It was a very calm and beautiful day in the village of Ponyville, and everypony was out and about and doing the best they could to make the most of the time they had throughout the day. One pony, however, was still having a very sleepy start. His name was Lee, a brown pegasus pony who had a mixture of red and black in his mane and tail, and was also the latest pony to move into Ponyville, evidenced by the boxes dotted around the house. As Lee continued to sleep peacefully, he was suddenly awoken by the sound of his doorbell ringing and somepony knocking on his door.
Lee slowly raised his head to listen to the sounds more clearly and groaned as he decided to roll out of bed to answer the door.
"Be right there" he said, while yawning and stretching out his still tired muscles. He opened the door and greeted the bright sun that blasted his eyes with sunlight.
"Yeah, can I help y-" Lee was interrupted when he realized that there were two royal soldiers covered in armor standing before him. Confused and uncertain on their sudden appearance, Lee simply said nothing and waited for one of the soldiers to speak. The light-furred pony cleared his throat and spoke first, magically making a scroll appear and unrolling it to read it to Lee.
"Mister Lee, you are hereby requested by the Princesses of Equestria, Celestia and Luna respectively, to appear before them in the royal castle of Canterlot at once. They await your presence in the royal throne room and request that you come within the hour"
Lee could say nothing to the words he just heard at first. After a bit, he managed to muster a question to the soldiers.
"Okay, that sounds... great and everything, but what do the princesses want to see ME for?"
The dark furred pony then spoke and answered his question.
"We do not know. We were simply ordered to deliver this message to you, nothing more. But I am certain that all will be answered once the princesses have spoken to you. Nonetheless, do we and the princesses have your word that you'll be at Canterlot within the hour?"
Lee simple looked to the ground and pondered about what he should do. He has never met the princesses in person, and has never given a reason to speak with them either, so why do they wish to speak with him now? Is there more to this meeting than meets the eye? Lee decided the only way to answer these questions was to speak with them about it.
"Alright, I'll be there. I just give me some time to... get ready. Is that alright?"
"Very well. We shall tell the princesses to expect you and we implore you not to be late for this meeting"
Both ponies bowed to Lee and quickly flew off and back towards Canterlot. Lee watched as the soldiers flew off and glanced towards the castle for a minute, wondering what he should do to prepare for this meeting. Lee then trotted off towards town when he came up with an idea and decided to consult an "expert" on this situation.
Lee came to the foot of a grand and very crystalline looking castle and knocked on the large doors in front of him. The first thing he heard when he knocked was the sound of something hitting the floor hard and somepony answering loudly.
"Just a moment. Be right there!" Lee stood at the door for another minute, impatiently wondering if the pony inside was ever going to answer the door. He was ready to knock again when the door opened and a purple alicorn pony, known as Princess Twilight Sparkle to many ponies, stood before him smiling and struggling to catch her breath at the same time.
"So sorry about the wait. I literally had a million other things to do at once and just needed time to tidy up. Heh heh, anyway, can I help you?"
"Yes, you're Princess Twilight right? My name's Lee and I was wondering if I could ask you something?"
"Hmm, Lee? I don't think I recognize your name. Are you new in town?"
"Yeah, I just moved in about a week ago actually and this is a very nice town, very peaceful and tranquil... b-but enough about that. I was actually hoping you could help me with a 'situation' that I'm having"
"Of course, I'd be glad to help you out. Go ahead and tell me what's troubling you."
"Well you see, I just got this... summons from the princesses up at Canterlot and they said that they wish to speak with me in person within the hour. I was wondering, since you're a princess as well and all, that you could-"
Lee was interrupted when he saw that Twilight had sort of frozen in place and that her jaw was hanging down, which confused Lee.
" W-wait, y-you've been summoned by Princess Celestia and Luna?! What in the name of Equestria could they want? Is everything okay with them?" Twilight started pacing around and talking to herself, which only made Lee panic as he tried to calm her down.
"L-look, all I know is that they want to talk to me, that's all. I was just hoping you could help me by... I don't know helping me talk with them"
Twilight calmed down and looked at Lee and suddenly a nervous smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, heh, right. I figured it was something simple as that, how silly of me to think otherwise. In any case, I'd be glad to assist you and, if you want, I'd even be willing to accompany you to the castle if that would help you feel better"
"Wow, you'd do that for me? Well, it would definitely help to have some company while I talk with them. Thank you Princess Twilight."
"Oh no worries, it's no trouble at all. Besides, I'm sure that it'll be fun to help you out and maybe I could even talk with them myself! Just give me a minute to get ready!"
Twilight rushed back inside and started gathering important items and putting them in her bags. Lee noticed that Twilight was talking to herself again and stumbled around a lot as she rushed about, but this only made Lee smile at her strange behavior.
"Okay, I think I have everything I need. We should get going if you don't want to be late"
"Right, let's go"
Lee and Twilight flew off and soared through the endless sea of clouds as they made their way towards the royal castle of Canterlot. As the two of them were flying, Lee noticed a bunch of other pegasus ponies flying by or relaxing on the clouds, with a couple of them waving at Lee and smiling happily at him, which he happily returned. Twilight called to Lee and turned his attention to her.
"Alright Lee, before we get to the castle, we should practice how you should speak to the princesses. Now tell me, how would you greet them? Your highnesses or your majesties?"
"Uhh, hello princesses?"
Twilight stopped dead in her tracks and faced Lee.
"What?! Are you crazy?! They'll throw you into the darkest dungeon they can find for speaking so informally to them!"
Twilight stopped talking when she noticed the sheer dread and nervousness in Lee's expression. She laughed nervously and stepped back from him.
"Heh heh, I'm so sorry Lee. I didn't mean to frighten you"
Lee sighed as they continued flying towards the castle.
"I don't know if I can do this, Twilight. You and I both know that I don't belong in a place like Canterlot and I'm afraid that the princesses just... won't like me."
