//------------------------------// // Where Hast Thou Gone? // Story: The Princess and I: Moon // by Eggtaro //------------------------------// "Ron, wake up." I groaned loudly, putting in as many doses of annoyance and hatred as I could within the groan itself. The last thing I wanted to do at this moment was to go through the tiresome motion of opening my eyelids. I was not about to roll over to one side and give up without putting up a fight. To even imagine allowing the light to pierce through my quiet and soothing darkness was plain blasphemy. No way, no how. It ain't happening. Not for anything. "Ron, wake up this instant." That voice just won't give up. Why must it bother me in my time of peace? In my time of solitude and laziness? Can't a guy sleep wherever and whenever he wants too? Is not like I was harming anyone with my non-disruptive sleeping. I only ask to be given the chance to properly rest my eyes. Especially on times such as the one I'm currently experiencing. And trust me. You definitely gonna want that sleep. For sleep is the only thing that will keep your sanity in check. "Ron. Wake. Up. Now." The voice was getting much louder, sharper, and sterner than ever before. It even sounder closer, too. It almost sounded as if whoever was the one speaking was just standing right next to--- "Ow!" The sudden pain in my shoulder caused my eyes to shoot wide open. The force that was generated from my eye-opening technique was so powerful it may have even sent my eyeballs flying out of their sockets (which, fortunately for me, did not). I immediately stood up from my seat soon after, the impact of my butt bumping into the chair sent it crashing down on to the patterned floor below me with a bang. "I'm up, I'm up!" I said, hastily rubbing the reddening lump that was forming upon my shoulder. I turned my head around to face the culprit ---who was Raven--- and shot daggers in her direction. "Was it really necessary to pinch me that hard?" I asked her, as I blew gentle winds on to the red mountain with my lips. How did she pinch me, anyway? Raven is a pony for crying out loud! She has hooves, not fingers! "Well, Ron." Raven said, taking several steps back. "The pinching would have been unnecessary if it wasn't for your constant inability to stay focused and awake during lessons." I shrugged at her. "Hey, don't blame the student, blame the teacher, I always say." I said with a proud nod. I managed to dodge the life-ending hoof that came flying my way. Obviously, Raven was not impressed with my choice of words. "Hey, hey! I'm just kidding, Raven!" "Well, I'm not." Raven said with an irritated huff, turning away and trotting back to the large wooden table in front of me, which was laden with huge-ass books and used scrolls. "I hope you have not forgotten that it was you who wanted lessons in Equestrian lore, Ron. Not me. I am here solely because you wanted me to educate you." She glared at me. "And I take my lessons seriously. I would at least expect my students to do the same." Sheesh. Sounds more like an obsession to me. I would do best to constantly remind myself to never ask Raven to give me lessons ever again. I sighed and nodded. "I know, Raven." I said. "And I know I should be paying more attention to what you're trying to pump into my empty head." I scratched the back of my neck. "It's just that...my head keeps drifting off, you know?" Mostly to places no one will ever dare to set foot in to, of course. And to a certain majestic royalty pony figure. Raven answered me with a puzzled look on her face. "Drifting off?" she asked, readjusting her glasses with a push from her hoof. "To sleep?" "W-what? No, no, not that." How am I going to explain this to her without being blunt? It has been two days since my first official nose-to-snout meeting with the all powerful Princess Luna, and I still have yet to see her since that night. It was almost as if she had simply disappeared into thin air right after our brief interaction with each other. And that was it. I did not receive any sudden summons, any surprise torturous torturing, or any other night time visits after our first meeting; nothing happened after that night. I woke up the following morning in the same room I was placed in, except this time, my luggage had already been brought in. It was as if whoever placed my luggage there knew I was planning to remain in Canterlot Castle a little longer. Which brings us to the next thing that is bugging my brains out: I'm still unsure whether or not the slave contract was already in effect. I'm not bound in chains, for one thing, nor am I being whipped by a hairy handler, so, I guess that's one good sign I could confide in at the moment. I just hope I didn't jinx it in anyway by thinking about it... 