Part I: Gesture

He was not entirely sure why he kept dwelling on it, as nothing would ever solve that mystery. After all, if the Princesses, the most powerful ponies he knew of, could not explain how he had gotten to Equestria in the first place, then it was futile to even grant a single thought to his return. Still, even though he had been a legal resident for almost a year, slow days did not stop his mind from wandering, and often wondering of his previous life, his former world continuing on without him. It did not matter in the end, though. Duty called.

Can remember everything about my world perfectly... Shame.

It was a tale he was told many, many times. After he had recovered medically, Princess Celestia had personally apologized for the universal and magical mishap, and granted him residency in the castle for his troubles... well, at least that was the short version of it all. While very generous, Fred's pride refused to let him just take up space. Understanding the sentiment completely, Celestia had also taken him on as a full time Administrative Assistant not long after, so he essentially got to tail her through her duties and help her out with the insurmountable paperwork that found its way to her office. In the end, he could not complain. It allowed him to remain useful, while earning a nice income and feeling better about his existence.

It truly was not as bad as it appeared on the surface, for a number of reasons. Namely, a certain two alicorns (and one royal guard).

Fred forced his thoughts to clear out and set himself back in reality, running his right hand through his short, parted hair before gazing at the clock that was located above the office door: 8 o'clock in the evening. All the infernal contraption did was remind him that today was an extra long day, and the incessant and invasive 'ticking' from the second-hand did little calm his meandering mind. It was not anything to be worried about for the human, though; his mind would wander far, on occasion.

At least time works the same here... I'll never not be thankful for that.

"Sorry for keeping you this late, Fredrick," the smooth voice of the Solar Princess addressed as she sat at her own desk. Fred's desk was orthogonal to hers yet much more to Celestia's right, like the top and left sides of a rectangle. Based on the influx of bills from the Parliament around this time of the year, Celestia was absolutely swamped. Fred truly had no idea how much his work was appreciated.

"Ehh, it's what you pay me for, Princess. Besides, it's the least I could do for letting me stay here essentially for free," he replied back, picking up and dipping his quill into the inkwell before taking some more notes on whatever proposition he was delegated. Other than a comfortable fire burning in the fireplace, the only sound that pervaded throughout the expansive study was of both of their quills busily scribbling away. Celestia adjusted her work-suit, which Fred had to silently agree with himself that it complemented her figure perfectly. It did take about a month to get used to the colored coats rather than just skin, as well as the wings and horns but it made no difference to him at this point in terms of affinity or attraction.

"True, but that 'incident' was our fault anyway," Celestia replied while her white-coated hand rubbed fatigue out of her eyes. She never enjoyed bringing up that incident out of respect for Fred. "Nevertheless, I'm sure Luna will not be pleased." He chuckled a bit while he continued writing.

"She can wait, she knows I'm actually being productive... By the way we have a proposition for R&D funding for enhanced agricultural physical capital."

"Sign off on it, you have the royal stamp of approval. Any development in cultivation techniques is welcome... Still, I have to comment on how close you two have grown as of late. I must say, it's nice to see her in high spirits," Celestia commented with subtle glee. Fred signed off on the document and stamped with the seal of approval of the crown. He then quickly stretched his back out, the sleeves of his white dress shirt riding up his arms a tad. While he was definitely mentally tired, Fred had to admit, working late with Celestia was not bad at all in the slightest.

"Have we? I know we're good friends but sometimes it's hard to read her body language and demeanor as a whole. She's comfortable and I've grown on her… a lot, but I’m not entirely sure how close of a friend I actually am to her," he admitted. As educated and informed as one may be, males were never competent at capitalizing on body language. He and Celestia were definitely decent friends with each other after these many months, but honestly he was not exactly sure about where he stood with Luna. He had a good idea, but he did not know for sure, and he was not a fan of assuming things, nor could he find the right words to ask her about the subject.

"Other than the Elements, you're her only friend. You were really the only one to reach out to her," Celestia continued talking as she scribbled on a new parchment. She had to admit to herself that having an assistant that was not afraid to address her on account of her royal status certainly passed the time. As well, she had almost forgotten what it was like to have just a normal "friend."

A gentle grin crept its way onto Fredrick's face as Celestia said the words "reach out," as he remembered that particular day very well. Little did he know that such a simple gesture would mean so much to both parties and affect nearly everybody in the castle (and beyond) in the long run.

Fredrick had just been discharged from the medical wing after a complete recovery, and the first order of business was to consult with Princess Celestia, who had been expecting him the moment he left the infirmary. It was a rather brief conversation, as she knew that he was more than eager to just continue resting, so, she merely reiterated her stance on his ability to remain in the castle and as to where his room was. Currently, it was about eight o’clock in the evening, so it was clear that she was working late.