"Oh, that's nonsense Lee. You got nothing to be afraid of, and I know Celestia and Luna like and care for everypony, so I'm certain you'll be no different. The most important thing to remember is to just be yourself... and not getting yourself thrown into the previously mentioned darkest dungeon" Twilight laughed nervously once more, which only made Lee more nervous.
Lee and Twilight finally reached Canterlot and landed next to the front gates. As Lee and Twilight approached the gates, two guards barred their way and looked down at the two of them.
"Princess Twilight, how wonderful to see you again. Hmm, I don't recognize this stranger next to you, however. State your name and business here at once!"
Lee cleared his throat to speak.
"My name's Lee and I'm here to speak with the princesses."
The two guards looked Lee over and then looked at each other... only to begin laughing. Lee was confused as to why they were laughing.
"Y-you?! Well, unless you're here to apply for the court jester, I can't possibly see what they would want with YOU." The guards continued laughing until Twilight stepped forward and stood between Lee and the guards.
"Hey, that's enough out of you two! He's my friend and my guest and I won't have you two making fun of him, I sure won't. Now, please apologize to my friend and let us through, or I will personally tell Celestia how poorly mannered you two are being. We'll see just how 'funny' she finds this."
Twilight glared at the two guards and they quickly and nervously stood aside to let them through.
"W-we apologize for our behavior, Mister Lee. Please head on inside and have a wonderful day!
"That's what I thought. Come on Lee, let's not keep Celestia and Luna waiting"
Lee and Twilight passed the guards and the gates and made their way inside. The entrance hall was a very busy and bustling area, with many dignified ponies dressed in formal attire going to all sorts of meetings and business arrangements. Twilight made her way to a waiting area off to the side of the hall and sat down on the couch.
"Alright Lee, I think its best if you talk with Celestia and Luna alone. I'm sure they'll have a lot to discuss with you in private."
"You sure I should go in alone? I really don't know what I should say to them."
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be just fine. Just remember what I said: Be yourself. You do that and everything will be okay, I promise."
"Right... Thank you Twilight. Now, can you tell me how I find the throne room?"
"Oh, that's easy. You just take the main hall here, then you take a left, then a right and then take another right and it'll be the third door on the right side. The door will have a big sun painted around it so it should be easy to find. Anyway, you should get going, but don't worry, I'll be here when you're finished and you can tell me all about it."
"Uhh, right. I'll see you later then"
Lee made his way down the hall and came to an intersection, only to be confused by which way he should go, especially with Twilight's vague directions being of no help. He then decided to just keep going forward.
After walking the halls for sometime, and passing by other ponies who were whispering things to themselves as they passed Lee, he simply stopped and became worried that he wouldn't make it to his meeting in time.
"Man, how am I supposed to find anything in this castle without a map? I'm gonna be late and who knows what the princesses will do if I am"
As Lee wondered where to go, he started hearing voices around him but nopony appeared to be around him.
"Be careful with those books, sister. We need to get them to library as quickly as possible."
"Well, it'd be easier if you helped me carry some of them. My back is killing me."
Suddenly, Lee fell to the floor as something hard struck him in the head, making him hold his head in pain. Two tall ponies then dropped to the floor, one with white fur and the other with dark fur, and looked at Lee with concern.
"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to drop that book on your head, honest I didn't!"
Lee looked at the dark-furred pony, who had a very blue and starry mane, before him and quickly stood back up and retrieved the book.
"Ah, it's okay. I should've worn a helmet is all. But I'm fine, don't worry about it."
The white-furred pony beside her stepped forward and approached him, with her long and multi-colored mane blowing in the breeze.
"Please forgive my sister's incident. We were simply taking these books to the library so that they'll be kept in better condition."
"It's okay, no worries really. I was just trying to find my way to a meeting and I got turned around I guess."
"Oh, are you lost? Well, the least we can do to make it up to you is help you find your way around. Where is this meeting supposed to be?" The white-furred pony asked politely.
"I'm supposed to go to the royal throne room. You see, I'm supposed to be meeting with Princess Celestia and Luna and I'd hate to be late for such an important meeting"
The two sisters then looked at each other for a second and smiled, which only confused Lee.
"I suspect that they aren't far" Both of them laughed and Lee remained confused as to what was going on. And then, after a moment more of confusion, he finally realized what they meant.
"W-wait a minute... What? You two are..."
"Princess Celestia" The white-furred pony bowed her head.
"And Princess Luna" The dark-furred pony didn't bow, however, due to the weight of the books that still occupied her back.
Lee immediately bowed to them and nervously started panicking.
"O-oh, p-princesses, please forgive my stupidity for not knowing who you are. I am so sorry."
Celestia laughed as she looked at Lee with concern once more, trying to ease his worries.
"No need to worry, heh heh besides, we should be ones apologizing to you for dropping a book on your head. You are Lee, correct? We have been expecting you, and we're so happy to finally meet you in person."
Luna struggled with the books and found it difficult to speak. "Y-yes quite excited, but there is an important matter we wish to discuss with you and I recommend we go at once before my legs lose feeling. May we please?"
"Of course, sister. Follow us if you would please, Lee" Celestia led the way as the three of them walked down the halls, with Lee noticing all the other ponies around him whispering and wondering why he was with Celestia and Luna. Lee then turned his attention to Princess Luna, who continued to struggle carrying the books on her back and Lee decided to help her out.
"Umm, Princess Luna, I can carry some of those books for you if you want."
"Oh, would you? That's so kind of you to ask, thank you. Thank you very much, Lee"
Luna levitated half of the books off of her back and placed them on Lee's. The removed weight helped Luna stand up straight once more and helped her feel less in pain.
"Oh, that feels so much better. Thank you for helping me Lee, I really do appreciate it. As you can probably tell, my sister here isn't too fond of heavy lifting."
