I woke up with a slight groan.
"Mhmmm..." I squeeze out, a little groggy from my nap.
How long had I been out?
I look at my watch.
Wait, where's my watch?
I rub my eyes and sit up to get a look around.
I had taken it off to shower, I suppose I never put it back on.
Let me tell you, after that shower, I was OUT.
It might have been late day, but I was worn. Except now I'm probably gonna be up for like 3 more hours before I can sleep again.
It's dark in the room. I can't see, but I hear Twilight snoring softly on the other side of the room.
I stumble around my side of the study in search of my confounded time measurement device.
I trip over my shoe/sandal things. And smack the floor.
"Who? Wha-?" Grumbles a still asleep Twilight.
I hold as still possible. I do not wanna wake a sleeping beast.
Trust me, when Twi wants sleep, Twi gets sleep.
"Why yes I will have a.... slice of.... my couch...." She murmurs in her sleep.
I manage to find the drawer I dropped my watch in.
I tug it open and find my piece of technology.
I press the button to light up the display.
11:46 it reads...
Great... I'm probably gonna be up till who knows when.
Oh well, I can't stay here bored out of my mind. Plus I don't wanna bother Twilight.
I throw on my shoe-dals and make my way to the door.
Tripping over a bucking book.
*slam*
"HEY!... You can't go around... licking... Fluttershy...." Grumbles Twilight.
"The hell I can't." I whisper to myself, having to bite my arm to hold in a laugh.
I just pictured yours truly walking up and licking Flutters. She would probably freak out and alienate me for life.
Was it worth it?
Totes.
I stand up and brush the dust off my shoulders.
I look over to Twilight to make sure I didn't actually wake her.
*SNOOOOOOOOOORE*
Nope. She's fine.
Anyway...
I open the door as quietly as I can and slip through.
There was a guard standing there, he was different.
"Whoa, are those bat wings real?"
"No sir, the armor I'm wearing has an-"
"An enchantment?"
"Yes sir."
"Wow, that's cool, so you must be Lunar Guard then?"
"The best of the best."
"That's what Solar Guard said."
"Of course they would, but can they see in the dark?" He asked, flaring his reptilian eyes.
"I don't know?"
"The answer is no son."
"Fair enough, can you point me in the direction of the castle library?"
"You are standing in the Grand Hall, you take the third hallway to the left, and take a right at the end of that hallway. I believe another guard will let you in."
"Thanks, I appreciate it, this place is huge."
"No problem, you sure you don't need a light?"
"I'll be fine, you aren't the only one who is ok in the dark."
As I walk through the dark halls, I pass guards, they never stop me. It's hard to mistake the only human in the world as an intruder.
The halls were dark, but it wasn't too dark, it was actually well lit by moonlight.
Before I knew it I was in the Grand Hall. It was truly an impressive sight, even at night.
I felt like I was in Hogwarts or something, only thing missing is floating candles and talking paintings.
I look towards the front of the hall, the doorway leading to the throne room was closed, there were four guards standing on duty. Each armed with a lance, I couldn't tell if they had blades strapped to their wings, not from this distance, in low light.
I look at the door, I wonder if she's in there.
I want to go, but I want to stay.
She intimidates me, yet she mystifies me.
I want to talk to her, but what was there to say?
I had a dream about you? That's not creepy at all.
Was she really Nightmare Moon?
Princess Luna was it?
She never did tell me her name, but it was a dream so even if she did it wouldn't be right.
Nightmare Moon...
Princess Luna...
Nightmare Moon...
Princess Luna...
What does that do to a persons, or pony in this case, mind? Being locked away for a thousand years?
I met Discord, his mind was a bag of cats, as Dr. Banner would say. He was locked in stone I've been told, and put up as a statue in the garden. Which is freaking hilarious if you ask me.
But being secluded... On. The. MOON!
If the moon was anything like Earths, it was dark. Cold. Hot. Desolate. Terrifying.
Staring up, into the black nothingness. Seeing the Earth, or Equestria in the distance.
I would've had a mental breakdown within five minutes, that's assuming there were a breathable atmosphere. I assume there was given she's been there and is still alive.
Then coming back. I would've been mad too.
And the legend never did say she was ALLOWED to come home. She had to escape herself.
Those Elements must be the ultimate anger management. I would've probably shot somepony the moment I got back.
Whose side am I on?
Who said I had to choose sides? It's not my fight. It's not my world.
Where was I?
Oh right. Library.
"Third hallway to the left..." I whisper to myself.
