Three Weeks Later...

Luna trotted down the hallway towards the chariot depot with a small smile on her face, today was the day she would leave to ‘Oversee the refortification of Castle November’. At least, that was the official story. The truth was she was going to the Castle of the Two Sisters to see Dominic and viy for his affection, with turning the castle into a fortress as a second but equally important task. As she got closer to her destination, the hallway became packed with more Lunar guards and other personnel.

Many of them were carrying large boxes of supplies and equipment, while a few held clipboards and were checking off numerous boxes. As the princess passed them, they would salute or nod to her if their hooves were full. Luna responded with the same respect that they showed her, she realized how hard they were working to get the job done.

“Hey, hey hey hey!” Shouted one of two stallions holding a particularly heavy looking crate. “We’re gonna lose it!” They were close to dropping it, Luna could tell by the franticness in his voice. She lit her magic and caught it just as they lost their grip. “The fuck?” The two backed away from the now glowing crate, and Luna set it down gently. As her magic faded, the two guards turned and snapped into salutes. She recognized them as Chipped Blade and Rolling Thunder, two of the guards that’d been dispatched to Dominic’s first safe house.

“PRINCESS LUNA, MA’AM!” They both shouted in unison, then snapped into salutes. Luna could see the scar on Rolling’s side from the Redwood attack. Luna returned the salute, then looked them over. “Sorry, your highness. We didn’t realize it would be so heavy. Thank you for the assist.”

“Think nothing of it, we saw thou required assistance and we provided it.” Luna said with a small smile. “Allow us to further assist thee.” The princess began levitating the box again. “We shall take this crate to it’s appropriate location, thou may proceed to continue thine next task.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The guards replied, they turned and started walking off to retrieve another crate from the supply depot. Luna trotted down the hallway with the crate in her grasp, she passed several more guards and workers who noted her cargo but said nothing. When she reached the Chariot Depot she had to set the crate down, what she saw was nothing short of incredible. The depot normally was only actively filled with two or three chariots on a given day, today however, it was filled to the gunnels with nearly thirty chariots in various stages of loading.

“Princess Luna!” Said a guard with a clipboard, he noted the crate and whistled. Two earth ponies came over and lifted it up. “You’re a tad early, but we should be ready to leave by noon as scheduled.” Luna nodded, still somewhat awed by the sheer amount of activity in the depot. It was one of the few parts of the castle that was built into the mountain, with an exit cut out of the rock on the otherside. That was the only source of natural light with magic lamps providing the rest, and honestly it reminded Luna more what an ‘Aircraft Carrier Hangar Deck’ might look like than it did a depot. At least, from Dominic’s description of a Hangar Deck, sans the gaping hole in the side of the mountain.

”All Personnel, initial departure is in T-minus Fifteen Minutes.” Announced a voice over a loudspeaker. ”Departure Group Alpha, be prepared. If you do not finish loading your chariot, leave any non loaded cargo and depart immediately.

“We’ll be leaving shortly, your highness. Is there anything you require of me?” asked the officer, Luna shook her head.

“Nay, we simply wish to be of assistance. If thou require our help to load the chariots, you needn’t hesitate to ask.” The Lunar officer looked somewhat stunned by her statement, but jotted a few things down on his clipboard.

“Of course, your majesty.” He said. “I may have something for you in a moment, but until then please feel free to examine our work.” With that the officer trotted off, adjusting his uniform slightly. Luna decided to try and find something to do, but as time wore on she felt that there was little to help with that was already being done. Numerous earth ponies and unicorns, all Lunar guards, began to file into the ten large chariots nearest to the mouth of the depot. Luna knew that it was time to get going, and she too made her way there. The mare took up a spot in one of the less crowded chariots and waited as the guards that would pull the chariot hooked themselves in.

”Attention! Attention! All personnel in the Alpha Departure Group report to your assigned chariot.” more guards rushed into the depot, some hooking themselves into the cargo laden vehicles in the back while others entered the troop transports at the front. The nonessential guards exited the area. An officer went towards the mouth of the exit and held his hoof up. The guards pulling the first line of chariots spread their wings. ”Alpha Group is cleared for departure.”

“Go!” Shouted the officer, the first chariot was yanked out of the depot by its team. It dipped below the horizon for a moment before gathering the speed needed to gain altitude. “Go!” The second chariot launched out of the depot with the same effect. “Go!” The third chariot was out, Luna found she was in the fourth chariot. “Go!” The chariot lurched out of the depot and began to sink. Luna could feel her stomach rise in her throat.

“WING POWER! WE NEED MORE WING POWER! WE’RE TOO HEAVY!” Shouted one of the guards at the front as the chariot struggled to climb. Luna, who realized she weighed more than most ponies, quickly opened her wings and flapped out of the chariot. “There we are, we’re leveling out!” Luna glided next to the chariot, giving a small glance back towards the depot to see the other chariots launching in an orderly fashion. The chariot that was next to her began to bank, she banked with it. Soon both she and the chariot loaded with guards came around the mountain and began the flight towards the Everfree Forest.

