//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 What is love // Story: How to train your villains // by Kewiei777 //------------------------------// Later today, in the royal dining hall. Celestia eyes Luna chewing on some random food, and suddenly feels jealous that her sister could worry about nothing for a period of live before her duty is resumed. Celestia then shacks her head and feels the necessity to talk about Elaphos' unlikely mission assigned by her sister. "What's your plan with Elaphos, your personal guard?" Celestia asks, hoping for a negative answer. "En..." Luna swallows down her food and answers. "Maybe... Oh right, we are going to experience the current lives of our little ponies. You know, to make sure I will not thrill the ponies when I am preforming my duty in the dreams with my ancient ideas. After all, watching from the moon is far from enough. I need to know what they may like, well, the part differs from the old days..." "No no, I mean, what?" Celestia is shocked by that her sister is leaving her again. "Well, we are going to talk about that later. I mean your personal relationship with Elaphos." Luna's smiles a bantering smile. "You are not going to steal my royal toy, are you?" "I am serious, please." Celestia appeals. "Did you tell him to read those books about pleasing mares. You will not be serious with him, will you?" "No, I didn't ask him to do that. But about the second question." Luna's face darkens a bit and manages a bitter smile. "You know, I own him a lot. I had spoiled his mind for a thousand years and the impact continues so that he never feel hate or regret about what I did or what he did. So..." "That doesn't mean that you have to repay him in this... physical way." Celestia interrupts. "Other methods are available. Like giving him a title or something. Or even nothing, like you said, he will not feel a thing." "It is not about sexual or physical factors. And it is me who find it necessary." Luna says peacefully. "In fact, he is fairly a good choice. Firstly, he has been with me for a thousand years and he is obedient and handsome. Moreover, he is likely to become our dark magic trash can in the foreseeable future when we need extraction of dark magic so it is a good investment to chain him to our side. Unlike you, maybe you will sell yourself out one day to someone ugly and unfamiliar for a better future for our little ponies." "I will not marry." Celestia counters. "You don't marry because there is too convoluted to deal with the consort's relatives and the payback is not worthy. In short, the optimal choice or the forced choice is not presented yet." Celestia is rendered speechless and Luna continues. "On the contrary, Elaphos has no relative so no one will get in the way of political affairs. His loyalty can be guaranteed as well." "But think of our nation. Our ponies will be scared the moment he is showed to the public." Celestia argues. "Well, you are right. So he will not be titled as a prince or something." "And your so called self-sacrifice will not be appreciated by him. He will regard this relationship only as his duty, rather than compensation." Celestia counters. "I know he will." Luna sighs and rambles to the balcony of the dining hall. "But the guilty tortures me a lot. I have to do something. Maybe one day he will understand the actual meaning." Celestia follows her sister to the balcony and watch the sun moving down across sky. “You have the final saying. But remember the disadvantages. I don’t feel good. It is not what love means.” “Your love means that the two individuals meets each other accidently and love each other the first moment they see. Don’t you think that is too unrealistic. But thank you for your idea, I will give up when thing goes wrong.” Luna inhales the crispy cool air and relaxes. “You have rules this nation well without me.” Celestia tenses up and rises her ears subconsciously for the upcoming words, fearing that her sister might feel jealous for her achievement and doubt the importance of herself. “Relax.” Luna says and turns around to face her sister with a smile. “Equestria will be better when I am back.” “You are back, Luna.” Celestia exhales and hugs her sister with both her fore legs. “I love you.” “I love you, too.” Luna returns the hug and said. “It is a pleasure to have you as my sister.” The hug continues for a while and then they separates. “It feels good to have this sisters’ time.” Luna breaks the hug and heads for the door. “I need to change my schedule to fit for the upcoming social re-knowing. I may need a spell or two to force my sleep.” “Wait, about that you can just read some books to know the world.” Celestia tries to keep her sister from going away. “Do you really believe in what you just said?” Luna turns around, deadpanned. “Don’t be so protective, Celly. It is always a time that a fledging leaves her nest.” Celestia falls into silence and after a while of staring she says. “Good luck.” “Thanks.” Luna replies. Luna leaves the dining hall and heads for her bedroom. The castle corridor is void as it is time for guard shift and maid resting. Luna suddenly turns her head and says to her wings. “Come out, Elaphos. Walk by my side.” Luna’s wings oozes a mass of dark ethereal mist, with the texture of mercury, reflecting the diming light of sun. “May