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by SoulDragonWithFlow

Chapter 2 - Finding One’s Place

That night, I walked down the dark hallways, my hands dry and red-raw. Frustrated, I muttered to myself angrily. I had no way home, no family, crappy job, racist bosses, untrusting locals, I was punished for trying to do good and to top it all off; there were signs my body was protesting to my new vegetarian diet. I may have lost a bit of excess fat from my days on Earth, but I had also lost some muscle with it. I always seemed to feel tired or weak, I was starting to get muscle cramps almost every day, and every night I would go to bed aching.

Suddenly the soreness of my protesting muscles, as I dragged myself up the spiral stairs, was momentarily interrupted by a welcome distraction. My nostrils flared taking in a sweet, heavenly scent. Following it, the smell swiftly led me to a closed doorway. It was a night guard dining hall. I entered and found, to my surprise, the same bat-mare from the other night, sitting alone, tearing into a thick, bloody piece of prime meat. My mouth watered at the mere sight of it. Her eyes looked up to meet mine and she snarled.

“What?! Bat-Ponies are carnivores ok?! Bucking deal with it, Day-Dweller!” She hissed, showing her blood-stained fangs. I didn’t back away however.

“No, no, it wasn’t that. It’s just… well… Ummm, w-where did you get that?” I asked cautiously. She scoffed.

“A little magic fairy poofed it up for me. Where’d you think, Numb-Nuts? From the cafeteria!” She spat.

“Oh… well… how come I’ve never seen any?” She scoffed again.

“They usually don’t have them on display; makes the sissy Sunflowers ‘uncomfortable’ or whatever, but Princess Luna ensures there’s enough grub for all of us from the Shades.” I hesitated.

“T-Think you could get one of those for me, sometime?” She looked at me, confused.

“Why don’t you ask yourself?! And why would a Rabbit like you even want one, anyway?“ I sighed, sitting down.

“Look, this is strictly between us, ok? Everypony else thinks I’m a vegetarian but the truth is, humans are omnivores.” Her mouth fell open in shock.

“You‘re a meat-eater?” I nodded.

“Yeah, and the truth is I’ve been dying for a hot rare steak or a decent burger for months. I just don’t want anypony to know because well…” I slowed, choosing my words carefully. “Ponies are very…. Errr… emotional… sometimes…”

“Another way of saying they’re wussy.” I chuckled at this.

“Yeah, thing is… ponies are already scared of me as it is. I don’t know why, but ponies have been very slow to trust me so I figured telling everyone I was a veggie might help things a bit.” She just shrugged and returned to her steak. “So, about the meat, could you please help me out? If it helps I can sweeten the deal a bit-” I dropped a small coin bag on the table. “30 bits for every raw, dripping, bloody steak you get me. First payment in advance. What‘da say?” She smirked.

“Yeah, buck it. Ok. I’m not gonna turn down free money like that, and nopony’s going to question if I ask for seconds every now and then. You got yourself a deal, Human.” I shook her hoof gladly.

“Thanks, uhh…?”.

“Azure. Azure Moon.”

“Thanks, Azure. Appreciate it.” I got up to leave but just as I got to the door she called out again.

“Hey,” I looked back at her. “Not that I care, but what happened the other night with that walking Fossil; never let anypony talk to you like that! You‘re a predator! An apex hunter just as Luna intended. Don’t let anypony tell you different.” I allowed myself to smile apathetically, and nodded.

“Thanks, Azure. Goodnight.” Halfway down the hallway, I heard faintly,

“Goodnight” in response.

---

“One sack of potatoes and some onions, please?” I asked the nervous-looking farm-pony, who was making a noticeable effort, like everypony before her, to bag my goods quickly. I saw it. She wasn’t alone in her outlook. All around me I could feel the stares. Young mothers pulling their foals closer. Hushed whispers. I saw it. There was tangible tension in the air. Even after months here, the public still showed considerable distrust; although I knew it wasn’t malice, simply ignorance and evolved caution.

“T-there you go.” She said hurriedly. “That’s 13 bits. Anything else?” Hers wasn’t a cruel voice but neither was it welcoming.

“No, thank you.” I said, handing her the money, keeping my voice calm and soft. I could almost feel her relief as I walked away.

“Nearly done.” I assured myself. With my new secret deal, I’d been dreaming of beef and venison stews, or steak in homemade peppercorn sauce and my pack was now filled to the brim with ingredients.

