Life was going great, then Luna told me the one thing I didn't want to hear. I'm going to be a dad...
Ever since the day I decided to give up my old life for a new one I could say that everything's going good. I mean I've got a great girlfriend, an awesome new house and pretty much everything else a guy could ask for. However I'm sure that a lot of guys you look at me funny if I said my girlfriend was a princess and I live in a castle and I'm sure they'd say horrible things about me if they found out that princess was actually a pony who can control the moon. My name is Aedan Ryan, six months ago I came to Equestria because I fell in love with a pony named Princess Luna. (Crazy right?) Now after having dealt with having to take care of her, a whole new challenge awaits me... one that I and every other man in the universe could never really be ready for...
Cover art done by quizzicalkisses, very good artist... I suggest you check them out.
Six months can be a lot of time to some, but to others it could be no time at all. What you can do with that time is nearly endless. If you were to tell me that exactly six months and three weeks ago that the girl I would end up falling in love with would have literally ran into me I would’ve called you crazy. Then if you continued and said that she’d actually be a pony princess from a television show for little girls I would’ve punched you in the face and called the cops.
Now in the time it took the cops to get to where we were and you told me that’d I’d love her so much I’d follow her back to her ‘world’ and give up things like steak, ribs and bacon I may or may not have spared the government money and put you down myself. However, even with all of that being said, somehow, someway all of that actually happened. I’m living in a world full of pastel colored horses and I’m the boyfriend/consort (Whatever they want to call me) of one of the co-rulers of an entire nation.
This may come as a shock to you but I never expected anything like this to happen to me. Furthermore now I’m sitting here at the dining hall table, spoonful of the pony equivalent of Wheaties in my mouth, that woman I fell in love with sitting next me with a huge smile on her face and her sister sitting on the opposite side of the table with the exact same expression as me. Now I know that most of you are wondering what the hell right now, especially on account that you’ve just only started reading. Perhaps I got a tad bit ahead of myself. I really should bring you back to the beginning.
I woke up with my head pounding from yet another headache. I’d been getting them more and more lately, but they were never bad enough to wake me up like this. I tried to make it go away by forcing my head back into my pillow for a few minutes straight, but it was no use.
“I need some water…” I grumbled, slowly dragging myself out of bed.
Though I decided on the fact that I should get a drink, I needed to do so quietly. I didn’t want to risk waking her up. She always looked so peaceful when she slept and if not for her the first few months here would’ve been a living hell. It was pretty much a role reversal from when we first met, but I managed to swallow enough pride to let her do what she needed to.
Walking into our bathroom I closed the door and flipped on the lights, she may be the princess of the night but I still couldn’t see in the dark. Fumbling around due to the persistent headache and overall wake up grogginess I finally arrived at the sink, but there was a problem.
“No glasses…” I growled staring into the mirror. “Terrific…”
That certainly complicated my mission. Now I had to go all the way down to the kitchen and grab one. If I was in my old apartment that would’ve been just fine, but on account that I was living in a castle the trip was now significantly longer. Stepping out of the bathroom, I slowly kept past our bed, hoping that I wouldn’t step on anything that would wake her up.
I finally reached the door to the hallway and with one last look at my princess (cheesy but true) I was off to get myself a glass of water. But fate had other plans in store for me, plans that involved falling flat on my face because I ran into something just outside the door. Usually I’d get up quick after falling over something, but the combination of waking up early and my headache made sure that I wasn’t going to be going anywhere for a while. Groaning to myself I rolled onto my back to see who (or what) I had run into and much to my surprise it was someone that I actually wanted to see.
“Morning Celestia…” I grumbled, “How are you today?”
“It’s three o’ clock in the afternoon Aedan.” Celestia replied looking down on my pathetic state. “Are you ok?”
“I’ll live…” I said covering my eyes that the excessive amount of light in the hallway. “You know I’ve been through worse…”
“Of course…” she replied with a smile as her horn started to glow. “Do you need help getting up?”
“If I did I’d have life alert…”
“What?”
“Something where I’m from…” I explained slowly rising to my feet. “I guess I’m not that funny when I-Ow…”
I clutched my skull, trying to dull the pain as best I could as I rose. I could tell that Celestia was slightly concerned, but I shrugged it off like anyone too tough for their own good. That didn’t stop her from staring though. After all, she did like enough about me to be worried when I looked hurt.
“Headaches again?” She asked, tilting her head.
“What was your first clue?” I asked back, still holding my head.
“Well at least it’s not your leg anymore.” she said looking down. That was another thing I had to thank her for, she managed to enchant my limb to where I didn’t have to take it off. It was almost as good as the real thing. (I stress the word ‘almost’)
“I guess I could say I have that going for me…” I shrugged, starting to walk past her. “But right now I could really use a drink of water.”
“You know I can make you one right?”
“Well then, if you would be so kind…” I replied, holding out my hand.
Without so much as a thought a faint glow encompassed her horn, as if she wasn’t even trying. A few seconds later a sudden flash of light caught me off guard, nearly causing me to fall over again, but a combination of impeccable balance and magic saved be that grief. When I opened my eyes I saw Celestia holding a glass of water in her hoof, rolling her eyes.
“You’re lucky I didn’t put it in your hand…” she said floating the glass over to me. “Is there anything else you need?”
“Well actually…” I said after downing the glass in a few gulps. “I kinda need to talk to you about… wait, why were you up here in the first place?”
“Excuse me?” Celestia asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I’ve lived here for nearly eight hundred years. I think I can go where I wish.”
“I know that, but why are you here now?” I said pointing to the door, “You know this is when Luna and I sleep right?”
“Of course I do.” Celestia replied. “I respect your time and privacy most of the time, but it seems that you two don’t more often than not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, “I don’t recall us interrupting day court.”
“You aren’t physically interrupting day court, as in running into the throne room during meetings…” Celestia explained as her horn began to glow yet again. “I’m casting a soundproofing spell over your quarters.”
“Why the hell would you…? Oh…”
“The two of you can be quite distracting…” Celestia said finishing her work, “especially when Luna involuntarily starts using her Royal Canterlot Shout.”
“Have you tried a really good set of ear plugs?” I suggested, “Done wonders for me.”
The look on Celestia’s face when she turned to me was nearly priceless. I’d never seen someone so bemused in their life, but she knew I was joking and given her nature when it came to jokes I knew she could take them as well as dish them out. Then I remembered that one serious thing I needed to ask her about, Luna.
“About that one thing I needed to talk to you about…” I said looking to the ceiling. “It’s Luna…”
“What’s wrong with her?” Celestia asked, growing concerned. “Do I need to wake her and-“
“No, no it’s nothing serious…” I said waving my hands. “At least I don’t think it is…”
“Well, what is it?” Celestia asked, raising her voice. “I must know if there is something-“
“Easy Princess I’ll tell you.” I interrupted, “But not here… Luna’s still sleeping.”
“Alright.” Celestia replied, “Shall we walk?”
“Yeah…” I answered looking away, “But can I ask one more thing?”
“Say no more.” she replied with a smile as her horn began to glow.
Suddenly a golden orb appeared around her leaving only a faint shadowy figure at its center. I’d never quite gotten used to that sight. It was just so entrancing that no man could look away. Soon after the orb had completely engulfed her I saw the shadowy outline of her body begin to change, forelegs to arms hooves to hands and toes until finally I could see the unmistakable shape of a human in the orb. A few seconds came to pass and the light faded, revealing a very tall, very attractive nude woman.
“Clothes! Clothes! Clothes!” I yelled covering my eyes.
“Oh, I’m sorry…” she said with a giggle, “I forgot that you like it better when I’m wearing something when I look like this.”
“Yes, now please… if you wouldn’t mind?”
“Very well…” she sighed snapping her fingers. “Is THIS better?”
I stopped shielding my eyes momentarily to see whether or not the Princess had made herself decent. She had been known to lull me into a false sense of security before making me bask in her glory again. Fortunately this time she understood that I was trying to be serious and decided to go for a very casual look. For some reason she had chosen a white open-necked sweater and hip hugging blue jeans, the sneakers were a nice touch though.
“So…” she said pulling me into her as we walked away from the door. “What was it you needed to talk about?”
“Well…” I began letting out a deep sigh. “It’s Luna, I’m worried about her.”
“Why?” Celestia asked taking the first few steps downstairs. “Is she ill?”
“A little I guess.” I replied shrugging my shoulders. “She’s thrown up randomly a few times this past month, but there’s no real fever or anything… it just happens.”
“I see.” Celestia replied rubbing her chin with her free hand. “That is quite odd come to think of it.”
“I know.” I said, “And just the other day, she says that her… uh… chest is feeling weird.”
“Weird?” Celestia replied, looking to her own mounds. “I’d say they feel weird all of the time.”
At the moment, Celestia began to use her free hand to grope herself. It took an awful lot for me not to look, but I knew that if she continued I would eventually give in and start to stare.
“Celestia…” I said using all of my will power to look away. “Please stop that.”
“Oh, of course.” She replied slapping me in the chest. “I’m sorry, but when I do that I can become quite fixated on the peculiar motions they make.”
“You’re not the only one…”
“I know, besides...” Celestia replied with a smile, pulling me closer. “It’s fun to see you squirm.”
“Could we please get back to the task at hand?” I said trying to hide the red in my face.
“Of course.” Celestia said looking forward. “What else troubles you?”
“Something we’ve both known.” I answered.
“And that is?”
“Luna hasn’t been able to change back into a pony for a little over a month.” I answered. “I’m worried that the spell she uses has become permanent.”
“She’s still unable to change?” Celestia replied, becoming very serious in an instant. “That is very strange, though I have spoken to her about her… situation. There seems to be no magical means of returning her to her original state.”
“So she may not be able to accomplish her duties?”
“Oh no… I made sure that she’d be able to complete her nightly activities while we try to figure this whole thing out.” Celestia replied lifting her hand to open a door. “She can essentially do everything I can do in my human form, including ability to move celestial objects.”
“That’s a relief.” I sighed, “I’d hate to be the reason for one of the most powerful beings around to be rendered inert.”
“No need to worry Aedan.” Celestia assured. “Things like this have happened in the past, I’m sure there’s no need to fret.”
“If you say so…” I said shaking my head. “Thanks I guess…”
“Anytime Aedan.” She replied with a smile, “Anything else you want to talk about?”
“Yeah…” I said looking around. “Why are we in your room?”
Celestia took a second to check her surroundings before looking back to me. “I guess I thought this would be a good place to talk.” She said shrugging her shoulders.
“Alright then…” I said turning around. “I’ll see you in-“
“Wait Aedan.” She said grabbing my arm. “There is one more thing I must do.”
“Really?” I asked “What else could you-“
I was interrupted by the sudden feeling of her hand latching onto my head. My initial surprise forced me to stay put, but when her eyes began to glow I knew what she was planning. I stood there and smiled as my headache became no more. A few seconds later her hand left my head what was left of my headache was gone, allowing me to really think clearly for the first time today.
“Thanks Celestia.” I said rubbing my head. “I needed that.”
“Don’t mention it.” She replied taking a seat on her bed. “You know all you have to do is ask.”
“I’ll remember that.” I said walking outside, “See you in a few hours.”
“You too Aedan…” she said waving as her orb encompassed her. “You too.”
It didn’t take me long to walk back to our room, it was only on the other side of the castle. Once I had arrived I looked to the white gold doors with a moon emblem and took a deep breath. Opening the door as quietly as possible I snuck into the room, doing my best not to tip off the sleeper inside. It took me nearly a minute, but I finally got to our bed, with masterful precision I slid myself between the sheets.
“Damn I’m good…” I whispered, rolling over to take one last look at Luna before passing out. “Hope you get better soon babe…”
A bright light filled my eyes, telling me one of two things had happened. Either Celestia had created a miniature sun and tossed it into our room (again…) or Luna was awake. Passing off the first option as nonsense I opened my eyes to see that the lights had been turned on. I also noticed that our bathroom door was open and I needed to do the one thing that every guy does when they wake up, regardless of time. I walked inside, expecting to see Luna getting ready for the day, but after a few seconds I realized I was the only person in there I became slightly confused. That is until I felt a pair of arms slowly wrap around my waist and gently squeeze.
“Good evening Aedan…” Luna said, burying her head into my back. “Did you sleep well?”
“As well as I could, considering what’s going on…” I said, spinning around to return the affection. “I’m sure you slept just fine though.”
“You’re still worried about me?” she asked looking up to me. “I’ve told you things like this happen, at random even. Did I tell you about the time Tia lost her ability to control the sun for a month?”
“I guess that makes me feel a little better about all this.” I said rubbing my fingers through her star studded locks. “At least you can keep your regular hair.”
“I thought you liked it the way I had in your world.”
“Hey don’t get me wrong, I love dark brunette just as much as the next guy, but midnight blue with actual stars seems far more fitting.”
“You always know just what to say don’t you?” Luna said getting on her tiptoes to lean in for a kiss.
“I don’t think I’d be here if I didn’t…” I replied, meeting her halfway.
It was a good minute before the two of us parted. I couldn’t help but smile as Luna just seemed to melt into my arms like warm butter. I then turned to the clock and noticed that she had slept it, there was only about an hour or so before she had to get to work.
“I’ll let you have the bathroom first.” I said patting her head, “You’ve got a job to do.”
“I was actually thinking since our time is so limited…” She replied using her fingers to crawl up my chest. “That we could share the bathroom today… The shower I had installed should be working now.”
“That shower’s way too small.” I said, looking behind my shoulder. “That thing’s barely big enough for me, why would you even-”
A quick kiss on my cheek broke my logic rant followed by a certain look that one would usually give in the adjacent room made the gears in my head start turning. Without a seconds thought my hands traveled from her shoulders to the small of her back and pulled her in. A small squeak passed through her lips before I pressed my own against hers, pulling away my face nearly matched her expression prior to what I had done.
“Well…” I growled in a testosterone induced state, “I guess we could find a way to save time…”
Some forty five minutes and two showers later, (for obvious reasons) the two of us were finally starting to prepare for the evening. I just threw on a shirt, pair of jeans and the shoes I came here with. Luna, on the other hand, had to be far more formal. She chose to wear the dress Rarity made for her when we first got back, a solid black dress that complimented her curves, covering her up quite nicely save the moon shaped hole that gave a peek at her assets.
“It looks fine…” I grumbled, not bothering to look as I finished tying my shoes.
“You didn’t even know if I was going to ask you anything…” Luna replied, putting on her pouty face.
“I know…” I said taking a good look at her. “I’m just making sure you know that I think you look fine.”
“Well thank you.” Luna said sitting next to me. “But there IS something I need to speak with you about…”
“Yeah?” I asked throwing my arm over her shoulder. “What is it?”
“I… I need to go somewhere before I begin my duties…” she said looking away. “If you would be so kind as to keep Celestia busy in the meantime I’d-“
“Say no more sweet heart.” I said patting her on the pack, “You do what you need to do. I’ll take care of your sister.”
“It’s good to know I have you when I need you.” She replied wrapping her arms around me.
“What else am I here for?” I asked. “Now get going, I won’t be able to stall long.”
“Of course,” Luna replied, bouncing to her feet, “I won’t be long. The task I must complete is rather simple.”
Before I could respond Luna closed the door behind herself with a rushed and forceful slam. I could only shake my head and smile. She was absolutely adorable when she was excited, but it made me wonder what she was so giddy about.
About ten minutes later I was in the dining hall, pouring a bowl of cereal for breakfast. This place was so similar to where I had come from. (Minus the talking pastel miniature horses that is) It helped me forget everything I had given up to come here. Suddenly in the middle of pouring the milk, the doors to the hall gently pushed themselves open, revealing a certain white alicorn and several guards behind her.
Paying no mind to her I continued to pour my milk until I found it satisfactory. However that didn’t bode well with one of the guards. He charged me fire in his eyes and rage in heart.
“ARE YOU BLIND COMMONER?!” he roared, pointing to Celestia. “THAT IS THE PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA! IF YOU DON’T BOW THIS INSTANT I’LL-“
“Jesus Christ Celestia, where do you get these guys?” I said in the middle of the guards rant. “You’d think they’re training would give them more tact.”
Celestia was about to reply but her overzealous guard beat her to the punch. “THAT’S PRINCESS CELESTIA TO YOU!” He yelled. “NOW BOW BEFORE I-“
“I’m an American, kid…” I said interrupting him once again, getting a spoonful of cereal. “I don’t bow to anyone.”
“I DON’T CARE!” He roared back. “NOW GET ON YOUR KNEES BEFORE I MAKE YOU FREAK!”
I placed the spoon back into the bowl and calmly pushed myself away from table. A smile grew on the guard’s face, but that smile faded the moment I stood up. I was a good three feet taller than him and I used that intimidation to my advantage.
“Listen here kid…” I growled, looming over him. “If you EVER call me a freak again I will personally-“
Those behind her nodded and walked away slowly, the one who was eager to prove himself however, ran away with his tail literally between his legs. Then it was just Celestia and I, nothing but a massive table between us. Slowly and calmly, Celestia walked closer until she was standing exactly opposite of me from across the table.
“I’m so sorry about that…” she said full of remorse. “You know how the new guards can be…”
“Yeah…” I said, “I know…”
“Are you going to sit back down?” she asked. “I would hate to see your breakfast go bad.”
“I could…” I said finally remembering to unclench my fists. “But right now I just need to-“
Suddenly the familiar hum of that transformation spell filled the hall. I shielded my eyes, not for the fact that I may or may not see a naked woman but just because the light was so damn bright. Seconds passed and the light faded, prompting me to lower my hand. What I saw on the other side was the same woman I had a talk with a few hours ago, wearing the same thing she was then.
“You don’t have to do that to make me feel more at home Celestia.” I said taking a seat.
“I may not need to, but I want to.” She said sitting directly across from me. “You know I want you to feel as comfortable as possible.”
“I know…” I sighed. “And you have no idea how much I appreciate that, but it doesn’t help the fact that over half of this nation hates me because I walk on two legs instead of four.”
“Didn’t Luna give you a spell similar to ours?” she asked resting her head on her hands. “Why can’t you just use that?”
“I could, but it just doesn’t feel… natural…” I said, struggling to find the right words. “Mom always said you should be who you are, even if everyone hates you for it.”
“I could understand that.” Celestia replied with a knowing nod, “I’ve known you to be a man of conviction.”
“I guess you could say that.” I said letting loose a chuckle, “I’ve always-“
“It’s a very admirable quality.”
“What?”
“Your unwillingness to change for the sake of acceptance.” Celestia replied. “Ponies have always been so fickle and worried about how they are perceived among others that they do things they wouldn’t normally do for the sake of being liked by the masses.”
“Well there’s one thing our kinds share in common.” I said. “Fortunately I’m not one of those people… besides…” I brought up my hands and wriggled my fingers. “I can’t pick up stuff to save my life with hooves.”
A sweet smile and short laugh came from her just seconds before the doors swung open, slamming into the walls on either side. Celestia and I looked to the doors, expecting to see an entire company of guards standing there with some sort of dire news that would mean life and death. Instead we saw Luna standing in the middle of the door way, eyes wide and a smile so bright you had to wear sunglasses.
“Aedan!” she exclaimed running to my side and kissing my cheek. “Thank you for stalling my sister.”
“Don’t mention it…” I said remembering that that was my job as she wrapped her arms around me as tightly as she could.
“I was about to question where you were Luna.” Celestia said with a cocked eyebrow. “Do you mind informing us?”
“Ah yes.” Luna said jumping into my lap. “Once I had awoken this evening I decided that I needed to take some tests at the royal infirmary.”
“The infirmary?” I asked, looking just as confused as Celestia. “Why would you need to go there?”
“It is the only place that could perform such a test Aedan.” Luna answered putting her free hand on my chest. “Nowhere else in all of Equestria has such equipment.”
“I see…” I nodded, taking a spoonful of cereal in my mouth. “What did the test say?”
“Aedan I have wonderful news…” she said suddenly pulling out a small stick. “I’m Pregnant!”
So, here I am, sitting at the dining hall’s table, pony equivalent of Wheaties in my mouth, with a look of shock that’s mirrored by Celestia. Luna just said the two words that I don’t think any man would ever be ready to hear. Might as well get on with it now, I’m going to be a dad. God help me.
I stayed frozen for a few seconds as my brain tried to process the two words I just heard come out of Luna’s mouth. Did she really just say that? Or are my headaches getting so bad I’m hallucinating events. After realizing that there was no throbbing pain I realized that this was no dream, this was real. This was all terrifyingly real.
“You’re WHAT?” my voice cracked after I managed to stomach the first spoonful of cereal.
“I’m pregnant!” Luna repeated with absolute cheer, wrapping me up in her arms yet again.
“Y-you’re joking right?” I asked, staring at her blankly. “This is something your sister put you up to… right?”
I looked over to Celestia, hoping to see her fighting back a laugh. But all I saw nothing but pure shock in her eyes. This was just as much a surprise to her as it was to me.
“You would believe I would ever joke about something so serious?” Luna asked insulted as she hopped out of my lap. “Are you not excited?”
“Uh…Well… I-uh…” I stammered trying to find the right words, but before I could form a proper sentence in my mind I got an earful myself.
“Y-you’re not happy?” Luna said taking a few steps backwards. “I… I…”
“Luna…” I said calmly getting up, “Luna let me-“
“I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE HAPPY FOR US!” she roared, fighting back tears. “I THOUGHT YOU OF ALL IN THE ENTIRE KINGDOM WOULD LOVE SUCH AN ANNOUNCEMENT!”
Before I could said anything Luna ran out of the dining hall, tears streaming down her face as she slammed the titanic doors behind her. I tried to run after her, but a force from behind me held me in place. No matter how hard I fought, no matter how much I shook to break free it maintained its grip without any sign of strain. I looked behind myself to see Celestia’s outstretched hand, similar to the way she did when I first met her.
“LET ME GO!” I yelled as she pulled me back to her. “I NEED to talk to her, I want her to know that I-“
“You are the last person she wishes to speak to right know.” Celestia said shaking her head. “It is best to let her calm down before you try to apologize.”
In my head I knew that she was right, but my damn heart was yelling at me to run after her and apologize that instant. (Damn you conflicting emotions…) Eventually, through sheer exhaustion my head won. Upon seeing that I had silently agreed with her Celestia released me from her grasp, allowing me to be free once more.
What she did next however threw me for a loop. With the quick and precise snap of her fingers the dining halls doors locked simultaneously, the windows all became shuttered at once and the table shrank down to a size that only two people could sit at. Before I could ask her anything she waved her hand again, magically pushing out the seat opposite of her and gestured for me to sit down. Knowing I really didn’t have much of a choice I staggered towards the chair and fell into it, facing Celestia and whatever she had to say.
“Look I wasn’t-“
“Are you okay?” Celestia asked, surprising me.
“I’m sorry…” I said rubbing my ears, “what?”
“Are you okay?” Celestia repeated, resting her elbows on the table. “I want to know if you’re okay.”
“I’m fine I guess…” I said shrugging my shoulders, “Why are you even-“
“You don’t have to lie to me Aedan.” Celestia interrupted. “I saw the look on your face when she told you.”
I was silent for a few seconds, but that all changed after I took a deep breath.
“I wasn’t ready to hear that…” I sighed. “Maybe if I was older, maybe if we were actually planning… I don’t know, but of all the things on this earth that I didn’t want to hear… that was it.” After I took another breath I looked to Celestia with misty eyes. “I’m not ready to be a father…”
“I don’t think anyone’s ever truly ready Aedan. You’ll just have to be as prepared as you can.” Celestia replied calmly, placing her hand on mine. “I’m sure that Luna and I’s parents weren’t exactly ready when I came along.”
“Says the one who’s essentially God here…” I grumbled, “I’m just a normal man!”
“No you’re not.” Celestia said sternly. “You are the one thing to Luna that nothing has ever been.”
“And what’s that?”
“You are her heart, the one thing she loves so much that she would selflessly give anything for.” Celestia answered. “And I know for a fact that you feel the same way about her.”
“Well I sure as hell don’t feel like that right now…” I said lowering my head. “I can’t believe I said those things…”
“You were just as shocked as I was.” Celestia assured, gently grabbing my hand. “I’m sure she knows you meant nothing by it.”
“Really?” I said slightly insulted. “Because after I said that stuff she ran out of here with tears in her eyes, I doubt she thinks I meant nothing by it.”
“That wasn’t really what I was trying to say.” Celestia said with a sigh. “What I’m trying to say is that the two of you really do love each other, apparently enough to create new life. There is no love stronger then that kind.”
“You know…” I said growing a smile as I held her hand. “Luna always says I’m the one who knows what to say and when to say it…”
“I’ve been around long enough to know what I need to say, Aedan.” Celestia replied with a nod. “And I know what can happen if nothing is ever said…”
“I’ll take your word on that.” I said looking to the door. “But that still doesn’t explain how she’s pregnant.”
“I thought you knew how those things worked…” Celestia said, snapping her fingers to make a book appear. “You see it’s quite simple… you just-“
“I know how it’s done!” I scoffed. “I’ve been doing that since I was sixte… You’re messing with me again aren’t you?”
“Sometimes you’re way to easy…” she replied with a sarcastic grin, putting the book down. “Besides I thought you could use some humor.”
“What would happen if everyone knew you were like this?”
“It’s best not to think about it.” Celestia replied shrugging her shoulders. “But my sister conceiving is certainly peculiar…”
“Well no shit.” I grunted, “I’m not even from the same species, let alone reality…”
“I could call upon my protégé…” Celestia suggested. “She might have the means to get the answer we seek.”
“I normally don’t care much for her ‘tests’.” I said shuttering at the thought of the last one she performed on me. “But this is one I’ll take.” I looked to the still locked doors to the rest of the castle and then back to Celestia. “But first…”
“I’m not going to stop you.” Celestia said as she snapped her fingers once more, setting the dining hall back to the way it was. “She needs you right now.”
“Thanks Celestia.” I said before running to the double doors.
“You know I’m always here if you need Me.” she said waving as I disappeared into the castle halls.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. There were a lot of things I needed to make up for in the past half hour. Hopefully I wouldn’t be too late to make up for it. I finally arrived at the familiar moon adorned double doors that lead to our room. But as I placed my hand on one of them a sudden thought popped into my head.
“What if she’s not here?” I asked myself before pushing the door open.
She could have just as easily come here as anywhere else in the castle and then there was her teleporting. She couldn’t go as far away as she could if she were a pony, but it could certainly make it harder for me to find her. Given the area she could now possibly be in was the size of Canterlot and then some.
The sound of hoof steps approaching broke my train of thought. I spun around expecting to see someone like that jerk of a guard and some of his buddies. It wouldn’t have been the first time, unicorn nobles have been very vocal about me staying in the castle and my relationship with Luna. Some going even so far as to say that I wasn’t allowed to see her because I was not of noble blood.
Fortunately Celestia managed to find a very old document, even predating Canterlot itself. Saying that one of royal birth, even if he or she was a princess or prince could take a royal consort. However even with it being technically legal they still hated me, because I wasn’t a unicorn. There was even a point that some of them tried to have me replaced with either themselves of their sons, but again that was shut down. For the document also stated that any sentient species was applicable and luckily for me, I can think.
“Lord Ryan?” A voice questioned from behind me. “What are doing here?”
I knew that voice. It was the voice of someone I knew to be a friend. “Night Wing?”
“Yes Lord Ryan.” He replied with a salute. “How may I aide you?”
“For starters you can just call me Aedan.” I said, “Second I’d like to know how you always sneak up on me?”
“As one of the ten remaining night guards I must always be at the top of my training.” He said with a stoic pride that I could relate to. “That and stealth is my specialty.”
“Well that’s nice, but have you seen Luna?” I asked finally opening the door. “I need to speak with her.”
“Oddly enough I was about to ask you the same question.” He replied. “She has yet to show up for her royal duties.”
“Isn’t it your job to keep an eye on her twenty-four seven?” I asked walking into the now dark room.
“It was until you showed up.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You obviously don’t remember the Star Rider incident…” he said with a smug grin.
“Oh… that… yeah…” I said pausing in my search for the lights. (Poor girl thought someone was trying to murder Luna… she was very wrong.) “That was three months ago.”
“And she still has nightmares…” Night Wing chuckled, flipping the switch.
Light filled the room as the two of us surveyed the area. But alas, there was sign of Luna, leaving the two of us to wonder where she had gone.
“She couldn’t have gone far…” Night Wing said looking into the bathroom. “I mean the moon’s up, so that means she’s gotta be somewhere.”
“Yeah but where?” I said walking out to the balcony. “Why did I have to be so stupid…?”
“What’s that?” Night Wing said poking his head out to the balcony. “I didn’t quite catch that last part.”
“Something I said to her earlier today…” I sighed lightly punching the railing. “Or something I didn’t say to be more accurate…”
“And that was?”
“I don’t think you’d want to hear about it…” I replied shuffling back into the bedroom. “I really don’t want to be reminded about how much of a moron I am.”
“And here I thought we were friends…” Night Wing said with a chuckle.
“This isn’t a joke Night Wing…” I growled, clinching my fists. “She tells me she’s pregnant and I’m too stupid to tell her I’m happy?!”
Instead of going for a physical outburst towards the innocent wall I slapped both hands on my face and drug them down as slowly as I could. In doing this I saw out of the corner of my eye that Night Wing’s face was one of absolute shock, like he had just seen the devil. Finally I slumped onto out bed head hung low as the sound of hooves approach ever closer.
“I-is… is it true?” Night Wing stuttered, still in a state of shock.
“I didn’t say it clear enough?” I grunted, not bothering to look at him. “Yes… Luna’s now an expecting mother…”
“This… this is glorious news Lord Ryan!” Night Wing exclaimed patting me on the back. “I’ll tell the other guards this instant! A celebr-“
“No you won’t…” I interrupted. “At least not until I make amends… and stop calling me Lord Ryan… Aedan’s worked just fine the past twenty five years.”
“As you wish Lord-I mean Aedan…” Night Wing replied nodding. “But what do you mean by make amends?”
“You really don’t listen well do you?”
“I have selective hearing at times, Aedan.” He replied with a smile, revealing his fangs. “And when my I hear my lady is expecting I tend to block out the other words.”
“I guess I can’t blame you for that…” I replied taking a deep breath, “But Luna ran off right after she told me… because I didn’t look or sound all too pleased with the news.”
“Wow…” he said taking a seat himself. “That was stupid of you…”
I turned to him with quite possibly the least entertained face in the history of reality. “You think?” I grunted.
“I know I know…” he said passively waving his hooves. “I’ll stop… but that won’t help us find her.”
“You act like I don’t know that either…” I sighed. “But there are so many places she could’ve gone…”
“Is there any place special to her you could think of?” Night Wing asked. “Somewhere that’s special to both of you?”
“Well…” I said scratching my head, “there is-”
A light bulb suddenly went off in my head. Rising quickly I bolted to the doors and ripped them open without as much as a thought. However in my excitement I did forget that there was someone else in there with me.
“Aedan!” Night Wing yelled. “Where in Tartarus are you going?!”
“I’m going to find Luna…” I said under my breath as I flew down the hall, “and pray to God she forgives me.”
Close to fifteen minutes later I found myself in the royal gardens, pushing my way through bushes that had now overgrown the path. I knew she had to be out here, it was the only place that held equal importance to the both of us. A few more minutes passed and I finally burst into a familiar clearing, one that had faintly glowing blue water.
“What took you so long?” the voice I wanted to hear most suddenly said. I looked up to the highest pillar to see Luna basking in the moonlight.
“I had to get some sense knocked into me…” I replied smiling like an idiot.
“Well I hope it did you some good.” She replied gently hoping from pillar to pillar.
“I think it did…” I nodded, walking to the water’s edge.
I stood there in quiet admiration of the beauty making her way down the pillar-like stones at the center of the pond. She really was graceful, and the way the water reflected off her body and dress gave her an angelic touch the likes of which no one could come close to. She finally stopped at the last stone, just at the water’s edge. The two of us stood there staring at one another across the glowing divide, waiting for something to happen.
It seemed like a forever before either one of us moved, but when we did it was in perfect unison. The once still pool began to ripple uncontrollably as we came closer and closer to one another, picking up our speed until finally. We met in a splash that soaked the both of us, some halfway between the edges of our respective starting points.
“I’m so sorry I acted like that…” I said pulling her in tighter. “I’m so sorry…”
“I’m sorry too.” Luna replied much to my surprise. “I overreacted… I should have expected a reaction like that out of you.”
“That doesn’t make it look better Luna…” I said looking down to her. “In fact you knowing that makes it sound worse.”
“Maybe…” Luna said looking up to me with a smile while she drew circles on my chest. “But at least it means I know you.”
“Just like I know how excited you are for this?” I said with a smile. “Just as excited when I first said I loved you?”
Luna suddenly stopped drawing circles on me and pulled my head down to hers. The resulting kiss nearly made my legs buckle, but after regaining my footing I decided to strike back with a vengeance. We stood there locked in lip to lip combat for nearly a minute, until Luna decided to call a cease fire.
“You’re damn right…” she whispered with bedroom eyes.
I pulled her into me yet again resting my chin on her head as we began to gently sway in the water. No words needed to be said, our actions spoke volumes for themselves. The two of us got so into the moment I actually twirled her around two where her back was against my chest and my arms wrapped around her while we continued to sway to the rhythm of own music. The laugh that came from her lips was just about the most beautiful thing I could ever hear and that included the delicate chirps of the royal crickets. (Okay, they weren’t royal. But they were crickets… in a royal garden.)
“Do you know why I chose this place?” Luna asked, breaking the silence among us.
“Yes…” I replied looking down to her. “This is where you bound my soul to yours.”
“And I became yours…” she whispered, slowly sliding her hand up my arm.
“I like to think of it the other way around.” I said with a chuckle. “After all you ARE the power in this couple.”
Luna let out another laugh as her other hand followed the first up my other arm. But this time instead of gently resting it on my shoulder, she gave it a quick, yet firm squeeze.
“This wasn’t just the place where we entangled our souls Aedan.” She said in a romantic tone. “This is also where I gave myself to you… for the first time…”
“More like first three times…” I said smugly, “You didn’t have much endurance back then… Hell, you still don't.”
The following playful slap was deserved, so I took it in stride. But the following deep sigh was something I wasn’t expecting. Seconds later Luna’s hands slid down my arms and pulled my hands to her now flat stomach.
“A youngling…” she said with a joyful tear, “We’re bringing a youngling into the world… I… I can hardly believe it…”
“You’re not the only one Luna…” I said before kissing the top of her head. “And I’m sure the rest of the world will be just as happy for you.”
“Do you think we’ll be ready?” she asked looking up to me. “Will we be good… parents?”
“Luna…” I said looking to the moon. “I doubt anyone is ever really ready… We just need to be prepared as we can be.” (Thank you for the quote Celestia, but you’ll get no credit on this day.)
“Always know what to say…”
“And exactly when to say it…”
Luna spun around to face me once more, wrapping her arms around my waist lovingly. “Let’s go back to the castle.”
“I’m with you on that.” I replied, scooping her up in my arms. “But we can’t have a lady expecting straining herself.”
“Such a gentleman…” Luna replied giving me a quick peck on the cheek. “I’d normally walk myself, but if you insist…”
“Oh I do.” I said with a smile. “And you aren’t changing my mind.”
“Well in that case…” Luna said smiling deviantly, “I’d suggest you get to it.”
“By your word my lady…” I said taking the first of many steps.
As I traveled back to the castle my mind started to race yet again. I wasn’t just carrying the woman I had fell in love with anymore, I was carrying the woman that was carrying my legacy. The thought still terrified me, but I needed to be strong for her. Because I know for a fact. If life changing events happen when Luna is involved, they are bound to be interesting.
Close to a week had passed since Luna’s big announcement and still most of the populace was none the wiser. In fact, I think that the only ones who knew were Celestia, Night Wing, and me. (I had to convince Luna to give Night Wing an extra two weeks off to keep him quiet.) But all of that was about to change, because Celestia had finally gotten around to writing her student about the situation at the palace and the tests she needed her to perform.
Luna and I sat there while Celestia scribbled down her name on the letter. It seemed that she had taken her time writing, but that could’ve been me getting antsy about it. I knew that it had only been a whole week, but that entire time I’ve spent nearly every waking hour wondering how the hell this was all going to work. (Seriously, I didn’t even know what the hell was going to pop out of her, a human, a pony, or some kind of freaky centaur looking thing from that Disney movie Hercules.)
“It took you long enough to write that letter…” I grumbled, trying to get my mind off of ‘baby’ things.
“Well maybe YOU should try running a country for a day,” Celestia replied, pointing the rolled up parchment at me before batting my head with it. “Then you’ll see how busy I can be.”
“I’ll opt for staying the plaything,” I said with a smile as Luna playfully punched my shoulder. “You can keep your country.”
“That’s what I thought…” she replied with a smug grin on her face, before snapping her fingers to make the letter disappear in thin air. (Fucking magic… how does it work?)
I also wondered why Celestia had chosen to stay looking like a human more often than not. It was more than likely that she wanted me to feel better about my current situation. But she may have even been doing it for Luna’s sake; after all she did look just like her. (Save the height and extra curves that is…)
The three of us stood there in silence for a few minutes, awkwardly staring at random things around the room. It always surprised me how quiet the two of them were sometimes, especially now on account that Celestia was going to be a real aunt instead of an adopted one. Hell, if my mom got the slightest clue that Luna was pregnant she would literally be jumping off the walls. (That is after she hugged me so tightly she would’ve broken a rib or two.)
The thought of my mom suddenly brought me to a low. Of anything in either reality it would’ve been her that would’ve been the most excited. Mainly because that was one of the things she told me to do. Go out there, find a nice girl and bring home some grandkids. (Not to mention every time I called home she would ask me about how I was doing on my ‘quest’.)
“Aedan?” Luna asked, placing her hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong love?
“Nothing…” I said with a fake smile. “Just… just thinking about the kid.”
“Well, don’t think when you look like that,” She replied with a cute smile. “It makes me worry.”
“You don’t need to be worried,” I said, patting her on the head. “You DO remember who you’re talking to right?”
Luna let out a giggle before leaning in for a quick on my cheek. Granted, I could’ve asked for more than that, but her sister was in the room, so I understood why she kept it modest. Another few minutes of silence fell upon us, bringing it back to awkward status. (Well, for me at least.)
“So what’s taking her so long?” I asked, trying to start up a conversation.
“It takes good minute for the letter to reach Ponyville, Aedan,” Celestia replied, “And then she has to read the letter I sent.”
“So, how much longer until she gets here?”
“Oh give or take three… two…”
I was about to ask Celestia why she had started a countdown, but a blinding light filled the room. I shielded both Luna and my eyes from the flash. I wasn’t exactly sure what caused the flash in the first place, so I opted for not taking any chances. The light subsided just as fast as it had appeared, returning the room to its normal lighting. Lowering my hand, I saw the one thing that made me cringe, yet feel relieved at the same time. A two eyed, one horned, flying purple pony princess. (I’m not sure what drugs could have justified that thought back on Earth, but they’d have been worth a fortune.)
“One…” Celestia whispered, leaning in with a grin so smug you’d think you were in San Francisco.
“Yes Princess?” Twilight said in both an eager and nervous tone. “What test do I need to perform?”
My hand found my face and proceeded to slowly drag down my face. Twilight was a nice girl and all, but good lord if there ever needed to be a picture in the dictionary to describe brownnoser, she’d be the first thing to come to mind. From what Celestia and Luna had told me she was Celestia’s student ever since she was young, but on account that she fixed some kind of spell or something she got a pair of wings. (You’d think you’d have to do a lot more to get those. I mean, she’s done a lot of great things, but fixing a SPELL was what made it happen?)
“Oh I have quite the test for you Twilight,” Celestia said, in such a professional manner that she sounded like a completely different person. “But it’s nothing that you have studied for… well… studied extensively that is.”
Twilight’s pupils shrank into tiny dots. I guess the thought of a test without studying terrified her. (My third grade teacher would’ve been her worst nightmare.) I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, but then I remembered why we needed Twilight to come here in the first place. We needed her to find out how on earth I managed to sow my seeds into Luna.
“Twilight, you remember Aedan correct?” Celestia asked, kneeling down to scratch behind her ears.
“Uh… Yes?” Twilight replied shyly, trying her best not to kick the air like a dog.
“Do you remember those...‘things’ you wanted to do to him when he arrived?”
Twilight immediately took a few steps back, not exactly wanting to remember and, quite frankly, neither did I. (Especially when it came to the clamps, she wanted to put them in…‘sensitive’ areas.)
“Y-Yes…” she said, lowering her head. “I also remember how he reacted to them.” (I placed half the fiction novels into classical history and vice versa.)
“Well, what if I told you that he was now willing to take some of those tests?” Celestia asked looking over to me with a devious grin.
“Really?!” Twilight exclaimed, her eyes twinkling while a smile grew on her face.
I shuddered at the sight of that smile. Nightmarish images flooded my mind, most of them having me strapped down with all sorts of monitors and machines connected to me. With none other than that purple devil looking over me, laughing manically as she grabbed a scalpel and brought it closer and closer to a big red ‘X’ on my chest.
“Aedan!” Luna said, snapping me out of my nightmare just before dream Twilight could cut me open. “Now I KNOW something is bothering you…”
“I’m fine…” I said, uneasily looking to the still smiling pony across from us. “Just wondering what I’ve just agreed to…”
“Why did you suddenly just ‘agree’?” Twilight asked, snapping out of her euphoric state. “Last I recall you said a few choice words before storming out of my lab… and then defiling the library.”
“Well…” I said, looking to the ceiling, “We… need you help in… in finding something out.”
“Like what?” Twilight asked, taking a few steps towards me.
“Something… a little hard to believe I should say,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.
“After everything I’ve seen and done Aedan?” Twilight said with a small smile. “Nothing really surprises me anymore.”
“I think what we have you here for just might,” I said, letting out a sigh.
“Well what is it?” Twilight asked, growing slightly frustrated. “Did Discord revert back to his evil ways?”
“No.”
“Are the changelings mounting another attack?”
“No.”
“Has Sombra reassembled himself and taken the crystal empire?”
“No…”
“Have the Diamond Dogs dug through the base of-“
“I’m pregnant…” Luna replied with a deep sigh, her hand falling firmly on her face. “We need to know how.”
The room fell so silent you could hear ponies talking in the streets of Manehattan. (50 bits off any bedroom set! One day only!) Twilight just stared blankly at the two of us, trying to use that brain of hers to make sense of what Luna had just said. I really couldn’t blame her. I was just as shocked as she was when Luna told me.
Without any sort of warning, Twilight fell limp to the ground. Luna and I couldn’t help but let out a laugh, as it was very similar to another incident that happened about a week after Luna and I had met. (The two of us still laugh about that from time to time. It’s not every day a grown man faints.) Celestia’s reaction was far different however. In an instant, she reverted back to her pony form and gathered her student with her magic.
“Let’s get her to the infirmary,” she said, with a hint of concern in her voice.
“I don’t think it’s THAT bad,” I said, containing my chuckle. “I’m sure she’ll be just fine.”
“It’s NOT just for her Aedan,” Celestia replied, trotting past me. “The tests will be conducted there as well.”
“Oh… great…” I grumbled. (Just when I think I dodge the bullet, it hits me in the knee.)
“Oh, suck it up Aedan,” Celestia teased. “I already made her promise that she wouldn’t dissect you.”
“What?” I asked, but she had already disappeared, leaving me alone with Luna.
“She didn’t really mean that,” Luna said, reassuringly placing her hand on my shoulder. Her brow furrowed, before adding, “I think…”
“I’ve got a really bad feeling about this…” I sighed, taking a few steps towards the door. “Come on. Let’s not keep her waiting when she wakes up…”
Twenty minutes later I was down in the infirmary, my shirt removed, noodle strainer on my head, and covered in patches head to toe with wires leading to a giant machine that made weird ‘bop’ and ‘beep’ noises. Luna was right next to me and in the same predicament, but she was at least allowed to keep her bra on. (Thankfully for me, or else it would’ve been able to concentrate for Twilight’s questions.)
“So… how many times have you… um, you know…” Twilight asked looking at the data spewing out of the machine.
“Gonna need to be more specific than that,” I said, looking at her.
“How many times have you mated?” Twilight said quickly before covering her mouth.
You’d think she’d just said the worst word on the planet judging by how red she got. It was actually kind of cute. I should’ve known that she would have acted like that when it came to promiscuous activities. Ponies were far more conservative than humans.
“Do you really want to know?” I asked looking to Luna to see that her face had also turned red.
“Y-Yes?” Twilight stuttered, unsure of her answer.
“Enough times for this to happen,” I answered. “Now are you going to tell us HOW it happened?”
“There are still a few tests for the machine to run,” Twilight said, turning her gaze away from me so I wouldn’t see her blushing anymore. “It may take a few more minutes.”
“Great…” I grunted, looking over to the pony opposite of me.
Celestia had opted to stay in her pony form for the experiments, more than likely to make Twilight feel more comfortable. (Did she ever do anything for herself?) But it didn’t stop her from staring at me for a second longer than usual. The moment she noticed I was looking at her looking at me she averted her eyes, hiding the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks. I was about to say something witty and sarcastic to her, but a loud ‘ding’ filled the room before I got a chance. I immediately turned my attention to Twilight, who was looking at the edge of the results with the thoroughness of a fine tooth comb.
“So… did you figure it out yet?” I asked, preparing to remove the stupid strainer.
Twilight was silent for a few seconds, looking at every last detail down to the atoms of the ink. Suddenly, her pupils shrank to the size of pen needles. That didn’t sit well with anyone in the room at all.
“Well?” Luna asked, concerned. “What does it-“
“T-this shouldn’t be possible…” Twilight stuttered, dropping the paper. “It shouldn’t be possible in the slightest…”
“That really doesn’t answer the question,” I said, sitting up completely. “It just makes me worried instead.”
“I-I’m sorry,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath, “I just couldn’t really believe it.”
“Believe what?” Luna, Celestia and I asked at the same time.
“Princess Luna is indeed pregnant,” Twilight replied as professionally as she could, given the circumstances.
The collective sound of two hands (and a hoof) slamming into their respective faces echoed through the room. We had known that for at least a week, and Luna probably longer. To hear it again was just frustrating.
“We already know that…” I growled, making Twilight jump a little bit. “We want to know how.”
“Oh… um… I-I’m so sorry…” Twilight said, looking away. “I still can’t really believe it.”
“Look…” I said, standing up and ripping off some of the patches. “We’re ALL just as shocked as you were, but we still don’t know why. THAT’S why we got you to come here in the first place… now if you would please-“
A gentle hoof placed itself on my shoulder, interrupting me in my rant. I looked behind me to see Celestia’s calm eyes trying to dig their way into my soul. I was tempted to ask her why she interrupted me, but with a quick motion of her head she made me turn my attention to Twilight. She looked upset, distraught even, all because I had done the one thing I rarely do, lose my temper. I felt horrible after seeing her like that. She was just trying to help and I had to go and yell at her because she was still in a slight bit of shock from what she had heard no more than half an hour ago.
“Twilight…” I said, with shame in my voice, “I’m so-“
“It’s because Princess Luna is human,” Twilight interrupted.
“What?” Luna asked. “I’m only human now. I could change into a pony before conceiving.”
“That may be true Princess,” Twilight said nodding, Looking to Luna before staring back at her notes. “But I’m going to assume that when the two of you… when you consummated you were both human, correct?”
“Well…” Luna replied, turning slightly red. “Yes… yes we were.”
“And therein lies your answer,” Twilight replied, looking back to her notes.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, looking to an equally confused Luna.
“It’s a simple matter of biology,” Twilight replied, her eyes not deviating from the sheets of paper in the slightest. “When Princess Luna is in her human form then there is enough genetic similarity to cause impregnation. That could also explain why she can’t turn back into a pony. The transformation magic Luna has been using likely can’t account for transforming the foal between forms, and simply fails instead of forcing a possibly unstable transformation.”
“So the baby’s more than likely human?” I asked, deciding I could correct her on the use of the word ‘foal’ later.
“It would be a safe bet,” Twilight answered. “Given the fact you were both human at the time.”
“So…” I said, looking over to Luna, “I got her pregnant because we slept together in human form… does that mean if another pony was to become human and I had sex with them could they get knocked up too?”
There was a slight gasp that came out of all the ladies mouth, but it was just an honest question. There were some differences in how they became human, I just wanted to know.
“Well…” Twilight said, looking over her notes once again. “The tests would lead me to believe yes, but given the fact that that they would become one in our world, I’m not sure.” Finally, for the first time in the entire conversation Twilight looked to me, more confused (And serious somehow) than I have ever seen a pony look. “Um… Were you planning on trying it?”
At that point, a slight amount of anger was justified. Clenching my fist, I stepped off of the table I was on and tore off the remainder of the patches.
“Twilight…” I growled, “I gave up EVERYTHING to come here for Luna, I would NEVER cheat on her, nor would I even consider it… Are we clear?”
“Yes Aedan,” Twilight answered, quickly looking back to her notes. “I think that’s everything I can do.”
“Thank you, Twilight,” Celestia said, before Luna or I could say it. “We’ll clean up around here, and you can head back to Ponyville if you wish.”
“I think I’ll stay around for a while,” Twilight said, as her horn started to glow, “It’s been a while since my parents have seen more than a letter out of me.”
“If you insist,” Celestia said, with a nod. “But we should still clean up.”
With that the four of us did some menial labor and fixed up the room to the way it was before Twilight started her tests. About twenty minutes later Luna’s moon and stars were bright in the night’s sky, glowing peacefully over the darkened world. Luna, Celestia and I stood in front of Twilight, who had decided to spend the night with her parents.
“Thank you for all the trouble Twilight,” Luna said, looking towards the castle. “You were most helpful this evening.”
“You certainly did,” Celestia replied, extending her wing to pat her student on the shoulder. “Now don’t let us keep you, I’m sure your parents are waiting.”
“Yes, Princess,” Twilight replied, just before the two of them disappeared in a flash of light, leaving just me and Twilight to stare at one another.
A few seconds passed with only silence, but as her horn began to glow I knelt down to her level. “Wait a second,” I said, extending my hand.
“Yes, Aedan?” she asked, slightly surprised. “What do you need?”
“I need to say I’m sorry,” I replied, keeping my hand extended. “Some of the things I said in there were uncalled for. I didn’t mean anything by them.”
“I’m sorry too…” Twilight replied, placing her hoof in my hand, “I shouldn’t have said what I said either, it was awful for me to suggest such a thing.”
“Can we just agree we were both idiots back there?” I asked.
“Yes,” Twilight said, suddenly wrapping her forelegs around me.
I’m normally not a fan of being hugged, but ponies were soft, cuddly, and warm. So I allowed it just this once. Not to mention I kind of needed it, since it was a pretty stressful moment and this was a good way to get all the bad vibes out of the system. A few seconds later she released me, prompting me to stand.
“You take care, Aedan,” Twilight said, looking up to me with a smile.
“I was just to say the same for you too,” I said, mirroring the smile.
With that the two of us parted ways, Twilight to her parents and me back to the side of Luna. A good fifteen minutes later I was standing on our room’s balcony, looking out into the night sky, when from behind me a pair of arms wrapped around my waist.
“Thinking again?” Luna asked, adding a little squeeze in her embrace.
“More often than not,” I replied, spinning around in her grasp. “This whole thing is still pretty new to me.”
“I don’t think you should worry much Aedan,” Luna replied, burying her head into my chest. “Whatever happened to that ‘dealing with it as it comes’ man I fell in love with?”
“This IS how I’m dealing with it,” I replied half-jokingly. “I just don’t know anymore…”
“Well I’m sure you’ll find a way,” Luna said, looking up to me with her beautiful smile. “You always do.”
“I guess you’re right,” I said, patting her on the head. “As long as I’ve got you, I’ll be able to get through anything.”
I woke up early yet again, headache back with a vengeance. I pushed the palms of my hands deep into my temple in an attempt to dull the pain a bit, but alas, it was no use. The throbbing continued no matter how close I came to crushing my own skull. As I lay there, reeling in silent agony, a sudden chill descended on me, which was odd given the fact that instead of feeling it just on my head, I felt it all over my body. Ignoring my pain as best I could, I looked down to see that I wasn’t covered at all, save for my boxers. My mood turned from confused to disgruntled over the course of a few seconds. There was one, and only one, reason that this could have happened.
I turned my attention to the individual on my right, all covered in warm, snuggly blankets. My hand met my face with a loud slap. “Of course…” I grumbled, “Why wouldn’t she do this today?”
Normally, I would just be able to grab the covers and throw them over myself with little incident, but this time my attempt was met with far more resistance than usual. Fighting through my pain, I inspected “Sleeping Beauty” even further to see that not only had she stolen my half of the covers, she had somehow she managed to wrap herself into a cocoon.
“Well isn’t this peachy…” I sighed to myself, pinching the bridge of my nose. I didn’t really want to leave the bed, but I definitely didn’t want to be cold either.
There would have been a debate inside my head, complete with posh figures yelling at each other in front of a boisterous crowd, but a sudden and painful jolt shot through my head, causing me to curl up in pain. What happened next was pure instinct; clenching as tightly as I could onto the covers, my hand pulled it as hard as I could to my forehead, disregarding anything, or anyone, in its way. The resistance that was Luna’s body weight was no match for the sudden burst of strength, and she too was carried towards me, squeaking like she always does when someone surprises her.
Less than a second later I felt the crushing weight of another human being land on top of me, forcing the wind out of me. Somewhere between me fighting for air and desperately trying to make my headache go away I realized that the added weight on my chest had never left. I turned my attention to the area in question to see Luna looking at me like she’d seen the devil himself, almost quivering in her place. ]
“Evening Luna,” I said, smiling sarcastically, “You sleep well?”
“Up until now, yes,” she said, giving me a concerned look. “What was that all about?”
“It’s nothing Luna,” I said feeling the throbbing subside. “Well nothing you need to worry about at least.”
“If you insist…” she said, starting to pout. “But why would you wake me? I was having a wonderful dream.”
“You were hogging all the covers again,” I answered, patting the sheets that now entangled us together. “I was just trying to get some for me.”
“You could’ve just pulled them over to your side gently,” she replied, shaking her head, “like you do every other time.”
“Well I couldn’t this time,” I replied. “You were wrapped up snuggly enough that somebody may have mistook you for Nefertiti.”
“Who?”
“Never mind…” I said, rolling my eyes. “But why would you start wrapping yourself like that all the sudden? You’ve never done that before.”
Luna looked away from me sheepishly for a few seconds as she tried to think of a good reason for what she had done. “Well…” she began with a smile that no man or beast could possibly ever get mad at. “I AM pregnant…”
“I know…” I grumbled, pulling her face closer to mine. “How long are you going to use THAT excuse?”
“How long is the normal gestation period for your species?”
“About nine months.”
“Then about eight more months,” Luna replied, sticking out her tongue and sliming me playfully as she did so.
“Touché…” I said, unable to maintain my seriousness as I continued to stare at Luna’s face. “Well, now that that’s been taken care of, how about we-ARGH!”
In that instant my headache hit me harder than any other headache had previously. The pain was so great that it couldn’t stay in just my head anymore. My skin boiled as though liquid metal had been pumped underneath it, while my heart struggled to pump frozen rivers of blood to the rest of my body. My spasms nearly threw both Luna and I off the bed, but she was able to prevent that by clinging to both the bed and the covers that still bound us together. After several seconds the hurt had receded, and while I struggled to breathe and see through the spots now crowding my vision, Luna squirmed out from the covers and laid herself right next to me, burying her head into my chest for a moment before looking up at me with clearly frightened and disturbed eyes.
“W-what… was that?” she asked with concern that I hadn’t heard in a very long time.
“It’s nothing babe,” I said after a bit, trying to dismiss her worry, yet unable to resist bringing one of my hands up to massage my forehead. “Just a headache, that’s all.”
“I’ve never seen a headache that causes one’s entire body to thrash,” She replied, placing her hand on my head before I jerked away due to the sudden contact and sensitivity of the area.
“Don’t do that…” I said through my teeth. “It hurts…”
“I’m sorry Aedan,” she said, pulling her hand away. “Maybe if I just-“
In her attempt to adjust herself to where she wouldn’t touch my skull, her elbow slammed into my temple, reigniting the blaze in my head. Without no capacity to think, I pushed her away to bring my hands up to my head and face, twisting my thumbs down to press into my eyes, as though popping them back into my head could somehow alleviate the pain.
“I’m so sorry Aedan!” Luna managed to say, before she foolishly reached for my head again, “I didn’t mean to-“
“DON’T TOUCH IT!” I snapped back, “It hurts, dammit!”
“Well, where doesn’t it hurt?!” Luna yelled with a strange mix of whining and genuine concern in her voice.
Ever the sarcastic ass, even when I can’t think straight, I threw up my arm and pointed to my elbow. “Here!” I screamed, sarcasm so thick a plasma cutter couldn’t even scratch it.
Without missing a single beat Luna pressed her lips against the presented body part. That wasn’t the odd part though. What was strange was the way she kissed it: gently, lovingly, sensually. I was utterly speechless when she parted with my elbow. When she looked at me next, it was with a gently smoldering fire in her eyes that began to wash away the pain I felt, and replace it with something else entirely.
“Anywhere else?” she asked with half lidded eyes.
“Here…” I said after a few seconds, pointing to my neck to test the waters.
Sure enough, Luna crawled upwards and pressed her lips against my neck in the same way she had to my elbow, except with added gusto. I could feel my whole body shudder at her touch. She had been practicing, and it DEFINITELY showed. I almost whined when she stopped to look back up to me, with an even more determined spark hiding behind those half-lidded eyes. She didn’t say anything. She just fluttered her eyes and bit her lip, demanding without words that I say something before she would move again.
“H-here…” I said, involuntarily pointing to my lips.
With a low but seductive growl, Luna brought her face up to mine, stopping less than an inch away from the desired area in an effort to torture me. An effort that was succeeding. “I hope this makes you feel better…” she whispered before pressing her lips against mine with all the power.
A sudden feeling of blood rushing downward away from my head came upon me as her hands migrated up to my chin to hold my face in place. As if on cue, my arms slowly wrapped around her waist, making sure that she wouldn’t be going anywhere. I’d like to think my kiss was what really kept her there, though. After a few minutes we finally parted and let out an exasperated sigh in unison. Luna looked me square in the eyes and gave me a deviant, yet seductive grin. (Don’t let ANYONE ever tell you that Raiders of the Lost Ark is a terrible reference for foreplay.)
“We have a good two hours until we have to be ‘up’ up…” she whispered, drawing little hearts on my chest. “Whatever do you think we shall do in that amount of time?”
“Well…” I grinned, brushing some hair away from her face. “Your sister DID just recently soundproof our room… maybe a little test is in order.”
“Oh I think so too-wait…” Luna suddenly sat up, placing her hands on her hips. “Why would my sister do that?”
My only response was a cocked eyebrow as I stared directly at her, patiently waiting for her to figure it out herself, as I had done with Celestia in the past. As the seconds ticked on and she furrowed her brow in thought, I decided to help her along by looking up and down her exposed body in a fashion so shamelessly obvious she’d have been blind to miss it. It wasn’t long after that she realized what I was silently suggesting. Unlike her sister’s reaction before, Luna’s face went so red that you could swear she was glowing. I couldn’t help but smile at that point, but just as soon as I started to laugh Luna pressed two of her fingers against my lips, effectively silencing me for a moment.
“You do realize that I know exactly how to silence you…” she almost purred, sliding her fingers down to my chest. “Or do I have to remind you?”
“By all means…” I growled, pulling her down to me again. “Remind me…” Suave, sarcastic me. It just comes so naturally, even during foreplay… and the best part is Luna loves it even more than I do.
Close to an hour and forty five minutes later the two of us were tiredly getting ready for the day. It had been awhile since we had a rut like that, and with all the stress that had come into our lives it was much needed. A knock came to our door the second I put my pants on. Usually I wouldn’t pay much mind to it, but Luna was still getting ready in the bathroom, so being the man I am I went to answer it for her. If anything, it would be Night Wing or one of the other guards giving a helpful reminder that she needed to be ready in a few minutes. Those guys and gals had seen me wearing much less than a pair of pants. Some may have hated that more than others. That was my thought process as I decided I was decent enough to hold a short conversation with them before I threw on a shirt.
However, upon opening the door I came to the realization that my reasoning was wrong. Oh, so very wrong. Instead of one of the few that already had the pleasure of beholding the majesty that is a perfect human male, a rather tall human female stood opposite of me. She was draped in a formal dress that didn’t really leave much to the imagination when it came to the cleavage department, something that pushed boundary of the gentleman I try to be in my mind.
“E-evening Celestia…” I said quickly, forcing my eyes to stay locked with hers.
She was silent for a few moments, eyes locked with mine, silently daring me to look away and give her more ammunition for the inevitable quip. I continued to hold out against the primal side of man, knowing that even the slightest errant thought might reflect enough on my face to break the stalemate solidly in her favor.
“And you’re always going after me for lack of clothing…” she finally acquiesced with a smile, averting her eyes.
“At least I try to keep it PG-thirteen,”I managed to mutter without a smirk.
“What?”
“Forget I said anything…” I said, rolling my eyes, “What can I do you for?”
“I was hoping I could have an audience with Luna at the moment,” she said, trying to look past me. “You two aren’t… ‘busy’ at the moment, are you?”
“Not anymore,” I said rather casually, “but if you were here about five minutes earlier…”
“I get the point,” she interrupted, pinching the bridge of her nose, “but may I please speak with her?”
“She’s still getting ready for the evening…” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Sorry about that.”
“I understand,” Celestia said, suddenly throwing her arm over my shoulder, “but as luck would have it, I also need to discuss several things with you as well.”
I gave her a confused look for a few seconds, but the smile she gave me eased my mind before I could question what she even needed to speak to me about. “Shall we be off?” she asked, preparing to snap her fingers.
“Shouldn’t we tell Luna that we’re going to be gone for a while?” I asked, looking back into the room.
“I’m sure she won’t mind if I borrow you for a few minutes,” Celestia replied, patting my chest. “Besides… the things I need to discuss with you are of a more… personal nature…”
Before I could ask what ‘matters’ she needed to discuss with me, Celestia snapped her fingers and the two of us were consumed by a blinding ball of white light. I thought it was strange that even after all my time in this place I still couldn’t get used to being teleported. The feeling itself was a bit off, like being wrapped in a silk blanket while being clawed at by a hundred angry pumas. There were also the times it would leave my clothes smoldering, but somehow my skin was immune to the flames, so I got that going for me, which is good. It also gave me a new appreciation for what the Hulk had to put up with.
Within an instant, I could feel my feet on solid ground, but that wasn’t really what concerned me. Another thing about teleporting was that if you travel with more than two individuals, unless the one teleporting you tells you where you’re going, you have no idea where you’ll end up. At least Luna had the decency to inform me of where we would be heading before we went off on our adventures. Sis still had to pick up that particular skill.
I opened my eyes, but that really didn’t matter because I was still blinded by the light that encompassed me moments before. I waited for my temporary blindness to subside, but just as I was nearly able to make out our location I was struck by yet another migraine. This time the blinding light I was trying to recover from amplified the pain, sending a shock through my body that buckled my knees and brought me down on them, hard. My instinctual response of bringing my hands up to my head to try and force the pain out failed spectacularly.
With each passing second the throbbing continued to worsen, forcing a single tear to make a break for it down my face. Then, almost as soon as it had begun, it vanished without a trace. In my clarity I felt something gently pressed against my forehead. I opened my eyes, now finally adjusted enough to take in my surroundings, to see the hand of Celestia gently resting on my head. I followed her arm up to her face to see a concern in her eyes I hadn’t seen since we first met in the hospital room that fateful day. After she stopped trying to kill me that is. I stared her square in the eyes for a few moments before finally rising back to my feet, taking an offered hand to help me along the way.
“Are you alright?” she asked, her voice mirroring the concern in her eyes. “I’ve never seen such a violent reaction to teleporting.”
“I’m fine now…” I replied, trying to shake it off. “That bright light just threw me off guard I guess.”
“I’d say so,” she agreed, nodding her head. “In all the time I’ve known you I don’t recall ever seeing you cry.”
“A migraine’ll do that to you,” I grinned, looking around to get a hold of my surroundings. I didn’t have to look around for very long, the massive wardrobe and bed on the opposite wall not far from where I was standing was a dead giveaway. “Why is it when you need to speak to me in private we go to your room?” I asked, turning my attention to the woman standing next to me.
“I can hardly think of a place more private Aedan,” Celestia replied, taking a few steps towards her lavish couch. “Can you?”
“I guess you have a point…” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “But you said that you needed to speak to me.”
“Indeed I do,” she almost whispered, falling on the couch and laying out with so much grace she seemed more a feather in motion than a person. “I’m sure you’ve considered what Luna’s pregnancy means, yes?”
“Almost every day for close to a month,” I sighed, shaking my head. “The whole ‘I’m going to be a dad’ thing still unnerves me. I just-“
“That’s not what I meant Aedan…” Celestia interrupted, raising her hand to silence me. “I’m speaking of the social and political consequences.”
“I beg your pardon?” I asked, cocking my eyebrow. “What do you mean by ‘consequences’?”
“Surely you don’t think she’ll go through the entire pregnancy in secret?” Celestia began. “There will come a point in time where the public will have to know and I want to make sure that you are ready for when that happens.”
“Wouldn’t the populace be ecstatic?” I asked, “I mean, back on Earth, when people heard their princesses were expecting they went crazy... in a good way.”
“I don’t doubt that there will be elation for the news, Aedan,” Celestia said forebodingly, “but I am far more concerned with the royals here in Canterlot. We both already know how they feel about you, title or not.”
“Oh yeah…” I said, looking away, “I haven’t thought about them yet…”
And I hadn’t because they bothered me. They already hated me for breathing the same air they did. Now that Celestia brought up the issue, I shuddered to think how they would react when they found out that I knocked up their co-ruler. I still remembered the petitions they made towards Celestia when I first arrived, as well as the protests. Some of them got pretty violent considering the fact most of them were stuck up and pampered socialites that would run at the first sign of conflict. Good old harmony, huh?