[♦]

Dominic and the small contingent of guards in the castle were far from busy, as they’d been notified ahead of time of what would happen. There were small things that needed to be taken care of, like an airpatrol and maintaining a clear landing zone, but for the most part the residents of the decrepit fortress were playing the waiting game. Dominic, for his part, was standing atop the tallest turret with a spyglass. Though he wasn’t a part of the guards, he was technically still a military liaison, and as such justified taking a few simple commands from Night Owl.

“Ya see ‘em yet?!” Shouted Gear Grinder from the courtyard, he was near the flag pole with the stars and stripes still waving. It would act as the marker for the landing and cargo drops. Dominic scanned the skies for a moment, he could barely make out the grey shimmer of the Lunar chariots.

“I got eyes on one… two…” Dominic trailed off. “Ten chariots.” The man adjusted his grip on the spyglass and noticed an indigo and navy blue shape flying beside one of them. “And Luna.”

“Princess Luna is with them?” Asked United Front, Dominic nodded. “Well, shit. Not like we have time to pull out all the bells and whistles for her arrival.”

“Don’t worry about it, she’s probably more concerned about getting the fortress back together at the moment.” Dominic retorted, he watched ten more chariots appear behind the first group. “Okay, the count now is twenty. First group should be here in a few minutes.”

“Alright ladies!” Shouted Night Owl from the courtyard, having heard the discussion rather well. “It’s game time, I want this done fast but not at the cost of safety. We all know the proper protocol, no need to go over it again! You colts ready?” There was a loud chorus of affirmatives, the group readied itself to receive the incoming chariots. In the minutes it took for the first chariot to start circling the castle the group of guards already on the ground had taken up positions to direct them in for a landing. Dominic climbed off the turret and down to the courtyard, his repaired jacket billowed up behind him from the wind the chariots were putting out.

The first chariot landed in front of United Front, the guards on board quickly jumped over the side and rushed to the outskirts of the courtyard.

“GO! GO! GO!” Shouted United, waving the chariot upwards. “NEXT ONE’S COMIN’ TO YOU, DOM!” Dominic looked up and held his arms up in an ‘X’, just as he’d practiced when the news had come. The chariot paused to hover, and so Dominic gestured for it to start descending. When it’s wheels touched down, the man made a sweeping motion with his arms.

“DISEMBARK!” Shouted one of the guards on the chariot, they followed the same example as their compatriots. “CLEAR!”

“GO! GO! GO!” Dominic bellowed, waving his arms up. The chariot took to the sky just as the third chariot began to descend, again it moved towards Dominic until he guided it to the ground. The guards leaped off the chariot and it left just as the others had, the man barely noticed the alicorn that had landed behind him. “GEAR! TAKE OVER!” The thestral in question rushed over and took Dominic’s place, allowing him to turn and walk towards the Lunar princess.

“Dominic! Tis good to see you again! We missed thou!” Luna shouted over the noise of more chariots touching down. Dominic nodded and smiled, not wanting to overtax his voice more than he needed to. At the moment the first of the cargo chariots were arriving and circling over head, waiting for the last of the first group to break off.

“Dom! Ya good?!” Shouted Night Owl over the noise, Dominic looked over at the thestral and flashed five fingers. “Got it!” Dominic gestured for Luna to move away from the landing area, when the two of them were out of harms way Dominic wrapped the mare in an immense hug.

“Luna, it’s good to see you again!” He said, Luna returned the hug with her wings “Agh, I wish I could chat but I’ve got chariots to land…” The princess looked somewhat depressed. “It’s only this first group.”

“Alright, we shall wait to smother thee in affection.” Luna blurted out, she imediatly regretted it but was thankful for all the noise of the chariots above.

“What?”

“Nothing!” Dominic shrugged and rushed back towards the landing chariots. Luna sighed and sat down on her haunches, she watched the man work. A few times he would make the wrong hand gesture, but he always caught himself. He was trying his best, another thing that Luna couldn’t help but admire. She watched as he and the others directed the cargo chariots down. The guards that had already landed were either preparing to takeover landing operations or moving to secure their assigned parts of the castle.

For nearly half an hour all she did was watch, the guards were extremely efficient with unloading the supplies from the chariots almost as soon as they landed. This was made possible by the unicorns and earth ponies that had landed first. Soon, the last of the first group had arrived, allowing Dominic to leave the them to the rest of the landing. He walked over to Luna and gave her another hug.

“Man, you have no idea how fucking much I missed you.” He said as he let go. “This place is fuckin’ BORING at times, you would not believe it.” Luna smiled and the man gestured towards an area of the courtyard that’d been converted into an impromptu command center. “So, tell me, how are things on the global stage? Any more calls for my deportation?” Luna shook her head with a sigh, the two reached the command center.

“We can discuss such things later, for now let us take the task at hand.” Dominic nodded and the two began looking over the papers. It was mostly greek to the young man, but he assumed that as long as he put in an effort he could get something done. Night Owl’s words had resonated with him, and he felt that he should do whatever he could to make Luna’s work a little easier.

