Blake had ultimately fallen into the same routine every day for the next week. Wake up, make his way to the dining hall for a morning meal, then study in the grand castle library for the rest of the day. The routine had quickly become old, and Blake virtually found himself stuck in school again, despite being sent to another world. He was mostly under tutor of Princess Luna. Apparently, she had only returned to the throne a little over a year ago, and her sister still took care of the majority of the royal duties of Equestria, whatever those were. In time, she will find herself on the same level as her sister, but things took time to adjust. But because of this, Luna was constantly trying to find stuff to keep her mind occupied, and helping Blake with his studies was an excellent time-waster.
Even though Blake had ultimately decided that his place was now here in Equestria, he still felt the nagging feeling that the ponies he was cooperating with still couldn’t be trusted. He always felt like he had to be watching his back at all times. His gut knotted in the feeling that someone was going to stab him from behind, whether it was physically or mentally. He longed for his weapons, as they gave him a sense of security. For unknown reasons to Blake, the princesses kept his belongings in hiding until they felt like he could be trusted one-hundred percent. The biggest blow to Blake was probably his iPhone. He always used music as sort of a key to withdraw himself from the world, which is why he now found himself singing or humming whenever he felt the demons from his past nudging at him. He even tried begging the princesses for just use of his iPod and headphones, but he was blatantly rejected. His own voice would have to occupy him for now.
But he also felt the stinging sense of loneliness as Lyra had to leave the capital of Canterlot and take a train to her current town of Ponyville. She had long over lived her stay at the castle, and she needed to get back home to continue her work, whatever that was. She never really did tell Blake what her occupation was, so it was still another item shrouded in mystery. If he could remember, he would ask her during their next conversation, whenever it happened. Even though they were probably about a hundred miles apart, they were still somehow able to keep the minds connected. They would converse in small talk here and there, but they hadn’t had a decent conversation since the time several days ago when Lyra had to make Blake promise that he would be on his best behavior while she was gone. He remembered them joining together in laughter, even though that they would be separated from each other for a while.
All in all, Blake was now living a rather dull life, as his only friend was long gone. Lyra would only be able to visit him every few weeks when she found the time and the money to make the long journey from Ponyville to Canterlot. Both he and Luna were slowly getting acquainted with one another, but Blake still saw the Princess of the Night as a mentor or a teacher rather than a friend and vice versa. Every now and then, the two would discuss of their personal lives or would engage in asking questions about each other’s worlds and how they work. But for the most part, Luna was only there to help Blake with his studies, which for the first few weeks would mainly be about Equestrian history and society. Celestia had been very generous in offering him a citizenship to Equestria, but he would only obtain that by learning how Equestrian society worked. He would then be tested on his knowledge. If he passed with flying colors, he would then be able to obtain citizenship.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the end of his stay at Canterlot Castle. Once he passed, Luna would give him a list of occupations that would most likely suit him well. Once he is able to find work, he would have to earn the money to purchase or rent a house in which to live in. As soon as he was able to afford all the living expenses for a least a few months, he would then finally be able to leave the castle and live on his own. Celestia roughly estimated that all of this would take at least one, maybe two years of hard, dedicated work, depending on the job would be able to get and the pay he would receive.
Blake wished for something exciting to happen to his life. He knew it was an idiotic thing to wish for, as it might somehow actually come true. He obviously knew from personal experience that too much excitement was a bad thing, but the constant routine of doing the same thing every single day was beginning to get aggravating. The only reason he was able to get through long school days back was that he knew the second he got home he could plop onto his computer or watch TV. And the problem was that there was no electricity in Equestria. Everything that was similar to electronic devices was powered and fueled by magic, so the use of electricity wasn’t ever needed.
How humiliating would it be if he were to literally die of boredom? It was only two weeks ago he figured that if he were to die, it would be a bullet to the knee, or most likely the head. He needed someone in his life, someone to be able to talk to at any given time. Lyra was only accessible at random times when their minds randomly decided to intertwine, so he could only talk with her every once in a while. He decided that he was going to have to make some friends. But that would have to wait. He still needed to read several textbooks that dwarfed even War and Peace. Life was not living up to its expectations.
