Chapter 18

Dave awoke to the pain of his head throbbing, he groaned as he sat up, he was in his bed and alone

“Celestia?” he called out and he received no reply

His attention was drawn to a note attached to his door, he climbed out of bed and tore it from the pin

Dear Dave

I had to return to Canterlot, I am sorry

I will see you tonight

Celestia x

Dave crushed the note in his hand as he walked to the bathroom, he walked up to the mirror frowning angrily

His reflection glared back “What do you want?” it asked

“I want to know what the hell you are and what the hell you are doing to me”

His reflection took a step closer to the mirror and met his stare “You don’t make demands”

Dave placed his hands either side of the mirror as he leaned forwards “Fine… just please tell me why this is happening… how has my mind… got its own mind?”

The reflection shook his head “You don’t get it, I am not your mind” it punched its side of the mirror and it cracked “I am far better”

Dave flinched as he felt his fist seize in pain “So what are you then? A ghost?”

The reflection stroked its chin “Not exactly”

“Well what do I call you?”

“What ever you want” it stared at Dave again, “I am not here to make friends”

“How about annoying?”

“Very funny” the voice in his mind growled

“Fine what are you here for?” Dave rubbed his knuckles as the pain subsided

“I needed a place to stay… luckily you were available” the reflection walked up to the mirror “and I am trying to help you”

“By almost killing me again?” Dave turned his back to the mirror “very helpful” he growled sarcastically

“I warned you that Celestia was going to try and use you, and she tried last night” Dave felt his skin crawl as he knew his reflection gazed at the back of his head

“So what do you want from me?” Dave turned to see his reflection had returned to normal

“Just continue with your life” the voice seemed to resonate into the bathroom “I will tell you when I need you”

Dave walked back into his room, put on some clean clothes and grabbed a few bags of money “Just be quiet” he whispered angrily as he walked out of his front door

Meanwhile…

Celestia sat at her desk staring blankly at her pile of work, she was not reading any of it, and she was too worried about Dave to focus

“I shouldn’t have left him” she sighed as she stood up, she paused before sitting back down “I’m sure he is fine”

She kept looking between her work and her balcony window trying to force herself to go see him

“I… have to stay here” she closed the curtains on her windows and turned the lights on “work is… more important”

She forced herself to read her daily work, it was slower than normal due to her being distracted but as she read she found her mind slowly allow her worries to disappear, until a knock came at her door

Celestia rubbed her eyes as she stood up, head held high “Enter” she commanded and the door swung open

Luna trotted in happily “Good morning sister” she beamed happily at her “How have you been?”

Celestia sat down once the door closed “I’m well, why are you up at this time in the morning?” Celestia smelled something… flowery

Luna sat down opposite her big sister “I was hoping to travel down to Ponyville today”

Celestia forgot about Luna’s meetings with Dave on her balcony, she watched them all of course, for her sisters safety

“Any particular reason?” Celestia noticed Luna’s larger eyes and enticing perfume

“Just to go visit my subjects” she smiled “Hopefully in a slightly different atmosphere than nightmare night”

They both giggled lightly before Celestia looked at her sister “So why the makeup?”

Luna smiled again, slightly weaker “Well am I not allowed to look my best when visiting my subjects?”

“You always look your best little sister” Celestia’s smile turned to concern “I thought you said you didn’t want to get hurt again?”

Luna’s smile also faded “I-I don’t” she avoided looking up at her sister “but I can’t just push him out of my head”

Celestia sighed ‘I managed to’ she looked down at her sister and her drooping ears ‘I can’t tell her about me and Dave’

“Listen Luna” Celestia placed a hoof on her sister’s shoulder “you told me you didn’t want to get hurt again and if you go down this road you will be”

Luna brushed Celestia’s hoof away “But can I at least try and be happy for now? Dave likes me I know he does”

Celestia wanted to confess everything to her but the fear of being hated and the risk of losing Luna’s trust was too much

“All I can say is be careful” Celestia looked at Luna’s face as it slowly grew a smile again “don’t start anything with Dave, just be friends… promise me this”

Luna ignored the strange tone in Celestia’s voice and applied the sweetest grin she could “I promise, don’t worry about me”

Celestia shook her head as Luna happily trotted out of the room again, “I will see you tonight before I go to bed… little sister”

Celestia waited until the door was fully closed before magically levitating one of her pillows over, she pulled out the bracelet that Dave had got her and stroked it gently

“If only I could tell everypony, it would make everything so much simpler” Celestia replaced the bracelet and retuned the pillow to its original position