“So, I shan’t keep you here any longer as I know you’d rather just pass out. However, feel free to explore the castle, as everypony has been briefed of your presence,” the Solar Alicorn said tiredly after giving him directions to several important places and points of interest within and around the castle. She was still clad in her regalia and a dress used for court, one which hugged her body perfectly. Fred had to ensure he did not stare longer than appropriate.

"Thanks, Princess... and uh, thank you for everything," Fred replied meekly, though extremely grateful nonetheless as he locked eyes with her. One thing he did have to get used to was the fact that Celestia was several inches taller than him. He being about five feet, eleven inches as a human male was somewhat above average, and that statistic seemed to hold from what he had seen so far amongst the ponies.

"Please, Fredrick, it is the bare minimum we can do for you given the circumstances. Now, we'll talk more tomorrow about anything and everything necessary, so go on ahead to your room and get some rest on a real bed," she reassured with a gentle smile. Fred, ever since he had formally met her, had always felt at ease by her very presence. He concluded that she must be very well admired and loved by her subjects.

"Well, I won't say no to that if you're insisting. Goodnight, Princess." He gave a respectful bow.

"Goodnight, Fredrick."

The two parted ways and Fred immediately started down the corridor towards the Lunar Quadrant, which was where his room was purported to be. Still, he had a bit of energy left in him and a bit of exploring would probably prove to be beneficial, especially if it was of a place one would be living in indefinitely.

He was able to easily, by way of some directions lining the walls to locate essential places such as the dining hall and kitchen, the throne room, the Guard command center, as well as the Solar Quadrant should he need to see Celestia. What piqued his interest was the courtyard, however. The Guards did not seem to mind his presence, so he went for it. Once Fred exited into the courtyard, he was greeted by hedge beyond hedge of gorgeous flowers and shrubbery, tactically placed marble busts and fountains, as well as what took the cake for him: the night sky.

Now, he remembered everything back on Earth, and being a resident of a city suburb, he never really got a chance to see anything but a few clusters of stars here and there, especially when light pollution was at a minimum. But this... this was something else entirely.

Looking up at the early evening sky, Fred's eyes were greeted with a stunning display of stars. Unique clusters formed constellations that he had never seen before, all on a backdrop of what looked like the entire galaxy easily viewable, due to the lack of light pollution... or what he thought was the lack of light pollution. He knew for a fact that Equestria had electricity, but he still had not grasped the true workings of magic, so that perhaps had something to do with it. Canterlot was a large city, afterall.

Ruffling his hair a bit with his right hand, he chose to step out fully, down the stairs, and to sit at the only bench that overlooked the central fountain. It also afforded an awesome view of the night sky above, without having to arch his neck up uncomfortably. So, there Fred sat for a while, hands to his side and staring up at the sky in blissful silence, contemplating his very existence on this alternate world that he magically fell into against his will. That was, of course, before he heard steps behind him.

Turning around out of instinct, Fred's eyes gazed upon a gorgeous spectacle easily surpassing that of the night sky: the alicorn was midnight-blue in coat, clad in what was distinguishable as a plain, sleeveless dress of a shade of blue slightly lighter than her coat. This was complemented with a veil that gave partial shroud to her upper chest, working in tandem with her dress to perfectly conceal a nicely sized and proportional bosom. Her hair was ethereal much like her older sister's save in the form of the twinkling sky not unlike what was above him this very night and adorned with a tiara matching the color of her coat. Finally, her teal-blue eyes, in conjunction with her face, put forth an emotion of surprise. His thoughts immediately jumped to a single conclusion:

Wow... She's hot.

"Oh... I umm, did not expect anypony out here, let alone you," she spoke with a mix of trepidation and curiosity, which layered over the natural authoritative tone she normally spoke with.

"Umm... yeah, uh..." Fredrick immediately jumped to his feet, having been spied by the second co-ruler of the nation, and gave a hasty but courteous bow. "F-Forgive me, Your Highness. I'll take my leave then," he spoke and motioned to leave. From how her tone sounded, it appeared that he was not welcome where he stood.

"No no no, I did not mean it like that!" Princess Luna attempted to correct her previous remark, having just realized that she sounded condescending and contemptuous. She inwardly cursed herself as Fredrick stopped in his tracks. "Ahem... I was merely relaying my surprise to find not only somepony in the courtyard this time of night, but our newest resident."

"Ahh. Well, I just got out of the infirmary, so some fresh air was needed," he replied, becoming more at ease. Granted, he was standing in front of royalty in a plain-white T-shirt and some loose-fitting pants, courtesy of the medical ward. He shifted his legs a bit in perceived awkwardness but the equal-in-height alicorn did not seem to mind in the slightest.

"Freshly relinquished from the captivity of the medical wing?" she clarified, closing a little bit of the distance between them and coming more into the light of the moon. Fred found her formal language oddities oddly cute... and that scared him a tad.