"Preposterous, dear sister. I'll have you know earlier today I carried a whole chocolate cake into the dining room"
"Yes, which you then proceeded to devour within the hour of arrival"
The two sisters laughed together, with Lee nervously smiling along with them, as he was still unsure as to why they wanted to speak with him.
Lee and the princesses entered a room with the words 'Library' written above the door. The three of them entered and Celestia closed the door behind them. It was a darkly lit room with many rows of bookshelves, a desk in the corner and a large window which overlooked the courtyard below.
"Wait, why are we in the library? I thought we'd be meeting in the throne room"
"Well, we thought this would be a more... casual spot to speak and where we could also speak with you without interruptions." Celestia pulled up a chair and asked Lee to sit down, which he did.
"I'll go get us some food in case we get hungry. Luna, will you stay and keep him company while I'm gone?"
"Of course, sister. I have to put these books away anyway, so we'll be here when you return."
Celestia left the room and Luna started placing books on the shelf, which Lee helped with.
"So Lee, since we have a moment to talk, tell me about yourself."
"Me? Well, there's not much to tell to be honest. I've been in Ponyville for a week, don't really have any friends yet, and... I don't know, I like taking naps and walking the streets. That's all I can think of really, sorry."
"Quite alright. Heh heh, I also like taking naps, since you know, I can't really sleep during the night. But what of your family? Surely you have some right?"
Lee immediately stopped what he was doing and stared blankly into space.
"Uhh... right. My... family"
Thankfully, Celestia reentered the room before Lee could finish his sentence. Celestia sat a tray with a steaming tea kettle and several slices of donut cake on the desk and filled three teacups with the freshly brewed and still sizzling tea. Lee sat down at the desk once more and Luna stood behind him as she sipped her tea and took a bite out of her cake. Celestia slid a teacup and a piece of cake towards Lee, but he didn't touch it and simply stared at his own reflection in the tea, making Luna look at Lee with concern.
"Aren't you going to eat, Lee? You must be hungry"
"I'm sorry princesses, I don't mean to be rude, but could one of you tell why I'm here please?"
Celestia sipped her tea and calmly sat it back down and paced the room.
"Very well. Hmm, where to begin?"
Luna spoke first before Celestia could begin.
"The reason we summoned you here is because we were hoping you could help us with a certain... well lets say project shall we?"
"Project? What project?" Lee asked.
"Well, the other day, me and Luna were discussing whether or not we were doing an adequate job of being princesses and the protectors of Equestria. And then I wondered: Is there a way to know for sure?"
"Yes, and then an idea came to me. What if we hired somepony to study our meetings and our duties and have them see if we were doing things right. Celestia and I could then learn from their point of view and see how we could improve upon the results."
"But then we realized, it couldn't be just anypony, especially anypony who are like the dignitary and important ponies who roam this castle everyday. So I and Luna decided to hire somepony who has never interacted with us before. And that's where you came into the picture."
"We looked at the records for Ponyville and saw that you were the latest pony to move in. You were a perfect fit."
"So now, here we are, and all we have is a simple question for you: Will you help us?" Celestia and Luna both stood before him now and waited for him to answer.
Lee took a moment to take all this information in and just sat speechless.
"O-okay hold on, let me get this straight: You want me to "study" you two... to see if you're doing a good job at being princesses?"
"Yes, exactly. You would be our personal guest and you would travel with us to wherever we go in the castle. You'd get your own personal room here in the castle and we'll both make sure everything stays well for your stay here." Luna answered.
"But I don't get it. Why me? I'm a nobody and I don't know anything about the two of you. How in the world am I supposed to do this if I don't know what I'm doing?"
"Lee, that's exactly why we chose you. There's nothing more concrete than the perspective of somepony who is simply... normal. You're not learning from us, we'd be learning from you and your experiences" Celestia assured him by nodding her head in agreement.
Luna then stepped forward and placed a hoof to his side.
"Lee, listen to me. If this is too much for you, just say the word and we'll call this whole thing off. There will be no grief from us if you do, we promise. Right sister?"
"Of course. We will understand if you choose to say no"
Lee looked to the floor and pondered on what he should do. He knew that he knew nothing about Celestia and Luna nor do they know anything about, but at the same time, couldn't bring himself to deny their request. Maybe he could indeed learn something from this job and find some enjoyment out of it by interacting with the princesses.
"Alright... I do it. You can count on me"
Celestia and Luna both smiled happily and both shook hooves with Lee.
"Thank you Lee! Thank you for agreeing to do this for us. And don't you worry, we promise that this will all go smoothly"
"Thank you both for offering me this opportunity, princesses." Lee bowed to them once more, only for Luna to tell him that he didn't need to do that anymore.
"No need to be so formal with us anymore. We're going to be spending a lot of time together and we want you to be comfortable around us, so no more bowing and please call us by our names, okay?"
Lee laughed as he looked at the two of them again.
"Very well... Luna, Celestia."
"Now that were done, we'll bring you back to the entrance hall and bid you farewell. Please return to castle tomorrow morning and we'll both be waiting for you in the dining hall"
The three of them returned to the entrance hall and Lee noticed that Twilight was still sitting on the couch in the waiting room... at least that's what it looked like to Lee. Upon closer inspection, Lee saw that Twilight was actually sound asleep now, complete with her sprawled out on the couch, snoring loudly and drooling onto the carpet.
"Oh, Twilight's still here? I thought she would have gone back by now. How long was that meeting?"
Luna consulted the clock on the wall behind her.
"About two hours. She must have fallen asleep while she was waiting for you"
"Heh heh, did you come here with her? I'm not surprised she decided to accompany you given the circumstances." Celestia laughed a little as she moved over to Twilight and shook her softly to make her wake up. Twilight snorted a second before she opened her eyes and bolted out of the couch to face Lee, who was standing next to her.
