A Bartender's moon

by The Lutece twins

Chapter 2

Joe is standing outside on the balcony, his hair is a mess, a cup of coffee in his hands as he tries to stay awake, looking at a scar on the mountain a forest fire did four years ago. Luna was Just starting to wake, she stretches her arms.

"Morning Tia." she says groggily before opening her eyes to see Joe's living room. "Oh...yeah..." she muttered. Joe yawns as his head nods. He shakes his head and takes a sip of his coffee.

"Need... more sleep." He mutters. Luna lays there on the couch, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. Joe walks back inside and closes the door behind him.

"I wonder what Tia is thinking..." Luna sighed. Joe walks downstairs and notices that Luna was up.

"Morning Luna." He said. Luna notices Joe and smiles slightly.

"We bid thee good morning as well." She said. Joe smiles.

"I see ye speak ye old English." He said.

"We do." She said.

"Well, that language died hundreds of years ago here." He said. Luna tilts her head slightly.

"Hundreds? Been thousands in my world." She chuckles. "Time really flies for me to be thousands of years old." She said. Joe chuckles as well.

"Would you like some coffee, Luna?" He asked.

"I'm not a big fan of coffee...I prefer tea." She said. Joe nods.

"Okay. Want me to make some tea for you?" He asked.

"Oh...you don't have to..." Luna said.

"What about breakfast then?" He asked. Luna shrugs.

"I...I don't want to impose..." She said.

"Nonsense, it's I bet you could use some food." Joe said.

"I...I guess so..." she says as she sits up with a yawn. Joe smiles and walks towards the kitchen, humming a little tune. Luna slowly gets up from the couch and follows Joe into the kitchen.

"If you're cooking for me, I can at least help you." She said. Joe nods.

"Okay, how does hash browns and omelettes sound?" He asked. Luna smiles.

"Sounds wonderful." She said.

"Would you mind grabbing some eggs from the fridge, while I take care of the potatoes?" Joe asks as he grabs a potato peeler from the drawer next to the sink. Luna nodded and made her way over to the sink, staggering slightly.

"Ugh, I'm not used to walking like this." She said. With a quiet pop her tail appears and she gives it a few swishes. "Better." she smiled as she made her way to the fridge. A loud gasp escaped her lips at what she saw.

""J-J-Joe! You never told me you eat meat!" She said, her voice showing fear. Joe stops peeling potatoes and looks over at her.

"Oh, yea, I forgot to tell you, that humans are a omnivorous species." He said. Luna sighed.

"A warning would have been nice!" She yelled. she holds a hand to her mouth as she quickly gets the eggs and bacon and shuts the fridge. Joe has a sheepish look on his face and continues to peel the potatoes.

"Sorry." He said. Luna swats at Joe's leg with her tail.

"Silly filly." She said.

"So, Luna, since I have a day off today, how about our take you around, see the sights." He said.

"Oh, sure! But I have to keep my tail...kind of can't walk without it..." Luna said. Joe nods as he puts the chopped potatoes in a pan.

"Okay, and if anyone asks, we can just say that you're just cosplaying." He said. Luna nods.

"Of course." She said. Joe smiles as he adds some salt and pepper to the potatoes.

"Also, sorry if I look like a mess, not exactly a morning person." He said. Luna giggles.

"My mane...er...HAIR is a mess too."" She said. Joe laughs.

"I guess we're both not exactly morning people." He said. With a smile, Luna gently leaned against Joe's side, wrapping her tail around his waist.

"You're a good friend, Joe. I'm really going to miss you when I leave...if I ever do..." She said. Joe blushes slightly, but smiles.

"I... I will miss you too, Luna." He said. A small sniffle escapes Luna as she pulls him into a tight hug, burying her face into his chest.

"I do not with to lose another friend!" She sobs, wrapping her tail tighter around his waist. Joe is shocked at what's happening, before hugging Luna.

"Its okay, I'm here." He said. She grips the back of her shirt, wetting him with her tears.

"Let it all out, Luna." He said. As she finishes she pulls away, blushing madly.

"I'm sorry...I feel so rude..." She said. Joe shakes his head.

"No, no, it's okay, you needed to let that out." He said. Luna smiles slightly as she wipes her eyes.