I ask why you don’t regain your control over the moon.” Elaphos asks and the mist forms a general shape of a pony. “Stop try to convince me to win power.” Luna reproves and then sighs. “I know you don’t mean it.” Luna pauses and continues. “Well, it is about politic. Unlike other places, the politic here means that we princesses need to convince our ponies there is nothing to worry about. If a former villain like me suddenly comes into power, they will be scared.” “I understand.” They walks for a while without a word and only clip-clop of the hooves can be heard. The guard shift is over and new guards are heading to less important guarding spots like the corridor Luna is walking. On hearing the approaching hooves, Luna wraps a smile and decides to tease her personal guard before they are not alone. Using her tail to flip Elaphos’ hind leg, Luna says. “Why don’t we try your newly learned skills on pleasing me.” Elaphos turn his head to face his princess, with stoic face, totally not affected by the flirting. “I didn’t mean to listen your conversation with your sister. But like what she has said. The compensation of my lost is not needed. It is my honor to serve you, in any condition.” Luna sighs, feeling depressed. “Can’t you just pretend you are happy to mate with me?” “I have thought about this plan, but I believe I am not sophisticated enough to fake a feeling. As a result, you may find out and feel worse if I do so.” Elaphos replies impassively. “Thank you for your deliberation.” Luna huffs. “I am expecting too much.” Elaphos eyes Luna for a while, contemplating something before saying. “There is a question I wanted to ask a long time ago.” Elaphos views Luna for permission and moves on after being approved. “Why are ponies enthusiastic in mating? I know it is necessary for reproduction. But why they look happy when they are having sex? Only because of the joy that it brings?” “Well, you will not understand unless you have a try.” Luna lures in a seductive voice, with a teasing smile. “Come on, let’s have fun.” “According to my recently learnt knowledge. I prefer not to do so. Considering the rights and obligations formed after this kind of experience and possible responsibility and impact of the next generation, it is not a good choice.” “I will take that you fear the responsibility.” Luna huffs and darkens her expression. “No, it is an unnecessary responsibility and do more harms than goods. Like your sister said, I am not suitable to be presented to the public, nor do our offspring. Rumors and defamation are foreseeable. If you really want an offspring, there are many other choices other than me.” Feeling angry, Luna turns around to face her guard and hisses, with one of hooves jabbing his chest. “Thou are not supposed to...” But on seeing the stoic and serious face of Elaphos, Luna exhales and resumes her walk, depressed. Elaphos doesn’t know what has happened as he start purchasing his princess. “I am sorry. But I don’t know why…” “Shut up!” After a short walk in silence, they finally reaches Luna’s room. “Serve my bath, Elaphos.” Luna finally says. “Yes.” After Luna finished her bath, she sits on her bed and contemplates what has happened today, hearing the bathing sound caused by Elaphos. She thinks it was a truly bad day. The door of bathroom opens. Reveals Elaphos with water and bubbles flow down his body. “I want to apologize for what I have done…” Luna chuckles for this funny scenery and interrupts. “I forgot you never bath yourself before.” Luna then casts a spell to clean up the remnant of the unsuccessful bath. “I want to apologize…” “I don’t want your apologize.” Luna interrupts again. “I understand this reason we have a lot a trouble today. Today it is your first time to witness my romantic side, which had been suppressed for a thousand years while we were on the moon. In this case you were not able to act properly.” Luna’s horn lights up and throws Elaphos on her bed, let him face upward. “But it is your fault to spoil my good mood today.” Luna then straddles on the crotch of Elaphos and lift his chin with her hoof. “I have enough of sighs today. The responsibility lays on you to make your queen happy. You are mine tonight.” Luna then thinks of something. Swirling her eyes, she adds. “It is an order.” The next day, in the dining hall. Celestia is having her breakfast and the door is pushed open. Reveals a tired night princess. “I assume you have a enjoying night, my sister.” Celestia says, unhappy about what might happened. Luna then gives her sister a glimpse with grudge. But Celestia knows that the grudge is not for her. “What happened?” Celestia asks and she waves all waiters and guards away. “It is unlikely he has no sexual function.” “You are not far from the truth.” Luna replies and plumps on the chair. “No matter how I lure him, he is not aroused enough to perform the next procedure. Maybe he has no that function.” “Maybe he can’t just mentally relate your action with right stimulation to cause physical response. And yes, he has.” Celestia hides her chuckle but fails. “He has morning wood as he told me.” “How dare he told you that kind of thing? Wait, morning wood, like now?” Luna is surprised. “I need to have a check.” Luna then rushes out of the hall and shakes her wings, making some dark drops of mist splash on the floor.