I wake up before Luna when I hear something scurry around in the room. I lean up and take a look around. The room is still fairly dark, but I can see the sun starting to rise in the windows. I try to lean up more but Luna tightens her grip on me. I look down to her and can tell by the look on her face that she's having a dream terror. I hear the scurry again - whatever it is, it's in the kitchen part of the room.

"Mmm... no... I said no..." Luna mumbles as her eyes tighten. I lay back down and begin to stroke her mane, trying my best to ignore the scurrying to comfort her. "Mmm... I... don't want this... please... don't..."

"Shhh, its OK. I'm here. Everything is going to be alright." I whisper as I put my hand behind her head and hold her.

"Mmm... Miles?" She says as she slowly wakes up.

"Hey. You were having a dream terror, everything alright?" I ask as I start to rub her cheek with my thumb. She looks around a bit before she takes my hand with both hooves and holds it against herself.

"I... it was..."

"It's alright. If you don't want to talk about it you don't have to. But if you ever need to, I'm here for you."

"I had a dream that you were being tortured. That you were going to be killed."

"It's alright, I'm here, nothing bad is going to happen."

"Miles... I feel... different."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to have sex with you."

"Wait, what?"

"I think I'm out of estrus..."

"OH! I... I thought... that's good..."

"What did you think I meant by that?" she asks as she sits up.

"Uh... well, heh, it sounded like you didn't want to have sex with me... ever."

"Oh, no, I still do. It's just that now I don't have that voice in my head yelling at me to make babies anymore. That's all," she says with a smile. The scurrying sounds off again, making Luna flip out. She jumps behind me and tries to use me like a shield as she hides from the sound. "What was that!? There's something inside... what is it?" she says as she peers over my shoulder. Suddenly two white fluffy paws reach over the edge, and begin to slowly reveal a small white fluffy creature. It has four legs, a tail, and big bright blue eyes.

"Careful, I think it can smell fear," I say as I reach over and start petting it, getting purrs as it rubs its head into my hand.

"Oh... sorry. I didn't know he had a cat," Luna says as she reaches and tries to pet it, only to stop when it hisses at her and jumps off the bed. "I guess it doesn't like me..."

"That's OK, more for me," I say as I grab her hoof and give it a kiss, getting Luna to giggle a bit.

"That's no fair, I don't want to share you," Luna says as she gets on top of me and starts planting kisses on my neck. I wrap my arms around her and begin to return the love. I begin by kissing her on the neck, working my way up to her cheek. We separate from each other to look into each others eyes, conveying our love to each other silently before we both lean forward to kiss.

"I'M BACK!" Ulif yells as he busts through the door, scaring the fuck out of the two of us and ending the romance... fucking cock block... well, lip block. "AH, there you are Fluffyton! Where have you been hiding?" he says as he walks in and picks up the cat, petting it as it begins to purr loudly. He pauses when he sees us and drops his happy demeanor. "I thought I asked you not to do that in my bed."

"What?" Luna says as we look to one another. Her eyes shoot open as she realizes what he means and quickly gets out of bed. I sigh and begin to follow suit when I remember how nude I am.

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to have any clothes I could wear, would you?" I ask as I sit on the edge of the bed.

"Clothes?"

"Right, never mind." I hate nudity. "So, what’s the plan then?"

"Well, after a very brief discussion with my superiors, I've been ordered to escort you two back to Equestria. I've been promoted to captain and given a ship and crew. We'll leave for port after some breakfast," he says as he walks over to the stove and sets his bag down on the counter beside it. He tries to light the stove, but finds the fire has burned out. "Right... OK, you two get comfy... not too comfy, I'm going to use the fire pit outside to make breakfast..."

"Here, let me help..."

"No, no, no. You are my guest, it would be dishonorable of me to accept your help in this simple task. I'll only be a few minutes," he says before he leaves the room with his bag. I glance over to Luna and put on a smile.

"Soo..."

"I have to use the restroom. Why don't you work on making some kind of clothing for yourself?"

"Oh, alright," I say as I look around for anything that could work. Luna walks up to me and lifts my chin up to give me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Hey, don't worry. After we get married you won't need those clothes." Uh... I think this would be the time when my wings would go straight up, if I had wings that is. I shake my head and look back to her smiling face. I lean forward to kiss her, but miss when she steps back. She kisses at me before leaving the room... damn. Well... clothes would be nice. I stand up and start walking around the room, looking for anything that could be used for clothing. I end up taking a small white bed sheet and using it as a toga. I walk outside and go to the left instead, finding Ulif cooking over a small fire.

