The Dragon and The Moon

by Dragon-Heart

Chapter 6: New Surroundings

The sun rises on the next day as the castle begins to awake, everyone begins to tend to their duties or head out on other business, clear skies let the sun shine its brightest today as everything seem to glow. The sisters discuss multiple matters as they survey the whole castle, the new young head researcher advises others of new tasks at hand, messengers traveling through every entry and exit as well as others. As the sun rises higher a ray of light cuts through a small opening of a window, striking the eyes of a sleeping stallion stirring awake, slowly opening his eyes he surveys the room he is in. A small apartment with some of his belongings he was able to bring, a table covered with gems and small tools stood in one corner with a chest next to it, in the other stood an armor stand with his issued equipment on it, while laying on a rough looking bed. Opening the window to let in more light revealed several books and papers scattered about the floor and on the walls, all from different periods of time and countries. The armor shined a dark purple color with light inlay of blue detailed markings, a fine sophisticated work made from the strongest metals to be found near the outer borders of the Everfree forest, it was even collapsible to give the wearer mobility or defense. The stallion begins to equip the armor, placing it over his back then locking in the chest plate with an emblem on it showing the Lunar coat of arms, sliding into his boots and finally attaching the neck protector. He stares into his reflection from a dirty mirror, wondering about the life of the armor, turning to one side he notices the armor had a previous owner, there a small distinction of what looked like talons cut through the metal. Before heading out to his new surroundings, a small prayer is said then exits.

Standing out in the large hallway with others passing by and occasionally making glances towards my direction made it very uncomfortable for me. I quickly head towards the library to meet up with the Captain for lessons from historical notes, all while trying to avoid those in the hallway; many whispering or staring about the new stallion in the unique armor who now resides in the room two doors down of Luna's. Upon reaching the stairs I find a familiar character from my encounter with the dragon.

"Hello old friend." I greeted as I match his walk.
"Oh, hey its you. Feeling better?" he asked, looking a mess himself.

"I am, but what about you? You look like you've ran to the ice caps and back."
"It's nothing just getting into my new position since my mentor left because of that incident we had." a weary smile appears.

"Well good for you I guess. I don't we've been properly introduced by the way, my name is Dragon-Heart."
"Nice to meet you Dragon-Heart, my name is Spark Runner or what my fellow researchers started calling me Sparks."

Chuckling, "Why have they started calling you Sparks?"
"Because...I may have played with more lighting than I can handle." he mutters, "So looks like you were admitted to be a guard."

"Well sort of, more of a personal guard Luna."
"Really, wonder why?"

I wondered at the thought as well, "Maybe the dragon running around brought to light the needing of protection from anything."

We reached a fork in the grounds where we went our separate ways as he headed towards the building with the large telescope and I towards the cylinder one with two Guards at its doors. Heading inside I learned the building had secrets of its own as the floors extend further down or were wider than they appear, I find myself in a room with a giant hourglass in its center surrounded by tables, there I found the Captain and other newly recruited guards.

"Good you're here take a seat and we will begin the lesson." taking a seat next to a colt who seemed more nervous than most, the Captain begins speaking.

"You all are here because you passed the physical challenges that will be met in this line of work but that was just the simple walk in the park. The real challenge is how strong is your thought process, finding ways around problems without fighting, and understanding the way everything works and reacts to your actions. This is why we will be reviewing different events on learning how to defuse any situation."

We were all giving multiple copies written from many different historians, all with detailed descriptions of any event that was decided by choices of many or of one. I was given two other books as well one of foreign relations and the other of what seem to made of to what I believed was mythology but something about book gave off the feeling of truth behind it. After hours of reading through the books and the rest left I stayed reviewing the "Book of Supernatural Entities," explaining the many strange creatures ponies were able to encounter or study. Many of the small creatures I've seen when mining in large caves or traveling through parts untouched by civilization, other creatures seem unlikely to exist what given little information about them, then I reached one particular entity that stood out from the rest. It didn't have a name to it only titled as the "Lord of Chaos" from just looking at the illustration I see why it was called that, its body was made multiple creatures molded into a snake-like dragon.

