I woke up with a slightly sour taste in my mouth and something prodding my side, repeatedly. I grabbed the offending prodder and sat up, , blinking rapidly to clear the fuzz from my eyes. I looked over at my hand to see that, yet again, I had Pinkie Pie's face in my grasp and, yet again, she was attempting to talk through my palm. I stretched out a bit, then let go of her muzzle.

"-And I thought I should bring you some super-duper-extra-special-awesome breakfast in bed!" She said, vibrating in excitement, "Here!" She put a tray in front of me that held toast, cereal, and a glass filled with orange juice.

I took a sip of OJ to wet my throat before I spoke, "Ahh, thanks Pinkie Pie," I took a bite of the cereal, surprised to taste something similar to Frosted Flakes, "The party was great, by the way, much appreciated."

Pinkie hopped around the room, "No problem, I love throwing parties and you needed a welcome party." She jumped onto the bed next to me, somehow not causing the various liquids to tip over, "So," She gave me a serious look, "I heard you're meeting the Princesses today." She laughed and rolled around, "That sounds super awesome! Princess Celestia is really really nice, and you're really really nice, so she oughta love you! Princess Luna is kinda shy but I would be too if I was on the moon for a thousand years and..." She went on and on and on while I was content to listen and eat my breakfast.

Twenty minutes later, I had finished and Pinkie Pie was still going, not having paused to breathe, which both worried and fascinated me, "Hey Pinkie," I said, causing her to freeze mid-hop, "You got a shower or bath I could use?" She nodded vigorously and led me to large tub and filled it with warm water and a ridiculous amount of bubble bath. After I had convinced her that, no, I did not want to use a second bottle of bubbles, she went outside and I got in. I settled in after a vicious bubble battle in which many bubbles were lost, and I reached for a bottle of what I thought was shampoo. I squeezed some of it into my hand, only to see that it was dark brown. Naively, I hoped that it was some sort of crazy herbal pony shampoo, but a sniff and taste quickly revealed it to be chocolate syrup. Had it been any other pony, I would have be concerned but, considering it was Pinkie, I just put it down and found another bottle that held shampoo and actually belonged in the bathroom.

I got reasonably clean and avoided anymore chocolatey incidents, finding Gummy just sitting there, doing his... thing, whatever that was, so I let him be. Pulling on a clean set of clothes, an emerald green hoodie and dark brown jeans, I went downstairs to see Twilight already waiting for me.

I waved, "Hey there Twilight, where's Pinkie gone off to?" I asked, not seeing the pink party pony parading around as she was prone to doing.

"I was told there was a pinata emergency?" She said, looking at me for and answer. I shrugged and she sighed, "I swear, I'll never understand that pony. Anyway, stand next to me." I walked up to her side and ruffled her mane, "Hey, stoppit." She shook her head, "Anyway... I'm going to teleport us to the Atrium, then you'll be escorted to the Princesses." Her horn began to glow a light lavender color.

I cocked my eyebrow, "You won't be coming with me?" I asked.

She shook her head and closed her eyes in concentration, "They wanted to see you alone." Her horn was blindingly bright now, forcing me to close my eyes. I heard a loud noise, then felt... For lack of a better term, crushed. Like a piece of tinfoil crushed into a small, compact ball. I later learned that the transportation only took a couple of seconds, but it felt like hours. When we appeared in the Atrium I immediately fell to my knees and threw up a bit, gasping and shaking.

"NEVER," I growled at Twilight who was standing beside me, "DO. THAT. TO ME. AGAIN." I shakily stood up and looked around, meeting the eyes of at least six guards who were standing at the ready, horns aglow and wings spread. I sighed and shook my head, "Great, friggin great..." I muttered under my breath.

"Take the gloves off!" Shouted one of the pegasus guards, advancing a step. I did as he demanded, "Toss'em here!" He tapped the ground with a hoof, and I tossed them as he asked. He grunted and took them in his mouth, then walked away.

Another guard stepped forward, a unicorn this time, "That green thing you have too, and the white thing under it." He didn't yell, but he wasn't asking. I did what he said, growling a bit, "And the brown things too." He gestured towards my pants and he levitated my shirt and hoodie.

Here I stood firm, "No." I said, crossing my arms, "Feel free to search'em, but I am NOT taking my pants off." I stared the guard in the eye.

Twilight stepped forward, "You can let him keep those, they aren't enchanted in anyway, they just have a lot of pockets." I silently thanked Twilight for standing up for me.

The guard sighed, "Fine, but we will search each pocket." He levitated a small metal rod and began poking through my pockets. The whole process took almost fifteen minutes, with only one stop as he found several pockets filled with peanuts. When he finished two other, much bigger earth pony guards stood at my sides.

Twilight stepped in front of me, "These guys are going to take you to the Princesses," she shuffled her hooves nervously, "Just... Be careful, alright? I wish I knew what to tell you to make all of this end well, but I can't think of anything."

I put a hand on her head and smiled, "I'll be fine Twilight, don't worry." She smiled up at me, "Alright boys, let's go, shall we?" I looked at each of the guards, who grunted and began walking. I kept pace with them as I waved goodbye to Twilight who gave a small, nervous wave in return.

We walked down a ridiculously long hallway, as is required in any good castle, in utter silence. I would've tried to make some light conversation, but I got the feeling that they weren't the talking type. The sideways glares they kept giving me reinforced my belief, so I kept quiet and followed them, glad that the inside of the castle was warm. As we walked, I pondered what may or may not happen, toying around with a few ideas here and there. An idea that really stuck in my mind was the thought of trying to talk to Princess Luna alone. The idea intrigued me, and it would be nice to see what she's would be like without all the pomp and ceremony.