She then levitated over a large brown book that was hidden under her bed, she flicked to a dirty page towards the back and began to read it quietly to herself, her work can be sorted later

Meanwhile…

Luna trotted happily away from her sister’s room ‘what does she know? She gave up on her love before he even died, I stuck with mine to the end’

Luna started her long decent down through the castle, she stopped occasionally to check her makeup in various windows and in one occasion a guards armour

“Good to see your armour is in good condition guardsman,” Luna announced

“T-thank you your highness” the guard saluted

“As you were,” Luna commanded before quickly trotting away hiding her embarrassment

As Luna arrived at her own room in a tower that complimented Celestia’s she stepped out onto her balcony and gazed down the lens of her telescope, she saw Dave leaving his house and heading towards Ponyville

“What Celestia doesn’t know can’t hurt her” Luna stared at a spot a few feet ahead of Dave, she wasn’t as used to teleporting as her sister but she could do it with concentration

Her horn glowed brightly and she vanished in a bright flash, appearing in the spot where she was staring

Dave dropped the bags he was juggling and jumped in fright at the sudden appearance of the smiling alicorn

“AH oh Luna it’s you” he picked up his bags from the floor “I wasn’t expecting to see you”

Luna fluttered her eyelids playfully “well I wanted to visit my subjects here in Ponyville”

Dave looked over at Ponyville, which was still a good five minutes walk away “I would have thought you would have taken a cartridge for a formal visit”

Luna giggled sweetly “Well just visiting my friends rather than a royal visit”

Dave crossed his arms “And I suppose it was just lucky that you teleported right in front of me” He noticed a slight aroma floating from the princess

“Well I was looking at Ponyville for a nice place to teleport to but I noticed you” she flashed her eyelids again “so I thought you and I could talk while we walked”

Dave noticed the makeup that enhanced Luna’s face to a state that Dave could not concentrate properly on what she was saying

“Huh? Oh yeah I’m walking to Ponyville now” Dave began to walk alongside Luna towards Ponyville “So how are things?”

“They have been just fine, it is nice to get out of the castle for a day” she unfolded her wings and flapped them a little, enough to send a scent of her perfume into Dave’s nose “good to relax a bit”

Dave struggled to form words as the smell lifted his body “well it is always good to… to umm… chill” he thanked the wind as it brushed Luna’s aroma away and replaced it with the smell of summer flowers

Luna occasionally took a slight movement closer to Dave “So what are you doing today?”

“Just going to the Library for a bit to grab something, grab some bits for my home and then head back” Dave looked down at the nearing Luna “How about you?”

Luna hummed for a bit before replying, “I was going to visit my sisters student before visiting some of the other elements”

“So you going to visit any… stallions?” Dave asked raising an eyebrow

“In what context?”

“You know… a friendly way?”

Luna looked at Dave with confusion “I am always friendly to everypony… isn’t that clear?”

Dave rolled his eyes “Do you… find anypony… attractive?”

“Oh THAT context” Luna giggled again “no I am afraid I don’t find stallions attractive”

“Mares?” Dave shrugged in a vain hope that it was the right guess

“Oh my goodness no” Luna blushed beneath her makeup “I haven’t thought about that in at least a few tens of thousands of years”

“Tens of thousands?” Dave mumbled in disbelief, he had forgotten that Celestia was older than he could comprehend “So why all the makeup?”

“Can’t I look my best?”

“You always look your best” Dave sighed to himself

“You sound like my sister now” Luna grunted

“And I’m guessing she knows the real reason you came down here” Dave took Luna behind a tree so they could talk before entering Ponyville

“Ok fine I put all this on for you” Luna waited for a repeat of her talk with Celestia

“Well I thought you said you couldn’t go through this all again?” Dave lent against the tree as he awaited a response

“Well I-I umm…” Luna struggled to think under Dave’s stare

“You said something about me not being able to live forever”

“Well there was this book I found but I… lost it” Luna played with her hoofs as Dave sighed loudly

“Well isn’t that handy? After you tell me to bugger off, you find a book with the secret to eternal life, which is now gone”

Luna’s ears drooped and her voice began to quiver “Well I didn’t mean to” she stared down at the ground “somepony must have taken it out of the library before I could have”

“So what was your plan then?”

“Well I-I was planning on extending your life so you could be mine forever” Luna smiled weakly up at his flaring nostrils

“Be yours? I am not a toy you can play with when you are feeling lonely” Dave looked away from her “I don’t get you Luna, first you want to be friends. Fine. Then you try to take it a step further. Strange considering you are a pony and I am a human.”