-The Lord of Chaos is a Draconequus creature from an unknown origin, it is said wherever this creature would be the area would be greatly altered to its opposite features even its citizens would be affected by energy of chaos growing from it....The chaos held control over parts of Equestria for many years before two nations joined together in a peaceful truce to stop the chaos, using the power from a sacred tree they were able to seal away the Lord of Chaos in location unbeknownst to others...

A lot of information was removed from the pages as to hide a powerful secret, names where removed or scratched out, locations stated false, but the images where left alone which started to bring up old memories long forgotten. The illustration of what the they thought the tree looked like almost seem to be perfect representation of it, Wait. How would I know what it would look like? continuing to to the second image it showed two beings standing on hill, one had the same looking armor as those seen here in Canterlot and the second..........I stared at the second Alicorn with a dark coat of shadows, a mane of emerald green, with a jagged looking horn, and wings that looked transparent, Why does this all seem familiar? Random images of a cave and a tree made of stone flashes through my mind, there's also a strange shadow there, as I try to remember to see the image a voice startles me.

"Oh I'm sorry, careful there." I must have jumped out of my seat, "Are you all right Dragon-Heart?"
"What? Yes, yes I'm alright." I quickly gather the books and remove any nerves to keep a calm face only to have them return as I face Princess Celestia.

"Are you sure? You seem to be thinking of something really hard, you had a strained look."
"Oh that, I sort of dozed off and hit my head against the table, hehe."

"Hmm, very well. You should explore around more, get to know everypony here, staying secluded is not a healthy habit."
"Right...Good day to you, your highness." as I was bowing I could hear a small chuckle.

"You don't have to be so formal, you've proven more than enough to just call me Celestia." she continues her walk around the library, leaving me with my thoughts before heading out.

Reaching the building Sparks entered earlier a loud commotion can be heard inside, looks like they were testing something and just as I opened the door a warning is shouted towards my directions just as I was able to stop a spear of rock inches from my face. Staring at the thing that almost killed me others gathered around me all asking if I was alright and others wanting to know how I was able to stop it without using my hooves or dodging it, Sparks breaks through the crowd.

"Dear Celestia, Dragon-Heart are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine," placing the spear down "You should probably have a safety barrier for this kind of thing."

"You're right didn't think this would happen," he hands the spear to another "So what brings you here."
"Just wanted to explore where you handle your research" everywhere I looked there were ponies all working in different things.

"Then let me give you a tour of the place," we head towards the center of the room "Let's start with something you might enjoy, here we test many different reactions of elements with stones, gems and alloys." the center is a large area where multiple stations were place each working with a certain category of tests.
"What are you doing with those gems over there?" a group of researchers seem to feeding crystals with beams of energy which cause them to glow brightly.

"Ah we started this research just after reviewing how you were able to stop the dragon, when you channeled energy into the gem it got us in wondering if this works with all gems or stones and with any type of magic or energy."
"I see." to the side were glass cases that held individual stones and gems that had some energy in them.

As we toured all the experiments and conversed with the others, the images I had before started to cloud my mind again and I became distant to the world around me,

"Hey, Dragon-Heart. Hello? Are you there?" Sparks waves his hoof in front of me
"Oh sorry, got distracted."

"I know, you have that look trying to remember something."
"It's nothing, really." Sparks stands in my way

"I won't take that as an answer. Now tell me, what is it that is bothering you?"
He was serious, there was no denying his determination "Have you ever looked at something that brings up memories that you have no recollection of whatsoever?"

"What do you mean?" he asked
"I was reading this particular book about certain events, where mentioned a stone tree and a Alicorn that helped in the event that both seemed very real to me. I can't explain it but it seems that I have seen these two things in my life before all of this. I keep playing these images in my head of that very same tree and a figure at its base looking almost like the one in the book."

Sparks stares with complete confusion on his face before responding with, "You probably went through an physiological event so strong that your mind blocked the memories and now that you've read this book it triggered the images you're seeing. I could try to find a way to help you remember but as of right now maybe try to not worry so much on them."
"Hmmm, I'll try. Well I'm going to explore the rest of the place, try to get to know its halls I'll visit another time. Good day."

"And to you Dragon-Heart."