“You should steel yourself for when the day comes,” Celestia said softly. “And there is also the matter of the child… Never in my time have I seen a mortal and an immortal bear offspring, let alone with a between races from different dimensions, so there might be complications in that aspect.”
“I don’t think that first one is really an issue,” I said, shrugging my shoulders, “I’m not really mortal anymore.”
“What?” Celestia asked surprised, propping herself up on her couch. “What do you mean… ‘not really mortal anymore’?”
“Luna and I bound our souls about four months ago,” I explained, surprised that she didn’t already know. “I thought you-“
“WHY DIDN’T EITHER OF YOU TELL ME ABOUT THAT?!” Celestia yelled, rushing me and forcing my back against a wall. “Do you know what the two of you have done?!”
“We made sure that Luna would never be without me?” I said, pushing her off of me a bit. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Did you even think about what you were agreeing to before you submitted to such an act?” Celestia asked back. “Do you have any idea what dangers you both have suddenly put the entire kingdom in?”
“Uh… No?”
“Binding the soul permanently intertwines the two, meaning that if one of you dies…” Celestia said, staring me square in the eyes, “the other will soon follow.”
“I know that,” I said, “she explained that to me the night she did it.”
“She may have explained it but I’m sure you don’t really understand what she did,” Celestia replied commandingly. “Yes she bound you to her soul, but that doesn’t mean you’re truly immortal.”
“You mind getting into details with that?” I questioned awkwardly, since she wasn’t about to let me out of the corner she had put me in.
“Luna can’t die by normal means here,” Celestia explained, “But YOU can…”
Celestia snapped her fingers and a second later a sword appeared, its tip pointed directly at my throat. I was about to ask her what she was doing, but before any words could come out the blade pressed deeper into my throat, causing a small amount of blood to trickle down my neck.
“Blades, spells, sticks and stones…” she said, pulling the blade away from my neck. “All of these can kill you… and if you die… so does she.”
“I think I got the point…” I said, rubbing my neck. The pun wasn’t lost on me. “But What about me getting old? Was Luna right about me being ageless?”
“If she performed the spell correctly, and I know she would have, then yes,” Celestia assured, though she was still noticeably upset. “You are still ageless.”
I was able to let out a deep sigh of relief right then and there. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that in time my own mortality would have been the end of both of us. The very thought nearly brought on another headache, but I managed to steel myself for Celestia’s sake.
“I just want you to understand the gravity of the situation,” she continued, “And the danger that Luna has put you both in.”
“I would never put any of us in danger,” I stated confidently. “You know that.”
Celestia glared at me in silence, eyes burning with both fury and fear. I stared right back, making sure that she knew I was being honest. However, the fact remained that I never saw it the way Celestia had. It started to make sense why that practice was no longer in use. Kids could be left without parents at a moment’s notice that way, and even though I didn’t particularly care much for kids I wouldn’t want them to go through such an experience. Close to a minute had passed and neither of us had so much blinked, until finally Celestia took a deep breath.
“I know, Aedan…” she said, still staring directly at me, “but we risked so much bringing you here. All of us did…”
“I know that Tia,” I said softly, dropping the formality as I placed my arm around her shoulder, “and I also know that you want to keep your sister safe… but sometimes she’s going to do things you don’t necessarily approve of.”
“That’s blatantly obvious right now,” Celestia said, giggling a bit at herself. “But I can’t change the past, so I guess all I can ask you is to be very careful in the future.”
“You have my word,” I said, nodding my head. “I won’t risk my neck if it means I’ll also be risking Luna’s.”
“Thank you Aedan…” she replied with that beautiful smile of hers, before wrapping me in her arms without warning. “Thank you so much.”
I was caught off guard by the sudden affection. It had been ages since Celestia last hugged me, but I knew for a fact that she had never done it like this before. It was so much like Luna’s loving embrace, the only differences being that Celestia’s arms rested higher on me and that her assets were several cup sizes larger than her sisters.
That single thought brought up another question, why was it when she came to our door that she was human? I may have found it easier to comprehend if she was in her casual outfit, but instead she was in formal wear. It was more than a tad provocative, and I’m certainly not complaining about it, but it’s a lot like something a royal from Earth would wear while in a meeting with delegates. It was obvious to me she’d never bring the subject up herself, so I bit the bullet and brought it up myself.
“Hey Celestia…” I said to get her attention.
“Yes Aedan?” she asked, looking right back at me. I was struck for a moment by the strange feeling of looking at a woman’s face at eye level. Maybe other guys dealt with the height issue better, but it could creep up on me.
“Why do you look like… me?” I asked. Probably could have worded that better. If I’m a majestic male, they’re clearly goddesses.
“Oh, I’ve been like this more and more often lately,” she said, releasing me to look at her perfect figure. “I figured that on since Luna’s stuck looking like you, she’d want someone else who looks like her. You know, for comfort and such.”
“Well that’s… thoughtful,” I said, looking to the ceiling, “but why do it when she’s sleeping? I mean, she sees you for only a few hours each day.”
“Does she get to return to her original state when I sleep?”
“No.”
“Then I guess I’m just trying to garner some empathy for her,” Celestia said with a playful smile as she patted my head. “Not to mention it’s fun to watch you fight the urge to look down.”
I stared at her blankly for a few seconds as a giggle passed through her lips. She’s lucky the nobles are too far up their own asses to notice what she’s really like, or they’d never listen to her. “Alright then…” I grunted, purposefully taking a gander at her chest before turning around. “I guess I should be off, Luna should be wondering where the hell I am by now.”
“Don’t let me keep you~” Celestia replied with a playful smile as she turned around and walked back to her couch, adding an extra swing in her hips as she did so, “just don’t forget what we talked about.”
“I won’t,” I said just before opening her room door, but before I opened said door yet another question popped into my head. “Well…” I said turning around, “there IS one more thing I’d like to know…”
“Of course,” Celestia said, sprawling out on her couch, “What else would you like to know?”
“Well…” I started slowly, trying to find the proper way to word my question. “Luna seems to have gotten more… experience,” I said, figuring I could dance around the issue a bit, “you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Celestia looked at me perplexed for a few seconds, probably surprised that I would ask her such a thing, but she smiled and shook her head just the same. “Well… given all the ‘training’ you two have been doing I would assume she’d be getting better as it is.”
“Yeah but this time her… uh… ‘skill’ went way up…” I said awkwardly, “more so than ever before.”
“Well if you must know…” she said propping herself up on her elbows. “I assigned Twilight some special material to cover.”
My jaw nearly unhinged. The purple, bookish alicorn who ran those tests on me and Luna a few weeks back? Several images of the things Luna and I had done flashed through my mind, only I was replaced with a human Twilight. Twilight was laid out on her back at the front desk of some library in a proper librarian’s uniform, hair done up in a bun with pencils through it and sticking out of a front pocket, shaking with nervousness and uncertainty over both her new form and the unexpected nature of her assignment as she pushes down her skirt to hide everything underneath. Luna, my sexy Luna, decked out as an office lady, with an unbuttoned top, high cut skirt, and fishnet stockings leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination, getting on her knees and crawling towards Twilight, reaching out to grasp her knees an- dead. My brain is dead. Too much heat, too much to process. Celestia won.
Celestia couldn’t help but laugh at my near catatonic state before snapping her fingers, making something appear in her hands. Before I managed to replace all the parts she just broke in my head, she playfully tossed it in my direction.
“I got her that close to two weeks ago,” she said, placing her hands behind her head, “Something tells me she’s put some of it into practice.”
Back online. “A book?” I said before looking at the title, which read in bold letters ‘Pleasing Your Stallion’ “Well… that explains a lot.”
“Does it?” Celestia asked, smiling like a loon, “I didn’t even know if it would transfer over anatomies very well.”
“Oh it does…” I said, quickly flipping through a few pages. I was just as surprised as she was. Literally anything I could do, ponies could too.
“Well I’m glad to know it worked out.” Celestia laughed, taking the book from my hands with magic. “Now I want you to keep that a secret, Luna would never forgive me if she found out I told you about this.”
“Will do Celestia,” I said, “I’d better get back to Luna now… she’s probably wondering where I went.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it Aedan,” Celestia nodded lying back down on her couch, “but please, in all seriousness… do remember what we discussed. I don’t want to lose her again.”
“Celestia, you have my word,” I replied, walking out of her room. “I will do anything to keep her safe.”
As the days since my little talk with Celestia passed, nothing really changed. Luna was still in charge of moon duty, I was still roaming the castle in the evening, shooting the shit with the Night Guard, and the general public still knew nothing about the oncoming bundle of royal joy. That gave me some solace, I guess. Given how I reacted to the news, I could only imagine the public backlash when the word finally got out. Come to think of it, I was surprised Night Wing had yet to spill the beans to this world’s version of TMZ, which was some rag going by EQD. The guy had his loyalties, and I’m very fortunate that I’m one of them.
I guess that’s why I got along so well with the rest of Luna’s guard, especially since there were only ten of them. The simple fact that they were alone in a world that didn’t readily accept them really stuck with me, given I was in the same position as them. But despite that, there was still one thing that separated me from them - they weren’t entirely alone.
Sure, I guess you could count Luna and Celestia as humans like me, but Luna’s only stuck like that because she’s my baby mama and Celestia just wants to be there for her sister. The moment he - or she, for that matter - pops out, things will go right back to the way they were before we somehow managed to make a person – they’d be ponies again, and I would be stuck with the second-strangest mixed breed creature that ever came to be.
“God, that’s going to be hard to explain,” I grumbled to myself, imagining my kid sitting in front of me and Luna. As a pony, of course. “That’ll be the weirdest ‘birds and the bees’ talk anyone would ever go through…”
As time went on and I couldn’t force the thoughts of explaining to my kid what they were out of my head, more questions began to seep in from that seed of panic. Where would they go to school? How would the other kids react to them? How would the nobles? Would Luna get any backtalk from the ponies about how strange her kid and lover were?
Those and many more questions kept circling through my mind (again) as I slowly made my way down the same hall (again) for eightieth-odd time in a month again. I couldn’t even remember these things right anymore. All I knew was that it was ‘same old, same old’, and despite the majesty this place once held, it was really starting to wear me down.
It made me wonder how the hell Celestia managed to stay sane in a place like this for so long. Day in day out, seeing the same thing for hundreds (thousands?) of years, it has to do a number on the mind. I could only admire her for not becoming a sadistic tyrant or a crazy pervert now after all those years. God knows I’d have lost it long ago. Maybe if I ran into her during my roaming I could ask her how she does it?
“Lord Ryan!” a familiar voice called ahead of me. I looked up to see two figures currently walking along their patrol route, their armor and forms providing a stark contrast to the average palace pony.
“What have I told you, Night Wing?” I said with a smile. The three of us came to a neat stop in front of each other in the hallway. “Aedan works just fine.”
“Apologies, Lord Rya- I mean, Aedan…” Night Wing replied, shaking his head, “I’m sure you know that it’s rather hard to abandon military training.”
“That I do.” I smiled to myself, remembering my days back in the military. Four damn good years in the Marines. Then I got tagged.
“Uh… Lord Ryan?” Night Wing’s counterpart said. “Is… is there something wrong?”
“I’m fine,” I grunted, slightly frustrated at the fact that they called me ‘Lord Ryan’ again, “but please call me-“
I was at a loss for words the second I looked to Night Wing’s partner. I couldn’t recognize her at first, which was a little weird given I spend most of my time with the Night Guards when I’m not with Luna. But after a few seconds of looking her over I knew exactly who she was, especially since she was a good head shorter than Night Wing and there was only one Night Guard that small. Of course, in the time it took me to remember her name, she had started to fidget slightly, and also taken to the tactic of staring through me, like I was giving a surprise inspection for her uniform.
“Star Rider…” I said in a slightly awkward fashion, “Haven’t seen you in a while…”
“Forgive my absence, my lord,” she said, quickly bowing her head. “I was transferred to the north a few months ago for training exercises.”
“No need to apologize kid, I’ve been there once or twice,” I said, taking a knee so she wouldn’t have to look up as much. “How’s being back here in Canterlot treating you?”
“Just fine, my lord,” she replied, nodding quickly, not even thinking to look back up. “Now if you’ll excuse me-”
Before Night Wing or I could say anything, Star Rider ran off as fast as she could down the hall, but not fast enough to hide that her face was practically glowing from embarrassment. I watched her run for several seconds before I heard faint snickers behind me. I slowly turned to see that Night Wing had almost lost his bearing completely. All it took was one look from me and he could no longer contain himself. He burst out laughing to the steady motion of my head shaking.
“You set this up didn’t you?” I asked, bringing my hand to its familiar position on my face.
“I-I’m sorry Aedan…” he replied, catching his breath, “I… I just couldn’t resist.”
“I’d figured,” I said, looking back to where Star Rider had run off to. “Why would you go and do that to a sweet little thing like her?”
“We work nights - nothing ever happens at night,” Night Wing replied, holding in the last few stray amounts of laughter. “We’ve gotta do something to make the time go by.”
“Very professional of you, O’ Cãpitan of the Night Guard,” I said, laying on enough sarcasm that even Luna would be able to pick it up. “I’ll be sure to tell Luna and Celestia how you manage to keep everything in line.”
“You wouldn’t,” Night Wing said with a smile.
“What makes you think that?”
“I’ve heard one or two of your stories,” he replied confidently. “What we do to pass the time is hardly as bad as what you’ve done.”
“I was young and stupid back then, now I’m just young,” I said in response. “If anything, I’m wondering why she’s still so embarrassed about omething that happened months ago.”
“Well… she did see you naked.”
“Ponies are almost always naked,” I grunted, making Night Wing let out a chuckle, “and besides, it’s not like I’m the most bizarre thing you guys have ever seen.”
“Oh, you’re far from the weirdest thing in Equestria,” Night Wing said, rolling his eyes. “It’s just not every day you see something new and unexpected that happens to be the new love of a recently returned diarch of the nation. That’s not weird, it’s hilarious.” He paused for a few moments to look to the ground before he decided to go on. “Oh, and you were doing the mommy daddy dance with Luna when she saw you naked - no matter what that’s ALWAYS awkward to walk into.”
I was about to deliver a response, but before I could say anything Night Wing came to rigid attention. I knew given my past experiences in the military that that could only mean two things: either you were about to get verbally destroyed, or a higher up was coming around when you were goofing off. I decided that it was the latter, given that Night Wing hadn’t really been goofing off and that if anyone was going to be yelling, it would be him. That meant that only one of two people were behind me and the only way I was going to be able to tell was by what transpired in the next few seconds.
The sudden feeling of arms sliding down my waist was a dead giveaway. I closed my eyes and spun around, smiling to myself as I wrapped the person behind me in a loving embrace, but as I squeezed I realized that there was something… off about the person I thought I was hugging. Something that felt much bigger and softer than usual. Thinking it was a good idea to disengage and try opening my eyes, I did so and had my fears confirmed, because when I did I saw a pair of dazzling pink eyes staring level with mine.
“Good evening to you too Aedan,” Celestia said in a sultry tone, biting her lip. “I’m glad that you’re so happy to see me too.”
“Well, I wasn’t really expecting you…” I said, slowly bringing my arms across my chest, “especially given you nearly stuck your hands down my pants…”
“As if you would’ve complained if I had,” she replied, mimicking my motion by crossing her arms just under her bust, making it almost pop out of her dress.
I was silent for a few seconds, fighting my primal, red-blooded American male urges to look down. It was true I probably wouldn’t have minded it, but despite that fact there were other, more pressing matters to me than that. First I needed an excuse, one good enough to get me out of the current situation, and fortunately it didn’t take long for me to come up with something plausible.
“Where’s Luna gone off to?” I asked, stepping away from her perfectly shaped breasts. “I’ve been meaning to talk to her.”
“I’m sure she’s off wandering the dreamscape,” Celestia said, looking down the hall towards the main throne room. “It is her job after all.”
I stared blankly at her just long enough to get a laugh before walking past her without so much as a goodbye. I was even able to get a good step or two away from her before I felt the familiar tug of her magic on my shoulders. Knowing that I really didn’t have a chance of getting away, I stopped and let out a disgruntled sigh before bringing my hand up to my face once more.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Celestia asked, pulling me back to her side. “We only just started talking.”
“I decided to get on with my evening,” I grumbled in a reply. “I thought that was obvious by me walking away.”
“But you didn’t even say goodbye,” Celestia pouted, her face suddenly becoming irrationally cute.
“Figured I didn’t need to say it,” I said, shaking my head. “Now if you’d please-“
“I think I’d rather not,” she interrupted, pulling me in and throwing her arm over my shoulder as she started to lead me down the direction that Night Wing and Star Rider had come from. “I can tell when something’s on your mind.”
“Am I that much of an easy read?” I sighed, loosening my shoulders.
“It’s easy to know someone’s thoughts when you’ve got magic,” she giggled, playfully sticking out her tongue.
“I thought you agreed along with your sister not to do that.”
“I can’t help it if they’re literally screaming at me,” Celestia shrugged. “Now what exactly is it that you’ve been meaning to ask me?”
Before I could say anything I’d realized that we were already several strides away from Night Wing. He was still frozen at attention, but you could tell that he was shocked at what had just transpired even from that distance. I decided to think little of it, especially since I had a chance to discuss what immortality really meant with someone who has experience with the matter.
“So I’m sure you’ve guessed what I’ve wanted to ask you about by now,” I began, looking to the woman by my side.
“Not really,” she shrugged, “all I know is that you wanted to ask me something, the exact details weren’t really there.”
“Well I’ve been meaning to ask you…” I said, thinking really hard about what I should say next, “about how you’re still you.”
“What?” Celestia asked, cocking her eyebrow in confusion.
“You’ve been around for so long… how do you stay you?” I elaborated; maybe if I said it that way first she wouldn’t be looking at me so funny right now.
“Oh, you’re wondering how I’ve managed to stay sane after all these years?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, wine helps,” she said, letting out a giggle, “but honestly I guess it’s just your way of looking at things.”
“Care to explain?” I asked. “That’s not really a lot to go off on, you know.”
“It’s rather simple really,” she explained, snapping her fingers to open the door we were slowly approaching on the far side of the hallway. “I’ve been around for thousands of years; in fact I’m older than Luna by more than a century and a half.”
“You’re HOW many years older than Luna?"
“One hundred seventy two,” she clarified, only this time more reluctantly, “but if you take into account the different growth period of an alicorn when compared to a pony, it’s equivalent to about fifteen years of age.”
“I wonder what would happen if that news got out…” I said, smiling devilishly.
“I think a certain human would get to know what the atmosphere of our moon is like,” Celestia replied without any hesitation. “But that’s beside the point. The point is that I’ve been around for a very long time.”
“Obviously,” I said with a snicker, “I mean I knew you were old, but being the elder by nearly two centuries? That’s gotta-“
A sudden yet firm slap to the back of my head silenced me momentarily, but the smile on my face was far from gone. When I saw how flustered she was I only managed to hold in a single snort before involuntarily throwing my head back in an explosion of laughter. I would have to remember this the next time she started teasing me the way she always does. A few seconds into my laughter spasm I felt the ground come out from under me. Opening my eyes I realized I was now face to face with Celestia, only she was upside down.
I didn’t understand what was going on until I looked up. Well, up from my perspective. The first thing I noticed was Celestia’s barely covered cleavage, but the slightly more alarming thing lay beyond them. The floor that I had been walking on just seconds ago was now several feet below my head. A quick glance down (up?) at my feet confirmed that I was flipped-turned upside down.
“You done?” she asked, furrowing her brow.
“Only for now,” I said, still smiling.
“About as much as I can expect from you. Now, where was I?” she asked, slowly placing me back by her side, head first. “Ah yes, dealing with immortality, or in your case, agelessness.”
After falling over since my head wasn’t expressly designed to function as a foot, I got back up and brushed some imaginary dust off my shirt. “Yes, how do you deal with it?”
“Well…” she said, rubbing her chin, “change.”
“What?”
“Change,” Celestia repeated, opening another door after she had closed after she picked me up with an outstretched hand. “Mixing things up every few decades has really helped with the ceaseless drudgery of life.”
“Anything else other than change?” I shrugged. “There has to be more than just that.”
“Oh, there are a few other things,” she smiled, looking off into the distance, “but I’m sure you’ve already got the hang of ONE of those.”
I was about to ask her what she was talking about, but the slow, seductive way her hands traveled from her shoulders to her hips was a dead giveaway. She even added a little shake for extra effect. I had to mentally bleach out a thought or two from my head before trying to think again, or else this moment would go down in the gutter like so many before it. Pondering on how to bring the situation back to seriousness, I decided the only way would be to approach it with the subtlety of a train that just went off the rails.
“What about friends?” I asked. “How do you deal with them dying?”
Celestia suddenly froze in place, as if I’d said some sort of trigger word and she was about to snap. I started to back off slightly, hoping that I wasn’t about to get turned to ash for saying something I shouldn’t, but Celestia suddenly grabbed my wrist with a force that I hadn’t expected from a woman of her size. There was no way I was getting away from what was about to happen.
After several seconds of waiting Celestia finally turned to me with loving eyes and the most genuine smile I had ever seen on her face. Without warning she pulled me close to her and wrapped me up so tightly I briefly panicked that she was about to snap me. I endured her embrace for a good minute before she finally decided to loosen up her grip, but only enough so that I wouldn’t suffocate from her pair of pillows.
“I don’t really think they’re gone…” she suddenly whispered into my ear.
“What?”
“I don’t think of them as being gone,” she repeated, finally releasing me. “They live on through cherished memories, whether they be good or bad. I keep them all, and that’s why they’ve never left me.”
“Well… uh… wow,” I said, scratching the back of my head. “I guess I never really thought of it that way.”
“That way of thinking is the only way to keep such a calm mind,” Celestia said with a nod before pointing off into the distance. “Luna’s just over there, Aedan.”
I followed her hand until I saw a faintly glowing orb on the other side of the study we had just walked into. It was unusually dark; I could barely make out the bookshelves that obstructed my view. I had to focus, but it was clear there was a figure inside the orb: Luna. I was a bit surprised at first; I’d never seen her doing her dream trotting or whatever the hell she called it. For what it was worth it was probably pretty damn serial, but it probably pretty just mundane after half the things I’ve seen since I’ve been here. I went to approach her, but not before Celestia grabbed me once more.
“I wouldn’t touch her if I were you,” she warned. “It’ll suck you right into the dreamscape with her, and I’m sure you don’t want to see the dreams of us ponies…” a brief pause fell on her before a cherub’s innocent smile graced her face, “especially those of the young stallions.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, rolling my eyes. As if I’ve never had a wet dream. “Now would you kindly?”
“Of course,” she said, pulling me in to give a peck on the cheek, which surprised me more than anything in the past hour. “You two have fun.”
“Yeah…” I said, rubbing the side of my face Celestia kissed. “You too…”
Celestia exited the room as I processed what just happened, leaving only me, the bookshelves, Luna, and the faint blue light that radiated from her. I approached her slowly, thinking it would have been a good thing to ask Celestia how the hell to get her out of her current state, but hindsight is called that for a reason. Step after step I wondered how I was going to go about doing what I wanted to do, and each time it ended with me as Dirk the Daring after he’d made a wrong choice. By the time I’d finally reached her, out of options and impatient, I decided to do what was quite possibly the third or fourth stupidest thing I’d ever done.
“Leroy Jenkins!” I exclaimed before grabbing her arm.
Within seconds I could feel myself being pulled into a place I wasn’t really sure I wanted to go. Colors out of place passed by unformed places in an infinite sea, beyond all of nature as I had ever known and likely ever will know. When I finally arrived somewhere I could vaguely make sense of, it only looked like I was in the middle of a bad acid trip.
“So… THIS is the dreamscape…” I said, crossing my arms and looking all around me. “I half expected to see a one eyed pyramid with a top hat and a bow tie…”
With my quip out of the way, I took more careful stock of my surroundings, hoping to see Luna sitting in the middle of this place flipping through all the things that went through pony’s heads. I didn’t have such luck though, so in spite of my better judgment yet again, I decided to press on in hopes of finding her. I didn’t really know how long I was looking for her, but time seemed to go by rather quickly as I continued my search. The openings into pony’s dreams were were the only reason time had any real meaning here. Some of them were pretty entertaining, like the one where Twilight’s dragon was riding her like Falcor. Others were absolutely appalling, like a certain turquoise unicorn with an unhealthy obsession of me having a rather unique dream involving me, five pounds of butter, and some jumper cables. But I pressed on, stalwart in my endeavor to find the one person in here that mattered to me. I also needed her to get me out of here, because I wasn’t going to stumble on the exit anytime soon. Call it a hunch.
Time passed and I continued to look for Luna, but still I had no luck in finding her. I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to track her down, but as soon as I passed one particular opening I heard the unmistakable giggle of my muse. I doubled back, hoping that she was just playing some sort of game with me this whole time. If she was, I’d make her pay for making me see some of the things in here. The opening that I heard her from was actually a rather stately wooden door, with the sort of fancy whorls that wouldn’t seem out of place for a noble’s house. Deciding to play it cool until I figured this stuff out for once, I reached out for the doorknob and proceeded to walk right into the room as I opened it. That attitude lasted until I set foot on the red carpet.
The doorway opened a very posh bedroom, complete with red wine and dimly lit candles. The king sized bed was covered in crimson velvet, heart shaped pillows of various sizes were strewn across it, and each had golden tassels tipped by diamonds. Despite all the grandeur the one thing that caught my attention the most was the one actually on the bed - my gorgeous Luna in pony form, wrapped in the most elaborate white lace I had ever seen.
I had no idea what was going on. Why was Luna in pony form? Why was she wearing a negligee like that? Why did she have bedroom eyes while looking away from me? Who was that stallion that just walked in? Wait, what?
Sure enough, a unicorn stallion walked in, clap in a gold and sapphire encrusted robe and oozing with that ‘I’m better than you’ aura. I could tell he was a noble just by the way he walked around. I stood there and watched from the threshold, interested to see just exactly where all of this was headed.
“I’m so glad you brought me here…” Luna said just before taking a sip of her wine. “It’s so nice to get out of the castle.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” he replied, downing a shot full of scotch. “Canterlot can be so crowded at times.”
“Indeed,” Luna replied with a nod. “I’ve always preferred Trottingham as it is.”
“Of course,” he agreed with a smile. “But I must ask, how has my entire estate treated you?”
“Oh, just wonderfully…” Dream Luna breathed airily. She was definitely not the real one - she never gushed like that, and would have sooner ruined the stallion’s impeccably groomed face with her hind hooves if someone with his personality tried hitting on her. “The food is divine, the service top notch…”
I decided to leave it at that and turned my back on them. There was a seemingly endless amount of ground that I still haven’t covered, and Luna could’ve been anywhere in the vastness which was the dreamscape.
“Maybe I should go west…” I said to myself, gazing deep into the infinite. “Or is that east? Oh Christ I’m-“
“And I don’t have to deal with that insufferable bipedal creature.”
“What?” I asked myself, turning around. “What did they just say about me?”
“Oh, I could only imagine how terrible it is to walk around with that hairless ape,” the stallion said, now sitting on a cushion that had suddenly appeared next to the bed while pouring another shot of scotch. “I’m sure he needs a leash.”
“If not he’d just keep running into the walls!” Dream Luna laughed. “Ever since he’s arrived he’s been nothing but a bother to the whole of society…”
“Surely he can’t be that bad,” the stallion replied. “Your sister made him the royal consort, did she not?”
“That was out of mere pity,” Dream Luna replied. “He wouldn’t know how to please anypony, let alone himself.”
“I guess that much is expected from an inferior being,” the stallion said, this time sipping away at his drink. “The lesser forms of life deserve a chance to live, I guess.”
“If my sister says so…” Dream Luna said, rolling her eyes before finishing her wine. “Now… was there another matter we were about to attend to?”
“Ah yes,” he said, getting out of his seat with a large grin, “there was.”
His golden robe fell to the floor as he climbed on to the bed towards Dream Luna, who rolled onto her hooves and raised her flank in the air. At this point, my blood was boiling. First off, he’s a unicorn snob, which automatically puts him in my ‘piece of shit’ zone. Second, he’s been insulting me and assuming I’m some retarded monkey that would have trouble flinging its poo at people. Third, and most importantly, this was about to turn into a wet dream with the woman I loved and had given so much for.
“I’m sure I’ll do better than anything that hideous creature could do,” he whispered into Dream Luna’s ear as he positioned himself over her.
“Don’t set so low a bar for yourself, I’m sure you’ll do much better than that…”
The two drew closer and closer to one another, their lips almost touching. I hit my shit limit right as it happened. “Oh FUCK no!” I bellowed, bursting into the dream to their combined surprise.
“What in the name of Celestia?” he said, jumping off Luna. “How are you, a lesser being than I, even-“
The side table next to his chair cut him off midsentence, followed by his gold plated chair. I only saw red, just because this uptight, never-had-to-give-up-anything-in-his-life, self-centered, holier-than-thou scumbag thinks I’m nothing more than stupid hairless monkey that doesn’t deserve the woman I nearly died to keep safe. Once my rage had slightly subsided - and I stress the word ‘slightly’ - I stood over my broken opponent, still terrified out of his wits; he literally pissed himself in fear as the dream started to collapse around us.
“W-what do you want?” he stuttered, shielding his face, “What have I done to-“
“Listen here, you dickheaded piece of shit excuse of a pony,” I interrupted, “if I EVER hear you say or try something like this again I’ll make it a point that Celestia personally renounces your nobility,” he tried to crawl away, but before his first hoof had come back down I grabbed him by the throat and made him come face to face with me, so he could see the fire raging in my eyes, “AND if you EVER dream about the woman I love like this again, I will personally find you, break your horn off and shove it so far up your ass you’ll puke rainbows for the rest of your life! Am I-“
Before I could finish I felt something forcefully pulled me out of the doorway, leaving the urine soaked noble to cower in the corner of his dream before the opening collapsed completely. Before I could ask what the hell happened I was spun around to see the reason I’d been in here in the first place.
“AEDAN!” Luna yelled, wrapping me up in her embrace, “What are you doing in here right now? It’s not safe for someone like you to be wandering around in here! It’s too easy to get lost.”
“Well, I was looking for you,” I put as bluntly as I could, “but it looks like you found me. How’d you do that anyway?”
“I don’t have the title ‘Mistress of Dreams’ for nothing,” she sighed. “I could detect the anomaly the instant you entered this place, but the nightmare you caused pinpointed your location.”
“I guess that’s a good thing then,” I shrugged, looking back to where she pulled me from. “If not, I may have been stuck here forever.”
Luna’s stern look was enough to tell me that she was having none of my flippant attitude at the moment. It was one of the more unsettling looks she could give, given that she was usually one of the most carefree spirits I’ve ever known. An uneasy smile graced my face as I continued to be mentally castrated by someone who was half a foot shorter and one hundred pounds lighter than me. It may have been an odd experience staring down a woman not even close to your height, but when one shorter than you is pissed off, you may as well just roll over on your back and accept the lashing.
“Look Luna…” I began. “I’m-“
“You IDIOT!” she suddenly burst into tears before burying her head into my chest. “Do you have any idea what could’ve happened if I hadn’t found you?”
“I’m guessing you’ll tell me?”
“You could have been lost here!” she yelled again, tears tracing the outlines of her cheekbones. “If I couldn’t find you in the dreamscape, I’d have to bring you back from the waking world, and since you can’t control how time flows for you in here, you could have spent decades lost in here while I did that!”
“That sounds pretty bad,” I grimaced, “so… any chance that we could get out of here now?”
“We’re already out…” she said, looking to our surroundings.
I followed suit and realized we were in the study where the whole crazy experience started, except the blue light was gone, replaced by a dozen candles lit in a circle around us. I turned my attention back to Luna, the tears were gone but it was still very clear that she was upset about what happened. Calling on my vast stores of experience dealing with situations just like this one, I did the only thing that worked without fail in the past - I wrapped her up in my arms and pulled her close, hoping my embrace would be enough to calm her swelling emotion.
“You can be such an idiot…” she murmured into my chest. “How did I ever fall for you?”
“Because I’ve done some pretty stupid things for your sake?” I asked, running my hand through her hair.
Luna looked up to me with a small smile before I began to gently wipe away the dry tears that remained on her face. “Why do you have to be right?” she asked, grasping my hand.
“Because I’ve got a way with words,” I replied with a grin, “and I know you love it.”
I leaned in for what was supposed to be just a quick kiss, but Luna had other plans in mind. She pulled me in and pressed her lips against mine up until she needed to breathe. With both of us now gasping slightly for oxygen, she wrapped her hands around my waist and rested her head against my chest.
“Why did you go into the dreamscape?” Luna asked after several seconds of silence.
“I was looking for you,” I answered. “Just wanted to be with you and all that fun stuff.”
“You could’ve waited until I was done,” she stated. “It wouldn’t have even been thirty minutes.”
“Call me impatient, then,” I shrugged, lifting her up to look me in the eyes. “Your company is just that addicting.”
“You would say something like that,” she giggled, kissing the tip of my nose. “But why did you give that stallion a nightmare?”
I paused for a moment before gently placing her back on the ground. “He said some things…” I said blankly. “Things that pissed me off.”
“Like what?”
“That I was inferior” I growled, clenching my fist. “Nothing more than a common animal; and he had the gall to say you didn’t love me.”
“What?” she asked, shocked. “Why would he say that?”
“There was another you there, one that wasn’t like you at all. The way he saw you… a sexual object for nothing more than his own pleasure.”
“Oh, it was one of those dreams,” Luna smirked. “Then I guess you should count yourself lucky that you didn’t find a young colt from Trottingham’s dreams,” a hint of red began to show on her face. “One visit to Ponyville and ever since he’s had that same dream night after night. It’s silly, really; I would never go for one so youn-”
“I’m being serious Luna,” I replied, sternly enough for her to realize I wasn’t in a joking mood anymore. “That stallion, whoever he is, thinks I’m livestock - LESS than livestock - He thinks you can belong to hi-”
“But I don’t,” Luna interrupted, pulling my face to her own so I would give her a chance to speak. “That night, before we made love for the first time, do you remember what I said?”
“I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine.” I replied without missing a beat.
“And I meant that,” she said quietly, bringing my anger down further. “I AM yours, because you ARE mine.”
“Kinda hard to get that through those gold encrusted skulls of theirs,” I sighed. “How are we gonna pull that one off?”
“Well…” Luna trailed off, a coy smile gracing her lips, “there is ONE thing that we’ve been holding off.”
I watched as Luna grabbed my right hand and slowly brought it down to her abdomen, placing it just below her navel. My eyes doubled in size - she couldn’t have been suggesting what I thought she was. But when I saw her classic lip bite and her hypnotic stare, I knew that she was pulling out all the stops to sway me.
“You can’t be serious,” I said bluntly, “surely you can’t be serious.”
“I am serious Aedan,” she said with a confident nod, “and don’t call me Shirley.” Luna then doubled up her grip with her other hand and began to squeeze and jump enthusiastically. “It’s been over two months, Aedan! I can’t keep containing the excitement for the three of us!!”
“Like I haven’t noticed,” I grumbled. “There’s a list of baby girl names in the bathroom - three quarters of them have already been crossed out.”
“One must prepare very early for the name of the youngling,” she said, taking on the tone of a professional lecturer and moving one of her hands off of mine to adjust an invisible pair of glasses on her face, “and if it’s a girl we-“
“Don’t put that voodoo on me,” I said quickly, bringing my hands up in a mock ‘done with this shit’ gesture, “I’ve seen one too many romantic comedies, and if stuff like this keeps going the way it is, I’ll be drowning in estrogen.”
“Then let us announce our child,” Luna said with a smile, placing my hands back where the baby should be. “Let us break the norm of your romantic comedies and prove that we truly love one another to those high and mighty walking dildos!”
“W-where did you learn that?” I said, suddenly fighting back a laugh.
“I overheard you and Night Wing discussing the nobles of Canterlot one evening,” she explained. “I believe it was Night Wing that coined the term.”
“Yup, definitely Night Wing.” -She must never know…-
“So, you are willing to make the news public?” Luna asked with what could have been literal stars in her eyes.
“Well, when you look like that…” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, “how could I say no?”
“WONDERFUL!” Luna exclaimed, almost loud enough to make my ears bleed before wrapping her arms around my neck.
I slowly and uneasily wrapped my arms around her as well, but the look on my face was more reminiscent of Bert from Sesame Street than anything. I sighed to myself - I’d done it again, and let Luna talk me into something I knew for a damn fact I wasn’t ready for. Because by this time tomorrow, even the dead are going to hear about the event that rocked Equestria’s world.
I had been fighting this off for months, and I’ve finally had to lay down arms and accept defeat. I knew we couldn’t keep this a secret forever, but I’d been hoping to push it off until the general public, at least, stopped passing around rumors and scuttlebutt about me. Getting the nobles on board with that would have been nice, too. Though, hell, by the time that happens, the kid might be old enough to start dating. You’d think that would trigger some new bout of worry, but I had pretty much shut down for the interim.
Shortly after I had agreed with Luna on announcing the pregnancy today, she also decided it would happen right after she finished her duties as Princess of the Night and switched off with Celestia. Which meant this announcement was going to take place in the morning at eight, when every pony was up and about, and would have the entire day to pass along this little tidbit of information so that, by about eight o’four, everyone from Equestria, Gondor, Atlantis, Tartarus or whatever other mythical kingdom that existed here will have heard the news.
All in all, today was shaping up like I had suddenly arrived on the Titanic an hour before it had that scrape with an iceberg, and not even Captain Picard’s glorious sign of frustration was enough to help me now.
“Damn you, Luna. How am I supposed to fight against weaponized cuteness?”
“You’d never have fallen for me without it.” A familiar voice piped up behind me as a pair of arms wrapped around my torso, though it was slightly cheekier than what I was used to. “Good morning, Aedan.”
“Morning, Luna…” I sighed, turning around to press her closer to me. With a smile as radiant as the one she was wearing, you’d think she was the one in charge of the sun. “How was your evening?”
“Rather delightful,” she said as she looked up to me, a pleasant lilt to her voice. “I’ll have you know that one noble didn’t get any sleep last again.”
“Don’t try to tell me he didn’t deserve it,” I said, bringing my hand under her chin. “Besides, I know you secretly enjoyed it.”
Luna smiled in silence for a few moments before popping up on her tip toes to give me a quick kiss on the tip of my nose. “Every girl wants to have a stallion uphold their honor,” she whispered sweetly.
“Glad I made that cut,” I replied, letting her go, “now let’s get going, I’m sure you want to tell the world the big news.”
“You sure you’re ready for this, Aedan? You’ve been trying to avoid this for a long while now.”
“I had a chance to pull out three months ago Luna,” I said taking a deep breath before looking down the hallway. “I didn’t then, so there’s no point in doing it now.”
Luna looked quizzically at me and opened her mouth to ask me what I meant by that, but after a few moments, closed it again. The slight blush on her face told me that she didn’t want to admit that I just beat her in the war of words so easily. Hah! Score one for Aedan as he marches to his doom.
Luna made up for that by quickly heading further down the hall.I felt a little bad for spoiling her mood like that just for the sake of an awesome one-liner. In the few moments I had seen her as she went through the halls taking care of business, it had seemed like she was floating around when she went from place to place. Impressive given I saw her at the end of the day, but given the magical and diabetes-inducing nature of this world, I’m surprised she didn’t trail sparkles behind her wherever she went.
Still, now that I was alone again, my mind returned to the thoughts I had been struggling with for all of today. This time my thoughts started on how Celestia and I had taken to the news of Luna’s pregnancy.
Our reactions hadn’t been supportive when she brought it up, and Luna took it hard. I clearly remember the look of hurt in her eyes, magnified by her tears, right before she nearly knocked us over with her voice and fled the room. If that was what happened with just the two of us, I shuddered to imagine what would happen if the public’s reaction didn’t match up with what she wanted.
There was also the possibility of outright rejection, given what the nobles seemed to think of me. Luna hadn’t really been present for many of my interactions with them. She was always either asleep or taking care of something pertaining to the country, so she never got to see the tension between us.
They hadn’t been stupid enough to try anything with me yet, probably because they didn’t know what I was capable of, but they didn’t bother hiding their disgust whenever they had to look in my direction. There had been a few times ‘gangs’ had tried to intimidate me, but the simple fact that they were talking pastel horses whose eye-level was just under my beltline made the effect more comical than intimidating, like a pet chihuahua barking at a grizzly bear.
I smiled to myself, remembering one such incident where I told one of my potential assailants outside a doughnut shop that if he didn’t back off, I’d punt him through the big hole in the center of the shop’s sign. I now have free coffee and doughnuts for the rest of my life because of that. Apparently, he’d been causing trouble for the owner ever since that pony found out the owner had been serving me.
“I know that smile,” trilled another familiar voice from behind me. “Remembering a particularly humorous past incident, are we?”
“I guess you could say that,” I said as I turned around to look down at Celestia, only to realize she had decided to take her original pony form. “Looks like someone’s had enough of standing on two legs.”
“YOU try walking around on two feet when you’re so top heavy,” she responded, gesturing at the general area her chest would be at with a forehoof. “I know you enjoy looking at them, but my back can only take so much.”
I nodded, fighting my urge to get her with a really, really good insult as she gracefully walked to my side, stopping only when her shoulders were in line with mine. Annoying as she could be, I was glad for a companion, so I finally set off in the direction Luna had been going. Celestia kept pace next to me as I went.
“Why are you still up?” she asked, tilting her head and flopping down an ear like a puppy, “I rose the sun close to an hour ago.”
“Can’t a guy pull an all-day-er?” –That sounded a LOT better in my head.-
“I… suppose?” Her ear popped back up, but now she she was scratching under her chin with some magic hoof and looking at the ceiling, eyes half-lidded in contemplation. “But you’ve never been the type to do that. Unless, of course, we were to talk about the times you stayed up well after sunrise, giving a minute by minute account of what the two of you were up two in Luna’s room. Always remember to soundproof the attached bathroom, by the way.”
“You’ll never let me live that down will you?”
“Well, I believe one day I could,” Celestia replied, finally looking at me with a cheeky grin, “on account that some of the wailing echoes I heard mentioned you going down in the first place.”
My face went blank as a faint shade of red glossed across it. Celestia fought hard and managed to hold off a few bursts of laughter through snorts, but with my face and the combined sound of her own attempts to silence herself it was just too much. Her legs buckled as she fell over, using me as a post while she began to laugh with abandon.
I had half a mind to step to one side and watch her fall flat on her face, but the gentlemen in me wouldn’t allow such an action, despite how much of an ass she was being at the moment. I crossed my arms and waited for her to finally gather her composure once again. It took a good minute, but finally she had to breathe and that fact alone was the only reason she managed to stop.
“You done?” I was trying to see by this point if I could carve away some of the marble in the palace by scowling really hard, but the marble stubbornly resisted my attempts. Stupid architecture.
“Only until the next time.” Celestia flicked her tail over my face and stuck her tongue out at me. “But you still haven’t answered my question - why are you still roaming the castle, and why are you so near the royal announcement balcony? This area is normally empty at this time of day.”
“Well…” I began, “today we’re gonna… wait, royal announcement balcony?”
“That’s what we call the balcony where we make royal announcements.”
“You know, for being talking rainbow horses living in a world full of myth and magic you’d think you guys could come up with a better name.”
“I’d like to see you come up with something better.”
“Why not balustrade of royal declaration?”
“That… is actually better,” Celestia said, squinting her eyes, “where did you-“
“I have a larger vocabulary than you give me credit for.” That, and Twilight sent me a ‘word of the day’ calendar for my birthday a month or so back.
“Whatever,” she replied with her usual eye rolling, “but back to the original question, the one you keep avoiding.”
“I’m not avoiding anything.” I crossed my arms and maintained a neutral expression, much to Celestia’s frustration.
She matched my expression with a frown in silence for a few seconds before her eyes began to glow. Long familiar with the trick, I managed to close my eyes as a blinding light pierced through my eyelids before fading away in less than a few moments. Taking a few more seconds to recover my eyesight, I opened my eyes to see an absolutely gorgeous amazon of a woman standing before me in all her nude glory. The only things keeping her modest –or at least as modest as she could be- were her strategically placed arms.
“Tell me what you’re doing,” she said, slowly removing her arm and gradually exposing her chest more and more, “or I’ll-“
“Alright! Okay!” I yelled, quickly averting my eyes and raising my hands into the air, “Luna’s making the big announcement today, and I’m here for moral support.”
“Now was that so hard?” she said placing her hands on her hips, rendering herself completely exposed.
My eyes were drawn back to her perfect proportions just long enough for me to realize my mouth was starting to water “Christ woman!” I yelled even louder this time as I slammed my hands into my eyes and turned around completely, “I told you what you wanted to know already!”
Celestia looked to me slightly confused before she looked down and realized that her own personal dairy was still exposed. A very nonchalant laugh came from her mouth before the usual snap of her fingers echoed through my ears. Another flash of light burst forth before fading into nothing yet again. I cautiously turned my gaze back to her, knowing full well it may have just been a ruse, but as luck would have it she had donned her usual ‘royal human’ attire. Truthfully, that barely covered anything in the first place.
“I’ve really got to remember to put something on before I uncover myself,” she said in a snarky tone, “especially with the way you react.”
“You’d think if you knew me that well you’d remember,” I grunted, finally confident enough to bring my arms across my chest, “but knowing you, I’ll go out on a limb and say you do remember, you just want to watch me squirm.”
Celestia’s laugh could be heard echoing around the hallway. “I do enjoy watching you fight yourself when you’re around me, but back to seriousness. What ‘big announcement’ are you talking about?”
“Excuse me?”
“What ‘big announcement’?” she repeated, a frown slowly creeping onto her face. “You said earlier that’s what Luna was planning to do, so what is it?”
“She… didn’t tell you?” I asked, halfway dumbfounded. “She didn’t tell you about what she had planned?”
Celestia rolled her shoulders and sighed, adopting the classic facepalm position before continuing.“If I knew I wouldn’t be asking you, now please, could you-“
Her head suddenly shot back up from her slumped position. Her eyes had widened and her body had become as rigid as the pillars that kept the ceiling from falling on us. It had started to dawn on me why she reacted like that, but for some reason the universe wanted me to be extra sure of it, because sometimes I’m just the cosmic punchline. So they made sure that Celestia shoved me towards the nearest wall, pinning me against the cold granite with no real hope of escape. Can you say déjà vu or what?
“She announcing the BABY?!” she yelled, entirely unnecessary given our current distance from each other. “TODAY?!”
“Yes!” I yelled back, with a sinking feeling in my chest as I really started to figure out why she was flipping out. “Didn’t Luna tell you?”
I suddenly slid down the wall onto my ass as Celestia suddenly let go of me and began pacing randomly around the room. “NO! She just went off and decided to do something on a whim again! I wish she could just ask me every once in a while before she-“
“This wasn’t a ‘spur of the moment’ kinda thing Celestia…” I trailed off as I realized this may not have been the best time to bring that up. I had her full attention now, her face and eyes widened as some terror began to set in, so I pressed on. “We talked about this a week and a half ago! I’m the only reason the announcement was delayed for this long.”
She was absolutely livid at this, so I was surprised she wasn’t screaming loud enough for everyone outside to hear her right now.“Why didn’t you tell me?! We may have been able to think of a better way to go about this if you did!”
“Don’t look at me!” I scoffed, pointing towards the royal phone booth or whatever it was called, “Luna’s your sister, I thought if she would tell anyone she’d tell you!”
She seemed slightly taken aback by my statement, but she rallied quickly “T-that’s hardly fair! I barely see her aft-”
“All of the subjects have arisen!” Luna suddenly said with glee bursting through the curtains that lead to the balcony. “We can-“
Her voice died out as she saw the two of us standing together in the hallway. Apparently she hadn’t heard us from the balcony, but it was obvious from our body language we had been fighting. Luna’s eyes continued to dart between us as Celestia and I slowly shuffled back into awkward standing positions, with my hands stuffed into my pockets and Celestia pointedly looking away from Luna with her arms folded across her chest. The pressure in the room was beginning to climb high enough that you could hear all the marble nearby starting to groan under the stress. I don’t think we were sure what would give first - the floor, or one of us.
“Hello, sister.” Luna was the first to break the silence, though she seemed very careful in her wording. Her hands were down by her sides at this point, and it looked like she was fighting to keep them unclenched. “You’ve made yet another lovely day.”
This gave Celestia enough backbone to start looking at Luna again, though her face was too carefully managed to tell what was going on in her mind. “Thank you very much, Luna. I don’t have quite the canvas you do, but I try to keep things fresh as best I can”
“I noticed. A bit more purple to the sunrise today. An unusual touch, but a nice one regardless.” By now, Luna had started closing the distance between us, and she had stopped clenching her hand. I still didn’t feel like things were getting better.
In fact, as Luna stood next to me, across from Celestia, the pressure in the room had suddenly morphed into a chill. Luna had clearly picked a side just now, and Celestia probably wasn’t happy about that. That damn unmoving face of hers was starting to creep me out.
Celestia was first to break the silence this time. “Weren’t you going to tell me before you made the announcement, Luna?”
Luna actually put her hands on her hips at this, almost posing in front of Celestia. “It took me over a week to get this much out of Aedan, and I didn’t want it to take even longer to convince you about this too.” Thanks, babe. At least you kinda admit I wasn’t wild about this.
Celestia stared between us for a little while, before the facade finally cracked. She let loose a huge sigh, slumping forward slightly and tilting her head down to cradle in her hand. “Luna, I would have supported you in doing this.”
With that, the tension in the room finally dissipated. Most of it was immediately replaced by confusion.
“Wait, sister,” Luna began, “ you would have? I mean, you were always stubborn about these sorts of th-”
Celestia interrupted Luna with a quick wave of the hand. “Nonono, I learned my lesson on that long ago Luna. I’m not as proud as I used to be.” At this, Luna actually cracked a small smile.
“So does this mean you’re alright with us making the announcement?”
Celestia paused for a moment, before crossing her arms underneath her chest. “Only on one condition.” Given everything that’s just happened over the past minute, I was alert enough to panic over this and tired enough that I didn’t respond before she opened her mouth again “This ‘us’ you’re speaking about needs to include me.”
“Well then, let us be off!” Luna said, grabbing my shirt before completely spinning around. “The public is about to know the wonderful news!”
All I could do was clumsily follow behind Luna like a child’s safety blanket while Celestia cracked her first smile in the last fifteen minutes. As we made our way to the curtains that barred access to the balcony, Luna reached out with her free hand to fling the curtains to the side, blasting me with sunlight I damn well knew I wasn’t prepared for. Using my hand as a makeshift shield against the sudden and unwanted rays of light, I was temporarily blinded to what was going on around me. For all I knew, Celestia and Luna could have whispered into my ear ‘long live the king’ before throwing me off the ledge and I would’ve been none the wiser.
Fortunately for me, the two seemed to lack homicidal intent at that moment, and as Luna had stopped dragging me behind her the moment I had passed through the curtains. So, instead of finding myself with a sense of weightlessness and betrayal I found shock and awe. I was just outside the building, standing next to Celestia and somewhat hidden from the ponies below, but there was a lot I could still make out. The balcony stood a good three hundred feet above the streets below. The castle towers overshadowed the buildings that sprawled across the cityscape. Despite the overall beauty of a city waking up after what was probably a restful night, the thing that got my attention was the little moving dots in between the structures.
Hundreds, maybe even thousands of ponies were already beginning their morning commute to work, or back home, depending on whether or not their place of business had a night shift. They just plodded along, all blissfully unaware of the shocking news that in just mere minutes was about to be brought to their attention. Doubt began to fill my mind once more at the sight of the general populace on the streets, and it didn’t help that I could notice their numbers rising.
Scenarios began to run through my head on how they would react to the pregnancy. Would they be shocked like I was? Would they run around, panicking that the world is suddenly ending? Would they actually cheer for it? I’m hoping for one of those last two, but the reaction I feared the most would be if they started to riot. I mean, they might call for my head or exile, but then it comes down to how angry Luna gets at that point. It’s a battle between their love for Luna, their disgust at me, the joy behind a baby announcement, and the general pony reaction to panic at the smallest things, and I have no idea which of those is going to win out.
“Something troubling you Aedan?” Celestia whispered calmly, placing a hand on my shoulder, “you seem distraught.”
“The only thing that’s bothering me is what’s on my shoulders,” I admitted, letting out a deep sigh, “and whether or not I get to keep it.”
I felt Celestia’s hand come off my shoulder for a moment before it returned and she gave a short chuckle. “Oh, don’t be like that Aedan. The last time we beheaded anyone was close to four hundred years ago.”
Her attempt at humor went unappreciated as my brow furrowed and lip corners descended downward. I could understand why she made the joke, but now wasn’t the time for jokes. Luna was about to announce to the world that she’s been eating for two for just shy of three months, and there was no way on Earth or Equestria that either her sister or I could stop her. We were in this, for better or worse. Most likely the latter.
I left my more serious mindset as it dawned on me again that we were on the closer side of three hundred feet above the ground. How the hell was Luna going to gain the attention of the bustling masses among the cacophony that was early morning rabble? A quick glance towards Luna gave me my answer, and unfortunately for me my earplugs were still on the side table back in our room. I went to cover my ears, but by the time my hands were above my waist it was already too late.
“CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT!” Luna bellowed at an ear splitting volume, “IT IS I, YOUR PRINCESS! I BESEECH YOU TO CEASE YOUR CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND PAY HEED TO ME, FOR THERE IS AN URGENT MATTER I MUST INFORM YOU OF!”
I swear I could feel blood pouring out of my eardrums while I staggered around in an attempt not to fall. I still remembered the first time she screamed that loudly. The two of us were rather preoccupied and I was in no way ready for it. Needless to say I had Luna make my earplugs after I regained my sense of sound. Not that I needed them for the next three days. Fortunately, before Luna had finished with her announcement, her volume dropped to a normal talking level, though my ears were still ringing quite a bit. Just as soon as I opened my mouth to ask how, Celestia placed her hand on my shoulder to turn me towards her and pointed to her own ears with her other hand. Magical earplugs. Apparently she did take my advice that day. If only she’d reacted sooner so she could have saved me from going deaf at such a young age.
I turned my attention back to the once uncoordinated masses to see that they all had actually stopped in their tracks, waiting for Luna to bring her news to their attention. Personally, I didn’t blame them for stopping so suddenly. I wouldn’t want to be the guy to make a demigoddess mad, especially if she controlled one of the two celestial bodies. Once she was sure she had her audience’s undivided attention she continued, but with the aid of my newly formed magic earplugs, Luna sounded just like she was speaking normally.
“Citizens of Equestria,” she began with a smile on her face, “first, I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy morning so I could address you.”
Celestia and I smirked. The way she said it, it seemed like what was happening was voluntary.
“The reason I have garnered your attention on this fine morn is for a certain occurrence pertaining to my health,” she continued. The crowd gasped, but Luna waved her hand passively in an attempt to calm them. “There is no need to fret my subjects, for I suffer from nothing malicious, my condition is far more benevolent in nature.”
The moment she stopped talking she spun around, grabbed me by the arm and started to pull. I froze, completely shocked at what I thought she was trying to do, but when I saw that smile on her face, I knew that my thoughts and reality were one in the same. I tried to get my arm back at first which gathered quite the reaction from my overly giddy better half.
“Why are you resisting?” Luna asked, tilting her head to the side. “You’re just as much a part of this as I am.” I hoped these ear plugs only tuned out loud things, because she sounded like she was still talking in a normal voice. For all I knew then, she had just belted that out to all of Canterlot.
“I said I was here for support,” I replied. “You never mentioned anything about sticking my head out there.”
“I thought that was implied,” Luna answered. “After all, I did say our announcement.”
“When did you say that?”
“When I said ‘we must inform you of’,” Luna pouted, giving me her nearly irresistible puppy eyes. “Besides, if you truly wish to support me you would stand by my side as I address the subjects.”
“I’m not too sure I should be involved in this,” I said, looking out to the public. Even irresistible puppy eyes weren’t quite enough to get me out for a front row seat to their reactions. “I’ll be back here in case you-“
“Whatever happened to being there for your woman?” Celestia suddenly interrupted, pushing me closer and closer to the public eye with her magic. “Is chivalry dead?”
“Well I-you see, it’s-” I tried to think of a good reason, but between Luna’s eyes and Celestia’s magic there was no place else to go. “Noooooo,” I whined, succumbing to Luna’s tugging.
“Wonderful!” she exclaimed, wrapping me up in her arms. “But now is not the time for delay, the populace awaits!”
“Oh goody,” I mumbled, before turning to Celestia and mouthing a few words of discontent in her direction, to which she responded with a playful wave and a cute smile.
Her gloating didn’t last long however, because just as soon as her hand went back to her side her body started to gravitate towards us. Apparently Luna’s plans to announce the baby also involved Celestia, and just like me she failed to let her in on said detail. I laughed to myself as she put up token resistance in Luna’s magical grasp before giving in and repeating some of the choice words I sent her way earlier back in my direction.
My smile quickly faded the moment I came to the balcony’s edge. I’d already known that there were a lot of ponies out and about that morning, but a lot of my vision was obstructed by the combination of gold, granite and marble that I was now able to look over. The walkways were more and more congested the closer they were to the castle, as everyone was eager to know the fate of their co-ruler. Little did they know the hairless monkey standing next to her was the single reason for their curiosity.
“Loyal subjects!” Luna (probably) yelled again, “once more I thank you for being an audience for this momentous occasion, but first I must bring to your attention the one standing next to me.”
Luna turned her attention from the crowd to me, motioning with her head to move even closer to the railing. Taking a deep breath, I took a step forward. Now directly next to the railing, I could almost make out the faces of the ponies below. Though I couldn’t completely see the faces, I could tell that there were quite a few individuals below who weren’t too pleased with my presence. Some of them looked downright disgusted, and I’m pretty sure a gold maned pony just gave me the pony equivalent of a one-finger salute. Luna didn’t seem to notice though, so she continued with her little speech.
“As you all know, Lord Aedan Ryan, Consort to Royalty, has been among us for nine months, and during that time our bond has become strong.”
I could see the collective wave of disdain wash over the crowd. Even if they didn’t hate me for not being like them, there was still that sense that because I wasn’t a pony or of royal blood I shouldn’t be with Luna. I’ve dealt with it on many occasions, but never on such a large scale. Despite both my uneasiness and the crowd’s reaction, Luna continued on as if there was nothing wrong.
“And in the strength of that bond something wonderful has happened,” she said with elation that I hadn’t seen since the day I finally admitted to loving her, “citizens of Equestria, today is a momentous occasion, for I am here to tell you that I am now with child!”
I braced myself for the crowd’s reaction, expecting a slew of both random stuff they found on the ground and slurs, but after a few tense seconds I realized that there was one last reaction the crowd could have, one that could be considered even worse than rejection - silence. Dead silence, not a boo, not a cheer, just plain, dead silence. To be honest, I would’ve preferred an all-out riot over the quiet, but just as I was about to take Luna back inside it happened.
“HARLOT!” a voice from deep within the crowd roared, “you have sullied the royal bloodline with the likes of a lesser being!”
The smile on Luna’s face disappeared, replaced with a look of confusion and despair. “Wha-what did they call me?” she said as a tear formed in her eye.
Before either myself or Celestia could get her out of there, that riot I had, for some ungodly reason, been asking for broke out. The crowd began an uproar as various curses and profanities were shouted in our direction. I went to grab Luna and pull her back in the castle before anything that could make this whole thing worse happen.
Unfortunately, my reaction was too late. A sudden, sharp pain erupted across my lower lip, followed by the feeling of warm liquid pouring down my chin. I went to wipe away whatever it was when I saw that my hand was covered in red. I quickly placed my hand over the wound, hoping that neither of the other two standing next to me saw that I’d been tagged.
“Those sons of bitches actually threw a rock at me,” I muttered to myself before letting out a chuckle for no damn reason.
I’d hoped I reacted fast enough in covering my newfound gash that neither of the sisters saw that I’d been hurt by someone in the crowd, but when the sun flashed a shade of blue I knew that I had yet again failed to move quickly enough. The once rioting crowd fell silent: in fact, it was so quiet I heard a drop of my blood fall on the floor. I looked over to Celestia to see what she had done, and when I did I was honestly scared.
Her arm was outstretched over the crowd, eyes and hair burning in pure fury. “ENOUGH!” she roared, forcefully bringing her hand back down to her side as the sun turned yellow again, “all of you return to your previous engagements, I will address this outrageous incident with you at later time.”
The crowd instantly dispersed, all of them going to do whatever they were going to do before Luna got their attention. Celestia still stood there, her hair back to normal, but the same fire was still burning in her eyes. Not a word was spoken when she finally walked past Luna and I into the hall, and all we could do was follow her in. Once inside, Celestia turned to face us, her anger now replaced by concern and compassion for Luna, who was still in shock over some of the things said about her. Without warning, she immediately wrapped up her little sister in her embrace, almost like she never wanted to let go.
“I’m so sorry Luna,” she signed, doing her best to console her, “this shouldn’t have happened…”
“I-I… I thought they would be happy…” Luna stuttered, pushing herself away from Celestia, “I thought they would become excited! This would be the first true birth of a royal in almost two millenia! Why wouldn’t this occasion be celebrated?”
“Perhaps if we discussed it prior to the actual announcement,” Celestia said, taking a step towards her sister, “then we may have avoided this entire debacle, and Aedan wouldn’t have been injured.”
“Aedan?” Luna said, looking back to me finally realizing that I’d been hurt. “Aedan, what happened to you?!”
“Nothing I can’t live through, sweetheart,” I said, trying to wave off her concern as she rushed me, “you know I’ve been through worse.”
It took some manipulation, but Luna finally managed to remove my hand from my jaw so she could see the full extent of my injury. She almost took a step back when she saw it at first. I honestly didn’t think it was that bad, maybe something that may need a stitch or two, but considering how I got it and who I was to her, I’m positive I’d act the same way. Of course, I’d first pummel whoever did it to her, but the concept’s the same, really.
“T-they did this to you?” Luna asked placing her fingers over my gash as her eyes began to glow. “They did this to you?”
You’d think I’d have cared more about the scar, but it’s really just a new scar to add to my ever growing collection. That wasn’t the thing that stuck out in my mind - Luna was. She was still clearly upset, even though she knew I was alright. She brought her hand back from my face to her side, clenching it tightly as her entire body became tense.
“I… I LOVE you,” she half growled, “they KNOW I love you, they know you love ME, and yet they still treat you as an animal! Like a lesser form of life…” The glow in her eyes dissipated, but her eyes didn’t look like they usually did. They were normally a soft blue, but they had changed into a hardened teal that took up much of her eyes as her pupils shrank into vertical slits. She looked much closer to a nocturnal predator than a princess. “Those pathetic peons will pay for their-“
“Calm down Luna,” I said, wrapping her up in my embrace. “It’s alright, just think of it as another symbol of how much I’m willing to put up with for you.”
Luna didn’t respond for several seconds as her head stayed buried into my chest, but she finally pushed away far enough to look me in the eyes. Her’s had gone back to normal, though they were still watery. I took in a deep breath, relieved that the usual cure-all for when Luna was distraught in some way, shape, or form had worked. I was about to ask her what her little outburst was about before she buried her head even deeper into my chest.
“How much more will you have to put up with?” she asked, squeezing me tightly, acting as if nothing had happened.
“Until they’ve got nothing left,” I said with a smile as I let her go. “Now, let's head on to bed. I’m sure we could think of something to do that’ll blow off some steam before we go to sleep.”
I found myself giving her a playful pat on the backside before she walked past her sister without so much as a word. Within a few steps she was gone, leaving me alone with Celestia once more, and giving me a chance to ask her something I wouldn’t exactly be sure how to if Luna was around.
“What was that all about?”
“What was what?” Celestia asked, pretending not to know what I was talking about.
“You know damn well Celestia,” I said quietly, folding my arms, “now tell me.”
Celestia hesitated at first, but in the end she decided to give in and elaborate. “I was angry. I was so angry that they treated you in such a way, that they treated Luna in such a way… when I saw that they’d actually hurt you, I got mad, since… well, the last time I failed to stand up for someone I cared about, I almost killed her. As it was, I locked her away in a hellish prison on the moon for a thousand years.”
“Oh, wow,” I said, awkwardly staring at the opposite wall, “um… that was actually my second question. I was talking about Luna…”
“What do you mean?”
“When she was talking to herself,” I explained, “her eyes changed. Different color, vertical slits, kinda reminded me of that dragon working with Twilight. You know… vertical slits instead of circles.”
Celestia froze at the explanation of Luna’s ocular change, sweat forming on her brow before she hastily wiped it away. “Are you sure you saw that?” she asked. “Are you one hundred percent positive that’s what you saw?”
“I’m pretty sure I’m not on anything,” I said rolling my eyes, “besides I’ve never done anything along those lines. Hell, here I don’t even NE-”
“I’m serious Aedan!” Celestia said sternly, pointing at me with authority. “If what you said is true then this is no laughing matter!”
After successfully silencing me Celestia started to pace back and forth, no doubt contemplating her next course of action. Several minutes passed in which I wondered if Luna was going to come back in before she finally stopped and turned her attention back to me. Taking her time to walk to me she placed her hands on my shoulders and held my gaze before speaking.
“I’ll speak to her about her duties this evening,” she said, taking a deep breath, “but in the meantime the two of you need a good rest and more than likely some ‘personal bonding’.”
“Won’t deny the second one,” I said shamelessly, “especially after what’s just happened.”
“Then I won’t hold you here any longer,” Celestia replied, sending me off with a firm smack on my ass in a very similar fashion to what I did to Luna several minutes prior. “Don’t keep her waiting, you know more than most how impatient she can get.”
“Celestia, Luna’s impatience is the least of my problems. Besides,” I shrugged before starting to make my way to appointed destination, “after what happened today, I don’t think there’s anything that we won’t be able to handle.”
There was no use in being quiet anymore. Luna and I’s face were plastered on nearly every respectable newspaper and derogatory tabloid in the country, all of them saying the same thing: ‘Little Moon’. I personally would’ve gone with ‘Where No Man Has Gone Before’, but that may have been a little bit too revealing when it came to our private life. Most of the articles in the mainstream media were pretty tame. Sure, there was the overall disapproval, but I expected that from them given my overall approval rating.
