Chapter II: The First Day, New friends
Lunar takes one last look at the shop before heading to his room. He set's an alarm on his clock for 5:30 AM the next morning. After ensuring he was pleased with the arrangement of the room he climbed into the soft bed as the moon finally rose above the horizon. Lunar thought about what Celestia wanted with him as he slowly drifted off into sleep.
This night Lunar dreamed… He found himself in the streets Canterlot once more. He began to walk the streets and wave to some of the ponies as he walked by. Lunar after some time stops at the café he would go to all the time. "Can I get my usual?" he asks.
"Of course." The barista smiles "Will that be with or without love?"
"Uh excuse me?" Lunar asks. "Love?"
"Of course." She chuckles looking at him with a sinister look "All the changelings love it!" she chuckles as a puff of green fire encases her as he changes into a changeling. Startled Lunar turns to run as he does so pony, by pony each become changelings. Soon Lunar bumps into an large white pony. Looking up he sees it was Celestia.
"Oh Celestia!" he inhales relieved…but that was until she suddenly changed into…Queen Chrysalis. "No…" he gasps.
"Why did you betray us Lunar?" She asks, "After we raised you up as a filly?"
"You used me!" Lunar screams back. "You took me in after my parents tossed me out! You acted like you truly loved me only so that it could feed your lust for power! I am not like you! I am not one of your filthy obedient changelings! I am a proud unicorn and I wasn't going to let you use me my whole life! When Princess Celestia expelled you and your filthy people I was glad that I no longer had to worry about you."
"Is that what you really think?" She asks
"Shut up!" Lunar yells blasting a magic attack at Chrysalis but the changeling queen just warps around it.
"Search your heart Lunar Relic…you know it's not true!" he chuckles.
"NO!" Lunar screams before suddenly waking up in his bed. Next to him his alarm clock starts going off. "It was only a dream…" Lunar sighs thinking about it. "Why does that all haunt me?" Lunar ass himself turning the alarm off and getting out of bed.
Lunar cleans up quickly and head downstairs to await the Princess' arrival. Lunar knew that Celestia would be early and guess she'd be there around 7:00 AM so he opened up shop. However the thought of the Princess brought a question to the scholars mind. "Celestia said she had done research on him, did that mean that she knew he had been raised by changelings as a tool or weapon?" he thought. Then he shook his head. "No…I was a foolish child back then surely now it means nothing. I rebelled against her…then fled to Canterlot." He says to himself.
Afraid he was going to get caught up in that Lunar opens a partially filled scroll. Quickly he grabs his ink and quill and continues to write. On the scroll was the last notes of a report he was working on for Canterlot. Suddenly he looks up and noticed that it was 7:00! He had been working on the report so hard he was focused solely on the paper! Now Lunar could hear Celestia's Chariot. Quickly he puts his items away and stands tall looking at Celestia as she walks into his shop. "Good morning Princess Celestia." He greets her with a bow before standing up right again.
"Good morning Lunar Relic." She greets him back, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I read a lot of your work while conducting my evaluation of you. I am quite surprised with some of your findings."
"Thank you Princess." Lunar acknowledges. "However I know you are not here for small talk."
"Down to business huh?" Celestia smiles "Very well please come." She requests opening the door and walking outside. Lunar follows close behind. "As you know from my letter, Princess Twilight needs a new Librarian in the new Ponyville Library. However I have asked you to come here for your specific skill set."
"What do you mean?" Lunar asks the Princess. "I am no different from any other pony."
"True however you excel at Equestrian history with relics and other things of our ancient times. You also have great magic prowess meaning you and Twilight should get along well."
"I get that Princes but why is it that you want me to meet Twilight? I know you have no casual means. There I know there I more to you than that. What's the real reason I am here?" Lunar asks "Also why me? I know there are other members of the Canterlot Library that would work better with her than I. One's that she might know personally. I am a complete stranger to her."
"I never thought you were this insightful…" Celestia replies before dropping her voice to a tone overflowing with a serious nature. "The truth is some of your fellow researchers that you mentioned stumbled upon a discovery that might pinpoint where the Changelings have been hiding."
"What do you mean?" Lunar asks "Chrysalis and the Changelings have been sent off to who knows where!"
"We thought the same thing for a while. However we soon discovered that our efforts back at Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding were in vain. They have returned and we know nothing on how or when they did."
"What does that have to do with me?" Lunar asks again. Evermore curious, scared too. If Queen Chrysalis does resurface she might find some way to reach him. Use him again like she did when he was young. Then what could he do? If Celestia found out…
"Lunar I know of your history with Chrysalis…" Celestia sighs. "She took you in as a young filly after your parents abandoned you for being a unicorn…I was upset upon learning this…Normally I would have to banish you. But this like a chance to prove yourself."
"You don't know anything your highness!" Lunar snaps. Celestia looks at him rather shocked at this sudden outburst from him. "She used me! Brainwashed me so that she could learn more about us! She made me do things all because she claimed I was in debt to her because she saved my life by raising me! When I betrayed her she vowed to get me…no matter what the cost…You act as if I wanted to help them! Do you have any idea how many times I would just breakdown because of what I had to do?"
Celestia looks at Lunar's eyes feeling bad of her accusations towards the stallion. "I am sorry." She apologizes "I had no idea." Lunar looks at her and shakes his head.
"No my apologies…I am too sensitive about that…but back to the case at hand." Lunar apologizes as well.
