Again I woke screaming and covered in sweat soaked sheets. Like always nightmares plagued my nights and I could not get a full night’s sleep. This one featured my wife, Tala’keer and as much as the dreams where the people I’ve killed come for me haunts me the ones where the people I loved are in them get me more. My hand reaches for my chest and what I expect to find there but its not there.

Remembering that I took it off last night I swing my legs off the bed and take a small brown bag from the nightstand. I usually wore it around my neck and it contained some memories of the people I loved who were now gone. Reaching into the bag I dug around until I felt a familiar smoothness and dug it out. What rested in my hand was a small green bauble inlaid in a gold circle and held by a golden chain.

The bauble was Elediel in origin, one of the long lived races I had mentioned to Luna and the race that my wife had belonged to. All I had to do was press my thumb against the bauble and a projection of my wife, along with our daughter, who at the time was a baby, would appear. I would even hear her voice again as she had recorded it for me so no matter where I was I could have a part of her with me. She had meant it for when we were separated by business or necessity however I now had it as a reminder of her as she had been in life.

Instead I simply curled my fingers around it and held it to me, trying to remember her as she looked when she gave it to me. All I could see was her in my arms; eyes wide open and lifeless, her throat slashed and blood all over my…STOP IT! I once again screamed at myself. I knew it would bring nothing but pain to remember her and it had been four years since her death so why couldn't I let go? Why couldn't I focus on the happier moments?

No matter how hard I tried though when I thought of her it inevitably came back to her death and absence from my life. Before those thoughts could continue further and bring me to a place I didn’t want to go a voice floated up from downstairs, “John, are you ok? I heard screaming.” It was Windfall and she sounded very concerned.

“I’m fine Windfall, just a nightmare. Go back to sleep,” I called down as I put the bauble back into the bag and placed it back on the nightstand. Normally I would stay up and start planning for the day ahead but with her here I didn’t want to go down and disturb her so I decided to go back to bed and hope no more nightmares came. Sighing in expectation for the worst I lay down and pulled up the covers. With a sarcastic whisper, “Good night,” I closed my eyes.

She smiled as she looked down upon John’s sleeping form. Ever since they had gotten together she had noticed how much more relaxed he looked from how he had when they had first met. That peaceful look filled her with many emotions; satisfaction, joy, peace, assuredness and serenity. One of her long fingered hands reached down and gently stroked his cheek, a small thrill emanating from their touch.

With a happy smile she walked away from his prone form and headed into a small room she had set aside for her and her alone. It was made of special materials common to her people and allowed her to exercise parts of her that she couldn't anywhere else. These exercises were good for both her mental and physical health and if left unattended could lead to some dire consequences.

This also came as an advantage right now because she could use this room to create her anniversary gift for him; one year was coming up quickly and she wanted it to be special. From within her came an outburst of happy thoughts, causing her to smile warmly and place a hand on her stomach. “You want him to be happy to don’t you little one? You know he’s your papa already,” She murmured.

From within, from her and John’s child came a confirmation. Not in words as she could do with the mind of other adults but from pure emotion. It was raw and uncontrolled but that was to be expected of a child, especially an as of yet unborn child. Even so it made her happy that their child already knew them both and wanted them to be happy together. Sitting down in front of a small table she looked down at the components before her.

On the table was a small green gem and a ring of gold, waiting for her to shape and mold with her mind. The first part of her work here would be to charge the gem with any images, memories and messages she wanted to it to contain. Taking the gem in her hand, seemingly engulfing the gem in her long, slender hand she closed her eyes and opened her mind, reaching out to the gem.

However she didn’t find the gem, instead a flood of images forced its way into her mind and caused her to stiffen and jerk like she had been hit by electricity. All of the images were of John and they were terrifying her. One had him striding through a fiery city street with a gun in one hand and several lifeless corpses standing behind him. Another had John looking gaunt and angry looking standing over a begging form and mercilessly firing several bullets into it.

Where am I in all this, She thought. The scariest image came to her of him, looking just as gaunt but now looking tired and worn out. At his feet lay a prone and unmoving form and with his mouth he formed the words, “Finally. Its over. Thank God.” Then he put his pistol against his temple and fired, body collapsing limply to the floor. She screamed, managed to break herself out of the flood of images.

From within she felt a mental cry, like that of a wailing child. Instinctively she reached out then more tentatively in case any more images came to her and soothed the little one with her mental touch. Eventually her child calmed down and she was able to really think on what had happened and what she saw. Logically she began looking at the facts as she knew them; the first being of course that the images were all of John.

The second fact is that the images weren't from his past. Being bonded in marriage meant she knew his mind and so had seen his memories and thoughts and she knew those things had not happened. If they had not happened then they must be something that can or will happen. It was not unheard of among her people for select bloodlines to be able to look into the future; she herself came from such a line though she had never tried to tap into such talent.

If these were things that were in the future then they could be changed, for better or for worse. The question was how to go about changing these events? Her people were used to such things and would be willing to accept the word of the seer but John; as much as she loved him she knew he wasn't as willing to put stock in something like her vision. It wasn't that he didn’t trust her, far from it he simply didn’t like to rely on visions for anything.

She considered telling him anyway though she doubted it would do any good. However there may be another way to help either prevent it entirely or at least prevent the final image from occurring. It would require leaving him a message that would give him a push in the right direction. Looking down at the gem before her she got an idea and settling her thoughts again went to work.

Another nightmare leading to another screaming awakening. Thankfully this time I could see a few rays of sunlight, which reminded me briefly of my conversation with Windfall the night before. The idea of someone, or somepony powerful enough to actually be able to raise and lower a sun, let alone somepony who could do the same with the moon was a bit boggling. I’d seen some of the things Sheeva could do and had been on the receiving end of various monstrous abilities wielded by others, but nothing quite like that.

“John are you sure you’re ok? That’s the second time today.” She sounded worried and I suppose I couldn't blame her. Now that she was living under my roof she had reason to be concerned if her housemate kept screaming all the time, especially while trying to sleep.

I still didn’t want to have a conversation about it, especially if awkward questions might come up so I said, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m awake now so it won’t happen again.”

“No you are not fine John. Nopony screams like that if they’re fine and certainly not twice in the same night,” Her voice was set and had a bit of an edge to it, like she wasn't taking no for an answer. It wasn't long before I heard a soft clopping noise as her hooves moved across the floor and up the stairs. A few moments later she limped slowly upstairs and stared at my shirtless chest and arms, though not because she found them attractive.

“How did you get those,” She asked, pointing a hoof at my chest where a veritable wealth of scars could be seen, standing out because they interrupted the hair wherever they went. I had two slashes that formed a lopsided X on my chest, one that crossed my stomach horizontally and a few smaller ones crossing the others. My arms had one each going up and down them facing frontwards though they all were usually hidden by my attire.

“I’d rather not talk about them Windfall. Same goes for my nightmares.” My legs swung over the side of the bed and I tiredly rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The bed suddenly sank a bit to my left and as I looked over there sat Windfall, eyeing me with a mixture of concern and a bit of exasperation.

