The Forgemaster and Celestia talked for the rest of the day. They spoke together about many things. From current events in Equestria to strange memories that one or the other didn't understand. The Forgemaster learned that his new job gave him 10000 bits a year as his salary, he was equivalent to a general in her army, and that his job revolved around helping the 'Elements of Harmony' and protecting them while they learned about their roles. Celestia learned more about his past, the world he was from, and the benefits of an immortal servant. Everything was going along fine, both sides learning what their memories didn't show, until The Forgemaster made a request.

"My liege, I request permission to study Princess Lunacae."

"Study? I'm afraid I don't understand, Forgemaster." Celestia said with just a hint of a blush.

"I wish to present a gift, my lord, to the royal family. In order to better make said gift, I need to know Princess Lunacae's personality."

"Oh! I'm sure Luna wouldn't mind. She prefers Luna, by the way. It wouldn't be very good for first impressions if you use her full name; she is mortified by it."

"Actually, she has been listening to us from behind that door over there." He was pointing to the door past Celestia's throne.

As he pointed, a small gasp was heard from behind the door he indicated. Then a louder noise was heard, along with a flash of light from the door. The Forgemaster altered his aim until it rested pointing at the door next to the one he previously indicated.

"Princess Luna is behind that door now."

Another noise, another flash, another slight altering of his pointing direction.

"That one, now."

He went over to the door and opened it: revealing a very embarrassed dark blue princess inside of a dark janitorial closet.

"Hello Princess Luna. It's nice to meet you."

She was blushing furiously now.

"Oh…. Hello, I'm sorry for listening in on your conversation." She said, quiet as a mouse.

"It's fine, my liege; I live to serve!"

Suddenly, Celestia spoke up, "Well, Forgemaster, you wanted time to spend with Luna. Here's your chance."

Princess Luna looked at The Forgemaster with shock and a very red blush.

So he explained, "I wanted to give you 2 gifts."

She nodded, understanding.

He spent the next several days with Princess Luna before Celestia told him he had to go back to Ponyville to oversee his charges. When he had left, he knew he could make adequate gifts for his rulers. He knew Celestia's personality because he went looking through her mind, and he knew Luna's personality because the entire time he was at the castle, she didn't let him leave her side. He was in Princess Luna's company almost the entire time he stayed there.

In one of his free moments away from Luna he asked Celestia, "Why won't she let me go?"

With a 'are-you-serious- face, she replied, "Are you really that oblivious, or do you not understand ponies?"

He didn't know how to respond to that, but was saved the embarrassment when a letter arrived. It appeared in front of Celestia in a poof.

"Ah! I have a letter from my student, Twilight Sparkle." She said. He grumbled but didn't say anything.

"'Dear, Princess Celestia,'" Celestia was reading the letter aloud, "'The Forgemaster has vanished! We have looked everywhere but can't find him. 3 fillies came forward saying he has left for Canterlot, you should start looking for him there.'" Celestia giggled, "It looks like she worried about you."

"No she's not." Celestia gave The Forgemaster an angry look, and then continued.

"'If you should find him, know that I haven't made a very good impression on him. Several things went wrong with our meetings when he woke up, but I won't bore you with details. In fact, he doesn't seem to like any-pony. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.'" Celestia sighed, and then said, "What happened?"

"Twilight Sparkle stole things from me, tried to steal my magic, and then tried to read the letter I sent to you. I found it to be childish and inappropriate. I told her so, in no uncertain terms, what I thought of her. However, her assessment that I don't like any-pony is wrong as I've only had interactions with you and those 6. And Princess Luna, now."

"Ugh, fine. Deal with it when you get back. It's your job to look out for those 6, it will be easier if you lot are friends."

"They can't be my friends, Celestia."

She was about to respond to this rather brazen remark when Luna called out for The Forgemaster from another room. The Forgemaster quickly used the opportunity to escape.

His time with Luna was a learning experience for all involved. She asked him many questions about him, his kingdom, and especially his smithing. He replied with all the honesty and the entirety he could muster. When he started to talk about how he sang when he forges, she stopped him.

"Wait, you mean you sing when you forge? How does that work?"

"If you use heat and enough pressure, you can mold metal into any shape you want. But once the metal is in that shape, the only intent comes from the user. It's difficult to explain. I sing to my metals so that the metal can hear me, and know its purpose. This is where other smiths fail, they don't sing to their metal, so the metal doesn't know what to do. The metal can't help if it doesn't know what to do!" he trailed off, lost in his thoughts.

"I'm still not understanding, Forgemaster."

"When I sing, the metal knows what it is going to be, and rejoices in it. When it finally is shaped, it actively assists the user in the manner I told it to, if the metal isn't sang to, then it doesn't know its purpose, if it doesn't know its purpose, then it cannot help!"

"I think I'm starting to understand, but it's still confusing." She said.

"I know, and I'm doing my best to explain."

After a pause, she said, "What kind of songs are there?"

"All kinds of songs. There are songs of the sword, song of the mace, song of the hammer, there is even a song of the bucket! Some songs aren't worth knowing, to tell you the truth. I mean, what use is the song of the nail? Then, of course, there are the ballads."

"Ballads?" she asked.

"Yes, ballads. If you wish to have a sword or a hammer with the spirit of a weapon from ancient times past, you must sing the ballad of that weapon. For instance, to make my sword here, I couldn't just go and get the original. No, the original was lost at Thermopylae, but I wanted the blade here, now. So I sang a ballad of all my swords past achievements while I was forging the sword, the spirit of the metal thought it had done these things that I told it, so it assumed the guise of the weapon. The original and this sword here are now one and the same."

"That is a fantastical story, and I don't think I can believe it."

"Yes, I know. The other humans I told thought I was mad. To them I was saying, 'Metal has a spirit and it's just as alive as you or me'! Bloody fools: I'm glad they're all dead."

But the day came when he had to leave. Celestia generously provided a carriage and he was back in Ponyville within the hour. He noticed that Luna and Celestia were watching his departure from a balcony, and Princess Luna looked sad. Never one to leave any woman upset, The Forgemaster waved as he flew past, Luna immediately perked up and waved back.

The Forgemaster landed in Ponyville early in the morning, for he left before the sun had risen. Once at his home, the pegasi guards quickly left to go back to Canterlot; leaving him there with an empty home and 9950 bits in his bag. The fence he had requested out back was done; however, his house was still unfurnished. All that day he spent getting his home furnished. Not once encountering the 6 'Elements'.

'Finally,' he thought,' some peace and quiet.'