'cause that sure as hell ain't gonna make my day any brighter. Oh yeah, and there's also the fact where I can't stop thinking about Luna for some reason. Constantly, I mean. All the time. Flashbacks of her smile keep popping up in my brain, which then proceeded to remain there until lord knows when. I can't make them go away. They just stay there in my brain like flies hanging out on a pile of brown doo-doo hanging out a donkey's butt hole. That was disgusting. I apologize for using such vulgar language. Well, I guess you could say that I just wanted to see Luna again. But I wonder if asking Raven about it will be a good idea. Maybe I should try asking Grim, I mean she does work directly for Luna, right? "Ron?" I blinked my eyes and glanced over at Raven, who was waving her hoof at me. I must have spaced out for a moment there. That would explain why Raven was trying to get my attention. "Sorry." I guess I should put all the asking and explaining on hold for the moment. At least for now. Or never, who knows. I'm a shy guy. Raven gave me a disappointed frown, shaking her head slowly from side-to-side. "Did you just went into one of your 'drifting off' moments again?" she asked with a click of her tongue. "Urm...yeah." I quickly showed her one of my best apologetic smiles. "Sorry about that, Raven." "Well I hope you don't drift off so often." Raven said, ignoring my smile. "If you spend so much time in your head thinking about pointless things instead of focusing on what is presented in front of you, you'd never be able to learn anything useful." Her horn started to glow as she spoke, covering several of the books on the table with her magical aura. "Some might also say you enjoy spending much of your time by yourself. Left all alone with your thoughts and nothing else." "You're saying it like I'm some sort of incurable introvert." I said, as I watched her levitate the books back into their respective places on the bookshelves behind her. "That's not what introvert means, Ron." Raven said, covering her face with a hoof. What did I say? Isn't that what introvert means? Actually, no. I'm not even sure myself. I should probably consult the aid of a dictionary later. A big one. "Look, I can see quite clearly that you already have lost interest in our lessons for today." Raven said, making her way back towards me. She's not going to try and slap me again is she? "Was it that obvious?" I asked. "Oh, yes." Raven said, her eyes rolling at me. "I can tell by the loud snore you let loose fifteen minutes ago." "But it's like the crack of dawn, Raven." I whined, squinting my eyes at her. "I haven't woken up so early since my days back in high school." "It's nine in the morning." Raven said. "You should be grateful that I even have the time to give you lessons; Princess Celestia is a very busy princess, and she needs my expertise in organizing, planning and helping out with her already packed day-to-day schedule." Raven gave her glasses a push up her snout. "If it wasn't for the princess agreeing to your request, I wouldn't even dream of abandoning her to deal with her schedule alone. I am, after all, her personal assistant." "Alright, alright, I get it." I raised both my hands in the air in mock surrender. "I'm sorry, Raven. I really am. I didn't mean to drag you out here just to waste your time." In truth, upon realizing that I have nothing to do in such a huge castle (until or if Luna calls for me, that is), I needed an activity of some sort to kill the time. Or, at least, to do something that will benefit me in some way. "I promise I will pay more attention in our next lesson." I said, flashing another one of my apologetic grins at Raven. "Forgive me for what happened?" Raven nodded, giggling. "Apology accepted, Ron." she said with a smile of her own. "Now, I honestly believe we are already done here. So, if you don't mind, I really need to get back to Princess Celestia as swiftly as possible." I nodded my head. There was no point in dragging time anyway. No longer was I in the mood for another lecture on how the land of Equestria was founded. I was already struggling with remembering the names of Equestria's founders. All the studying and memorizing Raven puts me through feels even worse than during my time at college. Raven gave me a wave with her hoof and headed for the tall wooden doors behind her. "I'll see you around, Ron. If you have nothing else to do for the rest of the day, I highly suggest you use that time to do more studying." "Oh, sure." I said, rolling my eyes. "I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my day reading old scrolls and dusty tomes about ponies who no longer exists." I didn't even bother to hide my sarcasm. "I shall be in the library should you decide to find me." It was Raven's turn to roll her eyes. "Your enthusiasm astounds me, Ron." she said with a flat tone. And with that said, she left the room, leaving nothing behind except me and a huge