The tabloids, on the other hand, were a completely different animal. A lot of them were just blatant attacks on myself and Luna. Many of them claimed that the child was either a hoax just to bring more publicity to Luna and I, or just some kind of sick prank thought up by Luna that was meant to shock everyone. A smaller group of them really pissed me off, like the one that claimed they had an inside source that told them that the baby wasn’t mine, and it was just some random guard’s that I was taking the heat for, or a certain article bluntly calling Luna a slut that would screw anything that had a pulse, or was at least hard. I’d managed to keep that one away from Luna. We didn’t need any more negative publicity and destroying an entire news company wouldn’t necessarily help. Maybe if she destroyed all of them at once so they couldn’t report on it, but that probably wouldn’t work either.
“Do ponies actually believe this garbage?” I asked myself, taking a look through one of the particularly nasty articles. “First off, this is a boldfaced lie; second, I look a lot better than that in swim trunks; third, who the hell would write such terrible things about their government officials?”
I realized my question was stupid the moment I asked myself, especially being from the good ol’ U. S. of A. - where you can say anything you damn well please about anybody and put it in print without any repercussion. As long as it was politically correct, that was. I balled up said tabloid and tried to make it into the garbage can on the other side of the currently empty dining hall, but since I’m about as white as they come it sailed about five feet to the left.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I miss?” I grumbled, taking a sip out of my coffee mug before rising out of my seat to throw the trash away.
Just before I could step away from the table a faint, sapphire glow enveloped the crumpled up wad of paper and gently placed it into the trash can. I sighed to myself, knowing that there was only one pony I knew that had that particular coloring for their magic.
“Evening Luna,” I sighed, plopping back into my seat and sinking as deeply as I could into it, “I thought you’d still be asleep right now.”
“Well I’m not,” she replied with a bit more sass than I was used to hearing come from her, “I could easily say the same for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I turned to face her so I could follow with some sort of witty jab, but when my eyes fell on her I was at a total loss for words.
She was draped in a dark blue, transparent night gown, but she had the common courtesy of wearing a set of panties that managed to cover her up so I would be far less distracted while we tried to hold a conversation. The way the light shined behind her almost made her look like an angel with her hair flowing in that nonexistent wind that always seemed to follow her sister and herself. She was holding a coffee mug in one hand and a paper of her own in the other, hers was probably more tasteful than what I had been reading, but nevertheless it was a way of starting up a new conversation.
“What’s that you’re reading?” I asked pointing to the paper in her hand, hoping that would be enough for her to not ask me what I’d been reading.
“Just today’s issue of The Equestrian,” she answered, looking to the document in question, “it was left at our doorstep by who I assume to be either one of the guards or my sister.”
“Never really seen you read the paper before Luna, why’d you start now?”
“I’ve been reading the papers ever since the disastrous events that unfolded a few years back when I went to visit for Nightmare Night.” Luna replied, taking a seat opposite of me. “I normally read them whilst you are gallivanting through the castle with those… unique guards of mine.”
“Can’t blame a guy for making a few friends can ya?” I shrugged, grabbing my mug to take a drink.
“I suppose not,” Luna rolled her eyes as she took a deep breath.
After a few moments of content silence between us. Luna folded her arms across her chest she began to stare at me as if she was trying to glare into my soul. Now normally I would just laugh this off internally and make some kind of sarcastically dry comment about how cute she looked when she was trying to intimidate me. This time was different though, mainly for the fact of what had happened a few days prior, when her eyes momentarily changed into something that I knew wasn’t my Luna. Though I was affirmed by Celestia that it meant nothing I didn’t really feel like risking something like that happening again, especially on account that hormones do some crazy shit to the sweetest of girls, more so in the pregnant ones.
“Yes dear?” I asked, finally breaking our silence.
“You never answered my question,” Luna replied, furrowing her brow, “I haven’t seen you in the dreamscape for three days straight, I wish to know what troubles you.”
I tried to remain stoic, but the every fiber of my being was screaming that they wish she hadn’t asked that. If it was her sister I was talking to she would’ve smelled blood in the water like a starving shark and just eat me up. Fortunately for me however, Luna was nowhere near Celestia’s level of being able to read people.
“Got a lot on my mind lately…” I said calmly, placing my coffee back on the table, “can’t really sleep if-“
“Like what?” Luna interrupted.
“Excuse me?”
“What’s been on your mind?” Luna elaborated, leaning towards me with a look of both intrigue and concern, “I know you don’t normally approve, but if you could tell me what it is that’s bothering you I could easily go into your mind and-“
“First off I still like to keep my thoughts mine,” I said wagging my finger at her –there are always some things you’d rather keep private, even from your baby mama- “second, it’s just the stuff you’d expect. You know… baby stuff, boy or girl, names, schools, public image, will they accept them, whether or not the nobles will-”
“Nobles?” Luna interrupted, her interest peaked.
“Well yeah, I’m kind of worried about them for when that little guy or gal pops out of you… Well… let’s just say they won’t roll out the red carpet or anything.”
“Are you saying that they would bring harm to our child?” Luna asked, clenching her fists.
I froze, mentally slapping myself across the face for being so damn stupid. Why the hell would I even remotely consider bringing something like that up? In truth I wasn’t actually going there, I was going to ask if they would call him a prince or a bastard, but in hindsight that probably would’ve gone over just as well as what was currently happening. The debate going on inside my head was quickly silenced when out of the corner of my eye I saw Luna looking to her now open palms.
“If they so much as dream of harming ANYTHING I love…” she growled as her eyes shifted from soft blue to a hard teal yet again, “I will personally grind them into-“
“It’s you Luna!” I blurted, stopping her before she said anything crazier, “I can’t sleep because of you!”
With a few quick blinks her eyes turned back to their original state. The look of shock on her face was much more welcome than the one she had seconds earlier, I could’ve sworn that I saw fangs. Just as soon as I had said what needed saying, the room fell silent again. Luna continued to stare at me, much like a toddler that didn’t know what they had done was wrong. I braced myself for a tongue lashing, and not the kind that I found enjoyable.
“Y-you can’t sleep… because of m-me?” I could see her starting to tear up –sometimes I hate how blunt I can be- “You’re scared of me?”
I had to think really hard about what I chose to say, I didn’t want her anymore upset then I had already made her. “Well…” I began, rubbing the back of my head, “it’s not technically you that’s kept me up for the past three days.”
“Then what has?” She asked, getting out of her seat, “what is it about me that has kept you from being by my side while I sleep?”
“Do you remember three days ago?” I asked, “When we went public?”
“It’s hard to forget such a harsh and violent reaction,” Luna nodded, sinking into her seat a bit, “I can understand why you haven’t slept now. The new surge of anger and disdain would be-“
“Like I said before, it wasn’t their reaction that worried me…” I interrupted before she could go further, “it was yours’.”
Luna nearly fell out of her seat, completely shocked that I would say something like that. An odd mix of grunts, high pitched huffs, and half words came out of Luna’s mouth before she finally was able to form a proper sentence. “M-my reaction? They called me a harlot! And seconds later they accosted you!”
“I can deal with the whole ‘sticks and stones’ bullshit Luna,” I replied reaching out for her hands, “but when the woman I love becomes something I KNOW she’s not, even if it’s only for a second, that’s when I get worried.”
Suddenly the room became quiet. Luna was frozen in place, her hands stiff in mine. “What do you mean, ‘becomes something I know she’s not’?”
“You don’t remember?” I asked only to receive a slightly worried head shake from Luna, “you literally did it again five minutes ago…”
“Did what?” Luna asked, her tone growing ever more worried, “What did I do?”
“It started out simple enough,” I began thinking back to a few days ago. “Celestia pointed out that I’d been hurt, you started using your voodoo on me, but not long after you were done with the spell something… changed.”
“What… changed?”
“For starters it was the way you spoke,” I answered, watching her concern grow into fear, “you started talking like a tyrant, like one who’d kill anyone who’d dare question you.”
Luna’s pupils shrank as a trail of sweat flowed from her brow to her chin. “A-anything else?”
“Your eyes,” I said without skipping a beat, “They weren’t like they are now, they were teal, and your pupils went from normal to cat-like. It was like you’d become an entirely different person.”
Luna shot up from her seat, effectively knocking it on the ground. Her hands went to cover her mouth as I saw the first signs of tears welling up in her eyes. I got out of my own seat, in an attempt to reach out to her, but she backed away. Almost in the exact same fashion as she did when she first found out bacon was meat, nearly tripping over herself and all.
“Nonononono,” she murmured through her covered mouth, letting a tear trickle down her face, “no, not again, oh Harmony, please no…”
“Luna, what’s wrong?” I asked, practically jumping over the table to reach her before she backed herself into the wall. “Why are you so upset?”
“S-stay away!” she begged, still backing away. “Please, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay-“
I wrapped her up in my arms before she could finish. She struggled briefly in my arms to break free, but ultimately she succumbed to me and wrapped her own arms around my waist. Still fighting, and failing to fight back the torrent that had filled her eyes.
“I’m not letting go of you,” I whispered, looking her square in the eyes, “not until you tell me what it is that’s gotten you so worked up.”
Luna stared to me in silence for a few seconds, sniffing away the tears that were still trying to fall before she buried her head into my chest and clung to me like a child’s security blanket. “Do you remember when we first met? When you showed me that I was a part of a little girls TV show?”
“Kinda hard to forget that day,” I nodded, thinking back to maybe the third or fourth day I’d known her, “what about it?”
“Do you remember what the story was about?”
“Yeah, you were tired of being shunned and feared by the ponies. So you turned into Night-“ I could feel the blood in my veins freezing. How could I have been so dense not to remember that the instant I saw those eyes? I looked back down to Luna once again; the fear in her eyes reflected my own for a brief moment before I pulled her in tightly once more, gliding my hand up and down her back in an attempt to calm her down.
“It’s alright, babe,” I said softly resting my chin on the top of her head, “everything’s going to be okay.”
“I-I don’t ever want to hurt anyone ever again…” Luna whimpered, nuzzling me like an abandoned puppy, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You’re not going to do either,” I said lifting her chin up so she would look at me, “you want to know why?”
Luna looked up to me with her infamous puppy eyes, but they were desperately holding back a torrent of water rather than convince me to do something I’d normally disagree to. A few moments of silence passed between us as I waited for her to come up with the response herself, but she was just so distraught that all she could do was fight a losing battle against her tears. She finally opened her mouth in an attempt to summon a reply, but I leaned to kiss her before any words were spoken.
The instant our lips touched she released her grip around my waist and slid her hands through my arms and to the back of my neck in an attempt to pull me even closer. I simply kept my hand under her chin, where I soon felt that she was no longer able to hold back the emotions she’d been fighting. We stayed there locked onto one another for close to a minute before we finally parted ways. I sighed with a grin on my face. It had been forever since we kissed like that, since I made sure she knew I was there for her with a simple kiss, it felt great.
A sudden pressure on my chest brought me back to reality. Luna had once again started to bury herself as deeply as possible as she could into me, but this time it felt different. Instead of it feeling like her doing it out of pure need for comfort, she seemed far more at ease and she was simply doing it just because she wanted to. My smile only widened as I wrapped my arms around her once more, resting my chin on the top of her head.
“You’re not her…” I whispered just loud enough so Luna could hear me.
“What?” Luna asked, looking up to me.
“The reason I know you won’t hurt anyone,” I said looking down to her with a smile, “you’re not her.”
“I’m not quite sure I understand,” Luna said lowering her head, “Nightm-She and I are and always have been one in the same.”
“Bullshit,” I stated bluntly, “she’s nothing like you.”
“I wish I could agree with you Aedan…” Luna said looking off into the distance, “but she’s-“
“She’s not the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met,” I interrupted, grabbing her chin so she would look at me, “she’s not the sweetest, kindest and loving person I have ever come to know. She’s not the one that only took three weeks for me to fall so stupidly in love with that I put up with everything from embarrassment to near death experiences just so she could get back home. Finally, she’s NOT the mother of my child… YOU are.” Before she could reply I pressed my lips to hers again, nearly turning her into warm butter in my arms. “Now don’t forget that.”
Luna looked to me in euphoric silence for a few moments before resting her head on my chest yet again, breathing deeply as she did so. “Why are you so good at that?” she whispered, “how come you always know what to say?”
“Call me lucky I guess,” I shrugged; “now we’ve-“
My train of thought was derailed by what felt like a pair of sledgehammers slamming into my temples. Within seconds I was on my knees with my hands pressed hard against my head. I growled in a combination of pain and frustration, it’d been nearly a week since I’d had one of these damn headaches and I really didn’t appreciate one coming on while I was having a rather tender moment with Luna. I didn’t get to have a look at Luna on account that I was so concentrated on the fact that it felt that my brain was growing three sizes without the permission of my skull, but I was sure she was worried given my lover’s premonition.
I fought to raise my arm in her direction, asking silently for some help back to my feet. She did one better though, placing her hand on my head I felt the pain subside within moments. I opened my eyes to see her hand just inches from my face and when I looked up I saw a loving yet concerned smile on her face. Taking her hand I rose back to my feet with a smile of my own and a few questions for my savior.
“I taught myself a few healing spells after that one evening a few months ago,” Luna explained before I could ask, “I thought it would come in handy at some point in time.”
“No kidding,” I groaned, rubbing my temples extensively. “Now I know I don’t have to ask your sister for help with those anymore.”
Luna opened her mouth to reply, but stalled for a moment. The concern in her voice was mostly gone when she did speak again. “Why did you go to my sister for help?”
“Well, Celestia’s always there when I need her,” I answered, shrugging my shoulders, looking at her with a hint of confusion. “You’re never really around when I have them, so I just go to the one readily available.”
Apparently my response wasn’t the right one, because Luna was starting to frown now. “Aedan, you should have told me about it anyway. If this is something you’ve been dealing with regularly, I should be a part of making it better. I care about you more than anything else, after all.”
“You never seem to be around to show it,” I shot back. “I barely see you at night because of all the work you do, and anytime you’re not working it’s like you’ve vanished somewhere, if you’re not asleep.”
Luna was getting increasingly defensive, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Well, I’m sorry if it takes time to do my job properly! That’s why I need you to talk to me, so I can know when I need to take a break from my work.”
Hard to do when I rarely see you! Was what I wanted to say, but I was trying to minimize the damage as much as possible here, so I opted for a much safer route. “Alright, fine, I get it. ‘Communication skills’ and all that.” I folded my arms across my chest, ready to deliver my own ultimatum. “But if I’m going to bring up small stuff like this when I know it’ll worry you more than it should, you’ll have to do something to make yourself less busy. I’m not going to add my problems to yours with everything you have going on.”
“And what would you propose?” Luna asked, relaxing her posture. Looks like we avoided nuclear war.
After thinking over it a bit, I said, “Why not ask Celestia on how she gets so much free time? I mean-” I finally saw that Luna had tensed up at my suggestion, even more than she was before I gave her that point. “What’s up with you?”
“We shouldn’t be bringing anyone else into this,” she answered. “This is a private matter, and it is one we should deal with ourselves.”
“Well if these past few minutes are any indication of how that’d go...” I retorted, letting the silence hang for a bit while pointing back and forth between us. “I think we’d end up putting the Cold War to shame. I think she’d be able to at least be able to help us out in some way. I mean, after all, she’s been doing this kind of thing for centuries.”
“That is what makes it so difficult for me to rule at nights now! The bureaucracy was fit for a single ruler not that long ago, and it has been slow to adjust. She can’t offer any relevant advice I don’t already know.” Yeah, I definitely stepped on another landmine. She’s getting way more pissed just talking about it.
“Look, you and I both know this is going nowhere,” I said pinching the bridge of my nose. “Celestia actually might be able to help with something, alright? Just do it for me. Please?”
After several moments of staring very pointedly at a wall somewhere behind me, she turned around in a huff. “Fine. I’ll speak with Celestia in the morning about how she governs so it may free up more time in my schedule.”
Luna is terrible at poker. She’s never that formal in talking with me, and anyone with a working eye could see she was angry over something to do with this. With the way she was stomping away, they wouldn’t even need that. I wanted to bring it up, but I figured it was something stupid like pride that I couldn’t change, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of the night arguing here. Mirroring her mood, I followed her back to our room.
There was absolute silence between the two of us on the way back to our room. We were still obviously tense from our argument, and it just seemed to radiate off the two of us. Hell, even some of the hardened guards backed off as we walked past them.
It probably only took us ten minutes for us to get back to the room, but it sure as hell felt longer than that given earlier events. At least Luna had the courtesy of letting me in the room without slamming the door in my face, so I had that going for me. I retired to my corner of the room while Luna headed into the bathroom to get ready for her oh-so-important royal duties.
I sat there in my chair, brooding as I thought about what had transpired earlier. I could hardly believe it went downhill so quickly. All I’d said was that Celestia had been taking care of me whenever I had one of those damn headaches and now we’re both pissed off over something we didn’t even finish! She was busy saying how I needed to be more open with her and everything, while she’s clearly holding out on me on why she’s upset about my solution. It’s clear th-
My thoughts on the matter were halted when I heard the bathroom door open. Wanting a distraction and curious as to why she hadn’t taken long to get ready, I looked over to the door. What I saw made my heart skip a beat.
Luna wasn’t completely dressed yet; the only things she was wearing were her matching set of black lace panties, thigh high stockings, elbow gloves, and high heels, with her negligee draped over her shoulder for good measure. She was obviously ignoring me, because if she hadn’t she would have seen me putting my lower jaw back in place as she walked to the mirror. She stopped right in front of the mirror on her side of the bed, inspecting her figure like I assumed every women did when they were pregnant.
Her body was still in amazing shape, from her deep blue hair that sparkled with tiny stars, all the way to her legs that seemed to go forever. The only thing that seemed out of place was the small bump on the lower half of her gorgeously tan stomach, but that was a given with her in the early stages of her pregnancy. She rubbed the bump for a few moments, sighing, with a slight amount of disappointment evident in her actions.
Without thinking, I made my way to her, letting the force guide me to my destination despite what emotions clouded my thoughts. I was soon standing behind her, looming like a lion ready to strike. She didn’t even know I was there until I put my hands on her hips, which resulted in one of her famously adorable squeaks.
“D-don’t even think about it!” she hissed in an attempt to still seem menacing. “I still have to do my nightly-“
I interrupted her with a kiss that made her body go completely stiff for a good minute. “The night can wait,” I growled, pulling her body into mine.
“H-how dare you kiss me!” she yelled after coming to, adding a quick slap across my face for good measure. “How... dare you.”
Luna suddenly pulled me down to her level to return my kiss, adding some extra tongue behind hers. The instant our lips parted a second time I could see that her eyes were burning with anger and a little something extra, just like mine. Before either of us knew it we were on the bed and all over each other, throwing inhibition to the wind.
She had just gotten my shirt off when three very loud knocks erupted from our door, effectively halting my hands’ advance towards the lower regions of her stomach. We waited awkwardly for a few seconds until we thought whoever was at our door had gotten a clue before we were at it again, but as soon as we started the knocking returned.
“We’re BUSY!” I yelled, with a hint of desperation. I’d hoped that whoever was at the door would get the hint and leave us be, but as usual the cosmos had far different plans.
“Auntie Luna?” a feminine voice from beyond the door called, turning my lover’s eyes into slits, “Auntie Luna it’s-“
Suddenly, and much to my disapproval, I was thrown off the bed by a small burst of magic as Luna bolted to her wardrobe, trying to find something to put on. I staggered to my feet, still a bit shocked that she would do something like that. I mean, I knew she was still mad at me, but that’s what we were in bed for in the first place.
“Luna, I’m sure that whoever it is outside can wait until morning. Or at least a few minutes, given how fast you c-“
The shirt that once covered my body was suddenly thrown in my face, effectively silencing me for a few seconds. Letting out a low growl of disapproval I removed said shirt from my face, hopefully allowing Luna to see how bemused I was by her action. Unfortunately for me though, she was far too concerned with making herself decent to so much as look at me.
Instead, she was fidgeting to slip on the dress I assumed she had been planning on wearing this evening. It used to fit her nicely, but in her haste she’d forgotten that her figure had been changing ever so slightly over the past three months, and now it was evident that she could no longer squeeze into one of her favorite outfits. I smiled to myself a bit as I watched her struggle with the more physical element of pregnancy, well, that and she just looked so damn cute trying to force herself into the thing.
“AEDAN!” she cried frantically, derailing my current thought, “answer the door!”
“Why do I have to answer it?” I asked shrugging my shoulders, “She’s your niece after all.”
“Technically she’s your niece now too,” Luna snapped back quicker than a whip, “and you at least have pants on, just throw on your shirt and-“
“What about what we were doing?” I halfway whined, “We were so close to-“
“Not in the mood Aedan,” Luna interrupted, letting out a loud huff as she threw her dress to the ground, “now answer the door… and put your shirt on!”
“Okay fine…” I grunted, throwing my shirt over my head, “We’ll have to continue this afterwards.”
“I don’t think so,” Luna replied, looking further into her wardrobe, “I have a job to do and I’m still…”
Luna trailed off onto another tangent as I shimmied my shirt around my neck and pulled it across my chest. I didn’t see the big deal as to why I needed to wear a shirt. After all, her sister has seen me completely naked. –Though I’m not exactly sure if she was privy to that fact, especially on account that Celestia had one of those very approving smiles plastered onto her face- Within a few botched and stumbled steps I was at the door, already upset that I’d been cock-blocked by whoever it was at her door, now I had to be polite to her and greet her with a smile.
Sure I knew that Luna’s had a niece since a few weeks after I’d gotten here, and I knew that she was ruling some kingdom way up north where all the living things were made out of crystal. However because of a mixture of our rather unique schedule differences I never really met her, but from what I understood she was a pretty pink pony princess who somehow got adopted into the royal family and was thereafter dubbed the princess of love. I laughed to myself a bit as I put my hand on the door, if she was this world’s Cupid maybe she could do a thing or two that would leave both Luna and I a bit happier after the previous events of this evening.
“Welcome to our humble abode,” I grumbled, swinging the door open, “you must be…” I was suddenly thrown into a dimwitted trance upon seeing what stood before me. I expected a pony; instead I got a beautiful young woman looking to me with a warm smile. It almost looked to be about Luna’s age, but most resemblances stopped right there. The biggest difference being her warm and welcoming amethyst eyes seemed to ease the tension inside me as well as perfectly compliment her tricolored hair scheme and the pink V-neck shirt and hip hugging capris that gave an all too generous peak at what her parents had given her. “H-hot…”
“Uncle AEDAN!” The woman exclaimed practically jumping to embrace me, “it’s wonderful to finally meet you!”
“Uh, yeah,” I managed to force out, patting her back, “nice to finally meet you too.”
“I can’t believe this took so long for the two of us to become properly introduced, nine months is far too much time without a word,” Cadence beamed letting me go and placing her hands behind her back, “Is my auntie around~?”
“Uh, yes of course she is, why wouldn’t she be?” I responded, growing a sly grin at an opportunity for a little vengeance, “she’s just inside,” I stood to the outstretching my arm like a hotel bell hop. “Just go right on in.”
With a happy nod of her head into our room, patiently awaiting the shrill cry that would come with Luna’s realization that I’d let someone inside. A few seconds later I heard the unmistakable sound of hoof steps behind me. Given the hour, I knew that my options had been whittled down to only about a dozen options, so I took a chance and choose the most likely individual among that group.
“Evening Night Wing.”
“How’d you know it was me?” he asked stopping at my side, “do you have special powers now to?”
“Only if you think I do,” I shrugged, still waiting for the reaction, “how’s-“
“AEDAN!” a voice suddenly shrieked from within our room suddenly echoed out into the hallways. “I thought I told you not to let anyone inside until I was dressed!”
“Sorry dear, must’ve slipped my mind,” I shrugged back, smiling smugly as I folded my arms across my chest and looked back into the room.
“What’d she do to you this time?” Night Wing pried, unable to hold back a chuckle.
“Well, it wasn’t necessarily all her fault,” I sighed looking down to him, “we got into it about an hour ago.”
“You two are fighting?” Night Wing gasped, shaking his head in disbelief, “never thought I’d hear those words coming out of your mouth.”
“We’re a couple, it’s to be expected that not everything’ll go peachy.”
“But then there’s the part where you kiss and make up, but in your case it’s a lot more than kissing,” Night Wing grinned, nudging my leg.
“We were in the middle of that,” I grunted, making the frown on my face fall even lower, “but someone wasn’t doing their job.”
“Hey, I have to follow the orders of the Princesses, not the Princess’s beef cake,” he laughed, almost in a mocking tone, “and as if I were going to tell a fine mare like that no.”
“Ever the professional I see.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a deep sigh. This world may have been vastly different from the one I was from, but some of the ponies here would’ve been right at home. Night Wing reminded me of over half of the guys I knew back when I served, steady and attentive, but the moment a girl like Cadence walked by they’d be drooling. It actually got me thinking about what they would do when neither Luna nor myself were around them.
“Oh you can’t tell me you don’t think she’s hot,” Night Wing uttered, expressing his disbelief with his eyes.
“I’d be wrong to think your niece is hot Nighty,” I scoffed, inwardly telling myself not to have naughty thoughts, “besides she’s married to a stallion who, from what I’ve been told, adores her.”
“Well from what I head they have an open marriage…” Night Wing grinned, leaning into the opened door, “and she’s your adopted niece, hell I know for a fact you’re smooth enough, I think you could convince her into helping the two of you-“
“I don’t need those thoughts in my head right now!” I roared, putting my fingers in my ears, “not right now!”
Night Wing nearly keeled over in laughter. I couldn’t blame him for that, given that I was acting the exact same way I did when my dad decided that I was ready for the infamous ‘birds and bees’ talk. I was only ten at the time, so I think my reaction was acceptable, I’m twenty five now. A quick, sharp jab effectively silenced my tormenter, forcing him to reach for his shoulder in pain.
“Celestia have mercy!” he said rubbing his foreleg, “you hit harder than Tartarus.”
“Well, apparently in this world I can hit hard enough to snap an apple tree in half,” I retorted, regaining my usual composure, “I checked.”
“Then I consider myself fortunate that you didn’t use the full extent of your power on me.”
“Consider yourself warned,” I smiled smugly, knowing that he’d never make a comment like that again, less he was willing to risk being thrown out the nearest window.
Moments later two figures emerged from the relative darkness of our bedroom. I didn’t really need to look because I already knew who they were, but out of a strange mix of habit and desire I turned around to see two lovely ladies step into the light. It was the first time I’d seen them standing next to one another, so I decided to note the differences myself.
The first one was quite obvious, Cadence had a much lighter skin tone than Luna, she wasn’t as pale as Celestia but she sure as hell didn’t look like she got out in the sun that much. The second thing was the hair; it certainly wasn’t as long as Luna’s, stopping close to the center of her back as to stopping right above a perfectly shaped ass like Luna’s did. Their faces were also different, but on account they weren’t technically related I could understand way, Cadence looked younger and had more slender features compared to Luna, but as I had said before, she was still a very attractive young woman.
Continuing the comparison, my eyes decided to travel downward to see the other physical differences and there was one that jumped out right away. Cadence was a good cup size larger than Luna, I’d only just now realized that, but in my gawking at the two it seemed that one of them had come to the realizations I had as well, and she sure as hell wanted to point it out.
“Well, well, well,” Cadence smiled, folding her arms under her chest, unintentionally pushing her bust out further, “looks like I’m finally taller than you Auntie.”
"What? No you’re not!” Luna said turning to face her niece, placing her hand on the top of her head, “I’ve always been-“
Her little speech abruptly fell short when her hand touched the top of Cadence’s forehead, prompting the small grin on her niece’s face to grow larger. Huffing in frustration, Luna once again placed her hand on the top of her head, more than likely believing she had miscalculated. Time and time again she tried, but each time Luna’s hand found the top of Cadence’s forehead, not once yielding the inch or two Luna so desired. After the fifth or sixth attempt and a mixture of frustrated huffs and whines, Cadence finally broke out into an adorable giggle, causing Luna to adorn the cutest pouty face known to man. I swore if the two kept their interaction a second longer I would have gotten diabetes.
Fortunately for me it just so happened that the cosmos decided to give me a break at that moment, because Cadence suddenly wrapped Luna up in her arms, forcing out one of Luna’s famous squeaks. It didn’t take too long for Luna to return the embrace, almost as if any malice she had previously had towards her niece was washed away by simple contact.
“I’m so happy for you Auntie!” Cadence beamed, squeezing her even tighter, “I can still hardly believe the two of you are expecting.”
“T-thank you Cadence,” Luna stuttered, fighting for air in her niece’s vice-like grip, “we are just as… excited as you are.”
“Well one of us is excited enough for the both of us,” I muttered under my breath, Night Wing being the only one who heard me.
“How did the rest of the country take it?” she asked, letting Luna go, “I still remember how some of the nobles reacted when it was announced that I was marrying a highborn instead of an actual royal.”
“They weren’t the most… welcoming of ponies, I’ll just keep it at that,” Luna grimaced, not even bothering to hide the anger in her voice.
“Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that,” Cadence replied, her voice taking a turn towards somber, “but at least the ones that matter to you support and love you regardless.”
“And that’s all she’ll ever need,” I interjected, finally throwing my two cents into the conversation, “I’m sure you’re tired Cadence, maybe you should get some rest.”
“Are you kidding?” Cadence smiled, cocking her eyebrow in my direction, “I just spent two days on a train just so I could congratulate my aunt personally, not to mention the fact that I’ve been craving some Canterlot cuisine lately, I’m not going to bed anytime soon.”
“If that’s the case then I mustn’t allow you to starve or wander about the palace without me,” Luna said with a smile as she placed her hand on Cadence’s shoulder, “You can wait for me in the dining hall, and I shall be there momentarily.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Cadence smiled, walking up to me for another hug, “Again it’s great to finally meet you.”
“Yeah, you too,” I grumbled trying not to watch her walk down the hallway.
In just a few quick steps Cadence was out of sight, along with Night Wing, who decided that our recent guest needed an escort. That left Luna and I alone once again, to do whatever we so desired. I looked over to Luna, who’s smiled had surrendered to a rather frustrated look, probably because she was, to the best of her knowledge, the shortest of the princesses. I smiled to myself before letting out a chuckle and walking to her side. It always cheered me up when I saw Luna pouty, she was just too damn cute to deny. However just as I stopped at her side the darker, more smartass-y side of me decided that this was the perfect moment to strike, despite what had transpired between us earlier that evening.
“Don’t worry sweetheart,” I said resting my hand on her lower back, “You’ll get bigger.”
“Really?” Luna asked with a twinkle of hope in her eyes, “I thought you said that your species stopped growing around the age of-“
“No babe, your boobs’ll get bigger as the baby grows, it’s science,” I chuckled knowing full well what she was actually talking about.
Luna was at a total loss for words, the small amount of hope replaced by overwhelming shock in her face. “Why I’d never!” she huffed, taking a quick glance to her chest before looking down the hall Cadence had gone down and sending her fist into my shoulder. “The nerve!” she blustered once more, her face turning red as her arms crossed over her breasts.
“Hey by the time the kid comes you’ll be just as large as your niece,” I smiled, rubbing the impact area, “at least when it comes to your knockers.”
Luna’s brow furrowed as yet another disgruntled huff erupted from deep within her throat before sending another fist in my direction. This time however I was ready for it, throwing my hand up I caught her attack with little effort. She was shocked, but only for a moment, ripping her hand away from mine before I could squeeze and pull her in.
“And to think I almost let you have me,” she mumbled, starting to walk towards the dining hall, “I don’t believe I will give you that second chance after all.”
I suddenly found myself questioning whether or not what I had said for the sake of a clever quip was worth it, and after several tense moments of heated debate inside my head I came to a cold, hard conclusion. It wasn’t. Within seconds I was sprinting to catch up with Luna, hoping that I could somehow salvage the situation and bring it back to more provocative terms. I may have many, many good qualities and traits, but at my core I’m still just a man, a man with basic needs.
I tried, but I wasn’t able to get to her before she snapped her fingers and vanished in a flash of light. My hand slowly found its usual home pressed against my face as usual, there were some days that I wish Celestia never went over how to use magic as a human with her. But then I realized that if she hadn’t then her oh so important duties as a princess would be rendered inert. Once again there was a sudden change in mood as I started to think with my larger head once again. A deep growl echoed through the halls as I shoved my hands deep into my pockets. “Good going brain, why wouldn’t you bring that up?”” I grumbled, kicking at nonexistent dirt as I made my way to the dining hall.
Granted if I knew anything about Luna she would’ve already forgiven me for saying that stupid shit, but I just had to rub it in with letting Cadence in before she was done getting ready and throwing some breast envy as the proverbial cherry on top. I continued onward until I finally found myself standing in front of the dining room hall, where none other than Night Wing was standing guard. However instead of his usual upbeat, talkative self he was silent and slumped over, mumbling under his breath so I couldn’t hear what he had to say.
“What you doing out here Night Wing?” I asked looking up to the door, “Weren’t you all gung-ho about ‘protecting’ Cadence fifteen minutes ago?”
“Well I was,” he mumbled lowering his head, “but then it happened.”
“It?” I asked, cocking my eyebrow for once.
“It…” He repeated, letting out a disappointed sigh.
“Gonna need to elaborate on the ‘it’ a bit more Night Wing,” I groaned, folding my arms across my chest, “I ain’t exactly Sherlock Holmes you know.”
Night Wing’s head tilted ever so slightly to the side as anyone who had no idea what I was talking about would do. “What’s the ‘it’ Nighty?” I grumbled, my hand traveling to my face by sheer instinct alone.
“Girl talk…” he grimaced, both at the fact of what he’d just said and that I’d called him ‘Nighty’, “They started having girl talk.”
“You abandon ship when two women start talking to one another?” I asked, my eyebrow nearly reaching my hairline, “You’ll never get anywhere if you let that stop-“
“It wasn’t just normal girl talk Aedan,” he shuttered, looking to the door behind him, “they were talking about… well, you know.”
“Oh, well that does complicate things,” I said biting my lip, “I remember when I first overheard one of those conversations.”
“Why do you think I’m out here?” Night Wing replied, pointing to himself, “I swear I’m not going to sleep well for days.”
“Well I’ve been awake for over three days and I’m not letting girl talk stop me,” I said proudly placing my hand on the door, “wish me luck.”
“Aedan, DON’T-“
Night Wing’s plea was hushed by the sound of the door closing behind me. I braced for what possibly could have made my stomach turn upside down. However, instead of hearing the gut wrenching details of what women have to deal with I was met with complete silence, that and a single individual sitting at the far side of the dining hall’s table.
I didn’t need much time to identify that the individual was Cadence, sitting in front of what I believed to be an empty plate. Sighing in relief, I confidently made my way to her, glad that I didn’t have to endure what Night Wing had to go through. When I got there I pulled up a chair at her right side, since the one opposite of her looked like someone had been sitting in it previously, and I didn’t need to be a detective to deduce who it was.
“How’s the food?” I asked looking over a surprisingly clean plate. –I swear each of these princesses has some imperfection they hide miraculously well from the royalty-
“Just as I remembered,” she replied with a smile, “I can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten so well.”
“Well I could hardly imagine you could eat so well,” I laughed, pointing to the plate in question, “be it your figure and all.”
“Aw, you’re such a gentleman,” Cadence responded with a sweet smile, “it’s no wonder I can feel the love she has for you.”
“Well right now we’ve… wait, did you say ‘feel’?”
“That I did,” she nodded, with a shrug of her shoulders, “I’m the Princess of Love after all.”
“Easy to forget that fact if I haven’t met you,” I smirked, leaning back in my chair.
“Very true,” Cadence nodded, turning to face me better, “but now that we’ve actually got the time, I would like to get to know you better.” Suddenly and much to my surprise, Cadence turned my chair so I was face to face with her. Smiling warmly and leaning in even closer, resting her elbows on the armrests she placed her head in her hands. “So, tell me about yourself.”
“Well I’m sure there isn’t much to tell,” I shrugged desperately not trying to take a quick peek down her V-Neck shirt, “I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard it all from Luna.”
“Ha, not exactly,” she giggled, waving a hand passively as she finally sat upright in her chair, making one major distraction go away, “She told me a little bit about her time in your home world, and some of the things you had done, but I’d really like to know you, we are family now, after all.”
“I suppose so,” I grumbled, leaning back in my own seat, “well I was born in Kansas City Missouri, signed up for the Marines out of high school, did a few deployments to place called Afghanistan…” I trailed off as my hand descended towards my left leg and with a few quick taps on what was pretending to be my calf I sighed. “Then I got this little souvenir, not long after they sent me back home, there I moved to St. Louis, that’s where I met-“
“Luna,” Cadence finished, “that’s where you met Luna.”
“Uh, yeah, that’s where we first met,” I added, I was secretly wondering what the point of this exercise was, but Cadence just continued to look at me, her smile seemingly brightening everything around her.
“I take it wasn’t love at first sight?” she asked with a cheeky grin.
“Well on account that when we first met she nearly impaled me… no,” I grinned back, forcing another giggle out of her. I couldn’t help but laugh myself, I hadn’t thought back about those first few days in awhile, if only I knew how it would’ve turned out back then.
“When did it hit you?” she asked, suddenly changing the tone of our conversation to a more serious one, “when did you finally realize you loved her?”
“Well, uh…” I was at a total loss for words, trying to think back I was just constantly reminded of all the little quirks and traits that made me love her, but first realizing it? That was going to be very hard for me to distinguish. I sat there for a good few minutes while Cadence waited patiently for me to answer. Finally, after much internal deliberation I came to one solid conclusion. “Probably the day I was arrested for her.”
“Oh, really?” Cadence smiled, her one of her eyebrows rising slightly above the other, “do explain.”
“I’d gotten Luna a job at the diner I worked at, it wasn’t much, but if she was going to be there for a bit it would’ve helped pay for her living with me,” I began thinking back to that day, “but there were some guys with a bad reputation, punks really, always harassing the workers, stuff like that. One of the senior waitresses made Luna serve them. They made some bogus orders of explicit sexual nature. Luna didn’t know what they were talking about so I went over to stop them.” I paused to watch my tone. It had been so long since I’d recollected the incident that I’d forgotten how mad it made me. Cadence seemed to be understanding of it, because she just sat quietly and waited for me to continue the story.
“I wasn’t able to get them to leave in time, and Luna when Luna showed up, they touched her,” pausing again I felt my fist clinch, I rarely let my anger get the better of me and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let it happen in front of my adopted niece, “the yelp she let out when they touched her, that cry, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I beat the hell out of them.”
“Sounds like you were defending her to me,” Cadence said, crossing one leg over the other, “Why would you-“
“It looked like I’d just beat the hell out of four grown men and a minor,” I interrupted, “the cops didn’t want to take any chances.”
“I see,” Cadence nodded, “so what happened next?”
“What you’d expect,” I replied, “they brought me to the station, asked me a few questions, but when they said Luna would be implicated… I couldn’t let that happen, I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her ever again. So I told the cops that I beat the living hell out of all of them, alone, and that Luna had nothing to do with it.”
“You were willing to do that for a girl you’d pretty much just met?”
“People do weird things when they care about someone deeply enough,” I shrugged with a smile.
“That’s true,” she nodded, “I could only imagine what Shining would do in that situation.”
Cadence leaned forward yet again, making me focus on her face even more. I don’t think I’d ever told anyone that little story in that much detail, not even Luna, and I didn’t want this moment ruined by my more primitive instincts. Putting her hands in front of her face Cadence continued on with her questioning.
“What made you certain?” she asked, pointing both index fingers at me in unison, “what was it that solidified your feelings for her?”
“Well a few days later she kissed me,” I chuckled, twiddling my thumbs, “but I guess when it really hit me was when I went out on a date that she’d set me up on.”
“Well, I’ve never heard of that one before.”
“Neither have I, well at least not in real life,” I laughed, remembering all those stupid romantic comedies, “the girl literally threw herself on me, but all I could think about was Luna, hell I couldn’t even think about getting the job done, the thought of Luna was just so strong.”
“I found out she was kidnapped,” I said calmly, making Cadence jump in her chair.
“How-“
“Long story,” I said before she could make me travel down yet another rabbit hole, “all you really need to know is that I nearly died to save her.”
At that moment I lifted up my shirt, showing off my hardened stomach and causing Cadence to turn red from embarrassment. I laughed to myself a bit, it seemed that staying in shape always had its benefits, but I didn’t want her to know that she could wash her laundry on my abs, I wanted to show her the physical evidence of the lengths I would go for Luna.
“Here,” I said pointing to a small circular scar on the upper right side of my stomach, “this is where the bullet exited my body; it was a miracle that no vital organs were hit as it went through.”
“How did you manage to get that?” Cadence said still trying not to focus on my muscle.
“Protecting Luna from what would have been a fatal gunshot wound for her,” I answered tucking my shirt back on so she would stop blushing, “I know it might sound corny, but it was that exact moment that I knew that I loved her, that I would go to the ends of the earth for her, that I would die for her.”
“That truly is devotion,” Cadence said looking behind me, “Wouldn’t you say so Auntie?”
I froze, either she was just as bad as Celestia when it came to pranks or Luna had just overheard some of the deepest emotional secrets that I’ve kept to myself. I turned slowly and sure enough, Luna was standing there, a sliver tray with the finest china in toe. Her eyes were misty, hands slightly trembling, and a small, genuine, loving smile was on her face.
I didn’t waste much time staring, instead I stood up and at that exact moment she place the tray on the table, making the embrace that followed possible. Her hands soon found my jawline and pulled me in for what I thought was one of the best kisses that Luna had ever given, and with all the times we’d kissed that’s saying something. A long minute passed before the two of us parted, but the look on her face remained the same as it did when she was holding the tray.
“Why didn’t you ever profess that to me?” She asked pulling me in again, resting my forehead on hers.
“Guess I thought I didn’t have to say it,” I shrugged, placing my hands on her hips, “you know how I can be.”
We were locked onto one another’s gaze for I don’t know how long until I noticed a figure moving behind Luna. I looked past her for a few brief moments to see Cadence standing there, smiling as warmly as ever, but with an ounce of smugness that hinted at her being raised by Celestia. A small, knowing grin came to my face; she had somehow orchestrated this entire event just so the two of us could remember what we really felt for one another. With a quick nod of my head I sent my appreciation her way, to which she responded with a small wink before snapping her fingers and closing the door behind her, effectively leaving the two of us alone.
At first I found it odd when the closing door didn’t echo, but when Luna gained my full attention once more with one of those kisses. I knew exactly where this was going. I gave a firm squeeze to her derriere, prompting an adorable squeak the slowly turned into a hungry growl. Within seconds my shirt was gone, back on the table and Luna was lying on top of me, holding me close around my waist.
“I’m going to make sure that you’ll finally be able to get some rest love,” she cooed as the strings that held her dress together magically came undone, “as you said earlier, the night can wait.”
“So I guess that means I get my second chance then?” I growled masculinity, helping her slide the dress off just enough to notice that her bra had already come undone.
“Well to quote you…” she moaned with half lidded eyes a lip bite, “Oh fuck yes.”
I woke up after what seemed like a weeklong nap. Finally getting some shuteye after three days did the body good, but not nearly as much good as what Luna and I had done for six hours straight. A euphoric grin came to my face; I was always pleased when Luna decided to remind me just how flexible she was. Despite my reluctance to do so I made an effort to get out of bed, but a certain young woman with deep midnight blue hair held my arm firmly in place. Of course, why wouldn’t this be more difficult than it had to be? Fortunately for me however I was in a very good position to play this situation to my favor.
Sliding my free hand below the covers that entangled the two of us I placed my fingers on the small of her back and slowly began to ascend towards her shoulder blades, adding a delicate kiss on top of her head with every few inches. When I reached about half way up her spine I received the first sign of life, a small, seductive moan. Taking that as a queue to continue I proceeded at a much slower pace, as to relish the moment myself. Several seconds of pleasing squeals and squirms later my palm was on her neck, gently rubbing away any kinks she had in the area. With a very quick shutter of her body she finally rolled over to face me, unfortunately pressing her naked body against mine before I could get a good look at it.
“Good evening,” she hummed euphorically with a kiss to my nose, “sleep well?”
“About as good as you’d expect given recent events,” I growled back returning her kiss with one of my own to her forehead.
“Glad to hear it,” she cooed, wrapping her arms around my neck, “you know there’s still plenty of time before we have to be up~.”
“Do you really even know what time it is? Hell for all I know we could’ve been sleeping for days.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” Luna replied with a quick giggle, “if so you would have a full beard, not that magnificent stubble.”
Before I could offer a rebuttal Luna pressed her lips to mine once more, her tongue surpassing any and all defenses I was able to muster. After a few seconds of fighting for dominance she finally pulled back, but not before playfully biting my lower lip. We laid there in silence, waiting for either of us to start up a conversation, or by the look in Luna’s eyes, action. I however, and oddly enough, had a different thing on my mind.
“You should really let me grow a beard.”
Luna’s seductive grin fell flat and her eyes went from warm to cold. “We’ve discussed this Aedan…” she grumbled, letting go of my neck, “many times.”
“You already think my stubble’s sexy,” I contended, pointing to my face, “just imagine a full on beard.”
“I think you have enough bodily hair,” Luna retorted, poking at my chest as she smiled cutely.
“You know it keeps you warm at night sweetheart,” I smiled, wrapping my arms around her waist, “besides it could add a new sensation or two if you know what I mean.”
“All at the cost of covering your handsome face,” Luna replied, cupping my jaw line with her hands, “you’re not growing a beard, and that’s final.”
“Fine…” I groaned in defeat, “but only because you’re so damn cute.”
“I’m glad you see it my way,” Luna smirked, patting me on the head, “now since you’ve effectively killed the mood, let’s try to get a few more hours of rest.”
“I’ll leave you to it babe,” I said placing my hand on her shoulder as she wrapped herself in the covers, “I should be getting up anyway.”
“Suit yourself,” Luna replied, snuggling up against her pillow, “we shall meet again in a few hours.”
“See you then,” I grunted, forcing myself out of bed.
After a few quick minutes I’d managed to slip on a shirt and a pair of pants, shoes on the other hand, here a whole other animal. I couldn’t even find the pair that I’d had on before I went to bed, and given the events that happened up to that point they could’ve been anywhere from the dining room to the balcony. I decided that I should just go barefoot until I managed to come by them as I walked around the castle; at least I hoped I’d be the one to find them. It would be really awkward trying to explain to a maid why my shoes weren’t in my room, and heaven forbid Celestia came across them, God knows what sexually depriving act she would come up with for me to get them back.
When I opened the door to our room I was hit harder than a freight train by a wall of light. I was so taken by the sudden and highly unwelcome rays that I nearly fell back into our room, fortunately the door was there to make sure I didn’t make too much of an ass out of myself. I took a quick glance to my left and right, seeing if I had to bribe anyone into my not divulging my rather cumbersome reentrance into the world, and judging by the empty halls it looked like I was in the clear.
I soon began scouring the halls in an attempt to find my shoes, but each room I searched proved to be fruitless. I did pass a maid or two in my quest, but they were just as lucky as I was when it came to finding my ever so elusive shoes. At least they didn’t look at me like I was crazy when they realized I was barefoot, but that probably had something to do with the fact that they never wore shoes themselves.
Close to thirty minutes into my search I was beginning to think that I’d have to send a letter to Rarity to make me another pair. I started to think how to go about describing my shoe size in the letter when a door to my left slowly opened. I didn’t pay much mind to it until I felt myself being wrapped up in an embrace that only an idiot could forget.
“Uncle Aedan!” Cadence cheered, pressing herself to my side as had as she could, “It’s about time the two of you woke up!”
“About time?” I repeated, “just how long were the two of us out?”
“Well, it’s four in the afternoon.”
“Oh so we’ve been asleep for about six hours, I could’ve sworn it was longer than-“
“On Friday,” Cadence finished.
My face went blank. If Cadence was telling the truth then I’d been sleeping for at least twenty hours. I tried to see if I could look past Cadence’s warm smile and welcoming eyes in an attempt to see if she was lying to me, but the longer I stared the more evident it came to me that she was telling the truth. My index finger and thumb slowly but surely found their way to the bridge of my nose, accompanied by the familiar deep sigh. Cadence couldn’t help but let out a giggle at my reaction, she clearly found my predicament funnier than what it was.
“Twenty hours?” I asked, slowly dragging my hand to my chin.
“Afraid so,” Cadence replied, shrugging her shoulders as she gathered herself back up, “I don’t see why that’s a big deal, you really needed the rest.”
“Who took care of the moon?” I asked, “because that’s kind of important.”
“Who do you think?” Cadence smirked, cocking an eyebrow.
The hand that had previously fell to my side found itself right back where it was mere minutes ago. Cadence tried to hold back a laugh by covering her mouth, but the muffled sounds of her laughs really didn’t help. Apparently Cadence knew Celestia’s more private side just as well or if not better than me, given she’s known her for easily a decade longer then I had, but either way we both knew that’d she’d more than likely want something out of it.
“She’s in the throne room~,” Cadence giggled cutely while she patted my back, “she’s speaking with some of the nobles right now, but I’m sure she’ll make time for you.”
“You’re too sweet,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes, “I’d better get this over with.”
“That you should,” Cadence agreed, “now run along, I’m sure Auntie is dying to meet you.”
“Don’t remind me…” I sighed as I continued down the hall, leaving my giggling counterpart long behind.
I slowly and reluctantly continued to make my way towards the throne room, wondering what kind of sick and cruel things Celestia would come up with as a ‘thank you’ for her services. Half of me cringed, while the other half, the half that I was trying to ignore, was a little too excited for what might happen. Because let’s face it, I’m a man, and when she’s a human she’s hotter than the sun she raises.
A few minutes later I found myself standing in front of two titanic doors, carved of the finest woods and most polished of gems and gold. Guards flanked the sides of either door, one of them being the one I recognized. The Guard that had called me a freak all those months ago was standing opposite of one of the more reserved members of Celestia’s personal entourage. I looked the door up and down before turning my attention back to mister equality.
“You gonna let me in?” I smiled, crossing my arms as I began to loom over the guard.
“P-Princess Celestia is busy with Nobles,” he gulped, wrapping his foreleg tightly around his spear, “you’ll have to come back later.”
“I’m sure she can make time for me,” I replied, adding a quick crack of my knuckles, “after all, I’m family.”
The once high and mighty guard who once had the gall to call me a commoner and a freak was now sweating nervously under his helmet. I had no idea what Celestia had told him after our little back and forth, but whatever it was it was enough to get him to shut the hell up. Shaking my head I looked over to his more relaxed partner, who simply pointed to the door behind him with his head, giving me silent permission to enter.
“Thanks a lot bucko,” I said as I placed my hand on the door.
With a soft push the door was open, revealing to me a sight that at one point took me back for a second. The large stain-glassed windows depicted the details of past and current events. Discord being beaten, Twilight getting wings, Spike grabbing a blue heart, and probably the most important one to me, Luna’s return, were placed in chronological order, giving a rather surreal glow as the sun’s rays beamed through them. A red velvet carpet cut through the middle of a painstakingly crafted tile floor up to a marble staircase that ended with a throne. A throne on which the pony I wished to speak with sat upon.
Now normally I would just walk up to her and do whatever I had to do as a thank you for her, but it was obvious that she was very busy, as evidenced by the fact that she didn’t even notice me walk in. I was about to alert her to my presence but the scene that was transpiring at the base of the staircase was far more interesting.
“I implore you your majesty to reconsider,” a rather plump and well-dressed pony seemed to beg, “think about your country.”
“I have thought about my country,” She replied in an annoyed kind of way, as if she had said it before, “As well as my ponies Lord Pompous, there is no need to beat a dead horse.”
I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, I could hardly believe that phrase actually existed in this universe.
“I only bring it up because of the consequences,” Lord Pompous reiterated, “there was already enough unrest when you decided to bring that… thing to our world, but now it has placed its seed in Princess Luna’s womb? Have you even thought of your sister in all this?”
Celestia’s ears shot up at the mention of her sister, in her new now far more attentive state she actually noticed me standing in the background. I gave a nonchalant salute and she nodded her head in acknowledgement. Not two seconds later a small grin came to her face, a grin I came to know all too well in my time here, I had no idea what she was planning, but I knew it more than likely involved me.
“Lord Pompous,” Celestia began in the most regal tone I’ve ever heard her speak in, “would you mind explaining your concerns for my sister?”
“But of course!” Lord Pompous said rather excitedly, it seemed like this was the first time that Celestia was willing to listen to what he had to say. He quickly bowed before her, not noticing that Celestia had rested her head on her hoof in a ‘here we go again’ manner, but this time she sported a devious grin. “Keeper of the divine day, bringer of hope and joy, I beseech thee,” he began, “if your sister was to carry out this blasphemous act and conceive a half breed abomination all of Equestria would be thrown into utter chaos! You yourself witnessed the upheaval of the nobles and elites of Canterlot at the announcement some four days ago, imagine the strife once the creature is brought into this world!”
Celestia’s passive hoof wave was the only thing that kept me from making my presence known, she obviously wanted me to hear this bullshit, but I was unaware of her ulterior motives. “So what do you suggest I do?” she inquired, cocking her eyebrow in her trademarked fashion.
“Banish the lesser form,” Lord Pompous said instantly, “remove his every trace from this land, including his tainted seed.”
“That seems to be a rather extreme solution Lord,” Celestia replied, shaking her head at me so I wouldn’t straight up murder him in the throne room.
“The ends justify the means my lady,” Lord Pompous nodded, “we must insure the purity of the royal bloodline.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Celestia asked, signaling for me to come closer.
“Well in the wake of the banishment I’d expect there to be a brief morning period,” Lord Pompous said rubbing his chin, “but when she realizes the error of her ways I’m sure she will consider finding a new suitor.”
“And who would that be?” Celestia solicited, watching me creep ever so slowly behind the ‘Lord’.
“Well if I may make a suggestion…” he said with a grin, I swore could feel the creepy ooze off of him as he did so, “since I was the one who brought this up to you, so I should be the one to bed Luna and sire noble offspring.”
Celestia herself nearly gagged at the thought, but she managed to keep her cool long enough for me to stand directly behind him, all I needed was the go ahead. “Well, that certainly is quite the solution,” Celestia said placing both her hooves under her chin as she leaned forward, “there’s just one problem.”
“And what would that be?”
“Me,” I growled, picking him up by his flamboyant clothing, “I don’t like that idea one bit.”
“M-Monster!” he shrieked, squirming in my grip, “g-guards! Assist me!”
The guards that stood on either side of the stairs remained stoic, unflinching in their actions as I put the fear of God into the self-important, arrogant, egotistical, conceited twit. Turning him to face me I swore I saw him start to piss himself in fear, I could care less though. In fact after all the things I heard him say I was showing him an unbelievable amount of mercy.
“U-unhoof me you beast!” he cried, trying to sound intimidating, “Or I’ll-“
“Keep crying like a bitch?” I interrupted, “because you lost any and all rights to threaten me when you soiled yourself.”
“The nerve you have!” he hissed trying to swing at me, “release me you swine! Least you-“
“You know I actually have to thank you right there.”
“W-what?”
“Last time someone called me a swine was in Pashto, and it was really hard to hear because of the mortars and gunfire going on,” I brought his face inches from mine, “at least you had the guts to say it in a language I recognize.”
“Aedan release him,” Celestia said calmly, “last thing I need is to have this carpet ruined.”
“Fine,” I grunted, dropping him unceremoniously back to where he came from, “but only because you’re such a sweetheart.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere Mr. Ryan~,” Celestia replied playfully, placing her hooves back on her throne.
“I never I was trying to get places,” I countered with a cheeky grin.
“Are you truly going to stand idly by?” Lord Pompous remarked, “this lesser being attacked me! Made me look a fool in front of you majesty! You can’t just let him do as he pleases, he must be treated as the dog he-“
A bright flash of light that I had come to know well quickly silenced Lord Pompous’s rant. Prompting both a smile and a quick aversion of the eyes on my part, because I was never the one to put Celestia above a chance to put me in an awkward situation.
“It’s alright Aedan,” Celestia said with a noticeable hint of amusement, “you can look now.”
I was cautious at first, because more often then not she would lull me into a false sense of security before blinding me with the absolute glory that was her naked body. This time however, she kept her word, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t completely modest.
The top she wore wrapped around her neck and split into two separate pieces of cloth that barely covered her bountiful chest, and truthfully the only thing that I thought kept that top on was a combination of magic and the small golden ring that reconnected the cloth about two inches under her bosom. Her Glorious stomach was pale and toned just as, or if not better, than the models I used to see in fitness magazines and ended just above a gold plated belt with an indented sun on the buckle. Her long legs were draped in a downy white cloth that ran down her legs like water covering everything save for the slit the road clean up to her hip.
She was just one of those women that knew she looked amazing no matter what, and was more then happy to show off what she had, which was made very clear by the way she carried herself as a human. She sat on her throne with a sense of swagger that commanded nothing but respect and admiration, but also with her own brand of steamy seduction that would make any straight man go crazy. Leaning forward with her chest dangerously close to bursting out she extended her hand in my direction and with a little twitch of her finger she beckoned me towards her.
Not being the one to ignore a woman’s orders I walked up the stairs and stood at her side, all the while Lord Pompous was gawking in disbelief. Stopping when I finally reached the top I turned back and looked down to him, Celestia smiling smugly as she leaned back in her seat.
“Lord Pompous,” She began, crossing one leg over the other, “am I now a lesser being? Or am I still your ruler?”
“Y-you are still our ruler,” he stuttered, unable to avert his eyes, “but to take a lesser form, surely you must see-“
Celestia suddenly shot to her feet, interrupting Lord Pompous and catching me of guard as well. What surprised me even more though was when she turned towards me and grabbed at the center of my chest, the whole time giving me a predatory grin.
“What the hell are you think-“
I didn’t get a chance to finish my statement before Celestia pulled me in for what was easily the second most unexpected kiss I’ve ever had in my life. It barely lasted five seconds but it was more than enough to rattle a few cages in the court, mine included. When she finally broke it off she couldn’t help but let out a playful giggle before adding a playful wink in my direction.
“What about now Lord Pompous?” Celestia asked, still holding onto me as she looked to the pony in question, “am I a lesser being now? Answer me!”
Lord Pompous was at a complete loss for words, as I was to be frank, but Celestia’s little stunt had managed to put the lord on a spot. He was visibly disgusted, but he wasn’t willing to show his disdain without a crowd to hide in, so he simply lowered his head in defeat.
“Thought so…” Celestia growled, finally letting me go before taking a seat yet again, “get out of my sight Pompous… and if you ever return to this court with such venomous words and heinous suggestions I will insure that your nobility will cease to exist.”
Lord Pompous shook in his own skin, Celestia’s words seem to traumatize him ten times worse then when I manhandled him. “B-by your word, my lady…” he stuttered and he crawled out of the throne room on his belly, the pride he once had now long gone.
A brief silence fell over throne room; guards and myself included kept our eyes on Celestia, who was looking almost as pissed off as she did when Luna announced that she was pregnant. Soon though, her body relaxed and the fists that clinched the armrests tightly loosened their grip. Seconds later she flopped back in her seat in a very unprincesslike manner, blowing away a few stray hair strands in her way.
“The things I must put up with…” she grumbled, taking off her crown for an inspection, “such as what happens when you rule a nation full of privileged stuck up fools.”
“You could always kick them out,” I suggested.
“And lose over forty percent of tax revenue?” Celestia asked, half chuckling as she put her crown back on, “I may not enjoy them, but they are necessary to keep this country running smoothly, besides only ninety percent of them like that, the other ten make up for them easily.”
“Ninety percent?” I asked, to which Celestia nodded, “So I’m assuming-“
“Every hour of every day since the announcement,” she sighed, “and each time it’s the same thing, kick you out and replace you with either themselves or one of their sons.”
“How do you handle those ones?”
“The same way I handled Pompous,” Celestia shrugged, “but this time I had a chance to really lay it on.”
“So I’m just an end to a means eh?” A laughed crossing my arms, “So to what extent am I to be used?”
Celestia quickly rose back to her feet and backed me to the wall next to her throne reminiscent of what she’d done in the past. However this time she continued towards me until her face was inches from mine and breasts squish against my chest. A small bead of sweat trickled past my temple as her expression went from neutral to a far more seductive one, complete with bedroom eyes and a lip bite.
“To whatever extent I see fit~,” she almost cooed pulling away in an almost mocking manner, “now let’s see who’s next.”
Celestia sat back down in her throne and watched the doors swing open and for the first time in recent history I saw Celestia’s hand cradle her head in a fashion that I knew all too well. I looked over towards the door and instantly knew why Celestia had adopted my trademarked pose. The pony that stood on the far side of the throne room was noticeably taller than the average pony and certainly in much better shape than the pony whom Celestia had put the fear of God into a few minutes ago. A blonde mane a eyes bluer than the sky was evidence enough as it is, but the top half of an all white tux was the icing on the cake.
“Blueblood…” Celestia and I groaned in unison, knowing that this wasn’t going to be enjoyable for either of us.
“Aunt Tia!” He called in a demanding tone, “I demand to have an audience with you at once!”
“Well you’re already here,” Celestia responded, looking to me with a shake of her head, “what is it this time? Did you spend your all of your bits at the casino again? Or did you spend another week at that ‘hotel and spa’ you enjoy so much?”
Blueblood froze in place, taking a loud awkward gulp as sweat began to form on his brow. Even the guards couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as they looked on. With a quick wipe of his hoof he was back to his normal self, so full of himself, so ‘perfect’. I’d met Blueblood more times than I’d like to admit, but every time he acted like he’d never seen me before, probably for the same reasons the other nobles wanted me gone. Though he did have the decency to keep his opinion of me quiet.
“Aunt Tia,” he began in a much sweeter tone than what he started out with, “may I have a word with you… in private?”
“What you have to say to me can be said to everyone here,” Celestia said kindly extending her hand towards him, “tell me what ails you.”
“Well…” he began, taking another gulp, “it’s about the other night.”
“Oh?” Celestia said, barring a sly grin as she turned her attention to me, “do go on.”
“I was wondering if I can have the quarters on the east side of the castle?”
“And why’s that?” Celestia asked, barely able to hold back a giggle.
“Well, I-uh… I didn’t get much sleep the past few nights,” he explained, “I was, rather distracted.”
“Were you now?” Celestia giggled, “why so?”
“I-I heard noises,” Blueblood stuttered, looking away from me embarrassingly, “noises that I never thought I’d never hear.”
“I see,” Celestia replied, letting out a full blown laugh before covering her mouth, “well I’m sure I can arrange that move for you.”
“You’re too kind Aunt Tia,” he said quickly bowing before doing a one eighty and sprinting towards the door, “I’ll expect the arrangements for the move to be made by tomorrow bye!”
The door slammed shut, leaving Celestia and myself alone with her guards once more. The guards stoicism quickly descended into laughter, followed closely behind by Celestia’s own laughter. In fact the only one not laughing was me, because I had adopted the much more adult path of sighing deeply as I shook my head.
“You done yet?” I asked Celestia, “cause I really should be getting back to Luna.”
“You won’t be living this down for a while,” she replied through her laughs, “but by all means go, I won’t stop you.”
“Then I guess I should be off,” I said as I began to make my way down the stairs, “see you tom-“
“Or…” Celestia interrupted, “I suppose I could stop you~.”
“Why would you do that?” I asked turning back around, “furthermore, what do you possess that would force me to-“
“These,” Celestia said dangling the shoes I’d forgotten about since coming in here, “I’m sure you’d want them back.”
“How did you…” my mind started racing at one thousand miles a minute, the one thing I didn’t want happening actually happened. Of all the creatures on this ball of sprinkles and rainbows, the one that went to the most extreme of measures to make me feel awkward had come upon them.
“Well, the two of you didn’t particularly care about cleaning up after keeping half of Canterlot awake the other night,” Celestia explained, twirling my shoes in her hand, “Don’t even get me started on what I found on the ballroom chandelier, let alone the watchtower balcony.”
I was about to give a witty retort, but I knew there was no use. It was best just to accept the fact that she had me. “What do I have to-“
“And there’s also that mess that I had to take care of with the moon last night,” she added, tapping her lower lip with her free hand, “I never thought I’d be doing that again, but I knew the two of you were exhausted. Aren’t I such a wonderful, benevolent being?”
“What do you want?” I mumbled, placing my hands on my hips.
“Well, now that you mentioned it,” Celestia cooed with a seductive grin, “Guards, leave the two of us at once!”
Within moments, every guard present disappeared behind the doors that represented my freedom. However my freedom was now at the mercy of a smoking hot woman with a knack for putting me in awkward sexual situations. She stood there in silence, smiling smugly, making me wonder just what I had gotten myself into.
“Alright, what do you want me to do?” I asked, putting on the best game face I’ve had in recent memory.
“Well isn’t that the question of the day?” Celestia asked back, slowly making her way down the stairs towards me, adding some extra swing in her hips as she did so. Soon enough Celestia had a hand on my chest, growling like a hungry lioness eyeing a ding zebra. “Raising the moon is no small feat, meaning I could essentially ask you to do anything.”
“I don’t like where this is-“
“Hush now Aedan,” Celestia interrupted, placing a finger on my lips fro good measure, “as I was saying, anything.” She walked around me in a quick circle before stopping at the side opposite where she started, “I could have you rearrange my room, I could have you clean every single window.”
“Don’t you have servants for that?”
“Not now big guy, I’m just thinking out loud,” Celestia replied, patting me on the shoulder, “now where was I?”
“Cleaning windows…”
“Ah yes,” she nodded, her eyes narrowing, “I could also have you polish the throne, trim the hedges…” Celestia’s eyes suddenly took a more seductive look, “or ask for another kiss.”
“Now hold up a sec,” I said backing up a bit, “Not that I didn’t hate it the first time, but I’m with Luna until the-“
“Thinking out loud~!” Celestia repeated, “anyway, another kiss, perhaps I could have you be my personal bather for the next few weeks, or maybe because of your status we could-“
“Just give me the damn shoes!” I yelled reaching for my prize.