"Oh, hey Lee. I was wondering when you were going to be done, but I just closed my eyes a bit, I swear. So tell me, how did your meeting with Celestia and Luna go?"
Celestia stepped forward, making Twilight immediately bow on the spot.
"I'd say it went very well. Lee here has just agreed to stay here in the castle with us and assist us with our duties."
Twilight jumped about gleefully at the news and looked at Lee.
"Oh wow, that's wonderful to hear, Lee. And here I was worried they were going to throw you into the darkest dungeon they could find." Twilight opened her eyes and looked around the room and saw nothing but horrified/confused looks aimed at her.
"Heh heh, oh look is that the time? I should really get going" Twilight quickly rushed out the door and flew off into the skies.
Celestia sighed as she saw Twilight leave. "Twilight's always the one to jump to conclusions. You didn't honestly think we would do something so horrible, did you?" she asked.
"Uhh, no of course not. Heh heh"
"Well, this is where we say goodbye, Lee. Remember to be here early tomorrow and to meet us in the dining hall. We really look forward to working with you"
"Goodbye Lee and thank you again helping us out. I and Luna can't wait to see you tomorrow and help you settle in" Celestia then smiled happily.
"Yeah, and I look forward to it as well. I'll see you two tomorrow, I guess"
Lee shook hooves with Celestia and Luna one more time before they waved goodbye to him and Lee turned to the gates to leave. Lee breathed in the fresh air and looked back at the castle he was about to become a temporary occupant of.
"Well, hope I don't disappoint. This'll be... interesting to say the least"
Lee flew off into the clouds and back to his house, uncertain of the events that were about to unfold...
Lee woke up very early the following morning, to the point where he refused to even move from his bed for the first few minutes, but after awhile he decided to slowly but smoothly get up from the bed. Lee stretched out and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and brush his mane and as he finished, he looked himself in the mirror and simply gazed at his own reflection and observed every detail on his face.
He lowered his head down and sighed as he looked away from the mirror.
"Well, if it has to be anypony, I can't think of anypony else worse than me" Lee laughed a little as he exited the bathroom.
Lee entered the kitchen and was prepared to make himself some breakfast before he realized that Celestia and Luna were probably waiting for him at Canterlot already and he, of course, didn't want to keep the princesses waiting for him. Lee felt his stomach growling as he went to his room to pack some essential items for his stay at the castle.
He grabbed a bag from his closet and started packing things like snacks for snacking on, a pillow and blanket to sleep with and a few books in case he got bored. As Lee reached to the top shelf for more items, he made something suddenly fall off the shelf and onto the floor, which luckily didn't make its contents fall out. It was a white box with the words "For Lee" on the front of it, but Lee was confused as to where he got this box from and had realized that he had never seen it before now. Before Lee decided to reach over and open the box, he suddenly heard knocking at his door and quickly placed the box back in the closet and closed it.
"Be right there" he said as he went to the door.
A familiar sight greeted Lee as he opened the door and saw the same royal guards from yesterday standing at his door.
"Oh, it's you guys again! How're you two doing?"
"Good morning Mister Lee, we were told by Princess Celestia and Luna to escort you to the castle for the first day of your "assignment". I trust you are all set to depart?"
"Yeah, I'm all ready to go! Just let me go and get my bag, alright? Won't be long, promise!"
Lee went back inside and retrieved his bag from his bed. Before he left the room, he glanced toward the closet and thought about that white box he found, and slowly took a step towards the closet. But his thoughts were broken by the sound of the guards yelling for him and quickly went back outside and locked his front door.
"Alright, I'm good to go! Let's get going"
Lee and the guards quickly took off from the ground and made their way toward Canterlot. Lee attempted to make conversation with the guards but they ignored all of his attempts to get their attention. He then decided to give up trying and just flew with them in silence.
Sigh... Twilight was a better companion than these two...
Lee and the two guards landed next to the main castle gates and made their way inside and back into the long and winding corridors that Lee was still unfamiliar with. Lee continued walking behind the guards until they came to a large door decorated with torches and a sun painted around the top of the door.
The guards stood at each side of the door and held their position there.
"The princesses await for you within, Mister Lee. If you would leave your bag with us, we'll make sure that it's delivered to your room" Lee did as he said and handed his bag to the guard and bowed to them in respect.
"We hope you have a wonderful rest of your day, sir!" One of the guards actually glanced at him and smiled a little, which made Lee surprised and smile in return.
"Uhh, yeah. You too! Thanks you guys!"
Lee went past the guards and opened the large door.
Lee entered a very large chamber, which was also very well decorated and made Lee look around at the room in awe. Large drapes emblazoned with a sun and moon hung down the large windows, Multiple chandeliers and torches brightly lit the room, and in front of him was a very long table decorated with candles, bowls of apples and a long cloth that spread out the entire table. Lee continued to be awestruck by the scenery until he heard somepony in the room call his name and realized that Princess Celestia was walking towards him.
"Lee, it's so wonderful to see you again! I trust all is well for you on this fine morning?"
"Yes, everything is just fine, Princess! Thank you again for having me here. So uhh... when do I start?"
"Oh no no no, we're not having you do anything yet, Lee. There's no way were going to have you perform your duties on an empty stomach. Come, follow me!"
Celestia pushed him towards the table with her wing and saw Princess Luna setting the table with three sets of plates, napkins and silverware. She turned to Lee and greeted him with a happy smile.
"Hello again, Lee! How are you doing this morning?"
"Princess Luna! I'm doing just wonderful, thank you."
"That's so good to hear, my friend. Come, come sit with us and breakfast will be ready shortly!"
Celestia and Luna both took their seats and Lee slowly seated himself next to Celestia, but this only made him nervous as he found himself constantly looking back and forth between her and Luna. He looked and saw multiple royal chef ponies coming into the dining hall and wheeling in a cart full of delicious choices for breakfast. Celestia looked at Lee and noticed how he was eyeballing the food, which only made her laugh a little.
