Moonbound

by Warmblood

Chapter 2

Dark faded to light. In the air, the flavor of flowers and the tang of the ocean breeze lingered. Leaves rustled and high above a seagull called out. Luna opened her eyes to the rising sun, the color returning to the sky, and the shimmering light on the ocean stretching out to the horizon. A vine covered trellis cast a crisscross shadow on the bed’s crisp white coverlet. The bed sheet made the slightest sigh as she rolled over. The new day can wait! This moment is perfect! Luna thought. A kiss of the sea breeze ruffled her mane like a playful hoof. She heard the flutter of the curtains, a sound not unlike the flap of a sail caught in a little gust of wind. A smile played across her lips. This is peace, she thought. It was not so hard to let her eyelids fall again…

“Luna! Wake up sleepy!” Luna opened her eyes to a bouncing white filly looking at her with big violet eyes. Sometimes Celestia’s greetings came as an unwelcome intrusion. But this time Luna couldn’t be cross with her sister. It was after all, a brand new day.

“Come on, it’s time for breakfast!” Luna stretched her legs, savoring the last of that sweet moment. She couldn’t deny that a warm breakfast sounded fantastic right now.

“Okay Celly, I’ll get up, but you have to promise me one thing.” Luna said, wriggling over to the side of the bed on her belly, looking up at her sister.

“OK”

“You won’t eat all the oatcakes!” She leapt out of bed as she said the last word, kicking with her hind legs to give her a good head start out the doorway. In a second her sister was by her side, both giggling as they galloped for the kitchen.

The sound of hooves on the tile floor surrounded them as Luna burst into the kitchen just a neck behind her big sister, but her place at the table was a little closer. She could still win! Her hooves slid with a screech, not quite slowing her enough to prevent a collision with the breakfast table, which she thumped into flank-first. Did she win though? A quick glance shows that her sister was already in her place. There’s only one way to settle this!

“Grandma FiFi! Who won?” Luna asked between breaths. The older grey mare looked at the fillies with her soft golden eyes. Her white mane was not long, nor perfectly even, but still maintained the grace that the mare seems to naturally possess. FiFi’s muzzle showed the traces of many smiles in its lines and furrows, a visage almost as familiar to Luna as her own mother’s.

“Oh, I must have missed it, sorry girls.” Luna thought she could see the hint of a smile on those lips. But FiFi could be like that sometimes, and there’s no use arguing because she always sticks to her story. Luna looked across to her sister Celestia, who put her hooves up as if to say “what can you do?” She figured that meant the race was a tie. Good enough. FiFi brought over plates of hot oatcakes swimming in syrup, one for each filly. She reminded them that she could always make more if they were still hungry. As if that were possible. They smelled absolutely wonderful, hearty and sweet.

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Upon an ocean side bluff the summer hall perched. Like an aerie for sea-eagles it overlooked the deep blue sparkling sea. Green and yellow wild meadow surrounded it, while a dark green canopy of pine and oak backed it. Taken by itself, the house was modest. Within its milieu however, it was grand as a palace gilded in gold. A path wound down from the house, through the forest, to a white sand beach some distance below.

The beach was the sister’s special place. Its seclusion prevented most from ever visiting. Still, every once in a while another pony would appear on the beach. Today, there were two visitors, a young colt and his companion.

“What’s her name?” Luna asked, regarding the dog that accompanied the young colt everywhere he went.

The azure pegasus colt giggled, holding a hoof to his mouth. “He’s Harry.”

Luna puzzled over it for a second before it clicked. “Oh! Harry… I guess you could say it suits him well!”

“Duh…That’s the joke.” The colt returned in a tone that mocked seriousness.

The dog in question most closely resembled a small bear. Hair black as coal, coarse textured, but very thick. His head was round and massive, his neck covered by a thick lion mane of fur. All in all, the dog looked the sort that a pony ought to fear. Luna figured he easily weighed more than she did, and just in terms of height, his head was easily on a level with her shoulders.

“He loves his ears scratched.”

“He does?” Luna asked.

“Of course! Go on, you can pet him.” The colt responded.

“Umm… okay.” Luna’s hoof stretched out slowly, hovering over the dog’s coat. Very gently she touched its thick coat.

“Oh come on!” The colt threw his front legs around the dog’s neck in a strong embrace. The force of it made the dog lean into her hoof, which shot back as if it had a mind of its own. She checked if the colt had noticed. He hadn’t. In fact he was looking the opposite direction, and trying to avoid the dog’s tongue as it turned to lick his face. His smile was broad, his mirth effervescent.

