After dinner, Queen Chrysalis disappeared to wherever the heck she came from, now I was just sitting in the dining hall. Now the ladies in the room, with Celestia and Luna supervising, asked me questions and told me about adventures they've had. And also why they weren't immediately receptive to the Changeling Queen that was holding me like I was her newborn child. Rainbow Dash(oh boy, another coincidence!) apologized for tackling me on sight. I couldn't even really blame her for that one. Even if it did kinda hurt, my exoskeleton softened the blow pretty damn well.
If I had to fight off a hoard of Changelings, or a hoard of anything, I'd be a bit weary if one just randomly appeared out of nowhere. Twilight, or the Purple One, as I called her, remained silent throughout most of the little meeting we had going on. So was the yellow one, or Fluttershy, but she was just naturally… well, shy of strangers. With me being the freak I am, it was also a bit understandable even if I did feel a little dejected. Fluttershy did smile whenever I told a joke, so that was neat. Hopefully we can be friends in the future.
It was pretty clear that I'd be seeing these ladies a lot more in the future. Judging by how their past was, with them dealing with a corrupted princess, a literal god, Queen Chrysalis, a guy who drained ponies dry of magic(the list goes on and on). It seemed like they always stepped in because Luna, Celestia, and Cadence were all unable to do anything or were apprehended before they could even fight back. I didn't mind though, they were all pretty friendly with me after they knew of my origins. That was a breath of fresh air.
Heck, they were pretty accepting of me, and Rarity offered to make me a jacket for special occasions. I don't know what special occasions I would be attending, with my existence needing to be a secret and whatnot. It was a nice gesture though, given that I didn't have to pay a dime as 'it was for a friend' as she put it. That put a smile on my face… I could at least make friends, and who knows? That test flight off a mountain might seem a lot less tempting with enough friends to keep my sanity.
Of all the ponies I was meeting, I had to love Pinkie Pie(you get the point, another coincidence!) the most out of all them. She was just so damn energetic and cheerful that she almost made me forget that I'm not a human being anymore. That for a few moments, I wasn't in another dimension that I couldn't leave! Pinkie even talked about throwing a party for me if I ever visit Ponyville, their hometown. That sounded awesome, but I couldn't really show my face in public. I can appreciate the enthusiasm though, even if I know that I couldn't attend with my actual face.
Obviously though, even after what I was told, I did like Queen Chrysalis a lot. I was about ready to have a mental breakdown when Luna accidentally reminded me of my current situation, and the queen comforted me. It was genuinely like she was my mother a couple of times, but she left after a bit. She had obligations in her Hive, which took priority over me. It made sense, though. The concerns of many were better than the concerns of one. Chrysalis did say she'd visit to teach me how to use magic, so that's pretty cool.
Right now, however, I was about ready to hit the hay. Luna was nearby, and of my legal guardians, I liked being around the most. The two of us had enough in common, with us adjusting to the world around us, and I could respect her a lot. Luna never tried to avoid what she had done, and was pretty forward with it even if it was a sore subject. She was being honest and crystal clear with me. It simply made me respect her on a whole new level. Anyways, I found myself, at the ripe, old age of 14 years, resting my head on Luna's shoulder.
"Ah, now isn't that sweet?" Rarity said. At least, I think she said that. I wasn't exactly in the mood for listening; I was tired. The only reason why I hadn't left yet, was because I didn't want to seem rude, and suddenly vanished. Good thing Luna's shoulder was pretty comforting, and the wing draped over me made me even sleepier. It was just relaxing, even if I was a little too old to be leaning on somebody's shoulder while I was nodding off. It kinda felt like I was 5 years old again. No worries, no troubles. Just innocent bliss, naps, and playtime.
"Well, I suppose this is quite the surprise. I didn't expect Ray to be comfortable enough with me to do this, but I can't say it doesn't put a smile on my face," Luna said. I took a peek and Luna's face, and she did have a small smile on her face. "I do believe that it's time for Ray to head off to bed. He is a teenager, but he is still a child. So he needs his sleep… it is getting pretty close to midnight."
"Ey, wut er yous talkin 'bout? I am a grown mann… horse bug." I slurred. That elicited a series of giggles.
Instead of being dragged on the floor, Luna tossed me onto her back. It was a nice change of pace from being dragged on the floor by my guardian's magic. "Night guys," I waved a hoof before it went limp. "G'night Celly, I hope you sleep well," I managed to say before my head began to hang. I was so tired I couldn't even keep my head lifted, how am I so tired anyways? I did manage to see Celestia's face softened a little bit, and I could see… regret? I didn't have much time to think about that before I blacked out. I felt my moving bed stop, and I was suddenly on something much softer; it was my bed.
"Good night Ray, don't let the bed bugs bite!" Luna said before going to leave my room.
"Nuh, stay 'ere," I slurred, but didn't bother to try and keep Luna nearby.