<><><><><><><><><><>
“Blake, wake up!” Luna snapped. “You’ve fallen asleep for the second time today!”
Annoyed, Blake rubbed his eyes. “That’s because you made me write a five page essay on the founding of Equestria last night,” he yawned. “I didn’t get any sleep at all thanks to you.”
“It was only five pages,” Luna deadpanned, levitating the book that lay underneath the sleepy human.
“Yes, but I had to write it entirely by hand,” Blake complained. “In fact, it still cramps from trying to use a feather pen and ink. It’s so damn difficult to use.”
“I don’t see the problem,” Luna said, her eyes shuffling through the pages of the textbook, trying to find the page to a specific text. “It’s not like I assigned you to write a full-fledged novel or anything like that. I’m sure you’ll live.”
“You don’t understand how hard it is from transitioning from information that’s easily accessible from the internet, to looking through a textbook that’s as long as all of the Harry Potter books combined. It’s close to impossible to find anything you want immediately unless you get lucky and just happen to flip on the page that has everything you need then and there,” Blake said, resting his head on the table that was supposed to be his workstation.
“Oh my, the horror! The horror!” Luna joked, gasping as if something terrible had happened.
“Actually, it is horrible, you know. Imagine getting all the information that you want in an instant, to have to actually use books. As a wise man once said, ‘When in doubt, Google it,’” Blake said, letting loose a painfully long yawn.
“Your society certainly has some interesting quotes,” Luna said, drifting the book through the air towards the half-asleep human. She poked him several times with it, causing him to groan in annoyance. “Read one more chapter, then you can be done studying for the day.”
“It’s only noon. Why’re you letting me finish so early?” Blake asked, slowly lifting himself up until he was sitting in a normal position.
“You’ll see,” Luna said, quickly winking at him. She then turned around and cantered out the library, leaving Blake to himself. She winked. Why did she wink? Why did Blake not like that wink? He shook his head, turning his attention to the book.
“Chapter sixteen: Chancellor Puddinghead is about to be brilliant,” Blake read aloud. He stared at the title of the chapter, smirking awkwardly. “Who in their right mind decides to title these chapters like this?” He sighed, and began reading through the chapter. It was mainly about Chancellor Puddinghead and her earth pony followers as they searched for a new land after a dispute with the other two pony tribes. Blake wanted to slap himself, because the boredom was overpowering all of his other emotions in an unfair contest. It was almost as if the author of the enormous textbook was trying to be as boring as possible. There was nothing but long walls of texts with few paragraphs and no pictures. It was difficult for Blake to keep his mind focused on the book and not let it wander off. But the entire time he was reading, a certain question lingered in the back of his mind. What was Luna planning?
<><><><><><><><><><>
“I dunno Lyra. It’s just that ever since you returned from Canterlot, you’ve been… well, different,” Bon-Bon said, not breaking eye contact with her roommate.
“In what way?” Lyra asked, trying to avert her gaze away from Bon-Bon, but doing so unsuccessfully.
“It seems like you’re just in your own little world now. Half the time I try talking to you, you don’t even respond. It’s always like you’re in a state of cogitation. I mean, you used to be a super outgoing pony who liked to be with her friends, except during the times that you were… researching,” Bon-Bon explained, spitting out the last word like it was poison.
“Of course I am,” Lyra agreed. “Bon-Bon, just think about it for a second. My life’s work has finally become a reality. I’ve always had dreams and visions about humans. I’ve been studying the better part of my life away on this subject known as anthropology, according to Blake, but just seeing it all come true is just a feeling that I’ve never had before.”
“I feel happy for you, Lyra. And I’m also surprised that all this ‘human’ nonsense is actually true, to be honest. But you need to focus on your life now that you know that they actually exist. I understand that you want to keep a close connection with Blane—”
“Blake,” Lyra corrected.