She couldn’t say why exactly, but she couldn’t imagine any colt she knew back in Canterlor with that expression, that straightforward and joyous laughter. They played at dignity, a game Luna already knew quite well. But more than that it was as if they were practicing to be old mares and old stallions. Didn’t they know they are fillies and colts? Yet she knew she was guilty of playing those same stuffy games. Maybe just for once she could let it all go.

This time when she reached out to pet the dog she put more confidence behind her actions, even if it was a somewhat shallow façade of confidence. Whereas before the animal had probably thought a fly had landed on his back, this time he acknowledged her presence with a benign gaze from deep brown eyes. Luna wasn’t sure if there was anypony who could always understand what a dog was thinking, but she was pretty sure this one, right now, was happy.

“See, he’s not so bad! Just watch out for… Agh!” The black dog was licking again. “He drools!” The colt said, keeping his head up. Luna chuckled at his predicament, but he didn’t seem bothered in the least.

“So anyways, what’s your name?” Luna asked.

“Ah, my name’s Orion. And you must be Luna right?” He said, looking at her over the dog's neck.

Was it surprising he knew her name? Luna wondered. After all, she had gone on these summer excursions to the coast since she could remember, surely the local ponies were aware that the alicorn fillies often visited. She couldn’t recall seeing the colt before though, he must have heard her name from someone else. That wasn’t surprising. What was more interesting to Luna was his manner of speech, as if he were speaking to a close companion or perhaps even a friend.

“Yes.” Luna said in a subdued voice, her hooves fidgeting in the warm sand. The sun had attained its full height in the sky by now, and with her dark coat and the heat baking from the sand Luna was suddenly struck by the warmth of the day. She felt like she should say something, but couldn’t find the right words.

“Ummm…” She started, but a yell interrupted her before she knew what she wanted to say.

“Lunch’s ready!” It was FiFi. Luna checked over her shoulder. FiFi had a blanket spread out over the sand, and she was beckoning Luna. Celestia was already sitting down to eat.

Luna looked at the sand, rubbing her neck with a hoof. Her eyes flitted back to the colt’s. “Well, I guess I better go.”

“Okay. See you again sometime?”

“Um… Sure!” Luna said, wondering if the colt said that as a customary phrase or if he meant it for her specifically.

“Great!” The blue colt replied enthusiastically. So far as she could tell, his words were meant for her. Why else would he wait to see if she said yes?

“Bye!”

“Bye. See you later!”

Luna turned with a little wave to the colt, and trotted towards the picnic FiFi had set. That went pretty well, she told herself. If only it wasn’t so hot! She needed the wind through her mane to cool her down. To nopony but herself she smiled… maybe, just maybe, I made a friend!

She watched the young pegasus play with the dog in the surf while she had lunch. The waves rolled in, and he braced himself against their force as they crashed around him, keeping his wings tucked close to his sides. Meanwhile the dog leapt into the waves head on, like he meant to defend his master from their onslaught. The colt’s color was a fair approximation of the color of the ocean, especially after it had been soaked by the waves. His black mane ended up soaked and splayed to either side of his neck, although he paid it no mind.

After a few more minutes though, the colt returned to shore. The dog followed in his hoofsteps, pausing on the beach to shake the water off his coat. Luna thought she could see him wave to her out of the corner of her eye, although she was trying to devote her attention to several tasks at once. By the time she had leave to look back, he was gone.

“So, Luna, who did you meet over there?” Celestia asked.

“Oh, well,” said Luna, eyes on her hooves. “I guess his name is Orion, and his dog’s name is Harry.”

“Harry?” Celestia giggled. “Of course, of course.” She put on a more serious face. “It was an awfully big creature wasn’t it?”

“I know! But it was really nice. Way nicer than that dog Radiance has… and it’s tiny compared to Harry!” Luna exclaimed. Celestia nodded.

“So it looked like you talked to…” Celestia paused, “what was his name again? The Colt, not the dog.”

“Orion.” Luna provided.

“Right, you talked to him, so he’s a pegasus is he? Did you ask why he came down to the beach?”

“Ummm…. No I guess I didn’t.” Luna said.

“Did you ask where he lived?”

“No, I didn’t ask that either.”

“Well what did you talk about then?” Celestia asked.

“Ummm… nothing really.” Luna responded, a little crestfallen. How could she say she made a friend when she hadn’t even asked even the most simple questions? She had talked to a colt. Fine, that was all well and good, but that was it. She talked to colts and fillies everyday in Canterlot. Why should meeting one here be such a big deal?