[♦]

Hours later, the last of the crates had been unloaded and the new garrison had set to preparing the castle for active service once more. From the balcony in his room, Dominic and Luna looked down at the courtyard. There was a comfortable silence between the two of them, and a sense of accomplishment that came with a day of hard work. Dominic had missed this feeling, he’d need to find a way to get it more often. Maybe the stallions working on the new forge would need help, but that was a thought for another time.

“So, about those international politics?” Dominic asked, looking over at Luna. The mare let out a sigh through her nose, the sun was setting in the distance and Dominic had already taken his flag in. She had nothing to focus on but the man’s question.

“Things are far from well…” Luna finally spoke, her modern speech spell still acting even after the orders for the work had been given. “Though, I’m glad to say most of it has nothing to do with you.”

“Twin Island?”

“Yes…” Luna admitted, a bit of venom in her tone. “Equestria finds itself in a precarious position. We’re allied with both parties… If we side with one or the other, it could come back to bite us… Alternatively, remaining neutral could have the same effect.”

“It’s a tough situation, I can’t claim to know the answer…” Dominic replied, putting a hand on Luna’s side. He didn’t notice how she tensed for a moment when he did so. “What I can do is draw conclusions from history, forgive me if my facts are flawed. The apocalypse happened before I could get to the advanced course…” The man let out a small chuckle, though it thinly veiled the heaviness in his voice.

“I’d accept your input…”

“Well, it seems to me that the Zebras and the Minotaurs are fighting over something small and insignificant.” Dominic paused. “Relatively speaking, that is. Like two kids fighting over a ball.”

“Their diplomats have been rather childish.” Luna giggled.

“Well, if you're the mom and you see two kids coming to blows over a ball. What do you do?” The man didn’t take his eyes off the working ponies below them. Luna answered the question honestly, then froze.

“Take away the ball.” She looked at him. “Dominic, we can’t do that. We’d alienate BOTH of them!” The man raised his arms defensively.

“Hey, it’s your decision. Not mine.” He went back to the railing. “I’m probably a bit biased, myself. Being a ‘no good, gun totin’, god fearin’, interlopin’ knee jerk reactionary’ conservative and all.” He laughed to himself for a moment. “God, to think how low some people would go with insults because others disagreed with them. Not that I’m innocent in the slightest…”

“You’re rambling again.” Luna noted, getting the man to blush a bit. She smiled inwardly at the small amount of embarrassment that she saw. “That’s okay, I like it when you ramble.” She was surprised when she felt the man pull her into a tight hug.

“Thank you.” He said with a heavy sounding tone, Dominic let go of her and looked back off the railing. “I know, I’m not the most likable guy. I can be a real asshole sometimes…”He let out a sigh. “Just, thanks for putting up with my shit.”

“Think nothing of it, you put up with me.” Luna replied, she barely suppressed a yawn. “Oh, as much as I am loathe to do so, I think it is time to sleep for the night.”

“Take the bed, I’ll find somewhere else for the night.” Dominic began walking towards the door, he felt a wing catch him.

“Nay, stay with us.” Luna said, slipping into the royal we. “We hath been without your company for many weeks…” Dominic looked puzzled, but nodded nonetheless.

“I’ll take the flo-”

“Next to me, please…” Dominic raised an eyebrow, upon seeing the look on Luna’s face he nodded. “I apologize if this makes you uncomfortable…” The man shook his head and gave a small smile.

“No, not one bit.” He walked towards the bed and gestured for Luna to enter first. “My friend Maria used to have horrible night terrors, whenever she spent the night she’d share my bed. Somethin’’ about ‘having a warm body’ or something.” Luna crawled into the bed and pulled the blankets up over her, Dominic took the other side and faced the opposite direction. He left most of his clothes on, sans his jacket and boots. He didn’t want Luna to feel uncomfortable. The light in the room dwindled with the setting sun, and the only noise that remained was the campfires in the courtyard outside and the breath of two separate bodies.

As Dominic began his nightly ritual of staring at the ceiling, he felt Luna roll over and place a wing over him. It was warm, and he could smell the blueberry perfume that she wore on most days. The feathers tickled against his chest, but eventually became soothing. To his surprise, the added warmth and feeling of security was enough to get his eyelids to grow heavy.

“Hey, Luna?” The man asked, getting a hum in response. “Thanks… For everything…” He hugged the wing and slowly drifted to sleep. Luna opened her eyes and watched him for a moment, then she lowered her horn to his head and cast a small spell. Even with the magical siphon that he seemed to be, the direct application of dream magic was just enough to keep his subconscious in an un nightmare inducing state. Slowly, nervously, Luna placed a small, unnoticeable kiss on the top Dominic’s head.

“You’re welcome…”

Author's Notes:

How is the romance going? Good? I hope it's not too fast... This is the first time I've tried romance, legitimately. Feedback, I would greatly appreciate it. Alright, that's it from this old country fan fiction author...

Comment, rate, and favorite if you like it.... Or put it in one of those sub folders you guys make, honestly some of the names I've seen are really... Metal, for lack of a better word. Okay, it's 5:08 AM, I've officially been up for over twenty four hours. Time for bed...