"Thanks at least for being there for me." She said happily. Joe smiles back.

"No problem." He said. Luna's tail began to way a little as she wiped her last tear with a smile. In other words, she must have looked rather adorable. Joe smells something burning slightly.

"Ahh, the potatoes!" He yells. Luna couldn't help but giggle.

"Silly you." she said with a nuzzle to Joe's cheek. Joe turns off the stove and sighs with relief.

"Saved them." He said.

"That's great news!" Luna said happily.

"They're a little burnt on the edges, but should be fine." He said.

"Good." Luna said as she smiles and watches Joe prepare breakfast. Joe places the omelette and the hash browns on plates and places the bacon on his.

"Luna, would you like some orange juice?" He asked. Luna nods.

"Yes please." She replied awkwardly, eying Joe's bacon. "Poor pigs..." She said. Joe sighs as he opens the fridge.

"It's a part of life." He said. Luna scoffs.

"So you kill pigs just to eat them? As a part of life?" She asked angrily. Luna turns away and walks out of the kitchen, an angry look on her face. Joe shakes his head furiously.

"No, no, no, I don't kill them, the butchers do that. I would never harm an animal." He said. Luna didn't hear as she entered the bathroom with the door shut. Joe sighs and sits on a chair, holding his head in his hand.

"Why did I have to say that, that makes me sound like a total fool." He muttered. Luna finds herself vomitting into the toilet Joe gets up from the chair, walks into the kitchen, grabs a glass of water, and walks towards the bathroom. Luna sighed heavily. Joe knocks on the door.

"Luna, I got you a glass of water if you need it." He said. Luna opened the door and took the glass.

"S-sorry for blowing up at you like that...I feel aweful now." She said. Joe places a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay, if it will make you happy, I won't eat the bacon." He said. Luna turned her gaze to the floor.

"Hey, it's going to be okay, I'm not mad at you." He added. Luna hugs Joe and rests her head on his chest. Joe hugs back.

"It's okay, I'm here." He said.

"It's just so hard...I can't comprehend what Tia must be thinking or how she may be feeling...I miss her so much...my dear sister..." She sniffed.

"I will be here for you, luna, always." He promised. Luna smiled slightly as she closed her eyes. once again her tail began to sway.

"I do not wish to let go of you." She said. Joe nods and holds her slightly tighter, but not too tight. Luna gives his chest a nuzzle. Joe lightly rubs Luna's back.

"Nopony has ever showed me much affection or that they care...so this is a nice treat." Luna said happily. Joe smiles.

"I'm glad to be here for you." He added.

"I'm glad to be your friend. May I change to my real form? I don't like this disguise..." She said. Joe nods.

"If you want." He said. Luna smiled.

"Thanks." she said softly as a blue light surrounded her, leaving her in her true form as the light faded. She continued to hold on to Joe, feeling protected with him.

"Want to be held a little bit longer before we eat breakfast?" He asked. Luna nods.

"I like how you hold me." She said. Joe smiles.

"Thank you." He said. Luna nuzzles his cheek. Joe continues to lightly rub Luna's back. Luna smiles and wraps her large wings around Joe. As he started into Luna's eyes he felt something course through his body, like a spark. Luna sighed. Suddenly a sudden spark in her heart as if she had feelings for Joe. A blush of red appeared upon her cheeks as she snuggled closer. Joe sighs with happiness.

"I haven't felt this happy in a while." He added. Luna nods.

"Despite everything, I'm happy right now." She said happily.

"Shall we eat breakfast?" He asked. Luna nods again. Joe carries Luna as he walks back to the kitchen.

"Wow, you are strong!" Luna giggles, wondering how he can possibly carry her in her equine form. Joe smiles.

"Well, the jobs that I worked before I became a bartender required heavy lifting. They weren't the jobs that I wanted." He said. Luna lays her head against his chest and smiled. Joe smiles as well as he rubs Luna's back.

"Shall we be eating now?" She asked. Joe nods and grabs Luna's plate.

"Here you go." He said. With a smile, Luna levitated it over to her with her magic as she sat at the table, staring dreamily at Joe. Joe sits next to Luna with his plate and has a relaxed smiles as he looks at Luna as he eats.