Dave turned back frowning “Then you blast me away with this sob story on how you can’t be with me and now this”

“I-I was lonely at the time… I wasn’t thinking strait” Luna stood up and met Dave’s stare but with determination “but I am thinking strait now and I want to try… even if it wont make me happy having you forever at least it will make me happy knowing I did have you for a while”

Luna smiled as Dave’s face grew calm “That’s the thing Luna…” he gently shook his head “you did have me”

Luna’s smile wavered “D-did? W-w-what about now?”

Dave merely shook his head sadly

Luna looked around in disbelief, somepony had taken Dave from her, and somepony had denied her momentary happiness

“Who is she? Please tell me and I can be better” Luna placed her hooves on Dave’s shoulders begging for a look into his eyes “please Dave look at me”

Dave slowly looked at the crying Luna’s face, her makeup was running down her face, long black lines stretched down from her eyes

“I’m sorry Luna” was the only thing Dave manage to say as an invisible grip tightened around his throat

Luna’s crying stopped as her horn began to glow brightly “I won’t let you leave me” she pounded a hoof on his chest “Who is she?” she demanded

Dave struggled to breathe as she gripped tighter “Luna… I’m… sorry”

“NO! Don’t say that we can still be happy” Luna smiled but it quickly turned back “Don’t leave me please”

The bond around Dave’s neck loosened as they both slid to the floor “I’m sorry… you left me on that balcony”

Luna’s face flooded tears again as she dropped her head into Dave’s chest “No…no, no, no” she looked up at him “I can’t let you go”

“I won’t forget those nights we talked” Dave smiled as he stroked her mane “they were fun”

Luna placed a hoof on the side of Dave’s face “they were fun because we were together” she pushed her lips to his, as she tried to place her tongue inside his mouth she found her entrance blocked, she slowly pulled her head away “I love you” she whispered

Dave wiped the makeup away from her face, leaving it in its natural beauty “I have to go now”

“Do you love me?”

Dave stood up leaving Luna resting in the shade of the tree “I may be in sugarcube corner later, when you are done meeting your subjects”

“Give me an answer please” Luna reached for Dave as he walked away “Do you love me?”

Dave stood with his back to the crying princess “I-I can‘t I… no”

“I know you do Dave” Luna’s face turned to stone “what do you mean you can‘t? Is it because I am not human?”

“It has been nice chatting” Dave grinned weakly at her before walking into Ponyville

Luna watched him walk away from her, again. Angrily she teleported back to her bedroom and threw herself onto her bed sobbing loudly

Meanwhile…

Celestia watched through her telescope as the drama between Dave and Luna unfolded, she used an enchantment to allow her to listen to their conversation

Dave’s face grew calm “That’s the thing Luna…” he gently shook his head “you did have me”

Celestia almost broke into tears herself when she felt her sister’s devastation, the feeling of having her sister hate her without her knowledge hurt even more

“I’m sorry Luna,” Celestia whispered to herself weakly “I warned you”

Celestia began to slowly walk to her sister’s room, ready for when she arrived

Sure enough, the moment Celestia reached the door she heard Luna land on her bed

Sighing she tapped the door gently “Luna… it’s me” she opened the door and cautiously stepped in

Luna lay curled in a ball on her bed “Why does he not love me back?”

Celestia sat on the edge of the bed “some things are not meant to be”

Luna sniffed loudly “Help me” she sat up and stared at her sister “help me get him to return my love”

Celestia shook her head “I can’t do that” she smiled at her sister “Just let him be happy”

Luna fell back down again “but he isn’t happy without me” she wailed loudly “I know he feels the same”

Celestia placed a hoof to her head ‘I have to do something soon’

Meanwhile…

Dave knocked on the front of the library door, a heap of stuff in a large bag holding onto his back “come on, come on”

Twilight opened the door and smiled happily “Dave! It’s so good to see you”

“Yeah you too” he gave her a quick hug “is Spike in?”

As if by chance, Spike walked by the door “Hi Dave, do you need something?”

Dave smiled at the dragon “I need you for something”

Spike looked nervously at him “umm… sure what?”

Dave dropped his bag on the floor “Camping, today, a night or two away somewhere”

The being in Dave’s mind chuckled ‘are you sure you can escape? These ponies will find ways to keep you happy’

Spike grinned eagerly “Sure! I’ll go get some things” he then sped up the stairs leaving Dave with Twilight

“Be quick” Dave called above the beaming unicorn’s head “please”