I missed them just barely, and with a few choice words the chase was on. Celestia could have easily teleported to the opposite side of the room, levitate to above where I could reach, or turn back into a pony and fly to her heart’s desire, but she seemed to be more than content with the standard game of chase. Where she would only be fast enough for me to almost catch her, granted I already had a handicap, but I’d be damned if I let a women in heels outrun me forever.
Celestia’s little game lasted for another minute or two until she made the mistake of ascending to her throne. I was able to reach out and clip her leg, causing her to tumble downward. My success was painfully short however, because when the leg of a woman hits your prosthetic limb, you tend to come crashing down too. A loud thud complimented our fall, followed by a few painful groans courtesy of the position we landed in. I had landed on my stomach, but my chest was mysteriously fine, cushioned by what I’d hoped was the throne.
I uneasily opened my eyes to see that I was halfway right, I had indeed landed on the throne, but there just so happened to be a beautiful woman in between. I almost shot up and began to apologize, but the playful smile that grew on her face made me reconsider that notion. Within seconds I found my eyes traveling from hers down her neckline to her collarbone where the beginnings of my makeshift pillows lay. I managed to steel myself an not look down any further, for fear of something coming loose, instead I looked down to her left hand, which still clung tightly to the thing that got me in this mess in the first place.
“I’ll be taking these,” I smiled, reaching for my shoes, but just as I got a hold of them Celestia wrapped one of her legs around my waist, effectively holding me in place.
“I still haven’t gotten anything for my act of kindness,” Celestia whispered in a sultry tone, “you’re not getting these until I get what I want.”
“Then just tell me already,” I grunted, “I’m sure I can-“
Somehow Celestia managed to free her right arm, using that and the leg she still had wrapped around me she pulled me dangerously close to her face and other parts most people are uncomfortable mentioning in public. She finally stopped pulling me towards her when our noses touched; our eyes were in a deadlock I did what I could to remain stoic, but my mind was going at one million miles an hour. Sure as a man I’ve let my mind wander down these kind of paths, but I didn’t actually think it would happen, furthermore I-
“Say thank you,” Celestia whispered, derailing my train of thought.
“What?”
“I just want you to say thank you,” Celestia repeated, releasing me from her grip, “and then you can have your shoes back.”
“Oh, uh… thank you,” I said rising back to my feet, reaching my hand out to help her up.
“You’re welcome~,” she replied taking my hand as she offered me my shoes, “always happy to help.”
We stood there in silence for a few moments, mostly because I was still trying to process what the hell had just happened. I still could hardly believe I’d gone though all of that just to say thank you. Celestia had a very weird way of entertaining herself, but when you’ve been alive as long as she has, you develop more and more extreme ways to pass the time.
“You can go Aedan,” she said bringing me back to reality once again, “Go on, I’m sure Luna would want to wake up to a face like that next to hers.”
“Well I’d better hurry then,” I said quickly looking to the door, “She’s probably about to wake up.”
“Then I won’t stop you,” she replied taking a seat back on her throne, “and this time I mean it.”
“Well thanks then,” I grunted hastily putting on my shoes, “see you in a few hours!”
I practically darted towards the door, swinging it open like a curtain in the window, but when I took my first few steps into the hall I saw something that I didn’t expect. All the guards that were once in the throne room, including the ones that stood outside, had their ears pressed against the door. They obviously expected something to happen, given the collective look of shock on their faces when they saw that I’d walked out wearing more clothes then I’d come in with.
“Really?” I asked, “really guys? Come on, professionalism.”
Before they could offer a rebuttal I was off back to Luna and I’s room, I didn’t want to miss her waking up. Running as fast as I could muster, I passed by every maid and butler that walked lazily by, nearly running some of them over. Finally, after what seemed like a forever, I was standing in front of our door. Taking a deep breath in I opened the door to be greeted by complete darkness. I smiled to myself that meant that Luna still hadn’t woken up. Slowly but surely I crept towards our bed, doing my best not to make a sound so I could surprise her when she woke up.
It wasn’t something I normally did, but after what happened today I felt that I had to make it up somehow. Adding a hint of precaution to my steps I softly placed myself on her side of the bed and waited. A few minutes in to my patience paid off as the first few signs of Luna waking up made themselves all too clear. Acting quickly I placed my body over her, using my arms to brace myself above her.
The second I saw her face I swooped in for the kill, pressing my lips against hers with an extra amount of vigor. The initial contact threw her off, but within a few moments her body had completely relaxed and I felt her hands wrap around my neck. I returned the favor by wrapping my own arms around her waist and spinning onto my back, making my gorgeous moon woman fall on my chest with a playful squeak.
“You’re excited this evening,” Luna giggled, finally breaking the kiss, “is something amiss?”
“Can’t I just show that I love you differently sometimes?” I asked with a smile, perhaps my approach was a bit too obvious, I’d have to think of different ways to go about this next time.
“I suppose,” she shrugged sliding off of me, using the blanket as a makeshift dress while she made her way to the bathroom, “but I need to get ready nonetheless.”
“Take your time sweetheart,” I grinned, watching the blanket fall down to her ankles, “because whatever comes next, I’ll be there.”
A full month had passed since the little incident where Celestia kissed me and brought me dangerously close to her lady bits and so far, I have suffered little to no repercussions; with the exception of the usual teasing from Celestia of course. At least she had the decency not to do it in front of Luna; God knows what a woman with her insane powers on pregnancy hormones would do if she caught her sister practically dry humping me. Just thinking about it caused me to shudder.
At least in that month I managed to convince Luna to let me keep my stubble, my argument being that she enjoyed the feeling of it brushing up against various parts of her body, including her face. However, none of that really mattered at the moment, given the fact that I was currently running in between our room and the kitchen.
There were a few instances where I nearly ran over one or two of the careless maids that walked around the halls, but I somehow managed to avoid them without tripping or dropping the precious cargo that I carried in my hands. It didn’t take long for me to get back to our room, sliding in baseball style in an attempt to slow myself down right before I got to our door. I hopped back to my feet, dusted myself off and looked over what I held once more to make sure that it wasn’t damaged or leaking, I didn’t want another incident like the one that happened yesterday, especially because they’d just fixed the roof a few hours ago.
Taking a deep breath I put my hand on the handle and gave it a stern pull. The door heeded my action and opened slowly, revealing a very quiet, very peaceful scene, but I knew better. I knew that somewhere in the dimly lit room there was an entity; an entity that had something growing inside her, and that something was driving said entity up the walls.
“Luna?” I asked, cautiously taking a few steps into our room, only to be answered by silence, “Luna, I know you’re in here.”
Just as I finished my statement I heard muffled cries from the other side of our room, from within the bathroom. Tentatively, I moved forward, watching my footsteps as to ensure that she wouldn’t be aware of my presence until the last moment; it was probably another mood swing. She’d started having them pretty badly as of late. The worst one was when I offered her some popcorn on theatre night and she teleported me all the way to Fillydelphia because she thought I was calling her fat, only for mere seconds to pass by before she teleported me back and began apologizing and groping me while we were still surrounded by ponies.
With each step I took, the weeping, while still muffled, became louder, until I finally found myself standing directly in front of our bathroom door. I took a deep breath, tucked the requested meal under one arm and lightly knocked with the other.
“Luna?” I asked, cautiously opening the door, “Luna I have your-“
The full force of the bathroom door slamming into my face interrupted me, throwing me into a bizarre mixture of shock and pain. That combination left me woefully unprepared for what came less than a second later, a powerful force slammed into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and sending me into free fall. Time seemed to slow as I floated momentarily in the air, but only long enough to see a long, night blue head of hair and what was once in my arms fly straight up towards the ceiling. The cosmos then decided to remind me why I thought Newton was an asshole and landed me flat on my back, forcing my head to whip back into the cold, harder than granite floor.
I was surprised that the sheer impact didn’t render me unconscious, but it sure as hell would’ve been nice, given that the pain that was currently coursing through me wouldn’t have really been an issue. Letting out a painful gasp I reached for the bridge of my nose, which was looking a little on the side of Rudolf without the light.
“Jesus…” I managed to groan as I tried to look down to my chest, “the fu-“
I found my sentence interrupted by a passionate pair of lips pressing against mine, which to be honest, made me forget about most of the pain I was currently going through. The feeling of a pair of hands cupping my rugged jawline only seconds later made it feel even better. As the icing on the cake, I moved my hands around her waist and pulled her as close to me as I could while I tried in vain to return her overwhelming affection.
“You came back,” Luna cooed, finally breaking her kiss in a tone that made it obvious to see that she was suffering from a severe surge of hormones, “I missed you…”
“I can tell,” I smirked before getting another quick peck from her, “but don’t worry I’m here now and I got the-Oh shit…”
“What?” Luna asked, her tone becoming dire. “What’s wrong love?”
“The food,” I said looking around the general area, but it was too dark to see anything but the little sparkles that flashed in Luna’s hair, “I lost my grip on it when you tackled me, now it’s probably everywhere.”
The faint glow of Luna’s hair was just enough for me to see that she was smiling as if I had missed out on something rather important. Without a word she pointed to the ceiling, where a faintly glowing orb hovered about ten feet above us.
“Magic,” I smirked, looking back to her as I took my hand and brought it to her face, “of course.”
“Would you expect any different?” Luna replied cutely, bringing her hand to mine while the food floated to our side.
“Not at all,” I sighed giving her a quick peck on the forehead, “not at all.”
“Did you find what I requested?” she asked, pulling the carton to herself as she sat up on my lap.
“I had to make it myself,” I replied, hoisting myself up with my arms, “what you wanted isn’t exactly popular enough to be sold at the local grocery store.”
“Always ready to go above and beyond,” Luna smiled, pulling my head in for another kiss, “what would I be without you?”
“Well currently hungry,” I wisecracked, watching her remove the lid to the horrifying concoction.
I’d known since I was about thirteen years old that women could get some really weird cravings; my dad always talked about how my mom acted when she was pregnant with me. I honestly didn’t believe him until now, as the woman I loved, the woman I gave everything for to be with, the woman that was carrying my legacy, summoned a spoon and sunk it into the half gallon tub that took me a good ten minutes to mix. Pickles and ice cream. I shuddered, fighting the urge to gag as Luna stuffed her face with the concentrated evil that I had gotten her.
The only real plus to the situation was that we were in a position that we commonly found ourselves in during our immensely intimate private time. This usually would have made me feel better, but the fact that Luna was currently forking down a tub of ice cream with pickles in it really killed it for me.
“Uh, Luna?” I asked, poking the now obvious bulge in her belly.
“Wha?” she asked back, her mouth still full.
“Mind getting up?” I said, pointing at her lap, “I’m really not complaining, but I do need to get some stuff done today.”
Luna paused, looking down at our current position before blushing furiously. “Apologizes Aedan,” she said after swallowing her mouthful, “I suppose I wasn’t considerate of your other duties.”
“Don’t mention it sweetheart,” I smiled as she slid off my body, “I’m not in that much of a rush.”
“Oh?” Luna asked baring a seductive grin, “in how little of a rush are you?”
“I’ve got a few minutes,” I grinned back, “but I would kind of like to see where I’m going.”
“Oh, right,” Luna giggled, snapping her fingers to turn on the lights.
The darkness faded quickly, revealing the room that I had come to know so well, along with the beautiful young woman that lived beside me in it. She stood over me, draped in her normal sleepwear; the only real difference was her stomach beginning to noticeably poke through the fabric. She smiled sweetly down to me, one arm wrapped around her meal while the other hung by the spoon held in her mouth.
“Now that you can see properly,” she cooed, running the spoon from her lip to her collarbone, “do you see anything that could possibly… what happened to your face?”
I blinked a few times in confusion before reaching towards my face. A light tap was all I needed to feel the faintest amount of dampness on my nose. Pulling back quickly I saw a small amount of blood on the tips of my fingers.
“Oh, that.” I sighed rubbing my thumb and index finger together.
“Yes, that,” Luna repeated, her voice holding a hit of concern, “how did that happen?”
“Someone was a little over excited when they opened the bathroom door,” I replied, rising to my feet, “then they slammed me into the floor.”
It took a few seconds for Luna to register what I said, but the moment it clicked I was tackled by yet another hormonally charged embrace. Fortunately for me, I was actually prepared for it this time.
“I’m so sorry!” She sobbed into my chest, “I never meant to harm you! I would never harm you! The very thought brings me…”
Luna’s fingers began to dig deep into my shoulders as she continued to cry into me. Even to the point where I gritted my teeth as she broke my skin. Despite the pain she was currently causing me, that was not what had me the most concerned.
As she wept, I swore I saw black tendrils grow out of her back. My shock alone was enough to keep me silent as the tentacles slowly slithered along her body, slowly morphing her skin from its usual tan to a pasty white. Her hair faded in and out of its normal midnight blue to a more violet color.
“I… I will end anypony who dares to bring you harm,” She growled, driving her nails deeper into my skin, “I will ensure they suffer the pain of my soul, and death shall be their only-“
“Luna,” I finally said, wrapping my arms around her as tightly as I could while being mindful of the baby, “Luna, I’m fine okay? It’s nothing alright, I’m fine.”
My hasty attempt at reassuring her seemed to have had an effect on her, because the moment I wrapped my arms around her the tentacles receded back into her body, and her physical appearance returned to its normal state. I continued to hold onto her, even after her hair had phased back into blue and the tendrils receded once again into her back. I wanted nothing more than to convince her that nothing bad was going to happen to me, and the only way I could think of doing that was keeping her wrapped up as best as I could.
“I’m fine…” I kept repeating, stroking her back as soothingly as possible, “I’m fine.”
“I believe you would be better if you were to release me,” Luna said in a muffled tone, her head buried deep into my chest, “so that I may heal you.”
“Oh, yeah…” I said reluctantly letting her go, “that, right.”
The moment her soft hands rested on my face I couldn’t help but find myself worrying about Luna. Once again she had come dangerously close to becoming Nightmare Moon, and this time the change just wasn’t in the eyes, her skin and hair also started to turn. The first thought that came to my mind was that the hormones from the pregnancy were starting to amplify the darkness she’d been keeping inside her.
It wouldn’t really be much of a stretch considering the only times she’s started to change was when I was either bleeding or someone said something about hurting either the baby or me. I don’t even think God would want to know what Luna would’ve done to that slime-ball Lord Pompous. Hell even I would’ve pitted the guy, and I heard everything he had to say.
“And done,” Luna said with her adorable smile, bringing me back to reality, “hopefully next time such misfortune won’t befall-“
I didn’t give her a chance to finish what she was going to say. I thought a kiss would be a much better means of communicating what I was feeling as it was, at the moment I didn’t care about the bizarre aftertaste of pickles and ice cream in my mouth; all I cared about was that she knew that I loved her. Her body tensed up as per usual when I did something unexpected, but just as she had done many times before, she melted into me wrapping her arms around my neck to pull me even closer to her. We stood there for I don’t know how long before Luna finally decided to pull away, her eyes glistening with what I could only describe as love.
“What was that for?” she asked, biting her lip, “you normally don’t kiss like that.”
“I guess I just wanted you to know that I love you,” I smiled back, mentally kicking myself for how corny I was sounding, “that I need you.”
“I love and need you too,” Luna replied, adding a kiss of her own, but deciding to take a step further and adding her tongue before breaking away again, “do we have to show each other how much we do again?”
“Well,” I grinned, my hands descending down her back to her still perfect rump, “I suppose a little reminder wouldn’t hurt.”
“I don’t think it would either…” Luna hummed, standing on her tiptoes so she could wrap a leg around my waist, “are you going to-“
Luna suddenly paused, falling to the ground as she clenched her stomach. The room’s atmosphere suddenly turned much darker as panic began to set in. I fell to my knees, eyes full of fear as I placed my hands on her back.
“Luna?!” I said quickly, giving her a light shake, “Luna, what’s wrong? Is it the baby? What happened?! Please tell-“
My panicked words were suddenly cut short by the faintest sound of laughter coming from Luna’s huddle. Moments later her head rose, tears in her eyes as a smile even brighter than the first time we made love grew on her face.
“It… it kicked,” she beamed, cradling the bulge on her tummy, “our baby just kicked.”
I was instantly taken back by what she had said. The thing that had been growing inside her for a little over sixteen weeks, just moved? I could barely wrap my head around the notion; I didn’t even realize that I had started crying I was so shocked.
“L-Luna…” I stuttered, covering my mouth with one hand as the other rested on her stomach, “it moved?”
The smile on Luna’s face remained as she nodded softly resting her hand on mine. “It moved,” she repeated, unable to hold back the happy tears.
For the second time in no more than ten minutes I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her as close as I could as I started tearing up like, well, a baby. Luna returned my embrace, but she was far more willing to let the torrent from her eyes flow, thoroughly soaking my shoulder as she squeezed my neck as tightly as she could. God only knew how long the two of us sat there in each other’s arms, but something about it seemed more right than anything else either of us could do at the moment. Finally, and reluctantly I might add, Luna pushed away, her hands resting softly on my shoulders.
“Are you or are you not supposed to be attending to duties right now?” she asked, lowering her head slightly and losing her smile, “I think I’ve held you back long eno-“
I interrupted her by cupping her chin so she would look at me as I said what I needed to say. “Nothing is as important as this,” I said pulling her in for a quick kiss, “nothing.”
Just as soon as it left her smile returned, but I didn’t get a chance to enjoy it for very long, since she leaned in for another kiss. Once again the two of us were lost in time as we sat there wrapped in each other’s arms. Finally after what seemed like forever, Luna rose to her feet, with me following close behind, desperate not to be apart for very long.
Seconds later the two of us found ourselves on the bed, but there wasn’t an ounce of lust between us, we just wanted to be close to one another. After a few minutes I found my head slowly traveling down past her chest and resting on her ever-expanding stomach, hoping that I would be able to feel the next movement my child made.
In my patience, I felt something brush against the top of my head. Shooting my eyes upward I saw the delicate, well-kept fingers of Luna massaging my scalp. That and the slow, steady rise and fall of her stomach with every breath just seemed to bring me at peace, so much so that I remembered something from the life I once had. A song that was tailor made for this exact moment in my life.
“I can’t wait to see your face…” I sang softly to myself as I gently rubbed Luna’s belly, “I can’t wait to hold your hand. I can’t wait to take you to places and watch you try to understand, but until I do… yeah until I do, I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
“What are you-“
“I can’t wait to see your face and I can’t wait to hold your hand,” I continued, unaffected by Luna’s question, “when you get here it’s off to the races and we’ll tackle all life’s demands, but until you do. Yeah until you do I’ll be right here singing for you.”
At this point, Luna didn’t bother to question what I was doing she just continued to play with the overall lack of hair on my head as I continued. “Soon I will see your face, and I’ll get to hold your hand. I know I’ll have trouble trying to explain the things that I don’t understand and until I do…” I paused at the sound of an additional voice in the choirs looking up once more I saw Luna singing along with me, understanding the song just enough to add some back-up vocals. “Since I won’t have a clue, I’ll just sing this song for you… yeah until I do, this is you know who. Daddy’s right here singing for you…”
The moment the two of us finished singing Luna’s other hand found my jaw and pulled me back to her face, pressing my lips deeply against hers. It took nearly all of my willpower to pull away, but by the grace of God I managed to do so. “So…” I asked placing a hand on her stomach again, “how was I?”
“For the sake of all of us, I think you should just leave the singing to me.” Luna replied with a cheeky grin.
“Oh come on, I wasn’t that bad,” I laughed, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, “but alright, you do have the better set of pipes.”
Luna nodded and again pulled me in for a kiss, however this time I was able to taste the horrifying concoction on her tongue. I pulled away, gagging as my tongue stuck out of my mouth, my head shaking violently to dispel the horrid taste.
“What’s wrong?” Luna asked, “What happe-“
“Pickles…” I growled, trying to scrape the taste on my tongue, “I hate pickles…”
Luna paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. The sight alone was enough for me to join in with her, after several seconds of laughter the two of us fell silent, staring into one another’s eyes. After a grin on my part and a quick nod on Luna’s I pulled her into me once more. Letting her body rest on top of mine as it had so many times before.
“I love you,” I whispered into her scalp before kissing it as my hand massaged her back.
“I love you too,” she cooed back, wrapping her arms around my neck.
After a good ten minutes of simply cuddling Luna moved in for yet another kiss. I was more than willing to accept it, but just as her nose touched mine a rather loud, agitated knock erupted from our bedroom door.
“Who could that be?” Luna asked, tilting her head like a puppy, “I thought that we weren’t to be disturbed.”
“I think I might have a clue,” I said hesitantly, biting my lip, “remember when I said that I actually had stuff to do?”
Luna blinked a few times, processing the information that I’d recanted for her before finally her head sank low. “Oh,” she replied, the tone of her voice showing utter disappointment, “I see.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, mirroring her emotions as I rubbed her back one last time, “I should probably be going.”
I reluctantly rose from my position with Luna still on my stomach, giving me one last kiss before she slid off my body. Twisting myself to the side of our bed I slowly rose to my feet and made my way to the door, expecting nothing less than a full on assault from the one on the other side as yet another thundering set of knocks echoed through the room.
I stopped at the door, taking a deep breath before letting out a deep growl, readying myself for the oncoming explosion of volume. Grabbing the handle I tentatively pushed the door open, only to have it ripped out of my hands within a matter of seconds. Before I could respond, an arm shot into the room, grabbing my shirt, and to my dismay, some of my chest hair and pulled me into the hallway.
The force said arm wasn’t strong enough to throw me off my feet, but it was easily enough to get me off-balance, and it sure as hell helped that the puller had managed to latch onto my body hair as well. I spun around just in time to see our bedroom door close, and the gorgeous individual standing in between it and me. By all accounts, she didn’t seem look all too pleased.
“I told you to be in the throne room two hours ago,” Celestia said, folding her arms under her chest, making her breasts come dangerously close to popping out of her top, “you know how I get about punctuality.”
“Yeah I know, but something came up,” I explained, “the-“
“How am I supposed to go about punishing you for this?” she interrupted, walking towards me, adding an extra swing in her hips, “by now you’re smart enough to realize that I like to get things done on an exact schedule.”
“Celestia, the baby kicked for the first time,” I said, throwing my arms in her direction, “I kinda wanted to be there in case it did it again.”
Celestia shook her head for a moment. “It did?” she asked with a slight twinkle in her eye.
“Sure as the sun you raise every day,” I replied, smiling to myself a little, “that thing’s kind of a big deal you know, so I really wanted to stick around for a tad bit longer.”
“I see,” Celestia said, smiling warmly as she rubbed a hand against her sinfully toned stomach, “but that still doesn’t negate the fact that you were late.”
“Look, I don’t care if I’m late,” I retorted folding my arms across my chest, “as far as I’m concerned, you can punish me in any way you see fit for it.”
My hand quickly covered my mouth, but it was too late. The words had already spilled out and the look on Celestia’s face went from sincere to predatory. All the while a single phrase was repeating in my mind. Ya done goofed.
“Oh really?” Celestia said placing a hand under her chin, as she looked me up and down, “I suppose I could think of a very special punishment for you in time.”
Celestia walked over to me and placed her hand on my chest, slowly licking her lips as she did so. Meanwhile the little man inside my head wanted to kick my ass. How could I have been so stupid as to say something like that? Granted I knew she wouldn’t actually try to have sex with me, but if there was anyone on the planet that could give a man blue balls, it was the woman currently standing before me.
“Or maybe I can forgive you,” She said pulling her hand away from my chest, “I really only get upset if the man comes early.”
“What?”
“Pay no mind to that,” Celestia answered, grabbing my arm, “right now we need to get you to the throne room. The candidates are waiting.”
“Excuse me?” I said holding her up a bit, “I was just told to be in the throne room; you said nothing about candidates.”
“Oh did I forget to mention that little detail?” Celestia asked, trying to sound as innocently cute as possible, and for some reason, it was working. “Today we’ll be deciding who gets to be your child’s Godfather.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, before Celestia grabbed my forearm and started pulling.
“I said we’ll be selecting your baby’s godfather,” Celestia repeated, giving my arm another hard tug, “now hurry up. As I said before, the candidates have been waiting for close to two hours.”
“How about I slow it down?” I answered, twisting my arm out of her grasp. “I’m not really sure how things work around here, but back where I come from, it’s the couple’s job to select that particular person, and in this case pony.”
“Aedan,” Celestia said, looking to me with a somewhat blank expression, “it’s been over four months; most couples would’ve already picked a stallion and mare by now.”
“Well did it ever come across your mind that maybe we want to hold off on picking one?” Granted neither of us even talked about it. Hell, I didn’t even know that ponies had godparents.
“Aedan, I’m just trying to help out,” Celestia replied, sticking her lower lip out as she donned puppy eyes that rivaled Luna’s in sheer adorableness. “In that respect, you can admit that I’ve been sorely lacking.”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” I admitted, averting my head in an attempt to avoid her sudden cuteness, “but going so far as to set up potential godfathers?”
“You know that when I do something I do it big,” Celestia answered, dropping her cutesy act for her usual sultry self. “Have you learned nothing? Or must I teach you again?”
A devilish grin came to Celestia’s face as she began to raise her hand into the air, setting her fingers up for a quick snap. I reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and throwing it up into the air, ensuring that her fingers couldn’t reach her thumb. I looked her square in the eyes with a rather victorious smile, thinking I had won the day, but her sinfully seductive grin remained. I wondered why she still looked like she had something up her sleeve, but then I remembered that there was a crucial piece of human anatomy that in my haste to stop her I had forgotten about; the other arm.
I looked past her nearly bursting out of her dress chest to see her other arm was twisted around her back. My pupils dilated. I had no idea how long it had been back there, but in any instant I could’ve been once again inches away from a completely naked woman. Granted, in many other situations, especially in my past, I wouldn’t have minded at all, but this was now and I really didn’t feel like having blue balls today.
I shot my other hand behind her back, feeling her middle finger brush across her thumb as my hand enveloped hers and closed shut around it. That faintest gleam of light temporarily blinded me, but I knew that the amount of magic she had used wasn’t enough for her to become completely naked. Another victorious grunt came from deep in my throat as I looked to her squarely in the eyes. I’d won, or so I thought.
Celestia’s expression had barely changed; the only differences I saw were in her brow, cocked nearly to her hairline, and her lower lip, held softly in her teeth. “You’re getting faster,” she whispered, her eyelids sinking into a half closed position. “I hope that isn’t affecting you elsewhere.”
“I can assure you it hasn’t,” I replied with a grunt. “Now, if you’re done, can you…”
My thought trailed off when I noticed that Celestia was using her head to point downward, since I had currently rendered her incapable of using her hands. Against my better judgment, I let my eyes travel south, so to speak, only to see a body that would put Aphrodite to shame. She was clad in the finest - and most revealing - silken dress I had ever seen on a woman. The thing was even more revealing than usual, her bosom pressing gently against my chest, her generous breasts coming dangerously close to presenting themselves to the woefully unprepared world. With nothing more than two straps, each barely an inch and a half in width, doing the job of covering her top up. Her stomach was exposed, as per the usual, and the slit in the lower half of her dress came just inches away from revealing to the living just how magnificent her royal posterior really was.
My eyes shot right back to her face, my expression growing more panicked when I realized I’d pinned her to the nearby wall. I froze, sweat beginning to bead on my forehead as she began to laugh. Much as she’d done a month ago, she threw her leg around my waist, going further this time as she pulled me fully into her embrace. I had to tell myself that she wasn’t pressing her bare skin against me, but with so little fabric to her dress there wasn’t much of a distinction.
“You can be so easy sometimes,” she moaned softly into my ear, squeezing her chest against mine to further the game of brinkmanship she played with the top half of her dress. “It’s a wonder you can still walk.”
“I call it fortitude,” I replied, releasing her hands and forcing my way out of her python-like grip. “Now, if you could show a little professionalism.”
“Oh fine,” Celestia sighed, rolling her eyes as she snapped her fingers, making her dress only slightly less revealing around the upper regions of her body, while still keeping her stomach and most of her mile long legs easily available to the wondering eye. “You can be such a buzz kill.”
“Well, I’m not really in what you would call ‘the mood’ for this kind of stuff,” I replied dryly, folding my arms across my chest. “Now, can we please get this done so I can get back to Luna?”
“Of course,” she nodded, adjusting her dress so everything was snug once more, “it would be best to no longer keep them waiting.”
Without another word the two of us made our way to the throne room, where I assumed I’d be introduced to a multitude of individuals Celestia believed wouldn’t be complete jackwads. Of course, she may also have decided to have some fun with it and picked out some of the nobles she’d dealt with in the past just so she could get a kick out of me beating the living hell out of them. Granted, I probably would’ve enjoyed that too, but I had the unfortunate burden to at least try to make myself look something more akin to a civilized type in spite of the fact that these horses were the ones pushing the asshole factor to new heights.
It didn’t take long for us to make it to the throne room, and aside from the usual stares that I’d grown accustomed to from the maids when I walked around nothing of note happened. The guards at the door greeted Celestia as they always did, bowing before the designated unicorn slowly pulled the door open. As the door opened, Celestia turned back and shot me a warm, almost motherly smile while the two guards readjusted their positions.
“Are you ready to make a selection?” she asked, presenting her arm like an escort.
“About as ready as I can be given the situation.” I smiled back, taking her arm and letting her lead me in.
The moment we entered the throne room we were met with the eyes of three ponies. All stallions, to be specific. There was only one pony among them I knew, mainly because I saw him on a seemingly two day schedule. That, and I also recognized his hairstyle, but that’s nitpicking.
“We’re here,” Celestia announced, though they were all looking at us in the first place, “I do apologize about the delay.”
“No need to apologize, my dear,” the unicorn with a dapper moustache said before humbly bowing. “I’m sure the good man was in the middle of important business.”
“At least what he considered important, Fancy,” Celestia remarked, sending a sly grin in my direction before stopping me just a few steps in front of the candidates she had selected. “Aedan,” she began waving her arm through the air like someone in an infomercial. “I humbly present to you Sir Fancy Pants, Equestrian elite and owner of the Equestrian Tribune, Prince Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire and former captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, and finally, Prince Blueblood… my nephew.”
I could feel my eyebrow fighting it’s way up my face before my gaze met Celestia’s. “That’s seriously all the introduction he’s going to get?” I whispered, not bothering to hide my chuckles.
“He wanted to at least be considered,” Celestia whispered back, driving a quick fist into my arm. “Now play nice. Unlike the other nobles, he hasn’t done anything that would cause you or Luna any grief.”
“Only because he flat-out ignores my existence,” I replied, giving Blueblood a quick look up and down.
“It’s better than how most nobles take your presence,” she countered, looking to her nephew, “so could you at least do him the courtesy?”
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes as I focused solely on the proudly standing unicorn. “Hey Blueblood.”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for stopping by,” I said, pointing behind myself, “maybe next time.”
Blueblood’s mouth unhinged and Celestia looked at me like I had just kicked a puppy, causing a brief, quiet, yet still audible laugh to pass my lips.
“Wh-what?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion.
“I said there’s the door,” I replied, my blunt tone coming out a bit harsher this time. “I know you’re only here for more attention, and I don’t want that for my kid, so get out.”
“Why the nerve!” Blueblood shouted, throwing his nose in the air as he walked by me. “To think why I even considered being your foal’s godfather is beyond me now. As if I wished to affiliate myself with you in the first place!”
“You never do that anyway,” I replied, slightly shaking my head as my arms came across my chest. “See you around, Blueblood.”
I could hear Blueblood mumble something under his breath, but he was too far away and I honestly didn’t care. The door opened and closed in a matter of seconds, leaving only myself, Celestia, and the other two remaining ponies in the room.
“Alright,” I said clapping my hands together, “so, who’s next?”
There was nothing but silence, all eyes aimed at me as I waited for my answer. Finally after what seemed like a minute, Celestia finally decided to speak up.
“Aedan,” she began, looking back to the door as she placed a hand on my shoulder, “wasn’t that a bit… harsh?”
“We both knew that he was only here for his own personal gains,” I reiterated. “Even if he doesn’t like me, he’d still flaunt the godfather to Luna’s baby title like no one’s business.”
“I can’t argue that,” Celestia nodded, letting out a deep sigh, “but if you’re going to do that again, may I ask you to be a bit more mindful and stay polite about it?”
“You’ve got my word,” I nodded, walking over to the stallion that stood next to Celestia. “You must be Shining Armor.”
“I am,” he nodded, extending his hoof with an unsure smile. “My wife told me a few things about you.”
“Did she now?” I said as I shook his hoof, to which he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “Well, I hope she left out the bad parts.”
“I think she did a good job,” Shining laughed, placing his hoof back on the ground. “A foal, huh? I gotta say I wasn’t expecting that from you two.”
“Well, it’s a baby,” I corrected with a smile, “and what do you mean by that?”
“Well, you two are so…” His thought trailed off as he tried to find the right word. “Different. That, and back when I was Captain of the Guard she seemed like she’d never really find that one. You know?”
“You know, your sister said something like that when she found out. After she fainted, of course.” I laughed before the second half of his statement, “Captain of the Guard, eh?”
“Yes sir,” Shining replied with the proper amount of pride, “I protected the Princess for nearly ten years before I married Cadence.”
“Really now?” I said, looking back to Celestia with a grin. “Did he do a good job?”
“Oh, he did wonderfully,” Celestia said, walking up to the stallion with predatory eyes. Before either of us could react she knelt down, allowing her gracious cleavage to rest just inches away from Shining’s face. “No matter what you always made sure I was safe. Especially during the night shift.”
The stallion’s face went from pale white to flushed with red. “I- uh, j-just doing my duty, Your Highness,” he managed to fumble out.
“And I appreciate that service oh so very much,” Celestia hummed in a sultry voice as her hand slid down Shining’s jawline, “I wish there was some reward I could offer for all those years~”
“I-it’s fine…” Shining’s voice cracked as he took a deep gulp of air, “I-I was just… just happy to serve.”
“Of course,” Celestia giggled, rising to her feet once more and walking over to the next candidate, “Come along Aedan, you’ve still got one more.”
“In a minute,” I said as her voice trailed off in my mind. I was still focused on Shining Armor, his face still burning hot as he wiped off the sweat from his brow. “You too, eh?”
Shining looked to me with an awkward smile as his blush finally began to subside. “Yeah,” he admitted, letting out a deep sigh. “She was always a pony when she did it to me, but still…”
“I know the feeling,” I said, shooting a quick glance over to the solar vixen. “Was it always that bad?”
“Man, that wasn’t even in the top twenty,” Shining chuckled, shaking his head slowly. “After this, I can get you a beer and we can talk about our experiences with her.”
“Deal,” I said, shaking his hoof before taking to Celestia’s side once more. “I hope this guy’s got something good up his sleeve,” I said, nudging her shoulder, “because I really like contestant number two.”
“Oh, I’m sure Fancy will deliver,” Celestia assured, looking to the stallion with a dapper moustache, “Isn’t that right?”
“I’m certain I can attract some of Lord Aedan’s attention, Princess.” His accent and stature were a lot like the regular noble snobs I dealt with, but I could tell they both lacked the same edge I was used to. It was kinda like they were just a part of who he was, rather than the whole thing.
Fancy adjusted his monocle with his magic as his hoof rose in greeting. “I can only hope that said attention is meant in a manner different than is oft leveled at my colleagues.”
“I wouldn’t worry a great deal about that, Fancy.” Celestia nodded and accepted the hoof, giving it a quick shake. After he turned towards me so we could repeat the procedure, Celestia threw one arm over my shoulder, pressing her titanic chest into my other arm. “I’m sure you recognize Aedan?”
“Of course I do,” he said, looking me up and down. “It’s hard not to recognize such a unique individual.”
“I suppose I stick out like a sore thumb a bit,” I shrugged, only to be answered with a slightly confused look from Fancy Pants. “Or hoof…”
“Ah, yes.” Fancy Pants let a chuckle pass through his lips. “I can assure you, you are quite the singular being.”
“So, Fancy,” I said, my tone becoming a little serious to try and throw him off his game, “Shining has a good case because of a shared sense of camaraderie. What do you have?”
“I can assure you the Prince has much more than that to offer,” he began, offering a quick nod to the pony in question that was returned with a genuine smile. Looks like this guy might not be all bullshit. “However, I’m sure I can convince you my character, at least, is equal to his. Princess Celestia has mentioned I am the head of the Equestrian Tribune, a news organization that I have strived to build as a reliable and unbiased source of information for everyone. I would like to offer an opportunity to share your story with the general public.”
“So, you want to make me a tabloid cash cow?” I asked, furrowing my brow.
“Heavens no!” Fancy quickly said, waving his hoof passively. “That isn’t the point. If it were, Princess Celestia wouldn’t have summoned me here to meet you.”
“So what did you mean?”
“Well, I’ve read nearly every article that has involved you, Princess Luna, or the both of you,” Fancy Pants explained, “I believe it safe to say that you know of their content as well?”
“Yeah,” I managed to growl out. “Most of them aren’t too nice either.”
“Exactly,” Fancy said, pointing his monocle at me with his magic, “I, unlike my many peers, recognize that the power so callously wielded by the upper class can’t solely exist for the purpose of further elevating ourselves. Tabloids like that are a disgrace to the media, spouting atrocious lies and performing character assassination in no way deserved by its targets. As such, I want the public to know the real Aedan Ryan, not some fabricated lie that smears your good name for that sake of ratings while destroying the integrity of the government and hurting its capacity to serve the Equestrian ponies!”
Fancy was breathing a little heavy by this point, causing a little fog to show up on his monocle as it wavered in front of him. He seemed just as stubborn as every other noblepony I’d met, but at least his beliefs were kinda in the right place. “And what if I didn’t choose you?”
“Oh, I’d still ask for an interview,” Fancy laughed. “Honestly, the matter of being godfather to your child is separate from that. I just couldn’t ask that you elect me without knowing a bit about me. “His smile faded as his voice dropped to a more level tone. “However, if you have any concerns about the nobility accepting your relationship with Princess Luna or the child, having me as the godfather would quiet many of them. I am a powerful pony, Lord Aedan, and directly connected to many of their industries.” He gave me a soft smile, though it was by no means friendly. “There would be… ‘problems’ if anyone were to publicly attack anyone directly associated with me.”
I tried my best to remain unconvinced. “And if they don’t?”
“Then I’ll still be the godfather of a beautiful baby,” Fancy Pants answered, without a moment’s hesitation. “I see no downsides to any situation that could come of it.”
I could feel the smile on my face grow. This guy who I never met was willing to stick his neck out for me and this was only the first time we’d met. Granted, I would still be despised by the rest of the elite in this country, but it’s nice to know that my kid would be shielded from all that.
I turned my attention back to Celestia, who was silently nodding in approval. “Well, Celestia,” I said with a smile, looking between my two choices, “I guess I-“
“Now wait just a minute!” A voice echoed across the throne room. “First you leave me out of the loop when Princess Luna’s baking a bun, and now you leave me out of the selection process for the Godfather?”
Celestia’s smile went blank as the other three of us tried to find the origin of the voice. Seconds later a finger snap echoed through the room and the room was plunged into darkness. Almost simultaneously a spotlight came on from… somewhere, and shone on a lone figure over to our right. It was an oddly tall, misshapen creature with various animal body parts for limbs. It was dressed in an expensive Italian suit, with a popped up collar supported by a bowtie and a single rose stuck in…
The fucker, whoever he was, was dressed like the Godfather. I didn’t know whether to be impressed or confused by what I was seeing.
I suddenly felt a claw clasp on my shoulder. I spun around to see what was behind me, and he was standing there now. A pair of yellow eyes with mismatched red pupils were less than an inch from my own.
“I’m going to make you an offe-”
A bright flash went off next to me, blinding me temporarily and incidentally saving me from the creature’s godawful Italian accent. By the time my vision cleared up, everything was back to the way it was before, only now with several ponies looking at the new figure - sans clothing - that had arrived in the room with varying degrees of horror and resignation. I might’ve been one of them if his overall appearance didn’t seem more cartoonish than anything else.
“Discord.” Celestia gave an exasperated sigh, resting her arms firmly on her hips. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh my, dear Celestia, no need to be so grim,” Discord smiled, patting her head wi- where did her black robe come from? And why is she holding a scyt… goddammit. “It ages you quicker that way.” On cue, several clocks both digital and analog appeared floating in the air, numbers flipping by too fast to see.
“You still haven’t answered my question,” Celestia said sternly, slapping away Discord’s paw and caused the clocks to vanish. “Why are you here?”
“I thought I made it crystal clear the first time.” Discord answered, turning into a giant topaz with a face and tophat attached to it. “I’d like to throw my hat in for this little dance.” His hat tipped off his… head, and tumbled into a tiny wrestling ring where tiny ponies creatures startled grappling it while shouting incoherent phrases.
I looked to Celestia, her face exuding well-worn frustration towards the mismatched body parts that made up the creature that was now apparently taking bets from a crowd of small things that had gathered around the arena.
"You've had sex with him... haven't you?" I asked, not really sure I wanted an answer.
Celestia bolted upright like I’d just hit her with a taser in the back. Blinking a few times, she turned her head towards me. "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me the first time," I answered, folding my arms across my chest, "so have you?"
The thousand yard stare I was given made me wonder if I hadn’t blown a circuit in her brain somewhere. I didn’t even know that was possible until now. When she finally moved again, it was simply to say, “Even I have standards, Aedan.”
I blinked erratically, not believing what I had just heard. "Standards? You?" I asked, shaking my head. "Really?"
"Of course I have standards, Mr. Ryan." Celestia replied, placing her hands on her hips as she apparently decided she wasn’t going to let this get to her. "Do you really think that low of me?"
"What? No," I said, raising my hands defensively, "I just- uh, you know..."
"Well, Aedan, you mustn't jump to conclusions like that," Celestia said during my pause, wagging a finger at me. We both stopped a moment, realizing her finger had turned into a balloon. I was about to look over to the wrestling ring when a loud pop drew my attention back to Celestia. Apparently she decided she didn’t like her new finger, and carried on like nothing had happened. "In my many years, I've done a lot of things, Aedan. And I do mean a lot. But I never did him, and I ne-”
Celestia paused suddenly, as though something were just occurring to her. I wasn’t exactly sure what had her worried, I did a quick check around and saw no one nearby. The ring had disappeared, too, along with whatever had been there. “What’s wro-”
“WHERE ARE THE OTHERS, DISCORD?”
I have to say, Luna might have a hell of a Royal Canterlot Voice, but even she wasn’t loud enough to make my vision go fuzzy, too. After taking some time to recover, I managed to catch the tail end of a conversation. “-re’s no way I’ll ever get them back on.”
I turned towards the sound. Discord was floating in front of an absolutely livid Celestia, holding his ears in his hands. They apparently… detached themselves from his head and were curled up into balls, like they were in the fetal position. Lovely.
Remembering what Celestia said, I asked, “What happened to the others?”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Celestia had opened her mouth to respond, but Discord beat her to it. “I just sent them home. After all, you have ME now! Quite the step up, I must say.”
Celestia cut in the moment she was composed enough to do so. “Shining Armor still had business to take care of here in Equestria, and it was-”
“Terribly dull,” Discord retorted, bringing in a sofa that he proceeded to faint on in an exaggerated fashion. “Taking tea with dignitaries is hardly all there is to life Celestia. Besides, I’m sure Cadence is going to enjoy all that extra time she has with him.” The sofa morphed into a heart-shaped bed with curtains before my very eyes, and a pair of songbirds appeared that flew over Discord’s head and kissed to a backdrop of little hearts flying all over.
I was a bit tired of being left out of the conversation by now, so I decided to make myself known once more. “Okay, Discord. Why the hell would you want to be the kid’s godfather?”
Discord, now in heavy make-up, was waving a paper fan in front of his face. “Oh dear, such dreadful language.” He tossed the fan aside, where it vanished after causing a small explosion that left the floor undamaged. “Am I the only one to consider what your kid is going to be like grown up? I mean, when am I supposed to be the forward thinker of the group?”
“I don’t like what suggesting, Discord,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Fine, let me spell it out for you.” A chalkboard helpfully appeared beside him, blocking Celestia’s view of us. “You are a human.” He looked over wire-rimmed glasses at the chalkboard, and helpfully pointed out a simple chalk outline of a person with a pointer stick. “Luna is a pony, if not right now.” He brought the stick to point over at another chalk figure, this time of a horse and human with an arrow running between them. Celestia settled in next to me, muttering something under her breath.
“Now, such a unique combination has never happened in Equestria before.” The outline this time, I guessed, looked kinda like a centaur. I didn’t really want to ask him about it, though. “So really, none of us can be sure what sort of powers your chid is going to manifest as it gets older.” The figure he pointed to was a small person growing into a big one, and wavy lines coming off of him. “And you know what they say about watching over dangerous, unpredictable, and chaotic bundles of energy?” No one moved for a moment, before Discord put on a pair of shades. “Who you gonna call?”
“ME!” Cannons exploded confetti and streamers all around, mixing in with the fruit punch bowls and demolishing most of the cake. I blew on a party favor. Celestia knocked off her party hat. We were both just about done with this shit. “So whaddya say? I can teach them how to swim, and paint with all the colors of the wind, and how to calculate the flight-”
“Thanks for the offer, Discord, but I think I’ll pass.” I didn’t have enough time on this world to explain exactly why I didn’t want to pick him, so I left it at that. “Luna and I can take care of our kid, and whatever… weird magic bullshit you think might happen.”
Discord smiled, before floating in the air and twisting himself into a spring. “No need to get so wound up, Aedan.” His body suddenly started spinning, releasing all the tension he’d built up as his body blurred due to the speed it went at. “Besides, you’re hardly the best role model, you know.”
That got next to me. “And what does that mean?” I growled.
“Oh, isn’t that obvious? You get so worked over everything!” He put a paw out, with a little person that turned red before exploding in a mushroom cloud. “You know, your attitude is just as much the reason the nobles hate you as the sticks up their flanks.” He pulled a brown-covered stick out from behind him and waved it under my nose. “Think of all the stress you’re helping put on your beloved Luna’s shoulders. And it’ll only get worse after your kid-”
My fist didn’t let him finish his thought. It decided to cut him off by slamming directly between his eyes, seemingly caving it in before he fell to the ground. As he rose to to his feet, everything he had summoned disappeared, save for his wire rimmed glasses. I shook my fist a few times - hitting fangs hurts - Discord brought his hands up to his face to cover his nose, which had just a tiny bit of blood leaking out. “You… you hit me!”
“No shit,” I hissed out, walking over to him as Celestia looked on, frozen in shock. “Now if you ever say anything like that about myself, Luna, or our baby…” My voice trailed off as my finger stopped inches away from his face. “Let’s just say don’t even think about crossing that line again.”
Discord put on a frown as he waved off our reactions with a paw. “Yes, I suppose I should have seen that coming.” Celestia came up and put a hand on my shoulder. Maybe she didn’t want me to try that again, but he wasn’t getting away with speaking like that about me and Luna. He folded his arms, all levity gone from his voice. “However, you’ve forgotten something, Mister Ryan.”
“Wha-” My question was cut off by the sound of a finger snap, and the world coming to a halt. The soft chatter of voices that bled through the walls stopped. I couldn’t move my body, and my heartbeat was gone, even in the unnatural silence. Celestia’s hand, still resting on my shoulder, didn’t move, but it’s warmth felt a world away as my senses seemed to detach themselves from me. In a world of perfect stillness, only he moved, bringing his claw up to pull the glasses off his face.
“Not everyone forgives as easily as I do, Aedan.” A simple shrug of his shoulders, and I realized I couldn’t even follow the movement since my eyes were frozen in their current position. “Some can’t forget their grudges, letting their wounds fester in the heart until it defiles something pure. Others are burdened by their own standards, trying to live up to an ideal they know is beyond them. Some just think they’re untouchable, and don’t take kindly to reminders otherwise. Regardless,” he tossed the glasses aside, as they vanished into the air, “you need to step more carefully. Just because everyone else isn’t an avatar of chaos doesn’t mean they can’t hurt you.”
With a soft pop, the world started up again. Celestia didn’t comment seem to acknowledge anything had happened, and Discord himself gave no indication he was anything but a cheerful… thing right now. “Well,” he began, “I’m afraid I must be off. Teatime at Fluttershy’s in five, and I need to pick up azaleas for the sandwiches.” Reaching up with his paw, he grabbed a comically oversized zipper and pulled down, opening a hole in the air that led to a brick wall. “Think about what I said, okay?” With that, he stepped through the brick wall like it wasn’t there. Seconds later, a hand punched a hole in the brick wall, grabbed the zipper, and pulled up, closing the hole in the universe. No sign of Discord was left at this point.
“Thank you, Aedan,” Celestia said, cutting the silence. “for not hitting him again, I mean. Discord can be… difficult, but for all his faults he’s a very powerful creature, and I wouldn’t want you to have any more problems than you already have.” She walked around in front of me, using a finger to brush a stray hair away from her face. “I know it’s a blatantly obvious distraction, but do you know who you want as the godfather?”
After all the insanity that just happened… and Discord, it seemed like there was only one pony I could count on for the job. “Yeah,” I sighed, looking to her before turning to the throne room doors.
“What are you-“
“Night Wing!” I yelled as loudly as I could, hoping the echo of my voice would carry far enough for him to hear.
Silence fell on the throne room for a good minute before the golden doors flew open, revealing a large bat pony, clad in the finest moonsteel armor that Canterlot’s blacksmith’s could offer. The look on his face was impassive, but I knew him well enough to recognize the concern in his eyes.
“Yes sir?” he asked, flying to my side. “Is there something-“
“Do you want to be my baby’s godfather?” I asked, looking down to him.
His legs buckled as he stumbled around. I seriously thought I’d have to catch him because he looked like he was about to faint. Fortunately for his masculinity, he managed to steady himself after a few seconds and salvage the tattered remains of his dignity.
“Lord Ry-Aedan.” He bowed with a huge smile plastered to his face. “I would be honored to-“
“Problem solved,” I said, turning back to Celestia. “Sorry I took so much time, Celestia.”
She waved Night Wing back into the hallway before returning my look. “If anything, I should be apologizing to you. Dealing with Discord is a burden, and I should be keeping a better eye on him but...” She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, timed perfectly to hide the shudder that passed through my body as she mentioned him. “I’ll apologize to Shining and Fancy on your behalf since I’ll see them long before you do.”
“Thanks, Celestia,” I replied. Shame about those beers I was promised, though. “Mind if I get back to Luna now?
“Of course.” Celestia nodded, smiling at the change in subject. “I know you’d hate to keep her waiting.”
I nodded, knowing that I didn’t have to add to a confirmation. Our little walk didn’t really seem to last that long, but I admit the lack of stimuli compared to when Discord is around probably had something to do with that. Even though the two of us remained quiet, there was still something nagging me in the back of my head, something that the two of us were talking about before Sid’s most messed up toy decided to interrupt us.
"Hey Celestia." I asked, looking over to her as we kept walking.
"Yes?"
"What exactly are your standards?"
"Oh Aedan please," She giggled, placing her hand on my chest, "a lady never divulges such secrets, but if you do need a hint I'd suggest you try looking into a mirror~."
I grumbled, rolling my eyes as I rested my hands on my hips. I had just managed to get an inkling of the proper Celestia out with my assumption, but it was soon dashed by the sudden resurgence by the Celestia I had come to know in these past few months. “Will it ever end?” I asked, growing a small smile.
“Only if you stop making it so fun for me.” Celestia smiled back, resting her head on my shoulder, batting her eyes playfully as she did so.
We finally arrived at the door where the person in question was more than likely waiting patiently for me. I looked to Celestia, she looked back, we both nodded and I reached for the door.
“Wait,” she suddenly said grabbing my hand.
“Yes?” I asked, slightly confused, “what is-“
“What you did to Discord,” she began, “that was amazing.”
“No one talks like that about my family,” I replied, clenching my free hand, “I don’t care who, or what, they are. You talk like that about the ones I love, you’re getting your face rearranged.”
“You made that very evident,” she laughed, “and honestly I think he needed it, we’ve probably been a bit too lenient with him, so you’re little stunt probably reminded him about boundaries.”
“Good to know,” I smiled before a seemingly pointless detail concerning the day’s events came to mind. “Celestia.”
“Yes Aedan?”
“I’m pretty sure that this is a stupid question, since you’re her sister and all, but has Luna selected a godmother yet?” I half expected to be laughed at when I asked her, but instead her face remained placid. “Celestia?”
She shook her head, as if she had trouble hearing what I had said. “E-excuse me?”
“Luna’s already chosen you to be the godmother,” I answered, raising a brow, “right?”
“I haven’t been asked yet,” she answered, “Luna and I haven’t really been seeing each other as of late.”
“What?” I asked, a little surprised at her response. “Why?”
“Luna’s been isolating herself more and more as of late,” she explained. She had my surprise. Now she had my concern. “I assume it is because of the nobles causing her so much stress with the rumors and gossip they weave. She doesn’t realize it herself yet, but I’ve lost my sister once before, and I admit to a… heightened awareness to her feelings ever since she returned.”
“So you’re telling me that you can see that she’s been lying to herself?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest, “If that’s the case why hasn’t she brought it up to you, or me, for that matter?”
“As I said, I believe her to be lying to herself concerning the severity of her problems. Why would she bring it up? Besides, I thought you’d recognized it yourself.” She answered.
“I… I haven’t,” I sighed, thinking back to all the times she’d actually talked to someone other than me. The last person I could recall was Cadence, and that was over a month ago. Hell, today was the first time in close to a week that we’d spent more than a few hours together.
Celestia nodded, placing a hand on her hip as the other slowly slid through the air. “I’ve tried to set aside a day to bond, as we have in the past,” she continued, looking me square in the eyes, “but with her growing increasingly distant, the duties of governance fall more and more on my shoulders. I cannot set the realm aside for that amount of time with the current state of affairs.”
I tried to express myself in words, but my mind was unable to construct a proper sentence. The only thing that kept running through my head was how stupid I was for not noticing it sooner. What kind of man am I if I am not able to notice that my child’s mother to be was going through these kind of changes?
Before I could curse myself for being so stupid, Celestia gently placed her hands on my shoulders, gathering my attention once more. “Aedan, if you could, please spend more time with my sister. See what ails her, and what you can do to ease her troubles. When she is feeling more optimistic about the events surrounding her and your baby, I’m sure she’ll find time to ask me to become the godmother. Until then, we must focus on what is important.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, nodding my head as I rubbed the back of my neck, “yeah, I’ll do that.”
“Thank you, Aedan,” Celestia replied with a warm smile, bringing me into her embrace, “I’m sure you’ll be able to get to her far better than I.”
“I’ll do my damndest,” I said, looking to the door once more. “I’ll see you around Celestia, ‘cause right now… I’ve got to get my priorities in line.”
“You do that, Aedan,” Celestia smiled, releasing me from her grasp. “You do that.”
I didn’t say anything else to her, I just ran inside our room, leaving Celestia to her own devices. Before I knew it I was at our bedside, eyes drifting over the women who had fallen asleep waiting for me. I felt slightly ashamed about that, especially after what Celestia had told me just moments prior.
I placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle shake in an effort to wake her. The low grumbles and faint twitching in response to my actions were answer enough, so I slid into bed with her. I didn’t give her a chance to squeak before I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in close, nuzzling the back of her head as I made myself comfortable in my new position.
“What has come over you, Aedan?” Luna mumbled sleepily, twisting to face me and wrapping her hands around my waist. “Not that I’m complaining, of course, but you normally aren’t this… feely.”
“I just want you to know I’m here for you,” I replied, pulling her in as close as her stomach would allow and giving her a quick peck on the forehead, “and that, no matter what, I’ll never leave your side.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she giggled, offering her own kiss. “Do you plan on going any further than our current embrace?”
I could feel her hands traveling up and down my back, with her fingers digging into my shirt every few seconds. I smiled down to her and rolled onto my back, bringing her with me as I did so. Another excited squeak sounded throughout the room as I pressed my lips against hers and slid my hands to the small of her back.
“Luna,” I whispered, wrapping my hand around the elastic of her panties, “no matter what, I want to to know I’ll always be here when you need me.”
Another few weeks had passed since the whole godfather incident, as I had come to call it, happened and I had ensured that I stayed beside Luna for every possible moment. The only times I really had to leave her be was when she slipped into her little dream world, but I made sure that I wasn’t too far away when she did so. I had to be there for her, because if anything Celestia had said was true – and she had yet to lie to me – it meant that there was a very big risk of losing her, and I sure as shit wasn’t about to let that happen.
During one of her trips to the dreamscape, I came up with what I assumed would be a good idea – a night out. I’d rarely been outside the castle and Luna pretty much kept to the throne room, our room, and her little dream sanctuary. I’d talked to Celestia about it, and despite her initial apprehension she agreed with me that it would be a good way to help the populace accept the fact that I existed and that wasn’t a bad thing. So long as they didn’t make me angry, of course.
After talking over the details with Luna, we’d managed to set a date where she’d be free from her royal duties. Today was that day, and while Luna was taking her sweet time in the bathroom, I was plodding around the bedroom, trying to get all I needed to make myself halfway presentable.
“Aedan…” Luna called from the bathroom, “are you sure that this is a good idea? You know that you aren’t exactly the most popular resident in Equestria.”
“That’s kind of why I think we should do this,” I answered back, throwing on an undershirt before walking over to my dresser. “I mean, I’ve been here for nearly a year, and I’ve only left the castle grounds a total of seven times, and each of those times it’s been to get some doughnuts.” I paused, a small frown growing on my face as I pulled out one of the nicer blue and silver shirts that Rarity had made for me and looked towards the bathroom. “Doughnuts that always go missing for some reason.”
“I thought I told you that if anyone was pilfering your doughnuts, it was my sister!” Luna responded in a defensive tone, making a small grin creep to my face. “She likes to hide it, but every diplomat and noble knows to bring her a confectionary before asking a favor of her.”
“And yet I’ve never seen doughnut crumbs on her clothes.” I retorted, sliding my shirt over my body. “That and she rarely, if ever, comes into our room.”
There was a long period of silence in the room, causing a small grin to creep across my face. After another minute or two Luna finally decided to speak up.
“I despise you.”
I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. It was funny when I caught Luna lying about something, and to top it off she looked absurdly cute when she’d been caught. The thought of her expression after my snark was enough to get a laugh out of me, and her comment at the end was just the cherry on top of the whole exchange. After her little outburst, my attention turned to the clock on the wall. 18:00. We needed to get going if we wanted to make the reservations that I’d asked Celestia to set at that restaurant I knew Luna loved.
“Are you ready yet, dear?” I asked, slipping on a nice pair of black leather shoes. At least, Rarity called them “leather”. I didn’t want to question what leather was here, since it might lead someone here to question what I’d thought it was made of. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want to keep Night Wing and his plus one waiting.”
“Why must he come along?” Luna asked, still inside the bathroom and ignoring my question. “He knows full well that we are capable of keeping ourselves safe.”
“Well, he insisted because it’s his job to ensure you’re safe,” I began, letting out a sigh, “and besides, he’s the kid’s godfather. Don’t you think we both should spend more time with him? I mean, we already know him pretty well, but it’s nice to relax with friends every once in a while, right?”
“I suppose,” Luna answered, “but what of the plus one as you say? Was it necessary for another to join the three of us?”
“You’ve never been the third wheel, Luna,” I replied, shaking my head. Granted, neither was I, but I do remember feeling bad for Gordon when he came out to hang with me and one of my many girlfriends back in high school. “I thought it’d be nice to offer the opportunity, at least.”
“A kindness that is most admirable.” Luna said, finally stepping out of the bathroom. “However, I’m left to wonder just who Night Wing will try to impress with his close relationship to us.”
“Oh come on, I don’t think he’ll be that bad,” I laughed, sliding my pants on before turning to face her. “Night Wing’s one of those…”
My thoughts trailed off the moment I set my sights on Luna. The way the lights from the bathroom shone off her midnight blue hair and darkened skin only seemed to amplify the beauty that she already possessed. A fact driven even further home by her choice of attire.
It was modest by Luna’s standard as a princess – dark blue and loosely held onto her body by a single shoulder strap that started from her right shoulder and descending to her left armpit, turning it into generous swathes of light blue fabric that barred any peeks at her sinfully delicious chest. As my eyes continued to travel downward, I saw that the lighter blues surrendered to much darker tones of the same color, especially when it wrapped around the now obvious bulge that was my big middle finger to thousands of enraged higher class citizens in this country. Finally, my eyes traveled down to her legs, expecting to see the second amazing feature that I’d ever noticed on her. Sadly, they were covered by a frilled mixture of dark and light blues, ending just shy of her toes, giving me a glimpse of the black high heels she was sporting.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, drawing my attention back to her face. “Is my ensemble not what you would consider proper?”
“What? Oh no,” I said, shaking my head a few times before walking over to her, “I, well…” I had to stop for a moment to think of what to say without digging myself a grave. Heaven knows the last thing we need is me saying something utterly stupid to ruin the evening before it had even started.
“It’s what?” Luna asked, placing her hands on her hips in an attempt to look stern. “Out with it.”
Without a word, I took hold of one of her hands and brought it to to her stomach as I took another step forward, leaving only inches between us as I finally figured out what I was going to say. “I just never thought I’d see you like this…” I managed to breathe out with a heartfelt smile.
There was a pause from Luna as she processed what I had said. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
I really should have seen that question coming. “Uh…” I began, my smile long gone as I started to think. Again. “Well, I never really thought any of this would happen.”
“Explain.”
“You know, this,” I answered, pointing to her stomach before patting it gently. “I never thought that I’d be the kind of guy to have a kid, let alone with a woman like you. To see it like this still kinda blows my mind.”
An adorable smile graced Luna’s face as she rose to the tips of her toes and quickly pressed her lips to mine. “Either you sincerely mean what you have just said,” she began, wrapping an arm around my neck, “or you managed to cleverly avoid my hand coming to the side of your head.”
“Can it be a little bit of both?” I laughed, wrapping my free arm around her back so I could pull her in even closer.
“In any case, it worked.” She hummed, nuzzling my nose with hers. “Now come, I wouldn’t wish to keep Night Wing and his plus one waiting. ‘Twould be most impolite of us.”
“As you wish, my dear,” I replied with a cheeky grin as I scooped her up in my arms, forcing her to let out a little squeak, like the world’s sexiest chew toy. “I’d hate to offend you, your majesty.”
I took a step forward, almost losing my balance as I did so. It wasn’t so much that she’d gained weight, which she had without saying – there was a little person growing in her belly. It was more an issue with balance. Last time I’d carried her she didn’t have such a bump. Despite the setback, I managed to retain a dose of competence and continued forward without Luna asking me what was wrong and forcing me into another corner where I knew that I was going to be smacked in the head.
Before I could try to shift her body to where I could reach for the handle, the entire door was surrounded in a faint, sapphire hue. I looked down to the woman in my arms. The smile on her face was undoubtedly cheeky, and I obviously wasn’t as smooth as I thought when I nearly fumbled her. I couldn’t help but smile myself as the door slid open, allowing the light from the dying day to shine in our bedroom.
“Showoff,” I grumpled, leaning in for a quick nuzzle.
“I wouldn’t want to harm your oh-so-fragile pride,” she replied cutely, returning the affection. “Now quickly; as I have said before, we mustn’t keep Night Wing waiting.”
“That won’t be necessary,” a voice said from the halls, “because I’m already here.”
The two of us turned our attention from one another to the stallion that stood in the doorway. He was dressed surprisingly well: he was head to hoof in a uniform that closely resembled what I used to wear when I was in the Marines, though the navy blue and red were switched out for black and grey. A small collection of medals were pinned to his chest, as well as one that hung around his neck. Finally, he held a beret under his leathery wing, stitched with the symbols of both Princesses, but it was clear which of the two that he had originally pledged his allegiance to.
“Damn son,” I smiled, slowly placing Luna on the ground, “you clean up nice.”
“I try to keep my looks low key,” Night Wing replied looking over his attire. “Gotta give the other stallions a chance.”
“I never knew you had such confidence,” Luna smirked, making her way towards him.
Night Wing puffed his chest up with pride, as Luna’s comment seemed make his ego reserves overflow. “Well when you look-”
“I also didn’t know you were so disillusioned,” she finished, cutting him off, her smile as wide as I’ve ever seen it.
I managed to hold back my laughter as Luna’s words sunk in. Night Wing’s smile faded, his chest fell flat and his shoulders sank low. The moment his head dropped between his forelegs was when I lost it. Luna rarely, if ever, made jokes, and even more rarely a funny one. This one was pure gold. A few moments passed and my cackling finally subsided, leaving only silence. Minus the sound of my body trying to replenish minimum supplies of oxygen.
“You done?” Night Wing asked, taking a deep breath.
“As of now I am,” I nodded, breathing regularly once again. “Where’s your date anyway? I thought you said that you had a real looker.”
“Oh, she is,” Night Wing replied, growing a suspiciously devious grin. “In fact, you could say that she’s too much of a looker.”
“What the hell is that supposed to…” My voice trailed off the moment I noticed Luna and Night Wing’s staring down the hall. Night Wing’s grin remained, but Luna’s face flushed a dark red. Oh he didn’t.
I stepped out into the hall, turning to face the direction the two were staring, and what I saw easily won ‘Most Awkward Situation of the Week’.. It was a mare, an adorable one at that, adorned in her own military uniform – a female version of Night Wing’s, to be specific – complete with tiny heels and mini-skirt. Of course, the outfit wasn’t the issue. That belonged to the pony that wore it.
“Star Rider…” I managed to mumble out before looking back to Night Wing, “seriously?”
“She’s the one who said yes,” he answered, looking back to me. “Besides, you said I could take anyone.”
“You cheeky dickwaffle,” I replied automatically, before my brain kicked in again and I could continue my statement. “Even I didn’t see this one coming.”
“Well you should have.” The pride that was once lost manifested itself into Night Wing once more as his head rose to it’s pre-jeer form. “Considering that you’ve known me for close to a year now.”
“I’ll remember to keep that in mind the next time I want to do something nice for you,” I remarked, reaching toward Luna. The poor woman was still frozen in awkward eye contact with Night Wing’s choice for a date. “Come on Luna. We wouldn’t want to be late to the restaurant, right?”