“Yeah, whatever his name is. But your career as a musician has been on the balance for the last few months. If you can’t find yourself another orchestra soon, you’ll be forced out of work, and you know what that means,” Bon-Bon said.
“You’ll kick me out,” Lyra sighed.
Bon-Bon trotted up to her lifetime friend and rested a hoof on her shoulder. “You know that it would kill me inside to do that,” she frowned. “But that’s the way life goes. I can’t afford to pay the rent on my own. I need somepony to help me with that. If you can’t help me pay, I’ll just have to get a new roommate. I’m sure that you understand.”
Lyra then began grinning like a wild fool, which caused Bon-Bon to stagger several steps back in confusion. “But there’s something I forgot to tell you,” Lyra smiled.
“What’s that?” Bon-Bon asked.
Lyra then spoke so speedily that her roommate was unable to understand a single word that she said.
“What did you say, and could you speak more slowly this time?” Bon-Bon asked.
Taking a deep breath, the mint-green unicorn said merrily in a sort of sing-song voice, “Princess Celestia asked me to play at this year’s Grand Galloping Gala!”
Her roommate’s jaw hit the floor. “You’re kidding,” she said in disbelief.
“Nope, I’m not. She offered me the spot during my stay in Canterlot!” Lyra said happily.
Bon-Bon hugged Lyra as tightly as she could with a smile on her face. Lyra embraced it, hugging her back. “That’s amazing!” Bon-Bon said. “I can’t believe that you actually earned a spot in one of the most prestigious events of the year. Do you even know what kind of honor it is to play at the Grand Galloping Gala?”
“Of course I do, don’t be silly,” Lyra said, breaking the hug. “Frankly, I almost shot off into the air like a pegasus I was so excited. And gratefully for us, the pay that I’ll receive should keep us going for at least several months!”
“So when is the Grand Galloping Gala scheduled this year?” Bon-Bon asked.
“Just in a couple of weeks,” Lyra said.
Bon-Bon’s pupils grew wide. “A couple of weeks?!” she said. “That’s not enough time to learn your music, let alone memorize it. I can’t imagine what kind of stress this puts on you. You’ll be playing in front of hundreds of ponies, and if you mess up even once, your whole career could be ruined.”
“Oh don’t worry about that,” Lyra said, flicking her hoof to dismiss the comment. “I’ve been practicing since the day Princess Celestia asked me to play. I’ve already got half my music memorized, and I’ve learned most of the other half. This’ll all be a piece of cake, trust me.”
“When were you planning to tell me all of this?” Bon-Bon asked, wondering why her roommate didn’t give her this information earlier.
“I just did,” Lyra said flatly.
“You know what I mean,” Bon-Bon said.
“I was gonna tell you closer to the date of the Grand Galloping Gala. I wanted it to be a surprise, but I just kind of let it slip out of my mouth by accident,” Lyra said.
“I wish you would tell me these kinds of things as soon as they happen! I’ve been worried sick for the past couple weeks because I thought you couldn’t find any work! I was almost sure that I was going to have to kick you out, and I’ve been trying to figure out the easiest way to do that. But if you had just come out and tell me as soon you returned home, I wouldn’t be so stressed out,” Bon-Bon said angrily, irritated that her roommate was withholding information from her. Lyra could see the fury in her eyes. She thought that Bon-Bon would be much more excited and happy for her (which she was, but only for a miniscule amount of time). Why would she be so angry about this now?
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you until this afternoon,” Lyra spat back. “I figured that you would be jumping for joy when I told you. We’ll be living easy for several months without worrying about getting evicted after I get my pay.”
“Lyra, do you know how many nights I’ve had with little to no sleep worrying about this?” Bon-Bon rhetorically asked, increasing the volume of her tone. “I’ve spent the last two weeks tossing and turning in my bed, because I just couldn’t bear the thought of shooing my best friend away! I spent a lot of time thinking about this, and if you weren’t such an insufferable dimwit, I could’ve spent more time working and earning more bits!”