One. Two. Three.
I count the hallways up and take a left.
As I walk down the hall I see paintings and symbols all over the walls. I don't know what they mean.
Every single piece has its own history, none of which I know for myself.
Every story, every piece of the puzzle.
It's so odd to think that the whole time I've walked the Earth, there was a whole other world full of wonder, and... And amazing people... The more you know.
I think of my home, speaking of isolation...
Sometimes I feel like a dead man walking...
Chin up Shorts. You'll live to see another day.
I reach the end of the hallway, I take a right and ahead I can see a subtle glow coming from the castle library.
There are two guards stationed there.
"Evening boys." I say.
"Evening." They say in unison.
They open the door and I enter.
I take a lamp from a hook to my right. I kind of need light to see, to read.
The ceiling is clear. Whether it was made of glass or not, I have no idea, I was inside, but the night sky was as clear as day.
Good luck figuring that one out.
"Starswirl the Bearded? Where are you at?" I say.
As I walk through the aisles. I begin to notice how truly large this library is.
I couldn't read all of these books in ten lifetimes.
I wonder if the Princesses have.
What do you do with all the time in the world?
I look up and see the moon.
I begin to think of how much power one would have to have to move that colossal object. How much would it take to raise the SUN?
Of course assuming that anything beyond atmosphere is the same.
I don't even know if Equestria is round, because its not an idea that the sun and moon circle the Earth here. It's fact. I've seen the magic behind it.
I try not to think too hard about it, my mind has been blown too many times today.
S. S. S... Where are you?
Stargaze... Starlight... Starswirl... Star Wars... Wait back up.
I look down the row labeled Starswirl. At the end I see an entire other room.
I think I found it.
As I enter the room, I am blown away.
How can one pony write so many books?
Sweet Celestia... Where should I start?
Amulets? Black Magic Studies? Charms? Divination? Enchantment?
Let's go with Amulets, gonna need that knowledge.
But wouldn't I need a basic spell book?
How would I even know how to cast?
Would it be a feeling? Like the music? How would I know?
Before I knew it, I had an entire stack of books.
I take them back into the main room and sit down at the table in the center of the library.
Lets see... "Study of Amulets and Magical Objects: Volume 1"
I flip through the pages.
".... an Amulet acts as a magical enhancer to the caster. However, each Amulet is as different as their creators as the magic stored within them is generally from their own magic reserves... Blah blah blah... for this reason many Amulets are created through less than honorable means like stealing the magic from other ponies by force..."
I flip a bit farther forward.
A page titled "Unusual Cases"
"Generally creatures other than unicorns aren't know to create Amulets, as we know, Amulets can take many forms. A magicians staff is by definition an Amulet, as it contains stored magic, and can sustain itself, and recover from prolonged usage as if it were a unicorn."
A couple pages later...
"The Dragon Amulet"
"The Dragon Amulet is believed to have been recovered in year 608 B.B. during the annual dragon migration. It is one of the most powerful amulets known in existence. The user, would be granted the ability to breathe fire, grants them immense strength, become fireproof, and in some rare cases, conjure wings and take flight. This Amulet is a special case because although it is powerful and extremely dangerous, it is set to only allow certain abilities rather than give the user more casting ability. The creation of the Amulet is thought to have been brought about by an ancient dragon. A dying dragon. It is believed to have been powered by the dragons very soul, and that it's bizarre qualities were brought about because of the unique conditions of its creation. The reasoning for the dragons to have abandoned this powerful object is unknown."
Cool. I wonder if that were in the vault somewhere.
"The Dragon Amulet was lost during the castle fire of 1252 A.B. along with several other Amulets. Whether stolen or simply lost, the fire disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared. Luckily nopony was hurt. The Amulets, along with several other artifacts disappeared and have not been recovered."
Drat. That would be a cool one to use, I wanna breathe fire.
"The Alicorn Amulet, created by the evil magician... Blah blah.."
I flip through a chapter or two.
"Amulets and Non-Unicorns"
"There have been few tests done on this subject, given the rare nature of Amulets, and disinterest of pegasi, earth-ponies, and non-ponies. Though, as always, there are a few special cases."
"Case 01- Aeria 1478, Gryphon, Female, came into contact with the Infamous Grey Amulet, although she was not able to cast any spells, the Amulet affected her mind. It's called the Grey Amulet after its tendency to cause the user to lose their mind. Unicorns whose minds were unprepared for the side effects quickly go from happy, bouncing ponies, to blank, grey-shadows of their former selves."