"Do you mind if I take these…? Humans don't normally walk around naked."

"What’s mine is yours," he says as he scrapes some yellow stuff onto a plate, along with some fruit and strips of... blech, hay...

"Thank you, by the way," I say as I take a seat next to him. "Not to be disrespectful, but why are you doing all of this?"

"Well, half orders, half because I would want the same done for me. I've been alone for twenty years, keeping tabs on Hammerfell the entire time. I know what they're up to, and after I drop you two off we're going to put a stop to their evil plans. Thanks to you, I finally get to chase them down instead of watching from the side, thank you," he says as he finishes making the third plate.

"No need to thank me, I was just protecting the one I love," I say as Luna comes around the side and approaches us.

"She needs you," Ulif whispers to me. "She acts strong, but I can see past that. Help her find her true strength."

"I will..."

"You will what?" Luna asks as she takes a seat beside me.

"Warn you that the food’s hot," I say as I set a plate in front of her.

"Well duh, he did just cook it. Thank you again for your hospitality, Ulif," Luna says before she leans down and begins to eat.

"Think nothing of it, Princess Luna," Ulif says as we begin to eat. Fruit, awesome, eggs, alright, hay bacon... I give it to Luna. After we eat, Ulif sets out some food for the cat, Fluffyton apparently, and locks up his place before we start heading to something called a port. Luckily Luna can walk on her own, so we make the trip in an hour.

"Welcome, to Port Stand Alone," he says as we approach a shoreline. To the left and right is nothing but shore, but directly in front of us is a wooden walkway that goes out above the water a few meters. The water goes out past the horizon in every direction... so much water. Tied to the walkway is an old wooden vessel. It's fairly large, going up at least fifty meters and being over two hundred meters long. There are three posts that go up and have tattered white cloths hanging from them, waving in the air as griffins move about the vessel, tying ropes, cleaning the floor, doing other tasks.

"The S.S. Midnight," Luna says as we approach the vessel.

"Yes, it was the only free ship we could spare in the gulf, but don't worry. I know she's not much to look at, but she'll get us to Equestria."

"Its a girl?" I ask, but get ignored as we walk up a rampway to the ship.

"CAPTAIN ON DECK!" yells an all black griffin, making all of the others stand at attention and salute.

"At ease," Ulif says, getting the one who yelled to run up to him.

"Sir! We are ready for departure as soon as you give the word," says the black griffin.

"Good, lets be on our way," Ulif says, getting the black griffin to yell orders out to all of the others. "Why don't you two go ahead and explore the ship, this is going to be a long trip," Ulif says as he walks about the... deck. I run on board and look around the edge, watching the water crash against the side of the ship.

"Are you going to be alright?" Luna asks with a chuckle as she follows me around.

"Sorry, but... I kind of have a thing for water," I say as I hold onto a rope and lean over the right side. "Think we have enough time to go for a swim?"

"HAUL ANCHOR AND SET SAILS!" Ulif yells from the upper deck.

"I guess not," I mumble as all of the griffins get to work.

"Maybe next time," Luna says as she throws her legs over the edge and looks out at the water. "So, you have a thing for water, why?"

"You've seen Topaz - water isn't as available there as it is on the surface. Storm and Twilight took me to a lake a while back, and I nearly drowned because I launched myself into the deep end without knowing how to swim..."

"You what?!"

"Don't worry, I got out and they taught me to swim." We suddenly lurch forward as the wind catches the cloths. We're moving fairly slow, but I guess we'll get there... eventually. On the bright side, this means more time with Luna.

"So, what do you think of the S.S. Midnight?" Ulif asks as he approaches the two of us.

"She's a marvelous ship," Luna compliments... why is it a girl?

"Yeah... slow, but amazing."

"Slow you say, just wait for it," Ulif says with a sly grin as we follow him up the stairs to the upper deck. "Griffins! Wind!" Ulif yells, getting four griffins to jump into the air and begin to flap their wings, sending powerful gusts of wind into the white cloths. The ship begins to surge forward, making waves crash after us. "Fast enough?" Ulif asks.

"Uh... yeah… not really." We went from three kilometers an hour to... fifteen, maybe.

"Come, let me give you a tour," Ulif says as he walks down the stairs. The top basically has two areas; the upper deck that has the steering wheel and the lower deck, that has an area that opens up to the lower area and the mast. Under the decks is the sleeping area - a dank area with a bunch of hammocks surrounded by wooden boxes. He says we'll have to share one due to the lack of hammocks... not a problem. There's apparently more underneath, but he says its just for cargo... I'll check it the next chance I get. We go back to the upper deck to wander around, having two weeks till we get to Equestria.