Lyra felt as if a knife sliced her heart into two pieces. Being called such ridiculing name almost caused the unicorn to burst into tears. If it were just some random pony she would’ve just shrugged it off. But being called a terrible name by her best friend was just unbearable. “Why are you acting such like a bitch right now?” Lyra asked, emphasizing one of Blake’s swear words. “You’ve just turned something innocent into something…. into something—”
Lyra never finished her sentence. She ran out the door to her home, tears streaming down her face. She continued as fast as her hooves could carry her, trying to get as far away from her roommate as possible. “Lyra, I’m sorry!” Bon-Bon called out. She ignored the plea and continued forward, ignoring any stares that she was receiving from the other inhabitants of Ponyville. Why would Bon-Bon act in such a way? She did have a legitimate reason, but the way she presented it was out of line. What could have Lyra done to have prevented such an argument to rise so quickly? Maybe if she did just tell Bon-Bon as soon as she arrived at Ponyville, none of this would’ve happened. But Lyra had the best intentions, and she believed that it would be best saved for a surprise rather than telling her straight away.
Lyra eventually found herself in the familiar surroundings of the Ponyville Park. Feeling somewhat exhausted, she found a place to rest under a shady tree. She looked to the sky, forcing her mind clear of thoughts. She watched as several weather pegasi knock clouds out of the sky, popping them as if they were mere bubbles. Lyra decided she would remain at this spot until she was sure that Bon-Bon had blown off all of her steam. But how long would that take? Hours? Days? Weeks?
She wished she could just hop aboard a train and ride all the way to Canterlot. She suddenly felt the urge to go visit Blake. In the past couple of weeks, the two had slowly been becoming more and more fond of each other’s company. It was true that they could communicate with each other telepathically, but it just didn’t feel the same as talking with him face-to-face. She pondered what she should do next. She knew that would quickly find herself bored of simply watching pegasi fly in the sky. The answer came quickly as soon as she heard Blake’s voice in her mind.
Something you want to tell me?
<Hi, Blake. How’ve you been?>
Not too great I suppose. Luna’s been making me work and study like ten to twelve hours a day. I’ve been doing nothing but writing long essays and reading long books. And somehow, someway, you ponies have somehow made textbooks even more boring than the ones we had at my school. I didn’t even think that was even remotely possible, but you’ve all proved me wrong. It almost makes me want to go back to Mrs. Hendrickson’s class again, and trust me, that’s not a good thing.
<That’s lame.>
Lame doesn’t even describe it. I would even say that’s too nice of a word to describe the studying I’ve had to do. Bah, I miss having only seven hour school days. But you‘ve also still haven’t answered my original question. Is there something you want to tell me? I can tell that you’re feeling depressed right now.
<I just barely had a disastrous conversation with my roommate. It kinda resulted in a little name calling and me storming out of my house.>
Dare I even ask what it was about?
<It was just stuff concerning the Grand Galloping Gala.>
The Grand Galloping what?
<The Grand Galloping Gala. Let’s just say that it’s the most important ball in Equestria, and I’m going to be playing in it. That’s what our argument was sort of about.>
Huh. So you say that you’re going to be playing in it?
<Yeah, I’m a musician. Princess Celestia asked me to play in it this year.>
A musician? I’ve been wondering what your occupation was. So what instrument do you play?
<The lyre.>
A lyre? Those things are like from ancient Greece. I guess I’m now curious to see what they’re really like and how they sound. Okay, so when and where is the Grand Galloping Gala? I’m kind of intrigued to see you play.
<The Canterlot Castle hosts the Gala every year. And to answer your second question, it’s only a couple weeks away. >
I’m guessing that’s going to be the next time I see you then?
<I hope so. But the problem is: are the princesses going to even allow you to go to the Gala? It’s a fairly prestigious event, and I don’t think they’ll want you there in the case that you fall into another state of trauma.>
I’ve been getting better.
