Brony Recon: To Live and Love in Equestria

by Freescript the Bard

Through the Edge of Night

Shift's POV

"Ugh… my head…" I looked around the top floor of the library, eventually resting on Twilight, who was snuggled up next to me. I nudged her awake, even though the sun hadn't risen yet over the horizon.

"Nuh… huh? Wha…?"

"You wanna tell me why my head hurts?" I asked. She shook her head and lay down , burying her face in my chest. "Twilight, c'mon, you know I can't resist…" Oh sweet Celestia she looked so cute when she was sleeping. "Ugh… fine." I wrapped my hooves around her and put my chin over her head.

"Pushover," she whispered, kissing my neck.

"Hey, um, Twi?" She looked up at me, "you, er… you missed." She craned her neck and I bent mine to lock lips with her. In that moment, I felt the emotion, that sweet, sultry, incomparable taste. I realized that it was the most delicious thing in the world to a Changeling; love. But not only did it feed me, but I felt like Storm after a cup of apple coffee, energetic and powerful. I felt guilty about it, but what can I say; fish gotta swim, Changelings gotta eat.

Suddenly, I remembered why my head hurt. Before going to sleep, Twilight was levitating multiple books around the room, picked for a certain study topic which was lost on me. I made the mistake of lightly kissing her on the cheek, breaking her concentration and resulting in a particularly large tome hitting my head. After that I had no idea what happened.

"Um, sorry for breaking your concentration yesterday…"

"It's me who should apologize for dropping some light reading on your head," she said with a giggle.

"That was LIGHT?" This prompted more giggles from the lavender mare in my arms. "Well, Miss Egghead, how about I get Spike up and we can have some breakfast?"

She nodded, getting out of bed to descend the stairs to the library. I got up and trotted up to Twilight's room, where Spike was asleep in his basket. I nudged the baby dragon a few times before he woke, blinking. "Ugh… Shift? What do you want?"

"C'mon, time for breakfast, Spike. You don't want to be late."

"Gee, you're almost as bad as Twi--"

"Spike!" the call came from downstairs.

"Almost," he amended.

Twilight appeared in the threshold. "Spike, do you know where 'A Reference Guide to Celestial Bodies' is?"

"Isn't that the book you dropped on Shift's head?" Twilight and I blushed at the memory.

"Right, thanks Spike. Oh, and sorry, Shift."

"It's fine, Twi," I replied, "besides, it's my fault I distracted you…"

She smiled warmly. Suddenly, black smoke rose from the first floor. "The eggs!" Twilight screamed, dashing down the stairs to both mine and Spike's amusement.

After a meager breakfast of cereal, we went down to the library. Using the magical instinct I learned from Storm, I levitated a few books of Twilight's choice down to the floor. Together, we studied the nature of magical plants found in the Everfree Forest.

We read together a lot in the days to come.

Kind Greetings' POV

I was a morning pony, and I loved it. I got to wake up and not feel groggy or grumpy like most ponies. I stood on the balcony to the room I shared with Sky, overlooking a beautiful sunrise. The hills in Canterlot Valley made the sight even more mystifying, adding shadows to the brightening land.

Just as I was about to mentally compose poetry, a tired-looking Skyblaze walked in and trotted past me. "Have a good sleep Sky?"

He stared blankly before his brows rose slightly. "I'm just getting to bed now, Ben. I'll probably see you in the evening at dinner, or should I say breakfast?"

I was surprised at his words. "Wait, you stayed up all night? And what's this about breakfast?"

The pegasus gazed at me before sliding into his bed across from mine. "I was helping Luna with some…" he yawned, "…paperwork. I'm adjusting to her sleep schedule, so she doesn't have to stay awake during the day."

"Wait what?!" My words fell upon deaf ears as the stallion in question was snoring loudly. I sighed and made for the door, closing the blinds before I exited. Giving the guard a respectful nod, I trotted my way to the throne room. The Princesses wanted to speak with me more on our presence in Equestria, me being the official ambassador to Equestria from the Herd.

Celestia was sitting on her throne, enjoying a plate of eggs, while Luna was eating a moderate salad. "Good morning, Kind Greetings. You seem more lively than most of the castle," Celestia greeted.

"I've always been a morning pony; I need to be in order to get to my early classes back home."

Luna looked up from what I assumed was her dinner. "Have you seen Skyblaze? He wandered off after he finished his salad."

I sighed again. "He's in bed, your highness," I said, "something about conforming to your sleep schedule."