"Right…you see the researchers who found wherever or whatever this clue was….they went missing. Twilight has looked into it and can find no connection like it was taken. That was when I decided I needed to bring in another pony. When I stumbled upon your file I was impressed as I have already said. So Lunar Relic please l request your aid."
"I will help you Celestia on the premise that once all of this is at and end you forget all about my changeling dealings as I already have. For any future tasks you want my help in tell me upfront and do not keep things critical to the mission from me. Also keep me here in Ponyville and I promise to help you and Twilight with any task that comes our way in the future. If you need me that is." Lunar replies looking at the Princess who nods.
"Thank you and I will be sure these conditions are met. But please before you get working we should get you and Princess Twilight introduced." Celestia agrees opening the door. Lunar nods and follows her as she exits the building. The two walk down the street until the reach Sugar Cube Corner. Which was about two buildings from Lunars Shop. They then continue to the large crystal like tree where Princess Twilight called home.
When the two reached the large castle or palace Lunar wasn't quite sure what to call it. Celestia knocks and Spike the small baby dragon opens the door. This caught Lunar's attention. He had never seen a dragon smaller than a few buildings before. Looking upon the small dragon was incredible.
"Oh Princess Celestia!" Spike exclaims bowing right as Twilight walks by.
"Who is it Spike?" She asks before looking to Princess Celestia. "Oh! Princess!" she exclaims "You're here!"
Twilight invites her in and looks at Lunar wondering who he was. Before she could say anything Celestia speaks. "Princess Twilight he is with me." She introduces her to him as he bows. "He is the pony I mentioned who will be taking the librarian position here in the Palace of Friendship."
"Oh why it is so good to meet you." Twilight says letting Lunar in. "I am Twilight Sparkle. It's good to meet you."
"I am Lunar Relic." Lunar greets her. Twilight then looks a little surprised.
"You mean the Lunar Relic who wrote the book on the lost scrolls of Star-Swirl the Bearded?" she asks.
"I am surprised you have heard of me." Lunar says with a slight blush of embarrassment. "I don't have much of a reputation.
"I love anything related to Star-Swirl and I loved the book. I am surprise you found out so much." Twilight replies.
"Thank you Princess Twilight it means a lot." Lunar smiles. He felt overjoyed that Princess Twilight Sparkle had read one of his few published works!
"So will you be able to get along with Lunar Relic?" Celestia asks.
"I am the Princess of Friendship. I don't think we will have any problems." Twilight answers.
"That is good I will leave him to you." Celestia says taking her leave. Twilight then waves with Lunar as Celestia left.
"You have pretty good timing. I was in a meeting with my friends. Now you can meet them!" Twilight cheers leading Lunar into the meeting room.
"Who's this Twi?" Appejack asks, the first to notice.
"Lunar Relic?" Rarity asks shocked to see him.
"You two have met?" Fluttershy asks.
"Of course! He was the pony who I sat with on the train home!" Rarity says.
"Well girls, this is Lunar Relic he's the one that Celestia sent." Twilight introduces him.
"So I can get a break." Spike comments stretching while receiving a disapproving glare from Twilight.
"Anyway, Lunar Relic here is a researcher." Twilight adds.
"Wait, you're a researcher?" Rainbow Dash asks.
"You're rather big for a researcher." Applejack comments.
"That would be because I am a researcher who focuses in the study of Equestria through the use of artifacts and ruins. With magic as my secondary study. This means I am traveling to all kinds of locations filled with different challenges. So I need to be physically fit for it. Oh and please just call me Lunar." The maroon unicorn explains.
"It sounds dangerous…" Fluttershy says as Pinkie Pie's head slowly peer up to look at Lunar as he body soon joins it.
"I think he looks AWESOME!" she squeals. "Look at him! So mysterious..."
"Er….yes…" Lunar says kindly pushing Pinkie away.
"Why don't we introduce ourselves?" Twilight asks.
"Of course it would be rather rude of us if we knew him but he didn't know us." Rarity says. "You already know who I am."
"Yes it is nice to see you again Rarity." Lunar acknowledges with a nod before looking at Applejack.
"Howdy, I'm Applejack. I run the farm up in Sweet Apple Acres. Glad to meet ya sugar cube." She introduces herself. Lunar then continues to Rainbow Dash.
"I'm Rainbow Dash the fastest flier in Equestria! I am the only pony to ever achieve the Sonic Rainboom!" the prismatic pegasus gloats.
"Nice to meet you." Lunar nods looking at Fluttershy.
"I'm…Fluttershy…" she says softly. Lunar could barely make it out but he nods.
"It's a pleasure Fluttershy." He says softly trying to comfort her so that she felt more confident that he would not hurt her. Then he turns to the pink earth pony who had stretched herself to him only minutes before.
"I'm Pinkie Pie I work at Sugar Cube corner where I love to bake sweets and throw parties!" she exclaims with a big smile.
"Well that is good to know." Lunar nods.
"So welcome to the family Lunar." Applejack smiles. "Any friend of Twilight or Celestia is a friend of ours."
"Thank you Applejack." The maroon unicorn smiles looking at the six. These six were his friends now. He felt glad as they were the first true friends he had ever made. Back I n Canterlot many ponies were in too much of a hurry to make small talk. Same with his colleagues. This was truly the start of a new chapter in his life. He was sure of it.
To be continued.