Luna shook her head a few times before turning her attention back to me with an awkward grin. “Y-yes… indeed,” she nodded, doing her best to regain her composure. “We must be punctual, as it would be most unbecoming of us if we were late to our reservation.”
With that, Luna made her way to the front gates of the castle grounds, Night Wing following only a few steps behind. That left only me and Star Rider, making it all the more awkward for the both of us. It wasn’t like we hadn’t seen each other in months – in fact, we crossed paths a day ago – but we sure as hell didn’t talk to one another. The most I ever said to her after she came back from the Crystal Empire was ‘Hello’, and she would normally nod and look away before I could see her face turn red from embarrassment, which made it all the more embarrassing for me.
Granted, she wasn’t the first individual to walk in on me doing something less than decent with a woman, and I’ve walked in on a friend or two trying to make copies on more than one occasion, but I always managed to laugh it off and, on rare occasions, congratulate said friend with a high five or fist bump mid stride. Star Rider, however, was very different, and given the red growing on her face as she looked at me she still hadn’t managed to wipe the memory from her mind.
“You look nice,” I said with a small smile, trying to take some of the tension out of the room, “I didn’t know you actually had a dress uniform.”
Star Rider’s ears shot up as her golden feline eyes met mine before she looked to her uniform and away from me. “T-thank you,” she mumbled, “I… I rarely get a chance to wear it.”
“Well, I’m glad that you’ve gotten the chance tonight,” I said with a sign. She wasn’t going to make this easy. As I stood there trying to think of something to say, the obvious icebreaker popped into my head. “So, Night Wing, eh?” I began placing my hands in my pocket. “Sure was nice of him to ask you to tag along.”
“Um, yeah it was,” she replied, finally looking up to me once more. “But in hindsight, I really should’ve seen this coming. He can’t pass up an opportunity to mess with me.”
“That makes two of us.” I nodded with a laugh, inwardly pumping my fist in triumph. I’d finally found some common ground with her! Maybe this night won’t be a bust after all.
“I just thought he actually wanted to spend some time with me off duty,” she agreed, mirroring my laugh before it faded. “For once…”
“What?” I asked, not really believing what I just heard.
“N-nothing!” Star Rider said quickly, spreading her leathery wings to their full length. “I didn’t say anything! I swear!”
I was a little shocked by her adm– okay, I was really shocked by her admission, But I was already running with it. For all the hell he’s given me, Night Wing was a pretty good guy, and seeing him with somebody would make me happy. All I had to do was somehow get him to see his subordinate as something more. Of course, maybe he already did and he was holding back for some reason? I didn’t know Night Wing all that well concerning his personal life, so maybe I was missing something. Since she clearly pays attention to him, maybe I should ask her more about him?
“Y’know, I haven’t really gotten to know Night Wing outside of being of guard, too. I don’t suppose you can tell me anything about what he’s like?”
“Um…” She hesitated for a long while before responding to my question. “He’s really sweet when he wants to be, but his focus more often than not falls on his duties as a guard. The only time I’ve really seen him joke around is with you… sir.”
That… wasn’t much to go on, but I guess it means he really needs either a girl or some hobbies. I mean, even when I was in the military I still knew that I could run around and have my fun, whether it was with friends, alcohol, women, or any mixture of those three. Eventually I might need to have a talk with him; then again, if I was able to find the time during this date I could easily get two bats with the proverbial stone.
“Well I suppose that means I have a few things to discuss with Night Wing when I-”
“Wha-what’s that supposed to mean?!” Star Rider suddenly interrupted, her cheeks flushing red, “If you go to him and start-”
“Easy there, Flicka,” I said, putting my hand up passively, “I was just going to ask him about what he does when the armor’s off. What did you think I was going to say?”
She was blushing furiously at that remark, and her mouth flapped uselessly for a bit as she struggled to recover. When she finally did manage to say something, it was a choked plea. “P-please don’t do that again sir.”
I chuckled. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. We should probably hurry up.” I didn’t want to push her too far, and that last bit was true enough. We’d lagged behind Night Wing and Luna quite a bit.
As we both sped up, I figured I may as well go for gold. “One last thing, Star Rider.”
“Yes, sir?”
“You’ve never had to call me sir, it’s just Aedan. Alright?”
“Understood, si– Aedan.” She almost tripped herself up with my name on that last part, but she seemed to be getting used to me. Still, this was the first bit of me trying to patch things up with her after our… disastrous first meeting.
The two of us practically sprinted towards our counterparts, meeting them just before they reached the castle gates. There was a brief pause among all of us, as if we were possibly reconsidering out little night out, but after a few quiet nods towards each other we turned to the gate guard with wishful smiles.
“Guard,” Luna stated, pointing to the one closest to the lever. “Open the gates.”
“Yes, your majesty!” he responded with a quick salute before reaching for the lever and pulling hard.
With a loud clunking noise, the latch that held the gate closed swung open, allowing the gate to slowly rise from the ground and adding a sense of awe to a rather mundane event. We stood there for a good minute, watching the gate slowly rise until, finally, it stopped at the top, revealing a crowded and boisterous capital that I clearly wasn’t prepared to face. Much to my surprise, I felt Luna’s hand intertwine with mine, giving it a firm squeeze as reassurance.
I looked to Luna, who in turn looked at me. I could tell that there was a little bit of insecurity in her eyes, but she did her best to hide it with her adorable smile. “Together?” she asked, giving my hand yet another squeeze before she pulled me in close.
“Together,” I repeated, laying my head on hers as we took our first steps into Canterlot, ready for just about anything the place could throw at us.
The moment the four of us stepped through the gate and off the castle grounds it seemed like all eyes had shifted from whatever task they were previously focusing on to us. Granted a matching pair of humans and bat ponies wasn’t something you’d see everyday, but enough to cause two taxi cart collisions and the destruction of a cabbage stand? I think not.
“Well this is starting out better than I thought it would.” Night Wing remarked looking at the distraught pony literally weeping over his destroyed cabbages. “I honestly thought they’d call the guard by now.”
“Ever the optimist,” I grunted out, rolling my eyes for added effect.
“Hey, I just call it like it is. I still remember the last time we night guard tried to go out and have a good time.”
“Don’t remind me sir…” Star Rider shuttered at the not so fond memory, “I still think those stallions are going to pop out and get me from time to time.”
“Fear not young Star Rider,” Luna said with a warm smile as her hand gently slid through the mare’s mane, causing her to pause and look at Luna square in the eye for once, “for you are in the good company of a princess, her consort, and her most trusted guard.”
“I-I guess that makes me feel a bit better.” Star Rider smiled, lightly pressing her body against Luna’s leg as we continued to walk into the slowly parting crowd.
“That’s right,” I said smiling for a completely different reason, shooting my gaze between the two ponies that stood at Luna’s right, “Night Wing’s going to be right next to you all evening, right big man?”
Night did a double take in my direction before deciding to act upon what I had said. “That’s right Star,” he said confidently, wrapping a leathery wing around her, “I’ll keep the bad guys at bay.”
Star Rider’s body went from contently relaxed on Luna’s leg to stiff as a board the moment she self his wing touch her and if not for my usually high baring I would have begun to laugh my ass off the moment I saw her face. She hardly had pupils anymore and her muzzle was red enough to mistake her for Rudolph. Night Wing quickly brought his wing back to his side, looking more confused than I’d ever seen him as he examined his female counterpart,finally forcing me to let out a small chuckle.
“What was that for?” Luna asked between her shifting gazes.
“You’ll see,” I answered back in almost a whisper, watching silently and waiting for the event to unfold.
“You… okay there Star?” Night Wing asked awkwardly looking down to her. “Haven’t seen you this riled up since-”
“I’m fine!” she blurted out quickly, shooting her head up and setting her sights straight forward, before loosening up once more and ducking back into herself. “I’m fine… thank you for asking.”
“Yeah, no problem,” Night Wing replied with a nod and a slight shrug of his shoulder before turning his attention to Luna, “so what’s for dinner?”
“Only the finest for my love and my guards,” Luna said happily wrapping my arm up and pulling me in, “it was difficult to set up a reservation, even as a princess.”
“Couldn’t you just walk in and say ‘I raise the moon peasant, serve me’?” I asked cocking my brow, “I thought that was a perk of, oh I don’t know, coruling an entire nation as well as having enough magical prowess to raise and move a heavenly object on so much as a whim.”
“You get wordy when you wish to be overly sarcastic,” Luna said dryly as the slight brightness in her eyes from before faded, “you know that right?”
“Only when I feel the need to emphasize the point.” I half laughed, looking at her still stern expression, “But go on, I’m sure there’s a good reason for not doing what I suggested.”
“As a matter of fact there is.” Luna replied, actually sticking her nose in the air slightly, “Even with my status as a ruler and powers, I still think it fair to proceed with the common courtesies that those without my prowess have to go through as well.”
“So you don’t want to come off as a self entitled snob?” I asked with a rather proud smile now growing on my face.
“Of course not,” Luna said smiling back, resting her head on my shoulder, “what do I look like? A noble?”
A quick laugh followed by a small kiss was the only response I could manage. It was becoming painfully obvious that my excessive sarcasm starting to rub off on her. Granted we’d been pretty much one hundred feet or less away from one another for close to a year or so and the massive bulge in her gut was evidence that we’d been closer than a lot of couples had been in the given time we’d known one another, but that was neither here nor there. Heaven help the world if for some reason that temper of mine which Discord so dickishly pointed out a few weeks ago started to take hold as well.
Despite the rather large groups of ponies that made it painfully obvious that they were both trying to avoid and gawking at us, we made it to the restaurant without so much as a few uncomfortably long stares in our general direction. The four of us paused briefly before looking to one another and with a light squeeze of my hand Luna’s smile grew almost childlike in happiness.
“We’re here~” she beamed, practically jumping with excitement, “Our first ever date!”
I was about to respond with a counter to what she had said, but upon thinking back over the year or so that we’d known each other the more and more I realized she was right. In all this time I hadn’t taken her out on the town anywhere, except for the times we weren’t technically a couple, and it doesn’t count if you’re not a couple, does it? As I thought about it I’d come to realize just how quickly the two of us were thrown into this situation. Three weeks was all it took for me to tell her that I loved her, granted those three weeks were spent pretty much attached at the hip, but damn it was quicker than any other relationship, or at least the ones I could call a relationship, that I had ever had.
The fact that she was now close to seven or so months pregnant with my child seemed to cement the fact that we’d taken this way too fast. I mean, I’m only twenty five. Luna, despite being one thousand nine hundred and fifty four years old she still acted like a twenty three year old and I’ve seen plenty of couples our age have kids and then watch their once loving relationships break down into nothing.
How the hell are we going to respond to some of the big issues that having a baby intal? Are we going to come through with flying colors and have our love be stronger than ever? Or is it going to rip us apart like so many other young couples that had a baby too fast? What would happen then? Where would I go? But most importantly, what would the woman I love, destroyed by a broken heart, do in quite possibly her darkest hours?
“A-Aedan?” Luna’s soft voice pulled me from the void my mind had drug me into and brought me back to the now. Her expression changed from excitement to concern, and rightfully so, I probably looked like I’d seen a ghost. “Aedan, is something wrong?”
“Y-yeah,” I managed to stutter out as I reached for the back of my head, trying to offer a reassuring smile to the concerned woman at my side. “Yeah I’m good, you don’t need to be worried about me.”
“You sure sir?” Night Wing asked tilting his head to the side, “you looked like-”
“I’m good,” I said quickly waving his concern off, “let’s just get in there and grab our table huh?”
“Yes!” Star Rider chimed in suddenly, “I heard the appetizers here are the best in Canterlot, I can’t personally wait to try them.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, thankful for the change of subject, “lets roll on in.”
I stepped off before either Luna or Night Wing could bring up my little episode again. I really didn’t feel like thinking back on it right now, even the bland as hell shit they try to pass off as food here was better than revisiting that subject as it was. The four of us stopped at the host which by the way he eyed the four of us I could tell that this experience wasn’t going to be all too enjoyable finally he picked up his reservation clipboard and looked to the scribbles he’d pinned down earlier.
“And you are?” he asked, not bothering to look at us.
“Princess Luna,” the woman beside me said in a cheery tone, “party of four.”
The host paused what he was doing and his eyes rose ever so slightly over his clipboard and took a quick glance at Luna and myself before shooting back to his list. “Ah yes, forgive me princess, I didn’t realize you were taking your pet for a walk.”
That sure as hell didn’t sit well with me, and I was about to let it be known before Luna grabbed my arm. I shot a quick glance over to her, but all she did was calmly shake her head and place her other hand on my shoulder. I never understood why, but seeing Luna act the way she was really seemed to calm me down after an insult that easily justified a broken nose, or muzzle, whatever ponies called their noses.
“I assure you Aedan is not my pet good sir,” she began looking at the host while still keeping hold of me, “he is my lover, my equal, and most importantly, the father of our unborn infant, so please show him the courtesy you would show me.” She paused for a moment as her grip on my shoulder tightened, “Least I show you the true meaning of pain…”
A tense silence fell upon everyone as our eyes turned to Luna, who just stood there, looking as sweet as she was before we walked out into the city. It took her a few seconds to notice that we’d all stopped and stared at her, causing her to blink a few times in confusion.
“What?” she asked looking between all of us, “did I mention something inappropriate?”
“F-forgive my previous choice of verbiage your highness,” the host said uneasily, slowly backing away from us, “Was that a table for four you said?”
“Yes?” Luna replied, tilting her head like a confused puppy.
“Excellent, right this-” The host paused the moment he stepped away from his podium, eyes glued to the two bat ponies at Luna’s side. “I, didn’t know that they were a part of your party.”
“You mean my guards?” Luna asked looking down to Night Wing and Star Rider, each doing their best to hide their frustration towards the host. “What’s wrong with them?”
“Well there was an incident not long ago that involved several of… them, it costed several thousand bits.”
“Well maybe if you mule-faced supremacists didn’t treat Midnight so poorly Blackhawk wouldn’t have had to step in and show those bouncers how to be polite to a mare.” Night Wing growled through his teeth.
“As much as I would love to argue with you about who incited the quarrel I have to inform you that it is this restaurant's, as well as the other purveyors of the culinary arts on this block, no longer serve the ponies of the night guard.”
It took a few moments for me to register what he had said, but once the wires in my brain connected, once again my body tensed up. I could let them calling me a pet slide, hell I could even let them say that I wasn’t allowed in, but Night Wing and Star Rider were ponies, not some creature from an entirely different reality that decided to tag along with the rescue party because they’d fallen for the girl.
I stepped forward, Luna once again reached for my arm, but I managed to twist out of her grasp and kept going. Until the only thing between myself and the host was his oh so fragile looking podium.
“The Princess has put a lot of effort into making this night happen,” I explained, pointing to the three behind me, “and I’ll be damned if I let some punk in a bowtie will stop her from having a good night.”
“Sir, I’m sure I can accommodate the Princess and you, but because of the policy I-”
“I don’t give a shit about the policy.” I interrupted, “normally I would, but these two here are about the closest things to friends since I showed up here and not letting them sit down and have dinner with us is up there with the stupid things that this high and mighty Canterlot crowd has done, and I’ve seen some pretty dumb shit.”
“Sir, if you have an issue I suggest you bring it up to my manager,” he said cocking his brow back, “Or do you simply wish for me to notify security of your behavior?”
“Aedan is not the one acting out of line you supercilious oaf.” Luna blurted out, breaking from the line and making her way towards me, “and if you-”
A slight raise of my hand was enough to tell her that I had this handled and she stood still once again, only this time just a step behind me. Probably eager to listen in if I so chose to threaten him by whispering, but this guy, he wasn’t worthy of a private tongue lashing, he deserved something far more public.
“You know what,” I began standing tall, “I really don’t feel like getting into a dick measuring contest with you, especially since I know I’d already win, so I’ll just take my patronage, my money and a very colorful review of this establishment to someone I know that makes a living selling papers.”
“Only if you know Fancy Pants,” the host said confidently, “he dines here thrice a week, and I doubt someone like you has such access to such an important stallion.”
“Funny you should mention that, we actually spoke a few weeks back, he even said if I had any trouble that I should come talk to him.” I paused, shooting a devious grin to the woman behind me. “I wonder what a negative review, from a princess no less, would do to an establishment such as this.”
“Y-you wouldn’t…”
“Watch us.” Luna hummed from behind me, wrapping her arms gently around my neck, “come love, I’m sure there are other places that would be far more accepting of us.”
“N-no! Wait!” The host cried throwing his hoof into the air, “We can clear the entire restaurant, just for the four of you! Offer you wine over eight hundred years old as you dine on our finest meals! Please let’s just-”
The door slammed loudly on his plea as the four of us stepped out into the streets once more. The gawking was still going on, but once again we were numb to it, what got us more was that the night seemed to have been ruined by a single, self-important unicorn. Something that was happening more often than not it seemed by now.
“Well… that was a bust.” I said shaking my head, “Guess we’re going back home to have castle cooking again.”
“Maybe not.” Night Wing said looking to the others, “There’s still one place here that might be a bit more open to us.”
Luna and Star Rider eyes made contact as the two winced simultaneously. No normally that would have been a red flag, but Night Wing was the one who was about to make the suggestion, so I chose to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“And that would be?”
“The Diplomat.” He replied, causing the two ladies with us to shutter.
“Sounds fancy,” I said rubbing my chin, “what’s it like? And why are they acting like it’s some sort of horror show?”
“Well the place was established a few years back by a griffon so the delegates that would come met with Celestia for whatever could get a little taste of home.” Night Wing explained, “They really only get business during the summer, since that’s when most diplomacy is done so-”
“Okay, that still doesn’t explain the looks of disgust on their faces…” I interjected, trying to make him get to the point, “What is it about that place that sets them off?”
Night Wing looked to the two for a few seconds before turning back to me with a rather hesitant sigh. “Well, most delegates hail from nations that don’t quite have the same culinary tastes as ponies so and a lot of them can hardly stomach what we normally eat so…”
“For christ’s sake I really don’t want to be in one of those stupid movie conversations where it takes forever for you to tell me what you’re talking about because of vague descriptions or the pronoun game so get on with it!”
“They serve meat.” Night Wing finally said as bluntly as he could.
I could feel my heart skip a beat. After close to a year without seeing anything that looked remotely like a hamburger, other than Applejack’s cows that one time Luna and I went to Ponyville. I couldn’t stop staring at them, they thought I had the hots for them, but in reality I was thinking they’d taste great if they were served rare with corn and mashed potatoes. I was finally being told that there is infact a restaurant that served the one thing I thought I’d never eat again. My eyes slowly shifted towards Luna, who was uneasily standing there looking to the sky, trying as hard as she could, and failing miserably mind you, to act casual.
“Why?” I asked with the sting of betrayal evident in my voice. “Why didn’t you tell me about this almost a year ago?”
Luna froze knowing full well that I expected an answer damn quick. After what was a few seconds but seemed like forever she finally looked me in the eye. “I didn’t think it was that important to you.” she answered as her body relaxed once more.
“Not important?!” I repeated distraughtly, “babe, I have literally had wet dreams about hamburgers…” I grabbed Luna by the arms and pulled her in close, to where her face was only inches away from mine. “HAMBURGERS!”
“Don’t remind me,” Luna said shaking her head in defeat, “I remember the one time I actually checked to see what was on your mind…” she paused, shuttering at the memory, “I will never get the image of that king out of my mind.”
“I told you not to go where the devil dare not tread.” I reminded her before letting her go. “Now come on, I’ve been dying to get some real food in my stomach ever since day two here.”
I didn’t give them a chance to argue, because I was off like a rocket to wherever the diplomat may be. After close to an hour of running around the city I was finally standing in front of a nice looking building with a rather nice sign resting over the the door. The Diplomat.
“Finally…” I said to myself with a smile, “Come on guys, all three of you are slow as hell.”
“Well maybe if you asked me for directions we wouldn’t have had to chase you halfway across the city.” Night Wing huffed, slowly making his way to my side.
“And maybe you should work out as much as I do.” I shot back as Luna and Star Rider finally staggered to our sides, “but anyway, all that running’s made me hungry, let’s get a table shall we?”
“Must we make so much haste to our destination?” Luna whined through heavy breaths, grabbing onto her expanded stomach with one hand and leaning onto a wall with the other, “please, I beseech thee, allow us but a moment’s rest.”
I really should have taken the fact that she was pregnant into account as I ran up and down the streets of Canterlot like a mad man, but I was too excited to realize that fact until now. The relapse into a more refined speech pattern making it all the more evident that I should have at least gone at a slower pace. Without much thought put into it I walked up to her and scooped her up into my arm, prompting a squeak to exit her lungs.
“What are you-mmph?!” I really didn’t feel like letting her finish that sentence, she’d already lost enough air trying to keep up with my ass, and I was more than willing to help replace it with some of my own.
“Wouldn’t be right if I let you walk in here after all that shuffling you did,” I said with a smile as I broke from her lips, “might as well let you rest while I do all the legwork.”
Luna’s brow rose to her hairline, but a smile grew shortly after. “Very well then,” she said shaking her head while wrapping an arm around my neck, “bring me to our table.”
“With pleasure~” I said with a cheeky grin as I pressed my back to the closed door behind me.
Within moments we were surrounded in a very posh atmosphere, full of fancy drapes and candlelight, a few steps more and I stood in front of the griffon hostess, who was looking at myself and Luna with disbelief.
“I’d like a table for four please,” I said with a big smile.
She blinked a few times, obviously still processing what had just happened until she finally grabbed a small pile of menus from her podium. “O-of course, right this way please.”
“Already to a great start~” Luna hummed in my ear as I followed the hostess with her still in my arms.
Within a minute the four of us were seated in a surprisingly empty dining room, save for a few griffons and a dragon shrunk down to a manageable size and us. After the hostess made sure the four of us were comfortable she opened one of the menus and started thumbing through it with her talon.
“We don’t normally get ponies like you two in here, but our herbivorous selection can match any place in town, if I may, I’d recommend the the spinach puffs with a side of ranch dressing as an appetizer, the way our chef prepares the spinach really seems to-”
“And what about your carnivorous menu?” I asked politely as possible, “what kind of meat do you serve?”
My counterparts flenched, but the hostess went along with it as if it were nothing. “Well, we have the finest beef, pork, poultry and fish in the entire nation, all certified non-sentient and cooked to however you’d like it. The chef’s choice is a platter that allows you to get a small taste of everything we-”
“I’ll take that.” I answered, practically salivating over the thought as I opened my menu to see quite possibly the single greatest thing on the planet other than Luna. “And the forty-eight ounce steak… rare. With a side of fries.”
“Ooookay, and the rest of you?” she asked turning to the other three.
“T-the spinach puffs sound good.” Star Rider said quickly looking back to her menu, “along with the salad.”
“Same.” Luna and Night Wing said simultaneously handing over their menus.
“Alright then,” the hostess nodded organizing the menus before tucking them under her wing, “Your appetizers should be ready within ten minutes.”
Within a few moments our hostess was off to the kitchens, leaving us to do the only thing that we could at the moment; Small talk.
“Did you really have to make such a large order?” Luna asked shrugging her shoulders as she fiddled with her napkin.
“I haven’t eaten the stuff I love in close to a year Luna,” I replied, still daydreaming about the mountains of meat headed my way, “I’m not going to pass up this opportunity.”
“I suppose, but perhaps you should have not made such an exuberant decision.” she continued, “they say that if you haven’t had something in a long enough.”
“Yeah I understand that,” I nodded, “but come on, it’s been a year, what’s the longest you’ve ever gone without eating your favorite meals?” Fuck…
The room fell even quieter as than it was before as Luna’s expression turned cold. “One thousand,” she said with a complete lack of emotion while she brought her hands to her lap.
It was then that my euphoric cloud nine elation was brought back to earth so hard that it could have wiped out the dinosaurs. Luna didn’t even bother looking at me, she just sat there staring into space, at least if she showed an emotion I would’ve known just how bad I’d messed up, but this rare void was killing me like no other.
“Luna… I’m-”
“It’s no matter,” she sighed looking to her stomach, giving it a gentle rub as she finally looked back to me. “You let your emotions get the better of you, something the both of us know all too well.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, casting my gaze to our guests, “so what about you two?”
Star Rider began to open her mouth to reply, but Night Wing’s tongue was just a bit quicker to the punch.
“Nothing much,” he began, extending his wings outward, “we ran a few drills with the pegasi earlier this afternoon, they might be the stronger flyers in general, but they can’t maneuver to save their lives.”
“I managed to beat three stallions in the obstacle course.” Star Rider chimed in, a small bit of pride gleaming in her voice.
“That you did Star.” Night Wing smiled, sticking his chest out, “You did us night guard proud.”
Star Rider smiled just wide enough to show a bat pony’s trademarked fang before turning a slight shade of red in her cheeks. Upon seeing her reaction I was reminded of my little side quest I’d decided to take upon myself when it came to Night Wing and Star Rider’s love lives. It was more than a welcome relief from the stupid statement that I’d made earlier about eating, so I decided to at least give it a try, for their sakes, of course.
“So Night Wing,” I began, “how’s your personal life?”
“Huh?” He retorted looking up from his uniform.
“Personal life,” I explained, “you know messing around with your friends, hobbies, that sort of deal.”
“Oh, well I really don’t have much of that, I’m kept pretty busy making sure my knuckleheads stay out of trouble,” he laughed, pointing a hoof over to Star Rider, “and as you saw earlier, it’s bad enough as it is.”
“Eh, I guess you’re right,” I shrugged, “Back in the Marines I had to keep an eye on all my buddies, granted I usually ended up getting the most hammered but-”
“Hammered?” Star Rider and Night Wing asked at the same time.
“Nevermind…” I really miss booze. “So…” I began, “what’s your opinion on dating your peers?
I may have been a bit too blunt as to what I was implying, because Star Rider nearly hid herself behind her wings, but Night Wing was completely oblivious to her reaction and answered anyway.
“I think that starting a relationship with someone you work with is a bit unprofessional, especially if it’s with one of your underlings,” he answered, much to the disappointment of Star Rider, “but if they are willing to work at it, and keep their personal lives outside of the job, then I really have no issue with it.”
“Huh, good to know.” I nodded shooting a glance at Star Rider as a small smile appeared on her face again.
“Your food is ready,” the hostess said suddenly from behind myself as she laid what was possibly the most beautiful thing I had seen all day before me.
A literal pile of meat, complete with their entire selection just as the hostess said it would be. I could feel myself welling up a bit as I poked the small slab of steak with my fork and watched the juicy goodness of it’s insides slowly squeezed out. Before anyone could say bon appetit I was head first into my platter, stuffing and savoring every last bit of flesh I could before finally and unfortunately it was gone, leaving me with a somewhat depressed feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I looked up from my now empty platter to see Luna, Night Wing and Star Rider were staring at me in a bizarre mix of shock, disgust and fear. It didn’t take long for me to notice that they hadn’t even touched their spinach puffs because they were so drawn to my animalistic eating habits to realize there was food in front of them. It felt a lot like a car crash, with me being the proverbial car.
“What?”
“Uh… nothing.” Luna finally said while poking her food, “I-I just think we all just lost our appetites…”
“Really?” I said looking to my empty plate, “I was that bad?”
“You weren’t that bad Aedan…” Night Wing answered fighting back a gag, “We just aren’t that used to seeing, that kind of thing.”
“Oh, well sorry for going a bit primal.”
“It’s not your fault,” Luna said comfortingly, placing her hand on my shoulder, “well… maybe a little. If you didn’t eat like a starved timberwolf then-”
“Okay I get it.” I grunted, shaking my head. “I suppose you guys just want to head back now?”
“Well, we should at least wait for our main course.” Luna said, looking to the kitchen, “take it back to the castle, so we can eat in a more private setting.”
“Sounds good,” I agreed, pushing my empty plate away, “and you know I’m not apologizing for what I just did.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way~” Luna replied, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.
We waited another ten minutes for or main courses to arrive and as much as I wanted to see how fast I could make forty eight ounces of meat disappear I kept to my word with Luna and put the thing in a bag. We left on a high note and one hell of a positive review for Fancy Pants in the mourning.
By the time we arrived back at the castle we all agreed that despite the night’s earlier events it was a good time and we found ourselves back in our room, leaving Night Wing and Star Rider alone in the dining room with a single candlelit table by pure coincidence. It was just Luna and I and I really felt like I had to make amends for being an idiot once again.
“I’m sorry…” I said as I took off my shirt, “for what I said at the restaurant.”
“I know you are,” Luna said softly sliding her arms around my shoulders from behind. “It was a slip of the tongue.”
“Still doesn’t make me look like any less of an ass though,” I replied taking hold of the hand that rested on my chest.
“You’re not perfect Aedan, your human.” Luna continued, nuzzling my neck, “you make your mistakes, you learn from them and you move on, one foot in front of the other, remember?”
That was one hell of a throwback for me, all the way to the day we met and she was stumbling over every step she took as I tried to help her keep balance, neither of us knowing that we would be standing right here at this moment. I stood up, and spun around, wrapping her up as best I could with one arm as the other slowly caressed her face.
“One foot in front of the other,” I repeated with a smile, leaning in for what was bound to be the best part of the night, “One foot in front of the other.”
So here I was, getting an earful from Luna about just about everything a hormonally charged pregnant woman could throw at a man; her figure, her skin, her hair, her clothes, and all I could think about was how fast that forty eight ounce steak disappeared. I mean, I knew I was craving it for a damn long time, but I thought I’d be able to control myself a little bit better. I mean, I ate the damn thing in one sitting; it didn’t even last a day. I had half a mind to go back and buy out every last pound of meat they had, but that would have been highly inconsiderate to the delegates who would be arriving within a week for the gala.
That was another thing, the Grand Galloping Gala, or triple g as I had come to call it, was going to be held in a week and Luna, just like she thought it was a good idea to not tell me about a place that serves meat, decided not to inform me about that as well. The only way I heard about it was picking up on the tail end of a conversation between a couple of guards on break only to have it be confirmed by Celestia a few minutes later. When I went to Luna about it she again thought it wasn’t really something she found important, since she knew that I wouldn’t want to go anyway. Granted that was true, but I had obligations, and if the mother of my child was going to attend a function where ninety percent of the guests hated her for her choice in men, then I damn well sure was going to be there to stick up for her if the moment called for it.
“And we haven’t had sex in almost two months!” Luna yelled, grabbing my arms and violently shaking me back into reality, “It’s been so long! Why have you-”
“There’s someone IN there!” I blurted out, fed up with the constant sound of her hormonal nagging as I pointed to her expanded stomach.
Luna fell silent, looking to her stomach before placing her hands on the bulge before continuing. “That… that didn’t stop us before!” she shot back, “what makes it so different now?”
“Luna, you’ve seen every last inch of me.” I explained looking back to her, “look me square in the eyes and tell me that you don’t think the little guy wouldn’t feel crowded if we went at each other right now.”
Luna rose her finger and opened her mouth to respond, but shut it just as quickly with the finger slowly falling back to her side. “You think too highly of yourself.” she said under her breath.
“Says the girl that after months still couldn’t last more than two minutes.” I retorted with a smug grin, “now if we-”
My head suddenly felt as if acid was poured directly into my brain, another headache, the first one in a long time. However, this one was much worse, so bad that even trying to think of a response was too painful. I couldn’t even move my arms with the pulsing in my temples flaring beyond anything I had ever endured. My vision began to blur to the point where all I could do was make out vague shapes, one of them being Luna kneeling down to pull me off the floor. The last thing I felt before going cold was her arms wrapping around my chest and straining hard to bring me back to my feet. After that, everything went dark.
The next thing I knew I was in my bed with something cold and moist resting gently on my forehead. I tried open my eyes, but the moment I did the searing pain that managed to take me down before began to rear it’s head once more. I growled in pain and tried to raise my arm in protest, but something held my hand in place, another hand, one that was far too calm for Luna’s given my current state.
“Sorry Aedan, forgot to turn down the lights,” a motherly voice rang into my ear, sending another jolt of pain to my brain, “he’s waking up.”
“Ce-Celestia?” I groaned opening my eyes once more to see the blurry figure of a woman sitting next to me, “What the hell-”
“Sush,” she interrupted placing a finger on my lips, “now’s no time to talk, you just need to rest.”
“But, what about-”
“I said rest,” Celestia interrupted yet again, “We’re already taking care of the issue.”
“I’ll talk when I damn well please,” I halfway hissed, the pain making me a bit more irritable than I normally am, “where the hell is Luna? Last thing I remember she was crouched over me trying to lift my heavy ass off the ground.”
“And she actually managed to succeed,” Celestia added, “Who’d think a girl so far along would be capable of physically lifting you into your bed? I wonder why she didn’t use magic, but I suppose in the-”
“Where is she?” I interrupted, “I don’t care how I got here, I want to know where Luna is.”
Celestia let out a deep sigh in frustration before gently massaging my arm up and down. “She went to personally get help.” she finally answered.
“Help? What Kind of help?”
“Well,” She began, looking to the door, “she initially tried healing you herself, but after that failed, she managed to find me on my way to yet another meeting with the nobles.”
“And she asked you for help?” I asked, cocking my brow.
“Only after a few minutes of trying to figure out why she was so frantic.” Celestia replied, “you know that Luna isn’t exactly the most forthcoming when it comes to certain situations.”
“Yeah, I know,” I grumbled rolling my eyes despite the discomfort it caused me, “What happened next?”
“Well, from what I understand, Luna was unable to heal you, so she was trying to make her way to the library to learn a more sophisticated healing spell.” Celestia explained, “She ran into me at about half way there.”
“And after your little bit of banter you showed up here and got my head on straight.” I finished with a smirk. “Right?”
“Actually… no.” Celestia said, much to my surprise.
“Uh, mind elaborating on that for me?”
“Well Aedan,” She began, “When I got here you were out cold, but you still seemed to be suffering from the worst migraine I’ve seen in all my life, when I tried to heal you myself…” Celestia paused, almost as if she had trouble believing in what she was about to say. “It didn’t work.”
At this point I had trouble believing in what she said. This woman could raise the sun, and she was having trouble taking care of something that back where I’m from a glass of water and some tylenol should be able to take care of?
“The best I could do was try soothe as much of the pain away as possible,” Celestia continued, bringing my attention back to her, “which is probably the only reason that your conscious right now.”
“Is that what that cold, wet feeling on my forehead is?”
“No, that’s an ice pack.” Celestia answered with a cheeky grin, “But Luna went to see if there are any tomes in the library that may help you out in your predicament, while I stayed here and made sure you didn’t get any worse.”
Just at that moment the doors behind Celestia swung open, the sudden noise in my ears and lights in my eyes sent me reeling. I almost lashed out, but Celestia managed to hold me in place. In spite of my eyes trying to shield me from the focused beams of the outside, and my still painfully ringing ears, I was still able to hear Celestia speak to whoever was stupid enough to throw the doors open on me during my current state.
“Luna,” Celestia began, “I told you that you needed to be a bit more careful.”
Fuck…
“Try to tell me you wouldn’t act the same.” Luna shot back, her footsteps pounding heavy on my eardrums as she approached, “has he woken up yet?”
“Yes…” I groaned, “But-”
“Oh merciful heavens!” she cried in joy, throwing me back into a realm of pain I’d rather not be in, “I was so worried about you! One minute you’re talking about-”
“LUNA!” I roared angrily, “I’m in a lot of pain as it is, for the love of God, keep your damn voice down!”
The silence that fell afterward was unnerving, I’d never yelled at Luna before, let alone for her being relieved at the fact that I was okay. When I looked her direction I could see the her and saw the hurt in her eyes, immediately making me want to take back what I had said. I tried reaching out to her in an attempt to physically say I was sorry, but she just backed away from the bed, her expression unchanging.
“How long has he been awake?” Luna asked softly.
“About ten minutes.” Celestia answered, looking to me with a slight amount of disappointment.
“Good,” Luna nodded, not bothering to look at me, “he had me worried.”
If I could I would’ve beat my own ass for being so mean to her. I mean sure I was in pain, but Luna didn’t deserve to be yelled at, especially since she was happy to see I was okay. The fact that I could see the faint shine of tears in her eyes made it all the worse, even to the point that I wanted Celestia to stop with her spell so I could punish myself with the migraine to end all migraines.
“I think he had us all worried.” Celestia agreed, “it’s not everyday that someone gets a headache so terrible they actually pass out.” Celestia gave me a few quick pats to the chest before focusing all of her attention back to Luna. “Did you manage to find anything that might help us in all of this?”
Luna snapped her fingers and suddenly a small book appeared in her hand. Using magic once more to flip through the pages she skimmed the text until she she was around two thirds into it. Placing a finger at the top of the page she walked over to Celestia’s side and sat next to her.
“Here,” she said tapping the page, “this was the best information I could find on the matter, however the tome is so old a great deal of the lettering is hard to make out, the only way I knew that it may have had to do anything with Aedan’s affliction was that the title of the page spoke of binding souls.”
Celestia’s expression grew dull at the mention of soul binding, I guess she still wasn’t too keen on that little detail after all this time, but after a deep breath she looked to the page Luna was pointing at.
“I see.” she said, nodding slowly, “well that certainly won’t help out much, given the only thing I can make out is the page title myself, perhaps some additional help is required.”
“Additional help?” Luna and I asked simultaneously. There was a brief pause between the two of us followed by our eyes meeting for a few fleeting seconds before she turned away from me once more, meaning that I’d have to be the one to finish the question.
“Aren’t you princesses? You know, the most powerful magical wabajues in this place? Who the hell do you call when you need help?”
“That’s rather simple Aedan,” Celestia said as a grin began to grow on her face, “we call another princess.”
I felt my stomach drop a good two or three inches as Celestia failed to hide a small chuckle. “Oh no…”
“Oh yes~” Celestia said in an overly sexual tone totally not fitting the current thoughts going through my mind.
No less than a second later, I saw the faint, but unmistakable glow of a teleportation spell from outside the room, followed by the sound of hooves clopping against the tile. I cast my gaze to the door just in time to see the one and only Princess Twilight Sparkle starting to poke her head into the room.
“I received your letter Princess,” Twilight said, taking her first step into the room, her eyes darting between the princesses and myself, “what exactly do you want my help with? Your letter wasn’t very forthcoming.”
“Well Twilight I didn’t quite yet know what I needed you to do.” Celestia answered, “You were a backup just incase we couldn’t find anything ourselves.” Celestia then took the book out of Luna’s hands and showed the faded page to Twilight. “And it seems that we couldn’t.”
Twilight’s horn began to glow as the book in Celestia’s hand took a pinkish hue, levitating towards the pony. With it only inches away from her muzzle, Twilight’s eyes narrowed in a vain attempt to make out the wording, seconds later her eyes widened as the hue faded and the book fell to the ground, her mouth agape in shock.
“S-soul binding?” Twilight stuttered, quickly picking the book up with magic once more to make sure she’d read it right, “a-are you serious?”
“Very,” Celestia simply replied with a slow nod.
“You can’t possibly-”
“The deed was already done,” Luna said interrupting Twilight before she could finish, “I bound my soul to Aedan’s so we could be together forever.”
“But what about the laws?” Twilight replied, “What about the risks?”
“I knew full well what I was doing.” Luna replied, slightly agitated, “Do you also wish to undermine my choices?” Suddenly Luna stood up and made her way to Twilight, but in a fashion that put everyone, including Celestia on edge. “Am I not equal to my sister when it comes to authority? What puts her word above mine?” Luna’s fists clenched, her normal midnight blue hair beginning to pulse shades of violet. “Am I the lesser in your eyes? Are my tasks not as important to you? Because all you peasants do is sleep while the skies I so painstakingly made to be beautiful for you go unnoticed, while the simple blue sky and one star are far more appreci-”
“Luna!” I shouted, freezing her in her tracks.
“You DARE call me that peasant?!” She roared turning around, letting me see the pure rage in her eyes, “who among you has the gall to-”
The room fell silent as the previously closed fists of Luna released and her hair faded into it’s normal state. She looked back to Celestia and myself, blinking a few times as if in shock.
“Aedan?” she asked looking between Celestia, Twilight and myself, “I… I thought I was sitting down a second ago.”
“Y-you were,” Twilight answered nervously, “but then you-”
“All details aside,” Celestia interrupted standing up and slowly guiding Luna back to her seat. “We’re all here to help Aedan with his condition, are we not?”
“Y-yes,” Luna said holding her head and finally taking a seat once more, “Yes, we are.”
“Good,” Celestia said looking back to Twilight, “By the way dear, have you been working on that spell I sent you?”
Twilight tensed up and blinked a few times, letting the question register before answering. “Um, you mean that spell?” Celestia simply nodded, making Twilight gulp hard. “Well, I’ve been pretty busy, helping out my friends in Ponyville, reorganizing the library twice a week, Spike’s classes, Applejack’s monthly revenue figures, Rarity’s dress-”
“Twilight…” Celestia said blankly, “Have you or haven’t you?”
“Yes,” Twilight finally said, “but I’m not sure if I’ve completely perfected it yet, as previously stated, I’ve been pretty busy.”
“Well would you mind trying it out right now?” She said looking to me, “I’m sure Aedan would appreciate it.”
I could have assumed what Celestia was talking about, but before I could say anything Celestia covered both my eyes and ears so I wouldn’t have to suffer as much. The faint muffled noise of magic being performed was my only hint as to what was going on until Celestia finally removed her hands, the expression on her face very approving.
Having a good idea of what just happened I fought the pain in my head and rose slowly to see what stood where Twilight once did. Sure enough there wasn’t a pony anymore, instead a young woman with skin only a bit darker than Celestia’s, I couldn’t really tell how tall she was, but she didn’t seem any taller than Luna. As for her figure, it was fitting for her size, but the outfit she wore left a lot to one’s imagination.
“You too eh?” I asked looking back to Celestia.
“Princess Celestia said it would make you feel a bit more comfortable if push came to shove.” Twilight answered, taking a few unsteady steps towards me before balancing herself on Luna’s chair. “I’ve walked on two legs before, but I still seem to get the hang of it like I should.”
“Well it has been a while.” Celestia shrugged, “you’ve gotten used to four legs again.”
“Are we just going to talk about our human forms or are we actually going to try to help Aedan?” Luna asked, huffing in frustration. “Last I checked he was still in pain.”
Twilight and Celestia looked to each other, then Luna and finally myself before Twilight finally took in a deep breath. “You’re right,” she said clapping her hands and rubbing them together. “Let’s get started.”
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed between Twilight’s arrival and the three of them trying to fix my current predicament. All I know was that their failed attempts at fixing me were unbearably painful. The times I actually remained conscious was probably because Luna forced Twilight to stop whatever the hell she was doing. The worst ones were when it seemed like it worked, only for a few seconds to pass before I was reeling in pain once more. After what seemed like the millionth try Luna seemed to finally have enough.
“I can’t bare to watch him suffer anymore,” she said with misty eyes, “Can’t we just cast a spell on him to permanently soothe his pain?”
“If what’s happened to day is any indicator the spell would eventually become useless.” Celestia answered, “We need to find a way to cure it now.”
In all honesty I agreed with Celestia, a long term fix it would spare us, namely me, an awful lot of headache. I didn’t just really think that… did I? The attempts continued onward, sending me to realms of hurt that I’d previously thought impossible. As much as I wanted to surrender to the pain, I knew I needed to tough it out for Luna. Girl already had a lot on her mind as it was, and I didn’t want her to lose herself like she’d done earlier, so far I’ve been the only one capable of bringing her back, and I didn’t want to leave those two without me if she were to turn again.
Once again after what seemed like hours Celestia stopped once more, wiping away the sweat from her brow. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say this was fruitless,” she weakly joked, I smiled at it just to ease Luna’s obvious nerve, “Do you want to take a break Aedan? I know that you’ve been the one suffering.”
“I’ll live,” I answered with a nod, “after all, it’s not like any of you can mess up a spell right?”
Celestia laughed a bit as her hands began to glow for another go, but as I braced myself Twilight’s hand reached for Celestia’s wrist. The look on her face screaming epiphany.
“What did he just say?” she asked.
“It’s not like any of you could mess up a spell.” Luna repeated, looking over to Twilight, “What does that-”
Before Luna could finish her statement Twilight bolted out of the room, leaving those of us still in the room a bit of confusion. “What the hell was-”
I was interrupted by a bright flash of light filling the room. Overloading my already strained senses with completely new and entirely unwanted sensations. “FUCK!” I roared, throwing my hands to my head, “Jesus, Mary and fucking Joseph!”
“Aedan calm down!” Celestia yelled, grabbing my hands and trying to force them to my side once more. I couldn’t see what she did next, but I could only assume she shot an angry glare towards Twilight. “What were you thinking?!” She halfway yelled, “you know Aedan is extremely sensitive to light in this state.”
“I-I’m sorry Princess,” Twilight replied meekly, “but I… I thought it couldn’t wait.”
“What couldn’t wait?” Luna asked, the annoyance in her voice more evident than usual.
“I think I figured it out,” Twilight answered.
Silence fell upon the room. “What?” Celestia asked.
“I think I figured it out.” Twilight repeated, “I mean Aedan, you didn’t have these headaches before you bound your soul to Luna right?”
“Not that I can recall.” I muttered.
“So you’re saying that all the pain my Aedan has had to endure…” Luna began, placing her hand on my cheek, “has been my fault? Because I was unable to cast a spell properly?”
Again a silence fell in the room, but not from shock, but more choosing the next set of words.
“Luna.” Celestia said softly, “Twilight didn’t say that.”
“But it was implied.” Luna sniffed, her eyes becoming foggy. “Of course it’s my fault… I can’t accomplish any task properly.” Luna’s hand came to her eyes, wiping away the tears that broke free from her eyes. “A-and this time, it’s causing the one I love pain, it’s all my fault… all my…”
“Luna,” I said reaching out to her, “You-”
“NO!” She suddenly roared making me flinch in pain. After realizing what she’d done she rose to her feet, not even bothering to wipe away the tears anymore. “I-I can’t do anything right…”
“Luna,” Celestia said once more, “sit down and we can fix this together.”
“I won’t hurt him anymore,” Luna said trying to hold back her tears, “T-this is a task for my betters… for the ones without flaws.”
Before any of us could say anything Luna was out the door. If I was capable I would have gone after her, but the fact that even moving my eyes caused me a great deal of discomfort made me vote against it. I don’t know how long it was before anyone said something, but it was probably a lot shorter than it felt, finally with a deep sigh Celestia turned her attention to me once more.
“Do you think you know what might have gone wrong?” she asked Twilight, not breaking eye contact with me.
“Um, yes,” Twilight replied, the sound of her footsteps coming closer sending minor jolts of pain through my ear drums before stopping by Celestia’s side. “Let’s get started.”
It only took about ten minutes. Ten minutes of whatever magical mcguffin Twilight had come up with and the pain in my head was gone. I didn’t even care about the name, or even to thank them for that matter, I needed to get to the girl who was no doubt tearing herself up about this whole thing. I found her on our bedroom balcony somberly looking out to the night she’d clearly made a bit bluer than usual. I approached slowly until finally I was close enough to wrap my arms around her. The moment I did I heard her famous squeak before she rested her hands on mine, just on top of her beautiful baby bump.
“You alright?” I asked, kissing the top of her head.
“How can I be?” she sighed sinking into me, “It’s all my fault that you’ve been hurt so much.”
“I know you didn’t mean to Luna,” I said back, “everyone makes mistakes.”
Luna laughed a bit at what I said as she brought one of her hands up my arm, slowly rubbing it up and down my bicep. “Tell that to my sister.”
I couldn’t help but let out a laugh as I pulled her in closer to my chest, so she would feel a little bit more secure. “Silver lining: No more headaches.” I whispered into her ear.
“I figured,” Luna nodded finally turning around and placing her ear to my chest, more than likely just to hear my heartbeat, “and I’m glad that they found a way to fix you.”
“They know their way around a spellbook, I’ll give them that.” I chuckled, “but there’s only one girl that knows their way around my heart.”
Luna looked up to me with a smiled before placing her head on my chest once more. “Really?” she asked, beginning to nuzzle me, “Are you really going to be that corny right now?”
“Hey if a system works.” I shrugged, lowering my hands to her backside and lifting her up so she could look me in the eyes, “Speaking of which…” I said hungrily looking down to her chest.
Luna’s eyes matched the hunger in my voice as she brought my face to hers for one hell of a kiss. “Aren’t you worried about crowding it?” she teased, adding another kiss.
“I don’t think they’ll mind.” I replied, “besides, I think we both need this right now, and now that my heads on right again…” I paused, giving Luna a kiss as I walked the two of us back into our room, “I doubt anything else will go wrong.”
Today was the day. An entire week had passed as if it was nothing, and even more surprising nothing seemed to have gone wrong, no headaches, no nightmarish relapses, no extreme sexual teases or pranks. Just an honest to God simple, easy week. It was almost enough to make me smile. However my happiness was quickly dashed every time I thought about the week, because now that it was the end, it was time for the one thing about this week that I wasn’t the least bit thrilled about: The Grand Galloping Gala.
According to Luna, Celestia and everyone else I talked to about it, the Gala was a place for snobby rich types to measure their own sense of self-worth and overall importance. Celestia even went so far as to say that even she felt drained by the end of them and if someone like her was fed up with these folks after a few hours, I knew it would take me about five minutes before I felt the uncontrollable desire to punch at least one of them in the face.
Despite my misgivings, I was still going through with it for one reason: Luna. The past week was a bit hard on her, especially with her still going on about it being her fault that I was having those headaches in the first place. It was the one thing she could look forward to and I wasn’t going to deny her it.
“Ready Luna?” I asked, placing a hand on the bathroom door. “Or do you need another hour or two.”
“Do not mock me Aedan!” she shot back with a playful giggle, “It doesn’t take me that long to prepare for an evening.”
“Says the girl that took hours to get ready for our night out.” I rebutted with a smug grin.
There was silence in the bathroom, meaning that I had either won, or she was thinking of the best quip ever to put me in my place. My money was on the former.
Just as soon as I started to push away from the bathroom door, it opened up and a sapphire hue encompassed my wrist. Before I could react I was pulled into the bathroom and met with a pair soft lips pressing against my own, followed by the the gentle caress of two hands on my jawline.
I responded by wrapping one arm around Luna’s back while the other took a hold of her perfect hind quarters and lifted her to my level. With an added squeeze of her rear I could feel her squeak into me, prompting me to smile inwardly and move towards the sink. With a light thunk I set Luna on the sink, where she quickly wrapped her legs around my waist as she finally separated herself from my face.
“I love you,” she said softly, resting her forehead against mine and sliding one of her arms around my neck.
“Someone’s giddy,” I chucked, mirroring the action, only with my arm wrapping tighter around her waist, “is tonight really that important to you?”
Luna replied with a quick kiss before letting out a concentrated hmmm. “I suppose~” she cooed playfully, “granted I can’t stand the nobility on most occasions, but at least I will have you there to keep me company.”
“Oh joy,” I mumbled through a smile, “because being surrounded by stuck up snobs is what I love to do more than anything.”
“Think of the positives,” Luna pouted, sticking out her lower lip for good measure.
“Oh I am,” I said looking back down to her, “but right now if you don’t pull that lip of yours back in I just might have to do something about it.”
Luna’s expression went from playfully pouty to lustful hunger within a second, sticking her lip out even further as she locked her ankles behind me. “Well…” she cooed, leaning in closer as her legs pulled my hips to hers, “do something~.”
A good thirty minutes later the two of us stepped out of the bathroom, both draped in towels after the shower we had to share. If these first few hours were any indication as to how the rest of the night was to go, then I’m sure I could deal with a few snobby nobles, especially if Luna stayed by my side. That’d make it even easier to taunt them with my relationship, the thought of them squirming as I kissed her, them scoffing as I wrapped my arms around her, and possibly even them holding back bile while giving her ass a quick squeeze or two in front of them brought a smile to my face.
“Now look who’s extra chipper.” Luna chimed as she placed her hands on my shoulders and began to rub the kinks out from our impromptu exercise.
“I’m always chipper after a shower,” I replied while putting my hand over hers, “Especially when I’ve got you to get those hard to reach places.”
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t work out your back as much as you do,” Luna smiled, resting her chin on my shoulder, “Then you would not require as much assistance.”
“And if I stopped working out there’d be less muscle for you to feel up when you get handsy.” I replied as I wrapped my hand around her wrists and pulled. With a squeak she flew into the air and into my lap, the look of shock plastered to her face making it all the more worthwhile. “And I’m sure you wouldn’t like that.”
Luna was about to respond, but then smiled and gently placed a hand on my chest. “Perhaps~” she nodded, giving my pec a quick squeeze, “but there is much more to you than mere muscle, though pleasing it is nothing compared to your heart, which is really all I need.” I shot a smile of my own her direction before placing my hand on her stomach and giving it a quick kiss just above her navel. “Let’s get ready.”
Close to an hour later Luna, Celestia and myself were standing on top of the staircase that lead directly to the dance floor. Taking a peek through the curtains I could already see that there were at least one hundred nobles walking around, with the occasional guardsmen doing a quick round through the still gathering masses. Taking a deep breath I closed the curtain once more, imagining the wonderful things that these ponies would say under their breath about me as I stood around and waited for it to be over. However my thoughts were soon brushed away from the touch of a certain young woman’s hand.
“Something wrong Aedan?” Luna asked, her eyes doing a decent job of hiding her concern, “You don’t seem to be in as high spirited as you were not long ago.”
“Eh, just a bit nervous I guess,” I shrugged, taking another quick peek at the crowd, “Never been surrounded by so many people that I know hate me. At least it was a mystery back home.”
“I thought that never mattered to you,” Luna replied as she started to massage my shoulder with one hand while wrapping the other across my chest.
“Don’t squeeze too tightly, sister,” Celestia said with a smile, pointing her hoof at me, “I doubt the poor man can breathe in such a tight uniform.”
“I had Rarity design it perfectly to the standards of Aedan’s former occupation,” Luna replied with a hint of pride, “I even memorized the placement of the medals.”
“And you have no idea how impressed I am with that,” I said looking down to what was the spitting image of the iconic Marine dress blue uniform, “But I would have been just as content with a tux.”
“Y-you don’t like it?” Luna asked with her irresistible puppy eyes, “but…”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” I said passively raising my hand, “I do enjoy it, and I love the effort that you and Rarity put into it to make it perfect, but Celestia’s right, this thing is tight as hell.”
“I suppose it’s what you have to go with, and besides,” Celestia paused and took a few steps towards me and then gave me a quick once over, “I think it compliments your shape quite nicely.”
“Well, there is that.” I smiled, shooting a glance towards Luna.
“Why do you think I gave Rarity slightly smaller measurements?”
“Attention mares and gentlecolts,” a british sounding voice cut me off before I could offer a witty rebuttal, “Welcome to the nine hundred and fiftieth annual Grand Galloping Gala.”
The sound of hooves lightly tapping the tile followed, I could only assume that that was what they considered an applause.
“And now without further adieu,” he continued, adding even more snoodiness into his words, “I present our hosts for this evening. The first, a mare who needs no introduction, the one who blesses our sky with her precious sunlight, the sovereign of our glorious nation for over one thousand years, the…”
“I hate it when they do that,” Celestia said with a deep sigh, “I mean yes, it’s all true, but I wish I could have a simple introduction at least once in my long life.”
“Well if it makes you feel better I don’t put you on a pedestal,” I laughed, “but then again, not many of those stuck-up snobs know you all too well.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me Aedan,” Celestia smiled back before the announcer called her name, “Might as well suck it up, I’ll be here all night.”
“You’re not the only one.” I nodded in somber agreement as she walked beyond the curtain to the faint clacking of hooves.
“Yes, yes, isn’t she gorgeous,” the announcer said, laying on as much brown nosing kiss-up bullshit as he could, “and now for our other guest, the matron of the night, keeper of dreams, artist of the stars…”
“I guess that means we are up,” Luna said with a reassuring smile as she took my hand, “are you ready?”
I leaned in to give her a quick kiss while the announcer still went down the laundry list of Luna’s titles. “As I’ll ever be.”
“Princess Luna,” he finally said with a reluctant pause, “a-and her consort… Aedan Ryan.”
The two of us stepped out from behind the curtain to nothing but silence. Everyone there just stared at us, silently making faces of disgust as we made our way down the staircase.
“Heh, I guess some things never change.” I whispered into Luna’s ear as we continued downward, “Hopefully this won’t–”
The all too familiar sound of a transportation spell cut me off, followed by the unmistakable sound of clapping. The two of us looked to the bottom of the staircase to see Princess Celestia in quite possibly the most elegant dress I’d ever seen on a woman, standing in the middle of dozens of ponies, and clapping for us. Soon after the sound of a single hoof clacking on the tile echoed with Celestia’s clap, followed by another, and another, until everyone in attendance was tapping their hooves for our arrival.
The ‘applauding’ stopped as soon as we were at the at the bottom of the staircase and Celestia placed her hand on Luna’s shoulder. “Nobles of Canterlot and all of Equestria,” she said, extending her free hand towards the crowd, “We welcome you to the Grand Galloping Gala!”
Moments later the crowd dispersed, huddling in smaller groups and talking about God knows what, leaving only Luna, Celestia, and myself.
“You did not have to do that sister,” Luna said with a shake of her head, “we would have managed just fine without the support of these conceited miscreants.”
“Oh please Luna,” Celestia laughed, “If I did it for anyone, I did it for Aedan You know better than I how prissy he can be.”
“Yes, yes I suppose,” she said trying to contain herself, “but no matter, I’m off to fetch us some wine.”
“Us?” Celestia and I asked simultaneously, prompting Luna to freeze in her tracks.
“B-but… I’ve been good this whole time.” Luna pouted, “Can I not just-”
“Luna…” I said, putting my hands on my hips.
Luna stuck out her lip once more, but I wasn’t about to let it win me over this time. I stood there, staring at her like a father disappointed at what his daughter was wearing before she went out for the night with friends. Seconds later, Luna finally caved with a loud humpf.
“Very well…” she muttered under her breath, “I suppose I’ll fetch you some wine.”
“That’s better.” I nodded as Luna walked off, leaving Celestia and myself to stand at the bottom of the staircase. “Luna’s right, you really didn’t have to do that.”
“I felt like I needed to,” Celestia shrugged, looking over her ensemble, “besides if I didn’t, you wouldn’t get to see me in this dress.”
“Yeah, you really do look great in it by the way.” I added, giving her a quick once over, “Rarity make this for you too?”
“Well, no actually,” Celestia answered, looking to her dress as well, “this is something of my own design.”
“You designed that?”
“Aedan,” Celestia laughed as she placed her hand in my shoulder, “I’ve been alive for over two thousand years, I had to develop at least one hobby.”
“Well, yeah I understand that,” I said, “but I never thought-”
Before I could finish Celestia pulled me in close, pressing her generous globes against my chest. “I hope you know I designed it with you in mind,” she whispered, pressing herself even closer, “the thought of you fighting not to stare and squirming as I pressed myself against you made me actually want to show up this evening.”
“Ooooof course there’s a catch,” I sighed making a vain attempt to scoot away, but her magic kept me close. “Can’t you ever wear anything just to feel pretty?”
“I could, but that wouldn’t be nearly as fun.” she giggled pulling my head to hers, only stopping when we were dangerously close. “Besides,” she whispered into my ear, wrapping her arm around my neck, “I still think you owe me.”
“What?” I half yelped, pulling myself away from her, “what the hell do I-”
“Being late to your godfather selection line up, healing all those headaches, actually curing said headaches,” Celestia answered sticking out her tongue, “I’d say you’ve stacked up quite a debt, don’t you?”
I was about to say something, but out of the corner of my eye I say Luna making her way back to the two of us, glass of wine in hand. “We’ll deal with that later,” I grunted as she released me from her magical hold.
“Of course, now run along Aedan,” Celestia said while a bright golden glow began to overtake her, “I’ll be here.”
“Probably thinking about some massive cocktease to play on me when I’m least expecting it,” I said under my breath before making my way towards Luna, “see you around.”
If she said anything afterward I didn’t hear her, I was far too focused on the woman making her way towards me with a glass of wine. Luna stopped herself just a foot in front of me, extending her hand and presenting me with the glass. “Here,” she huffed, looking away from me, “I hope you will enjoy it for the both of us.”
“I’ll do my best.” I laughed, accepting her offering.
Now normally I would have just shot the thing back and asked for another, but this was supposed to be a formal event, so I decided to at least try to show a bit of class. Swirling the drink in my hand I brought it too my nose and took a quick wiff. I wasn’t exactly sure why people did that, all wine smelled the same to me as it was, but I remember seeing it done more than once, so I decided to follow suit.
Next came the bit that I knew would drive Luna crazy, the actual drinking. Slightly tilting the glass I watched Luna’s frustration grow while she watched the red liquid slowly flow towards my lips. After watching Luna grow increasingly distressed I decided to offer up a little bit of mercy and opted to down the wine as quickly as possible. I did take note that it was very sweet going down my throat, but I decided once again to opt to my gentlemanly side and not mention it, at least now with Luna being so close.
“Thanks Luna,” I said placing the glass on a try being carried by one of the many waiters, “I-”
Before I could say what I wanted Luna literally jumped me and pressed her lips to mine, no less than a second later, I could feel her tongue against my teeth, begging for entry. I didn’t think long as to whether or not grant her the access she desired, and soon enough we were wrestling for oral superiority in front of what were probably disgusted patrons, but Luna and I didn’t care, I was just glad she still wanted to kiss me after the whole wine thing.
I was thoroughly enjoying the moment, but seemingly just as soon as it had started. Luna pulled off, leaving me to whimper in sadness as to why. I opened my mouth to ask her but the moment I saw her slowly slide her tongue across her lips with a content sigh. My initial sadness turned into possibly the most blank expression a man could ever have.
“You did that for the wine, didn’t you?” Almost staring through her as I asked.
“Love you~” Luna replied, not even bothering to answer my question as she wrapped me up in her arms and squeezed.
It was moments like this that all I could do was shake my head and roll with it. Sure Luna did something that she wasn’t supposed to do, but I got one hell of a kiss out of it and now I was being snuggled with reckless abandon in front of noticeably disgusted onlookers. I wanted to flip them the bird as icing on the cake, but that would have gotten me a scolding from both princesses after the gala was said and done, so I just mirrored Luna’s embrace, even adding a quick squeeze of her butt so she would let out a squeak.
After my little grab Luna pulled away, the look of shock on her face making me smile a bit wider than normal. “Why did you–”
“Luna, you were the one that decided to french me in public, so don’t get mad if I decide to play a little grabass.” I interrupted, giving her rear another quick squeeze, prompting yet another squeak.
“Fair enough,” Luna sighed, throwing her arms over my shoulders and resting them there, “I will just hope that you know that you will have to pay for doing away with some of my dignity.”
“I can hardly wait,” I said kissing her forehead.
“Seems you two are enjoying yourselves,” A rather studious voice said from behind us.
“Princess Twilight,” Luna hailed, breaking our embrace to head her counterpart’s direction, “I thought you wouldn’t be attending, especially after that most disastrous Gala you attended some years back.”
Twilight stepped back a bit as a nervous grin came to her face. “Oh, yeah… that…” she said unsteadily, wiping off a droplet of sweat from her brow, “Still can’t put that one behind me, eh?”
“Not as long as we remember it,” Luna teased sticking out her tongue in a playful manner.
After a few moments of relative silence, save for the chatting of the guests, something in Luna’s head clicked. I’m not sure what it was, but whatever was going through her mind it involved her eyeing Twilight from head to toe. Finally after close to a minute of confusing examinations Luna brought her hand to Twilight’s jaw, tilting it upward so she would still look to her.
“Twilight,” Luna began with a devious grin, “pray tell, have you mastered your human transformation spell?”
Twilight looked to me for a reason, but I was just as, if not more in the dark than her in regards to what Luna was getting at. “Um… y-yes?” She answered, her voice even more shaky than it was when Luna mentioned one of the previous galas.
“I would very much like to see it once more Twilight,” Luna smiled, letting go of Twilight and taking a step back, “the last time you took it I was… not myself.”
“Oh, o-of course,” Twilight answered blinking repeatedly as her horn began to glow, “just give me a second, I’ll have to adjust it slightly so my dress will still fit.”
“Take your time Twilight,” Luna said confidently, taking her place by my side, “take your time.”
“What are you planning?” I asked as an orb of pink light began to envelop the pony, the shadow within only starting to take a more human shape.
“You shall see~.” She answered, keeping her eyes focused on the orb until it finally dissipated, revealing a very pretty young woman in the dress she wore as a pony.
“Alright,” Twilight said, brushing herself off and adjusting where it was needed on the dress, “I guess I was a little overzealous in the bust, but–”
Before Twilight could finish her analysis, Luna was upon her, eyeing her from head to toe. After nearly a minute of looking over the increasingly nervous Twilight Luna finally stopped, the grin plastered to her face as her eyes traveled from Twilight’s head to her toes once more.
“Um… Princess?” Twilight asked nervously, “What are you...”
Twilight’s words trailed off as Luna brought her hand to the top of her head and slowly brought it to Twilight, doing her damnedest to keep it as level as possible. By the time I’d put two and two together, Luna’s hand hovered a few inches above the top of Twilight’s head. The smile on Luna’s face so bright I could have sworn it could’ve been seen in space.
“Yes!” Luna cheered victoriously, throwing her fist into the air in triumph, making nearly everyone in the party freeze in their tracks.
Once again Twilight was interrupted, this time by something that made even my jaw drop. Luna’s hands were placed firmly on Twilight’s chest, giving each of them a quick squeeze to judge their heft. After a few good squeezes and several mental ‘honks’ on my part Luna went for her breasts and started to grope herself. While my mind started to travel to more perverted places Luna’s smile grew even wider, like a homeless man who’d just been told that he was the sole heir to a billionaire's fortune.
“And they’re larger!” Luna beamed, spinning around and bringing me back to the real world with a kiss, “My breasts are larger!”
“That… that’s nice babe,” I replied, failing to hold back a smile as I looked to the confused, and possibly aroused woman standing a few feet away, “Maybe next time you can compare them in a more private setting...” I paused, pulling Luna in close so only she could hear me. “With me present, preferably.”