"Yeah, I uh... never really liked hospitals or clinics, to be honest," he felt the need to scratch the back of his head for some reason. The princess gave the subtlest of grins.

"I as well, know the horrors of the inside of a hospital. After my return I was essentially an invalid for well over a month." She seemed to carry herself rather well, but truth be told, she was somewhat terrified. The experiences of her subjects turning and running in fear at her very presence were still quite fresh in her mind. She did not want to scare this one off as well... but that was when she remembered, he was not from this world! To her knowledge, this young stallion had no idea of her past.

"Oh? If I may ask, where did you come back from? And what happened to you?" Fred asked out of genuine curiosity. She visibly flinched at that, having, again, not thought before she spoke. Fredrick took this as a sign of offense.

"D-Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no you did not. But it is a story that is much too long and I would rather not bore you with it. At any rate, I normally come out to the courtyard every night at around this time," Luna explained.

"Was I encroaching on your space?"

"Certainly not. In fact, I am normally here alone, and would not mind the company if you find it within your schedule to engage in conversation with an alicorn, not as a princess, but as a pony?" Luna offered, feeling she was coming off too brash and seemingly desperate. Truth of the matter was, she was that lonely, plain and simple, no odd twists or definitions. Aside from her sister and an occasional visit from Twilight Sparkle, Luna had been hard-pressed to find anypony else that she could call a true 'friend.' Combined with the fact that reintegration had taken an enormous toll on her already battered self-esteem, she was starting to feel more alone than when she was in banishment.

On Fred's end, he was completely beside himself. This was the first time truly meeting the Princess of the Night and he really did not know what to expect. He was completely beside himself with the fact that royalty was seemingly so outgoing and friendly with someone not even of this world. Still, she seemed like she was being completely sincere... why would she have reason to be otherwise? As well, it was not like there was anyone else that he could talk to anyway. Plus, she was gorgeous, and he would need to start interacting again.

Alright, don't fuck up in front of royalty.

"I'd love to," he said with conviction. Honestly, the subtle look of joy on the princess's face made it all worthwhile.

"Very well, let us take a seat... oh, and where are my manners. I'm Luna, by the way.” She was certain he already knew who she was, but there was no substitute for being personable. She held her hand out gingerly.

"Fredrick. Pleasure to formally meet you, Princess Luna," he replied as he took her hand into his and gave a firm but gentle shake. He was pleasantly surprised to find a firm grip awaiting his own, on top of her hands being extraordinarily soft. Definitely the coat.

“Likewise, Fredrick.” They both took a seat on the same bench he was sitting on prior and the conversation began anew. It was one of those times where you first meet someone, but you have a near infinite amount of subjects to cover due to shared interests being aligned so well. It all started off with Luna noticing his admiration of her night sky, which, of course, garnered gratitude on a much more emotional level than Fred could really understand. From then on, all words just fell from their mouths, as if they had just been reunited with best friends. After at least two hours of nonstop talking, sarcasm, and jesting did they realize what time it actually was.

“By the stars, it is nearly two hours before midnight!” Luna exclaimed as she looked at the moon’s position for confirmation. She was still recovering from a giggling fit, so she had a light blush on her face that was clearly visible in the moonlight.

“Really?!” he also exclaimed, having dropped quite a few formalities with her.

“Indeed, as much as I’d rather stay, I should get back to Night Court,” the Princess affirmed as she stood up, adjusting and flattening out her clothes. Fred followed suit.

“Oops, are you allowed to be away this long?” She looked at him with a joking, incredulous gaze.

“Please, I am Princess of the Night. I may do what I please. Nevertheless, I do have obligations to fill. But even so, it’s not like anypony comes to Night Court, hence, the reason I come here,” she gestured to the courtyard, speaking her second sentence with gentle dejection. Fredrick could see it in her eyes as well. While she was unquestioningly a supreme, powerful mare, her eyes were a stainless window through which he could see some sense of sadness.

“Well… I could always keep you company if you want?” he offered, not really sure how else to keep the conversation going. He really would though, if she wanted to. She gave him a warm grin.

“Thank you, Fredrick, but no. You shall go to your chambers and obtain plenty of rest, as you have kept me plenty of company for tonight.”

“Well, I was happy to. It was really nice to get to know you, at least in part, as more than just the ‘Princess of the Night,’” he replied with equal friendliness. It would be a shame, however, if it all had to end this evening. With the potential to make his first friend as one of the Princesses, no sense in squandering the opportunity. He had nothing to lose:

“...but I would not object to doing something like this again. I-If you find yourself in need of company, of course,” he added the addendum, lest he sound like he was coming on to such a high ranking figure and gorgeous mare.

Princess Luna was sure not to show it on the outside this time, but she was quite gleeful and squealing internally. Had she found her first friend on her own?

