celestia levitated over the Solar Sword and Lunar Shield. Holding out the sword she held it above my shoulder.
"Robert, you have done more for Equestria than anypony could have thought possible. You have fought against impossible odds, faced beings from the darkest depths, and were even prepared to lay down your very life. And so, it is with great honor that I knight you, 'Robert, Protector of Justice'." Celestia said as she tapped the blade on each shoulder.
I rose to my feet and took my weapons. "Thank you, Celestia. I promise I won't let you down."
Celestia nodded in approval. "This is not just a new title, but also a new rank. I have decided to assign you the rank of Captain. You are on equal terms with Shining Armor, so I hope the two of you enjoy working with one another."
Everything just stood still for a moment. I had just been given such an important rank and title! There was just no way this day could go wrong.
*Buzz*
The TV in the living room popped on to some static. At first I was confused, but I assumed somepony had just sat on the remote or something.
"Hey Twilight, can you do me a favor and shut off the TV?" I asked from across the room.
"No problem." She assured as she walked over to the device.
*Click*
The buzzing still continued. Twilight continually pressed the power button, but the TV would not shut off. This was officially starting to weird me out. Twilight began inspecting every angle of the TV, when the static turned into a pulsating combination of white and black circles.
"I've never seen anything like-"
Twilight's amazement was interrupted as she was sucked through the TV screen to who-knows-where.
"Twilight!" Everypony cried out.
Rainbow Dash ran over to the TV frame to grab onto Twilight, but was beginning to be sucked in herself. Rarity and the others ran over, but the force was overwhelming. Everypony, even the alicorn sisters were beginning to be pulled in by the force of the malevolent television. As I was sucked in, I grabbed onto the frame of the TV to try and hold myself in, but the force was winning.
Well, I figured that this could be the end of me, so it was time for some memorable last words.
"God. Damn. You. MUUUURPHYYYYYYY!!!"