Artemis came back to reality in a bed. It was a large comfortable bed, and the quilt was really thick and warm. A cool breeze blew across his face, it was gentle and played through his hair. It brought with it the sweet smell of lavender.
He felt a shadow across him and gently opened his eyes. For a moment as he wiped the sleep from them, he believed he was at home, his mum waking him. He froze however, when he realized that the sound was not of footfall against carpet, but instead of hoof against stone. And the figure he could see between his fingers was rather too long to be his mum.
He pulled his hands away from his eyes, and felt them twitching, before him was a real life pony. It made no sense. He managed to get enough sense of mind to say the only thing he could say in that situation. "You're not my mother."
"Well I should hope not," the dark pony that stood before him replied. "I haven't had a mate in over a thousand years, and there is no way I would sire a child like you." Contempt was obvious in her voice.
Contempt in her voice? Artemis was shocked out of sense of logic, the pony could talk. He felt headache coming and clutched his hand to his head, it made no sense. He reached his head and felt cloth, a bandage.
Artemis felt his body being bushed back and noticed the pony making him lay back down in the bed. "As much as I loathe it, you are in my care. Now you hit your head pretty badly, so your memory might not be too good for a while. Now open wide."
He did what he was told and felt a thermometer being inserted into his mouth. "Good, at least you can obey simple instruction. Now leave that in there, I'll be back in a moment." As she left Artemis felt that there was something familiar about her voice. Slowly an image formed in his head, moors and a blue light, then the falling.
He clutched his head as the memories came flooding back, there weren't many, after all he wasn't conscious for long after the fall before he fainted. But he remembered why he recognized it, it wasn't that he heard her a couple of hours ago, he had heard her voice in a television show. More importantly a cartoon. She was Luna Princess of the night.
Luna returned to see Artemis clutching his head. "I see some memories have returned, do you remember who you are?" she asked in monotone, clearly not actually caring about his mental state.
"Yes, I remember everything about getting here." he replied, clearly in pain. "Thanks for the treatment," he said sincerely.
She paused for a second, not prepared for the compliment. However, she quickly recovered and went over to inspect the thermometer.
"Hmm, you're temperature seems to be OK. I guess you are well enough to stand." she picked up some clothes from a table beside his bed and dropped them on top of him. They were his clothes he saw, he realized for a moment he was actually naked. "Put those on, you cannot come to breakfast with the Princess's without looking suitable."
Ten minutes he was walking along a sunlit corridor towards what was apparently breakfast with Princess Celestia and Luna. He was happy despite his surely company.
"My sister really loves to make an impression," Luna said studying the day, "I can't see why she would want to impress you." she went on looking at Artemis.
"I can't see why either." he said, "Also while I enjoy the day, I am rather partial to the night."
"Why do you say that?" she questioned, her gaze burying into Artemis making him feel uncomfortable.
"No reason, I just like the night as well as the day, I find the stars are beautiful and some times much better than the sun shinning."
She eyed him suspiciously but said nothing. She simply carried on and led Artemis towards the location for breakfast.
Eventually they arrived at a small sun lit terrace overlooking the main square beneath the Royal Palace. The center of the terrace was taken up with a large round table, this was covered with various plates of pastries as well as bowls of fruit and large jugs of water and juice. He noticed there were also three pots of tea and the facilities for coffee. The breakfast was prepared for virtually any taste. Although he also noticed there was no meat.
As he stepped onto the terrace A white mare who was hiding behind a rather large arrangement of flowers stood up to greet him. "Welcome Artemis, I hope my sister has been taking care of you." she said and Luna replied with a snort. Ignoring her sister she carried on "It is always nice to have guests. Especially ones from as far as I sense you are."
Where Luna was surely and grumpy her sister was kind and friendly to him.
"I am Princess Celestia," the white mare said bowing low, "And this is my sister Princess Luna." she indicated with one of her wings. "We are creatures known as ponies, more specifically of the race Alicorn." All while of this the Princess studied the strange being, he seemed completely relaxed despite what was happening around him. This was rather a strange occurrence.
"Hmm perhaps you have encountered our kind before?" she asked.
Artemis looked uncomfortably at the two ponies, his lack of a response prompting Luna to whisper something to Celestia.
She simply shook her head, "Perhaps this discussion could wait until we have eaten. I do hope you eat any of the things displayed before you."
Artemis smiled, "Of course I love pastries and fruit." he said gratefully, thankful to eat.
The next twenty or so minutes were spent in near silence as Artemis ate his fill of food rather greedily, however long he had been out had given him rather the appetite. The Princesses ate their fill also, but rather more gracefully as their lifestyle dictated.
After they had all eaten their fill, the Princesses whispered to each other while leaving Artemis to ruminate on what was going to happen to him. Eventually it was Luna who broke the silence, and with a sinister smile she spoke "We have decided that you cannot stay here and that we should send you some place else to live. At least for now." His heart was beating a sombre, 'did she just smile and say send me somewhere?' he thought to himself. It was all he could do not to think of the moon when Celestia spoke up.
"That is right, we have decided we shall send you to Ponyville, there you shall live with my student Twilight Sparkle."
Artemis couldn't contain his excitement, he was going to get to meet with the mane 6 and live with one of them no less. He let out a rather abrupt cheer which shocked both of the Princesses.
"You know of Twilight Sparkle?" asked Celestia, Artemis stopped mid cheer realizing his mistake.