"Case 02- Zebrica 1465, Zebra, Male, came into contact with the Amulet of Amora, named after its creator, Ze-aal Amora. Although the user was not able to conjure more than a spark, the Zebra gained great strength and used his newfound abilities for his own benefits. Eventually the source of his immense strength was found out, and the Amulet was stolen. It has never been on any official record since."
"Case 03- The Bad-Lands 1486, Minotaur, Male, came into contact with the Crystal Scepter. The Amulet was thought to have been lost during the Equestria/Crystaline war after the evil Sombra fell. This Amulet is believed to have been created by King Sombra himself. (With the magic of the Crystal Heart no doubt.) Although unable to cast, or conjure regularly. The Minotaur was able to cause a single blast of magic that nearly leveled a small building. The strain of magic on the Minotaurs body was so great it caused him to go into shock, and was immediately hospitalized."
".... although she was not able to cast any spells..."
"Although the user was not able to conjure more than a spark..."
"Although unable to cast, or conjure regularly..."
"Although unable to cast."
"Unable to cast."
"Unable to cast."
"Unable to cast."
I search for any other evidence of non-unicorn magics and found very little. And what I did find was disheartening...
Unable to cast.
I soon grew bored with my studies and looked up to the sky.
The moon was awfully pretty tonight. It mystified me, just like its owner.
I reach over and take a piece of parchment.
I begin drawing the moon, at first as I remembered from Earth, then once that was done, I draw the moon that I have. From there I start to draw other celestial objects.
I add stars, planets, and galaxies.
I even draw Apollo 11. Then a Space Shuttle. Then a Space Shuttle still strapped to the rocket.
From the rocket, I draw an astronaut, I draw an alien. You know the generic little green man.
I draw Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and then the asteroid belt as well as a comet.
I soon find myself drawing the Solar System.
I had been at it for who knows how long when I hear a soft voice.
"What art thou drawing?"
Art thou? What is this the 19th century?
No seriously what year is it here?
Without looking up I reply, "Oh it started as the Moon, then I got a little carried away."
I gather all my papers that I had been drawing on, kind of embarrassed.
"They look stupid, I know."
"We think they're great."
I turn to see who I'm talking to, "Well thanks, but who's we-?! Princess?! I mean Nightmare Moon! I mean-!"
Her eyes drooped at the sound of Nightmare Moon.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that... It was insensitive of me." I apologize.
"It's quite alright. It's a reaction we are used to..." She says quietly.
Oh great, good job Ben, you hurt her feelings... Jerk...
"No really, I'm sorry, It's just that... I didn't think that the famous Mare in the Moon could be so pretty." I say.
Her ears perk back up and she smiles.
*Phew*... Perfect recovery.
"May we see your drawings?" She asks.
"Of course your majesty."
I show her my many parchments.
"What's this?" She asks, holding up the drawing of Apollo 11.
"Well that is the Apollo 11 rocket!" I say, "It contained the humans that first set foot on the moon!"
"Preposterous!" She says in awe, "Without the aid of magic? Impossible!"
"Not so, Princess! My moon is about 238,900 miles from the Earth and with the proper tools we were able to land not just one, but 12 men on the moon."
"Blasphemy! How did they escape without the aid of the stars?"
"With something we call a Lunar Module. We don't have magic back on Earth, we had to come up with our own solutions."
"Interesting... Is this your moon?" She asks holding the picture in question.
"That's the one! It's not picture perfect. It's been a while since I last got a good look at it, if you can't tell."
"It's very pretty."
"The drawing on paper doesn't do it much justice, I personally prefer yours." I say looking up, "You really move that thing all by yourself?"
"But of course! How else would ponies know when it is time for bed?" She says as if it were a silly question.
"That's not exactly what I meant. By the way, my name is-"
"Ben Short, we know."
"Did you hear that from your sister or Princess Twilight?"
"Dost thou not remember? We have met with thee."
I just give her a blank stare.
"When?" I ask, "At the Guard Quarters? I would hardly call that a-"
"In your dreams!" She persists
"Woah, woah, woah... Hold up.. What do you mean?"
"Dost thou really not remember? We were standing in a field and you were about to touch my-"
(Read that last sentence out of context)
"I was about to touch your horn, I know, but... That was really you?" I ask
"Of course! Somepony has to protect ponies dreams!"
Consider my mind blown for about the... One, two, three, four... Twelfth time today.
"Wow... That's incredible... I thought I was just dreaming..."
"Didn't you have a dream protector on your home world?"
