NOW WITH MOAR LUNA!

Chapter Two

Brushing a bead of nervous sweat from your brow, you take up your post outside the Princess’s room. Down the hallway, you can just about hear the small formal band begin to play as guests arrive, combined with that sounded like gentle sobbing. Twitching slightly, you turn your head, trying to work out where this new sound was coming from; your ears eventually nudge your brain into realising that Princess Luna was obviously crying her eyes out in her room. Unsure what to do, you put your ear against the door to confirm your theory, being able to quite clearly hear the royal mare within.

Panicking slightly at the thought that you and the other two guards had been slightly harsh to her Majesty, you open the door a fraction with your nose, seeing her sat looking out the window at the line of carriages arriving at the Gala below when you poke your helmeted head through the gap. Something about leaving her crying there didn’t feel right; you quietly open the door a bit more, just wide enough to slip inside, your hooves making a quiet clopping sound as they impact the stone floor of Luna’s room. You step onto the rug that she was sitting on, the warmth welcome on the pads of your hooves, stopping a foot away from the crying mare.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” You ask, cautiously. Her head turns, you can see streaks of mascara running down her face, “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?” you apologise, feeling it obvious that she wasn’t alright at all. She stays silent for a little while, looking out of the window again. You turn to leave, feeling unwanted before she stops you, calmly placing her remaining shod hoof on your armour.

“Please, do not leave.” she asks quietly, tears still streaming down her cheeks, yet still straining to maintain her decorum despite her slightly slurred speech, “Come and sit with us.” she adds, patting a spot on the rug next to her.

“I don’t know if I can Ma’am, the Captain said...”

“The Captain is our servant, and shall do as we command, lest our sister be informed of his insubordination.” Luna replies, slightly sharper than before but still slurred. You sigh, not willing to incur the wrath of Princess Celestia upon your superiors, let alone yourself, “Your Princess has commanded you to sit, and so sit, you shall,” she slurs, still patting the spot on the rug, her crown at an odd angle, hanging from her horn.

A lump forms in your throat as you very cautiously sit down next to the younger Princess. She can see how nervous you are, even through her drunken state, and she raises an eyebrow.

"Tell us, guard, what is your name?"

"Plate Mail, your Highness."

"Good. Now, Plate Mail, tell one your personal opinion of us."

“Princess, I’m very fond of you, you’ve always been kind to me.” you say, watching the gentle sway of the taller pony sat next to you.

“Do you know how long it has been since we last had a consort of worth?”

“I... I don’t know ma’am.”

"A thousand years. Does that seem fair to you?"

"No, ma'am."

"One should like to feel the warmth of a stallion against ones-self. You may embrace us, if you wish."

You think about the options available to you at the moment. You could hug her of course, as it would be the decent thing to do, but you were unsure on the protocol of such contact with the nobility.

Gingerly, you try to inch your foreleg around the shoulders of the still swaying and slightly teary alicorn, feeling her unexpected warmth when she leaned into you, resting her head on your shoulder, the occasional tear trickling between the plates of your enchanted armour.

“One was right, thou art lovely. Thou shalt make a fine consort, once gelded, of course.” Luna says, head still on your shoulder.

Hearing the end of her sentence, you back away a little, or try, considering her foreleg holding you in place.

“Ma’am, that isn't exactly done anymore.”

"Is it not? Forgive us, it has been a very long time."

"May I admit something, your Highness?"

“Certainly, what troubles thee, loyal protector?”

“I’ve never actually done this before, let alone with someone of your...”

“Please, don’t remind us of our sta-.” she replies, interrupting, “Wait, never before?” she adds, giggling a little.

“Aye Ma’am.” you respond, blushing.

“So... thou hath never been kissed?” she giggles again, bringing her unshod forehoof up to your chest. You blush,

“Well, yes I have Ma’am, but it was a long time ago... Before I joined the guard, ma’am. She was an old fr...”