"I can assume you're quite hungry, correct?"
"Y-yeah, I'm starving! All that food looks... so delicious!"
As Lee continued to look over the food, he made very careful he wasn't drooling onto the table before he straightened himself out. The chefs made their way around the table and took the princesses' orders for their breakfast. Celestia had asked for pancakes (extra syrup and butter) and some tea to drink, while Luna had simply asked for some toast with grape jelly on the side and had some orange juice to drink. When the chef reached Lee, he actually had a hard time deciding what he wanted to eat, which made the chef impatient.
"Uhh, yeah... I'll have... some scrambled eggs with some juice on the side... I guess" Lee looked at the chef and saw a very baffling look on his face as he walked away in a huff.
"Was it something I said? D-did I offend him?" Lee asked.
Celestia laughed as she tried to calm Lee's worries. "Don't worry about that, Lee. We'll be sure to speak with him if he decides to... do something drastic! He usually does."
The chefs returned with the food and sat each plate next to the corresponding recipient. Lee carefully examined his food to make sure nothing was wrong with it, as he could see the angry chef silently judging him nearby and then decided to taste it, which only made his eyes light up in amazement.
"W-wow! This is so delicious! This is incredible!" The chef who was "offended" heard this and actually smiled a bit at the comment as he and the other chefs bowed to the princesses and returned to the kitchens.
As Lee and the princesses finished their food and the chefs returned to take the dirty plates away, Lee thanked the princesses for the delicious breakfast.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all really! We want you to feel comfortable on your first day, and what better way than such a fantastic meal with the two of us?"
Lee laughed a little as Celestia and Luna both smiled happily at him. The two of them then stood up and asked Lee to follow them out into the hall, making their way down the corridors together and Luna conversing with Lee as they walked.
"Your room is right down the hall here, Lee. We made sure you had the proper commodities in place and make you feel more at home"
Celestia and Luna entered the room and Lee noticed how spacious it was. The bed was fairly large, a large window which actually opened up onto a balcony and a large collection of paintings of the Royal Sisters.
"Well, here we are! We hope that the arrangements are fine"
"It's perfect! Thank you princesses for offering me this opportunity and I'm happy to be at your service, but aren't you at all worried that I might... mess this up?"
"No, absolutely not. We have faith that you will do your best to perform your duties, so you will not hear any grief from us." Luna nodded in agreement to her sister's words, but Lee remained to look worried.
"And... what about everypony else? All those fancy dressed up fops? I'm fairly certain they won't be as generous as you two are" Lee started pacing the room nervously and started talking to himself.
Celestia and Luna looked towards each other with a worried look for a second, only for them to nod at each other a moment later. Celestia placed a wing around Lee as she brought her face closer to his.
"Lee, listen to me. Yes, some of these ponies may try to dissuade you from doing your job, some may even take to insulting your well-being, and with this in mind, it is your duty to take these "insults" and clear them your mind to the best of your abilities. And, should that not be enough to turn them, you need not worry, because I and Luna will be there and we'll know when somepony tries to do you wrong."
"Be yourself, Lee. That's all you need remember!" Luna smiled once more, which made Lee lift his head and smile at the two of them.
"Yeah, you're right! I'm not going to be brought down by them! Celestia, Luna, I promise that I will not fail you" Lee had a determined look on his face now.
"That's wonderful to hear, Lee. Now that you're settled in and had a delicious start to the day, I believe it's time for you to begin your first task."
Celestia then looked toward the clock on the wall. "We will be having our morning meeting with the ponies of Ponyville in about thirty minutes. All you need do is make your way there when the time comes, find your way inside and try your best to place yourself closest to the thrones as possible, that way we can keep an eye on you... just in case, you know."
"I'll be there, don't worry! I'll see you two there!"
Celestia and Luna waved goodbye to him and left the room, leaving Lee by himself finally. Lee walked to the window and opened it to go out onto the balcony, which he could see overlooked a large courtyard that had many ponies roaming around and sitting next to the giant fountain in the middle of the courtyard.
Lee walked back inside and started unpacking his bag. He placed the books he brought onto the desk and laid his pillow and blanket on the bed, then decided to start pacing around the room as he tried to figure out what to do next.
"Hmm, I'm sure that it wouldn't hurt to get there early" Lee gathered a notepad and a quill from the desk and walked outside into the hallway.
Lee made his way to the throne room and saw a large group of sharply dressed ponies conversing near a window, which Lee did his best to avoid due to the nature of these kind of ponies and not wanting to start anything with them. As Lee came closer to the group, and trying to move as quickly as possible in the process, one of the ponies saw him go by and called to him. Lee sighed in regret as he faced the ponies.
The one with a mustache started examining him and scratched his chin in confusion. "You there, who are you? I don't think we've ever seen you here before"
"My name's Lee. I'm here to help the princesses with a task"
Lee heard the pony laughing at him, as well as the other ponies around him, and then cleared his throat again.
"Well, if the princesses know anything, it's that they know how to have a sense of humor. I can't honestly believe that they'd ever even speak to... well somepony like you."
Lee looked at himself as if something was wrong with him, but he immediately became irritated by the pony's comment.
"S-somepony like me? What's that supposed to mean?" Before Lee got an answered, the group left the area as they continued laughing at him. Lee decided to just forget about it and continue making his way to the throne room. When he finally reached the door, all he could see was a very long line ponies that stretched all the way down the hall.
"Oh geez, look at all these ponies! How am I supposed to get in there with all of them in the way?"
Lee knew that the only way was to go through them and he knew that they probably wouldn't take to kindly to him cutting in line. He breathed in and out and quickly made his way through the long line of ponies, apologizing to every pony he cut in front of. And of course, many of them were cursing at him and calling for the guards, but he managed to squeeze through the door and finally enter the room.