"What are you thinking?" Luna asks me as we walk towards the front of the ship.

"I'm wondering if we can trust Ulif."

"He seems trustworthy..."

"Yeah, but not everything is as it appears."

"Well... its not like we have a choice right now. We're crossing the Divide, it's not like I can just teleport us to Equestria, it's too far. Not to mention I can't use my magic yet." We make it to the very front of the ship where we stop and stare out at the ocean. There's a strong wind coming from behind, with a crisp smell of salt in the air. "Miles..."

"Do me a favor, stay within earshot. If something happens I want to be able to get to you as quickly as possible."

"I will, but I doubt anything will happen."

"Better safe than sorry," I say as I turn around to face her, leaning against the railing. "So, fiancee..."

"Yes, fiancee?" she says with a giggle as she walks up me, resting her legs over my shoulders. She leans forward and rubs her nose against mine as we stare into each others eyes.

"A wedding. When. Where. Who's invited..."

"Whoa, slow down soldier, one at a time. So... when. Let me think..."

"I'm good whenever..."

"Yeah, I know, I just have to think of a date when I could get away from Celestia long enough to actually do it."

"I still don't think its a good idea to hide this from Celestia..."

"I know you do, but we have to if we want to be together. I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be," she says as she lays her head on my right shoulder. I lean my head against hers and just enjoy her; her scent, her soft touch, the rising and falling of her chest, the way she's lightly rubbing my back with one of her hooves. I take my left hand and wrap it around her back, sliding underneath her wings. She gives a soft sigh as she leans her head against mine, slightly tightening her grip on me. Ulif walks up to us but stops when he sees us embracing one another. He motions to me that there’s food below deck, to which I give a thumbs up to.

"Hey, I think the food’s ready..."

"Just hold me a bit longer... please," she asks as she tightens her grip even more. I wrap my other arm around her and rub my cheek against her lightly.

"I'm not going anywhere," I say as I start to rub her side a bit... slowly making my way to her ticklish spot.

"Miles... what are you WWUUUAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Before she can finish I reach over with both my hands and begin to tickle her, making her laugh and squirm underneath my arms. I get her laughing so hard that she can't even get a sentence out as she tries to get out of my grip. "Mi… Miles... HAHAHA... st-stop... can't... heheheh... can't breathe... AHAHAH… I-I think I'm crying... too much... hehe... laughing..." I stop tickling her and squat down some, getting her to fall over my shoulder a bit. When I stand back up I have Luna draped over my shoulder, still trying to catch her breath from her laughing fit.

"ONWARD TO FOOD," I say as I start to carry her towards the stairs.

"That was evil, Miles," Luna says from behind.

"It put a smile on your face, so I don't care." I stop a bit before the stairs and toss Luna up, getting a small eep before I catch her in my arms. She lands facing me, belly side up.

"I swear if you give me a raspberry..."

"A what?"

"Oh, right, uh... never mind," she says as she puts on her cutest smile possible, some weird combination of deception and innocence. I shake my head and set her down.

"You realize when I find out what that means, you’re in for it."

"Well... uh... are you hungry? Cause I'm famished. Let’s go eat," she says as she backpedals to the stairs and runs down.

I'm standing next to the steering wheel as Ulif holds onto it with a single claw. Luna decided to give her wings a stretch and went for a small flight.

"I can't wait to lead the march against Tirek. Twenty years of watching and I finally have the proof I need to bring him down," Ulif says as he holds the wooden wheel.

"And why won't you tell me what he's planning?"

"Why won't you tell me about your escape?"

"Confidential."

"Likewise." I shake my head and look up to Luna, she's doing a few simple maneuvers, nothing to difficult.

"She really loves you, you know," Ulif says as he checks a round metal device.

"I know. And I really love her. What did you mean when you said she acts tough?"

"I've seen it before. She puts up a tough exterior, but on the inside is a lot of self-doubt and loneliness. Break her of that," he says as he gives the wheel a spin and catches it.

"How did you learn to find a trait like that?" I ask as I lean against the railing.

"Boy, when you get to be as old as I am, you learn to pick up on things. She may be thousands of years old, but she hides everything like any other female. The minute I saw her, I knew there were some cracks in the foundation." I shift a little from hearing this. How could I have missed something like this... it makes me a little uneasy.

"Any pointers on..."

"Nope."

"But..."

"No way, no how."

"Can't you..."

"Never."

"... Ulif's great."

"No - oh now you're just being mean." We share a small laugh as Luna lands behind us, panting a bit.