"Pity, he was a great help last night…" she stopped as she caught looks from Celestia and I. "With paperwork! Sister, why do ponies jump to conclusions quicker in this age?" she said, facehoofing.

"Perhaps the day and age, my sister, has changed more than you realized," the sun goddess said, "but may I direct our attention to the matter at hand. Ben?" I sat up as she mentioned my name. "We would like to know if you would like to keep the origin of the 'bronies' a secret from the general public."

"Of course, Princess. I can't imagine the public response to six creatures from another dimension living among them. Especially when one has taken a liking to the Princess."

Luna was taking a drink of orange juice at the time, but whatever was in her mouth was ejected, covering me and some of the floor in the citrus juice. Celestia gave her sister a look. "Whatever does he mean, Luna?" she inquired.

Luna gave me a 'your flank is going to end up on the moon' look and turned to Celestia. "It is true, sister. I have found myself a suitor. Just last night we went out for coffee."

I jumped at this. "Um… did I just hear you say that you and Sky went on a date?!" I said, breaking formality.

Celestia did not look overly betrayed, but had a curious portrayal. "If I am to guess that this is the same stallion you rescued from the gardens the previous night?" Luna nodded. "I must meet him in pony. Can you arrange a meeting when he wakes?"

I gave the Princess a stare. "You're serious? You want to meet Skyblaze personally?"

"Yes, it is only fitting, as he is courting my sister," she replied, "he is the first one to do so since Luna's return from the moon."

"Oh, I… um," I stuttered, wondering how the situation degraded so quickly, "if you may pardon me, Princesses, I think I hear breakfast calling." As I left, I gave a slight chuckle as Luna asked her sister how breakfast could vocalize such an order. But my mirth left me as I facehoofed about the current situation multiple times.

There were many more facehooves in the days to come.

Aegis' POV

There was a large thump as I rolled unceremoniously off the bed, eliciting shouts from Granny Smith downstairs. I groaned as the door opened to the perplexed faces of Rainchaser and Applejack. "C'mon, Aegis, where's that morning pony I saw yesterday?" Rain said, giggling.

Dear Celestia I love that giggle. "Apparently you stole him," I replied, "give him back."

"Sorry, big guy, but I gotta get up early," she beamed, "Applejack helped me get flight lessons!"

I tilted my head, intrigued. "From who?"

"Rainbow… Dash." Rain sat on her haunches and clapped her hooves together, all while giving the cutest squeal. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she jumped. "Oh my Celestia! I'm almost late!" and ran down the stairs. I heard the door open and slam behind her.

I gave a look to Applejack. "Please tell me she ate breakfast?"

"Eeyup. Yer the last one up, pardner," she said, "we saved some flapjacks fer ya."

Smiling, I got to my hooves and followed the orange mare to the dining room, where a single plate of pancakes was left for me. "Is this all you eat at breakfast?" I asked.

"Oh, nah. We just love 'em! Ya gotta problem with that?" Applebloom still struck me as cute, even when she's giving me the 'don't dis my flapjacks' look.

"Nnope!"

"Now stop that, ya sound jus' like Macintosh!"

"Eeyup!" said Big Mac, "Ah have no problem with it. Ah'm actually a mite flattered."

"Yeah, but it's already hard to tell y'all apart an' ah don't take well to bein' confused." Applebloom hoofed me the syrup and hopped down from her stool. "Ah'm goin' to school now, bye!" she said, rushing out the door.

I masticated my flapjacks and chugged my apple juice. Applejack came down, Stetson on her head, and made for the door. "Ya don't have to help today, I reckon," she said, "Y'all helped a bunch yesterday, so there ain't anythin' to do fer today. Ah'm headin' over to Twilight's, so enjoy yer day off."

"Thanks, I think I'm gonna look for Storm or Rain," I said, "Storm didn't come back last night and I would like to see Rain's flight."

The work-pony nodded and exited. I cleaned off my spot, washing the dishes before I followed suit. It was a clear morning, not a cloud in the sky and dewdrops still hanging in the long grass. I walked down the path into town, enjoying the warmth of Celestia's sun on my maroon shoulders. The serenity was shattered as a pink blur popped up directly in my path with a gasp.

"Oh my Celestia! I'm gone for two days to a bakery convention and already you're the third new pony I've met! This is going to be the best party EVER! Come to the barn at seven okay? Okay! Bye! Oh, wait! My name's Pinkie Pie what's your name?!"

"Um… Aegis."