He looked around the large sea of ponies that occupied every tile on the floor and tried to figure out how to get closest to the thrones, which were at the very back of the room. Lee continued to push through everypony and made his way to the farthest corner of the room, where he could easily see the thrones now. Celestia and Luna were talking with one another, until Luna nudged her sister and pointed toward Lee.
Celestia and Luna both waved at him and he happily waved back, but he still had a very nervous look on his face as he looked around at all the other ponies in the room. As he started to write things down on the notepad, he heard somepony talking to him.
"Must be nice, huh?"
"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"
"The princesses. You must be here to apply for the new butler if they have YOU here. What a joke..." The pony walked away laughing as Lee's anger started to grow at the comments. Another pony went past him and wondered why "somepony like you" was here, and Lee started getting more worried.
Lee started frantically panicking as everypony around him ridiculed and called him horrible names. "Peasant. Nopony. Jester" These were only a few of the words Lee heard as he looked around at everypony in disbelief. He held his ears as he tried to block the noise, but he could still hear the laughter, the embarrassment, the absolute horror of what was going on around him. Lee fell to the ground as he held his head in agony and screamed into the stone.
Celestia and Luna immediately heard this commotion and Celestia quickly made her way to Lee's side, telling everypony around him to step aside at once. Celestia knelt down next to Lee and tried to get his attention.
"Lee... Lee, can you hear me? What's happened?"
Lee could not answer her, for his whole being started to shake with fear and started breathing heavily trying to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes. Everypony in the room had their eyes on Lee now, and many were whispering to themselves about what happened.
"Come, come with me. I'm getting you away from here" Celestia magically lifted Lee onto his feet and helped lead him out of the room, but Lee stayed speechless and continued shaking in fear. Celestia looked toward Luna and she nodded as Celestia left the room with Lee.
"Alright, everypony, let's not discuss this matter any longer. Let's postpone this meeting until we say otherwise, shall we?"
Celestia led Lee down the hallway and back towards his room, telling the guards by the door not to let anypony besides Luna come inside. She closed the door behind her and gently sat Lee down on the bed, with Celestia looking at him with great concern. Celestia tried nudging him with her hoof, but this did nothing to make Lee talk to her or even acknowledge her, making her sigh as she tried to talk to him.
"Lee... you're going to be okay, I know you will" Celestia sat down on the bed next to Lee and placed her wing around him to try and comfort him, but this did nothing to help Lee feel any better.
"Listen to me Lee, you shouldn't let those ponies get to you. They were... very out of line with their actions and you can bet I will be speaking to them about this"
Lee removed Celestia's wing and suddenly started laughing, which confused Celestia.
"You know what? Don't trouble yourself Celestia,because they're right about what they said. I don't belong here and I never will. You and Luna know that, I know that and everypony in this castle knows that."
Lee got up from the bed and started angrily packing his bags, but this only made Celestia get up from the bed as well and pull his bag away with her magic.
"Lee, what do you think you're doing? Don't tell me you're leaving us?"
"Of course I'm leaving! What reason do I have to stay? It's clear that nopony wants me here and that I'd be better off going back to where I belong... Home!"
"But you can't leave now, and you can't just give up either! You just arrived and there's so much more that-"
Lee interrupted Celestia by grabbing his bag from her and heading towards the door. Celestia quickly went ahead of him and tried blocking the door.
"Lee... Don't do this, please!"
"Thank you for the 'opportunity' Celestia, but I think it's better for everypony if I just... go away!"
Lee gently pushed past Celestia and went to the door with Celestia yelling his name. Before Lee left the room, he went face first into something, which made him fall to the ground in both pain and frustration. Princess Luna stood before him and looked down at him with the same level of concern that Celestia had.
"What's going on in here? Is everything okay, sister?"
Luna looked to Celestia only to see her lower her head in sadness as she and Luna saw Lee picking up his bags off of the floor.
"Lee, what's going on? A-are you leaving?"
Lee said nothing as he stood back up and pushed past Luna to go out into the hallway in sadness. Celestia and Luna followed him out and both shouted at Lee to come back, but he wasn't listening. Before Lee made it to the end of the hall, he felt himself being forced to stop by something and then lifted off of the ground. He saw that he was being held by a magic spell and no matter how much he tried to escape, the invisible grip around him only tightened. Lee looked and saw that it was Luna who was casting the spell on him.
"H-hey what are you doing? Let me go!"
Luna nodded in disagreement as she pulled Lee back towards her.
"I can't do that Lee... I won't. Not until you calm down and talk to us"
"N-no, I don't want to talk to anypony! Trust me, the ponies in the throne room said plenty to me"
Celestia and Luna whispered to each other as Lee continued trying to break out of Luna's spell, but it was too strong for him to do anything. Luna nodded to her sister in agreement to something and started walking down the hall alone with Lee being brought along with her.
"Come on Luna, let me go! Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere more... private. Don't worry, I'm going to help you get through this dilemma, I promise!"
Lee eventually gave up trying to break free of Luna's spell and simply waited for her to release him now.
Luna continued walked down the many halls of the castle and went up many flights of stairs before she finally arrived at a door with a large moon and silver stars painted over it. Luna went inside the room and locked the door behind her before finally releasing Lee from her spell, dropping him on his feet gently. Lee looked around the room and saw a large moon-shaped bed in the middle of the room, with a very starry looking ceiling above and many other moon themed decorations around the room as well.
"Wait, where are we?" Lee asked.
"These are my chambers. I figured it'd be easier to speak with you in an environment that's less stressful and where you won't be overwhelmed by both of us trying to speak with you"
Luna pulled up a chair and asked Lee to sit down, which he did begrudgingly. Luna looked to the window behind her and quickly went towards it.