“Only in your dreams love,” Luna replied, wrapping her arms around my neck, “In fact, if you wish to remain in our bed, I recommend not dreaming about it either.”
“You’re the boss,” I shrugged, giving her a quick kiss before looking over to the entree table, “I’ll be back in a minute, kinda want to get a little something in my stomach.”
“And I shall remain, I’m sure there are many things Twilight and I need to catch up on. I barely see her as it is.”
Giving her a small nod I made my way to the entree table, hoping that there was something there that was edible by human standards. “Alright let’s see…” I said giving my chin a quick rub upon arrival. “Oats, oats with cheese, alfalfa, alfalfa with cheese, caramelized molasses. I think we found a winner.”
Taking one of the small molasses bits I threw it in my mouth and began to chew, only to realize the horrible truth, they’d put alfalfa and oats in them as well. Is there anything here that I can at least mildly enjoy? I inwardly asked myself, scraping away at the undesirable bits of food on my tongue. After I was sure that my mouth was clear I went back to inspecting the snacks only to find even more disappointment.
“Oh come on…” I grumbled looking over everything for the third time, “there’s gotta be-”
I was interrupted by something bumping into my ass. I dare not turn around, because if it was who I thought it would be, I’d be neck deep in cleavage. Not that it was a bad thing, but I really didn’t need Celestia’s tits distracting me in my quest for something my tastebuds would find moderately appealing. And then I heard a voice I haven’t heard in at least two months.
“Why the nerve!” it shouted, “Did you not see that I was walking this way? You foul excuse for a pony, who do you think–”
“Pompous?” I asked turning around, much to the utter dismay of the noble.
“T–that’s Lord Pompous to you peasant.” he snarled back, slowly backing away from me.
“Uh–huh, whatever,” I replied, “the hell are you doing here anyway?”
“I’m a noble of the highest caliber you miserable serf!” he snapped back, his teeth gritted in anger, “I could ask you the same question.”
“Kinda banging one of the nations two rulers, and now she’s carrying my genes,” I replied with a smile as a devious thought came to mind, “I’m here by default.”
“If I had my way I’d make sure you’d never–”
“Hey Luna!” I interrupted, waving to her wildly, “Luna, there’s someone here I’d like you to meet.”
Pompous froze in place as the slightly confused princess looked to me and then back to Twilight. After a few unheard words between the two, Luna left Twilight and made her way towards me. My smile remaining as Pompous’s eyes darted between myself and Luna, probably wondering what I had planned.
“Yes Aedan?” Luna asked, “What is it? Twilight and I were having a most interesting conversation until you decided to interrupt.”
“I just have a question for you Luna,” I started, looking to Pompous, “What would you do if someone, and by that I mean anyone, said that they wanted to banish me, remove your baby, and them replace me with themselves?”
Luna’s eye twitched as her fists clenched so tightly that the skin of her knuckles turned white. Pompous took another step back, fearing the wrath of a hormonally charged woman who could control the moon itself.
“I… I…” she began, doing her best to contain her anger, “I would find this individual, throw him in the deepest, coldest, dankest, darkest cell in the dungeon and then…” Luna paused, bringing her hand up, to look at it before flicking her wrist, the action suddenly turning her hand into a blade-like structure. “I would personally castrate them, as slowly as I possibly could.”
Even I had to wince at what Luna said, but then again, I asked for it. Just as I was about to turn my attention to Pompous I heard the faint sound of liquid dripping to the floor. I watched the anger in Luna’s eyes turn into shock and disgust as they looked past me, prompting me to finally look to Pompous. He stood there as he had before, dressed in something that would probably give Rarity a heart attack, with a growing yellow puddle forming around his hind legs.
“Well…” I said with a smile, “That answers that question.”
Before Luna could open her mouth Pompous was gone, tail tucked between his legs and face so red he would’ve stopped midday traffic. I kept my eyes on him until he disappeared around a distant corner, a small laugh leaving my lips when a pair of janitors scrambled towards the puddle.
“Mind telling me what that was about?” Luna asked, her eyes shooting between myself and the janitors.
“Just a bit of feel good icing on today’s cake.” I answered, grinning wildly as nature began to call my name in a far less embarrassing way. “I should head to the bathroom, be back in a few.”
“You really don’t have to announce such things Aedan,” Luna sighed with a shake of her head, “Especially in light of recent events.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said ruffing her hair up a bit, “be back in ten minutes.”
With that I made my way to the doors, the crowd moving aside as I made my way through. Usually I may have been upset about it, but given my current bodily needs I actually appreciated their prejudice just this once. After being greeted by a rather enthusiastic guard and his swift acting magic I myself outside of the main hall, staring down one of the seemingly endless hallways that the castle boasted.
“This is a whole lot of effort just to take a piss.” I said to myself with a chuckle as I took my first step down the long hall.
I made it about halfway down the hall when I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. Given the rate at which the feet were hitting the floor I assumed it was Luna making her way to me with extreme prejudice. “Look Luna,” I said, slowly turning to face her, “I just-”
Before I could finish what I was about to say I felt the full force of a body slamming into my side, throwing me off my feet and sending me, and whoever tackled me, rolling across the floor. After we stopped tumbling I ended up on my back with whoever hit me sitting square on my chest, using every ounce of their excessive weight to hold me down while they fumbled around.
“What the FUCK?!” I roared, opening my eyes, “who do-”
I froze at what I saw. A human like figure was sitting on my chest, sporting a wide set of horns and a bull like head. A minotaur, a goddamn beast of greek myth was sitting on my chest planning God knows what. My mind raced as to what the monster on my chest was planning until he did something that made my blood run cold.
I don’t know where he’d been hiding it, but he now held a knife in his hand, it’s silver blade glistening in the pale moonlight. I reacted quickly, bucking my hips to get my attacker off balance I reached for the arm he used to brace himself with, Wrapping it up and twisting my body to the right, he spun with me until he landed on his back with a thud.
After I was free I scrambled to my feet, fists clenched so tightly I could feel my skin tearing apart. As the minotaur rose to his feet once more I tensed up once more, my body screaming at me to run. If only to protect Luna from death, but for some reason I stayed frozen in place, as if my old training in hand to hand had suddenly taken control.
“Who are you?” I barked, my teeth gritted and stance solid, “What do you want?”
The minotaur said nothing, instead he charged, knife first, towards me. I reacted quickly, sidestepping and grabbing hold of his forearms before using his own momentum against him as he stumbled, struggling to keep a sure footing.
“Who the hell are you?” I repeated, facing him once more and stepping carefully, “Why are you trying to kill me?”
“A contract has been made,” the minotaur responded in a low, monotone voice, making him seem more sinister and inhuman than he already was, “I will see it fulfilled, along with your head as a trophy.”
“Really?” I asked, seething in rage, “You know what happens if you kill me right? If I kick it, so does Princess Luna. Our souls are bound!”
The minotaur paused, stepping into the light, showing off scars and warpaint that resembled skull across his face. “The false Goddess has managed to bind her soul to a mortal lover?” He asked with a smile, throwing his knife to the side, “This contract has now become far greater than I had ever hoped.”
“You basta-” Before I could finish, my attacker was upon me, sending a fist square into my stomach, effectively forcing every last ounce of air out of my lungs.
I staggered, wheezing in a vain attempt to retain at least some air, but it was no use. The moment I opened my mouth the minotaur's hand slammed squarely into my face, the faint sound of cracking bone echoing through my skull as I flew backward, meeting the tile with a hard thump and another desperate gasp for air.
Moments later I felt his hand wrap around my bloodied uniform and began to drag me across the floor. After a few feet he put a little more effort into what he was doing, flinging me across the ground before I rolled to a slow, painful stop. I tried to balance myself with my elbow, but a hoof met my back right between my shoulder blades, effectively pinning me to the ground.
“Now heretic,” he began, burying his hoof even deeper in an attempt to get me to beg, “You, the whore and your bastard child will die, your skulls shall-”
I slammed the hand opposite of his leg on the ground into the floor, shooting up with all of my strength. His hoof scrapped across my back before it slammed into the tile floor, cracking it under the pressure. He stumbled at first, trying to regain the balance he had lost but I didn’t give him the chance. With a swing of the arm still on the ground, I took the hoof he had on the floor out from under him. He grunted in pain, my effort to hyperextend his knee seemingly working as he fell to the ground.
I rose to my feet, heart pounding, fists clenched and teeth gritted, ignoring any and all pain I was previously suffering because this would be killer of a goddess did the stupidest thing he possibly could have done. He fucked with papa bear.
“Y-you still fight?” he asked, rising to his feet, “But-”
“What?!” I snapped before he could finish, resetting my nose and spitting out the bitter taste of my blood before I continued. “You threaten not only my life, but the life of the woman I love and our unborn child, then you expect me to curl into a ball and let you kill me? FUCK NO! I’m not some prissy pony who faints at the first sight of blood, I’m a goddamned human being!” I paused, wiping away at the fluid pouring down my nose while my attacker looked onward. “Now stand up, I’m going to show you what being human is all about.”
The minotaur rose, slamming his fists into one another with a sadistic smile before letting out an animalistic roar. The moment he put one hoof in front of the other, it was on. The two of us charged with all of our speed headlong into one another, I myself narrowly avoiding being gored by his horns the moment our shoulders made contact. We were trying to out muscle one another drive the opponent to the ground and finish it quick, but we seemed evenly matched so the both of us needed a different strategy.
He struck first, sending his fist into my ribcage seconds later, the following shockwave rippling through my body forced a great deal of air out of my lungs, but not enough to put me down. I took a deep breath, pressing my myself into him as hard as I could while I rolled my opposite shoulder to gather momentum for my own body shot. Putting every ounce of force I could muster into my free hand, I slammed my fist into his side, right at the bottom of where I believed his ribcage would be. My swing had to have hit the right spot, because the satisfying crack of his ribs against my knuckles brought a smile to my face. He pushed off of me, holding his side and fighting back a cry of pain, that was my queue to go on the offensive.
Within a fraction of a second I was on him, sending my heel into his weak knee to cripple him even further. As he tried to steady himself on his good leg I sent a jab across his jaw, I didn’t break anything that time, but I was able to get him to open his side once more, allowing me to throw another punch or two to his most vulnerable point. He reeled in pain, hunching over just enough for me to grab the bull by the horns and provide yet another opportunity to return an overdue favor. My knee slammed into his muzzle again and again until I heard yet another satisfying crack. Finally I lifted his head up to see his face, the warpaint he once wore washed away, replaced by his own blood.
With a final bash to his nose, courtesy of my forehead, my attacker went down, a pool of red beginning to grow from his head. “Fuck you…” I growled, giving myself a quick once over, “Luna–”
Before I could finish the minotaur shot forward and wrapped his hands around my left leg, pulling it into him and sending me to the ground with a painful slam. Within an instant I saw him twist away at the foot, misshaping and bending it with all the strength he had left. My right heel to his ribs forced him to let go, allowing me to scramble to my feet, or more realistically, what was left of them.
“Wha… what?” he asked through bloody lips as he looked to my foot in his hands, “How did you?”
“Oh yeah, about that,” I laughed, giving a quick slap to what was left of my leg, “prosthetic limb, courtesy of the Marines!”
I slammed what was left of my left leg into the side of the minotaur’s skull, sending one of his horns flying as his entire body went limp. I stood there, breathing heavily as my body loosened up from the experience I’d just had. Once I was finally able to see something other than red I hobbled over to his body and picked up my foot, wiping off as much blood as I could.
“Son of a bitch…” I grunted as I gave it a closer look, “the arch is twisted, I’m going to have to–”
“Aedan?” Luna’s voice called concretely, making my blood run cold, “Aedan you’ve been gone for a while what–”
The moment I saw Luna my heart skipped a beat, the look of terror on her face would’ve made even the hardest of men grow concerned. Then, within a fraction of a millisecond, I saw her fear turn into pure, unbridled, hellish rage.
"Y-you... you MONSTER!" Luna roared, outstretching her hand and clenching her fist. I was confused at first, but as I turned around I saw my would be murderer to drop his knife and reach for his throat, "you dare threaten the life of the one I love! To steal him from me?!"
She rose her hand into the air, the minotaur following close behind, the sapphire hue around his neck wrapping ever tighter.
"He is not yours to take! He is mine!" I watched in silent shock as she threw her hand to the side, sending her unfortunate prey into the wall. "MINE!" She repeated, throwing her hand towards the ceiling, again the minotaur followed, his body now seemingly limp.
"L-LUNA!" I stuttered, tripping over myself, "Luna, p-please stop! He's beaten! I beat him! He's-"
"SILENCE!" Luna's voice boomed, seemingly causing the entire hallway to shake, her hair pulsing as black tendrils began to encompass her. "I will deal with this vermin as I see fit!"
Seconds later, Luna brought the what I thought was a now dead would-be assassin towards her, but somehow he still showed signs of life.
"W-what... are y...yo..." he managed to choke out through bloody coughs.
"What I am is of no consequence, but you are an insect..." Luna replied as her pupils began to change, "now be crushed as one."
Before I could react Luna blasted my attacker towards a window, effectively shooting him through with the sound shattered glass. I didn't know just how far up we were, but I knew there was no way he would survive. I looked back to Luna, the darkness now fully enveloping her, I stumbled towards her as fast as I could, trying to stop her from becoming what I knew she wasn't.
"Luna!" I shouted reaching out for her, "Lu-"
I was cut short as the same sapphire hue that was around the Minotaur's neck surrounded mine. Reaching for the glow I vainly pulled at it in an effort to breathe, but in my attempt I realized the dark aura that surrounded Luna had faded. What stood there now was far from what I knew Luna to be.
She stood as tall as Celestia now, her midnight blue hair replaced with a violet mist, her soft cobalt eyes transformed into hard teal with cat like slits, and her once dark skin now paler than the moonlight that beamed from the now shattered window.
"Do not call me Luna, pathetic welp," the figure hissed, pulling me closer, "I... am Nightmare Moon."
“Wha-what?” I managed to choke out, eyes focused on the figure before me, “Ni-Nightmare–”
“I thought I spoke clearly the first time, you putrid waste of oxygen,” the pale skinned monster that wore Luna’s face interrupted, clenching her fists tighter, effectively closing off my windpipe, “Do your ears not work properly either? I was led to believe that you had at least an inkling of competence.”
Nightmare Moon pulled me closer as I started to choke for air, the harder I struggled, the tighter her grip around my neck felt. Despite my distress I managed to keep my eyes on her all the while, wondering what it was that she had planned for me next. Nightmare stood there in silence, looking me up and down as I floated, as if she was looking over an apple to make sure it wasn’t bruised before buying it.
Before I could try and come up with a reason as to what she was doing my vision began to blur, the lack of oxygen finally starting to take its toll. However, Nightmare noticed what was happening to me and much to my surprise, she loosened her arcane grip around my throat, allowing me a quick, if not gargled breath.
“It seems that I forgot despite all your prowess that you are still a mere mortal.” She said, flicking her wrist once more, completely releasing me from her hold. I fell to my hands and knees, holding my throat as my lungs greedily absorbed oxygen. “But when the windows to this world are so small, it can be easy to overlook such things.”
I took a few long, slow, deep breaths to try to give my body time to recover before speaking, but my curiosity rose in regards to what she had said. “W-windows?” I choked out, staggering to a knee, “What–”
“The weakling has let her emotions run freely from time to time, as you know.” Nightmare explained, “I tried to assume control during said events, but you always managed to bring her back…” Nightmare paused, taking a step towards me and bending over. She placed her pale hand on my chin and rose it to where I would look her in the eye, her face sporting a sinister grin. “Until now.”
“I would say you’re welcome, but it’s not something I intended to happen.” I grunted, jerking my head away from her hand.
Nightmare Moon’s smile quickly turned into a fanged grimace. She latched on to my face once more, digging into my flesh. I gritted my teeth, unwilling to so my discomfort. Soon after, a stinging, firm slap came across my face, nearly sending me to the ground. She latched onto my face and dug her nails into my skin again, but I still refused to give her the pleasure of showing my pain.
“Such insolence in the face of awesome power,” she hissed, throwing me to the ground, the tile being just as unforgiving as it was ten minutes ago. “It is a wonder that a terrible fate has yet to meet you, whether it be here or in your old world.”
“You know, I’ve heard about you and what you’ve done.” I retorted, dragging myself up to my elbows, gritting my teeth in pain. “You’re nothing compared to the things I’ve seen.”
Nightmare bared her fangs for a brief moment, but regained some composure before she spoke again. “The mouth you have,” she said shaking her head, "Now I don’t find it hard to believe that someone such as yourself has made so many enemies without so much as looking their direction.”
“It’s a gift,” I shot back, “now please–”
Before I could finish, a jarring pain rocketed through my skull, The closest thing I could use to describe it being if someone were to take a power drill and bore between my eyes. My body involuntarily curled into a ball as the pain throbbed from within, pulsing from my temples all the way to my toes.
“Oh, how pitiful,” Nightmare laughed, placing a foot on my head, only magnifying the pain, “Curled up like a babe upon the first inklings of pain? Perhaps you should be more mindful of whom you speak to before you try to say something foolish.”
In spite of my pain, I managed to look at the bitch that had stolen Luna’s body, gritting my teeth as hard as I could in a vain effort to dull the pain. “H-how?”
“A lack of intelligence as well, it seems,” Nightmare chuckled as the pain in my skull completely vanished, “despite her ineptness, I know that childish brat would never foul up a spell that needed such precision.” Nightmare snapped her fingers, driving me into indistinguishable pain once more. “I’ve tried for so long to split your souls, but only you have felt its full effect, it makes me wonder…” Nightmare knelt down, lifting my chin to hers once more, “are you as dedicated to her as she is to you? Or does your mind often travel to a more lustful realm?”
“N-no…” I managed to say through my pain, “I… I love her…”
“Oh there’s no doubt in my mind that you do, dear,” Nightmare smiled, patting me on the head as the pain suddenly subsided, “just how much is the issue.” She paused, rising to her feet with a grin baring a sense of arrogant confidence that I’d love to wipe away from her face. “Have you even told her about the things that Celestia has done to you?”
Time seemed to stop the moment the last word fell from her lips, I sat there, frozen unable to make any reasonable acknowledgement of the question. “H… h–how?”
“I share many connections with my lesser, as well as you, Aedan Ryan,” She laughed, pointing an accusing finger towards me. “And unlike her, I don’t feel the need to ask permission before staring into that feeble, primitive mind of yours.”
“Connections?” I asked, grasping my head as I tried to rise to me feet. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Nightmare Moon smiled as I fell to my knees again, my head was spinning too fast to even stay standing for less than a second. I kept my eyes on her, unable to react as she rose a hand towards me, extending an accusing finger my direction. My pupils shrank, Not knowing what to expect, especially when black tendrils seeped through her finger.
Suddenly, without warning they wrapped around one another, forming a single black bolt that shot towards my forehead. My body tensed up, expecting to feel a shooting pain between my eyes. I expected to be dead, but after a few seconds I realized that I was still breathing.
I looked back to Nightmare Moon, her smile still there, but the hand she once held in my direction was back at her side. “What did you-”
“Nothing that I haven’t done to you before.” Nightmare interrupted much to my surprise, mainly because her lips weren’t moving, but I could still hear her clear as day.
“H-how?”
“Simple minded and unable to remember anything important that is told to you… It really is hard to see any redeeming qualities in you, though I can understand why Luna would stoop so low.”
“G-get out…” I growled, bringing one hand to my temple. “Get out of my head.”
“Oh how cute, you don’t want me in there.” Nightmare cooed, “Maybe if your mind was better guarded than a cookie jar, then maybe you’d be able to keep my prying fingers from opening your delicious little secrets.”
Just as she finished, images began to flash through my mind. My childhood, High School, Military, home, Luna, every event in my short life was flickering through my head like a projector on steroids. The sheer volume of images filling my immediate conscious was overwhelming me, another moment of this would more than likely push me over the edge.
“S-STOP!” I screamed with tears in my eyes, unable to do anything else I began to curl into a ball, all the while Nightmare Moon’s laugh echoed in my mind.
“I thought you’d be stronger than this!” her voice cackled inside my head as she approached me in real life. “But I suppose enough is enough, maybe I should just show you one memory at a time.” Suddenly, the images began to slow until it stopped on one particular memory, one that I’d rather not remember.
“Does this one suit your fancy?” I heard her ask before she brought her hands to my jawline. “I’ve grown fond of this one during my time probing that sad pile of grey matter that you claim to be a brain.”
“N-no…” I whispered, I didn’t want to look, but the fact that it was in mind made it impossible. The memory was one from when I was in high school, back when I was someone completely different, when I didn’t care about who’d I hurt for my own selfish desires.
“Was she worth it?” Nightmare Moon asked with a grin, “was she worth losing one who already loved you?”
“That… that was almost ten years ago,” I managed to say, “I’ve changed.”
“Such a beautiful liar,” She laughed, slowly pulling me to my feet. “Perhaps another memory will remind you of who you really are.”
Once again memories began to rifle through my brain until they came to a slow deliberate halt. Finally coming to arguably the lowest point of my former life. A cheap hotel room, empty bottles of beer and two sets of car keys on the end table next to a bed that was clearly being used for something other than sleeping at the moment.
“You remember this well,” Nightmare said through a toothy grin, “don’t you?”
“I’d rather not…” I replied weakly under my breath, too ashamed to even put up a defence. Back then I may have used the amount of alcohol in my system as a rebuttal, but I, and Nightmare Moon knew that I would have been lying.
“The ring on her finger meant nothing to you, even if she was the bride of your friend, what makes you think you can remain faithful to one whom you can’t even make such a commitment to?”
“I was different back then, okay!” I snapped at her, throwing my arms out as far as they could reach. “That’s NOT me anymore! Why are you-”
“Did you ever tell him?” She interrupted.
“W-what?”
“Your friend.” Nightmare answered, her smile still as sickening as ever. “Did you ever tell that Martinez fellow that you had slept with his wife before he died?”
Before I could respond, my tormenter once again flipped through my memories, stopping when she the memory she desired, the one I’d spent the last three years trying to forget. I tried to gather my bearings and placed a hand on my knee, but instead of feeling plastic and steel, I felt the soft, warm feeling of flesh and bone.
I tried to make sense of it, but my ears were ringing, almost as if Luna had started screaming just inches away from my face, but that couldn’t be it, this place, wherever it was, felt nothing like the castle, the gunfire zipping through the air and ricocheting off nearby metal made it sound nothing like the castle, even the smell, a mix of smoke, burning rubber and searing flesh. Nothing about this was right, but because of everything Nightmare had put me through I couldn’t quite put the pieces together.
Finally I opened my eyes and all I saw was carnage. Several men in my old unit were hunkered down behind their humvees, trying to fire at whoever was shooting at us on the hill tops. Several of them were already on the ground, either lifeless or holding tightly to parts of their bodies that were drenched in blood. Even Gordon was there, curled into a ball, holding to a case cuffed to his wrist for dear life while two Marines stood between him and the chaos.
“Ringing any bells?” Nightmare Moon’s voice echoed across the land, I tried to offer a response, but instead I looked to Martinez, radio in hand and making his way towards me.
“Got the radio!” He shouted dropping it at my feet.
“Take position by that humvee!” I shouted as I was still trying to process what was going on, “Cover my ass, I’m bringing the rain!”
Martinez nodded and rushed for cover as I began to bark coordinates over the radio. It was then that I finally realized where Nightmare had brought me. The leg, the chaos, it all made sense now, but instead of feeling relief, a pit formed in my stomach. Seconds after I heard the all clear over the radio I turned my head towards Martinez, just as several rounds pierced his neck and arm.
“MARTY!” I shouted, throwing my hand to him.
I tried to stop myself, knowing full well what was going to happen next, but this was a memory, I couldn’t control myself. For the second time in my life I dropped the radio and tried to get to Martinez, only to have my left leg to be torn off by enemy machine gun fire. Pain rocked my body as I rolled over myself, watching my leg fly into the air as I continued my tumble.
“STOP!” I roared angrily, somehow breaking the memory. “Why are you–”
Before I could finish my statement I found myself in utter darkness, I thought I was back in the hallway where this whole thing started. Everything felt real, the floor, my skin, it all seemed like I’d broken free from Nightmare’s grasp, but the air was still full of tension, like a sandbag being held by a thread. I staggered onto my good leg, peering into the abyss, hoping, praying that I’d be able to make out something, but my hopes were false.
“Luna?” I called into the blackness. “Luna, are you out there?”
My calls were met with silence. I waited, but still, nothing. Taking an uneasy step forward with the twisted metal I now called a leg, I stumbled forward, catching myself only because I’d managed to counter my balance relatively well. As I pressed forward there were still no signs of light, or sound, or even smell for that matter, the only thing that seemed to be there was me and the dark, until the sound of a switch flicking on revealed a single lightbulb glowing dimly over a table and a single chair.
“What the hell–”
“Sit…” a voice said in the shadows, nearly causing me to jump out of my skin.
“What?” I asked, I tried to take a step back, but the moment I tried it felt like a brick wall was suddenly erected to keep me from moving away.
“Sit…” It repeated, only this time with noticeable anger and frustration in its voice.
“No,” I replied.
“I said SIT!” The voice roared.
Before I could react, something wrapped around my arms and legs and slammed me into the chair. I tried to resist, to pull myself away from the chair, but it held me down tight and squeezed tighter the harder I struggled to break free. Whatever had me wanted to make sure I wasn’t going anywhere for a very long time.
“Aedan Collin Ryan.”
I froze, not many addressed me by my full name, but almost always when they do it’s never a good thing. In the pause I was finally able to have a good look at my surroundings, there wasn’t much, the light was way too dim to allow me to make out anything in the room, except for the faint silhouette of what appeared to be a man at the outer reaches of the light’s grasp.
“Who the–”
“He loved her, you know.” The figure interrupted, starting to pace back and forth, always staying just outside of the light’s range. “She was his whole world.”
I took a painfully dry gulp of air as my eyes followed the figure’s movements, he sounded familiar, but his words were garbled and course, like someone had just rubbed his throat down with sandpaper.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on.” I managed to say through a shaky breath. “How did I get here? This place, I wasn’t here before.”
“And even though you knew how much she meant to him, you still fucked her senseless in a dirty hotel.”
I hung my head low, clenching my fists so tightly my knuckles turned white. “Look, like I said earlier, that was the old me, I’m not like that anymore, I–”
“You knew he loved her, you knew that doing what you did would ruin his life…” The figure interrupted, finally pausing, almost as if he stopped to look at me. “And yet you still did.”
“Look, I’m sorry!” I roared at the figure, “If you for one second don’t think I regret what I’ve done everyday you’re wrong! I was a bastard back then, a horrible man!” I paused, trying to let myself calm down, but my eyes started to grow misty. “Everything changed, Sara dying, Amanda… I got a dose of my own medicine. I know what it’s like now! If anyone ever did that to Lu–”
“Lies!” The voice hissed. “You’re still the same heartless bastard who cares only for yourself, you always will be!”
“You’re wrong!” I shot back, nearly bursting out of my chair. “There isn’t a day that goes by that the things I’ve done don’t haunt me! I regret everything, the sleeping around, the lying, the backstabbing, all of it! If I could now, I’d take it all back, but I can’t…” My sudden burst of energy gone, I slumped back into my chair, not even bothering to hold back my tears. “I can’t…”
At that moment, I heard footsteps, their slow, methodic click against the hard floor growing louder and louder with each step, until finally they stopped. Hesitantly, I began to raise my head, I didn’t want to know who or what approached me, but I knew I couldn’t run anymore, so I may as well just face this and come to terms. Needless to say I was not prepared.
On the other side of the table stood a man, his face was still shrouded in darkness, but he wore Marine Corps utilities, his chest protected with a flack. Despite our location, his body seemed to be covered in dirt and sand with what appeared to be a blood stain trailing down one of his sleeves. The smell of stale sweat and dried blood assaulted my nostrils, causing me to gag momentarily before somewhat adjusting to the stench.
Just as I was about to ask who, or what he was, he slammed both his hands onto the table, making me jump in my chair, after the initial shock I finally realized his face was finally visible. At first I was hesitant to look at them at first, but when my eyes finally met his, I was thrown into shock once more.
Martinez, but not like I once knew him. His face was covered in caked on muck and dried blood, three gaping holes oozed blood from his neck, giving his uniform a reddish sheen around his collarbone, but what was the most unsettling were his eyes. By all accounts they seemed lifeless, dilated and dried, but they still bared the look of anger that could be carried from this life to the next.
“M-Marty?” I managed to stutter, my hair standing on end. “No… N–”
“LIAR!” He roared as surgical tubing spewed from his mouth, the overwhelming scent of medical alcohol mixed in with syrup like blood causing me to gag once more. “You only care about yourself! You always will!”
“No!” I retorted, struggling in my seat, watching the tubing slowly slide across the table like it had a mind of its own. “I’m not like that anymore! I gave up everything to be with someone! I let go of everything because I love someone!”
“But for how long?” Marty asked, his voice further muffled by the tubing still slithering out of his throat, “you left it all, your home, your friends… your family… and for what? Fresh pussy? Just wait until you’ve grown tired of her, you’ll move on to a new set of legs that are eager to spread for you, you always do.”
Normally I would’ve said something in response, but my eyes were more focused on the tubing, it was slithering all over the table, in my direction. My instincts were telling me to either fight or run, but I was bound tightly, I wasn’t going anywhere. I had to watch as the tubes marched forward, as they slowly wrapped around my forearms.
Panic started to set in, I started to thrash by instinct, but that seemed to make the tubes slide faster across me. Within seconds, the tubing was around my throat, the slimy film of blood and alcohol oozed down my body, I couldn’t help but gag once more at the thought, but the moment I did, the tubing wrapped around my throat even tighter, just barely allowing me to breathe. Just as that happened, Martinez stood tall once more, the darkness enveloping his face again, the tubing still spawning from his mouth being the only evidence that he was still there.
“Like you always do…” he repeated, and the tubing around my throat twisted around to face me, sprouting a needle at its center, dripping some kind of substance.
“M-Marty…” I choked out, watching the needle move slowly towards my eye.
“Like you always do…” he said one last time, before the tentacle reared up and and drove into my eye.
I should have felt pain, I should have felt the needle boring into my eye, I should have been screaming, but instead I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, comforting me. When I came to my senses once more, I saw that I was in the hallway again, my torment finally over, then I felt one of the hands that had me in its embrace release me. I didn’t want it to, not after what I had been through, until it gently slid across my body and slowly began to rub my back.
"You always act so strong, pretending that the things you've said and done don't affect you…”
I froze, that voice, so much like Luna’s, so soothing to my ears, but still there was a hint of a more sinister presence about it. Slowly, I sent my direction upward, praying it wasn’t true, but the moment I made contact with those hard teal eyes, I knew.
“When will you stop lying to yourself?" Nightmare asked, her tone almost motherly as her other hand began to caress my jawline. “When will you stop pretending and be the person you know yourself to be?”
Before I could respond, the one who had taken Luna’s body began to pull me close. I tried to fight back, I tried to pull away, but some other force wouldn’t let me, something inside me wanted to continue. As our faces moved ever closer, a sense of failure began to wash over me, I should be strong enough to stop this, I should be able to fight, I should be.
Then, with our faces merely inches away, my hand slid across her stomach. The combined smoothness of the silk she wore and her skin sent the shot my body desperately needed, and with our lips barely touching, I stopped.
“No…” I growled definitely, forcing myself to pull away before she caught me.
“No?” she repeated with a laugh, digging her fingernails into my scalp. “How can you possibly resist? After all, I am the only one here now, the weakness of my former self finally cleansed.”
“You’ve taken advantage of a pregnant woman’s emotional weakness and stole the body that was rightfully hers.” I retorted, wincing at the pain. “That just makes you an opportunist, a lowly scavenger...” I paused, watching the rage build in her eyes. “A vulture…”
Nightmare bared her fangs once more and threw me across the hall. “You dare!” She roared, shooting out a tendril from her arm to catch me. The tendril drug me back to her, flipping me upside down and letting me dangle in front of her face. “You dare claim that I am weak? You dare compare me to a vulture?!”
“If the boot fits…” I grunted back, offering a half smile simply out of spite.
It only took a second for me to regret those words, because in an instant I found myself face first on the ground, the wind knocked out of me and a stiletto heel driven into my sternum. “Contemptuous, putrid, pathetic waste of oxygen…” she hissed, driving her heel even deeper into my chest. “I am perfection! Even in this… human form, I am superior to all, yet you still have the gaul to use say such insults against me?”
“If you were so much better, then you wouldn’t be so offended.” I retorted through gritted teeth. “Then again, Luna–”
“Don’t use that name around me,” Nightmare interrupted with a hiss, finally taking her heel off my chest to give me a swift kick to the gut, knocking the wind out of me yet again. “I thought I told you I will not to be associated with such weakness ever again.”
“You’re... kinda using her body,” I wheezed, pointing in her direction and staggering to my knees.
Nightmare’s eyes began to glow as she rose her hand to either slap me or send me flying across the hallway again, but soon brought it back down to examine it. “That is true…” she said reluctantly, slowly rubbing her hands together. “Though I’ve made the desired changes in appearance, I still can’t deny the fact of whose skin I bare.” She paused once more, sliding one hand down her arm and to her stomach, “And this… parasite you’ve placed inside of her.”
My body tensed up and my fists clenched as I cast a death glare to the woman in front of me. “Parasite?” I growled through gritted teeth. “You have–”
“Don’t even try to play this game with me.” She interrupted, covering my mouth with some sort of inky black substance. “I’ve seen inside your mind, one could say I know you more intimately than Luna herself.”
“Bullshit!” I roared, painfully ripping off whatever she’d put over my mouth, “Luna–”
“Still doesn’t know how you truly feel about your offspring.” Nightmare finished for me, Smiling as she wrapped a tendril around my mouth to silence me this time. “She doesn’t know just how scared you are.”
Without the ability to rebuttal, Nightmare pulled me in, suspending me much like she’d done earlier. This time she decided to take her time, all the while a confident smile plastered on her face. “Don’t even think you could deny my claims, I am what all nightmares are made of.” She laughed, stopping just inches away from my face. “You’ve seen so much, loss, destruction, even death, none of that ever really scared you, but this.” She paused again, this time taking my hand and placing it on Luna’s stomach. “This terrifies you.”
I wanted to say something, I wanted to rip her a new one, but all I could do was stare. The rage in my eyes burning beyond any normal means of measure before finally, I closed my eyes and went limp. Nightmare smiled, slowly sliding the tendril around my mouth away, presumably so I could speak. She stood there, waiting for me to say something, to tell her what she wanted to hear, to admit that she’d won. If only she knew.
“You’re right,” I said hanging my head low, “I am terrified.”
“Just as I thought,” Nightmare smiled, reaching an arm out to me, “Was that so hard to–”
“But she isn’t.” I interrupted, jerking my head away.
“What? Who are you–”
“Luna, I’ve been scared of this since she told me. Every time I look at her, I’m scared, I do what I can to hide it, but I’ll never deny it.” I paused, making eye contact with Nightmare once more. “Not Luna, ever since day one she’s been positively glowing. I couldn’t tell you one time where I didn’t see a smile on her face when her mind was on the baby.”
“What’s the point of this?” Nightmare hissed, baring her teeth as her tentacles wrapped me up tightly once more. “I care not for her or her infant, it is a sign of her weakness to lay with a mortal!”
“You’re… wrong…” I managed to grunt out as the coils squeezed tighter, “that’s her strength, to love anyone, the baby is that strength made physical…” I smiled once again, slowly casting my gaze to her, “and it’s that strength that’s going to end you.”
Nightmare bared her fangs once more in a rage. “Pathetic dolt!” She roared, her tentacles slamming me into the wall, just inches from the shattered window. “None are stronger than me! Not Luna, not Celestia, not even this wretched pile of filth that you’ve placed inside her!”
She paused for a few rabid breaths before looking down to her stomach and donning a wretched grin. “And I will show you…”
I could feel my blood turn into ice the moment her hand turned into a blade, I felt my heart stop at least once when she slowly slid it across her belly. Adrenaline kicked in as I shot to my feet, I didn’t care about the fact that I wasn’t in any condition to run, my thoughts were on Luna and our child. It felt like slow motion while she rose her blade-like appendage into the air and readied for a strike, but I kept moving, I couldn’t let her plan come to pass, I wasn’t losing anymore than I’d already had.
“NO!” I roared reaching out to her arm with mere footsteps away from us, only to be sent face first into the ground a second later.
“You will not stop me insect!” Nightmare laughed, using a tentacle to prop my head in her direction, “but I will let you bear witness to my ultimate victory over you and my lesser.”
I watched with panicked eyes as she rose her arm again, thrashing in my bonds like a wild animal I tried to escape, but it was no use. I had to watch and pray that all of this was a dream, but after all that had happened, I knew that this nightmare was all too real. Once again it felt like slow motion, watching Nightmare’s bladed hand descend towards her abdomen, I could see every last detail on her face, her murderous eyes, her fanged grin, her hand coming closer and closer to my legacy.
“NO!” I yelled in tandem with another, far more familiar, voice. In my confusion I looked over to Nightmare Moon, her face just as shocked mine, but her eyes were on her blade, a blade mere inches away from its target.
“Wh-what is the meaning of this?!” she asked frantically, trying to stab herself once more, but again to no avail. “I am in control, I can do–”
"NO!” Luna’s voice roared from Nightmare Moon’s lips as she tried once more, “You will not harm them!”
“Luna?” I said in disbelief, “you’re… you’re…”
“How?!” Nightmare’s voice shouted back with, “There’s no possible way! I have complete control!”
“Had,” I shot back from the floor, “You can fuck with me all you want, but you did one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen anyone do.”
Without a moments notice the Tentacles wrapped me up and pulled me to Nightmare, her eyes burning with both fury and confusion. “WHAT?!” she roared.
“You fucked with an expecting mother.” I smiled, just as the tentacles dissipated, freeing me and sending me face first into the ground.
With a painful grunt I looked back up to see Nightmare Moon thrashing uncontrollably. Parts of her body were temporarily reverting back to Luna, each time longer than the last. Nightmare still managed to hang on though, like a rabid animal backed into a corner she continued to fight, going so far as to even lash out at the parts of her body that Luna was taking back.
Every part of my being wanted to run in there, even though I knew I wouldn’t have been much help my instincts pushed me to protect her. I rose shakily to my feet and stumbled forward, determined to do whatever it took to help get Nightmare Moon out of Luna, but just as I was within arms reach of her, a loving, reassuring voice stopped me.
“No.” Luna’s voice echoed in my head.
“No?” I asked back, “but I have to–”
“You’ve been through enough Aedan,” Luna interrupted, her tone laced with love, “I’ll finish this on my own.”
“But,” I said under my breath, “I don’t… I don’t…”
“Fear not, Aedan, I know I will best her.” Luna’s voice echoed in confidence. “I have everything I need to make sure she never returns.”
“What?” I asked, “What are you–”
“GEAAAAAH!” Nightmare cried, throwing her hands to her temples, gritting her teeth in agony.
“This is MY body!” Luna’s voice roared as Nightmare bent over and clutched her head. “You can’t have it!”
“Fool!” Nightmare roared back, rearing back up, “I have always been your better! I will win this in the end!”
“It is you who will lose!” Luna retorted as the violet, misty hair of Nightmare Moon started to flash into Luna’s midnight blue. “I have something that makes me stronger than you will ever be!”
The two minds continued to battle for the dominion over the body they both claimed was rightfully theirs until finally they hunched over, their face turned away from me so I couldn’t tell who was in control.
“L-Luna?” I asked hesitantly, slowly making my way towards whoever was in control. As I got closer the tension built, instinct told me to run, but a mixture of hope and stupidity kept me coming closer, until I was within arm’s reach, but just as I was about to touch her shoulder, a pale hand wrapped around my wrist and I was face to face with Nightmare Moon’s hard teal eyes once more.
“You…” she growled rising to her feet and taking me with her. “She has you…”
Nightmare rose to her feet, taking me with her. I tried to pull away, but the combination of her inherent strength and magic I was locked down. Moments later her tendrils wrapped around my free arm and legs, splaying my legs as far as the could and even going so far as to dislocate one of my shoulders. I gritted my teeth to prevent myself from screaming and giving her the pleasure of seeing me in pain.
“She has you…” Nightmare repeated again, only this time with a smile that would have scared Pennywise shitless.
I kept my eyes locked on hers, trying to see if I could find Luna in the see of evil that was Nightmare, but I couldn’t find her, Nightmare was using pretty much all of her power to hold Luna off at this moment. As our staring contest continued I heard the quiet hum of magic. My eyes shot to her free hand, only to see the same blade-like weapon she summoned in an effort to prove her strength over Luna.
“She has you.” Nightmare Moon said again, sounding more like a demonic broken record than an actual person. “I think it’s time we change that.”
My pupils shrank as I kept my eyes on the blade. “Are… are you insane? Luna and I are bound by the soul! If I–”
“Die… she dies.” Nightmare finished, slowly sliding her weapon across my stomach.
“We’re all in this! It’s not just me and Luna, you’ll die too!”
“Will I?” Nightmare asked, her teeth still bared in a dark grin. “Last I recall Luna tied herself with you, not–”
Before Nightmare could finish her statement she began to thrash violently, her grip on my extremities loosening before they tightened once more. She was starting to lose control, even with all her power being used to hold Luna down, she wasn’t going to be able to hold on for much longer before Luna put her down for good.
“Only one way to find out.” Nightmare said, aiming her weapon towards my heart.
“NO!” Luna’s voice echoed as Nightmare drove her hand towards my chest.
A massive flash of light filled the hallway, blinding me, the sensory overload threw my mind for one hell of a ride, almost enough for me to not feel the sharp pain coming from the lower right side of my stomach. I fell to my knees, reaching for the pain, only to feel moisture and heat pumping into my hand. I started feeling light headed as I looked to my hand, the color red pouring through my hand. As I continued to stare my balance began to wane, but before I could hit the floor I was wrapped up in a pair of loving arms.
“Aedan!” Luna cried through misty eyes, “I… I’m sorry! I tried to stop her, I–”
“Is the baby alright?” I interrupted. “Did she hurt our baby?”
Luna froze, looking me square in the eye, taking one of my hands before placing the other over my latest wound. “No.” she said as her eyes began to glow, slowly healing my wounds. “She wasn’t able to harm them.”
“Them?” I asked with my vision starting to go black, “why do you keep saying that?”
Luna smiled and took my hand, placing it on her stomach. “We’re having twins.”
My eyes shot open as a loud, desperate gasp for air filled my lungs with oxygen. A few more quick inhales later, I noticed that I wasn’t in the hallway anymore. The lavish decor was replaced by a bland white ceiling and walls without windows. My breathing became panicked and my eyes darted in every direction until a gentle hand rested itself on my jawline.
Within moments I found myself encompassed in a warm embrace, followed quickly by a pair of passionate lips. The initial panic I’d felt soon dissipated as my arms wrapped around the giver of said kiss, who responded in kind by pulling my head closer into hers. After what seemed like an eternity, the both of us reluctantly separated and I opened my eyes once more, revealing a teary-eyed, smiling, and clearly relieved Luna.
“Mornin’ sweetheart,” I mumbled through a smile, reaching out for her, “sleep well?”
“Hardly…” Luna replied through a joyous whimper, “these past few days I have left your side only to perform my duty of raising the moon, and I quickly returned here after.”
“Days?”
“Aye, days,” Luna repeated. “You have been comatose for four days.”
“What?!” I shouted, jolting upright, only to feel pain shooting through the whole of my body. I gritted my teeth in an effort to tide the unwelcome sensation as I lowered myself back down with Luna’s help; all the while, her eyes locked onto mine.
“That was unwise,” she said, placing her hand on my bare chest as I finally rested my head on the pillow again. “It may have led to further injury.”
“Ya don’t say,” I grunted, rolling my eyes before focusing back onto her. “But four days?”
“Four days,” Luna reiterated. Christ, we were running in circles here. Next thing you know we’ll be spouting off nonsense about Metal Gears and nanomachines. “Not one minute after The Nightmare was defeated.”
“Yeah, I remember that.” I nodded, not completely wanting to acknowledge said memory. “Then you said… something.” I reached for my head, rubbing my temples in an effort to jog my memory, but with no effect. “Some–”
“Twins,” Luna finished with a smile. “We’re having twins.”
Silence fell upon the room as my face lost any sign of expression. The sound of my pounding heart and uneven breathing was more than enough to fill the gap, though. I knew full well what happened last time she dropped a bomb on me like this, and I wasn’t in any state to run after her in my current condition. This meant my only choice was to come up with something off the cuff that didn’t smack of nervousness or panic from her point of view, and since her expression was already turning from relief to concern, I’d say my time was just about up.
“Guess I didn’t dream that part, huh?” I said, offering a weak smile and praying to God that she’d take what I said as a joke this once.
Luna was initially taken aback, jumping at my words and threatening to collapse my already stressed heart until she relaxed again, reaching out a hand to caress my face. “No,” she replied with a smile, “that was real. You passed out the moment I told you, though I am not entirely sure if it was due to the revelation or the blood loss.”
“Let’s go with the blood loss,” I said quickly, adding a bit of oomph behind my voice to maintain some measure of my masculinity.
“Of course,” Luna sighed as her smile faded, the hand that once rested on my chest migrating to the side I was stabbed. “I… I’m so sorry.”
“That wasn’t you,” I responded quickly, reaching for her face, “Nightmare Moon tried to kill me, so you don’t need to be sorry for anything.”
“She was still a part of me,” Luna replied, pulling away, “and to know that my past came back and tried to kill you…” Luna paused, doing her best to avoid eye contact with me. “I–”
“Your past couldn’t stand up to your future,” I interrupted, placing my hands on either side of Luna’s face. “Your children were her undoing.”
“Our children,” Luna corrected, accompanied by a smile and her hands mirroring my own. “Our children.”
The two of us leaned into one another for what may have been an earth shattering kiss, but the gentle sound of the door swinging open froze us mere inches away from each other.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” an all too familiar voice said, “but if I am, you don’t have to stop on my behalf.”
“Sister!” Luna yelped, releasing me and jumping to her feet. “I thought you would be busy with the nation’s affairs at this hour.”
“I would be,” Celestia responded with a coy grin, relishing Luna’s embarrassment. “However, as you know, I’ve come here every six hours the past four days to check on Aedan’s progress.” She paused, leaning to her side and giving me a quick wave with her fingers. “And I see that he’s finally up.”
“Morning,” I said back, offering my own wave. “How’ve you been?”
“Well, for the most part,” she replied with a shrug. “Really though, seeing you with your eyes open is a welcome burden off my shoulders.”
“Good to know.” I nodded back looking to Luna. “I’m glad my eyes are open too.”
Luna smiled and slid her hand to mine, slowly guiding it to her stomach. She looked like she was ready to pop at any moment, but I loved her all the same and after what we’d recently been through, I knew she was going to be the best mother ever. Me, on the other hand, I wasn’t so sure. Nightmare Moon had reminded me of who I once was, and though I believed with all my heart that wasn’t me anymore, it left me with doubts. How the hell could I be a good role model for my children knowing full well half the things I did?
“Aedan?” Luna asked, stopping that train of thought before it could gather too much steam. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine Luna,” I replied, jerking my hand off her stomach and waving it passively. “Just thinking about some things.”
As if that was her cue, Celestia chimed in. “Speaking of which,” she began, bringing our attention to her, “there are some things I’d like to discuss with you, Aedan.”
“Well alright, what do you–”
“Alone.” Celestia interrupted, her eyes intently focusing on the woman at my side.
I turned my attention to Luna. The shock had already played out across her face, and her body was tensing as the anger set in. Just like before my little coma trip. “And why must you speak to him alone?” she asked, gritting teeth and clenching her fist. “There is nothing you can say to him without me here.”
“It is if the matter I wish to speak of refers only to him.” Celestia shot back, folding her arms across her chest.
“Then what is it that is so important that you can’t tell your own blood?” Luna asked, rising to her feet. “Then again, honesty was never your element, was it Celestia?”
“Nor is it yours now, Luna.” Celestia replied through gritted teeth.
The air was growing charged, as though a lightening bolt was readying itself to strike someone down here. If either of the sisters noticed it, they ignored it in favor of staring each other down harder. My gaze shot between the two, both of their bodies were tense and ready to strike, but neither side seemed willing to take that drastic first step. Now, normally something like this wouldn’t deter me, but the fact that these two women were essentially gods and one of them was fueled up on pregnancy hormones, I was getting a bit nervous. So I did the only thing I could think of at the time.
“Luna,” I said softly, reaching out for her forearm “I–”
The moment my fingertips touched her skin Luna erupted in a torrent of rage.
“Unhand me Aedan!” She roared throwing the arm I was trying to grab hold of in the air, “This affair does not concern you!”
“Wh–”
Before I could compose a proper sentence as a response, Celestia jumped in.
“I came here to talk with him, Luna, not you, and he shouldn’t be straining himself to stop you.” At that moment Celestia walked to Luna and grabbed the wrist she had thrown into the air. “End your tantrum now, before you hurt him.”
Luna ripped her arm from Celestia’s grasp, baring her teeth in anger before looking at me, for a moment she looked regretful, but the instant her eyes locked with Celestia’s once more there was fury. “Tis always like this,Celestia, is it not?” Luna growled, rising to her toes to meet her sister eye to eye. “You always seem to find a way to take what is mine and–”
“Enough!” I bellowed. I’d had it with their bullshit, and I was going to stop it no matter what. I grabbed on to my bed rail and pulled upward, the sudden movement racked my body with pain, but I didn’t care. I was stopping them, and my piss-weak body wasn’t getting in my way.
The two stared in shock as I slid myself out of the bed, still attached to the monitors and other things that would keep a sane person in bed. Needless to say, my plan was ill thought out and I quickly hit the floor, my knees taking the brunt of the damage. I looked up to see both Luna and Celestia reaching towards me, but I rose my hand in objection, causing the pair to jerk back in shock. Fueled almost entirely on pride and whatever the hell they had in my I.V. bag, I forced myself to stand, using the edge of the bed as balance.
“What in harmony’s name were you thinking?!” Luna asked, giving the side of my head a firm smack, “You are in no condition to–”
“And I didn’t want the entire mountain to come down on us.” I interrupted, pointing an accusing finger at the both of them, puffing out my chest in an effort to appear better off than I actually was. “Whatever that was between you two, save it for another day or so help me I’ll get out of this bed again.” I slowly slid back into bed, refusing either’s help. Once I’d adjusted myself properly back into bed, I exchanged glances with the both of them and sighed. “Now the two of you behave yourselves, you hear?”
Luna and Celestia shot each other quick glares before turning their attention back to me. “Then I suppose it’s best that I be off…” Luna said coldly, turning around and grasping her arm. “I won’t be far, just call if I am needed.”
Before either Celestia or I could respond, Luna showed her way out of the room, slamming the door so hard it nearly came off the hinges. I looked to the only one left in the room other than me, Celestia’s eyes remained focused on the door, and though the embers of anger still flickered in her eyes, there seemed to be hints of both sadness and remorse as she continued to stare.
“Well?” I said, for once being the one bringing someone else back to reality. “What was so important to tell me in private that you nearly fought your own sister for?”
Celestia looked at me for a few moments before taking in a deep breath to calm herself down. “Aedan,” she began, speaking more softly than I’d ever heard her speak. Before she continued she sat down on my bed and took one of my hands into hers, placing the free one over mine. “I wanted to talk to you about Luna.”
“What about her?” I asked, still a bit confused as to what was going on.
“I know what happened in that hallway.” Celestia replied, her voice was still soft as silk, but the words carried the weight of mountains. “I’ve felt that presence before Aedan, I know she became Nightmare Moon.”
I felt my blood run cold the moment she finished speaking, there was no way I could deny it now, especially if she sensed the presence, but all that did was lead me to another question. “Why didn’t you stop her then?”
“In your own words: I didn’t want the entire mountain to come down on us.” Celestia answered without hesitation, “a conflict between myself and Nightmare Moon would’ve cost the lives of all Canterlot. Hundreds, no, thousands of innocents would have perished.” She paused and relaxed her shoulders. “There is already enough blood on my hoo–hands, as it is.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Celestia seemed to ignore my question and continued with her initial subject, her tone still as soft as ever.
“Woah, woah, woah.” I interrupted, raising a hand passively, “you think that was all my fault?”
“You were the only one there.” Celestia explained, “And Luna was no help when it came to details, I could only assume–”
“You didn’t find the minotaur?”
Celestia flinched for a moment, blinking her eyes a few times as she processed what I’d just said. “Excuse me?”
“The minotaur,” I repeated, “some nutjob of a man-bull attacked me while I was on my way to take a piss, tried to–”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Celestia asked, grasping my shirt and forcing me down deeper into the bed I was in, seemingly ignoring the fact that I was still in a bit of pain because of my previous fiasco.
“Well I didn’t really have a chance to say anything, you know, coma and all.” I replied with a bit of malice in my tone. “I’d ask why didn’t you ask Luna, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you didn’t at all.”
Celestia’s lips narrowed as she forcibly blew air out of her nostrils, but after a few moments she released her grip of my shirt and sat upright again. “A minotaur?”
I nodded, feeling it unnecessary to once again find myself repeating something that was already stated as a fact. It took a long minute, but Celestia’s gaze finally broke from mine. Even though she wasn’t looking at me directly, I could tell that whatever wheels were turning in her mind had my name plastered to their sides.
“Celestia?” I asked, reaching out to her. “Celestia what’s–”
“You just had to do this to yourself…” she said to herself, burying her face into her hands. “Didn’t you?”
“What?!” I snapped, shooting out of bed momentarily before a combination of pain and Celestia’s magic set me back in place. After a few steadying breaths, I looked back to Celestia, my fists clenched and trembling in rage. “What do you mean I did this to myself?”
Celestia slowly rose her head from her palms and looked in my direction, her expression dowsing my rage in a single second. Misty eyes, Celestia, the one being in this whole messed up world that always seemed to be able to handle anything, was on the verge of crying. I was honestly at a loss for words, because if half the things I’d been told about this woman were true, she’d make Chuck Norris look like a pansy. Why the hell would she be tearing up after something as small as this?
“Celestia? Are you–”
“No.” Celestia interrupted, gritting her teeth as she fought back her emotions. A moment later she rose to her feet, the aura around her both terrifying and commanding nothing but respect. “I’m not alright, because my sister’s lover is lying in a hospital bed because of his own bullheadedness and misguided sense of pride.”
Normally I would shoot right back with that bred in Irish rage, but there was something about Celestia that seemed to suppress that. The best I could do was stare at her with what was possibly the dumbest face I’ve ever had.
“Ever since Luna gave you the ability to turn into one of us, how many times have you done it?” Celestia asked, reverting to her original, equine figure.
“I… well,” I began, giving the back of my head a firm scratch, “there was that–”
“HOW MANY TIMES?!” Celestia practically roared, her teeth actually growing into fangs.
Silence fell on the room as I stared into Celestia’s eyes, finally after what felt like forever, I looked down. “Once,” I said under my breath, “right after she told me I could change, that was the one time I did it.”
Air hissed out of Celestia’s nostrils. “And why haven’t you done it again?” She asked through gritted teeth.
“Because this is all I’ve got left!” I shot back, forcing Celestia to jerk back in surprise.
A silence fell upon the room, but it wasn’t a typical silence, it was so quiet that I could hear Celestia think. Seconds later a low hum and faint golden glow came from Celestia’s direction, I shielded my eyes for a few seconds as a flash of light encompassed the room and when I lowered my arm, I saw Celestia’s human form, radient as it always was, except the very unfitting frown that seemed plastered to her face. I was about to comment on it, but she beat me to it.
“All you have left?” She repeated, taking a step towards me, reading an accusing finger. “Do you realize how sel–”
“Don’t even go there.” I interrupted with a growl, “I know I’ve got Luna, I know I’ve got friends in Night Wing, in you, that’s not what I meant.”
Celestia froze in place, her words lost at the tip of her tongue as she processed what I said. After shaking her head she finally managed to use her words once more. “Then what exactly do you mean?”
I slowly rose from my bed and slid to its edge, taking in a deep breath as I looked at my arm, a needle injected deep into my arm and pumping fluids into my system. “This.” I answered, working my clenching and opening my hand. “I don’t want to lose sight of who I am, what I am.” I finally looked away from my hand and met Celestia’s eyes with my own, hoping that she could see just how serious I was about this. “I’m scared that if I turn into something like you, I’ll lose myself and forget just what made me and if that happens…” I had to stop myself before I could continue, because I had to convince myself to say the words I had to. “I don’t want Luna to leave me…”
Celestia stood there, staring at me for what seemed like hours with a face of disbelief. All I did was stare right back at her, until I started to feel my body ache once again. As I slowly sank back into the bed I felt her hand wrapping around my wrist and slowly pulled me back up.
“You’re such a fool,” Celestia said softly with a small sniffle, throwing one arm around me and pulling me into her. “How could you even consider that?”
“I…” I froze, when I looked into Celestia’s eyes, I could see her fear and the pain it caused her. Even though I knew her more personally than most ever would, seeing someone everyone held… Someone I held in such high regard in this much pain, it stung. “I don’t know.” I finally exhaled, fighting back my own emotions as I buried my head into my hands. “For some reason I think if I stay a pony for too long I’ll slowly stop being myself and start being more and more like those assholes that’ve been giving Luna and I hell since I got here.”
Celestia offered a light pat on my arm and one of her legendary warm smiles as she hid her tears. “Says the one being in the known universe that is bullheaded enough to punch a reality warping chaos entity in the face after he made him mad. Not to mention a man that singlehandedly took on a minotaur and won.”
“Yeah, but I’m worried that bit of me will–”
“Aedan,” Celestia interrupted, pulling me closer to herself, “you’re the most stubborn creature I’ve ever met, there’s no way in hell that something like a simple transformation would change that.”
I offered her a smile and nodded. “Yeah,” I agreed, looking to the wraps around my chest and stomach, “if I survived through an assassin and Nightmare Moon, I think I suck it up and learn to walk around on four legs.”
A swift, firm palm met my forehead, bringing my completely undivided attention back to Celestia, who was giving me yet another seductive look. “You’d better,” she practically moaned, leaning closer still, pressing her glorious chest against my arm, “or else you’d receive your punishment from me personally~”
My face went blank and I rolled my eyes. I knew that normally this would’ve gotten a rise from me, and that’s exactly what she wanted, but after everything I’d been through her infamous sexual taunts and borderline harassment seemed to be like nothing.
“Ooof course you will,” I grumbled gently pushing Celestia away so casually it took her by surprise, “punishment I got it, but right now, I’d prefer you not try anything crazy on me until I have enough blood for both heads thank you very much. After all, I’ve got another life to stress over since Luna told me about the…”
My thought trailed off as I noticed the blood from Celestia’s face disappear, giving her an almost ghostly appearance. Her smile also vanished, replaced by a thin lipped frown and fearful eyes. “How… how did she find out?” she asked looking to her now quivering hands, “I–I… I thought I was alone, I haven’t told anyone… How did she find–”
“Celestia.” I interrupted, “what the hell are you talking about?”
The princess blinked a few times, almost as confused as I was. “Oh nothing, just me rambling on about–”
“Celestia…” I growled, staring at her intensely, “what the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing!” she answered defensively, rising to her feet and “what? A woman like me isn’t allowed a slip of the tongue? Heaven forbid I–”
“Celestia!” I roared, this time grabbing her wrist so she wouldn’t go anywhere, “What the HELL are you talking about?!”
I must have not realized how tightly I was holding on, because within seconds Celestia was wincing in pain. Upon realizing this I let go and she pulled her hand away, gently trying to soothe the pain away. I was about to apologize, but before I could open my mouth, I saw a very rare tear form in her eye.
“You were dying…” she whispered softly, wiping away the tear, “They were doing everything they could, but you were still dying.”
I watched her nervously sway from side to side before pacing back and forth. She started mumbling under her breath, but she was talking so low and so fast I wasn’t able to catch anything she was saying.
“Celestia,” I said to get her attention, “calm down and tell me what you did, slowly.”
Celestia looked at me reluctantly, biting her lower lip as she rubbed her arm, but after a few seconds she took in a heavy breath. “The internal damage you suffered was far greater than the doctors initially thought.” She explained, “every hour you were getting worse, despite every last effort the doctors made and it was starting to show.”
“What about Luna?” I asked, pointing to the door across from us, “if there really is that much of a connection shouldn’t a healthy body like hers been able to supplement the process?”
“Luna wasn’t in much better shape Aedan,” Celestia answered, “after succumbing and overcoming the nightmare within her she was extremely weak and with your condition she was only getting weaker. By the second night I had to raise the moon for her, and on the third day she collapsed in weakness after getting out of her chair at dinner. I knew that if I didn’t act soon, I’d lose you both.”
“You didn’t…”
“You both needed a perfectly healthy soul to share your combined burdens.” Celestia said with stoic sorrow, “I had no other choice than to–”
“You didn’t…” I repeated shaking my head, “Without asking me? Without asking Luna? What the fuck were you–”
“What would you have me do?!” Celestia snapped back, “Like hell I’m going to idly stand by and watch you die and bring my sister along with you! Like hell I’m losing her again! That’s why I bound my soul to yours! So I don’t lose her aga–”
“You bound your soul to his?” A familiar, yet terrifying voice growled from behind Celestia.
The both of us froze, turning in horror movie fashion to see Luna standing in the doorway, her aura pulsing in pure, unfiltered rage. She took one, mechanical step after the other, each one making my heart race just a bit more, until finally she was standing by Celestia’s side. She didn’t even seem to acknowledge her sister as she stood there, her focus was somewhere on the ground next to my bed. After a few tense moments of silence, Celestia finally tried to reach out to her little sister.
“Luna…” she said softly, her hand a mere inches away from her shoulder, “I–”
“Do not even think of touching me!” Luna yelled, slapping Celestia’s palm away so hard she uttered out a cry of pain. “You did the very thing that you chastised me for months ago, but now it’s okay simply because you did it?!”
“I didn’t do it for my own selfish reasons!” Celestia shot back defensively, “had you not foolishly bound your soul to his neither of you would be in this predicament! I only did what had to be done to save the both of you!”
I could hear Luna’s teeth grind as she pointed an accusing finger towards her older sister. “lies…” she growled, her finger trailing my direction, “ever since we were young, you have always taken my things and you have always seemed to have a good reason to take it.” Luna paused and stepped up to her sister, only stopping when she was inches away from Celestia’s face. “How long until you try to take him from me?”
“Are you sure that you wish to go through with this?” Luna asked yet again. It was the tenth time in just as many minutes.
“Yes, mom.” I said letting out a tired sigh, running my hand over my head, “We both knew that it needed to be done eventually, may as well be right now.”
“But what if–”
“Luna,” I interrupted, placing my hands on her shoulders and staring her in the eyes. “Need I remind you that I’ve been to a war zone three times, lost my leg in said war zone, fought five guys at once and won and most recently, I beat a Minotaur with my bare hands.”
“You had assistance with the latter two examples,” Luna shot back quickly, pointing a finger to my chest. “I should–”
“And I think the former are a little bit more important in regards to this conversation,” I interrupted yet again, this time placing my finger on Luna’s lips. “What I’m trying to say is–”
“Why must you be so stubborn!” Luna blurted out, slapping my hand away from her face. “Always so willing to go head first into the most dangerous situations without so much as thinking! Why won’t you let me prote–”
“Luna,” I interrupted, lowering myself so I could be at eye level with her. “Please, trust me on this, okay?”
“I do trust you.” Luna replied, looking towards the bedroom door. “I don’t trust them and, given how they’ve treated you, you shouldn’t either. It’s smarter to stay with me.”
“I know you want to come along Luna, and I know that you’ve been trying hard to make up for something that was your fault,” I paused, placing my hand under her chin and making her look to me once again. “But there are some things in life you need to do alone, and for me this is one of them.”
I really hoped that what I said was believable enough for her, because in reality it was slightly different. I’d been cooped up in this castle for over a year, minus the one date night, and though Luna seemed perfectly content within the confines of the castle walls, I sure as hell wasn’t. When you know the exact number of glass shards are on each of the plate glass windows in the hallway to the throne room, you know you need a change of scenery, but if I was being honest with myself I knew that was only one third of it.
Luna had been especially clingy since I walked myself out of the infirmary a week ago, against the doctor’s wishes, and that was to prove to Luna that I wasn’t utterly helpless and was capable of taking care of myself. However, that seemed to backfire royally as every waking and resting moment has been spent with her hovering over me. The only place where I get a minor reprieve is in the restroom, and even then she sits outside and talks non stop. Granted I really can’t blame her after the whole incident at the gala, but Christ in heaven a man needs space.
That was the other reason I needed to be out and about, space, and not from Luna, but from Celestia. It wasn’t like she’d been flirting with me anymore than she normally does, Luna’s endless vigil made sure of it, but each time we did see one another, I could feel my blood running hot. I may not be very knowledgeable in the ways of the arcane, but there’s one thing I do know. Soul bonding makes you extremely attracted to the person you’re bound to, that knowledge driven home even more so by the fact that Luna and I’s room was locked for a week straight after she cast her voodoo.
“Very well,” Luna said reluctantly, seemingly satisfied with my reasoning and bringing me back from my all-too-often dives into my head. “Just be mindful, for it’s not just your life that rests on your shoulders.”
Luna stepped back and placed her hands on her stomach, it looked like any day now the babies would come, but for now, they seemed quite content inside their mother. With a smile on my face I reached out and placed my hands on hers, which was met by a small kick courtesy of one of my two offspring. I knew the two of them had been doing it for months, but each time I felt it I couldn’t help butterflies in my stomach. A father. Of all the far better men I’ve known, I was going to be a father. All the more reason to at least try to make this pony thing work, if not for me, for Luna and our children.
“Alright,” I said with a confident grin. “Let’s see if I can pull this off.”