We eventually came to a large, ornate set of doors. One had a large sun on it, while the other had a crescent moon. One guard pushed the doors open, while the other pushed me through them, none too gently either. I looked into the room as I walked in and saw Celestia and Luna sitting beside each other. Celestia looked as regal as ever, and Luna looked more like her sister than ever, tall, noble, and inexplicably flowing mane, though hers was more like the night sky. I was filled with awe, and didn't notice that the guards had stopped a step or two behind me. When I finally did notice, I stopped and stared at the two gods of this world for a few seconds, and they stared at me in turn.

I got on one knee and crossed an arm across my chest, "Your Majesties, it is an honor." I said, looking at the floor, "You humble me with this meeting." While I didn't know how exactly to act in a royal court, I could piece together the basics.

"It's a pleasure," Said Celestia, "Though, from what Twilight Sparkle has told me, you already know my sister and myself. If you could introduce yourself, then I would be most thankful."

"And stand up, I'd like to look you in the eye." Said Luna, her voice soft, pleasant.

I raised my eyebrows and stood, looking at each of the Princesses, "My name is John. I'm not sure how I was brought to Equestria, but I don't plan on harming anypony."

Luna narrowed her eyes a bit, "But the odd cockatrice is fine?" She asked accusingly. I definitely got the good cop, bad cop vibe from these two.

I stood firm, "It had attacked me and Scootaloo, and when I had finally caught up with it, I thought it had harmed her even further." Celestia's eyebrows were raised, probably because she was accustomed to ponies just supplicating to her. Luna, however, remained visually emotionless, "It was natural for me to stop it from doing any further harm to her, permanently so." Celestia put a hoof in front of her mouth, "Thankfully, that did not happen as Zecora stopped me."

Celestia had put her hoof down and was giving me an even look, "But you would have finished it, provided she hadn't?"

"Yes, I would have killed it." I responded without hesitation.

Luna and Celestia both stood up and looked at the guards behind me, motioning for them to leave. They then walked down towards me and began to circle around me slowly, staring at me all the while.

"You would be willing to kill?" Asked Luna, passing in front of me slowly.

"Yes." I nodded, "But only with reason."

"So you would be willing to do it again." Celestia stated from behind me.

I closed my eyes, "If I had to and if I were motivated properly, yes, I would."

I felt the tip of a wing brush my shoulder, "Why defend a pony you barely knew?" Luna asked, close to my ear

"Because, she couldn't protect herself. Even if she had been able to, I would've tried to help." I replied.

I felt a flank bump into me, "Why defend a pony at all? This isn't your world, why do you care?" Asked Celestia.

I was going to reply with something pertaining to my broniness (that is now a word), but I paused, "Because..." I began after a moment, "Because, no matter the dimension, the defenseless are still the defenseless and someone has to protect them." I opened my eyes to look at the two Princesses standing in front of me, "Ponies may have magic and flight and sheer cleverness, but sometimes that isn't enough. I'm not saying I'm going to go out and beat up wild creatures, but I will pummel things to within an inch of their lives if it means that someone can stay safe." The Princesses shared a glance, then looked back at me.

Then Luna yawned, putting a hoof in front of her mouth, "Oh my," She looked over at Celestia, "Tia, you take over. I'm going to bed." She looked at me and poked my chest with a hoof, "I want to talk to you later tonight."

I watched Luna leave, then looked at Celestia, "And so there were two." I said, breaking the silence left in Luna's wake.

Celestia, raised an eyebrow and looked at me for a second before smiling softly, "John, follow me, please." Her voice was gentle, so I followed her as she led me out to a small balcony that overlooked the hedge maze from the Discord incident. She sat down and looked out over the maze, "You seem like a good soul John." She said, not looking at me.

"Thanks." I replied, sitting beside the Princess.

"However, that does not change the fact of what you did." She gave me a stern look, "Even the worst tempered of my guard has not beaten any animal to that degree." She looked back over the maze, "Rather... They could not, even if they tried." I cocked my eyebrow and looked up at Celestia, "Ponies are incapable of bringing such a degree of harm onto another creature." She looked at me, "How. How are you able to do it, and with such ease?"

I looked at my hands, opening and closing them slowly, "A few reasons I guess." I looked up at the sky, "I enjoy pain for one: inflicting it and receiving it, to a degree." I could almost hear Celestia's eyes widen and I chuckled darkly, "Everyone has their kinks Princess, I'm sure you know that much. The second reason would be because, instead of a moral compass, I have something more akin to moral segments." I lifted my hand in front of me, "The main segment, where I normally am, is how I normally act. Somewhat emotionally, more logically, and with general content." I looked at Celestia, who was waiting for me to continue, "On one side lies my "Pure" side," I titled my hand to the left, "A side that wants to help everything and everyone in any way possible. This segment is difficult to bring about, but it happens due to strong feelings of sympathy or care that I feel towards a being. Ponies often inspire these feelings." I tilted my hand to the right, "The third segment is my "Feral" side..." I paused and put my hand down, "It is my anger, hate, and want of destruction. Everything I've repressed. Its brought about by any sort of negative feelings and causes, well, things like the cockatrice incident."
"So this could happen whenever you feel a negative feeling?" Celestia asked, concerned.

I shook my head, "Years of practice have allowed me to gain a significant degree of control over it, so you don't have to worry." I closed my eyes and sighed.

Celestia didn't speak for a little while and I didn't try to break the silence, "John," She began slowly, "How would you feel about me hiring you for a job?"

I opened my eyes and looked at the Princess, "You're kidding." I said, disbelief dripping from my voice.

She shook her head and looked down at me, "Quite the opposite. From what Twilight has told me you know of the location where she and the Elements of Harmony defeated Nightmare Moon?" I nodded and she smiled for a second, "Those ruins were once a castle, the castle in which Luna and I once lived. We, rather I, moved out of there after Luna's banishment. It had... too many memories and I couldn't stand to be there." Celestia laid down, her hooves crossed.