That thought tried to stamp itself in her mind, to categorize her meeting as just another everyday occurrence, something to be filed away and forgotten about. But deep down she didn’t feel that way. For a precious few minutes she felt changed, stronger, bolder, whatever it was, it was something worth holding onto. Her mind kept returning back to the scene, even as FiFi packed up the blanket and they started on the path up the hill to the summer house. The phantom of the day’s events flittered through the branches of the trees that lined the path. It remained in the back of her mind as she went to bed that night.

The next day dawned with a hint of fog rolling in from the sea. This morning Luna got out of bed without assistance from her sister. She heaved a yawn as she entered the kitchen. As always, FiFi had breakfast cooking.

“When are we going down to the beach Grandma FiFi?” Luna asked.

FiFi looked a little perplexed by her question. “Well dear, we can if you really want to, but I hadn’t planned on it. The weather looks a little like rain, and we were just there yesterday after all. Maybe we can go tomorrow.”

“Oh, you’re right, it’s not a big deal. Tomorrow would be quite fine.” Luna responded, realizing her question had been a bit optimistic. She figured tomorrow wouldn’t be too long to wait.

The weather disagreed. It rained three days straight. All the windows and doors had to be shut and shuttered. Luna’s favorite bed outside on the verandah was completely unusable. The closed off windows made the house feel cramped and stuffy. Most of the living space was normally open to the sea breeze and the warm air. Without it the house shrunk to its inner shell of the kitchen and just two small bedrooms. Luna didn’t mind sharing a room with her sister, but Celestia always got up before her and woke her. Grumbling about it didn’t accomplish anything. Luna made sure to extract a promise from Gradma FiFi. The first day of good weather, they would head down to the beach.

On the fourth day the sun returned, scattering the dark clouds. The air still smelled of rain, and the ground remained damp and muddy from the soaking, but Luna’s request for a trip to the beach was gleefully seconded by her sister, and FiFi quickly agreed.

“It’s so nice to be outside again!” Celestia exclaimed, bouncing up and down outside the house.

“Careful now dear, you’ll get your coat muddy.” FiFi said.

“Sorry. It’s just… nice to step out into the sun every once in a while.” Celestia said. “Do you ever have that feeling Grandma FiFi?”

“Oh, certainly dear, I think all earth ponies have that feeling from time to time." A wistful look spread over her eyes. "Just think, right now it is your father raising the sun, giving it a little nudge on its way. It’s beautiful isn’t it? I daresay, just think about it: one day it will be you who lifts the sun for all of Equestria.” FiFi said, tilting her head towards Celestia.

“Well, it will be a while yet won’t it? Father said it wouldn’t be for many years.” Celestia said.

“Oh yes, it will probably be beyond my time, but the day will come little one.” She said so looking out to the horizon where sea and cloud met. Looking to Celestia, she added with a smile and a laugh, “I hope you are paying attention to your magic tutor! That goes for you too Luna dear.”

The sisters looked at each other. FiFi was being FiFi again. Sometimes she went all philosipony on them, and started talking about how lovely the day was, or how she hoped she would be around to see the sisters grow up. The customary response was “Of course you’ll be around” to which FiFi would smile and nod. Luna wondered if that’s just what old ponies think about.

All in all, the beach looked just about the same as it had a few days earlier. Luna noticed some driftwood strewn about, piled into a few uneven heaps. Her sister walked a few steps ahead of her.

“Celly.” Luna called to her sister. “What do you think the ponies back in Canterlot are doing?”

Celestia snorted. “What does everypony always do?”

“You don’t think there’s anything fun at all?” Luna asked.

“Oh, maybe there is. The Greenbriar brothers are probably working up their next prank. Since it isn’t noon yet, Scarlet is probably still in bed. Pearl is out visiting the shops or perfecting her hair. Everypony has a different idea of what’s fun and what isn’t little sister.”

“Hey! I’m not that little. Well I don’t know, those things just don’t sound very fun.”

“Well it isn’t like anypony is forcing you to do any of those things. You can decide what you want to do. Except of course if it’s “official” business. Trust me, there is no arguing with mom and dad on that one.”

“I guess.” Luna said glumly.

“What would you like to do in Canterlot? If you’re feeling bored back home I’m sure there are lots of fun things we could do. We could go see a magic show, have lunch at a new restaurant, there is plenty to do if you know where to look.”

“Um…”

“Luna.” Celestia said gently.

“What?”

“You’re saying ‘um’ again. You know what Miss Eloquence says about that.”