<That may be, but both you and I know that you’re still unpredictable. Any small thing may set off a chain reaction in your memories, and if that for some reason happens in the middle of the Gala…>
I guess you’re right. I’ll talk to Luna about this and see what her opinion is on the subject. It won’t hurt to ask. I mean, the worst she can say is that I can’t go and I’ll just have to stick around in my room during the Gala. It’s not like she’s going to bite my head off for asking.
<Exactly.>
But if she does say no, can you promise me that you’ll still come visit me in my room? I know that you’re going to be playing all night long or however long it lasts, but if you have time to spare before or after it, I want to you to come see me. And bring you’re lyre too. I would like to see you play.
<Of course I’ll promise. Why wouldn’t I?>
I have no clue… Oh great, Luna wants to see me now. I guess I’ll have to talk to you later, Lyra. See ya later.
<Bye!>
Their communication was then cut off, and thus, their short-lived conversation ended. Two weeks, Lyra thought to herself. Two weeks until I’ll be able to see him again. Lyra decided it was time to return home and hopefully save her friendship with Bon-Bon.
<><><><><><><><><><>
“How many times do you keep letting your mind wander off like that?” Luna asked coming up from behind Blake, startling him. He jumped up in his seat and turned around to face her. He stayed silent for a few moments while he said good-bye to Lyra. As soon as her was finished, his gaze moved to meet Luna’s.
“Can’t I just have a few moments to myself without you bothering me like that?” Blake asked in return, standing up. He stretched his legs and arms, his body thankful for being able to finally move around as it pleased.
“I know that you were talking to your unicorn friend,” Luna stated, closing the large textbook that Blake was studying from with a quick spell from her horn, signaling to him that she was allowing to be finished for the day.
Blake raised an eyebrow. “And how just would you know that, O Princess of the Night?” he asked, heaving the textbook off of the table and placing it onto an enormous bookshelf among the hundreds of others in the grand library.
“Your changing facial expressions say it all. Plus, you were also subvocalizing everything that you said to her. I could make out the basis of your conversation based upon the movement of your lips,” Luna explained, motioning Blake to follow her. He nodded his head and followed the princess who stood at the same height as the position of his nose. The only pony that Blake met who stood taller than him was Luna’s sister, Celestia. It wasn’t by much, but she was still a few inches taller.
“Was it that easy to figure out?” Blake asked, following Luna through the many corridors of the large castle.
“Yes, it really was,” Luna replied.
The two continued walking, neither saying a word. Things suddenly felt a tad bit awkward for Blake. What was it that Luna wanted to allow him to stop his studies midday? Pondering about for several minutes without concluding to an answer, Blake finally asked, “Okay, what is this all about? This seems like it is very unlike you to let me just quit all of a sudden. It’s not that I’m complaining, because I’m glad to get away from those dusty, dilapidated books, it’s just that it seems weird.”
“Well my loyal subject—”
“I wouldn’t say that I’m loyal quite yet. Just so you know, I’m still very loyal to my country, even if I’m on another world,” Blake interrupted.
“Don’t patronize me,” Luna said, stopping in place. “I was trying to say that what you said was exactly the reason I’m dismissing you early. I thought you could use a little fun.”
“And what exactly do you have in mind?” Blake asked, still moving forward.
“Nothing big for today,” Luna admitted, catching up to Blake. “I just thought that I would show you around Canterlot. You’ve been stuck inside this stuffy, old castle for the better part of almost two weeks. I’m sure that you could use a little fresh air.”
“So that means going outside the castle gates?”
“Yes.”
“I thought my existence was supposed to be kept secret,” Blake said.
“No, your existence as an alien is supposed to be secret,” Luna said. “You’ve passed by hundreds of ponies already. There’s no way that we can force hundreds of ponies that have seen you to be a secret. I’m sure by now that word has spread all throughout Equestria that there’s unknown species staying here in Canterlot. For all they know, you’re just a creature visiting from a faraway foreign land. What we’re trying to subdue is the fact that you’re from another planet. I’m not sure what would happen if that truth got out, and I don’t want to know either.”