Softly she said, “John I respect that you have your secrets. We all do after all. It’s just that…well I've never heard of anypony screaming like that in their sleep.” Fear began to fill her eyes, “It’s almost like you were getting killed or were going insane.” My left hand felt a mixture of soft fur and something hard and bonelike as she put a hoof on it. Smiling encouragingly she continued, “You've been kind to me; taking me into your home, taking care of my wounds and all for free. I want to help you John.” Leaning in she gently nuzzled my cheek, “Please let me.”

We sat like that for a bit though I never said anything. Her eyes kept searching mine as she waited for me to speak, to say anything though I still didn’t want to talk about it. As I was about to get up and head downstairs in spite of her waiting she spoke again, “Did I tell you why I came to Ponyville?”

Grunting a bit in annoyance I said, “Yes, you did. You said you came here to try and get a job but couldn't.”

“That’s true yes, though it’s not the whole story. I had a job until a few days ago, in Cloudsdale, the main city for pegasi and the center of Equestria’s weather creation.”

Naturally the question ‘why’ came to mind so I asked as I looked at her, “Why did you leave then?”

She looked away, removing from all contact with me as she stared at the floor, “I basically fled. I used to work for the main weather control corporation as an air specialist.”

Raising an eyebrow and despite myself getting interested I asked, “What’s an air specialist?”

With a smile of pride she replied, “Air specialists can read the air currents across Equestria and use that knowledge to direct the different weather clouds to be seeded where they will be blown to their final destinations. We use the air currents like most moving ponies use carts.” Her pride intensified and she put a hoof to her chest, raised her head, closed her eyes and declared, “It’s a very rare pony that has the innate skills needed to read the air currents but I can.”

“I see,” I said, not fully getting it but getting enough to have a general idea of what she was talking about. Prompting her with my hand to continue I listened intently as she went on.

“Because my skills are so rare those of us who have those skills are better paid than other ponies and some get jealous of that fact.” Her face scrunched up in anger, “I kept getting mocked and bullied every day while there and nothing I did made any difference. I talked to them, I went to my boss and I even tried changing my travel routine so they wouldn’t find me on my way into work or going home from work.”

The mattress of the bed caved as she stomped her forehooves onto it, “Nothing worked! They just kept making fun of me all the time! It’s like when I was back in school as a filly and everypony made fun of me for not having my cutie mark yet. I got so frustrated that I lost my temper and lashed out.” Her head bowed and her eyes teared up a little as shame took hold of her face, “The stallion I lashed out at ended up crying because I hit him in the nose with my hoof. Even if I didn’t get in trouble at work I knew they would only try to make my life more miserable if I stayed so, like I said I basically fled here.”

All that came to mind for me to say is, “I see,” inadequate as I knew it was. However I knew what it felt like to be tormented by others until you couldn't take it anymore and like my encounter with Derpy I felt sympathy for her plight. A hand rested on her back, offering a bit of comfort as I struggled with what to say next. Dammit, I've not done this for years. I feel so awkward and powerless here. I hate this kind of thing.

Finally I opened my mouth to give her something at least, “You wanted to know how I got my scars?”

Her head swiveled to look at me, eyes showing interest, “Yes please.”

As I went to continue I hesitated in part because I wasn't sure how much I wanted her to know and also I remembered what Luna had said to me about most ponies not being used to violence. After a little bit of careful structuring I was able to say, “Well like you I got tormented a lot, both as a kid and later as an adult.” My back heaved a bit as the unpleasant memories related to this story began to surface, “Well since then I've gotten into a lot of fights, most of them worse than yours. They didn’t all end well for me.”

As far as reactions go hers was rather interesting in that she both looked horrified and tried to move back away from me while also being interested and wanting to get a closer look at my scars. When she spoke her voice held some fear as well as some disbelief, “Wait, so these fights you were in injured you enough to leave these scars? What in Celestia’s name were you doing; fighting to the death?”

That was far truer than she knew but again I didn’t want to go fully into detail so I said, “You can do some really stupid things when you’re angry.” I sighed, “Sometimes I got angry at the wrong kind of people and tried to fight them. Nearly killed me on a couple of occasions.”

Fear was written across her face but also a mixture of horrified fascination and even pity. For a while she was quiet but then she patted my hand with her hoof in a comforting fashion, “Is that why you have nightmares? Reliving all the times those people tried to kill you?”

That was actually pretty close to the truth in some ways so I was able to use it to deflect her from needing to pry deeper, “Yeah.”

She nuzzled me again, “John I’m sorry about making you relive that.” A reassuring smile crossed her muzzle as she leaned back again, “But this is Equestria so you don’t have to worry about that sort of thing here.”

Not knowing how to respond to that I simply nodded. After that she got off the bed and began to canter her way back downstairs when something prompted me to turn to her, “Hey Windfall?”

Stopping she turned to look at me, “Yes John?”

My lips twitched upwards in a very bare smile, but the closest I had really come in a long time to one, “Thanks for caring enough to ask.”

A big smile lit her face, “You’re welcome. How could I do anything less though? I mean you saved my life, gave me a place to stay and have tried to take care of me. The least I can do is be your friend when you need one.” With that she walked away, back down the stairs to the lower floor. For a while more I sat there and pondered why she acted so different to me from the other ponies, few as they were that I had interacted with.

Yes she had show some fear of me when she first saw me but after a little discussion she seemed to be more open. Perhaps it was because I tried to show her some kindness by comforting her when she was crying and offering to let her stay with me. Another question that brings to mind is why I did that. I suppose it had to do with her being in a similar situation to one I was in once but that didn’t seem like enough of a reason to me.

Over the past three years I had lost count of the number of times I could have showed compassion, mercy or kindness and had not. The only kindness I could have been said to have show over the past three years was granting swift death rather than long and drawn out deaths. Yet when it came to Windfall crying I found myself wanting to help her feel better and to be honest, I didn’t know why and it was scaring me.

It was an anomaly; the other ponies hadn't caused that feeling in me though Derpy did get me to feel a pang of pity for her which was out of the ordinary for me. I didn’t have the answers, but I bet someone I knew did, Hey Sheeva, do you have any idea why I’m getting these feelings? There was no answer though I had the feeling that it wasn't because she couldn't answer but rather it was because she didn’t want to answer; coy little pain in my ass.

Those questions would have to wait though as I began to plan my day out; first on my agenda was to try and get some more food supplies since I now had a guest to feed. Part of that was going to be picking up a lot more produce products for Windfall and the other part was to try and find somepony I could make a deal with to get meat. I also wanted to get the layout of the town and learn the different landmarks and shops that were around.

Hopefully in doing so I would find someplace that I might be able to get a job since my cash supply would not last indefinitely. What kind of job I would acquire I had no idea since I highly doubted anypony would need to hire someone with a lethal skill set. Maybe Windfall could give me some ideas but then again, since she was new to town herself she might not be able to help me there.

Breakfast was a silent affair. Windfall seemed like she was afraid to talk about what happened that morning, whether because she thought it would piss me off or because she didn’t want to make me uncomfortable I wasn't sure. We had blueberry pancakes, something I loved but didn’t get to have too often. Windfall seemed to enjoy them too so the food itself was pleasant.