"Excuse me a moment, would you? I'll be right back"
Luna went out onto the balcony, which overlooked the entire castle around her and the lights coming from Ponyville below the mountains. Lee peaked his head out the window as he saw Luna close her eyes, only to reopen them as she spread out her wings. Slowly, as she focused her magic on the horizon, a bright and full moon rose from beneath the hills in the distance and slowly made its way to the skies above the mountains. As the full moon settled into place, the sky changed into a black and darkened sky and countless stars and constellations started to appear one by one.
Lee was awestruck by the spectacle he had just witnessed, as he never knew that Luna was capable of such a feat. Luna reentered the room and saw how impressed Lee was by her raising the moon, which made her smile happily.
"Luna... that was amazing! How did you... do that?!"
"It is my duty to raise the moon every night, Lee. Most ponies never get to witness it... even fewer rarely stay awake (heh heh), but it is my solemn vow and responsibility nonetheless. I do thank you for being able to see it, however, and I of course thank you for the kind words."
Luna closed the door and drew the curtains, making the room incredibly dark now, but Luna lit up the room using her magic as she made a few candles appear from nothingness. She lit each candle and placed them towhere the room was now dimly lit. Luna removed her crown and shoes and placed them on the desk by the bed, then sat down on the bed as she looked towards Lee.
"Now that all of that has been taken care of, let's talk about what happened. Tell me everything and I will listen, I promise!"
Lee found it difficult to find the words to begin this conversation and looked at the ground as he started figuring out what to say. He then looked at Luna with an angered look.
"You know what happened, Luna. Everypony was laughing at me, calling me names, making me feel... unwanted. They wanted to make absolutely sure that all my spirit was crushed and assured that I'd never set foot in this castle again! And you know what... those ponies-"
"Are irrelevant! Lee, listen to me, did you hear I or Celestia laughing at you? No, because you know that we would never treat you in such a way... EVER! Nopony should have to go through what you had to and I am deeply sorry for that."
"Yeah, tell that to them! I never want to see their faces again and I never want to come back to this castle again, because I... DON'T.. belong here! I don't belong... anywhere!"
Lee could feel himself getting upset again as he got up from the chair and went towards a corner of the room. He started breathing heavily and held his head as tears started forming in his eyes. Before a single tear could drop, however, Lee felt as something was being wrapped around him... something warm. Lee looked and saw that Luna had her wing placed around Lee and looked at him with great concern.
"It's alright, Lee. I understand your struggle... I really do. I know what it's like to feel this way, to feel like the whole world is against you and that nopony wants or cares about you. You are not alone here, and I swear that I and Celestia are going to make this right, you have my word."
Lee looked away from Luna, only for Luna to say his name and ask him to look at her, which he did as the despair still held him. He looked into Luna's teal colored eyes and couldn't help but blush a little as he noticed how pretty her eyes were, but he brushed off the feeling a moment later.
"Let me ask you something: Do you trust me and Celestia?"
"Y-yeah, I do actually. I might hate everypony else in the castle now, but at least you two are still nice to me... probably the only thing I like about being here."
"Hmm, is that right? So would you prefer to simply interact with us and not as a 'job'?"
"Well, I mean... It'd be a lot nicer if I could just talk to the two of you, b-but you are both princesses! You'd never have time to hang out with somepony like me."
Luna raised her head as an idea came to her. She looked back at Lee and gently helped raise him back onto his feet.
"I have an idea I think, Lee. Please just hear me out about what I have in mind: Would you be willing to return to the castle tomorrow and meet with the two of us?"
"I-I don't know. I really don't want to do this job anymore"
"No no, this has nothing to do with your assignment. We simply ask you come and talk with us, with nopony else to interrupt this time and we promise that all of this will be resolved. If you could do this for us, we would greatly appreciate it and if you still feel the way you do now then we will personally escort you home and never trouble you again. But please, do this one last favor for us... please."
Lee sighed as he looked at the ground, wondering if he should come back or not. He had already been ridiculed once today, and didn't particular feel like going through that again, but he saw how sincere Luna and Celestia were to him both before and after this and how they were the only ones who still cared about him.
"Alright, I'll do it. But I'm only doing this for you and Celestia... that's the only reason. When do you want me to come back?"
"Come back around noon and meet with us in the library where we first spoke to you. You remember the one right?"
"Y-yeah I remember. I'll be there"
"Excellent, and we both thank you for agreeing toreturning. We promise that you will have no moretroubles after tomorrow!"
"For my own sake, I hope you're right Luna."
Luna walked Lee to the door and opened it. Lee walked out into the hall and Luna stood at the door as he left.
"Good night Lee. I'll see you tomorrow!" Luna closed the door and left Lee alone in the hallway, but he quickly made his way back down the many corridors and stairs to make it back to the front gates.
As Lee stepped back outside, he breathed a sigh of relief as he looked towards the bright full moon high in the sky. Luna's raising of the moon still amazed him and was still surprised that she could do something so amazing. Lee was interrupted when one of the guards by the gate called to him, which he recognized as the guards who escorted him to castle earlier. He waited to see if they we're going to make fun of him like everypony else was and braced his ears.
"We uhh... heard about what happened to you earlier in the throne room and we both just wanted to say sorry that you had to go through something like that."
"Yeah, what those ponies said was way out of line! Hopefully the princesses sorted it out and we hope that you're doing alright now."
Lee was surprised by these two guards' concern, but smiled as he looked at the guards.
"I don't know. I mean can't say I'm really feeling any better, but Luna had assured me that all will be well again by tomorrow. She told me to come back tomorrow and speak with her and Celestia."
"Well, if anypony can help make things right again it's the princesses! I'm certain they'll help you through this and hey... if you ever need to talk, we'll always be right here to aid you should you need it."
The other guard nodded to him in approval and stuck his armored hoof out to Lee. He hesitated at first, but after hearing their words, he realized that they meant well and didn't want to make fun of him after all. He shook hooves with both of the guards and smiled as they smiled with him.