"Not really no.. A persons dreams were usually kept to themselves, and most times they don't remember the dream after they have awoken."
"That is terrible. How terribly lonely the dreams must have been!"
"The ones I do remember are usually the nice ones, so I don't complain."
"Have your dreams changed any during thous visit?"
"Well, I do seem to dream a lot more."
"Speaking of which, what art thou still doing awake? It's long past time for ponies to be awake."
"Well Princess, I went to bed a little early and woke up in the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep so I came down here to do some reading."
"We see, do you even know what time it is?" She asks.
"Of course! It's 11- er... Well..."
My watch reads 3:14.
"I've been here a while."
"We noticed."
"Say, on a slightly related note, what in the world does Twilight dream about?"
"Why do you ask?"
"As I was leaving, I swear I heard her say the strangest things..."
"Like what?"
"Well she said something about taking a slice of couch. And then licking Fluttershy."
"Hmmm..." She says, "I may have to oversee this."
Her eyes light up white and she goes into that weird, statue like state.
About 5 seconds later I hear a pop and she's back with a very... Odd... Look on her face.
"Well? What was she dreaming?"
"You don't wanna know." Says the Princess.
Just then my stomach rumbles...
"Oh right... I fell asleep before dinner." I say.
"Wouldst thou care for something to eat?" She smiles.
"Oh Princess you really don't have to-"
"Of course we do! You are our guest! And please, call us Luna."
--------
Luna, leads me down several corridors.
I found myself admiring her long and magnificent mane. It was like Celestias except it seemed to contain the entirety of outer space, so one could in fact, say "those locks are out of this world."
I mean what kind of shampoo does she use? Like 2-n-1 shampoo and conditioner. Now with extra cosmos.
The deeper I look into it, the more the sparkles seem to take shape. They begin to look more like stars than sparkles. It feels like I could just reach out and grab one.
It was strange, it was unnatural, it was beautiful.
As was she.
As the thought crossed the threshold of my mind, I couldn't help but also think, am I a freak? This is a horse we are talking about here.
But the same voice shouted back, Is that all she is? A horse?
No...
The more I think on it, the more I'm torn. I went on a date with Twilight, but that was all in good fun, I wasn't really serious about it. I agreed because, granted she is cute and a huge dork, she was my friend. I didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"Something wrong?" Asks Luna, noting the look on my face as I deal with inner turmoil.
"Oh no! I was just- uh...- admiring your mane." I say quickly snapping out of it, "How does one gather all of the cosmos into ones hair?"
She stops and looks at me kind of funny. The look on her face indicated she thought I was either crazy, funny, or both?
"It's not that special, compared to Tia's it-"
"Are you kidding me? Celestia's got nothin' on that! Your hair is the night sky! It's amazing really..."
She turns her head to hide away in her mane.
"It... It's not that special..."
"Princess, if I may..." I start, "can I...? Can I touch your mane?"
She comes out of her shell, "I.. We.. Don't mind."
I get close to her. I reach a hand towards the majestic, mystical flow of hair. It's like nothing I've ever seen before.
It feels like the smoothest silk, yet it flows like a body of water. As I run my fingers through it, it moves and flows around my hand like liquid. I soon find myself in a trance, in it I see the stars, galaxies and the like. It's not hair, it's a celestial sandbox. I reach out towards the tiny glints of light.
They move and dance around my hand, I can feel them bouncing off my skin, like tiny grains of sand. The experience is like nothing I've seen, here in Equestria, or on Earth. It took my breath away. She took my breath away.
I cup my hand around one of the tiny glints and pull it towards me. I move my face closer to the threshold. The light from the small sphere grows ever subtly brighter. My face, reflecting its faint glow. I grip the little fragile star with my fingers and pull it past the edge of space.
I look down at my hand, the small object now resting in my palm. It feels like a tiny, warm marble rolling in my hand. Like a miniature little sun. Giving off its subtle light.
I look up from my palm and find myself staring into the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" She asks, looking down into my palm.
"Yeah... Yeah it is..." I say, looking into the windows to her soul.
She looks up and returns my gaze.
For a moment we just sit there and look at each other.
When I notice-
"Luna? Why are your wings doing that?" I say, gesturing to her now extended wings.
She slams them back in as quick as she can with a loud "POMF"
"It's no-nothing..." She insists, "Weren't you hungry?"
-----
She flares her horn and a small chef pony comes booking it out of the kitchen.
He kneels before the Princess and she says to him, "Fetch our fair guest a bite to eat. For he has grown weary and requires sustenance!"