"Now, I may not be the best cook, but it should be good." He added. Luna giggles and nuzzled Joe. Joe smiles as he eats, avoiding the bacon. Luna begins to eat as well, leaning on Joe's shoulder as she does so. She squirms her head under his arm and smiles. Joe looks down at her and smiles. Luna sighs contentedly, cuddling into Joe's side. Joe raises a hand and pets Luna's starry mane, feeling it as cool as the night sky. Luna smiles up at him, blushing slightly.

"Joe?" She asked.

"Yea?" He asked back. Luna looks at him nervously.

"Well...I-I was just w-wonder if...if you would uh...when I leave...would you want to...you know...come with me to E-Equestria?" She stutters nervously. Joe places a hand on Luna's shoulder and looks at her with a smile.

"If it will keep you happy and have a smile, I would love to come back with you." He said. Luna's eyes sparkled as she smiled into Joe's. Joe stares at Luna with a relaxed smile.

"I havn't felt this happy in a long time." He said for a second time.

"Neither have I." Luna replied, gently nuzzling Joe's chest.

"So, want to continue our sight seeing day?" He asked. Luna nods.

"Sure." She said as she she smiled, changing back to her human form, leaving her tail on though as she began to swish it. Joe smiles as he gets up. He holds out his hand out for Luna. Luna blushed and gently took it in hers. Her tail began to wag faster as her blush increased. Joe continues to smile as Luna stands up.

"I'll be right back, I just need to grab my wallet and keys." He said. Luna nodded, joyfully wagging her tail.

"Take your time!" She yelled. Joe gives a little two finger salute.

"Will do!" He said before heading upstairs. Luna sighs dreamily, staring where Joe had just stood. Joe enters his room while humming a little tune. He grabs his phone, keys and wallet from the desk and looks around, making sure that he has everything he needs. He opens up the drawer next to his bed and takes out a map of the state. He walks out of the room and walks back downstairs. Luna was waiting eagerly down by the front door. Joe comes down the stairs with a slightly worn out hat on his head, that he had since he was a teen. He stops at a table mid way and picks up a brochure. He then walks over to Luna, with his keys at hand.

"Ready, Luna?" He asked. Luna nods, and opens the door, fighting the urdge to hold his hand. Joe walks outside.

"Thank you." He thanked. Luna follows him and hugs his arm. Joe slightly blushes as he uses his keys to lock the door behind them.

"Sorry." Luna blushed. "I'm sort of a clingy pon..err...person now I guess.." she said. Joe looks at her with a smile.

"Its ok, Luna." He said.

"S-shall we be going?"" She asked. Joe nods.

"Sure." He said. Luna smiles. Joe smiles and walks towards his car. Luna followed, curious of the large thing in front of her.

"What kind if contraption is this?" She asked.

"Oh, it's called a car." Joe said.

"I can see seats inside...is it for transportation? It has weels too...is car short for carriage in your world?" She asked.

"Um, carriages havn't been used in over three hundred hundred years. They were discontinued in the early 1900's." Joe stated.

"Oh...I guess my kind is far behind yours in technology, then...so how do we get in?" She asked curiously, pointing to one of the doors with a flick of her tail.

"Here, let me get that for you." He said as he opens the passenger door. "After you." He said.

"Oh, um okay!" The lunar princesss replied as she took a seat. She then notices the dashboard.

"Wow...I feel like I'm in an alien spaceship, there's so many buttons and knobs!" She said happily. Joe gets in the driver's seat.

"Um, those are just for the air conditioning and radio." He said.

"Wait....you control the temperature from INSIDE the car!? You don't need to alter the weather itself!?" She yelled. Joe looks at Luna with confusion.

"Um, what?" He asked.

"N-nevermind..." Luna said, blushing. Joe looks forward and inserts the key into the ignition. The car starts with a small roar.

"EEK!" Luna gasped, instantly clinging to Joe's arm. "Wh-wh-what was that!?" She yelled.

"It's okay Luna, it's just the car starting." He said. Luna sighed heavily, a hand over her heart.

"Oh, thank Celestia!" she said as she tried to move away, but couldn't until she realized she had her tail was tightly wrapped around Joe's right forearm.