"Thank you for your kind words, you guys. What are your names?"
"Maximus! I'm one of Celestia's guards... but you can just call me Max. This here is Midnight Glow and he serves for Princess Luna. It's a pleasure to have you here in the castle, Mister Lee"
"Thanks you guys! I'd love to stay and chat, but I really should get going. Thanks for talking to me."
"No problem at all, Lee. Hope the rest of your evening goes smoothly!"
Both guards waved to him and Lee walked away from the gate as he waved back. Lee looked toward the starry skies and the full moon again and breathed deeply as he took off from the ground.
"I'm not alone in this... I'm not... alone" This was all Lee could think of as he made his way back to his house.
It was a very peaceful and calm morning in the Everfree Forest and all manner of creatures and critters were just starting to wake up and greet the day. One pony, however, had more of a sleepy start to her day. Complete with snoring loudly and struggling to wake up, she tossed and turned as she mumbled to herself in her sleep.
This unicorn pony had reddish fur with a very red mane and tail and strangely, a broken horn. Her name was Tempest Shadow a.k.a. Fizzlepop Berrytwist, who was the former servant of the Storm King and the one who temporarily took over the city of Canterlot before Twilight Sparkle intervened and helped her see the error of her ways. After all of this transpired, Tempest decided to go out on her own and do the best she could to restore all of the damage she had caused.
She decided to build herself a house deep in the forest, where she stayed until somepony had need of her. Unfortunately, this did nothing to relieve her of horrible nightmares, flashbacks and the overwhelming stress of what she did.
Finally, after a few more minutes of snoozing, Tempest finally awoke and let out a big yawn. She got up from the bed and did a few stretches to get rid of all the cramps she had. Once she was done, Tempest went to a mirror by the bed and saw the messy mane that she now had. She actually laughed a bit at the wild look she had.
"Hehe, I'll have to fix that up right away."
Tempest grabbed the brush with her magic, but struggled a little bit due to her broken horn. She brushed her mane until it was once again straight and smile when she had her signature look again.
"Perfect. Not that anypony will care how I look, but I should at least appear civil."
Tempest went to her closet and got out a black and gray hooded cloak. She put on the cloak, but before she closed the door, she caught a glimpse of her old armor and saw the Storm King's insignia glowing. Just then, a horrible flashback of Tempest turning the Princesses of Equestria into obsidian statues crossed her mind, but she snapped out of it a moment later and slammed the door.
"Why did I have to see that again?"
Before Tempest went outside, she checked her supplies in the kitchen and saw that she was about out of food and suddenly felt a rumble in her belly.
"And I was gonna make a delicious soup today. Well, I better grab some more food while I'm out."
Tempest grabbed her money pouch from her room and hung the pouch on her cloak. She went to the door and finally made her way outside, but had to shield her eyes from the blinding sun above her.
"Alright, I'll grab the supplies I need, maybe see if anypony in town requires assistance and return home. Simple."
Tempest smiled confidently and started making her way towards town.
Once Tempest made it to the center of town, she looked around curiously as she started to smell something delicious. She saw a food cart nearby that was making grilled oats, but the line leading to it was stretching to the other end of the world and decided to forget it.
"I don't have time to wait in lines. I should just get my supplies and be on my way"
But while Tempest was making her way to a general store nearby, she remained wary of any ponies that might be in trouble. For now, however, all seem quiet and peaceful.
Tempest entered the store and the clerk at the register greeted her with a smile.
"Welcome, welcome. So glad you decided to shop with us! Can I help you find anything?"
"No, thank you. I'm just grabbing some food and other supplies. I won't be long."
The clerk nodded to her and left Tempest to browse the store. She went to the food section of the store and picked out the things she needed to make a delicious vegetable soup, but she saw some equally delicious cookies and cake nearby and decided to grab a few of those as well.
"I believe a few desserts will perk up my mood. Hehe."
Once Tempest was done shopping, she returned to the register and the clerk started bagging the supplies.
"I thank you for shopping with us. So, do you live in town?"
"Uhh, no I don't actually. I'm not really from around here."
"Oh, I see. We get a lot of travelers from all corners of Equestria. Some come to see the princesses, other come just to see the sites, all sorts of reasons to visit. What's your reason for visiting us?
"I'm just here to shop." Tempest quickly paid for the supplies, grabbed her bags and left the store.
Tempest went back outside and noticed how much busier it had gotten, with fillies playing in the street, other ponies chatting and food carts filling up with more lines. Tempest made her way towards the forest when she suddenly heard the sound of somepony crying. She looked around and saw a little filly who had dropped her ice cream on the ground, but her parents were waiting in a long line to get her another ice cream.
The filly continued crying, but Tempest came up with an idea to help make this situation go away. She went over to the ice cream vendor and tapped her on the back to get her attention.
"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt your ice cream business, but a little filly over there has dropped her ice cream. Do you think you could make a special sundae for her? I'll pay for it."
The pony smiled at her suggestion and started making a very delicious sundae, which included three scoops of ice cream, a banana, a layer of hot fudge, whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top. She handed the ice cream to Tempest and she was prepared to pay her when she stopped her and smiled.
"No charge. That wonderful smile on her face is the only payment I need."
Tempest nodded to her and returned to the filly with the ice cream. She kneeled down beside her and pushed the ice cream towards her. The filly looked at Tempest and the ice cream and smiled happily when she realized the ice cream was for her.
"T-thank you! Thank you so much! You're so so so awesome!" The filly danced around happily and gave Tempest a big hug, which she was surprised by at first, but happily returned the favor.
The filly went to her parents and told them about Tempest giving her the ice cream, but she was already gone before they could see her.
Tempest saw this as she hid behind the corner of a building. She smiled happily at what she did and was happy that the filly was now happy too.
"It never hurts to help those in need... Well, I should get going."
Tempest looked back one more time before she headed back into the Everfree Forest.