“Of course I know. I just didn’t know you were on her side. Ugh.” She sighed. “I’m not really sure what would be fun in Canterlot right now. I think I would like to be able to do whatever I want when I want to. You know?”

“Sure, I know what you mean. There’s a time and a place for that, but sometimes you have to be responsible too. Mom and Dad have to be responsible. Everypony counts on them to raise the sun and moon.”

Luna sighed. “You’re probably right Celly. I have to admit, you’re usually right about those things.”

“Of course I am. I’m the older sister.” Celestia replied. Luna stuck her tongue out. Celestia chuckled at her sister.

“Hey Luna, is that your new friend down there?” Celestia asked.

“Huh? Where?”

“Over there silly, by that big rock.” Celestia said.

Luna squinted at the outline of a grey boulder. It was about the size of a large wagon, the side overlooking the sea terminating with an overhanging promontory. Much of the far end of the sheltered beach was comprised of a field of such rocks. FiFi said they had tumbled down from the cliffs many years ago. The sun got in her eyes. It made it hard to see what was in the shadow of the rock. She thought she could just make out the shape of a pony lying down and also something big and furry looking. That was enough for her to be pretty sure it was Orion. The next problem was what to do.

“Oh, yes I think you’re right.” Luna said.

“Well?” Celestia prompted after a moment.

“What?”

“Aren’t you going to say hello?” Celestia asked.

“I guess I could. But I wouldn’t want to upset Grandma FiFi by just running off.”

“Come on now Luna, don’t worry about it, I’ll tell her you wanted to say hello to a friend. Of course she’ll understand. Now go on, get a move on and enjoy yourself.”

She didn't need to think twice. “Thanks Celly! I owe you one.” Luna dug her hooves into the soft sand, propelling herself to a quick trot. She didn’t want to just walk over. That seemed too awkward. Was running over too awkward though? Ugh, she told herself to stop thinking about that stuff. She figured she should say something.

“Hallooo!” She immediately cringed. The sound had started too soft, then rapidly became too high. Oh great, Luna thought, that sounded like a yodel. The pony in the shadow stirred. From his paws Harry raised his head to look at her. Luna wondered if he was going to bark at her. He didn’t, he just watched quietly.

“Hi Luna!” Orion said, getting to his hooves. He stepped out of the shadows to greet her, blinking a few times in the sun. Luna noticed his eyes were violet, a color that she thought went rather well with his ocean-blue coat. He had a smile on his face. So did she, she realized, without even thinking about it.

Luna recalled her sister’s words from a few days ago. What did she know about the pony she had called a friend? Did she know why he came here, how long he had been coming here? How did he get Harry, and where did he live? She resolved to ask.

“Orion, well, maybe this sounds a little odd, but I was wondering where you live?”

“Where I live?” Orion arched an eyebrow, looking rather quizzically at Luna. She couldn’t keep his gaze, she instead looked at her hooves, trying to come up with some kind of explanation. She mentally kicked herself again. Why am I so bad with this… she thought to herself.

“Erhm, I mean, I was just wondering because I haven’t seen too many other ponies around here. It’s usually just me and Celly. Not that there is anything wrong with that! Just you know, I’m curious because I haven’t seen you before. Except a couple days ago…” Am I rambling? she wondered. Her words trailed off into an awkward silence. Somewhere nearby a gull gave a raucous call. She looked up and tried to force a smile onto her face.

Orion let just the hint of a smile show on his lips. The slightly bemused look in his eyes calmed Luna. She hadn’t made too big of a blunder. “Sure, I understand. Right now we’re staying near Tall Trees. By the mouth of the river. You know it?”
She didn’t want to say it out loud, but she didn’t know where that was. She was a little bit ashamed to realize she hadn’t bothered to learn the name of the town where Grandma FiFi went every week or two. It was just “that town” in her mind. One thing that Orion said stuck in her mind though.

“You’re just staying there? You don’t live there?” Luna asked. What does that mean? She thought. Does he come here just for the summers too, like Celly and I? He spoke up without hesitation.

“Well, right now my dad’s working at the cranberry farm. We stay in the guest…well I don’t know if it’s a guest house exactly, but we stay in a little house on the farm. Don’t know for how long. Until the end of the harvest I guess.” Orion said, holding one hoof bottom up in a gesture of uncertainty.

Not staying? Luna thought. “Wait, what are you going to do after that?” She asked.