She asked me to pick up some apples from somepony named Applejack which according to her were divine. I simply nodded to indicate I would and proceeded to get ready to go. Windfall watched me curiously as I went about my arming routine. Fortunately she didn’t know what a gun was so when I put my normal pistol in its holster she didn’t bat an eye. Unfortunately she did know what a knife was and gasped when she saw me put it on.

“What are you doing,” her one forehoof jabbed at me sharply. “Are you going to kill somepony?!”

My ever-present frown deepened, “Of course not. I’m never without a weapon even when I’m supposedly safe. It’s just a precautionary measure in case someone or something tries to kill me.” I heard her huff a bit but she said nothing else so I went to throw on my coat when I remembered our discussion yesterday, where she told me about all the various dangerous creatures that live in this world.

A sigh escaped my lips as I realized what I should probably take with me; a present from my wife. It seemed like she wasn’t going to let me forget her today. Reaching down I took a small box that looked like it was made of polished wood from the bottom of one of my weapons lockers. Setting it on the computer desk I pressed my thumb to a small jewel on the front that looked similar to the one I had on the necklace she had given me, except this jewel was red.

The top of the box popped open and inside, sitting on a piece of padding was her gift to me; a heavily customized Desert Eagle, chambered for .50 caliber rounds. It was encased in a golden metal with ghostly white script seeming to float along the barrel and the grip. My wife had purchased it through one of my contacts; one capable of getting stuff from Earth for me. After she received it she took it to her people and had them modify it.

They replaced the original materials with a lighter yet more durable metal that gave off the golden sheen and allowed them to add in the script. Another advantage these new materials had was that they somehow absorbed most of the energy of the gun’s recoil, allowing me to fire it one handed. The script itself looked somewhat similar to cursive letters only more elegant and flowy. What it said I couldn't read for myself since it was in her people’s language but she told me what they meant. The words along the barrel read ‘The man I love, in my heart and soul for eternity.’

To her people having someone in your heart and soul for eternity was the greatest kind of love that was possible for them to give so while it may not sound like too much to her it meant everything. Looking at those words I felt the pain of her loss begin to rise up in me and I had to clench my hands almost to the point of drawing blood to bury it down again. Windfall apparently noticed because she said with concern, “John, are you ok?”

I told her I was fine but my voice cracked a bit at the beginning so it was pretty obvious I was lying. She didn’t say anything so I assumed she was just going to leave it alone and I went back to what I was doing. Her limping hoof steps sounded along the floor coming up to me and I felt something solid yet surprisingly soft wrap around my back and to my side. Looking over I saw that she had put her good wing around me and was looking at me with sympathy and concern.

Her voice was soft as she said, “You’re lying John.” After that she went silent and just sat there beside me, waiting for me to say or do something. Having her there and concerned for me made it hard to beat down the pain I was feeling though I kept trying. As we sat there her gaze went from me to the gun and back again. Questions danced in her eyes but she kept them to herself for the time being and continued to wait.

Finally I said, “This was a present to me from my wife Tala’keer for my first birthday as a married couple.” My fingers began to death grip the desk to help me keep myself calm, “She died less than a year later so this is one of the few things I have to remind me of her.”

Windfall’s eyes watered and she leaned in and nuzzled my cheek in a comforting manner, “I’m so sorry John. I didn’t know and I didn’t mean to make you think of that. You must feel awful right now.”

My voice cracked again, “Yeah.”

Showing that her wing was surprisingly strong she pulled me against her and completed her comforting hug by putting her forehooves around my neck. A few tears managed to squeeze their way out of my eyes but after what seemed like a monumental effort I managed to once again bury the pain away. She leaned back, letting go of me and stared into my eyes as she said, “Why don’t you grieve? You’re in pain, I can tell that very clearly and yet you don’t let it out.”

This is one instance where the full truth was enough without being too much, “If I let it out, if I stop holding it back, I’m afraid of how much it will hurt.” What I didn’t add was how bad it would be if I could no longer hold back any of the other pains I carried. Most likely I would be floored with grief and would not be able to get back up and finish my mission. That mission was my life’s goal right now and only when it was over could I finally let it all end.

She stared at me with the most heartrendingly sympathetic look I've ever seen and said simply, “If you hold it in then the pain will only get worse. Trust me, I know.” With that she began limping back across the room but stopped and turned her head around to say, “I’ll be here if you ever want to talk about it or let it out.” Having said her piece she continued limping across the room.

Shuddering from the effects of holding it all in through force I turned my attention back to the weapon. I normally didn’t name weapons but since it had been a gift from my wife I had named it Tala, my little pet name for her. That was in fact what the flowing script on the handle of the gun was; her name. Shaking myself out of those thoughts I grabbed one of the few loaded magazines I had for it and slid it in until it clicked.

Grabbing a holster large enough for it from among the rest of my gear I holstered the weapon, strung it around my waist, added in a few extra magazines for it and then threw on my coat. A little searching turned up my bag of money which Windfall told me were called bits which also disappeared into my coat. Strapping on my gauntlet and slipping a duffel bag over my shoulder I headed for the door and onto the town of Ponyville.

The silver arrowhead of a spaceship climbed out of the planet’s atmosphere and began making its way into deep space. At the controls the figure snarled for what seemed like the umpteenth time in frustration to himself. His quarry, the human known as John Tracker had been to the planet but had left some time ago. One interesting piece of information he had managed to acquire was that John had only killed one individual on this planet.

Every other world the figure had visited John had usually spent more time and had concentrated on taking out large groups. If this trend continued then it might be possible to piece together where John was heading next and who he was targeting. A rare smile crossed the figure’s lips, revealing sharp canines that glinted in the planet’s sun. With that thought to console him he began searching through more articles about John and his activities.

My frown grew greater as, once again the ponies gasped and decided to hide. Granted this was only the second time I had come into town but considering I had yet to harm anypony or even act in a threatening manner I was more than a little annoyed at their actions. I suppose it could have been worse; the ponies could have had the policy of destroying what they don’t understand as opposed to simply hiding from it.

The Ponyville market was my destination and I had some idea of where it lay within the town thanks to my earlier observations. However seeing the town from a distance and actually being in the town itself are two different things. Like when I first came to Equestria I had my gauntlet in its computer configuration and was mapping the town itself. This trip also answered the question about their language; they really were speaking English.

I was able to come to this conclusion as I saw the signs in the town up close and found them to be written in English which at least meant language would not be a barrier. Finally I came to a large open area of the town where a lot of stalls were set up, old town style. As much as specialization was a big thing back home it seems like Equestria was even more into it. The shops and the stalls all seemed to cater to only one or two things whether it be apples, cherries (Who the hell sells only cherries?!) or even sofas and quills.

Currently they all shared one thing in common and that is that they were all deserted. The thought of simply taking what I needed came to mind and considering their reaction to me it certainly seemed more than justified however I decided not to. After all I had spent a good part of the last ten years hunting down and killing people who did things like that so to suddenly go and do the same thing didn’t sit right.