I cocked my eyebrow, "So what is it you want me to do?"

Celestia smiled at me, "I want you to reclaim that castle." My other eyebrow shot up, "You see, during the time Luna was banished, it became the ruins you know today, and I still could not bring myself to return there. Once Luna had returned, I had hoped to move back, but she was still weak and I had to continue managing the sun, moon, and royal duties. When her strength had returned, she and I had made plans to restore the castle and return, but then Discord reappeared. While he is gone, much of his magical influence still remains. Luna and I have our hooves full trying to dissipate his magic, but it still holds much sway over the creatures of the Everfree." She looked me in the eye, "This is where you come in. The creatures that have been affected by his magic do not respond as others do. While, normally, a magical barrier and large groups would frighten away most of them, the ones affected by Discord's magic are bold and will often chase after ponies. This is problematic because they are also stronger than normal, and we ponies cannot properly defend ourselves. However, you can. You are able to beat them into submission to such a degree that they would most likely choose to stay away from whatever you called your territory."

I scratched the back of my head, "While I can respect wanting to move back into your old home, is it really that important?" I asked, slightly confused.

"True, the castle merely holds sentimental value, it is what is inside the castle that I am more focused on. You see, living as long as we have, Luna and I have collected many rare objects. Some were trinkets, but many contained powerful magical properties."
I smirked and nodded, "And you want me to reclaim the territory so that nothing unwanted gets a hold of your magical swag." She chuckled a bit and nodded, "Fair enough, I'll do it. Let's talk payment though, cause this sounds dangerous and I'll want proper compensation."

Celestia seemed slightly taken aback, "You would refuse a request from me?" She asked.

I smiled, baring my fangs, "I'm not one of your subjects Celestia," I chuckled, "While I'm willing to do it, it would have to be because of proper compensation."

She sighed and thought for a while, "Alright, here is my offer: A house in Ponyville, the magical blessings of myself and Luna, and, upon completion, fifty thousand bits." She smiled slyly.

I laughed, "Princess, you've got a deal." I stood up and stretched, then leaned in and ran a hand through her mane. It felt like I was running my hand through warm fog, a warm, prismatic fog, "You've got a pretty mane, y'know that?" I said as her eyes widened.

"Wha-wh-" She shook her head and stared at me.

"What." I asked, toying with her "hair."

"No one has touched my mane in years!" She stated.

"That's a shame, its fun to play with." I responded, still toying with it.

"Stoooop!" She whined, moving her head away.

"Gimme back my clothes then!" I said, following her head to continue my toying.

"Fine!" Her horn glowed and my clothes reappeared in a neat pile beside me.

"Thank you." I said, pulling on my shirt and hoodie. I put on my gloves and flexed my hands, smiling at the already familiar feel.

Celestia looked at my gloves, "So those are what you used?" She asked, gesturing to my hands.

I nodded, "Yep. I would have used a branch as a club or something, but I put more trust in my own hands." I stared at the gloves, "Though, it could've gone worse for me because of these gloves."

Celestia raised her eyebrows, "How so?" She asked.

I cracked my knuckles, "Well, the force produced by the stones could've gone through my arms rather than into the cockatrice." Celestia raised her eyebrows higher, "Since, as you know, the Shield Stones produce force when activated, that force has to go somewhere or do something. Usually, it pushes whatever is headed toward the stone away. However, when force has nowhere to go, it usually goes back on its source. And since I was beating it as it was on the ground, if it wasn't just dirt, but stone-"

"Then the force produced would have gone back on the gloves, and you." She finished, "Impressive, you have much knowledge for a being so young."

I smirked and looked out at the city, "No, I'm actually not too smart." I chuckled softly, "Nah, what I am is clever. Anyone can be smart, it isn't too hard. Being clever, however, is much more difficult." I was quiet for a second, "Hey Princess."

"Hmm, yes John?"

"I want to go into the city and look around. Bein stuck in here will just make me irate." I said, looking over at the Sun Princess, "It that alright?"

She smiled softly and nodded, "That is fine. I'll have one of the guards escort you out." She said, standing up, "However, since Luna would like to talk to you, another guard will fetch you as the moon is rising." I nodded, "Wonderful, now if you could just kneel for me?"

I cocked my eyebrow, but did as she asked, "Alright, umm, why?" I asked, stopping as the tip of her horn touched my forehead.

"John, on this day I grant you the blessings of the Sun. May you ever see it rise after your darkest night and know that both it and I are protecting you. May you know it's warmth in the coldest of times, and may it's light guide you through the darkest of times." Her horn glowed as an aura began to form around my body, "So long as the sun shines, you will be blessed. So long as it shines you will be safe. So long as it shines, it will guide you." I felt like I was surrounded by warm water, "And so long as it shines, then you may find your way home." She finished, standing up straight.

I remained on my knee for a moment as the light around disappeared, "Thank you Princess." I said, standing, "I shall do work worthy of your blessing." I smiled softly.

She nodded and turned, "Guard?" she called out, a unicorn instantly appearing, "Please escort John to the city square, he wants to look around for a while." She nodded to me, "Do you have some spending money?" She asked, a motherly smile on her face.

"No, but I'd rather you didn't-" I was cut off.

"Nonsense," she put a hoof up to silence me, "Just charge it to the castle, but you have a limit of three hundred bits, alright?"

I sighed in defeat, "Alright, since you'd probably force it on me anyway." I smiled at her, "Thanks Princess, take care." I looked at the guard and gestured, "Lead the way."

"Farewell John, I have high hopes for you." She said, waving as I left.

The guard led me through many halls and doorways without saying a word, but it was a pleasant silence. I looked around as we walked, smirking at the bustle of the castle staff as they tended to royal needs. The guard led me to a door and opened it, revealing a large flight of stone steps leading down towards a fountain and, what I assumed was, town square.