"Yes Princess!" He says and scurries away.
I hear some clanging in the back.
We move to one of the many tables in the room.
"So what's it like?" I ask.
"Pardon?" She replies.
"Being a ruler?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well you see, back on Earth, I was always Blue Collar. I was a worker. I often wondered what it would be like to be big and important. But I never actually saw myself in charge of something like being President."
"President?"
"He's similar to a king, except he has many more limitations to what he can do and he is elected democratically."
"Odd. Who is the one who thought of that?"
"Of what?"
"Of a President?"
"Well the people of a land called England traveled across a large ocean to settle a new land. Those people were tired of the oppressive rule of their king. He wasn't an evil man, but they largely considered themselves their own people and no longer wanted to subject themselves to the crowns rules. They wanted to govern themselves."
"Interesting, nopony has ever complained about my sister and I."
"Well from what I can tell, you two have a good system going, I don't think I've met a single pony who wasn't somewhat stable in their living condition."
"It hasn't always been like that. There was a time when food was scarce, and living conditions were horrific. The weather would run itself, much like in the Everfree. Ponies were scared to go outside because of the beasts that roamed the lands."
"So what is it like, being in your position? Ruling Equestria?"
"Honestly. Stressful. But we tend to enjoy being in the company of our subjects, they have begun to warm up to us, after our very sudden... Return."
She looks down at the floor and closes her eyes in shame.
I look at her, "Hey.."
She looks up and listens.
I smile, "It's in the past, no one here is judging you anymore. You've been forgiven, a long time ago."
She smiles back at me, "thanks..."
...
"Were you cold?" I ask.
"Hmm?"
"Were you cold up there?" I say, looking out at the moon.
She looks with me and says nothing.
Yes...
My heart went out to her, one thousand years up there... Damn...
Then I thought of something else.
She was ancient. I wasn't saying it as an insult. She's OLD.
That thought got me laughing a bit.
"What's so funny?" She asks.
"Well nothing! It's just that, it just occurred to me that you are at least a thousand years old!"
"1,251 years and counting." She replies.
"Jeez old lady... You look great for your age! What's your secret? Make up? Face-lift?" I say being the jokester that I am.
She giggles and says, "It's just how it's always been. We hardly remember our mother. She watched us mature and when we were ready, she sent us into the world to help spread love, and order to this world."
"So you don't know how you live so long? Is there an expiration date?"
"We honestly do not know."
Soon, the little chef pony comes out of the kitchen with a very fancy little roller, with one of those silver platter things on it.
He lifts the circular lid and says, "Dinner, is a- served!"
"Thank you chef." Says Luna and sends him away.
I look down at my meal, it looks delicious.
It's some sort of stew, it has all sorts of vegetables and stuff in it, I see carrots, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, all sorts of stuff.
Within the first two minutes, the entire bowl is gone and I am stuffed to the brim.
I look up from the bowl and see Luna staring at me mouth agape.
I shrug my shoulders, "What? I told you I was hungry!"
"Yes... Yes you did." She says in disbelief.
I yawn and check the time, it was nearly 4 in the morning, I was feeling pretty sleepy.
"It sounds like somepony is ready for bed." She says.
"I suppose you're right." I say, letting out another yawn.
------
We walk up the steps to me and Twilights room.
The guards bow to the Princess and I continue forward.
Before reaching the door, I stop and turn to say,
"It was really nice meeting you, Princess."
"Charmed." She replies.
"So will I see you around?" I ask.
"If you would like to.."
"I would, very much."
"Well then, sweet dreams."
She turns and begins heading down the hall.
I watch her go until she's long out of site.
Wow...
I turn to enter the room.
"Hey buddy..." Says one of the guards standing watch.
"Hmm?"
"Don't even think about it."
-----
Once back in my room, I make may say to my bed.
I sit down on the bed and reach into my pocket.
Still inside is the tiny glowing star. I walk over to one of the many shelves and grab an empty cylindrical bottle. About an inch tall and an inch wide.
I drop the little star in it and place it by my bedside, I watch it bounce around gently inside and place it by my bedside.
I take my shirt off and throw it down next to my shoes.
I look out the window at the night sky.
I can't help but wonder what exactly just happened. My mind was now stuck on Luna. I hope I'm not getting hung up.
And when Ben Short gets hung up... He gets hung up.
The last thing I remember hearing as I drifted to sleep, was Twilight sleep talking something along the lines of...
"Can we all just... stop and appreciate... the art of... cookie... monster?"