Looking around for any sign of the vendor ponies got me nowhere and my frustration was building up to potentially dangerous levels when I heard, “Heya John! Glad to see you in Ponyville again!” Turning around and looking up I spotted Derpy smiling with what looked like a mailbag over her back waving one of her forehooves at me. She flew down to face level with me, still smiling and asked, “What brings you to town?”

Oddly glad for at least one pony who wasn't going to hide from me I said, “Came to get some groceries but it seems to be a little, well deserted.”

Derpy looked around with a confused expression on her face, “That’s so weird. Its almost always busy here. I don’t know where everypony went.” Her eyes lit up as an idea came to her, “Unless its lunchtime. Is it lunchtime?”

Blinking in slight stupefaction at her statement I was quiet for a moment. Fortunately she seemed to be oblivious as to why I felt that way and just continued to smile at me. A moment later I was able to answer her, “Uh, no its not. It’s mid morning at the latest so unless things are very different here when it comes to mealtimes lunch isn't for another two hours at least.”

This seemed to cause her to sadden, “Awww! Lunchtime is the perfect time to enjoy a muffin.” Then she brightened up almost immediately, “Actually you can enjoy muffins anytime of the day! In fact I’m going to do that after I finish up my next mail run; have fun!” With a wave of her hoof she took off into the air, leaving me blinking in confusion. After a moment of getting past that little event I went back to trying to figure out how I was going to get my groceries without stealing.

None of the stalls had any prices listed for their wares so I couldn't just put the money down and take the stuff. Some thought went into taking some of the product and putting down some money and hoping it was enough to cover the cost. A few more moments of arguing with myself I was about to take some apples and place some money down when a voice chimed from behind me, “Hi there!”

There was nothing behind me that I could see until I looked down toward the ground and saw a little pony, most likely a child standing there. The voice was, as all the others I had encountered yet, feminine as was the giant pink bow on her head. Her coat was about as yellow as yellow gets and her eyes even were an orange-yellow color. Almost matching her bow was her mane and tail which was a pinkish-red.

Despite being even smaller than any of the other ponies I’d seen yet she seemed to be the least afraid of me and just stood there with a big smile on her face. The silence was beginning to get awkward so I replied, “Hello.”

Somehow her smile got wider, “Ah’m Apple Bloom! Who’re you?”

Apple Bloom? What kind of name is that? While I’m thinking about that, what about the rest of the names here? Derpy? Windfall? Rainbow Dash? Its almost like the Native American names where they use nature names based on some aspect of the person, only here they’re describing...ah hell I have no idea. My face didn’t show any sign of my own internal thoughts as I pointed at myself, “I’m John.”

One of her tiny hooves waved enthusiastically at me, “Hi John!” She tilted her head to side, “Ah ain't ever seen somethin’ like you before. What are ya?”

“I’m a human.”

Tilting her head to the side she replied, “Ah’ve never heard of that before.”

I sighed, “Yeah, I imagine you haven’t.” Then an idea hit me and I gestured to the apples on the stand, “Hey, do you know how much these cost?”

That huge smile returned, “Well of course Ah do. This here stand belongs to my family, the Apple Family. My big sister Applejack is usually running the stand.” Confusion settled across her features and she looked around the empty market, “Ah don’t know where she went but she almost never leaves the stand alone like this.”

My shoulders heaved in a shrug, “Probably hiding, like everypony else.”

Realization seemed to dawn on the little pony, “Oh! Are you the monster everypony keeps talking about?”

I grimaced at the use of the word ‘monster’, “Most likely, yes.”

She giggled, “Aw shucks. You ain't that scary or a monster. It’s like that time with Zecora and once again, Ah’m right.” In her eyes I saw that look that said ‘I was right and everyone was wrong’ and her chest puffed up a bit at the thought.

Before I could ask who or what Zecora was I heard a shout from down the street with a similar accented voice to Apple Bloom’s, “Apple Bloom! Get away from that…thing! It could be dangerous!” Turning to face the voice I saw an orange pony with blonde mane and tail and a stetson upon its head. Her (seriously, are there no guys in this world?) head was lowered and she was bent on her forelegs like she was preparing to charge me.

In her eyes I saw a protective gleam but also some fear. Standing next to her with some fear mixed with curiosity was the purple unicorn I had spotted with the white pegacorn on my first day here. Apple Bloom came to my defense, “He’s not dangerous Applejack,” Way to be wrong on that one kid, “He’s not scary neither! He just wants some apples.” Applejack continued to look at me with suspicion but stood up straight.

The purple unicorn was now more curious and leaned forward a little as if to get a better look at me. However before anyone could say anything another voice chimed in, “Hey AJ, Twilight, I see you met the new guy huh?” Sure enough there was Rainbow Dash having flown in at some point during the conversation and was now hovering near Applejack.

For the first time the purple one spoke revealing that it too was a female, “Wait, does that mean you already met him?”

Rainbow pointed a hoof proudly at herself, like it was some big accomplishment, “You bet I did. I talked to him yesterday.”

Applejack looked over at Rainbow, “So is he dangerous then or what?”

Putting a hoof to her mouth Rainbow looked backwards in though, “Hmmm. I don’t think so. He didn’t try to hurt me or anything; of course if he had I would have put him in his place.” Suddenly I was very tempted to tell her to bring it on, but decided against it, for now anyway. Still, Rainbow’s testimony did seem to make them feel less threatened by me though not entirely trusting either but they did approach me at least.

The purple unicorn even looked like a kid in a candy shop as she stared at me. To be honest it was kind of unnerving; like being in someone’s crosshairs. Her mouth had even opened wide to reveal her white-as-Vanilla-Ice teeth and somehow I swear I could hear a squeaky toy noise when she smiled like that. Feeling uncomfortable I said, “Uh, can I help you?”

Despite the look on her face her voice was rather controlled by comparison though some excitement came through, “Can I ask you some questions? I've never seen your species before and I love learning new things.”

Rainbow snickered, “Twilight, you’re such an egghead.”

Applejack rolled her eyes, “Don’t listen to her Twi. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Oh good, another stupid sounding name. Part of me wanted to clarify that her name was indeed Twilight but another part of me didn’t want to because there might be more to her name then this and it might be even more stupid. Eventually I decided to go ahead and ask anyway, “Your name is Twilight?”

Twilight turned back to me and pointed at herself with her hoof, “My name is Twilight Sparkle. It’s nice to meet you mister…?”

God dammit, am I always going to forget to introduce myself? “Tracker, John Tracker. Just call me John though.”

To my surprise she held out a hoof for shaking, or at least that’s what I assumed she was doing. By the reflex ingrained in me by human society I reached out and took her hoof and shook it. Nothing happened to indicate that I had done anything wrong in fact I even felt her moving her hoof of her own volition as well. Then she looked at me expectantly and I stared at her uncomprehendingly for a rather awkward moment.

Her face turned to the side a bit so she could look at me sideways and she leaned forward, raised a hoof and waved it in a circle, “So…can I ask you a few question?”