"Nice to meet you Aegis! Okay bye!" and she disappeared from view. Oh Pinkie Pie, I thought, you're so random.

I trotted into town, my experience with the energetic pink mare behind me. As I cantered through the market square, I spotted Storm and Caramel staring at the sky. I was about to greet them, but they didn't even notice my approach, enraptured with some point in the air. Sitting next to them, I tried to follow their gaze. The sky was all but blank, making me wonder what had caught their interest. It wasn't until a minute later, when the pair began giggling profusely that I realized that I had been pranked.

"Very funny, Storm," I glared.

"Yes, yes it was," she continued to giggle, "you shoulda seen your face! Priceless!"

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, do you know where Rain is?" I asked.

"We saw her in the park," Caramel said, "she was talking to Rainbow Dash."

"Thanks, you two." As I turned toward the the park, I glimpsed the couple kissing in my peripheral vision. It took all my willpower not to burst out laughing.

Rain was exactly where Storm said, flapping her wings as Rainbow Dash cheered her on. As I looked on, Rain's front hooves lifted off the ground, followed by her back hooves. She hovered for a full five seconds before dropping back to the ground on top of Rainbow Dash, the pegasi landing in a heap and laughing.

"Having fun, you two?" The mares looked up and blushed, extracting themselves from each other.

"Hey, you're Aegis, right?" Rainbow Dash said, "I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria!"

"Yeah, I remember you from the Sonic Rainboom you did at that Canterlot wedding." She was actually quite pretty in pony, especially her rainbow mane and tail. In the technicolor show, the colors in her mane were separate, but I saw that the colors had more fluency, one color blending with the next, while still remaining definitive from the rest.

"So, you gonna stare at me all day or did you want something?"

"Oh, sorry. I came to talk to Rain, actually."

She gave me a nod. "Okay, Rain, take five."

Rain, sweating, trotted over to me. "So, what's up?" Even covered in perspiration, her pink mane was still in it's familiar ponytail.

"You, evidently," I remarked, "you stayed up for a few moments."

"Well, it's not so great…"

"Are you kidding? You just started today, and you're getting really good."

"Hey, newbie! You wanna fly or what?" Rainbow Dash called from the top of a hill.

"Yeah, I'll be right there!" answered Rain, "sorry, but I gotta fly!" She dashed off toward the rainbow-maned mare.

I sighed to myself. "Yeah… go do that…" When I met Chloe a month before the mission, I've been trying to get her attention ever since. In fact, I admitted over video chat to Markus at one point that I had a crush on Chloe, to which the writer chuckled, but Pinkie-Pie-Promised not to tell anyone or anypony else. Now that Rainchaser was in Equestria, it was harder than ever. Especially since she found her favorite pony, who was now teaching her how to take to the air.

I would make many other attempts in the days to come.

Skyblaze's POV

If a dream is powerful enough, no matter how good it is, it can still keep you up. I was kept from sleep all day, partly from the new sleep schedule and partly from my dreams. Luna was haunting me in every moment, her laugh, her smile, and her accursed eyes. Sleep was impossible.

Sighing after another attempt at slumber, I hopped out of my bed and left the room. I turned to the guard at my door. "Hey, can you point me to Luna's bed chambers?" I asked. He pulled out a map from a pocket in his armor and showed me the most direct route to her tower. "Thanks mister… um…"

"Sure Hoof," he said amiably.

I smiled at the guard. "You're more lively than the rest of these statues that get sent our way."

Sure Hoof shrugged. "I'm new, just got out of the academy."

I gave him my best 'you don't say' look, not the sarcastic kind though. "Thanks, Sure Hoof, I hope we meet again."

"Same here," he said with a smile.

I trudged down the route the guard pointed out, still tired as hay. The tower was one of the tallest structures, dwarfed only by the observatory. Luna still had a love for the sky, I guessed, but that's gonna make reaching her room a few hundred steps worse. But anything is worth Luna, I argued with myself. I began to climb the steps.

By the time I reached the top, I was aching as well as sleepy; not the best combination. I pushed open the ornate doors and stepped inside. All I thought was, wow. All over the room, stars simmered upon the walls and ceiling, making the whole room a perfect replica of the night sky. At the very apex of the conical ceiling, a moon hung glowing, casting the current moon phase through the room, a waxing moon at the time.

I broke my reverie and trotted over to the bed, in which Luna slept soundly. Silently, I slipped into the covers next to her. Not silently enough, I suppose.