"S-sorry." she said as she removes it and gets back in her seat. Joe gives Luna a smile.

"It's okay Luna, you didn't know." He said. Luna sighs again.

"A warning would have been nice," she said with a giggle.

"Ok." He said as he lightly pushes the gas pedal. The car lurched forward and he drove out of the driveway. Luna fidgeted in her seat, uncomfortable having to sit on her tail.

"Our seats had holes in the back for our tails..." she said uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry if you feel uncomfortable, Luna. Shall I pull over so that you can get comfortable?" He asked. Luna shakes her head.

"I'll be fine," she replies, bringing her tail into her lap where she began to pet it. "J-just keep going..." She said, noticing many different loking cars.

"Why are there so many different looking ones? What's the point?" She asked. Joe looks at her, but still looks forward.

"Well, they all have a different function. Like mine, it's a family car, for driving or for fun with families. That truck right there," He said, pointing at a semi truck. "Is more for transporting goods and items to businesses and stores. Law enforcers have their own cars to catch anyone who is breaking the rules. Same with the military, they have their own vehicles." He said.

"What about that one?" Luna asked curiously, pointing to the car driving alongside Joe. The latest addition to the Corvette.

"It looks...fast." she said.

"That's for people who have a lot of money, to just show off how much they have. I don't exactly like people like that, too flashy." He said as they drive by a construction site.

"Oh...loud, isn't it?" She asked as they sped past. Joe chuckles.

"Yeah, but hey, they get the job done." He said. Luna giggles.

"I see. So...where are we going?" She asks. Joe hands Luna the map, including the brochure.

"Well, here's a map of the state. The state of Colorado. We can go anywhere you like, as long as it's not too far, okay?" He asked.

"I don't know." Luna replied with a flick of her tail. "I don't know any of these places...since I'm from another world and all..." she said. Joe has an idea.

"Hey, Luna, you said that your sister's name is Celestia, ya?" He asked. Luna nodded.

"Yeah, why?" She asked. Joe smiles.

"I know just the place were we can go!" He said happily.

""Equestria would be nice, but I know that won't be happening soon..." She said sadly. Joe looks at Luna with a reassuring smile.

"Hey, I'm sure that they're looking for you right now." He added. Luna looks down.

"Nopony will be. My sister at least." She sniffed. Joe was about to say something, when he notices that the gas tank is running low.

"Dang it, I need to refuel the car." He said. Luna suddenly began to have flashbacks of her time as Nightmare Moon, making he tremble and shake. Joe as he pulls into the nearest gas station, he notices that Luna was shaking.

"Luna, are you alright?" He asked. Luna doesn't answer. Joe turns the car off and shakes Luna's shoulder.

"Luna?" He asked a second time. Luna turns away in an attempt to hide her sobs. Joe still has his hands on her shoulder.

"Luna, if you want to talk about it, I'm here for you." He said. Luna shakes her head, hugging her tail.

"You'd hate me like everypony else if I told you..." she sniffed.

"I would never hate you, Luna, even if you did something bad in the past." Joe said.

"I...I just dont wanna talk about it..." Luna sniffled, leaning against Joe's shoulder. Joe pulls Luna into a hug.

"I won't force you if you don't want to talk about it." He said. Luna hugged him tightly.

"I feel as if I'm just being a burden on your life with all my crying..." she sniffed. Joe gives Luna a reassuring smile.

"You're not a burden on my life." He said. Luna sniffled and smiled slightly, laying her head on Joe's shoulder and wraps her tail around his arm.

"Thank you." She whispered. Joe smiles back.

"No problem." He said. Luna nuzzles his cheek.

"I'm happy to call you my friend." She said.

"Same here, Luna." He said happily. Luna sits back up in her seat, keeping her tail wrapped around Joe's arm. She smiles into his eyes, feeling the need to be held in his arms. Joe smiles.

"If you will excuse me, I need to refuel the car please." He said.

"Oh, okay." she releases her tail hesitantly from his arm. Joe opens the car door and gets out. He looks at her.

"I'll be right back." He said. Luna sat for a second, watching him leave before getting out as well, following Joe. She hurries up to him and hugs his arm.

"I don't like being alone..." she said quietly. Joe is somewhat surprised, but then nods.