Right, she had asked me that before. My cheeks flushed and I answered, “That’s fine though I came here to get some food and learn my way around town so would you mind walking and asking your questions?”

I swear she practically bounced up and down in happiness, “Oh yes! That would be wonderful! Let me go get some paper and quills and I’ll be right back!” Without waiting for an answer she took off in the direction she and Applejack had come from.

Applejack saw me blinking in surprise and chuckled, “Don’t worry about it John, Twilight’s always like that. Like she said, she loves to learn new things.”

Rainbow spoke up again, “Like I said, she’s an egghead.”

Applejack glanced at her, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Nah, I’m just poking fun. Twilight’s eggheadedness-“

“That ain't a word Rainbow.”

“It is now – her eggheadedness is one of her best traits. I've got awesome and she’s got brains. I mean c’mon! She’s the star student of Princess Celestia herself! That’s awesome!”

That got my attention, “Is she really the star student of the Princess?”

Applejack nodded, “Yep. She’s basically the most powerful unicorn in Equestria.”

Truthfully I said, “That’s pretty impressive. Is the princess here then?”

Rainbow started laughing, “Of course not! Princess Celestia lives in Canterlot.”

Raising one of my eyebrows I deadpanned, “Canterlot?”

Applejack answered, “Yeah. Canterlot is the capital of Equestria.” She pointed one of her hoofs at a large mountain that was easily visible even from here. Built into the side of the mountain was a castle that I had to conclude was Canterlot.

This brought up another question, “If Canterlot is the capital then why isn't Twilight there with the princess?”

“Celestia sent Twilight here to study the magic of friendship.” Applejack smiled as she continued, “She sends her a report on what she learned all the time. Actually we all can send her our reports now.”

Leaning against the apple cart I tilted my head to the side a bit in slight surprise. “Really? The princess lets her subjects send her mail at any time? It seems like she gets inordinately involved with her subjects lives.”

Now it was the ponies turn to tilt their heads, “Whaddya mean by that?”

My hands spread out as I replied, “I've been around a lot of different places Applejack and most rulers are not this involved with their subjects lives. Most in fact are so far removed from the people they are ruling that it tends to lead to problems with their ability to lead.”

Rainbow chimed in, “Aw yeah, Princess Celestia really is awesome!” I think I was beginning to figure out Rainbow’s favorite word.

Applejack just smiled, “Princess Celestia really does care for all of us that’s why we all love and respect her. Everypony here is loyal to the Princess.”

There was no hint of sarcasm or lie within Applejack’s eyes which was unusual when talking about the ruler of a country. If this was as true as it seemed I might have to pay her a visit to see for myself. It would be nice to see at least someone in such a powerful position who does give a rat’s ass for the people they rule over especially if they are willing to get involved on a personal level with them.

However this all brought up another question, “Ok so everypony loves Celestia. What about the other princess, Luna?”

“Did somepony mention our name?” Turning around whom else would I see except for Princess Luna herself. Unlike last time we met she was looking less serious and more relaxed.

Applejack waved, “Howdy Princess Luna. What brings you to Ponyville?”

Luna raised an eyebrow at Applejack, “We believe we asked thee to call us Luna when we were here last, did we not Applejack?”

An embarrassed smile came on Applejack, “Heh that you did. Sorry princes- Luna. What brings you to Ponyville?”

A silver shoe tipped hoof pointed at me, “He does.”

Oddly enough Rainbow Dash decided to stick up for me, flying in front of Luna and holding up her forehooves, “Wait! Is it because he’s been called a monster and everypony’s hiding from him? He hasn't hurt anypony or done anything.”

Luna’s head leaned back and her mouth opened a little in surprise, “Did thou think we came to take him away?”

Rainbow looked confused, “Isn't that why you’re here?”

Luna smiled now, shaking her head, “Thy loyalty, as always is commendable Rainbow Dash. We did not come here to take him away. Instead we are checking up on him to make sure he has done nothing wrong and that he is getting along with our little ponies.”

At that I had to make air quotes, “‘Getting along’ might be a bit optimistic Luna.”

She directed a stern look at me, “And why is that?”

I directed a stern look back at her, “Your ponies are all hiding from me and keep yelling ‘monster’ every time I come into town.”

Apple Bloom, who I had completely forgotten was there stepped forward, “Yeah! It ain't fair either. He hasn't done anything to anypony, just like Zecora when she first came to Ponyville.”

That was the second time I heard the name Zecora mentioned, “Who’s Zecora?”

Apple Bloom turned to smile at me, “She’s a zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest. When she first came to Ponyville everypony was scared of her. In fact Ah was the only pony who was willing to go talk to her and find out the truth.”

Applejack affectionately rubbed her forehoof through Apple Bloom’s mane, “That ya did little sis.”

That explained why she had no trouble coming out to talk to me at least, “Well glad to see that at least somepony is willing to take a risk and talk to the supposed monsters.”

Guilt came into the eyes of the other ponies, even Luna’s. She looked at me as she said, “Please accept our apologies on behalf of our subjects. Our ponies are naturally afraid of things they do not know or understand.”

Applejack stepped into the conversation, “And to be honest, ya look like you’re always ready to hurt somepony.”

I told you so.

Shut up, Sheeva.

Applejack, unaware of my mental conversation continued, “Try smiling and maybe lose the big coat. It’ll make you look less intimidating.” I had no intention of getting rid of my coat since it was what was concealing all my weapons but I suppose I could try smiling at least. My lips twitched and I tried to smile though it was unfamiliar enough by now that I had trouble using the right muscles.

What I ultimately ended up with was my lips making a grimace-sneer which made Rainbow Dash fall down laughing and everypony else just staring in embarrassment. A snort of frustration came out and I slapped my hands against my sides, “It’s been awhile since I smiled ok?”

Apple Bloom perked up, “Then you should go see Pinkie Pie! She can make anypony smile!” Ding ding ding ding ding, we have a winner for the dumbest name I've ever heard!

While I know that it would be rude to question someone’s name I couldn't help but say, “Pinkie Pie? That’s really somepony’s name around here? Pinkie Pie?”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed, “And what’s wrong with the name Pinkie Pie?”

I crossed my arms and leaned back a little. “I’m sorry, but…no. I take that back. I’m not sorry. Pinkie Pie is the dumbest name I've ever heard in my life—and considering the names I've heard since getting here, that’s saying something. Seriously, its like if I was named Reddy McRedHair.”

Rainbow was glaring at me, “Let me guess, you think my name is stupid too don’t you?”

“Yes, it is. However to be fair at least it fits well with your coloring so perhaps I can give it a pass.”

Rainbow looked unsure, like she wanted to punch me but wasn't sure if that was the best idea. Applejack shook her head, “And if y’all are being fair with her coloring ya oughta be fair with Pinkie’s name and coloring.”

Oh no, don’t tell me... “Let me guess; Pinkie’s actually pink.”

“Eeyup.”

I face palmed, hard, “Of course…”

It was at this moment that Twilight returned, holding a long sheet of paper, a feather quill, and a jar of ink in her magic aura. She was smiling widely and waved at Luna when she saw her, “Hello Luna! Welcome back to Ponyville. Is there something I can do for you?”