"Hey," He said, surprising me, "Feelin' hungry?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, then nodded at a building a little off to the right, "That's a little diner, its good and pretty cheap."

I smiled, "Thanks, whats your name?" I asked.

He smirked, "Ironhide." He replied, then turned and left down the hall. I chuckled and went down the stairs, ignoring the glances I got from the ponies I passed. I guess the castle staff was used to odd things, so they didn't care much, but I was, yet again, surrounded by ponies who knew nothing about me. I shrugged it off and went to the little diner Ironhide had pointed out and made an order of fruit salad with a small side of peanuts. The cook looked me over once when I came up, then again as I said to charge it to the castle, but he shrugged and went along with it. I took the order to go, smirking at the paper bowls they had made to hold my meal. I meandered for a while, then sat under a tree and began to nosh. I was content to people watch, rather, pony-watch, as music played softly in the background. It took my a few moments to actually notice the music had a source, so I turned and saw, much to my joy, Lyra sitting and playing her lyre. I went up to her, noting the small bowl in front of her and a sign that said, 'Tips Appreciated' so I tossed in three bits and sat in front of her, happy to admire her music with my eyes closed.

When she stopped I opened my eyes to see her looking at me with an eyebrow raised, "You gave me the tip?" She asked and I replied with a nod, "Alright, you want to request something?" She smiled, seemingly unfazed by my being me.

I smiled a bit, "Something sweet and pleasant, if you can." I replied. She nodded and began playing again, a tune that I recognized, surprisingly enough. It was 'Summer (Lyra And Bon-Bon)' and the tune almost brought a tear to my eye as I was reminded of home. I shook my head and simply enjoyed the music, standing and thank Lyra when she finished, then went off to look around, maybe even spend some of the bits Princess Celestia had given me. I normally dislike people giving me money, but I'll spend it once I get it because it seems almost rude not to. My eye wandered back and forth from store to store, not really seeing anything I wanted, but then my eyes paused on an elegant wine glass. The stem was made of crystal and shaped to look like a tree, the roots spreading over the base and the branches holding the delicate bulb on top. The bulb itself was a sight, as it seemed perfectly clear from one angle, then a rich magenta from another. My mind went back to Berry Punch as I looked at the glass and I smiled, walking towards the store. I left, charging another ninety-five bits to the castle, with the glass safely wrapped and in hand, but I was concerned for its safety as I was prone to dropping things and forgetting them. I sighed and pondered, noting a sign in front of me with a small bell hanging underneath. I walked up to the sign and read, 'For Mail-Pony services, ring bell.' I couldn't believe it for a bit, simply refusing to accept that instant mail delivery could be summoned by a bell. Then I remembered where I was and sighed, smirking, proceeding to ring the bell.

"How can I help you?" Said a voice behind me, nearly causing me to shit my pants as I turned, "Need a delivery done?" Asked Derpy, hovering with a smile.

"Y-yeah," I held out the wrapped glass, "I need this delivered to Ponyville." I said as she delicately tucked it in one of her saddlebags.

"Who's the recipient?" She asked

"Um, Berry Punch." I replied, my heart finally slowing down.

"Direct delivery or Home delivery?" Derpy asked, looking at me with one eye.

"Whats the difference?"

"I bring it straight to her, or deliver it to her house."

"Uh, direct, I guess."

"Alright, twenty bits please." She held out a hoof.

"Charge it to the castle, they'll cover for me." I replied. She saluted and went off on her merry, slightly swervy, way. I scratched the back of my head and stared after Derpy as she flew, slightly confused by the whole ordeal. Happy, yes, but still a bit confused.

"John? Whatever brings you here darling?" Said another voice from behind me.

"AH! WHATEVERITISIDIDNTDOIT!" I screamed, turning around quick enough to pop my back a bit. There stood Rarity, looking mildly confused with saddlebags chock full of what looked like bolts of cloth.

"Are... are you quite alright dear?" Rarity looked concerned, "Do you need anything?"

I hit my chest a couple time to restart my heart and smiled, "Nah, you just startled me a bit there Rarity." I sighed and leaned against the sign, chuckling softly, "Woo, goddess... Anywho, what are you doing in Canterlot?" I asked.

Rarity gestured to her saddlebags, "I come by on occasion to scour the market for any new fabrics and design ideas." She looked at me, "And yourself? What brings you to the Royal City?"

I shrugged and rubbed the back of my neck, "Umm, I kinda had a meeting with the Princesses."

Her eyes went wide, "You DID? Whatever for?" She seemed even more concerned, "Oh, you aren't in trouble for the cockatrice incident, are you?"

She fretted about for a few seconds, "Relax Rarity, I wanted to meet them." I smiled softly as she calmed down a bit, "I was only really able to talk to Celestia anyway. She gave me a job to do, so I'm now royally hired."

"Oh my." She sounded impressed, "What does she want you to do?"

I decided telling her was probably not a good idea, "She said it would be best to keep it between us," Rarity nodded in understanding, "She paid me some in advance though."

We started walking down the street, "What did she pay you?" Rarity asked.

"Well, a house in Ponyville, fifty thousand bits on completion," Rarity nodded, slightly impressed, "And her blessing along with Luna's." I finished, stopping to look at Rarity who was looking at me with wide eyes.

"Their blessings? As in, they performed a ceremony type of blessing?" She asked, getting really close to my face.

I took a step back, "Sorta? It was only Celestia, since I'm meetin' Luna tonight-"

Rarity's hooves were on my shoulders, "You are so lucky! Nopony gets their blessings! Only heroes and the like even have a CHANCE!"

I laughed softly as she freaked out, going on and on about how it was an honor beyond honors, "Y'know, you never asked about my date." I said, trying to change the subject.