"You alright there?" I ask as I approach her, leaving Ulif behind.

"Yeah... just haven't used my wings in a while," she says as she rolls her wings in place. I walk up to her and kneel beside her as I lay my hands around her wing joints. "Miles... what are you doing?"

"Could you roll your wings again? I want to check to see that your wings are alright."

"I think I'm fine, I was just flying..."

"Symptoms of wing lock could take a week to actually show up. Feather rot takes twice as long, now give me a quick roll." She glances back and gives me a confused look before complying. Her joints feel fine, a little stiff, but a few practice flights will take care of that.

"When did you learn so much about wings?"

"When Storm nearly lost one, Twilight and I read up on pegasus physiology. Everything seems fine, but I want you to do a couple of flights to work out the knots."

"OK... but only if you don't use magic for a week." I think about it for a second before I nod.

"Alright, its a deal."

"Nooo... I... I don't want to... please... I love him..." Luna mumbles in her sleep as she tightens her hold on me. We're both in the same hammock, Luna lying on top, with me lying belly side up. I stroke her mane softly as I try my best to comfort her. Every night she has these dreams, and every night I stay up comforting her. Usually she would stop around midnight, but today seems to be a bad day.

"Luna... I'm here for you," I whisper into her ear.

"Miles... I need you..."

"I'm here... what do you need?" I whisper, maybe I can talk to her, find out what’s eating at her.

"I-I... help... I'm scared..." Whoa... I wasn't expecting that...

"What are you scared of?"

"The... I... mmmmm, huh?" she says as she wakes up. "Miles... what’s going on?"

"You were having another dream terror… Luna, is there something out there that scares you?"

"What? What do you mean?" she asks, still a little out of it.

"Never mind... I'll tell you about it another time. Its still early, why don't you go back to sleep?" I say as I brush the side of her face with my hand.

"OK... I love you." She says as she lays her head back down.

"I love you too... sleep well."

BOOM

An explosion erupts from the front of the ship, waking us both up completely. Luna and I share a look before we both run to the deck. I run up first and immediately take a hit that knocks me down the stairs.

"AAAHH! WHAT THE FUCK!?" I yell as an arrow sticks out of my upper chest.

"Miles!" Luna yells as she takes a look at my wound. I reach over and tear out the arrow and look it over. There's some blood on it, but what really concerns me is all of the black gunk on it.

"What is that?" I ask as I examine the arrow.

"Try to use your magic," Luna says as she looks my wound over. I try to flare my hand, but nothing happens. I try my heels and back next, but I can't seem to activate my magic. "I thought so, I think that arrow was for me..."

"RRRRAAAAAAAAHHHH!" scream hundreds of people as the sound of metal clashing with metal fills the air. I try to get up, but Luna holds me down with a hoof.

"Let me heal you first..."

"No, save your energy for after the fight. I can handle this. Can you fight without magic?"

"Yes, I was taught some basic tactics, but... I haven't practiced them in a very long time."

"That's OK, you’re not the fighter, I am. Just stay close, and watch my back, OK?"

"O-OK, please be safe Miles." She leans forward and gives me a soft kiss on the lips before she stands up.

"I will," I say as I stand up and face the stairs. I run up and hesitate at the top, glancing to get an idea as to what’s going on. I see Ulif and his crew fighting off a group of griffins and ponies that are all wearing black bandanas. A much larger ship is tied to ours on the right, with massive black sails and a flag of two bones crossing. Ulif's outnumbered, but these invaders are outclassed. A few dead bodies are scattered throughout the deck, drenching the floor in blood. I look for the archer that shot me, but can't find him, so I go all the way up and charge the closest group to me. In front of me are three invaders trying to kill Ulif, two griffins and a red-and-black earth pony. I jump over the pony and give him a few jabs, staggering him back. He tries to swing his sword at me, but I catch his arm and use it to block the griffin’s blade as Ulif stabs the other one.

"MILES! These pirates caught us in the dark and blew up the steering wheel," Ulif yells as I backhand the pony and take his sword. I parry the griffin a bit before I spin around and bury the blade in his skull, sending a wave of blood down his neck. I try to pull the blade out, but it seems to be stuck, so I let go of it. Ulif slices at the pony and cuts his side deeply, dropping him to the ground as he adds the blood drenched deck.

"What are they after?" I yell as I kick the spear up into my hands. Before he could answer I see a few griffins corner Luna, so I charge at them. I throw my spear forward, piercing clear through the first one. I slam into him and grab his sword, only to fling it into the chest of the next griffin. The last one glances between the two of us before charging at Luna. Luna bows her head and sends a large blue column of energy at the griffin, sending him, and three unlucky others, flying into the ocean. Luna looks up to me in shock, glancing at the area that they once occupied.