Before you can finish your sentence, the drunken princess presses her lips against yours, removing your helmet with her magic as she pushes into it, forcibly slipping her tongue into your mouth, the taste of alcohol still strong, with a hint of the fruit the wine had been made with. Your eyes widen, realising that this is a HUGE breach of protocol and probably something you could be executed for. She pulls away, registering the look of worry and confusion on your face.

“Ma’am, I...”

“Stop. Thou shalt call me Luna, and we shall just be two ponies enjoying the view tonight, watching the beautiful moon and stars.” the princess says, the slur in her voice noticeably reduced compared to her state thirty minutes ago.

“Yes Ma’a- I mean, Luna.”

You see her look into your eyes; removing your helmet had partly broken the magic affecting your appearance, the colour around them changing from the standard blue to a deep emerald green.

“Thou hath such lovely eyes. What colour is thine coat, normally?”

“White. A bit dull I’m afraid.” You respond, still uneasy about referring to her Majesty in such an informal manner.

“We are sure that thou art very attractive. Who knows, maybe we could make thee our royal bodyguard? Celestia has that... dislike-able captain half the time, something about a jester, back before we came home... We do not see why we couldn’t request thee.”

“I... that would be something I’d like.” You admit honestly, warranting another kiss from Luna, this time on your cheek.

“Thank you for looking after your princess. One hopes that we have not been too much of a bother. It has been... difficult, adjusting to life in modern times, and we just been a little emotional recently. Ours is a lonely station as immortals, fated to live beyond the lives of any lovers.”

You think about her words for a few moments before seizing enough courage to lean in and kiss her, more gently than she had kissed you before, not daring to breach her mouth with your tongue. Pulling back, you see a look of disapproval on Luna’s face;

“Oh no, I’m so sorry, I thought-” you start to apologise before being cut off again,

“We prefer that a suitor or consort use their tongue.” she replies, smiling in the same way you had often seen her older sister, when preparing some sort of scheme for her amusement.

Your lips meet again, this time parted a little further, allowing for you both to explore each others mouths, her tasting the mint leaves you had eaten before your shift, you tasting the sweet fruity drink she had partaken of. The kiss seems to last forever, until you both run out of breath and part, smiling, faces flushed.

“How was that? Alright for thine fourth kiss?” Luna asks, seeming a little more sober than before.

“It was lovely, would you like another?”

Luna smiles, “Maybe later. We should like to watch the stars a little longer with our loyal protector... It is, after all, so lovely and romantic this time of night.” sighing as she puts her head on your shoulder again. You feel a slight shudder beneath you, almost as if something immensely heavy had just fallen to the floor elsewhere in the castle but ignoring it in favour of the mare sat next to you.

“That,” Luna says, smiling and still slightly tipsy, “was probably Celestia’s latest idea on how to make the Gala more entertaining. It is a shame, we have not had chance to experience the very latest entertainment that this era has to offer, as of yet.”

You spend the next hour or so with Luna, pointing out the constellations your mother had taught you as a foal, corrected by the beautiful Princess, who is slightly amused at how bizzarely the names had changed since she had thrown them into the night sky so long ago. After that, you had watched the coaches leaving the gala together, before Luna spoke up once more.

“One imagines that it is getting close to the end of thine shift.”

You nod, not willing to argue with the alicorn who had so easily melted your heart. She kisses you for the last time that night, you enjoying the scent of her mane that had been so close to your nose.

“We promise that we will not disappear anywhere, you do not have to worry about being hauled in front of the Commander; We shall see if we can do something about the Captain as well. Will we see you tomorrow?”

“It’s my day off... We could meet in the gardens if that would be acceptable?” You ask, “They’re ever so lovely this year, the gardener spent forever getting them ready for the Gala.”

“That would be most acceptable indeed.” Luna replies, kissing you on the cheek before ushering you to the door, “Good night, guardspony Plate Mail.”

“Good night, your Majesty.” you reply. You see her grin gently, and you both chuckle slightly as she closes the door behind you.

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