Luna smiled back, “Hello Twilight Sparkle. There is nothing we, I mean I need from you. I am simply here to make sure John is doing well and not harming anypony.”

Twilight said, “Oh ok.” Then she turned to me, that happy curiosity back in her eyes, “Are you ready to answer a few questions?”

I nodded, “Yes, however do you mind if we walk and talk? The reason I came to Ponyville was to buy groceries and learn the layout of the place.”

“Not at all. I’d love to help you out while you answer my questions.”

With sincerity I was able to say, “Thank you Twilight. It is appreciated.” Turning to face Applejack I asked her, “You operate this apple stand yes?”

Pride showed in her posture as she nodded, “You bet Ah do. We've got the best apples in all of Equestria here too.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it. How much for six apples?”

With practiced precision she set six apples in a bag and pushed it toward me, “That’ll be eighteen bits.” I counted out eighteen of the little golden coins from the bag Sheeva had given me and set them on the stand then put the bag in my duffel. She smiled at me and waved, “Thank ya kindly. Welcome to Ponyville and good luck ya hear?” We parted with a goodbye nod I began to head around the market to other stalls.

Apple Bloom stayed behind with her sister at the stall and Rainbow Dash left citing a need to “Catch up on some zees.” Now I was left with Luna and Twilight Sparkle walking with me as I made my way around the market.

Twilight smiled at me and put the quill to the paper, “First question: What are you? I've never seen your species before.”

“I’m a human. The more scientific name is homo sapien but that’s about all I know about our species’ name,” I said as I began checking out some broccoli.

Twilight wrote it down, “Next question: where are you from?”

“Originally a planet called Earth which might be the most misnamed planet in the galaxy.” My head turned side to side, “Any idea where the pony that runs this stall might be?”

Luna pointed a hoof at one of the buildings ringing the market, “I believe they are hiding. If you will excuse me I shall go talk to them.” Her wings flapped once and she took to the air, landing a second later and knocking on the door.

Twilight in the meantime still wanted to keep questioning me. To her credit, even though it was obvious she was super excited to learn about something new she kept her voice and mannerisms professional, like a doctor asking a patient what was wrong with them. “Why is your planet misnamed?”

While my lips didn’t quite make it to a wry smile enough of my face made it that Twilight was able to get the point, “We named it Earth but approximately 75% of its surface is covered in water.”

Twilight giggled as she wrote that down, “Wow that’s pretty misnamed. Actually we did more or less the same thing.”

“Oh?”

“Mhmm. We named our planet Equis, short for equines but many of our world’s inhabitants aren't equines at all.” With a smile she said, “Guess we’re alike in that.”

My head bobbed from side to side as I considered it, “Yeah, I guess we are. Makes you wonder how much more alike we are.”

At that point Luna returned with a pony who was closer to her height than Twilight, “John, this is Green Leaf the proprietor of this stall. Green Leaf, this is John a visitor to Ponyville. He simply wants to buy your product and I promise he will not hurt you.”

Green Leaf looked at me and swallowed nervously. To my surprise a male voice came from his mouth when he finally was able to speak, “How much broccoli can I get for you?”

For a moment all I did was stare because this was the first time I had actually seen or heard a male around here. I began looking back and forth between him and Twilight, trying to figure out how to differentiate between the two genders without having to get awkward. After a comparing them I was able to figure it out, assuming it held true for everypony; the males were taller, larger and blockier overall especially their muzzles.

Silence currently ruled as I did and apparently it was making the vendor even more uncomfortable than he already was as he began to slowly back away. Twilight and Luna were looking at one another in confusion. Twilight finally ventured to ask, “Um, John? Is there something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that everypony I've met since coming to this world has been female and I was beginning to question whether or not males even existed here. Now that I know they do I’m getting an idea of how to differentiate between them by sight.”

“Oh,” she exclaimed and even proceeded to chuckle a bit. “Ponyville does have a pretty high population of mares yes but we have plenty of males too and other areas of Equestria have more balanced populations.”

I said, “I see.” With that answered I turned back to the vendor, “I’ll take two stalks of celery.”

He tentatively came back to his stall, his mouth open in fear enough for me to see his teeth. Slowly he hoofed two stalks over and said, “That’s eight bits please.” Trying not to frighten him any more than I already was I slowly pulled out the money and set it in front of him then took the celery.

As I went to leave another thought occurred to me that might help him fear me a little less. Turning around and purposely relaxing my face as much as possible and only moving my lips a little at the corners I said, “Thank you. Have a nice day.” To most those were just words that you would say by rote to anybody to be polite. For me they were something that was now unfamiliar and I felt like a child repeating phrases he heard his parents say so that I could sound more grown up.

The next few stalls all went similarly, with Luna or Twilight having to bring the frightened ponies out to meet me and tell them what I wanted. At each one I would thank them the same way before moving on again, hoping that some good was coming of it at least. After that I was finished with the stalls and I asked Twilight, “Do you know where there’s a large food retailer in town? I have some things I need brought in from outside Equestria.”

She nodded cheerfully and began trotting to one end of the market, “I sure do. Follow me.” I did though as we walked she began asking me questions again, “You've bought a bit of fruits and vegetables there. Are your people herbivores like us then?”

Windfall had warned me that many ponies were not used to dealing with people who eat meat and that their perceptions might be colored by their fear of dragons who didn’t care who or what they ate. It might not seem like it but I do not like outright lying. If it considered lying to not tell everything that is asked of you then in that event I've done quite a bit of lying. Finally I just decided to go with the truth, “We’re omnivores actually so yes we can eat vegetables and fruits like you but we also can eat meat. In my case I tend towards more carnivorous appetites myself. This stuff is more for my current housemate, a pegasus named Windfall.”

Her head jerked back in surprise and fear. With a wide eyed gaze she seemed to take a moment to try and formulate a response. Even as she stared at me her expression began to change from gut reaction fear to a more contemplative look as if she was weighing her options. By the time her eyes, which had gone wide at first had returned to their normal state she was able to query, “What rules do you have about eating meat? I don’t know if you know it or not but we have at least two omnivorous species here; the Griffons and the Dragons. The Griffons don’t eat sapient beings but the Dragons do.”

It takes a lot to disgust me considering the things I've seen and done but the thought of eating a sapient being definitely fell into that category. From the look on her face the look on my face said as much, “Miss Sparkle I would never dream of eating a sapient being. It smacks too much of cannibalism and while I’m not a knight in shining armor, so to speak I have not fallen that far.”

The saying about the knight didn’t quite resonate with her if the confusion on her face was anything to go by but before she had a chance to ask any more questions Luna cut in. “Twilight Sparkle, whilst we…I commend you on your desire for more knowledge I have some things I need to say to John in private. Perhaps he can answer more questions later?”

Disappointment crossed her face but she smiled politely, “Of course Luna. Forgive me if I took too much of his time I’m just so excited to get to learn about a new species.”