Rarity stopped in front of a small jewelry boutique, looking in the window, "How did it go?" She asked, eyeing up some of the pieces in the window.

"Pretty good," I said, looking over the jewelry, "We went out for some drinks, learned a bit about each other, then we headed out. She got a taste of my nocturnally inspired poetry," I paused for a moment, the ghost of Berry's lips touching my own, "Then she kissed me." I finished.

Rarity looked at me, her eyes widening for a second before she looked back at the window, "... I see." She fidgeted, "And how did you feel about that?"

"Well," I began slowly, "If someone had asked me that before I had come to Equestria, I probably would have been grossed out, but now?" I rubbed my chin, "Well, now, I kinda liked it." I said, chuckling softly.

"...Ah." Rarity said, "Well I'm happy for you John." She said in a voice that did not speak of happiness at all. I frowned slightly and looked at Rarity, noting how her tail had drooped a bit and her eyes didn't quite sparkle as they normally did. I looked at her, then looked inside the boutique we were standing in front of. I went inside for a few minutes, leaving Rarity outside with a raised eyebrow.

I came back out after a couple of minutes, "Close your eyes." I said, kneeling in front of Rarity.

"But," she began.

I held up a hand, "Close your eyes." I repeated.

"Fine." She replied, closing her eyes. I then slipped the fine silver chain around her neck and smiled, the small azure teardrop pendant resting against her chest. She opened her eyes and looked down, "Oh, it's lovely," She said, smiling softly, then looking at me, "Thank you, but why...?"

I shrugged and smiled, "Well, it's partly to say thank you, for all you've done for me." I rubbed the back of my neck, "Also, cause it reminded me of your eyes." She raised an eyebrow slightly, "Out of all the eyes that I saw, I always kinda liked yours the most." I felt myself blush a bit, "And, well, cause..." I shook my head, "Forget it, I'll tell you later." I stood up and stretched, "C'mon, show me around a bit, yeah?" I looked around at the other stores.

Rarity didn't say anything for a minute, then giggled, "Alright, come along then." She trotted past me, "I'll show you the wonders of Canterlot." And so she did. We spent the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon wandering the streets of Canterlot as Rarity showed me high end designer shops and stores, as well as low end stores that held high quality merchandise. We had an early dinner, which I paid for using the rest of the funds Celestia had given me, then off to look at statues and whatnot. After a full day of walking around, Rarity began leading me back to the square and we sat down by the fountain, tired, but happy.

I chuckled, "Well, that was fun." I said, stretching out, "Though I have to say, you know a lot of places and ponies here in Canterlot."

Rarity wore a proud smile, "Naturally," She replied, "An elegant pony like myself always gains the attention of passersby."

I smirked and shook my head, "Certainly gained my attention," I mumbled softly, leaning back a bit.

Rarity turned towards me, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." She said.

I shook my head, "It's nothin' Rarity, don't worry about it." I replied.

"Oh come now, tell me!" She said, scooting closer and pouting a bit. I shook my head and put a finger up to my lips, causing her to pout further, "Fine, spoilsport." She said, pushing my gently. Unfortunately I was balanced rather precariously on the edge of the fountain and, when she pushed me, I fell back into the water.

I flailed about and sputtered for a bit before surfacing, ready to glare at Rarity, when I actually got a look at her. It seems that I had splashed her as I was flailing about, causing her normally coiffed mane to fall down straight. Her eyes were filled with the light of the setting sun and the necklace I got her shimmered a bit as the light caught it. Rarity stepped forward, probably about to voice some sort of concern, when I leaned forward and kissed her. My brain was beating itself with confusion, as was the rest of me, but I didn't pull back. To my twisted delight, neither did she, quite the opposite, she leaned into it and returned it.

We must have held that kiss for a few minutes because, when a quiet cough behind us caused us to part, the sun had fully set, "Pardon the intrusion," Said a voice from my side, "But it is officially night and Sir John is to meet Princess Luna." I guess it was a guard, but my eyes were locked on Rarity's, much like hers were locked on mine. The guard stood by for a few seconds, but took it upon himself to gently drag me away. I waved goodbye to Rarity, my mind still reeling with what I had done. She didn't do anything for a moment, then returned the wave, vanishing as the guard forced me to turn around and walk up the steps that led to the castle.

We walked through the halls in silence, mine being a contemplative one. I had gotten lost in the moment and just went for it. Yeah, I have my kinks when it comes to attraction, but I was crossing some serious lines here. I shook my head in frustration as my thoughts became more and more muddled, walking right into a large purple-blue door. I rubbed my nose as the guard opened the door and let me in, closing it behind me. I looked around, noting the constellations on the ceiling and mainly blue and purple décor.

Princess Luna appeared from a shadowy corner, "John. It's good to see you again." She said, not smiling.

I bowed, "And you Princess Luna." I replied, remembering my manners, "To what do I owe the honor of this private meeting?" I asked, looking up at her.

She stared at me for a second before giggling, "Drop the formal talk," She said, sitting on a cushion, "It's flattering, but I just want to see you for you."

I straightened up, "Alright, if that's what you want." I shrugged, "So, what up Luna?"

She smiled, "Not much. I assume Celestia has filled you in on the job we had in mind for you?" I nodded, "Good. The reason I wanted to see you alone is because Celestia, though I love her to pieces, is far too trusting of others." Luna walked up to me and leaned close, a sly smirk on her face, "I, however, plan on testing you to see if you can be trusted." She smiled and turned around, "Follow me." She walked to a balcony and looked at me as I stepped up beside her, "Before we go, I have to ask: What does that mark you have mean?" She asked, looking at me.

I chuckled, "Its a symbol of my worship." I said, giving her the abridged version, "It also represents my love of the night." I said, smirking.

Luna gave me an approving look, "I'm starting to like you." Her horn began to glow as a bubble of magic formed around us, "Now hold on to something." She said.