"I believe you're a little too old to be needing me to sleep in your bed. And a little too young to be asking me to share a bed with you, mister," Luna said before stopping at the door. If she was making a joke, it flew right over my head. "But… if you wish for me to stay, then I can watch over you. My duties for the night only require me to keep watch over my subjects' dreams so…" Luna trotted on over, and wrapped her body around me much like a dog would. "I won't be asleep, but do expect me to stop by in your dreams tonight. I want to actually see what you dream of, since dreams tell of one's deepest desires… it's a good opportunity to see what you need."
Whatever else she was saying was beyond me, I was just happy that Luna was willing to stay. It's been what? A couple days and I actually… like Luna? She acted enough like a mother, her voice was surprisingly soothing, and well… I don't know. I don't know why I asked Luna to stay. I could've ruined something important that she needed to attend to, but she said she can do her nightly duties while in my room… I drifted off to sleep.
(Luna's POV)
I watched as Ray finally gave in to his sleepiness. It was quite touching that Ray would want me to be near him while he slept. Perhaps it was just helpful for this young stallion to have somebody near him while he adjusts to what must be a completely alien world. I closed my eyes and decided to proceed with tonight's duties. They weren't too bad, I just check in on a subject, maybe start up a conversation, and disperse any nightmares I find.
"Sister? Are you here?" My eyes shot open at the sound of Tia's voice. Sure enough, Celestia was standing in the doorway, somewhat shocked to find me in our child's room. Of course, I did tell her where the room was located, but I guess it was odd that I was found in said room instead of my own. Especially when I usually performed my duties within my own chambers.
"Before you ask, Ray requested that I stay here with him. I was more than happy to oblige, even if Ray does appear to snore a little," I said as I summoned a box of tissues when Ray scrunched up his nose in his slumber. Sure enough, he did sneeze, but I had the tissue prepared. "I've yet to see what he is dreaming however, and I was just about to before you entered. Is something on your mind, sister?"
"I… I believe I may have withheld some information from Ray in regards to his way home. Can you keep a secret?"
"Of course, what's the secret?" I had a feeling that I wasn't going like what my sister was going to tell me.
"With the mark of midnight… which was an hour ago, the mirror, or how Ray got here, closed off. Ray is now stuck here for the foreseeable future. My reasoning is that he might bring up the existence of Equestria to his peers or the authorities of his world. In other words he could unintentionally potentially bring forth dangers of his world into ours… I've been wondering since dinner if I actually made the right choice."
My eye twitched as I tried not to begin yelling at my sister. "You… you do understand how distraught Ray is about how he thinks he's stuck here, correct? Ray damn near cried because I accidentally reminded him of pleasant memories from his world.. Ray has made it abundantly clear that he misses his family, and that he'd give anything to see them again. Celestia, Ray has a brother that he will no longer see because he believes he cannot see him any longer. The poor child is depressed because of all this."
I glared at my sister for a moment before sighing. "If I recall, you suffered emotionally for a millennium during my banishment to the moon; you missed me as much as I missed you. If there is one thing that remains a constant, it's that siblings have each other's back, and that we love each other. If I were you and I knew Ray could still potentially go home and see his brother again, I'd send him the the fuck back a heartbeat. You just separated two brothers, one of which will assume that their little brother is dead… I believe I will remain silent on this, sister. Just know that if you do not tell Ray at some point, say a decade from now, then I will.
"Now, I'd say that I'd pay Ray a visit in his dreams. And it is getting late, sister. And don't worry, I will not bring up what we have discussed in his dreams." I didn't even bother saying goodnight to my sister. I do not know where she got the notion that Ray could bring about doomsday if he were to return home, but I don't know. I began to calm myself before entering the dream realm again. It wouldn't be good to lash out at anybody who doesn't deserve it. And Ray did not need me using the Canterlot Royal Voice in his dreams.
I blinked a couple times, I was standing on a bridge, in the middle of what looked like a park. Was this what Ray was dreaming? Perhaps he was dreaming of playing on a playground, he was a teenager, but it does seem that Ray's stopped caring about if he's a bit too old for things. He did just lose his ability to teturn home, and was now in a body he was unfamiliar with. Then I saw a hairless… monkey? It had no tail, but it was wearing clothes.
The monkey was just sitting under a tree with a book in its hands. I began to approach, trying to remain undetected while I get a better look at this thing. It was definitely a male… Twilight did mention that humans did look a fair bit like hairless apes. Perhaps this was…"
"Oh hey Luna," the ape waved a hand at me. It was Ray. The odd thing on his features? He was genuinely smiling like this. In fact, he held the smile for more than a couple moments, which was also surprising…
"So this is what you dream of? Reading a book whilst under the shade of a tree?" I asked.
"Yup. I fell asleep a lot during my language classes, since it was all pretty easy and boring. There was an upside to the classes though. We always got books that we worked on, and the books were usually pretty good… too bad that this dream can't fully remember the stories. I probably have a couple in my bag, but I checked. I've only got one book on me."