"All right." He said. Luna let go and follows a bit behind him. Joe has his hands in his pockets and hums a little tune as he walks towards the building next to the stations. The feeling of being in a new world, full of things so foriegn to her, made Luna feel out of place. Joe as he comes to a pair of doors they open up as he comes near. Luna gets closer to Joe, staying at his side. Joe walks up to the counter and looks at the guy behind it.

"Hey Chris." He said. Chris, the store clerk looked up from his phone.

"Oh, hey, Joe! Uh...who's the pretty lady you've got with you?" He asked.

"Luna, this is Christopher, or Chris as he likes to be called. Chris, Luna." Joe said.

"Hi, there!" Chri said joyfully to Luna. "Is she your girlfriend?" He asks before laughing. "I'm kidding, I know how incapable you are of getting one of those!" He said sarcastically. Luna only stepped back and turned her gaze to the floor, unsure of what to do or say. Joe facepalms and sighs in irritation.

"Chris, why do you always say that, you know I like to help people out." He said. Chris shrugged. Luna rubbed the back of her neck as her tail flicked annoyingly. Chris just happened to notice it.

"Dude...does she have a tail?" He asked. Joe looks at Luna, before looking back at Chris.

"It's one of those cosplay tails, ya know, the real expensive types that look real." He said.

"It's real." Luna muttered. Chris gave an awkward toothy smile, tapping his fingers on the counter.

"Okay, then." He said. With the truth said, Luna began to freely sway her tail from side to side.

"So anyway, Chris, gas please." Joe said.

"Of course, Mojo jojo!" Chris says with a smile and goes to do as told.

"Joe, I'm gonna walk around a bit to browse." Luna said. Looks at Luna and nods.

"Okay, Luna. If you see anything you like, just tell me." He said. Luna hugs Joe quick before she begins to walk down the aisles. Joe smiles at Luna, before looking back at the counter and notices that Chris has a sly smile.

"What?" He asked.

"You like her, don't you." He said. Luna noticed an assortment of clothing hanging from the wall and decided to take a look.

"Well... I did take her in, because she is far from home. And stop getting the wrong ideas too." Joe stated.

"I know you like her." Chris said. Luna begins to go through the shirts and becomes shocked at what she finds. Joe sighs.

"Fine, I like her alright. She just makes me happy, that happiness that was gone since... since Nicole died." He said with a sad look.

"It'll be alright man. Maybe you can wipe your tears on her tail if you get sad!" He said, before laughing again. "Oh, I'm just messing with ya!"" He laughed. Luna's jaw quivers as she pulls down shirt with the image of her face morphing into Nightmare Moon's. Her breaths become slightly more rapid, her hands shaking. Joe smiles.

"Thanks man, you were always there to try and cheer me up." He said. Chris smiles.

"No proble-hey what's wrong with Luna?" he asks pointing to Luna who was sobbing softly as she held the shirt in her hands. Joe quickly rushes over to her side.

"Luna, what's wrong!?" He asked. Shaking, Luna shows him the shirt. Joe looks at the shirt and sees Luna's face morphing into a more vicious version of herself. He remembers her crying about something.

"Luna, is... is this what you where talking about that you didn't want to talk about?" He asked. Luna nodded, hugging Joe as she cried into his chest.

"I didn't mean to hurt all those ponies! I had no control!" she cried, gripping his shirt. Joe hugs back slightly tight.

"It's ok, I'm here. Let it all out." He whispered. Luna continues to sob, pleading she's sorry over and over. Joe looks and sees that Chris has a look of confusion on his face.

"From what I know, she has had a traumatic past that she doesn't want to talk about. Can you give us a few?" He asked. Chris nods.

"Tia had to banish me to the moon, and I was there for a thousand years, captive in my own body by that thing!" She wailed. Joe lightly rubs Luna's back.

"Shhh, let it out. I'm here for you." He said. After a moment she calms down, but doesn't let go of Joe. Without realizing it she had changed bac to her pony form and had her wings around him.

"Ahh, crap." Joe said. Chris's eyes roll back into his head as he falls over, unconscious. Joe looks over at Chris.

"Double crap." He said.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note:

Hey guys, here's another chapter ready to go. I hope you enjoy.