Luna instinctively stepped back as I walked to the center of the room, making sure that nothing was going to fly around as I endeavoured to use the minimal amount of magic I had in me courtesy of the moon goddess. With few quick cracks of the knuckles and neck I took in a deep breath and concentrated. It had been over a year since I last did this, so I needed to do what I could to try and prep for it. Taking a quick glance over to Luna I shot her a smile and a thumbs up her direction, to which she responded with a concerned grin and a nod. That was my que to do what I intended.
I focused on my hands and clenched them tightly, concentrating intently on what I wanted to do. My eyes closed, teeth gritted and every muscle in my body flexed as I felt a surge of magic course through me. It felt weird, like feeling sandpaper and silk lightly brush across every inch of my body, I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what Luna and Celestia felt when they performed their transformation spells. Chance was that they did, but they’d done it so often they became numb to the sensation.
Before I knew it I found myself wrapped in a swirling ball of light, the time had come for the change. The feeling amplified as the magic began to course through me faster, rapidly changing my form from human to pony. I could feel my fingers and toes merging as well as my face elongating, fortunately for me however, I didn’t suffer the same fate as David Kessler, magic apparently lead to harmless body swaps.
Not ten seconds after the light enveloped me it dissipated, leaving me exactly where I stood once again, however the mirror I was once staring at was now a good three feet above my head, leading me to believe that my attempt worked.
“Well, how do I look?” I asked, turning to Luna, nearly stumbling over myself.
Luna tentatively stepped out from behind where she was hiding before letting out a quick sigh of relief. “Normal,” she smiled, walking towards me in a methodical fashion. “Tis rather amusing to see you be the one looking up for once.”
“Means I can’t stare at your chest while we talk without you noticing now.” I shot back, only to have a palm to the side of my head as a reply.
“Such is the way of men.” Luna replied, rolling her eyes, “I swear the lot of you think without using your brains sometimes.”
“Well we do have two heads.” I replied with a cheeky smile, realizing that my shirt was drooping over what was once broad human shoulders. “Well, I guess I should take a more natural approach to this.” I said taking in a breath as I shimmied out of my clothes, “There, all bet–OHMYGOD!”
“What?!” Luna shouted horrified, “What happened? Are you–”
“Where’s Neil?!” I exclaimed in shocked panic, running around in circles.
“Neil?” Luna asked, “who is–”
“The hell is he?!” I blurted out, not really paying attention to Luna in my current state. “Christ in heaven where’s–”
Before I could finish my statement I found myself surrounded in a sapphire aura, starring Luna directly in the eyes. I don’t know if she ever used magic when she did this kind of thing, but it sure as hell felt like it, because within moments I was brought from an overly panicked nonsensical moron to a far more mellow, and much easier to understand fellow.
“Are you better now?” Luna asked, her tone the very definition of unamused
“Uh… yeah,” I said with a nod, “I’m good now.”
“Wonderful,” Luna replied with a smile, “now what were you screaming about?”
The wires in my head reconnected at that point, nearly sending me into panic mode once again, but a soul stealing stare from Luna prevented me from panicking any further. With a deep breath I gathered my thoughts, thinking of the best way to explain my situation.
“Neil’s gone.” I finally said, letting out a deep sigh.
“And who’s that?” Luna asked.
“The reason you’re pregnant.” I said, pointing a foreleg, or whatever it was called on a horse, between my hind legs, “I don’t have him anymore…”
Luna’s pupils turned to pinpricks as the magic that once held me in place released me, allowing my face to become better acquainted with the floor. I looked back up to her slightly annoyed, but I couldn’t stay mad at her forever, especially since she looked so adorable when she was embarrassed.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was that?” she asked with a huff, trying to hide her pepper read face from me.
“I thought you already knew what I was talking about.” I replied, slowly rising back to my feet, or hooves… man, this is going to be a long day..
“Well when you give it a name it can be difficult to determine what you’re referring to.”
“If you say so babe.” I shrugged, “but that still–”
“Why Neil?” Luna suddenly asked.
“Excuse me?” I asked back, my brow cocked as far as it could be.
“Why did you name your… it, Neil?” Luna asked, pointing indirectly towards where my neither region should be.
“Oh, well that’s because Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon back in my reality.”
Luna stood there, the wheels in her head going at full speed until it finally clicked, and once it did the look on her face was such a glorious mix of stern unamusement and unadulterated embarrassment I couldn’t help but to let out a few snorting chuckles. “You are insufferable…” she said completely stone faced.
“I know,” I replied with a stupid grin and a quick peck on her cheek, “that’s why you love me.”
Luna couldn’t keep her straight face for long, replacing it with a tiny grin before giving me a pat on the head. “It helps that you’re such an adorable little pony,” Luna said in a teasingly childish tone, her hand migrating to my jawline, “Such cute and pinch-worthy little cheeks~.”
And just like that, I hated being a pony.
“Alright,” I said attempting to crack my neck, only to fall face first to the floor. “T–Time to face the world…”
“Are you one hundred percent positive that you–”
“Yes.” I replied quickly, shooting back up to my feet in an effort to regain a small amount of dignity. “I’m a full grown man–”
“Stallion.” Luna corrected.
“… Stallion.” I repeated, the look on my face more than likely resembling closer to Sam Eagle than a pony. “And I can take care of myself.”
Before she could offer a response, I made a beeline towards the door and closed it behind myself. Insuring that any further requests to join me or sneering insults in regards to my hasty escape would be muffled. After a few forceful blows and garbled shouts spouting how much she despises me for once again taking advantage of the seal that Celestia had cast on our door months prior. After the final slam reverberated through the gold plated mahogany I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. Imagining how adorable she looked as she angrily beat at the door and roared words that I taught her was just too much to bare.
“She’ll get over it.” I said to myself with a chuckle, “if not, I’m sure I can think of something to make it up for her.”
With that I took a left and proceeded down the vast corridor, which was surprisingly empty, given the time of day. At least that meant I could walk around the castle while maintaining a shred of dignity before I stepped out of the castle. However, the hand of fate really seems to enjoy misery, because it decided that I should run headfirst into someone just as I made the first turn after our room.
“By Luna’s mane!” An unmistakable voice sneered, “Watch where you’re going! Furthermore, these are… oh wow.”
I stood there frozen, staring directly at Night Wing, hoping that he wouldn’t recognize me in my current form. As we stood their, eyes locked on one another’s I realized that he was almost, and I stress that word almost, as shocked as I was. That’s when I realized that even though my own size was nearly cut by a half, I was still nearly a head taller than him, the irony of the term my little pony hit me so hard I loosened up, even letting out a small chuckle, a chuckle that brought Night Wing back to reality.
“This is the private sector of the castle sir.” Night Wing half growled, trying to reaffirm some sort of intimidating aura, which he failed mind you, “If you don’t leave and return to your tour group I’ll have to escort you off the grounds, by force if necessary.”
“Yeah sure,” I smirked, letting out a small chuckle as Night Wing to a combative stance, “ya might wanna maintain your baring before making statements like that Night Wing.”
I tried to cover my mouth, but it was too late, Night Wing’s ears perked and his entire body flinched at the mention of his name and once again we were in the same position we were earlier, awkwardly staring into one another’s eyes, with me praying to the lord up above that he wouldn’t put two and two together, but this is me we’re talking about, so we all knew how this was going to go down.
“Do I… know you?”
“What? Nononono,” I nervously smiled as I waved one of my hooves passively, “I just, uh… saw your name tag!”
“I don’t wear a name tag.”
“Heard your name when you were talking to some other guards!”
“Only ponies in this hallway are you and me.”
My teeth gritted as sweat began to bead on my forehead. My eyes shifted erratically around the hallway, desperately trying to find something that would’ve given me a reasonable excuse to know his name other than my true identity, but there was nothing, nothing could’ve saved me from the inevitable outcome the unknown hand that has been writing my story my entire life was preparing, but you could bet to hell I was still going to try and fight it. It’s just what I do.
“I saw it on the roster at the front gate when I first walked in!” I said in a last ditch effort to spare myself the embarrassment of facing Night Wing in as how Luna put it ‘an adorable little pony’.
“Your voice.” Night Wing said, poking a hoof in my chest as his eyes narrowed, connecting the dots inside his mind, “It sounds, familiar.”
“W-what?” I stuttered, backing up a bit, “I have no idea what you’re talking about! There’re thousands of ponies! At least some of them are bound to–“
“AEDAN!” Luna’s voice thundered through the hallway, shaking the ground beneath us, “Thou shalt pay for thine insolence towards us!”
The fact the Luna was speaking in old English meant one of two things, and since she still had her clothes on it meant she was pissed. I froze solid; hoping the Dr. Grant method of avoiding extremely dangerous situations just might be my ticket out of my current predicament, but this is a world full of talking pastel miniature horses, not genetically cloned and created behemoth extinct reptiles from the Cretaceous. Within seconds I could feel her rage pulsing behind me, granted it could’ve been her breathing down my neck, but either situation right now was equally terrifying.
Taking in a deep breath I couldn’t help but let out a small whimper before turning to face the unbridled, pun intended, rage of a hormonally charged goddess who wasn’t even in a good mood to begin with. When I made eye contact all I saw was the rage and fury of every war humanity had ever engaged in all concentrated into a pair of cobalt blue eyes, her furrowed brow and toothed frown only adding to the sheer terror that stood before myself and my unfortunate counterpart. I could feel body parts that I previously thought had disappeared clench and shrink back into me as we stood there, I knew I had to say something, something that could defuse the whole situation and save me from a most terrible fate.
“H-hello sweetheart.” I stuttered, offering a weak, trembling smile.
“Thou dare not ‘sweetheart’ us, knave.” Luna hissed, pointing a finger charged with a mix of what looked like water and lightning, “we’d offered our assistance in the endeavor, you declined, but to slam a door in our face before we were done speak–“
“A-Aedan?” Night Wing said, poking my shoulder, prompting both Luna and I to stop staring at one another and focus on him. “By the heavens above… it is you Aedan!”
Before either Luna or myself could respond Night Wing keeled over, kicking his hooves in the air and laughing without control. Both Luna and I looked to one another, a cocked brow shared on both our faces showing that the past few seconds no longer mattered.
“Uh… you okay there buddy?” I asked, slowly inching towards him.
“Merciful Celestia!” Night Wing hollered as he continued to laugh, “of all the things you could’ve ever… a pony?! I’d thought you’d turn into a Griffon or a Dragon, even a Minotaur, but a cute lil’ pony?! Gods this is rich!”
“Hey!” I snapped as Luna let out a small chuckle herself, “why’s it so funny? You’re a pony too right? Why’s it so funny when–“
“Because I’ve always been like this.” He interrupted, seemingly finally finished with his laughing, though he still had a shit-eating grin plastered to his face. “You on the other hoof, have always been this big, hulking terror that the rest of the guard’s so scared by they’ve ordered that everyone stay in groups of at least three. To see you like this…” he paused, fighting the unrelenting force of yet another laughing spell, “to see you all cute and cuddly, it’s… it’s…”
Before he could finish he started laughing once again, only this time he wasn’t alone. Luna’s laughter echoed in the hallway right along with his, she even had to get on her knees to prevent herself from falling. All the while I stood there, the frown on my face growing more and more cartoony with each passing second.
“Tis true,” Luna said between breaths, wiping away a tear, “he always has had an overly masculine aura to him, but to see my strapping lover as such an adorable example of equine…”
“It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!” Night Wing added focusing on me with a baby goo-goo face, “who’s a cutie pie? Who’s a lil’ cutie pie?”
Have I mentioned I hate being a pony?
“I’m tellin’ everyone in the guard!” Night Wing suddenly said, turning to face the way from whence he came, “they’ll lose their minds when they hear about this!”
“No wait!” I shouted, holding my hoof out, but it was too late, he was gone, leaving only myself and Luna staring at his ever shrinking silhouette.
“In light of recent events.” Luna said, breaking the silence, “I think it best not to deliver a punishment.”
“I think I’d rather face your wrath than the ridicule…” I said under my breath.
“Is that so?” Luna asked, sparks flying from her hand once more with a murderous grin appearing on her face. “I’ll be more than happy to execute my divine justice for your utter lack of respect.”
“Ridicule’s fine!” I said quickly throwing my forelegs in the air once more before being reminded that gravity had a nasty habit of punishing stupidity itself. “C-can I please just go now?” I asked with my face still flat on the floor.
“You have my blessing,” Luna said with a giggle, “just return before the moon’s over the castle, and do your best to not humiliate yourself~.”
“Already failed that…” I grumbled, rolling my eyes as I started off, giving Luna one last wave before I continued my journey to the gates.
The rest of my trip to the exit was rather uneventful, save for the guard trios that couldn’t stop laughing at me as I walked past. Night Wing’s a lot faster than I initially thought. In spite of the insults, jabs and highly unexpected catcalls, I made it to the gate with little incident, which lead to the next obstacle, the gate. I stood there a few seconds, like a kid staring down a bully after school, determined, stoic, ready to man up, ready to…
“Awww, look at the little guy~” A random guard shouted mockingly in my direction.
“I wanna pinch his wittle cheeks!” his partner added.
This is currently my life. I hope you’re happy God, probably sitting up there on a computer writing this shit as it happens aren’t you? You sadistic bastard.
“Yeah, make fun all you want,” I said, turning to face the pair of guards mocking me, “but remember…” I took in a deep breath and sprinted towards them, stopping just inches in front of their faces, smiles long gone, they gulped in unison as they tilted their heads upward to look me in the eye. “Even now I’m bigger than you.”
I let out a bit of a snort as I turned back to make my way outside, confidence somewhat restored by putting the guards back in their place. Now all that needed to be done was walk through that gate, which despite everything, was a lot tougher than it sounded.
“Alright, me.” I said taking in a deep breath, psyching myself up. “It’s like you’re going out there for first time again, nobody knows you’re a human when you look like this, just play it smooth and no one will even notice you.”
I didn’t see the guiding rail for the gate, because if I did I wouldn’t have landed face first in a puddle of mud after my first step. Hooray for first impressions, seriously that was straight out of every single awkward nerd becomes a man story ever, come on God, you can do better.
“Oh good heavens!” a voice of which I hadn’t heard since the Gala scoffed.
“Please no…” I whispered to myself, burying my face even further into the mud.
“Are you alright, my good stallion?” he continued, the sound of his hooves stopping right in front of my face. “Normally I wouldn’t talk to an earth pony like you, but since you’re exiting the castle unescorted you must hold a place of high distinction!”
“Touché, God…” I grumbled under my breath as I slowly rose to my feet, dammit, I mean hooves. “Yeah, I’m fine…” I snorted, flinging as much muck as I could off my body with a flick of my head. “As for distinction, I guess you could say I’m pretty close with the Princesses.”
“I knew you were a stallion of distinction!” He cheered to himself in distinction, “To have private audiences with the princesses is the highest of honors and that–Oh, forgive me, I failed to introduce myself, I am–”
“Lord Pompous…” I said begrudgingly, doing my best to resist the urge to shove my hoof into his face.
“Ah! I see my reputation proceeds me,” he said smugly, making it even harder to not knock his high and mighty ass to the ground, “please, you must come to lunch with me, I know that manager of the finest restaurant in all of Canterlot!”
My entire body jolted at the offer and unfortunately for me, Lord Pompous didn’t see that as an act of a hesitant man in a horse’s body.
“Splendid!” He said happily, using his magic to pull me closer, “You have got "
“I don’t think–”
“Oh and don’t forget about the tomato and cheese crackers, just superb!”
The next ten minutes was spent being drug along by a guy I would normally send to the dentist with a few missing teeth, getting an earful of all his fabulous exploits as a lord in Celestia’s court. Like meeting dignitaries from foreign lands, his family run business that was estimated at nearly fifty billion bits, making him the fourth richest pony in all of Equestria, behind Fancy Pants and of course the Royal Family. The unrelenting ego stroking would’ve usually made me lose my mind, but there was one thing that managed to keep me sane.
Out of the corner of my eyes I noticed quite a bit of mares double taking as we walked by, apparently Luna was right when she said I was a handsome stallion. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself a bit, seeing the irony in the fact that this was nearly the exact same thing the guys did when they saw Luna walk by back home.
“Oh my dear boy,” Pompous continued to talk, completely oblivious to the fact that I’d stopped listening to him about three blocks ago. “I know I’m humorous, but the joke wasn’t that spectacular, everyone knows that ape in the castle probably can’t wipe himself as it is.”
“What?” I asked, tensing up as those words were being processed in my head.
“We’re here!” Pompous said, still unaware of anyone but himself, pointing to the establishment he absolutely had to take me to.
My eyes followed his hoof to door of a rather elegant looking restaurant with a familiar looking host sitting at the front desk.
“Fuck it…” I mumbled as we walked to the entrance.
“Ah, my good friend, Garson. How’s today been?” Pompous asked, stopping right in front of the desk he sat at.
“Much better since you’ve arrived, Lord Pompous.” Garson replied with a smile, “Would you like your… oh my~.”
My attention was immediately drawn to the stallion that was now eyeing me like a starving Texan would a choice cut of steak. I swear that he was even salivating while he continued to stare.
“And who might this be?” He asked, letting his eyelids sink way lower than I’m comfortable with when another man’s staring at me. “Friend of yours?”
“Oh you dog, Garson, please try to contain yourself in front of Mister…” Pompous paused, inadvertently saving me from the fourth most awkward staring contest I’ve ever had in my life. “I’m sorry my good stallion, but you neglected to tell me your name.”
“Bullheaded.” I randomly blurted out, my mind still focused on the stallion that was eye humping me.
“Bullheaded?” Lord Pompous repeated, blinking his eyes a few times as he processed it. “A bit brutish don’t you think?”
“You have a problem with it?” I asked back. “Maybe I should have a word with the Princesses–”
“But it’s still a fine name!” Lord Pompous said quickly, nervously shaking his hoof at me.
I couldn’t help but smile at the display, if he only knew who I truly was, I wondered what his reaction would be. Though as tempting as it was to switch then and there, a part of me wanted to see how far I could take this, and how far he would dig his own grave.
“It’s fine.” I said smugly, prompting him to stop fussing, “nobody’s perfect, every one’s bound to make an ass of themselves every now and then.”
“An ass? Why you–” All it took was a confident grin and a cocked brow to shut him up, after a few seconds of gathering himself he finally extended his foreleg inside, “yes, yes of course. I have a table permanently reserved here, shall we?”
“We shall,” I replied with a grin, walking past him, half tempted to bump into him as I walked past, but unfortunately I chose to be the better man.
“Don’t be a stranger~.” Garson added as I walked inside, making me shudder in disgust.
“Please forgive Garson, my good sir.” Pompous said as he walked over to a table in the corner of the restaurant. “He can be quite forward, please have a seat.”
“Well, I suppose it’s one way know you’re good looking.” I admitted, accepting his offer and taking the seat with the wall behind it. “So what are we eating?”
“Whatever you want, my dear boy,” he said confidently, taking the seat across from me, “anyone in a close relationship with the royal family is a friend of mine.”
“Anyone?” I asked, cocking a brow and looking at the menu, “that include Luna’s consort? A… Adrian Riker or something?”
I looked over the top of my menu to see his reaction and it was exactly as I expected. His entire body tensed up at the mention of my name, letting out a heavy sigh he lowered his menu back on the, actually looking like someone I should take seriously for once.
“Anyone but him.” He answered with obvious disdain in his voice. “That… thing is nothing more than an uncultured dolt that the princess found loafing around in another dimension, if anything the princess took pity on the wretch and brought him along to bolster his self esteem.”
My eyes narrowed, but I managed to maintain my poker face. “Well, she clearly likes him, I mean, the news about her being pregnant and all.”
Pompous let out a laugh. “You honestly think that means anything to her? If anything she’s merely sowing wild oats, no doubt the novelty of that barbaric, sub-equine ape will run its course in no time.”
Gritting my teeth I put down my menu, just as the waiter walked to our table. Our drinks were ordered within the minute and Pompous decided to keep on talking.
“As I was saying, wild oats, nothing more,” he said, sipping on his glass for red wine. “The Princess has shown that she’s intent to give birth to that abomination. She’s likely to abandon it soon after and pursue a proper relationship with a proper stallion.”
“Put any thought into what that ‘sub-equine’ would say to that?” I asked, downing a shot of whiskey, the burning sensation traveling down my throat a perfect description for how I was currently feeling.
“I will tell you this right now, Bullheaded.” Pompous said, actually using my name. “I’ve spoken with that mouth-breathing git on two occasions, each time he’s been unable to defend himself or prove me wrong. I doubt he could even comprehend what I was saying!” Pompous paused to laugh at his joke, clearly amused at himself for being… clever, if that’s what he could call it. “I doubt he’d even know he was being abandoned. The–”
“Now, now.” I interrupted, raising a hoof, “I know that what you’re going to say next is important, but you said you met him twice?”
“Yes.” Pompous nodded, “and each time that dredge was incapable of engaging me on any reputable scale.”
“Really?” I asked, to which he responded with a nod. “Because the way I remember it you practically pissed yourself both times before you ran off with your tail tucked between your legs like a kicked puppy.”
Pompous’ face went from confident and egotistical to pure and utter shock. It almost made me wish I had a camera to take a picture, but the mental image would need to suffice for now. I smiled to myself as he further processed what I said and it even made me wonder if he was going to figure me out.
“H–how…?”
“Hey, Pompous,” I said, the confidence he once had now all mine. “May I ask you something?”
Pompous must’ve still been in shock, because he decided to answer. “Y-yes?”
“Do you like apples?”
“Uh… I suppose?”
Taking the queue I smiled, hopping out of my seat I made sure that nothing would get in my way. Seconds later I found myself surrounded in a ball of light, returning to a far more comfortable form. It didn’t take much longer before I stood there in all my glory, staring down to the absolutely shocked stallion below me.
“How do you like them apples?” I said with a cocky grin, crossing my arms across my chest.
Pompous didn’t answer, instead he decided to run out of the restaurant, tail between his legs, just like every other time. I couldn’t help but let out a laugh, but as the initial high of scarring that sorry excuse of a respectable being away I began to notice something. Everypony in the restaurant was staring at me, but none of them were focused on my face. Remembering one crucial detail about most of the inhabitants of this land I looked down to see the Mighty Neil Armstrong in his full glory once again, prompting my grin to quickly turn into an awkward frown as I grabbed the nearest table cloth.
“Uh…” I said looking to one of the still shell shocked waitresses after wrapping the cloth around my waist. “can I borrow this?”
“S-sure…” she stammered as I walked past her, “but you don’t have to bring it back.”
“Thanks.” I said said quickly walking past her and towards the exit. Hearing things those present whisper things like ‘by Celestia’s mane’ and ‘I can see why Luna wants him so badly now’.
With as much dignity as I could humanly muster, I marched my way back to the castle, keeping my eyes straight and set squarely on my goal. I didn’t care about the whispers, I didn’t care about the staring, I didn’t care about the cabbage stand being destroyed a second time in just as many times I’ve been outside of the castle. All that mattered was that I make it back with whatever pride I had left intact, and that looked like I was going to make it pretty unscaved. I got to the gate without incident, even the guards seemed to have decided I’d had enough punishment on the walk back and let me go past them without out so much a word.
Finally back on my home turf, I decided to take the quickest way back to Luna’s room as possible. Though there were a few instances in my life where I’d been in this predicament, I was never too keen staying like that for long, and I wasn’t going to start anytime soon. Ducking and diving through the halls I managed to avoid most of the butlers and maids, but those who actually did see me didn’t really seem to pay mind to it, apparently they’d seen me naked enough times to not be weirded out, which in turn weirded me out. I don’t recall ever walking around the halls without at least a pair of jeans and a shirt, but I didn’t have time for that, I needed to get back to our room.
A few minutes later, I found myself standing in front of Luna’s room. “Christ, it’s about time…” I said to myself as I took hold of the door handle. “Just need to get on some pants and–”
My thought was cut short by the scene before me. I expected there to be lights on, and Luna sitting on the bed or in the chair beside the door, looking as worried as ever, especially since I came back as a human in nothing more than a makeshift half-toga. Instead there was nothing but darkness, the only light coming from the slightly opened door I still had my hand on.
“Uh, Luna?” I called, hand still loosely on the door, “are you–”
“She’s busy running an errand.” a seductive voice explained from the shadows, just as the door I had my hand on slid from my grasp and closed shut. “I’m positive she’ll be gone for quite a while, besides, it’s not like she needs to be here for this.”
“What the–”
For the second time in less than a minute, I was interrupted, only this time the distinct snap of someone’s fingers, igniting dozens of candles and turning on the lights to a dim, romantic glow. The sudden return of my primary sense finally revealed just who I was talking to, though given the way she spoke, it wasn’t really much of a surprise.
Princess Celestia sat on the opposite side of the room, legs crossed and the tip of her index finger between her teeth. I’d seen her sit like that many times, normally when she was preparing to pull off a cocktease, but that wasn’t what got me, it was what she was wearing. A pure white corset pressed tightly to her body, her impressive bust practically begging to escape from their bonds. Topping that off was a matching pair of snow white evening gloves, thigh highs and a pair of glasses across her brow like a cherry on top. I was frozen, staring at the overwhelming sexual power that Celestia commanded, I probably looked like some thirteen year old staring at his dad’s playboy, because she couldn’t help but let out a confident laugh.
“I thought you’d like this.” she said as she stood up, making an effort to jutt her chest out as much as possible while doing so. “I put a lot of thought into designing it just for you~.”
I was unable to respond, instead my eyes just kept going up and down her body, drinking in every inch as much as I humanly could. It was then that I realized that the she’d mercifully chosen to wear panties, however they were completely lace minus a small bow and a small patch of cloth that covered her nether region. “Wha–why…?”
My attempt at talking was halted by Celestia making her first steps towards me, her hips rocking back and forth in a fashion that the word hypnotic wouldn’t do it justice. Finally, and for me, mercifully stopped walking towards me. Unfortunately however, she was within arm’s reach, which she took instant advantage of by lightly brushing her silk covered hand across my bare chest.
“I heard that you went out into the city as a pony.” She began tentatively biting her lip, looking at my chest as opposed to my face as she continued to rub back and forth. “I just want to say I’m proud of you, for swallowing that pride of yours and at least trying it out.”
“I… I did it for Luna.” I said, struggling to find my words, my mind was much more focused on the woman in front of me.
I shook my head and turned my eyes to an indistinct marking somewhere on the wall. “S-Speaking of which, I should really go and find her.”
I could feel Celestia’s devilish smirk crawling across her face. “Oh? What’s the rush? Surely you can wait with me till she returns.”
Instinctively, I started to step away from her to try and get some ground between us and make my escape before she trapped me. However, the sun goddess pursued me with a relentless hunger, closing the gap faster than I could retreat.
My knee started to buckle as it found the cushion of the armchair Luna used for reading. Taking no quarter, Celestia pounced at the advantage and knocked me back before pinning me down.
“T-that’s enough!” I blurted out, feeling more like a rabbit cornered by a wolf than a man under the weight of a princess.
“Oh hush, I’m just thanking you for being able to swallow that pride of yours~.”
The cogs of my brain began to slip apart as my eyes continuously darted between her and the now extremely interesting mark on the wall, “You already mentioned that.”
She smirked and stood up, “I know, but I am just so proud of you.”
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding only to instantly regret my decision as her hands rested atop her remarkable chest.
“You did so well that you deserve a reward. There must be something I can give you,” she said, slowly tracing along her figure down between her thighs.
There was a small strand of drool escaping the corner of my mouth. I tried to wipe it away but I ended up missing entirely. Instead my hand acted as if it had a mind of its own, slowly making its way towards Celestia. Fortunately, Celestia decided to pin it it back down with a little bit of magic, unfortunately that gave the Goddess in front of me another burning idea.
Before I knew it, my other arm was held down on the armrest, effectively pinning me, as if I already weren’t in a good position to begin with.
“Now that I have your attention.” Celestia began in a tone way too sultry for a princess to have, “I think we should get started~.”
With a quick snap of her fingers a silken veil materialized in her hands and like that, she was off to my bed. It started out as innocently as a woman dressed in white-lace lingerie sitting on my bed in candlelight… Ok, It wasn’t innocent at all, but at least she wasn’t within arm’s reach.
Within seconds I was eating those words, because she soon slid off the bed and made her way towards me, all the while sliding the scarf across and around her body, each movement more sexual than the last. Until finally, she was standing before me, still pinned to the chair mind you, her eyes hungry and curious as to see how far she could go.
“I know you’ve been enjoying yourself so far, but now we can have some real fun.” She cooed, placing one hand on my chin while the other slid down the center of my chest and towards my abdomen.
As I was distracted by where her hand intended to go Celestia hopped onto my lap, letting out an excited squeal as she did so. I was now face to chest with what was possibly the breast pair of bests – best pair of breasts I’d ever seen in my life, and only the slightest movement would’ve found me buried in them. I tried my best not to move I tried to become stone, but when Celestia wrapped her arms around my head and pulled me in, my fate was sealed.
The Woman on top of me couldn’t help but let out a giggle, it was almost as if she could read my mind and was amused by what she saw. She even made my restraints weaker, allowing me to move my hands a bit. Attempting to use the opportunity to free myself I grabbed onto her hips, hoping I would be able to will myself to graciously throw her off of me, but the combination of her surprised moan and the silken softness that was her skin made my instincts decide otherwise.
I couldn’t help myself as I squeezed tightly and pulled her rump towards me, nearly undoing the one thing that kept myself covered. Her moaning didn’t help me at all as I managed to get myself free from her mammaries’ gravitational pull to look into her eyes.
Desire was the only thing I saw, a desire that led her to slide her hips back once more, resulting in me instinctively pulling them in again, only this time even closer. Our eyes remained locked as the cycle repeated itself a few times until finally the only thing separating us from crossing that line were the two ridiculously thin layers of cloth and silk between our loins. I could feel her breath on my face, I could hear her heart hammering in her chest, I could see exactly what she wanted.
And I froze.
“Celestia…” I said softly, grabbing a hold of her like an old prospector would a gold nugget. “I… I…” Before I could finish I wrapped my arm around her back and rose to my feet, placing her to the side of the chair. “I can’t… I really need to find Luna.”
I turned around and made a single step towards the door. Just a few more strides and I would be in the clear, but fate was never my friend. As I reached out for the doorknob, Celestia grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face her once more.
“Celestia…” I growled deeply, doing everything humanly possible to steel my resolve before having to look at the beautiful goddess again. “I told you–”
“A-Aedan,” Celestia stuttered, “I-I’m sorry, I just wanted to play another game. I didn’t want – I didn’t mean for… this,” she stopped, trying to cover her face and wiping at her eyes with a free hand.
Good job, asshole. You made her cry, I berated myself before moving back to her and brushing her hand away, taking her chin in mine to look her in the eyes before making an attempt at being a deep philosopher in the ways of the heart.
Again, God loves to make a fool of me, because what I saw next would seal my fate...
Her eyes were alight with something I had all too readily recognized; an uncontrollable lust burning like a wildfire and threatening to swallow us both whole. The longer I stared, the harder it became to think, to move, to breathe, but I couldn’t tear myself away from it. She was dangerously close to me and, while normally I would have stuck to my guns and kept myself from being overwhelmed, I found my hands moving to her hips as hers traced the muscles of my chest and arm before slowly making their way to my back. I could tell that she was trying to romantically tease me, but the pressure in her touch further confirmed how badly she wanted me to make a move.
My makeshift toga finally dropped as I lifted her right leg and placed my hand firmly on the mid of her back. She gave a small hop and we slowly lowered ourselves to the bed threatening to catch the sheets on fire as we moved. The electricity of her touch on my jaw snaked its way to my spine and down my body causing every hair on my body to stand on end.
She bit her lip as my hands made their way up her sides, gently tracing the underside of her breasts with my thumbs before finally reaching her hair. Much like with Luna’s it still flowed in an ethereal breeze but I could still grasps each little strand between my fingers. I gave it a small tug and I could feel her entire body tense around me as she threw her head back. Her moan dancing in my ears, tempting me to delve further and further into my lust.
Our lust.
The small voice in my head screaming at me to stop had long since silenced, now replaced by my instincts. She clawed my back, I bit her neck. I took her arms above her head, she wrapped her legs around my waist. We did this dance for quite some time before our eyes locked onto each other again, darting to the other’s lips back and forth. I couldn’t say who started moving in first, but I do know that our lips were only a hair’s-breadth away from pure bliss...
That was, until we both heard the sound of glass shattering. Celestia’s eyes went wide in shock as they locked on something just over my shoulder. I did not need to see her to know she was standing in the door but my head spun to try and deny my fears.
Sure enough, there stood the mother of my unborn children, one hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming, the other bracing herself on the door to keep from completely collapsing. Her eyes were clouded with tears but I could still see her pain. It was like every bone in her body had been broken then forced to drink molten steel.
I tried to say something, anything to stop this nightmare from continuing, but my mouth could do nothing but hang wordlessly open. I was lost.
It felt like the world was falling away. I was frozen in an endless wasteland while my heart was being clawed out by a set of rusty, serrated blades as slowly as possible. Though, as I stared into Luna’s eyes, I knew that the pain she felt was infinitely worse than anything my imagination could muster.
The only sign of life in the room was Luna’s whimpers as her body shuddered with every breath she took. Neither Celestia or I could move, our muscles tight with shock, it probably didn’t help that Celestia’s fingers were still dug into my arm, let alone the fact that I was bare-ass naked. My mind went through scenario after scenario, imagining just what the next moment might have. None of them were pleasant and death was in most. It felt like forever there, until finally I gathered the courage and opened my mouth.
Luna tried to speak, but every attempt ended in choked sobbing and weak whimpers, it seemed she resigned herself to say nothing.
I could feel a small part of myself dying as her silence echoed through my soul. My body felt like it was going to shatter if I moved, but there was no way I could remain where I was and try to explain myself, I had to get up and face the consequences. It hurt. It hurt like hell finally standing to my feet and forcing myself to face her. To look into those eyes so full of sorrow and pain, but this was the path I chose. I could’ve been strong, I could’ve told Celestia to fuck off like I know I should’ve, but no. I chose the path that the old me would’ve chosen.
The me that I apparently still was...
“Luna…” I began, “I’m–”
Without a word. That’s what hit me the hardest, Luna left the doorway without a single goddamn word. She should’ve damned me to the nine circles of hell, wished every curse she knows upon me, ripped me limb from limb. Anything would’ve been better than her just leaving without a word, yet here I was, staring at an empty doorway with a small puddle of tears glistening in the candlelight. I could feel my fists tightening as my teeth grinded against one another, my sorrow quickly being replaced a maelstrom of mixed emotions; pain, anger, sadness, regret, disgust, fear, all swirled up into one mass of torturous feelings fighting over my consciousness to see which would have control in the end.
“A-Aedan?” Celestia tentatively asked, reaching her hand on my shoulder, “Is there–”
The moment I felt her fingertips I violently ripped my arm away from her grasp. “Don’t you even think about touching me you goddamn slut!”
Anger had won. What a shocker.
Celestia’s hand jerked back to her side faster than a rattlesnake strike. The look on her face both shocked and hurt, as if she couldn’t believe that I’d say something like that to her. Which only made me angrier.
“What the fuck were you thinking bitch?!” I roared, every last muscle in my body tensed up in fury as my mind reeled, trying to find the next venomous thing I could spit at her. My mind was gone, all I could think of were all the times she’d hit on me, all the times she was butt ass naked in front of me, every stupid little tease... It was all to drive me away from Luna. It had to be! She was doing this from the very start! She had to be! She must’ve–
The moment Celestia hit the ground was when when my mind cleared, it was only for a brief moment, but in that moment I saw everything I needed to see. Pain, hurt, agony, whatever you wanted to call it I could see it plainly in her eyes. The eyes that were always so unwavering, the eyes that never showed any emotion but kindness and the occasional mocking seductive look… had pain. The feeling was driven even further when they welled up in tears that you’d think would be impossible from kind eyes, but there they were plain as day, until they slammed shut and her hands covered them once more. The following sobs and choked sounds from her throat melded her pain with the unmistakable screams of true regret.
As I stood there and watched her sob, I pondered what to say, but the more clear my mind became, the more I came to realize that I was at just as much fault as her. I don’t remember what I said from then on but I know that what once started as a raging inferno of anger slowly dwindled as self hatred took its place, turning me into a crumbled mess on my knees, fighting every instinct in my body in a desperate attempt to not completely shut down and cry. Everything was a blur as those thoughts swirled through my brain like a whirlwind.
“GOD–FUCKING–DAMMIT!” I blasted so loud I could feel my vocal cords ripping as I slammed my fists into the floor, cracking both the tile and several of the bones in my hands. The pain didn’t matter to me… nothing mattered to me, I was a useless pile of flesh and weakness. I couldn’t control myself because of some damned spell someone cast over me to save my life. How pathetic.
Then, a very dark memory found its way to the front of my mind. Don’t you love her as much as she does you? Nightmare Moon’s pale figure loomed over me, a wicked grin soon forming into deep laughter as her words echoed in the empty halls of my mind. Only this time I didn’t fight back... There was no point. Anything I said right now would’ve been a flat out lie, because I’d proven her right. I showed the world that nothing had changed. I was still the same disgusting, hedonistic pig I’d been since High School and now it was clear that nothing was going to change that fact.
“This is all my fault…” Celestia murmured softly through pathetic sounding whines, bringing me back to reality, though I wish she hadn’t. “My fault. My own sister… how could I? Am I really so…”
She paused for a moment and looked down to her body, her breasts nearly bursting from the skin tight corset she wore before her eyes welled up once again. “I am!” she cried, throwing her head back into her hands as the second wave of crying began. “I’m just–just…”
A golden hue encompassed her entire body for a few seconds, upon disappearing I saw that her attire had gone from a bare skinned woman back to her pony form. The turmoil she was going through must’ve been too much for her to concentrate on maintaining her humanoid self and honestly, I couldn’t blame her. I was going through the exact same thing.
“Celestia,” I strained to whisper, my voice all but gone thanks to my earlier roar.
“Every time…” She sniffed, wiping away a tear with her hoof, “It’s been like this since she was a filly…”
I didn’t know what to say, let alone what she was talking about. All I could do was sit there and watch as she stood up on shaking legs. She nearly fell over once or twice, but she managed to catch herself before I could react. After a few seconds and a long breath in, she spoke.
“Whether it was intentional or not… I always managed to get everything she wanted.” She began, choking back her tears. “Toys, clothes, friends, praise… the occasional stallion. They always seemed to go right through her and went straight to me, every, single, time… That’s what lead to Nightmare Moon in the first place.”
I tried to offer a response, but she rose her hoof and continued.
“And when Twilight decided to try and send that apple to another dimension… I thought that my sister was lost to me again… Those two days were the longest in my life. Little did I know that close to a month had past in your world by the time we found her… and that she’d found you.”
She stopped and turned to me, the smile on her face tried to convey happiness, but even as a horse I could see that it was hiding a broken woman.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of the both of you, it’s not often that you see a love as pure as that.”
My mind latched onto that last sentence. My fists tightened once more, a small ember of rage seemingly unwilling to die out sparking within me. “So you did this–”
“I would never try to do something so heinous!” Celestia snapped with a small hint of venom in her words. “Like I said, I wanted to thank you… but once again all I ended up doing was ruining everything again.” Her eyes welled up again as she wrapped one foreleg over the other. “Dammit! Everything that brings Luna happiness I just mess it up… I’m the worst sister anyone could ever have.”
“Celestia.” I said raggedly, my voice still refusing to return, “You–”
“Oh, I was rather enjoying the action from here,” said an all-too-familiar voice as the white reading chair grew a pair of yellow and red eyes. “It’s a shame Luna had to interrupt her husband and his mistress. Now I have to deal with you two being all emotional. Talk about a mood killer.”
After a sudden flash of light, the Avatar of Assholery himself stood next to the bookshelf and began perusing. His claws danced across the spines of each novel before settling on a small group of books with rather peculiar labels before lifting them out and taking a seat on the chair, cracking one open.
“You know, aside from Princess Twilight and her friends, Luna was one of the few ponies that treated me like a ‘friend,’” he said, aimlessly flipping through the pages of the first book before tossing it aside. “Sure, there was still a lot of leftover anger from before my imprisonment, but when I told her I was trying to become a better creature, she choked it down and offered to help me acclimate to the new world. After all, being imprisoned for over a thousand years tends to cause a bit of culture shock.”
“Luna never told me abou–”
Suddenly, my mouth zipped shut aggressively as the deity flicked his paw. “I was not finished talking Aedan,” he hissed.
I tried unzipping myself but the the harder I pulled at the zipper, the tighter it seemed to be. As I kept trying to undo my bonds, my eyes followed Discord as he walked past the bookcase and started to float towards Celestia. His eyes seemingly damning her to the deepest pit of hell. What’s worse is that she just seemed to accept it.
“While I am no stranger to temptation, Celestia, even I find your actions a bit hard to swallow. You have been tested time and time again, but you always end up making the same mistake.” Discord stopped his lecture and snapped his paw, instantaneously turning himself into a big black pot. “I mean, I know I’m not really one to be talking about betrayal and treachery, but even I learned my lesson after the first time. It didn’t take me having to send my sister to the moon for my mistakes to be engraved into my mind.”
Celestia recoiled at his words like she had been slapped and a fresh wave of tears began pouring from her eyes. I ran at the bastard, fist reared back and ready to re-acquaint this fucker with the ground. However, just like when I had tried to speak, Discord snapped his fingers again and I found a spiked dog collar around my neck with a metal chain holding me back.
“Don’t be so rambunctious Aedan, I will deal with you soon enough,” he said, his eyes not leaving Celestia’s for even a moment. He continued to stare at her silently for an uncomfortable amount of time before he finally spoke, a rare frown finding a way onto his face. “And here I was, thinking you were the better of the two of us… Now I see that, despite what farce you display for others, deep down you are just as much of a monster as me.”
The moment he looked from Celestia to me, I was unable to tear my eyes off of his. He moved much different than usual, a certain power in his step that I had not seen before. Usually, he would just teleport here or there with a quip and a bit of magic to make a laugh for himself, but at this moment he was a much different creature. The closer he walked, the tighter the chain around my neck became, forcing me to my knees on the ground as he loomed over me.
“Before we begin, someone as important as you deserves to address something more familiar.”
Another flash of light, and the Draconequus in front of me turned into another creature altogether. Human, Discord, a godlike being capable of manipulating almost all matter with but a whim and the snap of his fingers, was human. Taller than I was, but his figure was far more stringy, sporting a mismatched turtleneck and a pair of slacks, his body weight leaning on a golden cane. His face was long with a sharp jawline, a long goatee sprouting from his chin, and a stern, almost fatherly frown on his face.
“Honestly Aedan, I thought having one ex-villain of Equestria giving you a talk about your inner demons as a human would have been enough, but I guess you are just a glutton for a very specific kind of punishment.”
All I could do was let out a muffled reply, but if I were unzipped a quick ‘fuck you’ would have rang through his ears, but something told me he already knew that, because he sighed and placed his head into his hand.
“From the moment you stepped foot and metal in Equestria, I did not like you, and my first official meeting with you confirmed my gut feeling. What Luna sees in you, I will never understand. You are arrogant, rash, and easy to anger to the point of physical confrontation,” he said, each jab at me seeming to anger him further and further. “A brute such as yourself doesn’t deserve to share the same world with one as kind as her, let alone the same bed... but it wasn’t my choice to make. It was her’s and she chose to be with you.” He paused, his eyes narrowing and fangs bared. “And where has that gotten her?”
He reached out to the zipper on my mouth and ripped it off. The sting it caused definitely took my breath away but I held firm. Prompting the frail, lanky bastard to smile.
“Only good quality you’ve got is that you’re stubborn, and even that can be seen as a defect.” At that point he used his cane to lift my chin up so I would face him. “You’re nothing more than an old fighting dog to me and, given the chance, I’d have put you down long ago.”
“Then why haven’t you?” I asked through gritted teeth, my muscles beginning to twitch in their bonds.
Discord pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, annoyed sigh. “Have you not listened to a single thing I’ve said? Put deaf and stupid on the undesirable list too.”
From the corner of my eye I saw an old chalk board with a small white stick frantically scribbling away on one side that said undesirable in big bold letters, while the other side headed by the word desirable was completely barren, aside from a single word that looked to have been erased and a drawing of a tumbleweed.
“Luna clearly sees something in you that I don’t, and though I find it infuriating, all I want is to see her smile, and you want to know the only times I’ve ever truly seen her smile? It was when she was with you. You, of all things.” Discord paused, laughing at the seemingly unreal prospect of his statement. “I almost have to applaud how insane that is. Even I would’ve never thought of it, and I’m the personification of chaos!”
“Glad you enjoy it.” I shot back, which was met with the chain around my neck pulling me forcefully to the floor, which thankfully had a pie in lieu of tile to soften the blow.
Hooking the handle of his cane under my chin, he pulled me back face to face. “Aedan, you uh, have a little something on your face,” he said, gesturing to the creme with the utmost sincerity. “Here, let me help you with that.”
Suddenly, and painfully, Discord’s hand met the side of my face, knocking the creme aside. The initial shock dulled it at first but seconds later rage began to flow freely through my entire body as the stinging pain became stronger.
“You sonofa–”
I froze, my fist just inches away from Discord’s face, he didn’t even flinch, he just continued to stare at me like a father that just caught his kid in the biggest lie of his life.
“You’re really not making a strong case against my accusations, boy,” he said casually looking to my still frozen fist. “Makes me wonder if all humans are like you, or if you’re just the worst possible example of your species.”
And just like that, the wiring in my head finally connected. “What’s the point of fighting it anymore…” I said defeated, my muscles finally falling limp. “I’m not the worst example, but I’m pretty damn close. I don’t deserve Luna, I know that, and God knows that every damn day since we’ve been together I’ve prayed that she doesn't realize that. But now… she knows full well just who I am and why I never deserved her.”
Discord grinned at this and, with a snap of his fingers, the collar that held me disappeared as I slumped forward without the chain holding me upright. There was nothing left in me. I felt hollow as my own words echoed through me. Powerless, I half expected him to lay it on even more, I wouldn’t have contested any of it, because all of it would’ve been right. However instead of getting an ear full of just how pathetic I was, I saw a hand reach out to my shoulder, pushing me upright. I looked up fully expecting Discord to smack the piss out of me, but instead he was just smiling, rather warmly I might add, which was oddly unnerving.
“Well, you just found yourself a redeeming quality,” he said, the familiar chuckle back in his voice. “Realizing you are to blame and nobody else is a big step for you. I think it even qualifies as a Kodak Moment.”
He pulled a small camera from seemingly out of nowhere and took a picture, blinding me with the flash. I rubbed the stars from my eyes just in time to see the God of Chaos finish developing the photo before adding it to a scrapbook. “Oh, I do so cherish these moments. They are so few and fleeting.”
After tossing the book aside, Discord grabbed my shoulders and lifted me to my feet. “I’m just glad you finally realized it. I hate putting on the ol’ Tough God act, it’s really quite exhausting,” he said, his warm smile still gracing his face as he patted me on my bare back with an audible slap. “First things first though, I can’t have you running around like that! Heaven knows the image you’d portray.”
With a quick snap of the fingers a pair of sweatpants two sizes too small wrapped themselves around my legs. I nearly let out a yelp, but managed to keep it in as he gave me another firm pat.
“That’s better.” He said as he began to push me out of the room. “You go off and find Luna, I’m going to continue my chat with Celestia.”
Before I could say anything I found myself outside the room, half naked in front of a crowd of ponies, maids, butlers and guards alike. “The hell–”
Before I could finish my statement I felt a squirming sensation across the inner part of my thigh, it nearly made me jump out of my skin before the squirming turned into a burning, itching pain. I reached one hand down my pants to try and find out just what the hell was going on down there, only to find a small tag hanging on the waistband. It read:
Aedan,
I forgot to mention, the pants I gave you are filled with my Nipping Spiders. They are extremely small and impossible to see, so do not try to take them out. Anyway, these little guys have been instructed to continuously bite you until you find Luna. I would move quickly before they find a moresensitivearea. After all, their bites inject a venom that will burn and cause cramping for a minimum of 6 hours, so I would hurry before they find your really sensitive bits. Alas, poor Neil.
Have fun!
Discord :D <3 XOXO
“Oh fuck you…” I groaned looking up from the letter before remembering the task at hand. “Luna…”
Completely ignoring the small crowd around me, I blew through them on my way through the halls, my mind focused on one thing and one thing only. Luna. I had to find Luna.
The spiders’ endless barrage on my lower extremities meant nothing. My adrenaline was keeping the pain at bay, letting my mind focus on the only thing that mattered. Luna. The look on her face, etched into my mind like a brand on cattle, I’ll never forget that pain, nor will I ever forgive myself for bringing it upon her, but if anything Discord said was right, she might find it in her heart to forgive me. To give me an eternity to endeavor to do something I personally felt I’d never accomplish. Maybe, just maybe… she’ll save me from myself again.
Corridors that seemed to go on forever only took what felt like seconds as I continued to barrel through the castle in my search. But everywhere I looked she was nowhere to be found. I assumed that the adrenaline pumping through me was starting to fizzle out, because the bites from the spiders started to burn. It took a lot for me to not pay any mind to them, in spite of the pain they caused me, it was nothing compared to what I’d done to Luna. Her having to watch that even for a fraction of a second made me… that’s it.
My attention turned to the nearest window, nearly slamming my face into the glass, nearly shattering the window pane as I came to a near screeching halt. My eyes darted around for a moment but I finally found it.
The Dreamscape Tower. The only place I hadn’t gone inside the castle and the only place that I knew Luna could truly be alone.
With that target in mind, I practically flew through the castle, ignoring my body’s pleas for me to stop with every step. My muscles ached, my breath was ragged, every bone in my body felt like they were on the verge of becoming dust and the spider’s venom was causing every fiber of my body to burn, but my pain was nothing compared to my will. The will to redeem myself, honestly I was surprised that I still had it in me, but I took anything I could get at this point and ran with it, desperately.
After nearly running over everything in the castle I finally found myself at the foot of the tower… and the infamous thousand stepped staircase it had become known for. I paused only for a moment to figure out just what I had to do to reach the top the fastest, but I ended up regretting it the instant a heavy breath entered into my lungs.
I nearly collapsed right there, but I managed to catch myself on the door before I hit the ground. My entire body writhing and twitching in pain as my lungs gasped for each precious gulp of oxygen they could, but, as much as my body wanted to stop… It just wasn’t an option. I would not rest until I had torn open my heart and poured out everything I am to the woman I love and beg her to forgive the wretch of a man I am. Then, and only then, would I even think about dropping to my knees.
“I’m coming Luna…” I growled under my breath as I grabbed the door handle, the tiny silver handle doing its damndest to bare my entire weight as I pushed off and began my climb up the tower.
Each step forward was painful, the stairs themselves felt like they were trying to rip my legs apart, but each step was one closer to Luna. Closer to the woman that was, and still is the love of my life. My second wind hit me around the four hundredth step, my muscles clenching as my foot slammed into the stone. I heard something crack, but I knew it wasn’t my foot, the stair itself had busted under the force I exerted to conquer it.
A smile came to my face as I used my foothold as leverage, skipping two, three, even five steps at a time as I bounded upwards towards the top of the tower in a bear crawl. everything after the seven hundredth stair was all hazy and blurred, probably because I wasn’t getting enough blood to my brain and oxygen to my lungs, but the combination of instinct and willpower is a drug more potent than any drug. When I finally managed to gain my bearings back I found myself at the top of the staircase, in front of an elegantly designed, seemingly frail door.
That door may as well have been the gates of Saint Peter, because the moment I saw it, every last ounce of strength and confidence I had left in me turned to loose sand in a gale wind. Behind those doors was the woman who would either forgive me, or damn me to hell, and lord knows that I deserved judgment. The pain in my hand began to pulse, the adrenaline that fueled me up to this point had gone, letting my body take the full force of every ounce of pain I suppressed to get to this point.
My knees buckled under my weight but as I reached out to the door to balance myself on the door I was reminded of the fractures I’d given myself not fifteen minutes earlier.
“D-Dammit.” I hissed through gritted teeth, bracing myself on the door with my elbows, letting off a dull thud that echoed down the staircase.
“Who’s there?” an all but broken, yet still undeniable voice from the other side of the door asked.
“Luna?” I asked back, my body perked up again, pressing against the door as a glimmer of hope returned to me. “Luna, please… let me in.”
Silence. Dead silence. Something I should’ve expected, but it didn’t make it any less deafening. “Please…” I repeated, resting my head against the door. “I need to–”
“Leave. Now.”
Such a simple pair of words and yet they hit me harder than a fully loaded freight train. Strength finally failed me as I hit my knees, my arms falling limply by my sides. The words crippled me, echoing through my mind and leaving me reeling.
“Okay, Luna,” I said, my voice starting to shake despite everything. “I will, but I need to say a few things before I do.” Whether it was will power or divine intervention I will never know, but I managed to lift my all but dead arm up and placed it on the door, blatantly ignoring the pain and clenching my hand into a fist. “I’m sorry. God knows that it won’t ever do, but it’s all I can do right now… I don’t expect you to ever forgive me, and truthfully I don’t deserve it. We’ve both denied who I really am for the past year and a half and tonight you saw first hand how much of a degenerate and overall low life scumbag I am. You saw how easily I was swayed by the simplest of temptations and how I jumped at the chance to sleep with someone without any second thought about who I was hurting. God, why did you ever love me?”
As I poured my heart to a door and most likely deaf ears all I could imagine was Luna wrapping me in her arms and telling me that everything was going to be okay in spite of what had happened. I imagined looking up to her and seeing that smile that could calm me down no matter what the situation, God knows that saved several guard’s faces when I first came to this place. I imagined placing my hand on her face, placing my thumb on her cheek and tracing her flawless features, feeling her warmth once again as she placed her hand on mine. I wanted it more than anything, but this damn door and my own foolishness prevented me from experiencing the things I took for granted for so long.
“I–I’m sorry…” I whimpered through gritted teeth and eyes sealed tightly shut, doing their best to stem the tide of tears that were begging to let loose. “Oh God, I’m so sorry.”
I don’t know how long I sat there repeating those words, but I stayed true. I wanted Luna to know just how sorry I was. I wanted her to know that I was a damned fool. With each word repeated I started to recede farther and farther into my thoughts I began to smile, thinking about all the good times. Her face, her eyes, her lips… She never looked away from me when we made love I remember how much it looked like she needed me.
If she only knew.
“All this time, you’ve kept me on some pedestal. Like I was a gift from the heavens above… if you only knew.” I looked up to the door in front of me, gently placing my fingertips on the door. “All the times I was brave, all the times I was strong it was because you made me that way. You gave me the strength each time I fought. You thought I was brave, but I was terrified. Terrified of losing you.”
I took in a deep breath, preparing to let out everything at once. “I’m nothing. Just a washed up vet with a chip on his shoulder. Nothing more, nothing less, but when I was with you I felt like I could do damned near anything. Sure, I’ve heard you time and time again that you were the lucky one, that you needed me. It’s almost funny to me thinking about it now. How wrong you were about us, the one who really needed anyone this entire time was me.”
I sat there and gathered myself, the spider’s venom was making me light headed and I wanted to collect my thoughts before I continued. All the while I listened, hoping that I could hear Luna on the other side of the door, Anything would’ve been a godsend, but for all my attentiveness there was still no sign that she’d gotten anywhere closer to the door. My head lowered, defeated, of course she wouldn’t listen. After seeing me on top of Celestia, anyone in their right mind wouldn’t in their lives.
Suddenly I felt a shift in the door’s pressure, like someone was sliding downward on the other side, followed by a quick, strained sigh.
“When I first met you on earth, I honestly didn’t know what to make of you.” Luna began, even though there was a door between us I could tell that she was fighting back tears. “You looked like nothing I had ever seen, but you were also my only chance at returning home. I wasn’t truly sure how you would react, but despite your apprehension you agreed to help me, even though you had no idea how to help… I think that’s when it truly started.”
“W-what?” I stuttered, pressing my ear to the door so I could hear her better.
“When I started to fall in love with you.” Luna answered flatly. “You were so ready to help. I couldn’t help but admire you, but I don’t think it was love until after you got me that job. When you were apprehended by those officers, I was scared that you’d be hurt. I almost sacrificed my identity to save you, but Mrs. Burns managed to keep me calm until you were released… I’d never been happier to see someone. It was like getting to see my father once again.”
There was a small laugh on the other side of the door, like she found the entire prospect ridiculous, but that small bit of happiness faded in an instant as she continued.
“But when I saw you on top of my sister, naked… it felt like my entire body was being ripped apart. Every part of my soul was consumed by the pain coming from my heart. I had never opened myself up to anyone like I had you, so when you betrayed me it hurt more than any physical infliction that mere flesh could sustain.”
Once again it felt like the world was falling around me. In spite of everything I went through to get here the fact remained–
“The darkness within me. I could feel it trying to consume me, but that needs anger to manifest and all that remained in my heart… was pain.”
Her words, though I had prayed to hear them just moments before, were causing me so much more agony than I had thought. My breath hitched and my eyes were about ready to flow over, but I took a deep breath and stood tall. I had made my bed with this, and now I needed to sleep in it without a fuss.
“Ever since I learned what Celestia had to do to save your life, I was torn in two. Most of me was just happy that you had survived and that we would get to live to see our children, but the other part of me knew what would eventually happen. I didn’t understand it at first, so I mistook the feeling as anger and took it out on my sister, thinking this was her master plan to take you from me as she had so many other things. I mean, when you and I first bonded, I wanted nothing more than to pounce on you and keep you between my legs until the land burned from the moon never rising again.”
I heard her let out a small chuckle at her own joke, causing me to join in. I was laughing more from the shock that she’d say something like that, especially given the circumstances. She’s usually much more refined than that but I guess even she was growing uncomfortable from all the tension. Still, I knew that we had yet to get to the hard part, so I simply enjoyed this small victory while it lasted.
Another sound, this time of the fabric of her dress sliding up the door. Then, the steel bolt that kept the door locked clicked over and the handle turned. My eyes shot wide open as I stumbled back, not wanting to be pulled forward as the door slowly swung open.
“Aedan, my love for you is too strong for me to simply stop caring after something like this. Yes, you hurt me and it will definitely take some time for me to trust you completely again, but I won’t stop loving you just because you made this mistake,” she said, finally moving from behind the door.
At long last, the woman who I was afraid would want to never see again stood right before my eyes. Her cheeks were red and tear stained, but turned upward in a warming smile. I think it was at that moment I lost control of myself. I lurched forward, partially out of the pain in my aching body, but mostly to finally embrace the love of my life once again. I had made such a mistake. I was fully ready for her to send me away even after hearing my words and to never see her again.
She returned my affections almost immediately, gently stroking my hair as I firmly squeezed her in my arms. “Thank you for staying, Aedan,” she whispered in my ear. “You were so strong to stay and–”
“S-Strong?” I asked, unable to accept her praise. “No, Luna. I was weak. I have always been weak.” That moment I reluctantly pulled away from her, averting my eyes in absolute disgust and shame, but I stood firm. She needed to hear this from me even if I couldn’t look her in the eyes as I told her.
“Ever since I lost my leg and was discharged from the Marine Corps, I have felt powerless and weak. I was losing what little decaying remnants of a man I was from before my deployment. Hell, even before I left for the desert I was a terrible excuse for a human being. Probably the worst example of my species for you to have run into. Still, I tried to fight my fears. I thought that I could be more than what I knew I was and when we first met, everything I did was for my own selfish desires. I refused to let my weakness get to me, so I pretended to be strong and when I found you... I thought that protecting you was my chance to prove that I was more. I never thought that you would ever fall for the false face I had put on display. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would find redemption for all the hell I had caused. I do not deserve your forgiveness.”
“You gave me a second chance and I fell right back into my old habits. I cheated, regardless of how far things got between me and Celestia, I was ready to go further. And why? It’s cause I got scared. Scared that my life would be too perfect and scared that a… a monster like me would be responsible for raising the children of the most perfect woman in the world. Both yours and mine.”
Luna smiled and placed her hands on mine, the faint sapphire glow and warmth emanating from her touch signifying that her magic was resetting the cracked bones within before she placed them on her stomach.
“Any cheesier and I’m afraid I’d be charged extra.” She replied with a playful smile before resting her head on my chest. I finally looked back to her, taking her in my arms again.
“Well you didn’t ask for sausage.” I replied with a smirk.
“Oh, I assumed it came with that, given it’s coming from you and all.” Luna shot back, sticking out her tongue playfully.
As the two of us drew closer and closer for what was probably going to be the most passionate kiss we’d ever shared, I suddenly felt the full force of Luna’s fist slamming into my chest, knocking the wind out of me and nearly sending me back down the stairs I almost killed myself to get up earlier. I managed to catch myself on the door with Luna still gripping onto me for dear life, her knees shaking as if someone had kicked her kneecaps.
“M-m…” she stuttered, looking at me with unmistakeable shock and desperation. “My water just broke.”
The world around me fell silent, I couldn’t feel anything, I couldn’t hear, I couldn’t see. The only thing that had any relevance was the only thing that repeated in my mind. After what seemed like forever, words finally managed to force their way out of my throat.
“Does it look like I’m joking?!” Luna snapped pointing to the small puddle of liquid that had formed around her legs. “They’re coming right now!”
I’m pretty sure I deserved what happened to me next, because before I could react I felt myself falling backwards. Luna in her haste had slammed her palm into my chest, both knocking the wind out of me and tossing me into the air. It gave me a few seconds to reflect on how I’d gotten myself into this predicament, but before I could get into the details my back landed painfully flat on some stairs a good two body lengths from the top. Pained gasps forced their way out of my body as I tumbled down the staircase head over heal before I finally managed to grab a hold of the railing.
“Holy Fuck!” Luna shouted up from the top of the stairs, her language shocking me more than the fall. “A-are you al–”
“Fine…” I meekly shouted back, trying to force air into my lungs once again, “not… babies… now.”
“What about you?”
“I’m good!” I replied, stumbling back up the stairs, “Think I’m starting to like it.”
To tell the truth everything was hurting, there may have even been a broken bone or two, but I forced myself to ignore the pain. I had to get Luna to the infirmary on the other side of the castle, as it was the only place that really had what we needed to get that pair inside of her out with the least amount of risk. Before Luna could register what was going on I had already cradled her in my arms, giving me the painful realization that my left forearm was broken and my right shoulder felt like it would pop out of socket at any second. But I held fast, I gritted my teeth and to my first, staggered step down one of the nine hundred ninety-nine stairs that stood in my way. Only thing after that was a quarter mile walk and another several dozen stairs and I’d be at the infirmary, piece of cake.
“Um… Aedan?” Luna asked, looking up to me like a terrified puppy.
“Y-yeah?” I stuttered back.
“Can I just teleport us there? It’d be a lot safer.”
I stared blankly at Luna for a few seconds as I processed her request. Apparently I’d hit my head more than I’d previously thought. “You sure that’s safer?”
“Do you–AHHHHH!”
Luna’s first contraction was intensely violent, her body shook so hard I nearly lost my grip. Staggering to keep myself from falling over once again I shifted my weight back towards the top of the staircase, landing flat on my back just in front of the door. The combination of the floor and Luna’s weight knocked the wind out of me, the fact I still managed to hold on to her was beyond me.
After taking my first breath, I realized the fall had cracked a few ribs. We needed to get to there before we were both unable to move. I gently set her down on the floor next to me, propping up her back with my good arm and taking her hand with the other.
“Can you get us there?” I asked, the physical pain shown in her face causing some hesitation.
She squeezed my hand for a moment and without a word she teleported both of us just outside of the infirmary, causing quite the tripping hazard for one of the nurses.
“Labor! Doctor! NOW!” I roared, pointing to Luna, who was painfully holding her stomach and fighting the urge to scream.
Just as I finished I curled myself into a ball, the adrenaline long gone, replaced by the agonizing pain as my body finally registered exactly how much abuse it had taken. My arm felt like it was ready to fall off, my head was pounding like a jackhammer working overtime, my broken ribs felt like they were crushing my lungs, and the poison from the spiders had made my legs swell like balloons, cutting off the circulation to my now completely numbed feet. I was honestly surprised I was still conscious and, judging by the number of starts that started to cloud my vision, that state was changing very rapidly. The doctors and nurses all scrambled to our sides, hoisting the both of us onto separate stretchers before shuffling us inside. I tried to grab for Luna’s hand but just as I was about to touch her, she was taken off to another room.
“W-Wait!” I croaked out, reaching for her through the ponies that had surrounded me, but the stars soon flooded my vision and then everything went black.
When I awoke, I shot upright ready to charge after Luna only for the headache to make me instantly regret my decision. Slowly, I lowered myself back down onto the cot and took in my surroundings. I was in one of the small curtained rooms in the pain room of the infirmary with only a nightstand and a unicorn nurse in my direct line of sight.
“Mr. Ryan?” she asked, “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, holding my head as the stars in my eyes started to fade. Taking this as a hint, the mare used her magic to help quell my pain. It wasn’t much relief, but it was definitely enough to get me back on my feet. “Where’s Luna?”
“She’s in intensive care and being treated by the finest doctors in the world, but…”
“But what?”
“While they’ve dealt with many pregnancies, this is the first time any of them have seen a human in labor,” she explained, the worry in her tone making me unsettled. “It’s like a veterinarian performing brain surgery.”
“I’m going to see Luna now,” I grunted, rising up and sliding out of the bed. I started to see stars once again as I began to stagger, but I managed to balance myself on an I.V. pole.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea Mr. Ryan.” She answered, walking to my side and trying to place me back on the bed. “The magic that’s healing your injuries still needs time to complete the process, and don’t even get me started on the venom, you had three times the lethal amount in your system. It’s best you stay in bed for the next few–”
“Ma’am…” I interrupted, casting my looming shadow over her. “The love of my life is having my children this very moment, if you won’t let me go to her now I will punch through every single wall that lies between me and her, so if you–”
“That’s enough Aedan.” An unmistakeable voice said from behind me, only far more serious than I’d ever heard. “She’s doing her job, don’t threaten her in such a manner.”
I turned around slowly, my body tense from hearing her voice. Of course it had to be her, who else would decide to chime in when I needed to get moving.