"Well, uh..." was all he could stutter.
Luna cracked her sinister smile again, "Oh sister, I believe there is something he has hidden from us." She stared at Artemis, "please continue."
The rest of the morning was spent with Artemis explaining about how he watched them all in a program called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. There was little interruptions, Celestia sitting quietly and nodding every so often, while Luna just laughed.
"Please, you expect us to believe this drivel?" Luna asked when the tale was finished, he shrunk under her angry gaze.
"Luna please," said Celestia. "I admit this story sounds, different, but how else can you explain his knowledge of the events. Especially the Wedding, this boy is clearly no changeling and no-pony like him was near."
"Speaking of the wedding," Artemis finally speaking up. "How long ago was it?"
"Hmm about two months," Celestia replied. "Anyway, we need to decide what to do with you. I think me and my sister," she looked at Luna with a glare, "need to discuss some things. For now, I think we shall have a guard escort you around the palace, should be nice to get your opinion on some things." Celestia stood up from the table, "I'll be right back." she excused herself and left Artemis and Luna alone on the terrace.
She stood up and approached him with an accusing hoof, "I don't know what your game is Ar-te-mis," punctuating every syllable with a poke, "but whatever it is I will put a stop to it and show your evil to my sister." She finished just as Celestia entered with a guard and quickly lowered her hoof to hide any aggression, leaving Artemis staring at her scared. 'Are they sure they banished her Nightmare', he thought to himself.
"Artemis this is Iron Hoof," Celestia said as she entered. "He is one of my most experienced guards and I trust will not find you a frightening creature."
"Frightening, huh. Ive seen more frightening creatures in a petting zoo." He said in a gruff voice, then going up to Artemis he presented a hoof and a smile. "Pleased to meet ya chuck, Iron Hoof's the name. I hear you're a long way from home, well I shall do the best I can to make you feel comfortable. You get dirty jokes where your from? I have plenty of dirty jokes." His laugh was infectious, Artemis could see why he was chosen. The guard might be trusted to defend him, but he was also social and chatty, especially to what must be to him a strange and alien creature. Something Artemis expected probably wasn't too prevalent in the Royal Guard, not after the Changeling attack.
"Come on lad, lets show you around," he nudged Artemis in the lower of his back and they went walking. The last thing the Princesses heard was Iron Hoof going, "so did ya hear the one about the Gryphon with a talking spleen..."
Celestia laughed, she hoped Iron hoof wouldn't be over bearing for that strange creature. Luna however was scowling, why was her sister wasting time time on this human.
-x-
Later that night Luna was staring up at her night sky, tears in her eyes. She and her sister had a rather frank conversation that afternoon, and what was said was still in her mind. She of course had been rather confrontational, her sister being silent throughout the outburst. 'The human is evil, why can't you see that dear Sister' she had said. To her credit, Celestia had been rather calm, trying to change Luna's mind without causing any issues.
This calmness had broken however, when Luna had chided her saying 'That student of yours have made you soft; made you blind to evil.'
The sudden outburst at Twilight had caused Celestia to lose her nerve, 'Is that why I was blind to your evil, was her blindness why she tried to help you on Nightmare Night. Maybe it is you who is blind to good, maybe evil is all you know.' With that Luna had been left alone to cry in the royal court, she retreated to this balcony to think. 'My sister is right', she thought, 'my sister is always right'.
Luna heard a noise stir her from her thoughts and turned to see the human walking towards her, "come to gloat?"
Artemis was taken back, "gloat? about what?"
"About how I was wrong to think I was evil, how my 'darling' sister was right as always."
"Princess, I..." he didn't know what to say, so instead he just gave Lunar a hug. Taking her completely by surprise.
The tears she had been resisting the whole time started to flow free, "Artemis, why?"
Artemis looked up into her eyes, tears falling onto his hair, "because Celestia doesn't need one. Even if she did, I've always liked the night."
Luna blushed for a second, her forelegs quivered for a second before she returned the hug. "I've not seen such kindness since that unicorn and Nightmare Night."
-x-
Three days later Artemis was sitting on the terrace where he first had breakfast. He was alone and drinking tea, normally he hated tea, but Equestrian tea was rather a lot sweeter, easier to pallet. It was really early, but he had to leave early to avoid a lot of hustle and bustle.
He was just finishing his breakfast when Luna, Celestia and Iron Hoof walked in, Luna offered him a wink; Celestia a smile; and Iron hoof trotting straight over to him. "Greetings laddy, I trust you are ready to depart?"
Artemis smiled, "I hope so, although I will miss you Iron Hoof your rudeness beside, your a good guy."
Celestia approached him next, "If you are ready I will send you now, do not forget what we have taught you. I hope you remain safe, and know we will inform you when we have made progress in finding a way to return you home."
He smiled and her, Luna and Iron Hoof. "I am ready, and thank you for everything. Where exactly are you sending me?"
"To the edge of the Everfree Forest, there you will meet Twilight Sparkle. She has been informed of your coming, although there is stuff she doesn't know. I don't forbid you from telling her anything, not that I can, but I would advise you to take care what you say and how you say it."
She smiled at Artemis, "Now take care." With that Celestia's and Luna's horns glowed, Artemis felt his body full of energy. The last thing he saw before transportation was all three of the ponies who knew so far smiling, small tears in Luna's eyes.