“I would greatly enjoy that, yes…” Luna said with her ever present trepidation, albeit with much more confidence than before. A mare wielding so much power, politically and magically, being so afraid of social interaction was downright laughable and was something she had actively been working at. Things had been slowly improving since the Nightmare Night event in Ponyville a little less than a year ago. For Fred, he felt fully accomplished. Perhaps, he too, made his first friend in this strange world.

Nice!

“So, perchance do we part not as strangers, but as… friends?” Luna had to confirm. She needed explicit assurance. For Fred, hearing the surprisingly hopeful inflection in her voice, it had all but confirmed the best.

“Of course! Honestly, I’d have it no other way.”

“OH JOYOUS OCCASION!” Luna bounced on her feet and cried out in glee in what Fredrick would describe as pure, unadulterated “ear rape” due to the Princess engaging her Royal Voice. She immediately ceased her actions and covered her mouth in embarrassment once she spied Fred cringing and covering both of his ears. His mind could not help but be flooded with the word “cutie” at the sight of her blushing like mad from her actions. She was inwardly ridiculing herself for her lapse in judgement.

“M-My apologies, Fredrick. The curtailing of my voice is still a work in progress.”

“No worries, Princess,” Fred replied, waving his hand dismissively.

“If it makes you feel comfortable, I shan’t stop you, but you are more than able to drop the regal title, and refer to me solely as ‘Luna,’” she assured him. He knew that she would like him to drop the title, and he could not say no to those teal orbs of hers.

“Very well, Luna,” he said in a reassuring tone, to which she appreciated greatly.
“I shall see you later then… probably tomorrow?”

“Of course, tomorrow!”

"...Fred?" Celestia called out a third time. Only then did he wake from his reminiscing spell, recalling more specifically how he met the Lunar Princess rather than the ensuing conversation.

"Wahh.. Hmm?" he looked up and found the Solar Ruler staring at him with a humorous expression.

"I had said that you've done enough for today, you're free to leave."

“Are you sure? I really don’t mind staying…” he offered. While he’d like to leave, he truly had no qualms with staying to help Celestia.

“I’m positive. I’m more than capable of cleaning up here. Besides, there was no way we were going to finish all of these tonight, so it’s quite alright,” Celestia reassured, stacking papers together and organizing her desk for the next day of administrative duties.

“Well, if you insist…” Fred began his sentence while standing up and stretching oh so comfortably. “...I know what can happen if I continue to politely refuse your insistence, so I’ll take my leave. Goodnight, Celestia!” he bid her farewell as he picked up his coat, quickly organized his desk, and headed for the door.

“Goodnight Fredrick! Enjoy your weekend and I’ll probably see you sometime tomorrow,” she responded in kind, waving at him with a friendly smile. He returned the gesture and showed himself out.

His next stop was Luna’s chambers. Since the initiation of their friendship, the two had grown extraordinarily close to each other, even if he could not see it in its entire scope, others around the castle noticed. What had also improved things around the castle was the fact that Luna had synchronized her sleep schedule with that of Celestia’s, so they could, together, hold a Combined Court rather than distinct Day and Night courts. Attendance was up, and Luna had the ability to participate more and feel more ‘useful,’ as she would put it. Her mastery of dreamwalking spells meant the she could literally patrol her subject’s dreams in her sleep. Raising and lowering the moon was not an issue either, as Celestia and she would already perform the actions together anyway.

With his thoughts straight again, Fred started for her chambers, where the two, depending upon how tired they were, would do sometimes as little as just lay in bed and rest. They did not mind each other's company in such close and personal proximity anymore, as they both mutually agreed that it let them bond more. Of course, nothing romantic was involved, despite how much admiration they held for each other, even if one party could not quantify the other’s emotion. What the two did not say in words, they demonstrated with actions. Luna was quite comfortable with simple displays of affection such as hugs and silly hand play, especially when no one else was around to judge, but after a mistake on Fred’s part due to reflex, the two had gotten quite comfortable with an advancement in those physicalities: minor cuddling.

Judging by the current time, Luna would probably just want to lay down and talk a little, and he was alright with that, because that almost certainly meant cuddle-time was imminent. Did he have any thoughts that wandered during his closeness with the Princess of the Night? Certainly! She was a gorgeous mare and often had to adjust to ensure propriety. Honestly, how he could not see that they were essentially great friends, he was dumbfounded. With such a mare as uptight (about some things) as Luna giving in to close, physical contact with him, it was certainly the case that she felt the same. It could be safely said that their friendship was indeed progressing beyond the aforementioned stage, but to what, he was not sure. However, he was more than content to let things happen as they did, though he honestly did not mind if they took certain routes over others.

Fredrick smiled as he began to make eager haste towards his destination.

Author's Notes:

I'm more than aware that this first chapter has a bit more telling rather than showing. Thank you for your patience.