Luna gave her a friendly smile back, “Of course Twilight Sparkle. As I said it is good to have that enthusiasm for knowledge so you need not apologize.” With a wave Twilight went on her way and Luna turned back to me, her expression now very serious, “Last time we spoke I believe I told you to be careful when mentioning violence around my ponies.”

Frowning at her…well ok, deepening my more or less permanent frown at her I responded, “And when did at any point during my discussion with Twilight did I mention violence?”

“You didn’t, not directly.” Her stern look got somehow sterner, “You did however mention that you yourself are perhaps not a paragon of virtue. Twilight is a very intelligent pony; the fact that she is my sister’s protégé attests to that. She would have analyzed what you said and come to a few theories about you and what you meant by that. Then she would begin to ask questions to allow her to weed out the different theories. Eventually this would lead her to bring up your past and the events that took place there.”

My head shook, “So what? Windfall has brought up my past too but I haven’t told her anything beyond that I had been in a few fights that didn’t go well. I didn’t give her any details or anything or even go into why there was a fight in the first place so she’s fine. If anything telling Twilight I eat meat gave her more of a scare, certainly more than it gave Windfall.”

“Windfall is from Cloudsdale so she’s dealt with Griffons and understands their habits. Twilight Sparkle has never had such experiences prior to coming to Ponyville and therefore is less, shall we say educated about such things.”

Walking ahead I said, “I suppose I understand but the point remains that I don’t like talking about my past and I’m not about to give her all these details about it.”

Luna matched my pace, “Do not underestimate her stubbornness when it comes to her curiosity. If she cannot get the answers out of you then she will simply go looking wherever she can.”

My finger waggled at her, “You forget Luna that I come from another world. Any and all information about me is there and not here and unless you have a spaceship or interplanetary portal I know nothing about then she can’t get any of the information she seeks.”

She huffed, “Perhaps but do not underestimate her desire to learn. While she will not go so far as to force the answers from you, or at least so I believe she will do as much as possible short of that.”

Shrugging I continued on, looking at the different buildings we passed, most of them residences, “I’ll keep that in mind though I don’t see what the big problem is. Violence does happen and while I understand the desire to avoid thinking about it avoiding the fact that it happens and exists is not wise.”

“Believe me, if anypony here can understand the idea of violence existing it would be Twilight Sparkle. While she may not look or act like it she is a hero and has faced down some very powerful beings.”

I frowned, “So why are you so concerned about her finding out about the violent things I've seen and done?”

Her eyes met mine and her glare was forceful enough to cause me a moment’s pause, “The reason I am concerned is because none of those times involved death or even blood. With you, while I cannot tell exactly what happened I can see the aura of blood and death around you.” With a wistful expression she stared back towards the markets, the only place we can see any ponies at the moment, “My ponies are innocent, unused to some of the more horrible things that can happen in life and I would like that to remain.”

A snort escaped my mouth, “I think you are doing your ponies a disservice.”

Turning suddenly and fixing me with a harsh glare she snarled a bit, “What do you mean by that?”

Crossing my arms I faced her head on, “Like I said you are doing them a disservice. You coddle them and protect them from the world like an overprotective parent who thinks that by hiding their children from the world they can make them stay innocent and good forever. The reality is that by trying to protect them you are instead only sheltering them and when the world hits them with the worst it has they aren't ready for it nor can they learn from it.”

A shoe covered hoof jabbed me in the chest, “Perhaps where you come from that is the way of things but this world is different. Our world is one of harmony and friendship both between ponies as well as the world itself. That is not to say that we are perfect and do not have issues from time to time but the idea of death being brought on by another is basically unheard of.”

She broke off for a moment, took a breath and continued in a calmer tone of voice, “You do not understand. If we were to lose that harmony as has happened in our past then our world would come undone and become unrecognizable. It would bring only misery and pain.”

There was sincerity to her words and a hint of pain in her eyes as she said it that gave me pause before replying, “You’re right; I can’t say I understand what you mean. Do you actually believe that her finding out that I've killed or maimed would break the harmony you speak of?”

Her lower lip disappeared beneath her teeth, “Well, I don’t think it would actually. I just want them to stay happy and safe. Perhaps it is foolish of me but I do not want them to know of the horrors that I…that have happened before.”

That got my attention, “You did something didn’t you? Somewhere along the way you did something that you know they would be horrified at and you want to spare them from it.”

She looked away from me, head lowered and eyes pointed at the ground, “We do not wish to talk about it.”

A surge of sympathy rose in me and though I wasn't sure if it was improper I put my hand on her shoulder. The fur was as soft as Windfall’s had been and I found myself wondering if that’s how all ponies fur felt, “Luna, if there is one thing in the universe that I understand, its having done and seen horrible things and wanting to spare others from them. I also understand not wanting to tell others about it but if you ever want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

Gratitude entered her gaze which she directed back at me and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, “We…I thank you John. Perhaps at some point I shall take you up on that offer but not now. For now would it be possible to go see Windfall? I wish to check on her condition.”

My hand waved in the direction of my cottage, “Go ahead if you’d like. I still need to find out where the hospital is and I need to go find Twilight so she can show me where that retailer is. Like I told her I like my meat so I want to see if I can’t set up a supply deal with somepony.”

She held up a hoof as if to stop me, “If it is meat you wish for I shall set up a supply for you. Equestria entertains guests of the meat eating variety and we have our means of acquiring it for our guests. Once I have set it up I shall contact you with details on how you can pick it up and how much it will cost.”

Though unexpected I did feel at least a little thankful that I wouldn't have to try and convince somepony to bring meat in for me. A small upturn of the corners of my mouth was the closest I came to smiling, “Thank you Luna that will help a lot.”

A full smile lit up her face, “You are welcome John. Come, I shall show you the hospital and then we can head back to your cottage to see Windfall.” Without even waiting for an acknowledgement she began walking off. With no better ideas of my own I followed. On the way to the hospital I noticed a martial arts dojo on the outskirts of town and made sure to mark it in my gauntlet for later. At the very least it provided me with both a way to let off some steam but also keep some of my skills in shape.

The hospital was also on the outskirts of town and was also marked down in my gauntlet so that when Windfall was able to come into town again we could make sure she healed properly. Luna turned to smile back at me, “Now then let’s go see Windfall shall we?”

I gestured for her to go ahead, “Why don’t you go on ahead since you can fly. It’s going to take me at least a half hour to get there and that’s by using methods other than walking.”

From her throat emitted a chuckle, “Oh we’ll be there in no time at all John.” Before I could ask what she meant by that her horn lit up in a midnight blue the same color as her fur. Next thing I knew I felt like my stomach had been ripped out of my body shoved in a blender and set to maximum speed. Fortunately by the time I fell to my knees we had arrived in front of my cottage which meant that at least I had a stable surface to grab onto mentally so I wouldn't throw up.

As I choked back some really nasty tasting bile Luna looked at me sheepishly, “Sorry. It’s been a long time since I teleported anypony anywhere and I forgot it can be hard on those who don’t use magic.”

The bile now no longer clogging my throat I was able to say, “At least I managed to keep from coating your shoes with puke.”