***

Exploring the castle really helped clearing my mind and conversing with others here and there removed any nerves I still had about the place. Many told stories about their lives here and before, many where from towns found far out in the world others where born here, almost everyone knew each other so well it was like a small town of its own. They also asked a lot about me from where I was born to how did I become the stallion I am today, it was a little embarrassing telling them my story as they would ask about my father who studied dragons with my help, then wanting to know about my mother and all were surprised to hear that she was an adviser for a prince past the northern mountains. The parts of the of my life they all mostly wondered about was hard to explain as it sounded something a child would try to tell a story, I tried to keep the story simple as explaining how I was able to gain the trust of an elder dragon that disliked anything outside of any of their nesting grounds, then spending the most of my years of just wandering all over Equestria and learning things from many different teachers, and finishing it to how I arrived. Late in the evening I found a garden where I could have a moment of peace, not that I didn't like the crowds around me but here in the center of the garden with the fountain reminded me of home as I closed my eyes and drift off with the memories.

Finally free from my obligations around the castle and with all the ponies starting to call it a day, I used the remaining of my time just wandering the halls. I find it a little strange on how quiet a large castle like this can get with only the occasional clanking of armor as the guards walk the halls, saluting them was also another thing I found weird doing as I passed them while standing by doors or passing through. Before heading back to my room I deciding to walk the garden, it was always so beautiful in the night while the moon shined on the flowers. The garden was one of the places I enjoyed since my sister and I planted the first generations of flowers here and now grown to have multiple flowers and colors from the area, then the soothing sounds from the fountain as the water would endlessly flow through it, a world withing a world. But there was something new here that I haven't notice, a lone stallion sitting across the fountain motionless, he looked like a statue overlooking the garden, as I moved closer the stallion became more recognizable, it was Dragon-Heart. He must of fallen wandered here and fallen asleep, funny that he was able to keep his back straight at attention but his head drooped a little, he seemed to be having joyous dream. I know I shouldn't be exploring dreams before I have more experience but he could help me practice a little, as I sat across from him I began to concentrate forming a link between our minds, unexpectedly he began to nuzzle my nose which in turn made me blush but not as madly as Dragon-Heart as he awoke to seeing my embarrassed red face against his.

With a startled jump, "Luna!! Oh I'm so sorry, I'm sorry I thought I was alone and, and..." he was stumbling around his words.
"No, no, no it's alright. I should be the one apologizing, I saw you were sitting here and didn't want to cause a disturbance."

"Please excuse me I'll be out of your way." as he tried to leave I placed my hoof on his shoulder,
"Don't go, I would like your company here." with these words said caused both of us to further feel a little embarrassed, we sat side by side each looking at different things.

"It's a very beautiful garden."
"Thank you, we worked hard on it when it was just a few plots of flowers."

We stayed silent for a while before he asked, "Um, could you keep this between just the two of us?"
"Yes," I could tell he felt terrible inside that this happen "What were you dreaming of?"

"I was dreaming of home, this garden closely resembles area I was born in." he started to blush again, which made me giggle a little that caused his face turn even further red.
"I'm sorry it's just that I've never seen a stallion blush so much."

"Well my mother did say I was very emotional...just like my father."

We stayed in the garden a while longer just conversing about many different things as we forgot about the embarrassing moment we had earlier, he was more social now than he was before but he was still a little shy around me. As cold breeze blew in and the lanterns started light up gave us the signal that it is late into the night, heading back I started feel cold from the breeze and began to shiver but then felt warm as Dragon-Heart has placed his wing around me to keep the breeze off me, he kept facing forward probably to hide the fact that he has his wing around me, so I just slowly moved closer to him until my body was against his causing him to tense up a little. We avoided halls where others might see us as he lead me back to my room and before heading off to his,

"May you have a restful night princess." and bows
"And may you have wonderful dreams." as he stands back up I give him a playful nuzzle of my own.

Before seeing his reaction I turn into my room and closing the door, I lay down on the bed with my ecstatic thoughts, I start to feel really foolish and embarrassed at the same time of what I just done. Am I being fooled by these thoughts of him and I? This is all new things I have never experienced or even learned about. What am I going through? What is he going through?