“But won’t I still make a scene?” Blake asked. “I’m still a creature that they’ve never heard of. Wouldn’t that just cause turmoil?”
“You’ll get some stares, yes, but nothing out of the ordinary. Canterlot constantly has griffin or zebra visitors, so the sight of a different species besides ponies isn’t too extreme,” Luna explained. “If it makes you feel any better, we’ll always be under the watch of my elite guard. But for more than one reason, of course.”
Blake chuckled. “Don’t worry; I’m not capable of attacking anyone today. You’ve fried my brain to the point where it would lag too much if I tried to get in a fight. My reflexes would far off-balance,” he claimed.
Luna swung a hoof towards his face. Even though it was swift and unexpected Blake was barely able to knock it out of the way before glaring angrily at Luna. “What was that for?!” he demanded.
“I was trying to see if you were lying, which you were. I’m sure that you’re still fit enough to fight, especially after a full weeks rest,” Luna said. “C’mon, we’ve made it to the front gates.”
Blake turned his attention away from the princess, and turned his eyes forward. They approached a large gate, with four guards standing side by side, their eyes unblinking. This wasn’t the first time that he had noticed that almost all the guards looked exactly the same. Maybe it was some sort of law that if a pony signed up for the military, they had to get both their coats and manes dyed and cut to the point where it was like they were all identical twins. It was certainly interesting, and Blake was almost positive he would read about it when he made it to the military chapters of his textbooks. Luna spoke to the guards, asking them to open the gate. One replied with nothing but a grunt, and shifted a lever that was placed on the stone wall. The gate slowly creaked open, causing bright sunshine to fill the interior of the castle.
“Shall we go?” Luna asked, trotting into the outside world.
“Whatever, it’s not like I have anything better to do,” Blake said, in tow with Luna.
For the next several hours, Luna led Blake through a quick tour of the capital, showing as many significant and monumental places as time would allow her. Whether it was art museums, grand opera houses, lush parks, or extravagant restaurants, every new sight left Blake in awe. Sure, some of the sights felt fairly similar to places he had seen in New York when he used to visit, but it was the just the stunning architecture that made it seem so… awesome. It didn’t feel like just some ordinary city with tall skyscrapers and rows upon rows of streets and cars. The large city felt like its own little world, with a completely different culture than any place on Earth.
Both Blake’s legs and feet felt sore and tired, but he didn’t mind the pain. He wanted to keep going on and on all day, without stop. Sadly, the day eventually ended as the sun began to set. Luna needed to attend to her duties of the night, most importantly, rising the moon from its hiding place and into the sky for all the ponies to enjoy.
As Blake made it back to his room, he thanked Luna for the wonderful day.
“It’s no problem,” Luna smiled. “Anything for my star-pupil.”
Blake froze in place. He slowly turned towards Luna, who winked at him for the second time in one day. “Wait, wait, wait,” he said, holding up his hands. “What do you mean by that I’m your ‘star-pupil’?”
“You remember Twilight Sparkle, correct?” Luna asked.
“Yeah, the purple one who seemed obsessed with taking notes like everything around her was some sort of science experiment,” Blake replied.
“So you also remember that she is my sister’s prized pupil, right?”
“Yes,” Blake said, motioning “go on” with his hands.
“Look, I’ve been watching you with a great deal of curiosity. You’ve made more progress than even historians who’ve been studying for years. To be honest, I see great potential in you. I’ve felt like I should be the one to take you under my wing as my star-pupil,” Luna said.
Blake was baffled. He thought that Luna was only helping him because she was bored. But to receive complements from a princess, even if she was a pony, it was surely a great honor. “So what does this mean for me?” he asked. “Do you just teach me random stuff for my entire life or what?”
“For now I’d just like to let you continue with your studies and see where the doors open from there. But for now, get some rest. You’ll need it tomorrow after you see what I have planned for you.” And with that, the Luna Princess left Blake alone with nothing but his swirling thoughts.
Just wait until Lyra hears this, Blake thought, opening the door to his room.