With a roll of her eyes she deadpanned, “Well thank you so much for that.” After giving me another look over to ensure I was as good as I could be she headed inside. Giving myself a minute to make sure my stomach was going to behave I got up and followed her inside to see Windfall bowing as best she could to Luna.

“Your majesty! What are you doing here,” she managed to get out as a look of disbelief and awe filled her eyes and face.

Luna smiled at her, “I am checking up on the well being of one of my subjects.”

Windfall got to her hooves, “You came all this way just for me? Don’t you have royal duties to attend to?”

Luna sat on her haunches, “Part of my royal duties is to ensure the welfare of my subjects. After you were injured initially I came and made sure you were safe and your wounds tended to. Now I am following up to see how you are recovering.”

While they talked I began putting away the stuff I had gotten but Windfall’s question stuck with me. The idea of a ruler who cared enough about her subjects to show up to check on them individually was rather appealing but something I had personally never seen. Quite the opposite as the number of corrupt politicians who died at my hands numbered at least in the dozens.

On top of that from what I had learned so far Luna was the princess of the night so why was she here when it was still daytime? Putting down the duffel, standing around and turning to Luna I saw that Windfall had almost a fangirl look on her face at the attention she was receiving. Setting my hands on the counter I cleared my throat, “Luna, I’m also curious about you having shown up the other night.”

Luna seemed to sense that I doubted her story and her eyes narrowed a bit though her tone remained calm, “Ask your questions then.”

Leaning forward a bit I asked, “First of all, how did you even know Windfall had been hurt? You were there within the hour and unless somepony saw it happen then contacted you there was no way for you to know she had been hurt.”

Instead of getting angry at my accusation she actually smiled with some relief, “I saw it happen actually. Part of my nightly duties is to keep an eye on all of Equestria. Perhaps you happened to look at my moon?”

Thinking back to that night I remembered having seen the moon because it had seemed to grow a face. “Yes, I did.”

“Was there a reason you were looking at it?” As she said it she seemed to be anticipating something in my answer.

“Yes there is. This may seem strange but I swear I saw the moon grow a face.”

Her smile widened to fill her face, “You did in fact see a face in the moon. It was my face that you saw that night. From the moon I can see all of Equestria down to the tiniest details and I saw Windfall as she crashed into the forest and lay wounded on the ground.”

I blinked as I tried to take that all in. A lot of powerful individuals had crossed my path over the years but I had never met anyone who could do that. Suddenly I was very glad I hadn't had to fight her because even if I had all my gear I’m not honestly sure I would have won, though she would have known she was in a fight. “That’s…rather impressive to be honest. I've never met anypony who could do that. I’m honestly curious as to how that works.”

Eagerness took over her features and she stepped over to me, “When I was a filly I learned that I had a talent for controlling the moon which is when I got my cutie mark.” As she said it she turned her flank to me so that I could see the moon and clouds that adorned them which answered the next question I was going to ask, “As my control grew I discovered that I was connected to the moon on a very deep level which was how I could control it but it also afforded me other abilities as well.”

Curiosity had taken its hold of me, “Such as the ability to use it to see the entirety of Equestria?”

She nodded, “I can look at everything my moon is hovering over at any time of day. As to how that works since I have this connection with the moon I am able to send my conscious mind to it which is when you will see a face appear on its surface.” Uncertainty appeared for a moment, “To be honest, I do not know how my mind being in the moon allows me to see what goes on below only that it does.”

That was a lot to take in, “I…I’m not really sure what to say to that. It’s all so unlike anything I had really ever dealt with before that I have no frame of reference for it.”

Windfall gave me an understanding smile, “John, I live here and I’m having a hard time understanding it all.”

Luna looked rather proud, “It is a lot of responsibility of course but I am happy that I have such a connection and can use it to help my ponies. Actually it’s because of this that I am awake at this time of day.”

Face scrunching in confusion I asked, “Wait, what? How does that relate to you being awake right now?”

Putting a hoof to her chest and closing her eyes she began to lecture me, “You see I can only send my mind to the moon when I am asleep so despite my being princess of the night I spend most of the night asleep so I can watch over Equestria. I’m usually awake during the day and help my sister hold court for any supplicants who have complaints or issues to be dealt with. When court is over I take some of the forms that need to be reviewed and deal with them while sister takes care of the rest. At night I raise the moon, hold a short court in case there were any supplicants that couldn't make it during the day then I go to sleep.”

Thing went silent for a moment as I tried to process all I had just learned. Fortunately Luna was patient and just waited for me to get myself together. After another moment I was able to organize my thoughts sufficiently to manage another question, “Ok, so if you saw Windfall’s crash and that she was hurt why didn't you appear right then and there and help her out?”

Luna blinked a bit as if she hadn't anticipated that question, “Well…” She bit her lower lip as an explanation seemed to evade her before heaving a sigh and looking at me with full seriousness in her face, “Very well John. There is more to my story than simply looking after one of my subjects though that is part of it.” Windfall seemed hurt by this so Luna gave her a reassuring smile, “Do not think I do not care about you because I do and I did want to make sure you were ok both then and now there is just more to it than that.”

Her hurt expression was replaced with one of confusion but she nodded and waited for Luna to continue. I crossed my arms and prodded, “So what is the whole story?”

Luna cleared her throat, “As I said, I can see everything from the moon and that includes you John. You were something new, unknown and while I would like to believe that you had good intentions I had to ensure you were not going to be a threat to my ponies. Clearly you had heard her crash and I watched as you went to investigate what had happened. If anything could tell me your intentions it would be your actions towards her so I stayed put and watched. At first I thought I was going to have to intervene when you found her and she became frightened of you.”

“Why didn't you intervene?”

“You made no threatening moves nor did you threaten her verbally so I continued watching. It wasn’t until after you had taken her inside that I could no longer see you as clearly save for where the moonlight falls into your cottage. Since I could see Windfall where you placed her on the couch I stayed back to see what you would do. After you treated her wounds I decided you weren't a threat, at least enough that I could come down and see how Windfall was doing. I was still wary of course since I had only that instance to go on, hence my using my voice on you when you reacted as if to threaten me.”

Windfall spoke up with a quiver in her voice, “You don’t think he’s a threat anymore do you your highness? He took care of my wounds and he’s giving me a place to stay for free while I look for work.”

Luna’s eyes widened a bit and caught my eyes, “Truly? Is what she says true?”

Nodding I replied, “Its true. Just as I understood your position earlier today I also understand her position as well so this is what I’m able to do for her.”

Gratitude infused her features to the point where I thought she was going to hug me but she refrained though it did seem to get into her voice, “We thank thee John for helping our subject in her time of need!” Red tinged her face after she finished as she realized I was now plastered against the kitchen counter not of my own accord. With a hoof on her mouth she guiltily chuckled, “Heh heh, oops.”

Windfall chuckled without guilt until finally she was laughing on the floor, holding her sides. It wasn't long before Luna took part in it as well, though she showed a little more decorum by staying on her hooves rather than rolling on the floor. I just shook my head and watched them laugh, my mind drifting off to think of my plans for tomorrow.