As far as I can guess, it was another teleportation spell, though infinitely more pleasant than Twilight's. It dropped us off in front of a large, brick building. It would have been rather easy to pass over, were it not for the long, long, LONG, line of ponies at the door and the large blue neon sign that read 'Tech-Tonics.'

Luna nudged my shoulder and began to walk to the door. A large earth pony looked at her and opened the door, giving me a curious glance as I passed by. I kept close to the Princess as we walked in, down a softly lit hallway, then to another set of doors. On either side of the doors were small baskets filled with un-cracked glowsticks.

Luna picked one up and tossed two to me, "C'mon, I'll take you to the bar, then the test begins." She said vaguely, opening the doors. I guess they were enchanted with some sort of soundproofing because the sudden blast of hardcore techno music that blasted from the doorway almost knocked me backwards. Luna glanced back at me with a smirk and began to walk into the club. All around me were flashing lights and dancing ponies, there were even some cages hanging from the ceiling with ponies dancing inside them.

The music was pretty good and I was bobbing my head, "So!" I shouted, barely able to hear myself above the din, "What's an alicorn princess doing in a place like this?" I asked Luna loudly.

"Well, I was stuck on the moon for a millennium!" Luna shouted back at me, leading a small path through the dancing ponies, "So I've been learning about modern culture! I found myself liking clubs like this!" I nodded in understanding, "Here's the bar!" She said, nodding to a long bar staffed by a small team of ponies, "Now your test begins!" She smiled at me and her horn began to glow.

"Whats my test?" I asked.

"I'm gonna see how you do here!" She laughed and began to fade, "Have fun!" She said, before disappearing completely. I shook my head went up to the bar, then leaned on the counter until one of the bartenders would decide to service me.

Thankfully it didn't take long, as a pony wearing black vest came up to me, "Hey stranger!" He shouted, "What's your poison?"

"Two shots of tequila and some lime!" I replied, deciding to start hard and only drink in small spurts through the night. He nodded and quickly got the drinks set up for me, "Here you go!" He shouted as I quickly downed one of the shots, "This your first time here?" He asked, probably noticing me looking around.

"Yeah, Princess Luna decided to bring me here!" I replied.

"Wow! Not bad!" He laughed, "Alright! Since it's your first time, I'll give you our specialty drink, on the house!" He nodded as I took my second shot and hissed softly as the burn settled in my stomach. He came back after a couple minutes with a drink in hand... hoof.

I raised my eyebrow as I looked the drink over. It looked like carbonated light blue syrup, but the weird part was that it pulsed with angular, red lines in time with the music, "Is this safe to drink?" I asked, grabbing the cup gingerly.

He laughed again, "So long as you only have two!" He said, "Don't worry, it's good for the soul!" He said, pounding his chest.

I shrugged and held the cup up, "Cheers mate." I said, taking a swig. It was like drinking sweet electricity, my body shuddering slightly as the charge went through my body. A familiar tingle went through my arms and teeth, a tingle that signaled my animal instincts were coming out. I smiled broadly, baring my fangs. The bartender had left to take care of some other customers, so I leaned against the bar for a while, sipping the wonderful nectar he had given me. The emptier the cup became, the more wired I became. When I had finished it, I could feel a soft growling in the back of my throat and the urge to move pulsing through me, so I left my glass and a couple bits on the counter for the bartender, then went onto the dance floor. I quickly worked my way through a crowd of dancing ponies towards one of the massive speakers set up on the floor. If I was going to dance, I wanted to feel the bass pulse through me. Once I had wiggled and snaked my way through the crowd I cracked the glowsticks and began to dance. I was surrounded by a group of ponies who seemed to share my passion for bass pulsations and had a weird thing for glowing apparel. It was very cyber-punk, what with neon dreadlocks and various glowing bands on various parts of their anatomy. They glanced at me and I glanced at them, glances were exchanged, then we started dancing, the bass guiding our bodies. We went at it for a while, then one of them came up to me and put hie forehooves on my shoulders and screamed in my face. I put my hands on his shoulders and screamed at his face, then he did it again and I did it again in kind. We began screaming at each other, then jumping to the beat as we screamed, stepped back and did a hardcore brohoof, hard enough to make a slight cracking sound upon the impact. He gave me a fierce smile and I roared happily, an unspoken acceptance forming between us. I felt a hoof tap my shoulder and I turned around, looking at my reflection in a pair of purple sunglasses.

"Hey!" Said my pony idol, "Seems like the guys like you!" Vinyl Scratch jerked her head up towards the DJ's podium, "C'mon up, you seem pretty cool, let's see if the rest of 'Tech-Tonics' thinks of you!" She laughed and led me up a small set of stairs. I would have just drooled with the fanboyism, but the drink I had just made me grin and follow her up the stairs.

The music quieted down a bit and Vinyl went up to a microphone, gathering the attention of everypony present, "Hey y'all, it's your favorite musical magician, DJ PON-3, lemme hear your love!" She shouted as all the ponies began to scream and cheer, "Now, I would like to introduce a new friend of mine," She waved for me to come up, "As you can tell he's not from around here, show him some Tech-Tonic love!"

I stepped up to the mic as the crowd of ponies roared again, "Evening all, it's so lovely to be here, if I must say so myself," I said in a posh tone of voice. A number of ponies gave me odd looks and I burst of laughing then snarled a bit, "Yeah RIGHT! My name is Johnny Sanguine and I'm here to break beats, courtesy of your musical mistress: Vinyl Scratch!" I laughed and looked at the crowd as Vinyl smirked beside me and set up a track for me, "Now every pony, do you love that bass?" I said, getting a roar in response, "C'mon, DO YOU LOVE THAT BASS!" I shouted.

"YEAH!" They shouted in response.

"YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

This repeated for a little while, growing faster and louder, Vinyl quickly picking up the beat as the ponies whipped themselves into a dancing frenzy. I nodded and smiled wide as I saw them all whipping about, the bass heavy enough to shake a few drinks off of the bar. I stepped down and let Vinyl take over, earning a brohoof and a glace at her ruby red eyes as she winked at me.

I worked my way back up to the bar, "Seems you make fast friends Sanguine," Said the bartender who served me earlier, "Props."

I chuckled, "What can I say? Ponies love me." I shrugged, "Can I get some water?" He nodded and slid a glass my way, "Thanks." I chugged it down, sighing happily at the soothing sensation it had on my throat.

Leaning back against the bar, I saw two ponies stagger their way towards me. One was an earth pony, the other was a unicorn. I cocked my eyebrow as they stumbled towards me, but I didn't do anything to move.

The earth pony looked at me, "Sho, think yer shooo shpeshul, huh?" He said, clearly drunk of his pony ass, "Jusht 'cuz yoo got ta talk ta us?" I elected not to say anything and continue drinking my water, "Shomepony should teach yoo a lesshon! Ah think I will." He spread his legs in a pony attack position, still managing to sway.

I put my glass down beside me and stared at the pony hard, "Bro, you don't want to do that." I said, trying to calm him down, "Just chill out, have some fun, yeah?" I smiled, but lowered my center of gravity, just in case. It seems my caution was well warranted, as the pony turned and tried to buck me in the chest. Thankfully, probably due to his inebriation, he was off and I was able to side step the kick easily. As he fumbled for a second to regain his balance I put my hand on the counter behind me, jumped, and kicked out with both my feet hard against his shoulder. The pony went stumbling into a bouncer who had come up to see what the commotion was about, while his friend, who seemed equally as drunk, began to shout at me in a drunken slur so bad that I couldn't even tell if there were words involved. What I could tell is that he was attempting to cast a spell, seeing as his horn was glowing, but I couldn't get to him in time to try and stop him. The unicorn shot a stream of fire from his horn, but I couldn't move. Rather, I wouldn't, as there was a large amount of alcohol behind me and, last I checked, alcohol plus fire equals bad. I had enough time to grab a pitcher of water and pour it's contents over myself, then hold my hands up in front of me, Shield Stones facing outwards, eyes closed. The fire came forth and I could hear the water I poured over myself evaporating, hissing as it became steam. Yet, I did not feel pain, much to my surprise. In fact, what I felt was similar to when Celestia blessed me, just surrounded by warmth. I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by flames, unable to see anything else, yet not burning. I took a small, experimental breath and found my throat unharmed, better, if anything. I didn't bother to question the impossibility of the situation, so I closed my eyes and breathed slowly, focusing. Beyond the crackling of the flames I could hear screaming and panic, but I blocked it out and focused, trying to think of a way to get out of this. Naturally I couldn't just walk around, wreathed in flame, as that is frowned upon. What I figured was that the flame was being manipulated by me, somehow, someway. Applying all I knew about Equestrian magic, which added up to 'Picture it and hope to Luna it works,' I focused on the fire collecting around my gloves.

A few tense moments passed, but I soon felt the warmth around me slowly draw away from my body and gather around my forearms. I opened my eyes and saw my gloves were surrounded by flames, my fingers becoming fiery claws. I chuckled darkly, then looked up to see the offending unicorn staring at me with wide eyes and an open mouth. My face contorted as I snarled and I could feel my eyes go colder than dry ice as I walked over to the wannabe arsonist.

He trying to back up, but stumbled over his own hooves and looked up at me as I stood over him, "You." I growled, grabbing his horn with one flaming hand, "You idiot." He was whimpering as the flames came close to licking his face. I pulled him up by his horn, bringing his face close to mine, "You tried to hurt me." I could hear the short, velvet like fur on his horn singeing in my fiery grasp, "I want you to know something," I growled softly into his ear, bringing my free hand up to his neck, slowly tracing a pentagram into his fur, "I have no qualms about hurting you." I let go of his horn and slammed an open palm into the center of the pentagram I had drawn, hard. He let out what was probably all the air in his lungs and fell back, curled into a ball, as I crouched beside him, "Now apologize." I snarled, "Unless you want me to burn your fur black!" I looked him over, my hand had left a large black mark around his horn, while there was a sooty pentagram with a hand in the center of it on his chest.

"S-s-sorry! I-I'm sorry!" He started crying, "D-d-don't h-hurt me!" He sobbed, holding his forehooves up in front of his face. I chuckled hollowly and roared at him, a deep, primal roar straight from my gut. He squealed and backed away, curling into a tight ball. I stood, arms still ablaze, and, much to my disgust and sadness, saw the unicorn had actually pissed himself in fear. I sighed and turned to the exit, walking through the wide path that ponies made in front of me. Once outside, I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes, releasing the flames that surrounded my arms. I felt the warmth vanish and opened my eyes to see it had gone, leaving some black burn marks on the gloves, but nothing irreparable. I leaned against the wall behind me and sighed, slowly sliding down into a sitting position. What had started as a pretty fun night ended in me being stressed out and probably in no small degree of trouble.

"I'm impressed." Dark blue fur appeared in front of me, "Ponies seem to naturally be attracted to you." Said Luna, looking down at me with a smirk.

I sighed again and stood up, "While flattering, you seem to have missed the bit where I was almost the victim of assault and arson." I looked at the Princess who was, for some reason, smiling.