“Aedan please,” Celestia said, taking a step towards me, “for once just listen to the doc–”
“First off, she’s a nurse,” I interrupted. “Second, like hell I’m going to wait around when Luna needs me most. So either you’ll have to hit me with bull elephant tranquilizer, or I’m going to intensive care, your call.”
Celestia’s gaze never left mine, her expression unwavering and firm. The memories of what happened hours before were still fresh on our minds, but right now there was something far more important on my mind then her feelings. I didn’t hold her gaze for long before I started to walk past her and began marching my happy hobbled ass over into that intensive care unit until I felt her hand on my shoulder.
“You are no good to her in this state. Let me heal you before you venture in there. Those doctors have enough to worry about without a gimpy human getting in their way.”
After hearing the soft, broken tone of her voice I decided to yield but only for a moment. “Fine,” I barked a little sterner than I had meant to. “Just… Just make it quick, alright? She needs me.”
She gave me a simple nod and I sat down on the foot of the bed. Without another word, Celestia waved off the nurse and began working on fixing my arm. The way she moved, the way she spoke, and that unmistakable look in her eyes told me that she was not in the mood for a fight. To be honest, with everything that had been going on up till now, neither was I.
“So…” I began, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the room. “You’re coming in there too, right?”
Celestia froze, her eyes focused on the arm she was holding. “After what I’ve done, I don’t think I deserve to be anywhere near her, let alone witness the births of my biological relatives.”
“You know, it’s not about what you think Celestia,” I said. “Right now, it’s all about what Luna wants. You two are immortal sisters! Like it or not, you have to keep living with each other for all eternity, and I know both of you would be kicking yourselves if something as monumental as the birth of her children was ruined by something so small as this in the grand scheme of things.”
Celestia looked at me and smiled, placing a hand on the side of my face. “And that’s why she loves you,” She said with a slight nod. “You see past the surface and realize what really matters.”
Next thing I knew I was wrapped up her her arms, like a long lost friend or a sister embracing her brother after returning from war. I’d be lying if I said I wanted to return the affection, seeing as what happened earlier. The past few hours were one hell of a kick in the balls to say the least, so I did all I could do. Hesitantly I placed one arm around her back and have her a gentle pat before pushing away, even though my primal instinct wished I wouldn’t.
“We need to get going,” I said, rising off the bed and offering Celestia my hand. “I’m not letting her do this alone.”
“Neither am I,” Celestia replied with a nod as she rose on her own accord, “We must make haste, the intensive care unit is on the other side of the infirmary.”
And with that, the two of us began to march towards intensive care, almost in perfect cadence with Celestia a half a step behind me. We practically ignored everything around us other than what was ahead. That was, until we finally got to the reception desk of the delivery room.
It was as if every pony within earshot of the castle had gotten the news and was now gathered in front of us. As soon as we entered the waiting room, every single one of them slowly turned to us, eyes filled with what I can only describe as a mix of anger and anticipation as they waited for the news of their Princess. What happened next could be best described as seeing the red sea parting. Dozens of the ponies, young and old, guard or medical staff, all stepped aside, giving the both of us a clear path to the makeshift delivery room. To be honest, I was awestruck that these ponies forgot their torches and pitchforks, let alone the fact that they were letting me go through.
However, one single, deafening scream of agony was enough to get my ass in gear. I sprinted through the group. I nearly busted through the door but fortunately Celestia was both kind enough, and more fortunately quick enough, to cast a bit of magic so the door would be open by the time I walked in. This was it; the moment of truth when I would realize whether or not I was a man or a boy. I stepped into Luna’s room and…
I froze.
Seeing Luna in so much pain, physical pain as she convulsed on the hospital bed, gritting her teeth as she held back the screams. I ran to her side, looking her up and down, I reached out to her clenched fist, trying my best to offer support. “Luna,” I whispered softly, “I’m here, I–”
Before I could finish my statement, Luna’s hand struck mine like a viper, grabbing my fingers and crushing them in a death grip with a strength that would make Superman jealous. I hit my knees, at the mercy of a woman that was usually one hundred pounds lighter than me. I began to wonder how long it would take for the bones in my hand to be ground into dust, but that all went away when our eyes finally met.
“A-Aedan,” she stuttered, her eyes soft and gentle despite her pain.
“Yes Luna? I’m here,” I whispered back, “I’m he–”
In an instant her soft eyes turned into fury and hatred that would give the devil pause. “If you ever put me through this again…” she growled, fangs starting to form, “I swear to the heavens above I will CASTRATE you!”
I could feel my masculinity vacating every open pore on me. I have a feeling that the next time Luna has a knife anywhere near her I’ll probably go through a reverse puberty. I’m sure she probably didn’t mean it, but damn if she wasn’t convincing.
“Great bedside manner Aedan,” Celestia chimed. “She seems much calmer than she was with the first group of doctors that tried to get–”
Something changed in Celestia as she looked over her sister. It was so subtle that anyone else who didn’t know her as long would have just thought she lost her train of thought and completely missed it, but her shoulders tensed, her eyes danced frantically, and her mouth hung open. Something was wrong.
“Aedan, I need to speak with you outside for a moment.”
The sternness in her voice was enough to get me moving despite how badly I wanted to stay by Luna’s side. “I’ll be right back, Luna,” I whispered to her before I started to pull away.
“W–Wait!” she yelped, reaching out and grabbing hold of the back of my pants, her voice trembling. “Don’t… Don’t leave me. Please.”
“I can’t leave her,” I said reluctantly, kneeling by Luna’s bedside once more, “not like this.”
What I need to speak with you about is something we shouldn’t discuss here, Celestia’s voice echoed in my mind. I know you want to be here for her, but you have to listen to me.
I looked to Celestia then back to Luna, her eyes begging me to stay, but the constant echoes inside my mind to leave with Celestia. I didn’t move at all and thankfully Celestia took the hint. She let out a deep sigh, shaking her head as she looked to me with serious eyes.
I understand that you need to stay by her side, so I will just speak with you as is, I heard her voice again. I’m no expert on human anatomy, but the amount of blood seems to be excessive and I–
“No,” I said out loud, pointing an accusing finger at her, “you are not going to talk about this here. Not now. Not ever.”
“Aedan...” Celestia said softly, taking the hand pointed at her with her own and using her eyes to redirect my attention back to Luna, “please, look.”
Reluctantly I looked back to the woman behind me and what I saw almost made me collapse. With my head cleared I finally noticed that there was a frail, pale woman staring back at me, my Luna. The strength she’d always seemed to show was gone, replaced by constant shivering and convulsing, her skin was no longer a healthy dark mocha, instead it was cold, clammy even, but what was worse, were her eyes. They usually were full of life, practically beaming with hope and happiness, but now, now they were dim, weak… fearful, fearful that things weren’t going they way they were supposed to go. And now I could see that they weren’t either.
“What’s going on?” I asked a nearby doctor, restraining the temptation to lift him by his mane so he would look at me eye to eye.
“L-like we’ve explained multiple times sir,” he stuttered, not looking at me once, “we’ve never had to treat a human in labor, furthermore we aren’t equipped to either, but from what we know after treating you so many times it’s–”
“It’s what?” I interrupted, my muscles tight and fists clenched.
“It… it’s apparent that this much blood loss is not natural,” he explained, tucking his tail between his leg, “she’s literally hemorrhaging all she’s got, we’ve managed to slow the process, but the labor is only further impacting the issue.”
Once again it felt like the world was collapsing around me. My knees buckled under my own weight and if not for the wall being within arm’s reach I may have squashed a terrified doctor or two. A few deep breaths and holding onto my chest for a few seconds managed to somewhat calm me down, but I really needed to keep it together for Luna. Any further sign of panic from me might have made her condition go from worse to horrifyingly terrible. It was then that Celestia placed her hand on my shoulder once more, staring at me with somber eyes.
“Please Aedan,” she whispered, almost too softly for me to hear, “come outside with me so we can speak.”
It felt like I was Bill Murray as I looked to Celestia and then back to Luna, both of their faces begging to side with their silent pleas, but in the end, I knew I was no use in that room. If anything I was providing an unneeded distraction for the team of doctors and nurses doing their best to keep Luna alive. In what was quite possibly the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life I walked over to Luna, knelt by her side and took her quivering hand.
“I–I’m going to be right outside okay?” I managed to choke out, stroking her fingers with my thumb, “y–you’re in good han-fee-dammit… hooves alright? Everything will be alright.”
Luna weakly shook her head, fading faster by the second, I wanted to stay, I wanted to hold her and make it all better, I wanted to be in her place. Taking a deep breath I leaned in and gave her a kiss, she was so weak that she wasn’t even able to return the favor, all she could do was stare at me with those deep, cobalt eyes that begged me not to go, but I have to fight my every instinct and want. I needed to go with Celestia.
As I stood up Luna weakly reached for me, but she was barely strong enough to lift her own arm, let alone grab hold of my pants. It took every ounce of strength for me to not look back as I made my way to the door, knowing full well that I’d lose if I looked back. It felt like I was cutting my own arm off the instant the door behind me closed and Celestia turned to me, her calm look almost set me off. Her own damn sister was on a slab in that room, and if she died then it would’ve been all three of us going down, yet she still looked like the biggest concern for her was whether or not Blueblood was going to pester her for a new tuxedo.
“How can you–”
“Don’t.” Celestia began sternly, lifting a commanding hand my direction. “If for one minute you think that I do not care as much as you, or not understand the gravity of this situation, you are far more a child than anyone could have predicted.”
“Okay,” I said with a forceful nod, “Then why the hell did you take me away from the woman I love, your sister, when she needed us most?”
Celestia ignored me and turned away, walking over to one of the nearby doctors who was watching the two of us rather intently. I was about to go grab her by the shoulder and demanded she answer me until she spoke to the stallion.
“Did you find the book, Discord?”
Just then, the smug looking doctor turned into the Draconequus as he slithered out of the white lab coat he had been wearing.
“I was able to find it, but you don’t want to know where,” he said, materializing an old dusty tome covered in cobwebs and… pastries? I shook my head, deciding that when it comes to Discord to just leave it be and not think too hard on it. He then handed the book to Celestia, “Chapter eight has everything you need to know about the bond and how to break it, but I added a few notes that you may find interesting.”
Snatching the book from his grasp, Celestia instantly began scanning through the pages, searching for the passage she needed. I, on the other hand, was focused on what Discord had said. My fists clenched and I marched right up to the two of them barely keeping my rage in check.
“So you dragged me out here to see if we can break our connection to Luna?!” I roared, startling several nearby nurses and guards, but I didn’t care. “So what? You just want me to let her die? Are you fuckin–”
“Keep your voice down,” she said, rather hushed all things considered. “I am trying to find a way to save her.”
“Then what is this talk of breaking our bond?” I asked after taking a moment to cool my head.
“There may be a way for me to save Luna’s life, but everything that I am reading here only mentions how to save us. Surely there is a way to reverse this…”
“There is,” Discord piped in. “But it’s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows.”
Suddenly, the Draconequus flashed with a bright light and turned into a human scientist looking more along the lines of Doctor Frankenstein with a chalk board behind him. “You see, a soul bond is a connecting magical energy that flows between two individuals in equal shares. Right now, both you and Luna are anchored by Aedan, who shares the benefits of two bonds while only doling out half the return,” he explained, scribbling a couple of stick figures with arrows going between them.
“Basically,” he continued, “Aedan’s healthier than any horse, probably why he was able to do as many physically impossible feats over the past month or so. However…” Discord paused giving me a quick once over with a hint of disdain, “he’s been a leech for the both of you, especially Luna in her weakened pregnant state. If he wasn’t constantly sucking out her life force she may actually be able to hav–”
“That’s enough Discord,” Celestia interrupted before I could say anything, “The man’s already under enough stress, he doesn’t need you drilling salt any deeper into his wounds.”
“Then perhaps he’d enjoy some stress relief?” Discord replied with a coy grin, “I’m sure you’d be glad to assist him in–”
“Enough!” I roared, Grabbing Discord by the fluff of his chest and forcing him to a nearby wall. My muscles were tight, my teeth were gritted, my fists were clenched so tight I could swear I was bleeding. I wanted to wail on his sorry mug as hard as I could, but there was one thing in God’s universe, multiverse… whatever you call it that mattered more, and right now she was alone and scared, dying on a cold metal slab while idiots flailed around with their horns up their asses thinking of a way to fix it.
“What do I have to do…” I growled through my teeth, my eyes never leaving Discord’s as the tension in my body slowly melted away, “please.”
Discord glared at me for a few seconds, almost as if he were disgusted by the fact that I was touching him, but I didn’t flinch, I held my ground knowing full well what he could do to me if he wanted to. Finally, he blinked, the tension lifting.
“You’re really serious about this?” he asked, shifting into his human form, my hand now gripping the neck of his sweater. “Aren’t you?”
“Does it look like I’m fucking around?” I asked back, pressing him against the wall a little further. “Tell me, now.”
“Fine, fine, don’t get your panties in a bundle…” Discord said from behind me, by hand now holding a pair of what I hoped were some of my boxers, though lace was always more Celestia’s thing. “All that I have to do is redirect the current of energy through you to Celestia and Luna. But, there’s a catch.”
Finally, there was something to go on. “What’s the catch?” I asked, feeling like I was about to make a deal with the devil.
Suddenly, Discord became rather serious. “Have you ever see what happens when something not designed to conduct electricity tries to do so?”
There were a few vague memories of science lectures from when I was young, but none of them were very precise or clear so I just shook my head.
After a rather pompous sigh, Discord continued, “The energy flowing through you both from Luna’s pain and Celestia’s magic will tear through you. They will both be safe, but your body and soul will probably be destroyed in the process.”
“You think that’s a viable solution?!” Celestia barked, her voice cracking in shock, “there has to be–”
“Afraid not, my dear,” Discord answered in a despicably casual tone, “If you ponies actually would keep proper records and maintained libraries over the course of a few thousand years you’d know that this was the only solution by now.”
“Well we have to think of something else,” Celestia said shaking her head, “I won’t, no, I can’t let Aedan take–”
“I’ll do it,” I interrupted, the entire hallway falling silent as my words echoed through the minds of the gods before me.
“Aedan,” Celestia almost whispered, “you can’t possibly mean…”
“Did I stutter?” I asked back, “Luna’s dying and we’re out of options, like hell I’m not going to.”
“We can find another way,” she almost begged, “we just need some time to–”
“We don’t have any damn time!” I roared, effectively silencing Celestia as I marched towards Discord. “Luna’s dying by the second, if we don’t act now then Equestria will be out all of its humans and half of its ruling class. That’s something that for the life of me I won’t stand for.” I paused, stopping right in front of Discord, my eyes locked on to his, refusing to budge as I extended my hand. “Do it. Whatever the fuck you have to do, I don’t care... As long as Luna wakes up tomorrow with her children in her arms, I don’t give a flying fuck about what happens to me.”
Discord looked to my hand then back at me, taking it firmly in his own, causing my arm to tingle. “It’s done. Now all of us need to be with Luna. I need to be in direct contact with her to establish a better connection.”
I nodded and he teleported us into a dark corner in the room. Luna was unconscious on the bed, an oxygen mask strapped to her face and several I.V. bags strewn around her along with a rapidly dwindling blood packet. She was barely holding on.
Discord looked over Luna’s body with surprisingly sad eyes, slowly tracing her outline in the air with his hand. The next thing I knew a faint glow came from his hands, followed by a white, wisplike essence. It connected itself to Luna, the shine between the two dimming the closer it was to her. After several seconds Discord looked to Celestia, not a word was said between the two of them, but the message was a clear as day. At first she hesitated, looking between myself and her sister, but in the end she reached out and took Discord’s hand. Her eyes were unable to hold off her tears as the essence flowed across Discord and to her. Finally, Discord set his sights on me.
“Now come here Aedan, it’s time for you to finish the connection.”
Without hesitation I took a step towards Discord, but before I could wrap my hand around his, Luna let out a small whimper giving everyone in the room pause. My hand went back to my side as I knelt beside her. Her whimpering continued, somehow knowing exactly what we had decided on doing without actually being there.
“This is something I have to do babe,” I said softly as I cradled her head. “God knows what’ll happen if we don’t.”
With tears in her eyes she shook her head with as much strength as she could, only to stop the second I placed my freehand on her cheek. “Stop that Luna, you’ll overexert yourself if you keep doing that, besides…” I paused, leaning in to where I was mere inches away from her lips, “You know I hate it when you cry.”
With that I left what was possibly my last kiss I would ever give. As I rose to my feet I could tell that she was trying to reach out to me, to stop me from taking Discord’s hand. To not do what I’ve always done, blindly charge into a situation running on nothing but pure emotion, but here I was again, about to potentially erase my very soul from existence because of a woman. No, not just any woman, Luna, the woman who literally ran into my life. The woman who made me endure countless awkward moments due to her ineptness. The woman who, despite all of my flaws, foolishly fell in love with me and who I stupidly chose to love back. The woman who was excited beyond reason to find out that she was pregnant with my children. The woman whose heart I broke because I was weak. The woman who, despite all my flaws, still loved me. For what reason? I don’t know, but I do know this...
I didn’t even hesitate, I took Discord’s hand. A wave of arcane energy flowed up my arm and into my body. The sensation was slightly reminiscent of duct tape slowly being pulled off of one’s skin, taking any hair stuck well enough with it. As it made its way through me, every nerve it touched started to tingle with a burning, numbing sensation almost like it was falling asleep. After it completely enveloped me, Discord’s grip tightened around my hand, nearly crushing my fingers in his vicegrip. I looked over to him, the sweat beading on his brow telling me that whatever he was doing was causing his body strain, but as my eyes traveled towards Celestia I saw a whole different story.
She looked as if she was under no stress at all. In fact, she was starting to stand taller, her skin started to look the way it had months ago, her hair was even starting to get a little more shine. She was getting healthier. As I came to this realization I could start feeling sharp stinging pains in my legs, followed by a sharp, severe crack in my arm. I tried to reach for the pain, but Discord pulled at my arm, only amplifying the hurt. I nearly yelped, but the moment I saw Discord trying to hide a smile I gritted my teeth and bore it, unwilling to give that asshole a drop of satisfaction.
Finally after what seemed like hours, even though it was probably just a few minutes, Discord released Celestia and I’s hands. The sensation and glow were gone, but the pains in my legs and suddenly broken again arm remained, all the while Celestia seemed to be far better off than I did, even sporting a small smile as she looked at her hands.
“It is done,” he said, stepping back and transforming into his true self.
I blinked, unsure of what was going on. “Wait, is that it?”
Discord looked at me blankly, snapping his fingers as the glow returned to his paw. “For her.”
“We just stepped out of the frying pan…” I said, realizing what he meant, “Didn’t we?”
“And into Dante’s Inferno,” Discord replied, “I didn’t expect Celestia to be so difficult, as her bond was forged non consensually and while you were unconscious, and that she is in much better health, but after going through that I doubt my human form would be able to take trying to undo a bond that was forged willingly with a now dying woman.”
“Not to mention she still might not be willing to separate,” Celestia added, not even bothering to hide the concern in her voice, “I’m not sure just how it works, but her being unwilling to sever the bond might–”
“Let’s try to tackle these things one at a time my dear,” Discord interrupted, snapping his eagle-like claw, causing it to glow like his paw, “we need to do this now if we even want a chance to save her.”
I stared at his paw for a few moments, watching the ethereal light whip and twirl across his hand. I would’ve considered it magical if I didn’t already know what it was going to do after I touched it. My attention then turned to Luna, her once strong and proud body now frail and broken, but despite everything she kept her gaze on me, not once altering in her stare. I could feel myself tearing up, knowing full well that it was my damn fault that she was in this situation, I was the son of a bitch that failed her on so many fronts and she still loved me all the same. I couldn’t help but smirk at the thought; I guess she was pretty foolish from the start.
“Are you going to take my hand or not?” Discord asked, beckoning me to put my hand in his, “Need I remind you that we really don’t have much time?”
“Right,” I nodded, reaching for him, I looked back to Luna one last time, a shameless tear running down her cheek. I took one last breath and wrapped my hand around Discord’s claw, the light began to wrap around my wrist, then the rest of my arm. As the light’s tendrils reached to my chest I looked to Luna one last time, hoping that my last words to her would mean something even after all I had put her through.
“I love you.”
It started in my legs, the venom from the spiders Discord had put in my pants resurfaced and forced my muscles to rapidly and painfully contract, like being tagged by a cattle prod. Soon after, bruises started to form all over my body, especially on my chest, where my would be assassin slammed his fist into me during our scuffle. A hole in my neck suddenly appeared and began to pour blood, I reached up with my free hand instinctively, trying to stop the blood loss. The moment my hand reached my throat, I started feeling my bones cracking, every little bone in my hand felt like it was grinding on itself. It felt like they were turning to powder as my fingers contorted both from the pain and the spell. Sharp pains started dotting all over my ribs, like the marrow in my bones had turned to ice and the bones were breaking from the cold. As I looked down, I saw several bloody patches forming in my shirt and could feel the blood start to trickle down my abdomen. My collarbone soon followed, the snap actually loud enough that I saw Celestia cringe from the corner of my eye. I tried to choke down the screams that were welling in my throat, but damn if this wasn't the worst pain I had ever felt.
“That has to be enough,” I heard her say in a panicked tone, that was more unnerving than watching my own body turn against itself, “look at him he’s–”
“No!” I barked through gritted teeth, “You didn’t let me stop you when you saved her life, now it’s your turn to stay out of my–”
The bones in my foot suddenly gave way, forcing me to a knee which, as if by cosmic coincidence, also shattered upon contact. I could feel my entire body shaking, but whether it was sheer willpower or shock, more than likely a mixture of both, I held on to Discord, going so far as to even squeeze tighter in spite of my broken hand.
Suddenly I felt something in my chest, but it didn’t feel like more broken ribs or a punctured lung, it felt far more dire. My grip on Discord’s hand began to loosen and I didn’t even have the ability to try to hold tight. I couldn’t even feel him beginning to squeeze on my pulverized hand, or even hear Celestia’s near frantic screaming as she tried to pry me from Discord’s grip. I could only feel one thing. Cold. As I looked up to Discord I saw that even his grip was starting to waver, but not because he was getting weak. I couldn’t hold on anymore, but by the grace of God I could still shake my head in refusal.
“K-keep going…” I stuttered weakly before feeling my skull starting to crack. I tried to stay conscious, I tried to see it through, but my vision began to blur as I started to convulse. I strained to look at Luna one last time before it all ended, but as some form of divine punishment by whoever controlled my fate decided that I wasn’t worthy of one final look.
Then, everything turned white.
A small humming sound echoed in my ears, a song, a song I hadn’t heard in months, maybe even a year. As I took a breath I felt a weight on my chest, but nothing like what it should’ve been. It didn’t feel like fluid filling my lungs, or ribs trying to tear me open, just a simple weight, like someone resting their head. As the tune repeated my eyes shot open, only to find myself somewhere I wasn’t expecting.
The hell? I thought to myself, but as I tried to look around my eyes stayed focused on the ceiling. Mercifully my eyes decided to travel downward to see a sea of sparkling midnight blue hair flowing across my body… and into my nose. Fortunately my body reacted appropriately, quickly reaching for the hair going into my nose and pushing it to the side, however the sudden violent movement caused the owner of said hair to finally stir.
“Wha… what is it dear?” Luna groggily asked, her hand sliding from my stomach to my chest. “Was it that dream about your old home again?”
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks, I remembered this exact moment. I hadn’t even been in Equestria for more than two months, Luna and I had just bound our souls not one week earlier.
“No,” I mouthed with myself as I took a deep breath, “I think that the Horsehead nebula and the Andromeda galaxy just went up my nose.”
Luna suddenly shot straight up, pulling away at her hair and exposing her nude body to me. I always liked this memory, and now I distinctly remember why.
“I’m sorry!” Luna said frantically, still fiddling with her hair as I admired her chiseled stomach, I probably could’ve done the castle laundry on the abs she once had. “I didn’t mean to I–”
I refused to let her finish her thought, taking hold of her arm with one hand and the other firmly taking hold of her hip I pulled her close to me, the cool air on my skin suddenly warmed by my lover’s flesh against mine. Luna couldn’t help but let out a squeak, but any and all shock disappeared as I pressed her lips against mine, her body going from rigid to warm butter within a matter of seconds.
Although I was enjoying reliving a great moment in my life, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. Luna and I hadn’t done anything remotely similar for months, hell we didn’t even look at one another like this anymore. Where the hell did our love go? Was I really so shallow as to lose my love for her because she had gotten pregnant? I tried to pull myself away from her kiss but I was stuck in a memory, so I was forced to once again feel the overwhelming passion and love from a woman I sure as hell didn’t deserve.
Reluctantly, Luna pulled herself away from me slowly sliding herself downward while her eyes remained locked on mine. “I love you,” she whispered, her voice far deeper than usual, almost growling with a primal desire.
I replied with a growl of my own as my hand traveled down her side, brushing against her bare breast before it ended at her perfectly toned rump, giving it a firm squeeze to which she replied with a gentle moan. The hunger in her eyes grew with every passing second and I would be lying if I didn’t feel the same, but just as things began to heat up, the song in my head grew clear as day.
You’re my world, the shelter from the rain. You’re the pills, that take away my pain. You’re the light, that helps me find my way. You’re the words, when I have nothing to say. And in this world where nothing else is true… Here I am, still tangled up in you… still tangled up in you.
I reached for my ear, feeling an earbud from an iPod. “The hell?” I asked, all but killing the mood, “where’d this come from?”
Luna’s expression went from confused to playful as she rolled off of me and reached for our end table, grabbing something that I thought we’d left behind back home. “The custom iPod you bought me,” she explained, waving it rather confidently, “I managed to cast a spell that brought it to me just before the portal closed, I know it’s not the best momento but–”
“Any reason it keeps playing Staind?” I interrupted, popping the bud out of my ear, “I thought you liked Breaking Benjamin.”
Luna blinked for a few seconds, processing an answer. “Oh well… I was listening to it the other day and this song came on.” She explained, “I thought it fit us perfectly.”
“How so?”
“Well, think of everything that’s happened to the two of us,” she began with a smile, “We were thrown into each other’s worlds by chance, you endured my naivety about the ways of your world. You sheltered me, protected me, even almost died for me, and–”
“Sounds pretty one sided if you put it that way,” I interrupted. “I mean, you saved me from being beaten to death, from jail time, from a bitch of an ex-girlfriend…” I paused, taking a deep breath before looking her square in the eyes. “And myself.”
Luna smiled, leaning in and give me a peck on the cheek. “No matter what we came across we faced it together, no matter what the world threw at us we still managed to come out on top, we got tangled up in one another and came out together.”
I couldn’t help but smile with myself as my memory looked to the battery life, 21%. “Battery’s going to be dead soon Luna.” I said rubbing her back, “best you turn it off, we don’t have a way to recharge it.”
“I couldn’t think of a better way to spend it.” Luna replied nestling up next to me as I wrapped my arm around her waist.
“Me neither…” I whispered kissing the top of her head as the song played once again.
In this world where nothing else is true, here I am still tangled up in you.
How long has it been since this storyline began, and I hope it never ends, and goes like this forever.
In this world where nothing else is true, here I am still tangled up in you… still tangled up in you.
The memory started to fade and tears began welling in my eyes. I never wanted to leave that perfect moment, it defined everything about our relationship up until now, and God or whatever controlled my fate and the fates of us all knew that I wanted that back. I would even give my soul, that was, if I had any left after all of this.
Darkness and cold began to overtake me. I was too weak to fight it, besides, there wasn’t much of a point to do so. I deserved worse for the things I’d done and I’ve become so damn tired. I was finally ready to just give up. My body, as heavy as it seemed, started to feel lighter and lighter until I felt like I was floating through nothingness. It was a blissful feeling, yet I was terrified of what came next. I may not be the smartest man in the world, but I knew what this was and I wasn’t ready to see it all fade away. Still, I was powerless to stop it.
Suddenly, I felt it. Something stirring in my chest. It was dull and distant and first, but the second time it hit me, it felt like I was being pushed back down. The fight’s not over yet, someone is throwing me a line. I did everything I could to clear my head and with each pound in my chest growing stronger and stronger, I became more and more aware. Whoever it was helping me, I felt their power. Their desire. Their determination to see me out of this alive, and I’d be damned if I was going to let them down.
Feeling started to return to me. The broken bones, the lacerated flesh, even the old burns on my arms from my tour of duty. All of it flooded back one by one like a canal being filled with water. The pain was so excruciating my body wanted nothing more than for me to go back to whatever purgatory I had just been pulled from. I fought to crack open my eyes and what little blurred image I could see through my failing body was enough to give me the burst of energy I needed to keep on fighting. Even if it was just for a little longer.
There, laying next to me, was the woman of my dreams with two small bundles cradled in her arms. Her chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm.
“Luna…” I muttered, trying to rise from my bed, but the agonizing pains in my chest forced me back down.
“He… he’s awake?” A voice on the opposite side of Luna said shocked, “by the glory of the sun.”
The doctors that were opposite of Luna and across from me swarmed around my bed, examining all the charts and tubes that they had apparently connected to me.
“How is he even alive?”
“His vitals just spiked… after being dead for two minutes.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Check the instruments again, this should–”
“Shut up,” I snapped, well, it was more like a whimper, but I’m pretty sure I got my point across, “Let me see Luna.”
“You’re in no condition to be up and about sir,” one of the doctors said, placing his hoof on my bed. “Your sudden wounds were so great that you actually fell into coma forty nine hours ago, and then you flat lined–”
“Forty nine hours?” I repeated, trying to painfully clench my fists through my cast. “I’ve been comatose for two damn days?!”
“Well technically you were comatose for forty eight hours and fifty seven minutes.” the doctor explained, “you died three minutes ago, it’s quite fascinating really, we’ve never had anyone–”
“Listen here doc…” I growled, glaring at him, “I don’t care if I’m the goddamn miracle on thirty fourth street. It’s been two days, the woman I love is right fucking next to me, I want to see her.”
“Uh… I’m afraid I–”
“That’s enough Aedan, the good doctor is just doing his job.”
I turned my head to the door and saw Celestia, the once regal and stoic leader of a nation, looking like a ragged and worn woman strung out on any manner of drugs, but even through all that she still managed a smile.
“Good morning, Mr. Ryan.” She said relieved.
“Two days.” I said, not cracking a smile, “I was like this for two days.”
“I know,” she nodded, “I put you on that bed myself.”
“Then why couldn’t be–”
“Discord was still working on the severing of your bond with Luna, any intervention to heal you on my part may have resulted in disaster.” Celestia explained, “And he was only finished an hour ago.”
“It took him two days to–”
“You wouldn’t believe how strong that bond was.” Discord interrupted, his eyes forming on one of my several I.V. drips, “I mean, yours was easy, being so wea–”
Celestia’s elbow jammed into Discord’s side, taking the wind out of him and giving me something to laugh at, if only for a moment. “Mind saying that again Discord? I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch that.” Celestia’s tone was so smug you’d swear that the only way you could’ve cut it was with a lightsaber.
“Yes well, it’s not important now,” he said, fully materializing in his human form next to the bed. “What is important is that you tell me what you are feeling Aedan. The re-directing of the energy was taxing to say the least.”
Discord reached behind him to one of the hospital arm chairs and pulled it up to the bed before taking a seat. I was surprised to see that he actually used what was there instead of snapping some wacked out therapist chair out of thin air. It was now that I saw his bloodshot and bagged eyes. He was exhausted.
“Well apparently I died five minutes ago,” I answered, “So there’s that.”
“Oh, trust me, I was aware that you left this world for a moment, but that’s not what I mean,” he said, resting his chin on his cane. “Does anything aside from your physical pains feel wrong?”
“Only thing that’s wrong right now is that Luna’s two feet away from me and I can’t even see her.”
“Well, your spine is fractured in multiple places so getting up right now is not a good idea. Maybe this will help.”
He snapped his fingers, and a mirror appeared above me, allowing me to finally have a look at my condition. “Son of a bitch…” I whispered to myself, I was wrapped up so tightly in gauze and plaster I had to wonder how the hell I was able to move, let alone breathe. Every injury I had for the past decade seemed to have reappeared as well as the many I should’ve sustained while bound to Celestia and Luna. “This is permanant… isn’t it?” I asked somberly, looking away from the mirror.
“No, but the scarring will take a lot of time to heal. Thanks to our magic you will be healing faster than normal,” Celestia chimed in, placing a hand on Discord’s shoulder.
“Let me see her.” I said, staring to my legs, “just let me see Luna.”
“Don't get your plaster casts in a bunch,” Discord said, snapping again to tilt the mirror. “At least you haven’t lost your bull-headed nature. The one thing I had hoped would change.”
In the mirror’s reflection I saw her, Luna sleeping peacefully with two blanket bundles in her arms; one blue, the other pink. My heart skipped a beat and my eyes went misty. She had no idea about what happened, which made me happier than anything I could recall.
“H-how old are they?” I asked looking back to Celestia.
“The boy is forty two minutes, the girl twenty six minutes,” she answered, wiping at a stray tear. “They don’t have names yet though, Luna wanted to make sure you had a say in it.”
“Can I ask one favor?”
“Yes. anything.”
“There a way that you can make me walk over there?”
Celestia cast a glance at Discord who had started to rise from his chair. “Sorry. Aedan, but stubbornness won’t win this day. The best we can do is prop you up and move your bed closer.”
“I’ll take it.” I answered, “I’ve missed the first three quarters of an hour of their lives, I want to start making up for it.”
Discord walked over to the side of my bed and pressed a small button on the wall. In seconds, three rather large stallions dressed in scrubs walked through the door. “Mr. Ryan would like to sit up, would you three be so kind as to help him?”
Without a word, the stallions made their way around my bed, two near the head and one at the foot. the two in the back reached downward and unhinged to top part of my bed. The sudden drop caused me to let out a hiss of pain. They paused, but I urged them to continue, I may have not been able to walk and was feeling pain beyond anything I’d ever faced, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let this opportunity get away.
The pain I felt as they rose my cart was unbearable, but I kept reminding myself of who it was for, what it was for. After a few long, agonizing seconds I was finally sitting up high enough to see Luna without straining my entire body. With the major issue out of the way the three stallions started to move me slowly closer to Luna until finally our beds touched and I could see the three angels’ faces perfectly.
My heart started to race once more as I fought a smile and tears. There they were, after nine long and insane months, there they were. So small and delicate looking, sleeping peacefully with their mother, blissfully unaware of everything that had happened over the course of a few hours. I bit my lip and turned away, all of this excitement probably wasn’t good for me, but I honestly didn’t care. I started to make noises I didn’t think a grown man could make as I painfully reached to touch the blanket of my son, but the bindings around my shoulder made me short by just a matter of inches.
“C-can we wake her up?” I asked, looking back to Celestia and Discord, “I just–”
“You just want to hold your children,” Luna’s voice interrupted from behind me as the sound of her bed rising up hummed under her soft, loving tone.
I slowly turned back to see Luna at eye level with me, her arms cradling Equestria’s youngest citizens as gently as a mother should. My mouth was agape, unable to think of anything to say as she smiled at me warmly. “Am I wrong?”
“Uh, I…” My brain tried construct a proper, intelligent sentence, but anything that came out of my mouth was mush.
Luna let out an adorable giggle as she watched me babble like a man who’d been lobotomized before looking to the infants in her arms. “Hey, you see that man?” She asked them, gesturing towards me with her head, “That’s your daddy, mommy loves him very much.”
My daughter let out a small whimper as she was woken up, apparently I wasn’t exactly a pretty sight for her, a few seconds later she was in full on cry mode, screaming louder than anyone her size had any right to. “Nononono shhhhhhh.” Luna whispered, slowly rocking her as she continued to wail, “It’s alright, it’s alright, daddy’s not going to hurt you, he loves you as much as mommy does…”
I could feel a tear threatening to run down my cheek, not even an hour into motherhood and she was already doing everything right.
“Yes,” I heard myself say, “I love you so much. It’s… It’s great to finally meet you.”
I reached out to my daughter and wiped away her tears. What she did next was nearly enough to give me a heart attack. She grabbed my fingers and rubbed her cheek against my hand. I couldn’t fight it any longer, a torrent began to flow out of my eyes as I whimpered like an abused puppy. Sure she may have not have known what she was doing, but try telling that to a man who’s had his hand grabbed by his daughter for the first time.
“Oh my God…” I halfway yelped, my eyes focused intently on her small hand, her hand couldn’t even wrap around my finger, but there she was, squeezing away.
“I knew she’d warm up to you quickly.” Luna said with a motherly smile, “Your son is a lot quieter, I think he takes from you.”
I finally managed to pry my eyes off of my daughter and looked to my son, still sleeping in his mother’s arms in spite of his little sister’s banshee-like wailing. He looked exactly like I did when I was born, from the tip of his chin to the top of his head, the only way you would’ve been able to tell was by the date each photo was taken. After a few seconds of pointing out all the similarities he started to stir in his mother’s arms and finally his eyes opened, it was then that any air in my lungs vanished.
Cobalt blue, just like his mother, and when the eyes turned to me I expected him to ball like his sister, but instead he smiled. He was looking right at the messed up and overall terrifying face and he was smiling, fucking fearless.
“See?” Luna said while holding in a laugh. “Very brave, just like his father.”
“C-can… Can I?” I babbled like an idiot as I gestured to the both of them. “Can I hold them?”
I could hear who I could only assume to be Celestia’s footsteps approaching, probably to object given the use of my arms were heavily limited, but Luna looked past me and have her a long look before passively shaking her head. “You may.” she said simply leaning in towards me and carefully placing each infant in a the pockets between my chest and casts. “They’ve been waiting for this moment their entire lives.”
The joke was lost on me as my eyes darted between the two ridiculously tiny humans in my arms. It was almost surreal, seeing just how small we start out. I then looked to Luna, her smile so full of love and pride in what she made. My attention then then went to the babies, my daughter was half asleep, squirming a little with her eyes closed and my son kept his eyes on mine, still smiling like a homeless man that had won the lottery. I continued looking between the three of them, each look filling me with more and more guilt, until finally, I couldn’t handle it anymore.
“I don’t deserve this…” I managed to choke out before I started crying. “After everything I’ve done, after all I’ve failed to do. Why the hell do I of all people deserve this?”
Luna reached out for me and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Because despite all those mistakes, you’re still the man I love. The one who would literally give me the Moon if it wasn’t already mine. The one who has proven not once, but twice that they were willing to die for me. Though it’s true you’ve made some mistakes, you’ve always come back from them and have shown that you’ve grown.” She paused, sliding her hand to my face so I would look at her. “You’ve given me everything I could have ever wanted, and you deserve to be rewarded in kind.”
Once again I found myself in tears, I didn’t deserve such a beautiful, kind, and gentle soul, yet here she was, giving me my children. The two most beautiful children I had ever laid my eyes on.
“Well as much as I would love to keep watching this watershed moment,” Discord piped in, “I really should be going. I’ll let you five have some privacy.”
As he was turning to leave, Luna turned her gaze to him. “Discord. Thank you.”
Discord merely shrugged. “Just did what needed to be done,” he said before shifting his gaze from me to Celestia. “We need to talk more later. But for now, enjoy your time with our new prince and princess.”
Celestia nodded and walked towards us, both the infants greeting their aunt with squirming little bodies. “Have you thought of any names yet?” She asked, her eyes shifting between myself and Luna. “Your son’s nearly an hour old and I still don’t have a cute nickname for him yet.”
My mind officially ran a blank. I hadn’t thought of any names for either kid through the entire pregnancy, and now that I was on the spot I had nothing. “Uh…”
“Donovan.” Luna replied, much to my surprise, “our son’s name is Donovan.”
“Luna… that’s–”
“Your Grandfather’s name, and the name you always wanted to give your son.” Luna replied gently patting my son’s head. “It was also the name of the child you saw when we shared our minds so long ago, and by the looks of it, he’ll be a spitting image of that vision.”
“I, I don’t know what to say Luna. Why?”
“While I was in your world, you taught me so much, showed me many things and introduced me to so many wonderful people,” she answered, turning her gaze from my son to me. “I thought this would be a great way to honor the man who had taught you to be who you are today.”
“T-thank you Luna,” I stuttered, looking down to my son, my Donovan. “How do you like that son? Donovan sound good to you?”
Donovan just looked between myself and his mother and smiled, offering a little motion of his hand as if he were accepting the decision.
“I think he likes it.” Celestia laughed, “I just hope he doesn’t mind being called Donni when he’s older.” She then turned her attention to my daughter, folding her arms across her chest as a smirk graced her face. “And what about her?”
“I think she should have a pony name.” I stated before Luna could say anything, “You named my son after my grandfather, I think you deserve the same treatment.”
“Well… of course.” Luna replied slightly confused, “What did you have in mind?”
Shit. I hadn’t thought of one yet, but once again I was on the spot. I refused to make a fool of myself in front of my kids this soon so I randomly picked a name out of thin air, because that seemed like how some of these ponies were named in the first place.
“Um… how about Nyx?”
Silence, utter silence. Both Celestia and Luna looked at me like I was the most colossal idiot that they’d ever seen, which, for all intensive purposes, was correct.
“That… certainly is unique.” Celestia said, trying to be nice while saying no, however, Luna was known to not pull punches.
“That has got to be…” she began, staring blankly at me, her motherly smile long gone. “One of the stupidest names I have ever heard. No self respecting pony, hell, even Twilight wouldn’t be so foolish to name a foal that.”
“Oookay,” I said looking to my daughter, who seemed to share the disdain as her mother, offering a face that could be best described as ‘ech’. “What about Moon Dancer?”
“Taken.” Luna said blankly.
“Hope?”
“Too cliché.”
“Midnight Gleam?”
“Do you want to raise another antagonist for Twilight to defeat?”
“Night Glider?”
“Again, taken.”
“Night Rider?”
“I’d rather not have our daughter named after that one classic show you made me watch with you that one day.”
“We had nothing else to do and it was a marathon.”
“Still no.”
“Well I’ve got nothing then.” I huffed, though I immediately regretted it because the action rattled my ribs around a little. “What about you?”
“I confided in you to come up with a name for her.” Luna replied, “but after Nyx I think I knew I shouldn’t have done that.”
Before I could offer a snark-filled rebuttal Celestia cleared her throat, attracting everyone’s attention. “How about Geala?”
Luna and I looked to one another, then to our daughter, and then back to Celestia. “How did you even–”
“Geala is a Gaelic name derived from the word gealach,” Celestia explained rather proudly, “it means moon.”
Luna and I looked down to our daughter, her smile pretty much sealing the deal. “Well I guess that’s settled,” I said looking back to Celestia, “How’d you come up with that so fast?”
“I had been hoping you’d have a baby girl, so I may have been brainstorming a few ideas…” She admitted sheepishly. “Besides, it's a beautiful name.”
Luna and I shared another quick glance before we turned our eyes back to the two beautiful babies resting in my arms, now starting to nod off.
“I think it’s time these two went back to their mommy.” I said doing the best I could to lean towards Luna without breaking my back again.
Luna leaned in and scooped the babies out of my arms gently as not to disturb them. “I think all of us need some sleep.” she said looking to her children, “this will probably be our last opportunity to get a decent rest for the next several years.”
The three of us let out quiet laughter, as not to jinx ourselves right off the bat. Celestia turned and faced the door, “I suppose I’ll let the family have this moment to yourselves.” she said as she made her way towards the exit, only to stop as her hand touched the handle. “Thank you Aedan. For loving my sister… For giving her the world.”
Celestia stepped out before I could offer a reply, but honestly I didn’t think she needed one. So I sat there, staring at the now three most important people in my life, one of them contently humming a lullaby while the other two in her arms dove further and further into sleep. I don’t remember how long I watched, but I remembered watching Luna fall asleep with her… our children in her arms and feeling that, even with everything that happened during this arguably most bizarre period of my life, that it was the best ride I’d ever been on. Finally, as my own eyelids grew heavy themselves, I couldn’t help but smile, somehow knowing that this was only the start of something much greater.
I woke up the the distinct sound of my son crying. I knew it so well because he almost never cried, unlike his sister who’d I’d akin to a tornado siren in Missouri between April and June. I groggily looked to the clock at my side, 15:00.
“At least I got an hour of sleep this time.” I groaned, turning over to Luna, who’d curled into a ball, trying to shield herself from the crying. “Come on babe, your son’s awake.”
“Before moonrise, he’s your son.” She mumbled through her pillow.
“Come on Luna,” I moped, lightly shaking her shoulder, “I’ve gotten up the past six times, it’s your tur–”
Before I could finish talking I was frozen in place, surrounded by a sapphire hue. Moments later I found myself floating off the bed and slowly moving towards the edge.There was no point in even trying to fight, for I was but a man, Luna was a goddess, and she damn well knew that. I could imagine the smug little grin on her face as she manipulated me with what I could only assume to be a single finger, it only made me envy her even more.
As soon as I found myself completely over the floor the hue of her magic subsided, dropping me to hit the ground with a loud thud. A grunt passed through my teeth as I hit, I really would’ve appreciated it if she were more gentle when she did this to me. After all, it’d only been six months, I hadn’t fully recovered from regaining all of my injuries from the past half a decade.
“Seven~” Luna said coyly, the sound of her shuffling the covers to her side and over her head only adding insult to injury.
I let out a bellowing sigh, as much as I hated it I still loved how cute she could be when getting her way. “Fffffine,” I hissed out, propping myself up against the bed, “just gotta get my cane.”
I scooted myself over to headboard and took hold of my most recent means of locomotion. I’d only just gotten out of the wheelchair a week ago and I could swear on my life that I’d already gotten several miles out of it, given all the times that I’ve had to get up and calm the little ones down. I braced myself on the bed and pulled myself up, ignoring the dull pains that I’d grown accustomed to over the past few months as I rose to my feet, bracing most of my weight on my most recent means of travel.
Even though I was still pretty messed up, the cane still made me stand taller and prouder than any of those so called nobles. It also spoke volumes in regards to the efforts that Celestia and Discord put into putting me back together, Celestia even went so far as to say that I’d be back in peak condition after another month, well, minus the obvious lack of muscle. Luna and I both need to hit the gym after I’m cleared for exercise again, I want my old body and her old abs back… desperately.
Finally on my feet, I looked over to the woman I used to be in bed with, pretending to be sleeping, but I knew when she was faking, partially because no one could sleep through the crying and also because she was trying to sneakily look behind herself to see if I was standing yet.
“You know you’re a terrible faker,” I said, breaking the silence between us. “You know if you’re already awake, you should at least come with me.” She remained quiet, thinking that it would somehow throw me off her obvious farce. Finally I put more weight on my cane taking hold of the covers, threatening to pull away her source of warmth and comfort. “Luna…”
“I’ve gotten three hours of sleep in as many days Aedan.” She finally replied, rolling over to face me, just so I could see the bags in her eyes. “Do you know how hard it is to use as much magic as I do and raise a pair of children? You can sleep whenever you want.”
“What if he’s hungry?” I asked.
“There’s plenty of milk in the refrigerator,” Luna replied, her hands moving to her chest, the motions under the covers signaling that she was soothing her breasts. “I made sure of that.”
“I think he and I would both rather take it from the source,” I replied with a sly grin. “Besides, when’s the last time I–”
“Go.” Luna said simply, but with a tone that could probably neuter the meanest junkyard dog.
“Alright, alright,” I said defeated, “I’ll go take care of him while you get your rest sleeping beauty.”
“That’s my man,” Luna sighed, any hint of intimidation in her voice replaced by her normal, sweet tone. “Love you~”
“Yeah, I know you do,” I grunted, hobbling over to our fridge. “You love me to pieces.”
I opened the fridge and grabbed one of the many bottle of milk from within. Luna had put a lot of effort into stocking the thing. She pretty much had to, she did everything she could in her power to be the mother she wanted to be, but more often than not she had to attend to other things. Now normally I’d say that there’d be more for me, but she usually was too tired for anything. That and I was still crippled, any hanky panky would probably result in several weeks progress going down the drain, all the more reason to heal as fast as I could.
“How long do I have to heat this again?” I asked looking back at Luna, hoping for an answer.
Unfortunately my query was met with silence. I turned back to see if Luna had heard me but the covers had already been thrown over her head, I’d lost her to the sandman. I took a deep breath in and let it out in a heavy sigh, I was on my own now. Mumbling to myself I staggered to the bottle warmer that Celestia had gotten us the day after the babies were born, the settings and all other assorted buttons were foreign to me, granted I may have had a better grasp of it if we hadn’t lost the manual.
“Ooookay,” I said, my eyes darting between the bottle and the device, “let’s see here…”
I placed the bottle inside the heater, at least that step was simple enough, now all I needed to do was heat the damn thing. I once again found myself staring at the panel, the various settings and and other knobs and doohickies may as well have been written in Thai, because I had no idea what to push, twist or rub to get the thing going. I sat there staring for a few seconds before tentatively reaching for a knob that looked like it belonged on an egg timer as opposed to a bottle warmer.
“Welp, let’s see what this button does…” I said to myself as I twisted the knob as far as I could, hoping for the best. A light popped on the top of the warmer, telling me that I’d at least turned it on, so there was that. Soon after the bottle within began to rotate, at the same time the knob I twisted started rotating back the way it came. “Alright, I think I actually managed to do it right, that’s–”
Before I could finish my thought a red light started blinking on top of the machine. My face went blank, wondering what the hell that meant I started looking at the buttons again, hoping that they would give me some sort of direction. However the result was the same as before, not a single clue as to how to correct the situation, so I took yet another leap of faith, pushing a yellow button next to the knob I’d previously turned. That only seemed to make it worse. Now the entire warmer was shaking and a little yellow light joined the red one on blinking. Officially frantic, I pushed the closest button I found, only to have it start making an alert noise on top of the blinking light.
“Oh goddammit.” I hissed through my teeth, looking around for some sort of answer, “how the hell do I turn this stupid thing off?!”
I looked all around the thing, and yet nothing, no power cord, no battery pack, no switch, nothing that would lead any sane individual to believe that there was a way to turn the god forsaken thing off. I ripped the warmer off the counter, forgetting that I still needed the cane to stand upright I quickly started to fall. Acting quickly I braced myself on the counter, but at the cost of losing my grip on the warmer. Time seemed to freeze as I watch the warmer fall back to the counter, all the time and effort Luna had put into filling all of those bottles was about to be all for nothing. I braced for impact as best I could, imagining all the while the tongue lashing I would receive from both sisters due to my stupidity. It seemed like, as usual, God and the cosmos above really had it in for me.
However, just this one time, the universe found me fit for a miracle. The second the base of the warmer hit the cabinet the lights stopped blinking and the wailing ended. I stood there staring, waiting for it to explode, but instead a small ding chimed and the warmer’s top opened, steam slowly rolling off of the bottle.
“I’ll take it,” I said, letting out a sigh of relief as I grabbed hold of the bottle, the warmth radiating off of it practically perfect. I grabbed my cane and started off towards my son, still droning on like a foghorn.
I walked through our threshold into the baby room, making a beeline march towards the bright blue crib to the right. Once I found myself at the edge I leaned against the nearby wall and looked inside. There he was, squirming around like he was on a bed of ants and crying like he’d been pinched.
“Hey runt.” I smiled, “Hungry again?”
I waved the bottle over his head, which instantly quieted him down and made him smile. “Thought so.” I nodded, reaching into his crib and hoisting him into the crook of my free arm, taking careful steps as I walked over to the small wooden rocking chair in the room. As I sat down… Well, fell with grace and style anyway, I double checked the bottle before moving it to him. He initially pushed it way, making a slight grunt as he tried to out-muscle dad.
This is definitely my boy, I thought with a chuckle. “I know you prefer it from the source but mommy loves her pillow more than us, so you’re just gonna have to make due.”
He looked to me for a few moments, and then to the bottle, then back to the bottle. In uncanny fashion, he seemed to have let out a sigh and accepted the bottle. Oh God, he might be a bit too much like me. I watched the bottle drain at an impressive rate, in twenty-one year’s time he just might be able to drink me under the table. In a matter of seconds, the bottle was completely drained so I pulled it away with a pop.
“At least I officially know you’re mine,” I chuckled, looking at the bone dry bottle, “Definitely an Irish baby.”
I turned my attention from the bottle back to my son. Even though it had been six long, sleep deprived months, he still was so small. Granted I’m pretty sure he was on the bigger end of a six month old, but compared to me, or anyone for that matter he was a pipsqueak. I placed the bottle on the table beside me, taking the opportunity for a bit of a one on one with my son that I know he won’t remember.
“You know…” I began, giving his oversized head a gentle pat. “The first time I heard about you and your sister, I didn’t want to believe it, I played it off as a joke. Your mother was so upset she cried, even ran off to the moonpool in the garden… One of the many things I’ve done that I’m not too proud of.” I paused and looked back to our room, letting out a heavy sigh.
“I’ve done a lot of things wrong son…” I finally said, turning my attention back to him. “I didn’t want you, I thought my life would be over once you showed up… I lusted after your aunt, I was even two inches away from doing the deed with her at one point, hell that was literally just before you were born. Not a day has gone by since that I haven’t regretted that moment, or any of those times I failed as a father-to-be, but your mother still loved me through it all…”
I noticed that Donovan’s eyes started to grow heavy, so I decided to speed our first true father/son talk up. “You make damn sure you love her with everything your little heart can give, and when you’ve run out, give her more, she deserves that much. Got it little man?”
I’d like to think the little nod he gave me was him agreeing to my request, even though it was more than likely out of grogginess. I couldn’t help but smile as I rose to my feet and staggered back to his crib, placing him inside as gently as I could. My hand alone almost covering his entire torso as I covered him in his blanket.
“You’re just a tiny, useless runt.” I said with a smile, but just as I was about to pull away his tiny hand wrapped around my finger and squeezed, making my heart skip several beats.
“B-but you’re my runt…” I said fighting the tears in my eyes.
I waited for a few seconds until his exhaustion overtook him, placing his hand on his chest the moment he finally surrendered to sleep. Just as I tucked Donovan in, the unmistakeable sounds of my daughter’s whimper.
“Of course you’d wake up,” I sighed, running my hand down my face, “You can sense when your big brother is getting attention.”
I hobbled on over as fast as I could and looked into her crib. Sure enough, her eyes were focused intently on her brother across the room and her mouth the threatening to unleash a wailing that could only be matched by those who would be thrown into the lake of fire.
“Hey, hey, calm down little bird, daddy didn’t forget about you,” I said scooping her up in my arms. “Your brother was hungry, I was just making sure he was taken care of. You know daddy loves you too.”
My reassurance seemed to help a little, but it didn’t stop her from whimpering. Sighing to myself I walked back to the rocker and sat down, hoping that the gentle sway would soothe her troubles away.
“Calm down sweetie,” I soothed. “The last thing mama and I need is a shouting match between you and your big brother.”
I continued to sway back and forth in the chair trying to find a proper rhythm, but my attempts seemed to be thwarted by every little whimper she made. After a few more seconds her tiny hand shot up towards me, the tips of her fingers glowing in a sapphire hue. Next thing I knew my hair was getting pulled in her direction, forcing me to contort in a way that I knew wasn’t beneficial for my healing process.
“Hey now baby girl,” I managed to say through gritted teeth, doing my best to fight her arcane pull. “You know daddy can’t bend that way yet, so please stop with the force juju.”
At that moment her eyes shot wide open, exposing her piercing teal eyes and feline pupils, but as with every time before now I just let out a heavy sigh and pulled her towards me, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“Calm down Geala,” I said softly, “It’s alright, your daddy’s here for you.”
She continued to fuss for a few seconds, but the longer our eyes were locked on one another the calmer she became until finally, the colors of her eyes slightly dulled. I smiled and brought her back to my chest, her ear placed exactly where my heart was.
“You hear that Geala?” I asked, running my thumb through her hair, “That’s daddy’s heart, as long as it beats within my chest I promise you will be given all the love you could ever need. I promise that you’ll never feel abandoned, that even when you feel alone I’ll still be right there for you. I promise that you’ll never be alone.”
Geala’s eyes went from my chest back to my face several times, almost as if she understood what I had said before letting out a gentle coo and nestling into my chest, her tiny hand gripping onto my shirt tightly. I let out a content sigh as my eyes traveled to Donovan’s crib and back to my sweet little Geala in my arms, thinking about everything that happened and everything that will happen, and then I smiled.
“I’m never letting go…”
“You know there comes a point where every parent sets their children down and never picks them up again.” A deep, motherly voice said from behind me. “You should keep that in mind when you’re alone like this.”
“And what idiot said that?” I asked looking back to see a particularly radiant Celestia, “Or did you forget exactly just how strong I am?”
Celestia let out a quiet laugh and walked to my side, her eyes focused on the infant in my arms. “How is she? Acting up any?”
“Just before you walked in actually,” I answered, looking back to my daughter, “but daddy reminded her that he was always going to be here for her.”
“Excellent,” Celestia nodded, “I’m glad that you’re becoming such a wonderful father, reminds me of mine almost. Well, before he and my mother disappeared.”
“Well I can promise that I won’t be doing anything like that.” I replied, just as a question popped into my head. “Why are you even here Celestia? Shouldn’t you be handling the snobs in the courtroom?”
“I should,” she agreed, leaning down to where I could easily look down her low cut dress, “but I heard my Donni crying, I thought he was hungry.”
I chuckled, trying to keep what would have been a deep bellow to a minimum as so not to wake the kids. “Do you do that often?”
Celestia raised her brow. “I always feed little Donni when he needs it. Why?”
“Well that explains why he prefers it from the tap…”
Celestia stood straight up and placed one hand on her hip, while the other traveled to the top over her dress and threatened to pull down. “From what Luna tells me so do you~” She teased, her dress slowly becoming more and more of a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough.” I quickly said, raising my free hand towards her, “but really, why are you here?”
Celestia’s lip stuck out in a pout as she pulled her dress back up and readjusted herself to look proper once more. “Well, aside from Donni, I actually hoped to catch the two of you awake. I needed to show you something.”
“You need the both of us?” I asked, brow raised in confusion, “What for?”
“It is something rather important Aedan.” Celestia answered, “I’m sure Luna would want to be there for it just as much as you do.”
“Still didn’t answer my question.”
“Look Aedan,” Celestia said, her shoulders dropping in exasperation. “Just tell me, is Luna awake too?”
“Hate to break it to you Tia, but I highly doubt Luna’s going to get out of that bed anytime soon,” I answered, staggering to my feet and pointing behind myself, “even for you.”
A sly grin came across Celestia’s face as she rose a single hand, the tips of her fingers giving off a golden hue. “Oh… we’ll see about that~” she said impishly as she snapped her fingers.
The echo of the snap seemed to bounce across the entire castle, but other then that nothing really had changed. Yet the entire time Celestia’s devilish grin not once left her face, like a Bond villain that knew they had won the day.
“What did you–”
“Waaaaaaaait for it~” Celestia said playfully, her grin growing wider by the second.
Suddenly I heard a yelp from Luna and I’s room, followed by a severe disturbance in the force. Within a few seconds a dark shadow loomed in our threshold, seething with pure, unadulterated rage.
“Sister…” Luna hissed, her hands anchored tightly on the frames, “Would you mind telling me why you focused a sunbeam directly into my eyes?”
“Oh good, she’s awake!” Celestia said cheerfully, seemingly unaware of her sister’s question. “Could you please grab little Donni? I have something to show you both.”
Before Luna could interrogate her sister further she was off and through the door, completely ignoring the burning inferno of blinding rage that was her sister. I staggered to my feet and hobbled to Luna’s side, my eyes still focused on where Celestia had gone.
“Might as well just humor her,” I said, readjusting Geala in my arms. “Mind grabbing Donovan?”
Luna looked to me and then let out a tired sigh. “Very well, but she will pay for her insolence later.”
“Yeah, yeah I’m sure she will,” I chuckled as she walked past me towards Donovan’s crib.
I watched intently as Luna leaned over and scooped him up, all the while whispering softly like any mother would. After he was nice and nestled into his mother’s bosom his tiny hand shout out and gave her nearest breast a firm squeeze, causing Luna to let out a shocked squeak. I managed to hold in a chuckle as a smile grew on Donovan’s face, obviously more than content with what he’d just done.
“You know, it’s scary that he’s this much like me at such a young age,” I said, “God help us when he hits puberty.”
“Just walk,” Luna huffed, giving my ass a playful pinch as we followed Celestia down the hall. It wasn’t a long walk, thankfully, but when we arrived Luna and I both shot each other the same confused glance.
“Sister,” Luna began. “What are we doing here?”
“Well Luna, as you know this was Cadence’s room when she lived here, but she’s been gone for a few years, so I thought I’d put it to a better use.” Celestia explained as she placed her hand on the giant, gold-plated ivory door.
“What kind of use?” I asked, my eyes narrowing, “because knowing you–”
“Do you really think I’d ask you to bring your children along if I’d refurbished Cadence’s old room in that fashion?” Celestia interrupted, to which I responded with my eyes darting in every direction except for hers. “Anyway…” she continued, the door opening ever so slightly, “after the babies were born, I started thinking about your old home.”
“What? Why?”
“How could you not?” Celestia asked, “Look me in the eye and tell me that not once since the babies arrived you hadn’t thought about your family and how they’ve been doing.”
I looked to Luna, then to Celestia, then back to Luna before taking in a deep breath. “I have,” I admitted, giving Celestia an affirming nod, “but I do my best to not let it bother me. I mean, you yourself said that there wasn’t really anything we could do to go back once I stepped through that portal. I’ve pretty much resigned myself to my fate since then.”
“Well what if I said that I’d been looking into a way that may grant you some peace?”
My pupils shrank and my heart raced. “You didn’t…”
“I did,” Celestia replied with a warm smile as the doors opened slowly, revealing a brightly glowing, swirling vortex. “It’s not exactly a legitimate portal, but it allows you to speak with your loved ones whenever the moon is full.”
“So it’s like inter-dimensional Skype?”
“Uh… sure, we’ll go with that.” Celestia nodded, her hand beckoning us to enter, “Though I may have done some tweaking this once, as Luna made the moon full two days ago.”
“Well if you told me about this I would have–”
“Hush sister,” Celestia interrupted, pressing her finger to her lips, “I kept this hidden for a reason, mainly because you’d be too excited about it and tell Aedan before it was finished.”
“But–”
“As I was saying.” Celestia continued, ignoring her sister, “I went through a lot of trouble arranging this and now the time has come, so please…” she paused, watching the two of us enter the room. “Enjoy your reunion.”
The door quietly shut behind us, leaving Luna and I alone with the glowing mirror-like portal resting atop an old wooden desk. We just stared at it for a few minutes like it was going to jump at us. The first of us to move was Luna, walking up beside it and taking a seat in one of the chairs, leaving the center-most one for me. I followed her slowly, never taking my eyes off the portal.
I’m not sure what is was, but I felt a tightness in my chest that I had not felt in a while. I had never thought I would ever get to see my family again, and while I was okay with that, there was still a part of me that missed them greatly. As I sat down the swirling mass that was the portal started to fizzle and contort, I almost jumped out of my seat, but Luna placed her hand on my shoulder, calming my nerves and the portal continued to warp and sputter. Finally, after what seemed like forever, an image started to appear in the portal, it almost looked like a distorted reflection of Luna and myself, but as the seconds passed the image grew clearer and clearer, until…
“Hello son.” My father’s voice echoed into my very soul. A voice forigen after so long, but also unmistakably familiar. The only difference to me was that it sounded much older than I remembered. More ragged.
“It’s him… oh my God it’s really him!” another voice I could never forget chimed in. “T-that’s our baby! That’s Aedan!”
“M-mom?” I stuttered, still not fully believing what I was hearing. “Dad?”
“Yes son,” My father said, the image in the portal as clear as day. “It’s us.”
My eyes grew misty, my lungs shriveled to dust, and my chest tightened even more. It was really them, it was my parents, after so long I was finally speaking to them once again.
“Almost twenty years and I finally get to see my boy again,” My mother said, bringing me out of my head. “God, he hasn’t aged one bit.”
It was then that the image finally became clear. My Parents, neither of them over sixty when I chose to join Luna were now somewhere in their seventies, my father even had an oxygen tank at his side. I nearly fell out of my chair, but I managed to catch myself before I’d completely lost balance, but as it would be expected my mother grew worried.
“Aedan! Honey are you alright?!” She exclaimed, nearly falling out of her own chair.
“Yeah… yeah, I’m fine.” I said taking in a few deep breaths, “T-twenty years?”
“Give or take a few,” My father nodded, “but that really doesn’t matt–”
“We should’ve done this earlier,” I growled through my teeth, “We should’ve gotten contact with you earlier! Twenty years and no word is just… just.” A single tear slid down my cheek as I tried to think of a more shakespearean way of wording my thoughts, but in the end I just had to call it what it was. “IT’S NOT FAIR!”
“Calm down son, we know it’s not.” My father said calmly, “but the past is indestructible, it’s also not important, that Celestia woman said that you had something you wanted to show us.”
My rage and sorrow dissipated within seconds, remembering that there was indeed something that we needed to show them. I looked to Luna and took her hand, the only communication between the two of us a simple nod of the head, then we gently rose the children in our arms. At first there was silence and then came the tears.
“I-is that…” My mother whimpered and my Father looked on with misty-eyed pride.
“Yeah…” I said looking to Luna, “These are your grandkids, Donovan and Geala.”
“They’re the most beautiful things I’ve ever see,.” My mother said with tears in her eyes. “I wish I could hold them.”
“I wish you could too mom…” I said, reminded of the fact. “I wish you could too.”
“That’s a good looking pair of kids ya got Aedan,” My dad nodded proudly. “And knowing you, they’ll grow up to be tough sonsabitches.”
I let out a quick chuckle as my mother and Luna both punched their respective lovers on their shoulder, leading to a shared moment of clarity as to how alike we were to one another. Silence fell upon us for a few minutes before finally my father spoke up one last time.
“So…” he began, “Ya gonna tell us just how you two got to this point?”
I looked to the screen, then to my children and finally to Luna. She smiled at me and put out her free hand, prompting me to take it before I looked back to my parents.
“Mom, Dad…” I began as a misty eyed smile came to my face. “You might want to grab a pen and some paper… it’s a long story.”