---

A couple weeks passed and Azure’s words still bugged me. Was she right? Should I stand up for myself more? Or would showing aggression just make things worse? Frustrated with my looping brain, I had decided to go for a late-night walk around the castle grounds. I was naturally a night owl but even so, hadn’t done this in years - just taking a break from it all. Walking under moonlight and in near perfect silence was blissful. Plus, I couldn’t deny the contrast of a pure, unspoiled night sky after growing up in the city was truly mesmerising.

“I trust thou couldn’t sleep, Soldier?” A soft, angelic voice asked. I looked up from my place on the bench to an unusual sight; Princess Luna, the literal Ruler of Darkness and Goddess of the Night.

“P-Princess!” I stood quickly and bowed respectfully. This, to my surprise, just promoted a small giggle from the dark princess.

“At ease, Soldier. Thou does not need to be so formal around us when thou is off duty.” I relaxed a little and sat back down but my spine remained taut. To my further surprise, she took a seat next to me. I didn’t dare push my luck by making eye contact however, so settled to simply stare into the middle distance. “Apologies, Soldier; it seems we have interrupted a deep trail of thought.” I quickly shook my head.

“No, no. It’s ok, Princess. I just have a lot on my mind, is all.”

“Then tell us, what vexes thee?”

“A question of... Difference, and belonging, I suppose.” I said, trying to avoid details.

“Then perhaps we could provide answers.” Luna gently countered. It was clear she wasn’t going to let this go.

“It’s… it’s about your Luna Guards; the bat-ponies.”

“Oh, they may seem predatory in nature, but we assure thee, they mean no harm.” Luna quickly offered. I shook my head.

“I know they don’t. I’m just thinking about how the other races treat newcomers.” Her face fell to an ‘oh’ of realisation.

“We understand. Thou see’s thyself in them. Has our world not been as welcoming as thou would have hoped, Subject?”

“I mean no offence, Princess, everybo-uh-everypony seems nice enough, but I am treated with such caution, nothing feels natural and seeing the way bat-ponies are so misunderstood, I can’t help but empathise with them.” She nodded.

“We understand. We have raised this issue to our sister on more than one occasion, yet the rift betwixt our worlds only seems to be growing.”

“Maybe we’re too different? Maybe we just can’t get along.” This prompted a sharp headshake from Luna.

“Absolutely not. Relationships are not built solely on identity. They are built on mutual trust and respect. We are not the same, but we do not have to be to work together. Diversity is a strength, not a weakness.” I nodded.

“Sure, I agree it’s a good thing, but what if you just want to be seen as equal?” Luna thought for a few seconds.

“Tell us of thy race.” She suddenly said. I looked up at her, surprised and not knowing exactly were to begin.

“Well… uhhh… a lot of humans tend to have a bit of a negative outlook on our species; that we have a talent for war and conflict and so on. That’s true enough I suppose, in the sense we‘re great at finding new ways of hurting each other, but we are also brilliant problem solvers. We invent techniques and machines for everything. We’ve invented medicines and cures for diseases that killed millions, we built buildings and bridges hundreds of meters tall, and we’ve invented ways of communicating with someone on the opposite side of the planet in a split-second,” I looked up at the night sky and smiled. “One time, we even went to the moon.” This predictably caught Luna’s attention.

“And why would thou do that?” She asked, confounded.

“Because we’re explorers!” I said simply. “It’s in our nature to touch new lands. To us, the moon was always this beautiful, mystical, but unattainable thing. Just hanging there in the sky. We had myths and folklore around it. Cavemen were always thinking, ‘I wonder what’s in the next valley‘, or, ‘I wonder what’s on the other side of that ocean‘. The moon was the… ‘ultimate challenge’ I guess.”

“How?!” Luna asked in disbelief. “I thought your world did not possess magic?” I shook my head.

“It doesn’t. But humans are stubborn. I’m over-simplifying a lot here, but we basically strapped a couple of people to the top of a huge cylinder filled with highly explosive fuel, lit the bottom end and waved ‘em goodbye! A quarter-of-a-million miles later they became the first humans to touch another planetary body.” Luna smiled.

“It seems you have a lot to be proud of regarding your heritage.” She spoke. I nodded.

“I suppose I do.”