"I..."

"Let me guess, you didn't mean for it to be that powerful."

"Well... yeah."

"*sigh* Luna, you're strong. Trust me when I say you have power, I know power," I say as I pull out the spear and turn around. Ulif and two others are backing up towards us as a large group of enemies approach them. I glance to the left and see a second ship being tied to ours. Cannons are being pointed to our ship as more and more pirates begin to jump onto our ship. Ulif lines up next to us and holds up his sword.

"Ulif... will you marry Miles and I?" Luna asks as she makes her energy blades and steps forward.

"I'm a little busy right now..."

"How exactly can he do that?" I ask as I hold my spear up.

"He's a captain, he's allowed to perform the ceremony..."

"Here, let me give you some time then," I say before I charge forward, thrusting my spear into the chest of a unicorn. I pull it back and spin it around, making them back away from me. I stop and hold my spear forward, waiting for someone to challenge me. Two griffins run at me from the left and right, so I spin my spear around and smack one across the face with the butt of the shaft. I thrust forward and stab the other one in the chest, burying my spear. Another griffin with a spear tries to stab at me, but I duck and roll towards him, only to come up to a dead griffin. I glance back to see Luna fighting off a few griffins with one of her blades as she pulls the other one out of the griffin before me. Ulif and one of the others have made their way to the upper deck and are working together to fend off the pirates. I grab a nearby sword and jump into the fray.

"FINE! DEARLY BELOVED. WE ARE HERE TO UNITE THESE TWO INTO HOLY MATRIMONY. MILES, DO YOU TAKE THIS WOMAN TO BE YOUR LAWFULLY WEDDED WIFE? TO LOVE HER IN THE GOOD TIMES AND TO STRENGTHEN HER IN THE BAD? TO PROTECT HER WITH YOUR LIFE, FOR AS LONG AS YOU BOTH SHALL LIVE?" Ulif yells as he parries two ponies.

"I DO!" I yell as I fling my sword into the face of a griffin. I spin around and catch the shaft of a spear as the griffin tries to stab me. After a few quick jabs to his throat, I take the spear and begin to slam it into anyone close enough to me.

"AND DO YOU LUNA, TAKE THIS MAN TO BE YOUR LAWFULLY WEDDED HUSBAND? TO LOVE HIM IN THE GOOD TIMES AND TO STRENGTHEN HIM IN THE BAD? CARRY HIS CHILDREN, BRING HIS FAMILY HONOR AND TO LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH HIM, AND ONLY HIM, FOR AS LONG AS YOU BOTH SHALL LIVE?" he yells before stabbing a griffin in the chest.

"I DO!" Luna yells as she spins her blades around, cutting all who stand near her. I finish off the pony before me and run towards Luna. She rears up as I approach her, so I take her in my arms. We both look up to Ulif and wait for him to finish the ceremony.

"THEN WITH THE POWER VESTED IN ME AND WITH THE TESTIMONY OF THESE GUTLESS BASTARDS I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU HUSBAND AND WIFE, KISS!" he shouts before he spins around and slices the neck of the griffins behind him. I look back to Luna and lean forward. As we kiss one another, deafening explosions roar around us, but are ignored as we press harder into each other’s lips. I break the kiss and stare lovingly into her eyes as fires erupt around us.

"I love you."

"I love..."

KRA-BOOM

When I open my eyes, I find myself slowly sinking in the freezing water. I look up to see Luna sinking above me, with the S.S. Midnight being torn apart from fiery explosions. I begin to swim up, trying my best to reach Luna before her lungs run dry. Every push I do makes my lungs burn, but I push on, eventually getting to Luna. I try to wake her, but she's out cold. I continue to try to get to the surface, but I can already tell its a losing battle. When I start to fade out I feel something touch my face. I look up to see an all green unicorn before me. Well, the top half is a unicorn, the bottom half looks like it belongs to one of the fish that Ulif showed me. It looks at me and Luna with a look of concern before it charges its horn...

When I wake up for the second time I look around to find myself on a shoreline, my legs still being in the water. I look over to my right to see Luna coughing up water as she looks back to me.

"Miles... wha... are we alive?" she asks weakly.

"Yeah… I think so," I reply just as weakly.

"Miles... we did it..." she says as she reaches out and grabs my hand.

"Yeah..."

"We're married," she says with a large smile.

"Ye...yeah."

Shout out to Rainbow Dragon for picking what was for breakfast and the name of the ship. HI _______! Brony on!