"Oh no, I didn't miss that. In fact, very little occurs without my knowledge." Luna began walking and I groaned, following as was probably expected, "You see, I wanted to see how well you acted in a stressful environment." I cocked an eyebrow at her as we walked, "Surrounded by unfamiliar ponies, not even sure where you were, knowing you were under scrutiny. You see, Vinyl Scratch, despite her popularity and friendly nature, has a very small circle of friends. The ponies you met by the speaker made up the majority of that circle, and the fact that you were able to go up to them so casually, and be accepted no less, is a tribute to your ability to cope." I wasn't going to say that it was probably just dumb luck, "When Vinyl presented you in front of the whole club, you were remarkably collected," And slightly inebriated, "Leading them into one of the best frenzies I've seen in a while."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, "While that's all well and good," I said, interrupting her flow, "We still have yet to address that facts that I was attacked, can apparently do fucking MAGIC, and nearly roasted a pony to crispy bits."

Luna chuckled softly and laid down on a bench under a tree, inviting me to sit beside her, "I was getting to that. The two that attacked you were part of my Royal Guard, working undercover as it were." I sat beside Luna and looked at her, "While your ability to harm is... impressive, I wanted to see if you could control yourself when you needed to. I had them drink to the point where they could be convincingly drunk while still maintaining their mental facilities, then sent them off to test you."

I would have been mad, but I was just too drained, "So, you planned for them to attack me?" I asked.

"Not attack, test." She said with a mischievous grin, "And you did wonderfully with the first guard. The second though..." She paused.

I chuckled hollowly, "You didn't expect me to go all pyromancer on you, is that it?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well, I had assumed you would dive off to the side, then handle him." She said, looking at me, "Why didn't you move?" She asked.

I sighed, "Well, in my world, alcohol ignites when hit with fire. I was in front of the bar when he shot the flame at me and that much liquor plus a flame, wouldn't end well."

Luna nodded, "So you were trying to protect other ponies." I nodded in return, "How noble." She paused again, "... Now, about your magic."

I held up a hand, "I don't know how or why it happened, it just did, alright?" I snapped.

Luna pushed my hand down gently, "I understand that, but can we test it quickly?" She asked, slight concern in her voice. I nodded, "Good, now try to summon a flame." She directed. I tried my best but, five minutes later, there was no flame to be seen, "Hmm, alright, then try manipulating this one." She summoned a baseball sized fireball from her horn, then gently let it float down to my side. This time, when I focused a bit, I could manipulate the fire to do almost anything, change shapes, move, even separate into smaller flames that dotted the tips of my fingers, "Ah, it seems that, while you can work with existing flames, you can't summon any of your own." She said, nodding sagely.

I looked at her, "And how do we know this is it? What if I can do more than play with fire?" I asked.

Luna looked down and sighed, "Unfortunately, barring more tests, no one can know the extent of your abilities." Luna got up and stood in front of me, "All of that aside, you passed my tests. Yes, my guards are a little worse for wear, but you controlled yourself." She smiled softly and touched my forehead with her horn, "That's all I needed to know before I granted you this."

It was like a dark veil made of the finest silk was slowly wrapped around my body, "John, I grant you the Blessing of the Moon. With it, may the moon's light guide you and lead you to your goals. With it, may you see in even the darkest of places. With it, may the night hide you from harm. With it, may the creatures of the night never harm you." I felt at one with the universe, "And with it, as long as I stand, may the stars guide you, the moon inspire you, and the night keep you." Luna straightened up and the feeling left me, "You're a good soul, you know that?"

I smiled lazily and chuckled, "I've been told as much."

She sat in front of me with a wry grin, "So. Tell me about you, Rarity, and Berry Punch."

I sputtered for a second, "How do you know about that?" I asked, bewildered.

Luna giggled behind a hoof, "Well, when you arrived, Twilight Sparkle sent a letter to my sister, as would be expected from her." I nodded in agreement, "Well, I read the letter as well, and we've been keeping an eye on everything you've done since then."

I blushed, "So. You know about the, uh, thing with Berry and the other thing with Rarity and... yeah, you know." I fumbled about with my words.

Luna nodded, "Indeed. Though the kiss with Rarity would have been hard to miss, all things considered." I scratched the back of my head and looked down, "I must ask, why?" She looked at me expectantly.

"Why what?" I said, trying to skirt around the subject.

"Why did you do it?" Luna said, "I know that you could have easily pushed Berry away if it had bothered you, and nopony was compelling you to kiss Rarity, so, why?"

I sighed and twiddled my thumbs, "I guess... I dunno," I pinched the bridge of my nose again, "If you had said I did that before I came here, then I would have called you a liar because I would never do anything like that, but now?" I looked at the moon, "I dunno, seeing them in front of me, living, breathing, REAL, it... changes things." I chuckled weakly, "Sorry Luna, that's the best I can do to explain it.

She smiled softly, "That's fine John." She nudged my side with a wing, "Come on, let's head back to the castle." She started walking and I was quick to follow. Luna and I were content to walk in silence back to the castle. There were a few guards patrolling the halls, each giving us a tired smile and nod as we passed by, soon going back to their duties. I didn't bother trying to keep track of the winding path we took, but I soon found that I was, yet again, in front of Luna's room.

She nudged the door open and trotted over to the large, circular bed, "Come John, lay down." She patted the space beside her with a hoof.

I scratched my neck, "Umm, Princess, is that very appropriate?" I was fine with the idea, but I didn't want to wake up to a force of angry guards, "Y'know, you being you?"

Luna giggled softly, "It's fine. It won;t be the first time since I've come back that I've shared my bed." My brain went to dark, dirty things, "Now get over here." She insisted with big pleading eyes. I sighed and got in next to her, taking off my hoodie and shoes and placing them beside my bag on the floor, then snuggled into the sheets.

Luna nuzzled the side of my face with her muzzle, "Good night John." She said softly.

I was already falling into unconsciousness, "Dream well my Queen." I mumbled softly, falling faster and faster into sleep. The last thing I remember thinking about was the sight of Rarity and Berry smiling softly and looking at me, then I was off to dreamland.