I frowned for a moment, before digging through the human's mind. "Now try," I instructed.
"Holy shit. This is… actually spot on with a book I read in language arts class," Ray's eyes watered a bit. He turned the page and sighed. "Though, it's only the first page… Well, my memory can't be perfect. How the heck did you even do that?" He asked.
"Well, your memories of the book you desired to read were there. I just bought them forward, so that you could read… unfortunately it does seem like your memory of the rest of the book is a bit blurry, so I couldn't make a complete copy of it for your mind," I dipped my head. "It's as best as I can do for you, but I hope it did make your redt a little better."
"Hey, if you're limited by what my brain can muster, then I get it. I do wish that I could remember the whole book, but it's whatever. If I can somehow get my phone charged, it probably had audiobooks, of the books I had to read downloaded. I could probably then just transcribe them into a notebook and read those," Ray thought.
"Audiobook?"
"You see, in my world, some people feel like they don't got the time to just sit down and read. Or they can understand English, or Equish as you call it, but can't really read very well. So we pay some guy or girl, usually somebody with a smooth, relaxing voice, and have them read it aloud. Then the recording is distributed and sold for profit. I bought a few audiobooks simply because I liked a book and wanted to support the author in whatever way I could.
"Which means there is a slim chance that, if I can write properly, then I can write down what is spoken in said audio books, and boom! I have at least a few books that I like," Ray said. I could tell that he was contemplating how he could even do that.
"I could probably find some way to magically charge your… phone? Then you won't need to charge it ever again. It may take a while, as I will have to find the spell to do so. But in the future, probably a couple days at the latest, I will have a spell that can do as I said. Then I can help you write down what these 'audiobooks' contain, and then you can have your books. If I cannot help you, then perhaps I can introduce you to a few Equestrian books that may catch your interests."
Ray nodded with a small smile on his face. "That would be nice. I mostly just… want something to do. Puzzles, books, literally anything. Would be nice. I've got a feeling that in a couple of days, everyday's just gonna consist of me learning some new trick that my body can do, and then having said body be studied. So at least my days will be filled with something to do, even if I wish I could just sit down, read a book, play some video games. But I did agree to being studied when you and Celly adopted me."
"Well, I can easily aquire puzzles and books for you to do. I do know what video games are, and I can maybe even get you a decently sized collection for you to choose from. But yes, you are going to have quite the busy life ahead of you. Eventually you will have to… show your face in public. Celestia and I will be helping you learn how to deal with public appearances when you grow up, but we won't make you sit through any meetings unless you so desire… unfortunately there is one more pony you'll have to meet."
"Oh boy!" Ray let a small smile form on his face. "So far, all the ponies you've had me meet were pretty nice once they got past… all of this raw, unrelenting Changelingness. So is this a case of 'the best for last?" I giggled at how Ray made it a point to show how physically weak his body was while saying that.
"Sadly, that is not the case. You will be meeting my 'nephew' Prince Blueblood the III. While the six mares you met today were very nice, outstanding citizens that are very friendly… my nephew is a bit of a… snob."
"Ah, an asshole. If he acts like a massive sack of shit, is it okay if I punch him in the nose?" I asked.
"I would personally allow it, but then he'd try and sick some of the Royal Guard on you. Though if Prince Blueblood gets a bit out of hoof, just tell me, and I will handle him."
"I can tell Celly too, right?" Ray asked.
I paused for a moment. Ray truly was not aware of the fact that Celestia never told him of a way home. He just assumed that there was no way back, and now 'Celly' not only kept that information secret, but now Ray truly was stuck here. You are very, very lucky that I am a mare of my world, sister. Otherwise you would have a very angry Changeling and very angry Alicorn to deal with. And you're also lucky that it seems like Ray likes you.
"Of course, Prince Blueblood is more likely to shut up and listen if my sister talks to him… but if you ask me, I'd personally would just punch him in that stupid, snobby nose of his. And if he tried to sick the Royal Guard on you, worry not, you have a pardon from them; no harm will to you from them. Well Ray, I must attend to my other subjects' dreams. If you need me, I'm lying right beside you!" Ray nodded.
"Alright, cya Lulu!" Ray then hugged me. It wasn't exactly real, given that this was a dream, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless. I hug the young Changeling back, before disappearing from his embrace. I would love to stay, but I must check in on some of Ponyville's citizens. With how those three, adorably destructive fillies are, there tends to be quite a few nightmared in Ponyville.
I remained in silence as I realized that Ray called me 'Lulu.' Ray said that things were moving a little too fast for him, with me and Celestia adopting him, an alien, within a few days of meeting him. Now, here he is giving the two of us nicknames, dozing off on my shoulder, and having me stay in his room while he sleeps. Perhaps he knows this is his life now, and figured that he might as well roll with it. Even if he woukd rather be in his home world.
Too bad that his only chance of going home was gone now. Thanks Celestia, you stupid foal.