load of old dusty books. * * * * * * It's hard to believe how one simple smile from a princess can change one's decision about leaving. Two days ago, hours before midnight, I was already dead set on leaving Canterlot Castle as soon as I got the chance the following day. But, like they say in novels and movies, due to a strange twist of fate, and some undesired bizarre food sampling, my original plan did not came to be. Instead, I woke up the following morning feeling eager to help out with whatever it is a princess needs helping with. Pretty strange, eh? Especially since my former title of "Human Representative" will be changed into "SLAVE FOR LIFE". Not really a good way for motivating unmotivated chumps, I can tell you that. "I mean, it's already been two days since our first meeting in my room." I said, as I paced around the comforts of my recently acquired quarters. "It just doesn't make any sense, Grim." Grim let out a loud yawn in my direction, slowly pulling out her scaly looking helmet from her head. "So?" she asked sleepily, as if what I just said was as boring and unimportant like the plot in a porno video. "So? So, Grim, why hasn't anything happened yet? Why am I being left alone and abandoned like kittens in a cardboard box during a thunderstorm?" "You have a very weird way of describing things, Ron." Grim said, frowning at me, setting her helmet down on my bed. "Does your kind always do that sort of thing back on Earth?" "Well, yes, only the heartless ones though, bu--- Hey, wait a minute! Don't go changing the subject, Grim." Grim only giggled back at me, giving her short pale violet-coloured mane a shake. "Ease up, Ron." she said, ruffling her mane with her hoof. "I don't understand why you're so worked up about t-t-this." she said while stifling another loud yawn. How sleepy could she get, anyway? "I-I'm not worked up." I said quickly, crossing my arms together. "I just find the whole thing strange is all." Using the word "strange" kinda feels like an understatement. But, I wasn't about to let Grim know that. Grim stared at me with a raised eyebrow. "Uh-huh, sure." I guess she doesn't believe me. Why would she believe me? Even a little kid would be able to see through my bullshit. "Not worked up, huh?" "Nope. Not at all." Grim said nothing, but she did roll her eyes at me. So much eye-rolling in one morning, dude. "If you say so, Ron." she finally said, with yet another yawn. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Shouldn't you be back in your own room?" I asked, eyeing the bat pony's grey fur as I sat down on my bed. "You look like you could use some rest." Or a long sleep maybe, like hibernation or something. Do the ponies here hibernate? No, wait. That's stupid. Of course they don't. But I bet some of them could sleep for days. Months even. I guess. "Well...about that." Grim got a sudden interest with the floor beneath our legs, for she wasn't looking at me when she spoke. And she said the words rather slowly, mind you. "You see, I have a teeny little request..." she lifted her head and stared at me with her golden-coloured eyes. "There is something I want you to do to me." "Oh." I said with a shrug. "What is it that yo---" Oh. OH. "W-wait, w-what?" Grim gave me a strange looking smile and slowly approached me and my bed, stripping off whatever armour she has left on from her body. Really slowly, and in a strangely suggestive manner. Oh, boy. I feel weird. "G-G-Grim?" I quickly picked up her helmet which was next to me and placed it on my lap. The helmet would act as a safety precaution to whatever it is she was planning. And as something else. "I have been wanting to try this for a looong time, Ron." Grim whispered. Pieces of her amour were laid about all over my room's floor. I closed my eyes and covered them with one of my hands, the other gripping tight on to the helmet on my lap. For I knew, perfectly well, that Grim no longer has any amour on her. And that could only mean one thing, my friends. Now, before you start whining, I know the ponies here are already naked by default. But when you find yourself in a room with a somewhat adorable looking female bat pony who suddenly starts stripping and whispering at you, you'd feel differently. You will. Especially if you're easily sensitive in some areas. "G-Grim, wait. I-I don't think I'm ready for this." I said, with my eyes still covered and shut. "Don't worry, Ron. You'd get used to it once we're done." She was getting closer now. I could hear her. I struggled to push myself all the way back with only my legs. Unfortunately for me though, there was a wall behind me. I was trapped. Cornered in my own bed like a mouse. And the cat was Grim. "B-But...it's still m-morning, Grim!" I reasoned. "C-Can't we d-do this during the night?" "N...No." Was she...was she panting? She sure sounds like she