Living Under The Moon Chapter 12

Everyone filed into the ship. You and your lieutenant’s the last to board.

“Excuse me Anon” you hear the voice of Twilight behind you “I have a gift for you.”

You turn to look to her “a gift you say? Now it’s nowhere near hearts warming you know.” You say with a smile.

“Gifts don’t always need occasions” she says as she floats a book out of her bag to you “It’s a book!”

You take the book in your hooves a moment ‘The Mysterious Case of Mare Do Well.’

“I just finished writing it, and I thought you might be interested in giving it a read on the journey” she explains

You nod a bit “Well, if it’s anything like the last one, it’ll certainly be a page turner” you say, though secretly in your mind you prayed to the lords of literature that this book suffers not from Sequelitis.

“You be careful now” she says as she nods and returns to Princess Celestia’s side.

“I’ll expect a full report when you return.” Luna tells you as the ramp to the door are pulled back, the anchoring ropes being released from their posts.  “Good Luck.”

Celestia only nods to you, you detect a lack of faith, but expectation to prove yourself to be more than what you were originally intended to be. You get the willies as you slide the door shut, the sound of the air tight seal activating.

--

You turn to find yourself faced by the crowd of guards; you inhale and let the words come forth.
“Fillies and Gentle colts”, the speech begins “this marks the beginning of a voyage to the Changeling Territory. We will be searching for an artifact that if found will allow us to prevent the resurrection of Discord”
You see nodding from the group “For anyone who was with me in the recent excursion to the Changeling territory just yesterday, you already know, but it is a dangerous land,” you start to walk past them “I won’t lie….I can’t promise that we’ll get out unscathed, I can promise you we will make it though…I consider you all my friends and I will do everything in my power to see us all return home safely.” You say this all with tone of seriousness and authority.
It’s something you’ve practiced for a /very/ long time.
Because on the inside you are very terrified
“We’re in for a long trip, so get settled, you are dismissed”

Everyone leaves. And now you go to your quarters.
It was an office mostly; it also had a fold out bed that came off the wall. It’s strange really, when you were a human, you enjoyed the crowdedness your old room had, how the mattress took up seventy percent of the room; a crowded disorganized pile of belongings was how it was. Now, as a Stallion you had taken to keeping everything organized, your room in Luna’s mansion was kept tidy and as uncluttered as you could possibly keep it. This office on the ship seemed to be an extension to that, everything was labeled and organized. You took the leather chair, your wings spread out as you leaned back, feeling your spine adjust to the curve of the chair, a sigh leaving your lips as you looked to the paper on your desk; simple documents detailing your group and the documented layout of the Changeling territory.

----

An hour roughly pass before you hear a ‘bampf’ sound behind you “What is it?” you say not flinching.

“Hello Captain” Ivory’s voice greets your ears making them swivel about reflexively.

“Hello Ivory” you say working on the paper “How’s the crew?”

“Swimmingly, “she smiles “all is yar, or however it goes.”

“Lovely”

You detect her move around to the front of your desk, “So…Anon, if I may be formal”

“You know I prefer it.”

 “Of course, “she replies, her hoof redirects your eyes upward, making contact with hers “You know...You still owe
me a dance correct?”

“Huh?” you blink feeling itchy pins of nervousness “I’m not sure what you mean by that Ivory.”

“You remember, the interrogation room, me all tied and strapped down” her tone is flirtatious.
Oh. That.

“I wasn’t under the implication you’d wanted to carry through with that” you kept your stuttering as under control as you could “After all, you /were/ under the control of Discord.”

“And I’d like to carry through with it anyway, you danced with Trixie, now I think it’s my turn” she says, walking around the desk to your side, turning the seat to keep you faced with her “Although sadly I have no music” she tells you tugging you along out of your desk, you don’t resist, honestly that would be of no use, resisting women be they human or mare always proved to be the unintelligent move.  “Do you sing?” she holds your hoof in hers as you walk to the center of the room.

“I’m not good if that’s what you’re asking”

“You should try anyhow then”

“And if I don’t?” you answer with very little seriousness.

….she doesn’t answer that question, choosing to begin the dance, humming a slow tune, a tune that’s relaxing, happy.

“The Moon up high…is shining bright” you sing to the best of your abilities what you judge to be the best volume, “So make a wish…and hold on tight.”