“So why do you wish to be like everypony else?” That caught me off-guard. My mouth opened but no words formed. “You should always be proud of who you are. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Even if you face adversity, ponies usually come around. And the ones that don’t? They just serve as motivation; prove them wrong, Soldier.” I remained silent, allowing her words to soak into me like oxygen. “I understand it can be hard to be different. I understand the desire to be liked and accepted more than most. But you must never let it get to you; keep to who you are, and never let the hatred corrupt you.” I had questioned if I had done the right thing helping Azure; whether I should have just let her deal with it herself. Now I knew I had done the right thing, and I didn’t need her gratitude to know it. I stood up for her, and got Obsidian to back off. That’s what mattered. I wouldn’t let his hatred, or hers, change who I was.

“Thanks, I-Wait a second!” I stopped and processed what she had said to me. “When did you stop using your - what was it called - ‘Royal We‘?” She smiled, clearly pleased with herself.

“When you stopped seeing me as a princess, and starting seeing me as a friend.” I suddenly realised I too was smiling and at some point, my posture had relaxed significantly.

“Thank you, Luna. I needed that.”

“Princess Luna, if you don’t mind.” I choked and tried to correct myself but she suddenly started laughing. “Relax. That was a joke.” I blushed heavily and smiled, chuckling with her.

“Oh, right. Haha.” She got up, regarding me with a gaze almost resembling a mother’s.

“Think on what I said, then I believe you will find your place in this world.” She started to walk away but suddenly turned. “Oh, and one more thing; since you seem to have no trouble staying awake at night, there is a place for you among my Luna Guard, if you wanted it.” My mouth fell open in shock.

“Oh! Uh… t-thank you, Luna. I’ll consider it.” With a wink, she took off and disappeared into the night.

Comments

[Agend z]

Love your interpretation of Luna

[Lady Lightning Strike]

“Because we’re explorers!” I said simply. “It’s in our nature to touch new lands. To us, the moon was always this beautiful, mystical, but unattainable thing. Just hanging there in the sky. We had myths and folklore around it. Cavemen were always thinking, ‘I wonder what’s in the next valley‘, or, ‘I wonder what’s on the other side of that ocean‘. The moon was the… ‘ultimate challenge’ I guess.”

That....that is oddly correct! Is it strange I now want to strap a chair to a rocket and strap myself to it as it travels to the moon and back just so I can say "I rode a rocket to the moon and back. What's your excuse?"

[SoulDragonWithFlow]

9450790
Thank you :)

[SoulDragonWithFlow]

9455254
Haha. Totally. We humans love a good challenge!

[santhinal]

ok seriously, all of these stories piss me off. why the fk do people keep making stories where humans can't survive without meat? I mean like really dude? even IF we could not get the protien needed from mushrooms, beans, lentinals, and other such sources. Even IF the 2 specific types of proteins those plants lacked would leave us with degrading muscles and the like if we didn't get them. we could still easily subsist on eggs, milk, and milk products. stories like these with 'meat-eating' humans incapable of surviving without are lazy and poorly written for the simple fact they don't take into account logic and reality. I can at least somewhat respect the ones who make it so that its the taste of meat that causes people to go after it, but even then, is a steak really that much better than lobster or crab all nice and buttered up? it truly bothers me how authors just make humans in these seem like they can't control themselves in a mindless drive to get meat. like equestria has been established to at least have all the animal byproducts plus fish being eaten.... sure its not the best tasting everything but plenty of people IRL dont eat red meat and are plenty fine.

[Black--Soul]

I would totaly go for the Luna Guard

[Amos Anon]

I know I shouldn't say this, but...

I ship it heeheehee

[ImAbronyFagg]

9629773
You are actually incorrect, technically you could probably survive but you would be incredibly unhealthy. Humans, in case you didn’t know can’t produce all the proteins themselves. So they have to get them from outside sources. Before you say it, no plants do not have all the essential proteins, meat does. Just as a diet comprised entirely of meat is unhealthy, so to is a diet entirely plant based.

Oh and sorry for the bad grammar.

[tsaukpaetra]

Good thing our guy is on the stronger mental side of normie. Dealing with prejudice is rather difficult, and not everyone has the fortitude to stiff-lip it.

[Even Evil Has Standards]

10025835
What bad grammar?

[47467red]

Has anyone else noticed that the night guard is just as hostile as the day guard until he mentions he eats meat?

[Zepher]

10647357
Well they had little knowledge about him and only from others. Take into account how they get treated and it's not an unreasonable assumption.

[Green-Venom]

9629773
You can survive on plants, but you need to know the how to. Do you know exactly what nutrients you need, and what plants give them? It’s a complex task, and without instructions you’re more or less f#cked…