"…huh? Wha…" she mumbled, stirring, "Skyblaze? What are you…"

"I couldn't sleep," I told her, "every time I closed my eyes, I saw you."

"Aww… how sweet. But really, why…" I gave her my best deadpan face. "Oh, alright, but if you wake before me, don't even think about tickling."

I gave her a devious smile. "Now why would I do that?" We shared a small kiss before snuggling into the sheets, falling deep into slumber in each other's arms.

We would do that a a lot in the days to come.

>>><<<

Here you are, a major checkpoint in the story! I may even surprise benjamin4126 when I say that I am not taking a break on this story yet! In fact, it's probably his fault for giving me such good ideas to roll on. Thanks, Ben! (No, Kind Greetings wasn't originally based off him)

Thank you all for reading and for everypony who suggested I ship a certain wall-eyed mare, DON'T WORRY!
-MarkusBrony (Skyblaze)

Comments

[Freescript the Bard]

I thought I might point this out:
Chloe is a reference to Anthropology, one my favorite fictions. It actually reached completetion yesterday. In the story, Lyra's human-sister's name is Chloe, which was the inspiration for Rainchaser's human name.

Jon, or Shift, is a shoutout to one of my Minecraft friends, Shift's human form looking exactly like him and sharing his name.

[LightningAce7]

Your welcome! Can't wait to see how it turns out!

[Vates Despero]

Celestia did not look overly betrayed, but had a curious portrayal. "If I am to guess that this is the same stallion you rescued from the gardens the previous night?" Luna nodded. "I must meet him in pony. Can you arrange a meeting when he wakes?"

I gave the Princess a stare. "You're serious? You want to meet Skyblaze personally?"

She already met him.

Chapter 4:

Me and Luna made small talk, about what coffee shops had the better brew, the weather, and somehow even turned to how the mane six were doing. Soon the door opened and in came Ben, followed by Celestia. In pony, the sun goddess was a very regal figure (but not as pretty as I thought Luna was), and seemed to grace the very room with her presence.

"My greetings, Skyblaze. I do hope you begin to feel better," she said in a friendly tone, but then raised a brow at Luna, "and what are you doing here, dear sister?"

"Erm… I am simply seeing how the stallion I rescued is faring." And on comes the Shakespeare thing again.

"Very well. It is convenient you are here, Luna, as Ben and Skyblaze say they have a great matter of importance to talk about."

Chapter 5:

Ben put a thoughtful hoof to his chin. "Well, the portal was supposed to bring us to Ponyville or Canterlot. Skyblaze and I were sent to Canterlot, so the other four must be in Ponyville."

My sister smiled warmly. "I can arrange a carriage to take you both to Ponyville. If you would like help in your search."

"I could accompany them to the town, sister, and assist them in the search for their friends." Wait, what? Where did that come from?

"Of course, Luna. You can leave two hours before noon, so you will arrive in Ponyville for lunch. Oh, and when you get there, contact my faithful student. She will be more than happy to assist."

"Of course, sister. Come Skyblaze, Sir Ben, and we shall break our fast."

Ben moved for the doorway, while Skyblaze rolled out of bed, giving me the cutest embarrassed smi-- wait, what? To dispel the awkward moment, I chuckled at his misfortune. He stood and followed me out the doors. The walk to the dining hall was a short one, the palace ward being close to the large room. When we entered, the staff had just finished their meal and were cleaning off their places, save four plates on the end of the table.

She also had breakfast with him.

[Fancies himself a lurker]

And so I finished this chapter.
I clicked the next button. I would do that a lot in the coming days.

[Chrome Masquerade]

"Hey, um, Twi?" She looked up at me, "you, er… you missed." She craned her neck and I bent mine to lock lips with her. In that moment, I felt the emotion, that sweet, sultry, incomparable taste. I realized that it was the most delicious thing in the world to a Changeling; love. But not only did it feed me, but I felt like Storm after a cup of apple coffee, energetic and powerful. I felt guilty about it, but what can I say; fish gotta swim, Changelings gotta eat.

Volunteered love is the best love.

[Chrome Masquerade]

"Oh my Celestia! I'm gone for two days to a bakery convention and already you're the third new pony I've met! This is going to be the best party EVER! Come to the barn at seven okay? Okay! Bye! Oh, wait! My name's Pinkie Pie what's your name?!"

"Um… Aegis."

"Nice to meet you Aegis! Okay bye!" and she disappeared from view. Oh Pinkie Pie, I thought, you're so random.

Oh, Pinkie. Never ever change.