was. Heavily. "I. Need. It. Now!" Wow. Just. Wow. What have I gotten myself into? I opened my eyes, daring myself to take a peek at Grim. She was standing right next to my bed. Staring at me with eyes I could not explain. Like a deep hunger. Or was it lust? "Open your eyes." I felt a gentle nudge on my hand holding the helmet. "And get rid of the helmet, Ron." Grim whispered softly, nudging my hand even harder with her head. "It's getting in our way. I won't be able to get into a comfortable position if the helmet's there, you know." Oh, man. What am I supposed to do? I've never gotten one of those from a female pony before, dude. Not that I ever fantasize about it or anything, mind you. Wait, what am I thinking? This isn't the time to be thinking about stuff like that. It's wrong. Very, very wrong. Well...at least, that's what I think. Grim lost her patience. Before I could even begin to protest, she yanked the helmet away with her hoof, leaving me exposed. I threw my hands out, making a desperate attempt to reclaim the helmet, but alas, my friends, I failed miserably. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as I watched the helmet clattered to the floor. That was the signal; Grim got me right where she wanted me to be. My heart raced to unfathomable speeds as Grim slowly pulled herself up on to my bed. We were barely inches away from each other. I was at her mercy. Grim gave me a rather seductive wink and leaned forward. Our faces were so close to each other I could feel her warm breath spreading across my nose. Gulping down my saliva down my dry throat, I braced myself for whatever it is that was going to happen between us and my bed. "Ron." Grim's voice almost sounded sexy. "Y-Yes?" I could already feel beads of nervous sweat forming across my forehead. "Do as exactly as I say, okay?" I couldn't reply. I was petrified, yet at the same time strangely intrigued with Grim's sudden advances. A part of me wanted to bolt for the door and make an epic escape. The other part? Well...let's just say he's interested. I nodded. I wonder if she'd be able to hear the massive pounding coming from my heart. Grim smiled at me. Our lips were so close I could almost... well, you know what I mean. "Give me your hand." * * * * * * "Oh, yes! YES!" This has got to be the weirdest thing I have ever been requested to do so far. By a bat-pony, I mean. Or by anyone ever for that matter. "Harder, Ron! HARDER!" I just couldn't believe what I was doing. Do the rest of the humans here get asked to do the same thing as well? What about the poor saps that got sent to live with the dragons? Do they ask the humans to do the same thing as well? Man, if that were true...I feel sorry for them. Fucking dragons, man. You don't want to mess with fucking dragons. "Don't stop, Ron! Don't stop for ANYTHING!" Anyway...a few minutes ago, I almost believed that the both of us were going to do something we're really really going to regret. But this? She went through all that just for something like this? Not that I'm complaining or anything. I mean, the entire scene itself could have played out quite differently. With a very sticky ending...if you catch my drift. "I love you, Ron! I LOVE YOU!" I rolled my eyes. "This is getting ridiculous, Grim." I stopped my hands. "You know, you could've just asked for this normally." I shook my head and let out a loud sigh. "You almost had me thinking about something else, you know." Grim pushed herself up from my lap and glared at me. "Less talking. More back and ear scratching. NOW." she demanded. "No." Grim looked at me as if I've just slapped her. "No?" "No." I have to show this pony what's what. Because why, you ask? Why 'cause right now, I have the power; my fingers have the ability to tame this wild majestic creature rested upon my lap. "No more scratching until you promise me you'll stop shouting." "But I couldn't help myself. It just feels so gooood." Grim said, stretching her hooves and laying back down on top of my lap. "You have no idea how good this feels." Oh, believe you me, I think I do, sister. I started scratching the back of Grim's fluffy ears, which caused her to moan loudly. "Grim." I said. "Seriously. The whole castle is going to hear you." I gently pinched one of her ears to show how serious I was. "Either you learn how to keep your moaning and yelling under control, or this whole thing is over." "Mmm...sorry, Ron." Grim apologized softly, her eyes slowly shutting. "I'll try my best not to---" another loud moan suddenly escaped her lips as my fingers ran further down her ears. "---let my voice out." "Grim..." The bat-pony only grinned at me. "Sorry." she said, and covered her muzzle with one of her hooves. I highly doubt that was going to work. I mean, with the amount of volume she's using every time I hit a sweet spot? It's going to take more than just a single hoof to block out that much noise. Just saying. I must admit, though. I was rather curious as to where Grim heard about this "magical feeling" she couldn't stop yelling about just moments ago. I find it hard to believe that something as normal as scratching could have such a profound effect on the ponies of Equestria. Or maybe it's just Grim. "Why were you so eager on trying this out?