The colt repeated his gesture. “Don’t know. But there’s always somewhere to go.” He replied nonchalantly. Luna couldn’t quite understand what he meant. Didn’t he know where he’s going? She thought. Shouldn’t he know when he’s going? That uncertainty was foreign to Luna. It frightened her, although she would not admit that, even to herself. She wanted to know where she would be when the next day dawned, and what that day would bring. She eyed him uncertainly.

“But what do your parents do then? Do you live somewhere else the rest of the year?” Luna asked.

Orion chuckled heartily. “You could say we live somewhere else the rest of the year. Sure, you could say that, as long as somewhere means anywhere. See, my dad says that most ponies have a job that they do and they live in one town and they do that job. We’re kind of different. We move around a lot, and do different things. Sometimes he helps with the harvest, sometimes he helps the weather ponies, or you know, whoever needs help. My mother sells things, since sometimes ponies give us stuff if they don’t have any bits. Like one time, I guess my dad helped out on this ranch, and they gave us this puppy here.” He gestured towards Harry with a hoof.

“Oh really? Is that how you got him?”

“Sure is. Can’t imagine how boring things would be without him. You know, it’s really true that the best things in life are free.” Orion said, grinning. Luna couldn’t help but do the same. That warm smile seemed to have some kind of invisible pull. It wasn’t politeness. It wasn’t kindness. It was simply a smile that made other ponies smile.

After a moment Orion shook his head, having put a hoof in the air. “But enough about me” he said. “I’ve been rambling on about this and that, you’ve hardly said a word. Maybe you’d like to sit in the shade here?” He asked politely.
“I guess I could.” Luna said, giving a demure nod. Orion put out his hoof and bowed his head a little, as if to say “after you”. It wasn’t the first time anyone had ever done that for her. She was a princess after all. Yet somehow it meant more when the other pony treated you like an equal the other half of the time. The sand shaded by the overhang was cool, and thankfully not too wet. She carefully laid down near the side of the rock. Orion flopped down next to her, legs splayed out to the side. She couldn’t help giggling just a little at his mannerisms.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, bemused.
Luna smiled. “Sorry, I’m just thinking how mad my teacher would be if she saw me do that.”

“What? Sit down?”

“No, silly, you’re going to get sand in your coat.” Luna replied cheerily, not really interested in nagging him, just pointing it out.

“What, don’t ponies ever get dirty where you’re from?” Orion asked. Luna thought he was joking for a second. She looked him in the eyes. Nope, he’s serious, she thought. She let out an exasperated sigh.

“Have you ever been to Canterlot?”

“Once, but just in passing by. It looked awfully pretty, I have to say. But I didn’t get to see much of it up close.” Orion explained.

“Well, maybe one day, you know, if you happen to pass by again, and have some time, and you want to, maybe I could show you around. I mean, there are a lot of things to see, and lots of cool stuff to do. You don’t have to just look at the pretty stuff.” She actually wasn’t sure what exactly there was to do. I need to talk to Celly about that, she reminded herself.

Orion took a moment to respond. She looked over at him, a little concerned as to his response. To say his jaw was on the floor would have been an overstatement, but the expression fit his appearance fairly well at that moment. He quickly recovered his composure, but his voice still carried a thoroughly surprised tone. “Really? I could go meet all those super clean ponies?”

Luna nearly rolled into him laughing. Meet super clean ponies? Hah! He doesn’t know the half of it. Imagine him in Canterlot! She shook her head. Of course, just how many of those “clean” ponies would like to meet him might be another question. That’s what made her laugh. Spotless they may be, but in Luna’s estimation not many of Canterlot’s residents really cared to meet “commoner” ponies. There were other problems too. She had no clue how she would go about arranging such a visit, or if her elders would even agree to go along with it. Well, she thought, I’ll make it work somehow.

“Yes, I think so.” She said, between giggles.

“Wow. That’d really be something.” Orion said wistfully.

“It sure would be. Let me tell you a little bit about Canterlot.”

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End part 2

Comments

[nuew]

Updated just as I tracked! Good so far.

[Mister Morden]

Tracking this story... its got a very interesting idea going for it.

Twilight is going to lose herself in Luna's memories... and she will find out things she most likely was not meant to know.

Looking forward to more!

[stonedcookie]

:O!!! A new chapter, how long has it been?
This chapter was amaing, very well written, enjoyed reading :)

Well i derped I posted this comment before i read yours and was wondering why it took a month to post a chapter..:I

[Antor]

nice nice nice, I like the setting, where will it go time will tell :D looking forward to it!

[Xaldon Ajide]

tis a good story da? anyway hope to see how it goes down with twilight and weather luna notices twi in her mind.

[FlamingMaiden]

So awesome!!!!!!!