“Cause anything can happen~” she finishes where you pause. The rest of the evening going like that, the both of you dancing slowly, singing dumb altered lyrics to songs you’d known back when your weren’t living in equestria.  A silly way to waste time with someone, but still…it was nice.

---


Hours later.

You cannot sleep.
Time to Rome
The abandon hallways are quiet as the evening has been so far, You walk quietly through toward the mess hall, noting it mostly empty.

“Evening captain” You find at a table a certain earth pony, Spit Shine.

“Evening Mister Shine” you say moving to take the seat across from him at the table “I’m assuming you have sleep problems as well”

“past experiences sort of left me with a fair amount of insomnia” he told you not looking up from a paper he was writing on

“mind me asking what your writing?”

“Just a letter is all”

“might I ask whom?”

“Princesses”

“You know them?”

“To a slight extent” he tells you “they employed me as royal window washer. So I’m sending a letter on how well I’m doing in another field of their work.”

“hmm, well, I’m happy you had a line of work before this at the least, by the way thank you with the help in the gardens”

“Well. Just doing my job you know, Though….I am very good at my job.” He tells you with a grin on his face

“Not that your bragging.” You chuckle, noting how he joins along though with less enthusiasm, you soon find yourself nodding “well. I’ll leave you to writing some. “


--

You returned to your office to find Trixie sitting on your fold out cot, reading the book Twilight gave you.
“And there I was, Mare Do Well. Standing atop the massive building” She read aloud from the book “My hat adjusted , cape fastened tightly around my neck. Crime was a foot, and I was to stop it.”

You sit down next to her “I haven’t read anything yet Trixie, please don’t spoil anything” you say as you finally begin the arduous task of pulling off all your armour and settling in for the remainder of the night.

“One chapter in and it’s already got  me, that twilight has something going”

“Well, I hope it just  tells who Mare Do Well actually is.” You retort getting the plated armor chest piece off

“It’ll blow your mind,” she says, with a smile as she peers deeper into the pages

“Don’t say anything” you hold a hoof to her mouth “especially if it’s Bea Sharpe.”

She rolls her eyes as you pull her hoof back “I was joking…She’s still referring to herself in the third person.
To be honest I’m still upset by how her first book was when you lent it to me”

“So you’re saying the mysterious Mare Do Well could have been less mysterious?” you chuckle a little

“I’m saying that the pony whose name is in the title shouldn’t only appear in half the story.”

“I personally liked it. Made the story more interesting,”

“because rumors and hearsay is sooo interesting.”

“You still read it and liked it though”

“well of course.” She closes the book with her magic, “still, hopefully we’ll find out that it’s obviously Ms. K”

“You mean the scholar that determined the muffins were being used to smuggle the stolen crystals illegally for trade”

“It can only be her”

“And what makes you say that”

“She’s the only one smart enough to claim she knows who Mare Do Well is and still choose to keep it secret of course”

“And it can’t be Bea Sharpe, why?”

“because there is no logical reason for the musician to be that well versed acrobatics,”

“And that’s exactly why she’s Mare Do Well” you argue “no one expects the klutz,”

“That’s a cliché, you do know that right?”  she raises an eyebrow

You think heavily on that statement “I suppose that’s true.”  Then you realize just how cliché everything that’s happened to you is and begin laughing a bit

“what’s so funny?” Trixie raises an eyebrow

“Just…you know” you inhale a moment “thinking of something silly”

She leans against you as you lay against the walk some “like what?

“When we first met”

She chuckles a bit “oh really?”

“You geeked out pretty hard there” You say closing your eyes

Another chuckle “can you blame me?” Trixie asks “I was nearly shamed out of business when that happened, just came back from getting fired from a rock farm” a moment passes “how did you know where to find me?”

A hum comes from your throat “Just a hunch….I think, it’s weirdly complicated”

“Everything is complicated about you Anon,”

You think about that “ehh…yes”  you find yourself agreeing on that….specially sucks when you can’t explain your being from another universe.

“So why did you decide I needed to be part of the guard?” she asked “My last impression with anyone associated with princess wasn’t exactly good”

You yawn “Everyone deserves a second chance”  a pretty simple answer, you exhale too

“Even me?” you hear her yawning, feeling her lay a bit more into you

“Even you”  you mumble a little.

You don’t remember what Trixie says next, mostly because you actually fell asleep…yeah, you are a classy stallion. Classy.

You wake up…there is a unicorn snuggled against you.

Must. Not. Smile.