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. I moved my hand down to Grim's back and gave that soft fur of hers a strong rubbing. "Can't you ponies do this kind of things yourselves?" Grim turned her head and frowned at me. "Do we look like dogs to you, Ron?" she asked, her tone filled with seriousness. "In case you haven't noticed, we have hooves for crying out loud! And a hoof isn't really the most suitable tool you'd want to use to give yourself a scratch on the back, Ron." "Why not?" Grim groaned. "Seriously, Ron?" She raised her left hoof and shoved it under my nose. "Take a look for yourself." Truth be told, I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to be looking at. I mean, you could already plainly see that her hoof has a flat surface--- Wait, hold on. Now that I'm looking at it this closely, I think I can kinda understand what she meant by her saying that a hoof wasn't exactly the best tool for the job. I guess I can't really blame her for wanting to use my hands. It's only fair, I suppose. Hmm, if I were the one stuck with using a hoof instead of my already given fingers and nails, I might actually head out and search for something more suitable. Like a fork. Several of them. "Right." I said. "I now clearly understand why my fingers would be a much better substitute instead of hooves." "Good." Grim said. "Now would you please just keep doing what you were doing?" * * * * * * Fifteen minutes of vigorous scratching later, Grim finally hopped off from my bed. She couldn't stop herself from grinning like an adorable idiot and there was a certain bounce to her steps as she trotted around my room, picking up the pieces from her armour with her mouth. "That was simply the best." Grim said cheerily, putting back on her armour in front of me. "We have do this again." "No. Way." Grim got pretty damn demanding further down the scratch session; instead of muffled moans and screams of pleasure, she barked commands at me such as "Do it rougher!" and "Stronger! Harder, Ron!" even. And she kept calling me a "fucking wuss" whenever I disagreed to put more strength into my scratching. A wuss, I tells ya! Where on earth did she learn that sort of language? Grim's sudden change of personality really caught me off guard, dude. "But, Ron..." "No." Babe, if you want these fingers of mine to work their magic, you got to earn that right, baby. "Not after what just happened." "I didn't really meant what I said, Ron." Grim said, batting her eyelids at me, sliding on one of her hoof guards (I think that's what their called) "I was just sooo lost in the heat of the moment, I couldn't control myself." That would probably explain why I have a certain damp patch on one side of my pants but...I guess that's another question for another time. "Uh-huh, sure." I said nothing else as Grim continued to get dressed. "You still owe me an explanation for wanting me to scratch you, Grim." I said as Grim spread and stretched her bat-like wings. Grim frowned at me, folding back her wings to her sides. "I said I will tell you the rest of that part later." She picked up her helmet from the side of my bed. "Don't be so impatient." She gave one last look around my room before heading for the door. "Look, thanks for everything. I really enjoyed it. But, I gotta head back to the barracks now." Then you probably should have just headed there instead of coming to my room. "See you around then, Grim." I said, giving her a wave. I feel like a hooker for some reason, being used and all that stuff. Thrown to one side of the street and forgotten forever. Never to be seen or heard from again. Grim only smiled in return and was about to open the door when--- "Oh, that reminds me, Ron." She stopped and turned around. "What?" "I have a message for you from Princess Luna." A message? What, is Grim going to pass me a letter or something? Never mind that, I'm more interested in that message from Luna. Finally, some long awaited news! I have been dying to see her again, and it would actually be nice to know where and what she has been doing for the past two days. I wonder what the message is about, though. Perhaps she has forgotten all about the slave deal and only today did she came to remember it. Nah. "What's the message?" I asked, standing up from my bed. I won't lie. I'm feeling a little edgy. And I feel like getting a banana, if that makes any sense. Grim cleared her throat. "Ron, meet me tonight, after midnight, in the royal gardens. Alone."